From Witcher to Lord of the Empire.

Chapter 219 Lady Luck Is Calling

The age and strength of the ice giant are not recorded in detail, because it is unique in the world, and there is no second ice giant in the world that can be observed and recorded.

It is ancient and powerful, and no one knows when it appeared in Skellige's poems and legends; even the oldest old man on the island can recall that his grandparents used to use the ice giant's sword in the middle of the night. Ghost stories stop children from crying.

Lan can be sure that this ice giant is at least many times stronger than the old spearhead he defeated.

If Easter succeeds in defeating the ice giant, there is no doubt that he will become the ancestral epic hero in Skelliger's poems. At that time, let alone becoming a king, maybe there will be no objection to changing the throne to an inheritance system .

At the same time, it can be predicted that this demon hunting mission will definitely bring huge benefits to Lann.

But at this moment, Lan En only had worries in his heart, and he didn't want to complete this task.

He turned to look at King Bran: "What do you think about this matter? With all due respect, this is really...too dangerous."

King Bran's complexion was not much better than Lan En's. In the past days, he had repeatedly persuaded his brother not to take risks, but he never succeeded.

"The Skellige people value three things most: honor, the deeds of their ancestors, and the weapon of magic weapons." King Bran sighed, "East is determined to pursue glory, and at the same time, this is also chasing in the footsteps of his ancestors. I should Supported..."

"Then support me." Easter said, "I will take fifty family warriors away, and at the same time find a blacksmith to make me a sharp weapon capable of killing ice giants, and then I will board Udvik island."

"Don't worry, my brother." King Bran hurriedly persuaded, "I have sent invitations to five other families to have a banquet in Little Skellige in three days, and I will work with Lan to persuade them Send troops. Maybe you don't need to be king at all, and naturally you don't need to take risks..."

East retorted: "Even if they agree, this level of support will definitely not be as powerful as 'revenge for the king'."

Now even Lan began to persuade East: "Maybe we don't need to be in such a hurry, let me try it first. If it can't be done, we will plan the road of the Frost Giants."

Then even Ciri joined in.Although the little girl has no idea how strong the Ice Giant is, seeing King Bran and Lann look like this must be very dangerous.

The little girl doesn't want her grandpa gone.

In the end, East sighed and reluctantly agreed that Lane and King Bran would contact the other five major families first.But in the process, he will also start to prepare the team and wait for the time to attack on his own.

King Bran glanced at Lann gratefully, and reached out to touch Ciri's head, but he gave up after thinking about it after looking at his oily hands.

Not wanting to talk about the Frost Giants anymore, His Majesty the King decided to change the subject and start talking about the north-south situation on the mainland.

"Niflgaard..." King Bran sighed, "I didn't expect it to become such a huge monster now. I think I took a boat to plunder their 'City of the Golden Tower'."

"I also went to plunder them." Kratz, who had been silent for a long time, finally found a chance to interject, "That city is indeed beautiful, and the whole city is like gold when the sun shines—I really thought that all It was gold, and it turned out to be a disappointment."

"At that time, that city was the entire territory of Nilfgaard." East frowned, not knowing what to think, "Emhyr... who would have thought that that guy would take a city in such a short period of time? Small towns became the behemoths they are today."

These words silenced everyone present. Nilfgaard was their enemy, but no one present could deny Emperor Emhyr's skill and courage, and no one could deny the current strength of the Black Sun Empire.

King Bran took a deep breath and patted his head: "I don't want to think about these past things. Since the enemy has appeared, now we just need to think about how to deal with him."

"There are still a few days before the banquet. During this time, Lann, do you have any plans? How about I arrange a few people to take you around?"

Hearing King Bran's inquiry, Lan fell into deep thought: "If it is arranged..."

……

"Can you tell me more about the ghost on the mountain?"

Lane asked a man dressed as a mountaineer at the pier on Big Skellige.

Facing Lan, the three demon hunters behind him, and the forty or so mighty Sintra soldiers behind him, even the Skelliges, known for their bravery, couldn't help showing nervous expressions.

"Look at your armor... are you from Sintra? Who are you and why are you interested in this matter?"

