From Witcher to Lord of the Empire.

Chapter 223 The Demon Hunter Cult is almost ready

The culture of any place is diverse.

The archipelago worships Freya, the goddess of fertility, love, beauty and harvest, and the patron saint of seers, fortune-tellers and psychics.

But Freya is not the only god of Skellige, and there will be various beliefs everywhere for various reasons, such as the subject of discussion among the lords of the seven major families at the moment-Svalblo.

The archipelago has no way of verifying whether this evil god named "Svalblo" really exists.But around this evil god, a sect was indeed established in the Skellige Islands, and it became popular in some areas.

The Svalblo sect has only one commandment: to kill.This coincides with the character of part of the Skelliger pirate family, so it is supported by extremely loyal.

Among the countless "miracles" of the Svalblo sect, the one that drives the warriors the most crazy is the "berserker".It is said that believers who have a loyal belief in the evil god can enjoy the gift and gain the ability to transform into a giant bear.

This is also the reason why the lords can now accurately target the Svalblo sect—the bears that suddenly appeared at the banquet can illustrate the problem.

But the sect with such "miracles" and powerful apologists was eventually wiped out.

Because the Svalblo believers are very fond of using living people to sacrifice gods, they used this as an excuse to bloodbath almost the entire village of the Skellige Islands.This made the lords realize the seriousness of the matter, so they united to destroy the temple of the Svalblo sect, tied their believers to the longboat, took off the sails, and sent them into the deep sea.

But now it seems that the Faith Extermination Movement was not clean enough, otherwise today's accident would not have happened.

It is also because of this that King Bran's proposition can be accepted by other lords - the achievement of completely eliminating the Svalblo sect is enough to support a lord to become a king.

And part of the reason why he made this claim was for Easter—the archipelago should not prevent relatives and friends from pursuing glory, so even if King Bran thought in his heart that Easter's behavior of challenging the ice giant was tantamount to Suicide, but it is still not easy to dissuade directly.

But King Bran was still looking for a way to make East give up the crusade against the giants.

Putting forward the claim that "the one who destroys Svalblo is king" is an opportunity that King Bran is looking for: the defeated general who was once beaten by the Skelligs and can only linger on his last breath is better than the one in the archipelago legend. Peerless beasts that have existed for hundreds of thousands of years are easy to deal with.

……

After Lord Bran's initiative, no one wanted to be the first to speak out in such a situation.

Those who are qualified to speak out were also shocked by King Bran's decision at this moment - such as East.

However, although the hall was quiet, the eyes that flickered in it could clearly express the emotions of each lord: some were excited to hear the good news, some were worried and didn't know how to deal with it, and some looked dazed and stayed out of the matter.

After a few breaths, the respected old lord Dona Ann Sinda finally coughed twice and stood up.

He exchanged glances with King Bran, looked meaningfully at the anxious East and Lan who was also surprised by King Bran's decision, and said to the lords of several other big families.

"Your Majesty's decision is very reasonable. The Svalblo sect is the enemy of our elders, and it is also our enemy today. Eliminating the Svalblo sect is equivalent to completing the feat that our ancestors failed to do, and it is also washing away for us. Today's shame, revenge for us. People like this deserve our support and our support."

The lords exchanged glances and nodded after hearing the words.

"agree."

"It's just that I still hope that His Majesty will think about it more. What happened today is not your fault, nor can it cover up your previous achievements. I hope you can..."

"I've made up my mind, Donar," King Bran interrupted. "Those warriors who died at my banquet should have had more legendary adventures, fighting powerful enemies for the archipelago. Now their honor has come to an abrupt end, This is also a shame that I can't wash away.

……

All the lords left after a brief exchange of opinions.Some immediately began to panic around, obviously wanting to seize this rare opportunity to convince everyone and ascend the throne of the archipelago.

Some don't care about it, as if they have no interest in this position at all.But the relationship between these lords and the king was not too close, so they didn't stay long and returned to their respective fiefs early. They still had a lot of things to deal with.

Before leaving, the lords all expressed their gratitude to Lan En, and no longer had the previous scrutiny and fear.The people of the archipelago counted for one yard. Even though Lan was a sure supporter of East, the force he displayed in front of everyone shocked everyone.The islanders admire the brave, so their attitude towards Lann will naturally change.

Secondly, it is an indisputable fact that Lan En saved everyone in the banquet hall before, and all the lords must accept his gratitude.

To be honest, if Lane proposed to let these lords give up running for the king now, under the coercion of favors, maybe a few of the lords could really agree.

Lan was really thinking about doing this, but he was stopped by East after all.

Because this is back to East's original intention of trying to crusade against the ice giants: while becoming a king, he can also have enough prestige to mobilize the troops of the major families.

It is true that through Lane's favor, the competitors can give up, but after that, no one can say how well they will fulfill East's order.

It's better to leave Lann's kindness behind and wait for a more suitable time to make it work.

At this moment, the brothers East and King Bran remained in the conference room. In addition to Lan, there were Kratz and Dona Ann Sinda of the Haimei family.

The third of the seven great families, this is the current strength of East's side.

The most powerful Clayt family and the Tursek family have long been determined to be closely united, and the addition of the Haimei family surprised Lan even more.

"I'm getting old, but I have no choice but to take on the responsibility of the lord because the family has no young people who can stand on their own." Dona explained with a smile, "I don't dare to think about being a king, it's too difficult for an old man gone."

King Bran introduced to everyone: "I have been lobbying Dona before, and his position has always been very close to ours. He is one of the families who have agreed to send troops to support Sintra before—even the families with relatively strong support. .”

"If Bran resigns from the position of king, no other lord is eligible for my support. After much deliberation, Easter is the most suitable." The old man smiled and nodded, looking at Lann, "Facts have proved my choice There is no mistake, I have not even begun to fulfill my obligations, and I have been favored-thanks for your life-saving, Lion."

Lann smiled modestly.

"Dona's joining is also the reason for me to propose this initiative." King Bran added, "He has made good friends with the priests of the Temple of Freya, and they will definitely spare no effort to fight against heretics like Svalblo. We do more with less.”

"Don't underestimate them. Although the priests may not be proficient in combat, they still have all kinds of magic - the Virgin Freya also has the priesthood of 'prophecy'!"

Donna nodded with a smile.

Thinking about it, King Bran dared to put forward the proposal of "the one who destroys Svalblo is king", and he must have paved the way for his brother.

"Only this time, East asked Lane for your help. I'm going to investigate the loopholes in the castle." King Bran said with a gloomy face.

"Let the enemy enter the castle and kill my allies. If this matter is not investigated clearly, the glory of the Tursek family will be destroyed."
-
[Discovery Mission - Silent Rage:
The savagery and warlikeness of the Skelligs are famous the world over, but even they cannot tolerate the brutal Svalblos.They once thought they had expelled this bloody and cruel sect from the archipelago, but now it has returned to the sight of the islanders in a tragic way.In order to complete the unfinished business of the ancestors, and also to wash away his own shame, the king decided to let the person who destroyed Svalblo inherit the throne-this may also be your chance, Lion. 】

This is Lane's first conflicting assignment.

Previously, East received the task of hunting the ice giant and winning the crown, and this time it was the task of destroying the king of Svalblo. It is obvious that the two cannot be completed at the same time.

If there is a choice, Lann is still more willing to accept this task generated by King Bran's request.

Even East, after thinking for a while, accepted King Bran's proposal in a complicated way.He is not a stubborn person. He can also become a king, win the support of the lord, and avenge Calanthor against Nilfgaard. Svalblo, who was beaten and maimed by the islanders once, is easier to deal with than the ice giant.

This is how the next step of the itinerary was determined—follow Dona Ann Sinda to Indalsfair Island, seek the help of the Freya sect, and annihilate the Svalblo sect.
-
Before the official departure, Lane still has one last thing to complete.

While East and the others were making preparations, the lion-eyed young man walked into his living room.

A pair of amber cat eyes looked at him, obviously waiting for a long time.