"I heard about this matter from the chat among the sailors on the pier, and I heard that you know the details, so I came here to ask for your advice." Lane was polite, "I am Lane from Sintra, Lane Lannis Trey Allen."

Behind Lan, Milva and House looked at each other and sighed softly.

When he was in Brokilon, the Duke was keen to help the people solve all kinds of trivial matters.

At that time, it could also explain the Duke's enthusiasm for this kind of thing, thinking that it was stabilizing the lives of the subjects—unexpectedly, Skellige was still like this when he arrived.

When the mountain people heard Lan En's name, they thought it was familiar at first, but after carefully looking at Lan En's cloak, hair, and eyes, they suddenly realized it.

"Are you the lion of Cintra?" The mountain people jumped up, "I heard your stories in the tavern, and sailors and merchants who returned from the sea often brought your poems. Listen to your performance on the battlefield. It's so inspiring, man!"

"Oh my God, you don't even look much older than my son! Don't worry, kid, other families dare not say it, but we in Greater Skellige absolutely support you, and we have an indelible feud with the Nilfgaardians." !"

House standing behind Lane clenched his fists.Damn it, why is this mountain man so indifferent? Did he just want to pat Lord Duke on the shoulder?Do I want someone to interrupt that hand later?

Lane didn't care much about these etiquettes. If the other party was a nobleman who was rude to him, Lane would feel offended; but if the other party was a commoner who didn't know the etiquette, Lane wouldn't take it to heart at all. .

Not to mention that this is Skellige.

"Yes, yes." Lan smiled, "Kratz is my cousin, and he invited me to visit here recently. I was wondering if I could help him or something, but I just heard rumors that there are ghosts on the mountain , so I wanted to come over and see if there was anything I could do."

"I know, 'Lannister, promise', right? I've heard of it." The mountain man laughed. "You're a Skellige, Son of the Isles, if I ask you. That's what you're proud of!"

House let out a deep breath, and he felt that he should also knock out a few teeth of this arrogant mountain man.

The unconscious mountain people continued to talk to Lan En: "You want to know about the ghosts on the mountain, you are asking the right person, listen to me..."

After a while, the system's notification sounded in Lann's ears——

[Discovery Mission - Cabin in the Woods:

In order to let the hunters and loggers on the mountain have a resting place, the enthusiastic mountain people built a hut as a transit station.But one day a horrific murder happened there, and the resentful spirits have been wandering there ever since.The mountain folk's axes are useless against the void spirits, and perhaps the witcher can solve that problem. 】

Lan nodded in satisfaction, turned around and stretched out his hand: "Geralt, would you like to take a trip? I will arrange for Milva and five people to follow you, and you can help me teach them how to deal with this evil spirit. Can spirit creatures do it? You can also register for this task at the castle and get paid, and the bounty will belong to you when the time comes."

Geralt sighed: "It's possible, but what are you trying to do..."

"The Order of the Demon Hunters." Before Lann could answer, Cohen said decisively.

He patted Lan En on the shoulder vigorously: "This is what our Griffin School... No, this is what a witcher should do!"

"Entrust this to me, Lane, I don't need a bounty, and distribute the money to families who have been hurt by evil spirits, they need this money even more!"

Faced with Ke En who suddenly felt a sense of mission, Lan En couldn't help twitching the corners of his mouth: "No, no, Ke En, that's not necessary... I want to discuss this aspect in the future. Although the bounty is not good for me, It’s nothing, but it’s still essential to the entire demon hunter community..."

After trying to persuade Cohen to calm down, the energetic Griffin Hunter went up the mountain with Geralt in the end.

Colgrim crossed his shoulders and watched the two companions go away, and looked at Lan: "Then what about me?"

After all, this is not Brokilon, where Lan can let his subordinates directly collect tasks, and then comfortably wait in the study room for the experience of completing the tasks to be delivered to their door.Now he has to take the initiative to find tasks.

"House!"

"I'm here, my lord!"

Lan pointed to the tavern: "Go and help me collect some information, not only the entrusted ones, but also help me inquire about other families in the archipelago, especially their attitude towards Nilfgaard and Sintra."

"Yes, my lord!"

House bowed his head and clang, and suddenly heard the sound of breaking wind coming from in front of him. When he looked up, he saw a money bag flying out of the Duke's hand.

"Don't be stingy with the money for drinks, and buy others a few drinks when you need it. People in the archipelago don't pay much attention to etiquette, so you should be polite. Of course, don't be shy when you encounter difficulties. If you have trouble, you can find me. Cousin Kratz is also a family member, so don't worry .”

House caught the purse at a loss, and touched his waist with the other hand: "Ah... my lord, the reward you gave me last time has not been spent..."

"Then take a few more brothers to drink together, and teach them how to find out the news by the way. Raise a few more helpers, and you will be able to relax in the future."

"...Yes, my lord."

After speaking, Lan ran to the next pier with the rest of the people without looking back.

Three Sintra cavalry followed behind House, a little nervous.

Mounting horses and fighting is their essence, drinking in taverns and bragging is their pleasure, but they are really not very good at gathering information.

"Mr. House... what should we do?"

The attendant with the lion's head and silver sword on his waist threw the money bag in his hand and looked at the tavern beside him.

There were excited wine fights, noises, and cheers from inside.

Stretching his hand into his bosom to touch his treasure, House is confident.

……

"Would you like a gwent card?"

It's daytime, but Skellige's tavern is buzzing no matter the hour.

As soon as you enter the door, you will be surrounded by the aroma of charcoal-grilled meat, fresh bread, and strong beer.

Opposite the door is the bar of the tavern owner, where there is an astonishingly large grill with large pieces of meat and large fish; The east side was cleared out, and several people seemed to be wrestling or boxing.

House's target was naturally the card table on the west side of the tavern.He played cards with others for 20 crowns a game, and the Duke gave him enough money for him to lose from now until tomorrow morning-if he kept losing.

And if his opponent loses the card, he has to order a glass of wine or a special food for House, and then tell a new thing that happened in the local area-as an out-of-towner, this request is very reasonable.

I don't know how long it took.

When Howes sat down again, he had a glass of golden ale to his left, and a sea-salt-baked sturgeon with radish puree—a dish that was now rather expensive as the sturgeon population plummeted—to his right. .

The faces of the three Sintra cavalry who followed behind him were flushed, and they were obviously drunk.Each of them also carried a large plate with three or four steaks, grilled fish, and a large pile of mashed radishes and potatoes, and mushrooms and beets could be seen.

They whispered:

"Hey, I can't eat...how about you?"

"I can't drink anymore. If I drink any more, it will be a waste of time... Mr. House doesn't seem to drink much, so he gave it to us..."

"It's really... powerful, as expected of a member of the lions, Mr. House... It seems that we haven't spent any money since we entered the tavern, right?"

"If this continues, I'm even worried that our money will increase..."

"Has more money become something to worry about?"

The three Sintra cavalrymen had bitter faces, never thinking that drinking and eating meat would become an embarrassing thing.

In front of them, House's opponent wailed, slapped his hands heavily on the table, and let out an unbelievable scream:

"Why do you even have this kind of card? How can 'Northern Territory' beat my "Monster" deck?"

House raised his chin slightly, put away the card with the blond knight printed on the table, and said lightly: "Lannister is invincible!"

The guy who lost the card had a dangerous look in his eyes, as if he wanted to make a move.But his intentions were quickly seen through. Obviously, House had seen too many red-eyed gamblers like this.

The sword attendant snapped his fingers, and the three cavalrymen behind him immediately smashed three trays on the table fiercely, and the ferocity of the veterans in the battlefield slowly radiated.

The gambler suddenly shrank, and said: "This... sir, I have no money, really, I have lost it all, and I don't even have money to buy you a drink. I originally thought that this one would turn the tables of……."

He was busy explaining, but the faces of the four people opposite were expressionless.So he thought for a while, and hurriedly pulled out a drawing that he didn't know what was drawn on his body, and handed it to House:

"I only have this on me, and this is all my property. It...it is a blueprint, a very precious blueprint, definitely enough for twenty or even fifty crowns, converted into coins, enough for your people to stay in the tavern Have a full meal!"