This gaze was not from any one of Geralt, Colgrim, or Kern, but the boxer who fought a giant bear alone at the banquet and won it.

The boxer is tall and strong.He was more than half a head taller than the burliest Skellige guard around him; his shoulders were extremely broad and his arms were thick, and Lann called Lei Suo over with him through the portal all the time. The impulse to compare figures.

He has mohawk braids on his head, and his attire has also been changed to a suit of armor with a cotton coat as the base, a lock as the lining, and steel plates on the outside.With bare arms, wearing leather gauntlets and elbow pads, half of the upper arm and the entire shoulder are exposed, and the muscles on it are bulging like rocks.

The steel plate on this man's armor looks very heavy, but on his body, it only gives people the visual effect of "light armor".Lann had always felt that when this man fought against the giant bear, it was as if one bear knocked down another bear.

And the fact is also close to Lann's idea - this man also bears the iconic double swords on his back, and a badge engraved with a bear's head on his chest is roaring wantonly.

……

Judging from the outline of his skin and facial features, this person was obviously not from Skellige, but his hairstyle, clothing, and even his personality all showed a tendency to be assimilated by the islanders at this moment.

The moment he saw Lan En, the strong man's eyes lit up. He laughed boldly and walked towards Lan En, loudly expressing his joy and admiration for seeing Lan En.

"Ran of Cintra, right? Lion! I've heard your name, but I never thought it would be such a surprise to actually see you!"

"I didn't expect you to be a griffin! And you teamed up with wolves and snakes. Is this a new trend? Or is there some change in the situation on the mainland that I don't know about?"

"I always thought you were an earl, but I just heard from the person you brought here that you have become a duke, congratulations!"

"I have to say that your seal is really beautiful! That [Arden Seal] can distinguish between the enemy and us, and it can also cover the entire hall. How did you do it? Is it convenient for you to communicate? If you don't mind, I can use I come to exchange my exclusive [Quen Seal] technique with you!"

The strong man walked towards Lann, his muffled laughter seemed to be roaring in the rocks.

That heroic look made Lan En feel that he would fall into a bear hug in the next moment. Even a person like Lan En, who had experienced social situations, was stunned for a moment when he saw such a scene.

But fortunately, the other party also knew that it was the first time they met, and after walking a few steps, they stopped at a place three feet away from Lan En.

He stretched out his hand, which was also a hand with a very wide palm distance.

"It's our first meeting, I'm Ged, a demon hunter of the Bear School."

……

After gathering all the griffins, wolves, snakes, and cats, Lan finally met the new school of witchers—the bear.

Theoretically speaking, the Bear School is also one of the sources of the witcher's current reputation. They perfectly fit a stereotype of the witcher that ordinary people have - the mutation of the witcher will eliminate their emotions.

The founder of the Bear School is called Anahad, one of the first generation of demon hunters transformed by the genius warlock Arzu.

The technology of the first generation is extremely immature, and the instability of the mutation is shocking even in Alzu's era.But Anahad survived such a random experiment, and he was very different from all other demon hunters except him.

Anahad has extremely developed physical strength, can wield heavier weapons than others, and is covered with thicker armor than others; at the same time, he also has extremely indifferent emotions, almost never having any emotional ups and downs, not angry, No sadness, no joy, no warmth with your companions.

At the same time, Anahad was also the direct promoter of the disintegration of the Demon Hunter Order.Anahad has always sneered at the noble pursuit of the sect to "protect the people and fight against monsters". After the leader of the sect left, he even regarded hunting demons as a simple job of "doing things for money".

During a certain commission, Anahad met other fellow demon hunters.When the demon hunters of that period encountered such a situation, they should have been pleasantly surprised that they had a companion who could help them, but Anahad thought that the other party had robbed him of his "business", and a dispute arose, which eventually turned swords against each other.

It is said that Anahad chopped the compatriot from the shoulder to the waist with only one sword, and almost died on the spot.

But the demon hunters of that period were also exaggeratedly powerful.The demon hunter who was wounded by Anahad held his breath. Shi Ji used the goat horned demon he was going to attack to hold back Anahad's pace, and then fled into the wilderness with his seriously injured body. Anahard's atrocities informed the other fellow witchers.