House raised his eyebrows and took it casually: "My friend, I sympathize with you, really, but if you use items as collateral, the price is not just what you say..."

As he spoke, House's voice became smaller and smaller.

He frowned.

On the blueprint in his hand, there was a long sword with a bear's head and hilt impressively drawn.The size and material of the long sword are marked on it in detail. As long as you find a qualified enough blacksmith, it is definitely not difficult to make a similar long sword according to the same pattern.

When the gambler saw House's expression, he thought he was dissatisfied for a moment, and hurriedly explained: "Mr. —He is as strong as a bear, but his poker skills are as bad as a water ghost! He lost me a full two hundred crowns in one night, and in the end he had nothing to lose, so he mortgaged this thing to me, saying it was a very precious one equipment blueprint!"

House raised the drawing in his hand: "So you know what this is?"

The gambler's voice suddenly became quieter: "I...can't read the words on it, but at that time the strong man said that this thing is worth more than the money he lost to me. I don't think he is a liar."

House thought for a while and asked, "Where did that man go?"

Unexpectedly, the gambler suddenly became excited when he heard this question: "That guy originally said that he would bring money to redeem this broken... this blueprint, but my tavern was suddenly attacked by a group of people that night. That man ran away without a trace! Fortunately, because of Mr. Easter’s incident during that time, the number of patrols around the island doubled. The soldiers of the lord discovered the enemies in time and took them down. Otherwise, my tavern might be burned down. Already!"

House looked at the blueprint in his hand, showing a thoughtful expression: "Do you know where the attacking group came from? Where is that man now?"

The gambler showed a strange expression: "Why do you care about this?"

House took it for granted: "You lost the card, and besides asking for a treat, you have to give me a story. This is a very good story."

Hearing that House had already recognized the value of the blueprint, and he didn't need to pay for it himself, the gambler's face suddenly cheered up.

"According to Master Kratz's statement later, that group of people seems to be from the principality of 'Arc Coast', which is a vassal state of Redania. As for that man... he must still be in Skellige, he is so penniless Wen's gambler can't escape at all!"

Hearing the last few words of the gambler, the four of House immediately cast strange glances, as if to say, "As a gambler, you are not much better."

And that man is in Skellige... Isn't it the same as saying nothing... Forget it, go back and report to the Duke, if the Lord is really interested, there must be a way.

It is such a trivial matter that I have to trouble the adults to do it myself, which makes House very unhappy.

"My card skills are pretty good..." The gambler met the eyes of the four people and said cozily, "Although the guards came in time that night, my tavern still suffered a lot of losses, so I thought about it." Come out and play. I'm still a man with taverns and estates."

"Then why don't you pay for a glass of wine with this 'valuable' drawing instead of credit?"

The gambler was speechless.

And House also knew in his mind that this guy was probably an ignorant person, and he just wanted to get rid of this piece of "waste paper" he couldn't understand as soon as possible, so that it would be worth a glass of wine.

Especially when you lose your cards until you have nothing to lose.

Seeing several drunken sailors looking over, House knew that he should call it a day.The Skellige people are notoriously united, and he is an outsider himself. He has won too many times before, and now he has won one person to the point of losing his pants. It is time to let it go.

Recalling His Excellency the Duke's instruction to himself to "be kind to others", House coughed lightly, took out ten crowns from his pocket and put them on the table:

"This drawing is indeed valuable, and I don't want to take advantage of you. You sound like a poor man. Use this money to build a van, so you don't have to walk back on your legs."

Hearing this, the gambler suddenly raised his head and his eyes lit up: "That man said that the blueprint is worth two hundred..."

"Get out!" House slapped the table hard.

Don't say that House was angry, even the sailors around who wanted to help the locals look back.

"Gambling dog!" Looking at the back of the other party staggering away, House spat hard.

Shaking his head like the Duke, House greeted a few cavalrymen to sit down, thinking about getting rid of the steaks in front of him, and then went back home.

A sailor suddenly sat in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

Facing House's inquiry, the sailor laughed: "You seem like a nice person. You seem to be interested in that bear-like man? I can tell you."

"Besides, I also know a little secret that Sintra may care about. If you want to know, I can tell you together."

(End of this chapter)