The news eventually reached the Witcher Order.

This was the first time in history that there was an internal conflict among the demon hunters. The other demon hunters in the cult were extremely angry, and their companions who could not understand Anahad's usual behavior vowed to punish Anahad.

Anahad seemed to have anticipated this situation, so he led the second internal conflict among demon hunters in history—and this time it was a large-scale armed conflict.

The final result was that Anahad led a group of demon hunters who disapproved of the mission of the sect to officially break with the sect, and this opened the prelude to the disintegration of the demon hunter sect.

The first group of demon hunters who left the sect used "bear" as their symbol. Under the guidance of the dwarves, they set up the base camp of the sect in the Amer Mountains at the junction of the north and the south. Harsh geographical environments temper their apprentices.

As a special individual among the first generation of demon hunters, Anahad has undergone additional research on his mutation content.He brought this kind of research results out, which led to the apprentices after the Xiong School all possessing cold emotions and strong bodies like him, as well as an extremely pragmatic outlook on life: work for money, not talk about ideals .

They don't mind pointing their swords at humans, or even fellow witchers, who stand in their way if necessary.The only difference between them and the cat faction is that they will not take the initiative to accept killing commissions.

Of course, just like other schools of thought, the Bear School has no stronghold now.But their stories are much more dramatic:
The cause of the incident seems to be that a failed crusade against vampires caused dissatisfaction among the surrounding mobs. They have long had resentment—they would rather live next door to monsters than to mutants who have no feelings.

And when these mutants "lost" the ability to crusade against monsters, the mob decided to wipe them out.

This may be the only riot without a warlock behind the scenes, and a group of apathetic armored magic swordsmen against a mob with only a pitchfork and sickle may be really hard to tell.

But the Xiong faction has no such willingness to fight collectively. After learning the news that the mob went up the mountain, the members of the Xiong faction still seemed indifferent. They neither wanted to do unnecessary killings, nor did they have the sincerity to protect the academy, so they parted ways. Leave an empty city.

The Bear School was thus disbanded.

……

After seeing Gerd, Lan quickly ran through the history of the Bear School in his mind.

Just as there can be rational people in the school that is rich in mad cats, Gerd in front of him is obviously an alternative to the indifferent bear school.

This is a person who only appears in the background story, but also a person who makes a deep impression.

Gerd originally had a complete set of bear equipment blueprints on his body, and Lan also learned about his story when he collected blueprints as a player in his previous life.

Simply put, this is a man who has islanders writing about him after his death, and as a bear he's more popular than most griffins.

A few passages from the poem reveal his character:

【Justice and bravery, not afraid of death,
This is Gerd the Witcher! 】

[People who have friends are the luckiest,

to leave home in peace,

All was well when I got home,
Thanks to the Witcher! 】

In Gerd's background story, he almost traveled around the archipelago by singing, drinking and playing cards, and hunted vampire birds, sirens, and even a dragon at the request of others.

But now it seems that Gede has not completed his legendary career, but is practicing. This time, he was attracted by the banquet held by the seven big families because of him.

……

Although Lann was still thinking, his expressions, movements and thinking were completely out of touch.

After hearing Gerd's praise and self-introduction, he was still recalling the history of Xiongpai and the other party, but he greeted him almost reflexively.

"Hello, I'm Lane of Sintra, Lane Lannister Ray Allen."

"You're flattering me. I'm from the Griffin School. It's very normal to have specialties in French seals."

"It's your strength that amazes me. It's the first time I've seen someone use [Quen] to bear the attack of a giant beast, and stab the opponent to death with a dagger."

Gerd suddenly choked, he was not happy with Lane's praise.

"Hey, buddy. You're still too modest, but I saw your method of flashing everywhere and killing five giant bears in one go-is that also a seal?"

"And after you left, I checked the scene with my senses as a witcher. I found a giant bear that was beaten to death with fists. Your princess is spreading the word everywhere..."

(End of this chapter)