From Witcher to Lord of the Empire.

Chapter 261 Mahakam's Dragon
Inside the dwarf's tavern, there was a lot of voices.

The rules and regulations of life in Mahakam are very strict, and the young dwarves do not understand the Great Elder; although the adult dwarves who have traveled abroad and returned home understand the Great Elder, most of them still cannot bear the itchy rules, so they are more willing to Choose to leave the city and engage in mining, hunting, construction and other jobs in the mountains.

Therefore, the business of the tavern in this gathering place is very good. Although it is only halfway up the mountain, there are more customers than the taverns in the capitals of general big countries.

The dwarves gathered together, drinking, chatting, discussing work, and complaining about the elders. Some dwarves gathered in the corner to play their national "barrel card"; The loser will give the winner a glass of Mahakam ale.

At this moment, half of the people in the tavern are gathered around the venue for the arm wrestling duel, because there is a brave man who has won dozens of rounds in a row and has also drank dozens of glasses of Mahakam ale.

But as the competition continued, the brave man became stronger and stronger. It seemed that the ones he defeated just now were only children, and her physical strength could not be lost at all.

Even after drinking dozens of glasses of Mahakam ale, she didn't change her face, as if what she just drank was mountain spring water.

An unconvinced dwarf spontaneously stood not far from her. Every time the brave man drank a cup of ale, the dwarf also drank a cup.Now the dwarf was so drunk he got under the table.

Stronger than dwarves, stronger than dwarves.

Incredibly, she was still a woman.

What's even more incredible is that she's human—or at least appears to be.

"Saskia! Saskia!"

The dwarves with onlookers spontaneously started cheering for the winner. Strong strength and heavy drinking are the traits that are most likely to be recognized by the dwarves. If you add good card skills, you may be able to become the guest of the Great Elder immediately.

Surrounded by cheers, Saskia toppled a dwarf again.By this time, the dwarves are no longer pursuing victory. They are more interested in experiencing the strange power of this woman with a mentality of clocking in at the attractions. After losing, they will willingly serve a glass of ale, and then watch Saskia gulped it down.

"Haha, another glass!" Saskia drank a glass of ale and smashed the wooden wine glass on the ground.Then the dwarves broke out into even louder cheers.

The owner of the bar also joined the carnival dwarves, and he didn't feel sorry for Saskia's smashing of the wine glass. Instead, he began to prepare for the next glass of wine in full swing.

"Saskia! Saskia!"

Amidst the cheers, the trap door of the tavern was knocked open.Every dwarf moved so roughly that no one noticed the movement.

But then the voice of the dwarf came in: "Then we will see you in a few days, Lann!"

The tavern was extremely noisy, and Yarpin's voice was barely audible.

Only Saskia's ears suddenly moved twice, and then her eyes lit up like a dwarf's furnace.

"Lan?"

She turned around.

The trap door was still swinging as the dwarf with the purse was stepping excitedly into the tavern.

A silhouette of a knight in silver-black majestic armor loomed behind the constantly opening and closing wooden boards, and beside him was a horse that was two heads taller than him.

"Blonde hair! Lion eyes! Great griffin cape! Lann Lannister Ray Allen!"

……

Yarpan supported the wall, touched his bosom and found that the money bag was still there, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Just now, the dwarf felt a gust of gray wind blowing in front of his eyes, and then he flew out as if hit by a horse.

"Ah... sorry."

Yarpan faintly heard a voice apologizing, and the person who bumped into him seemed to be quite polite.

Then there was an undeniable force that pulled him up from the ground, and after confirming that he was not injured, the gray gust of wind blew up again, away from him.

With a "bang", the wooden door of the tavern groaned.

Yarpen scratched his head, looked into the tavern, and found that all the dwarves were looking at him for some reason.

Yarpan, who likes to be the focus of attention, immediately put the accident behind him, raised his fist and shouted: "Hey, Yarpan the dragon slayer is back!"

……

The attendants all pulled out their weapons one after another, trying to step forward to stop the woman who had just appeared, but Lane beckoned them to be calm.

The person rushing out of the tavern like a gust of wind was too much like an assassin, not to mention the attendants, even Lan himself was taken aback.

With his current physical fitness, he almost didn't react. It wasn't until the person in front of him stopped that he could barely see the other person's appearance.

This is an extremely tall woman with golden brown semi-long hair.

Lann's height is now close to 1.9 meters, but at the moment she is barely able to look at her at the same level; she is wearing a light brown traveler's jacket and leather suit, and the slightly tight design wraps her muscular lines, which can be seen The skill of the person in front of him is extraordinary.

She wore a headband on her forehead, and the ends of her hair were simply braided and hung around her neck.The bridge of the nose is high, the lips are slightly thick, and the skin is not delicate but has a smooth look.

This appearance, which is slightly different from that of southerners and northerners, made Geralt behind the team mutter to himself, "Zerikan?"

After the woman rushed out of the tavern, she locked onto Lan En immediately. She showed a joyful look, and after finishing her appearance five steps away, she stepped forward and introduced herself:
"Hi, Lane Lannister Ray Allen, my name is Saskia."

……

With this name, coupled with this outfit, and a faintly familiar appearance to Lan En, Lan En instantly confirmed the identity of the woman who suddenly appeared.

Even with Lan En's current status and the power he has mastered, he feels that he is surrounded by a surprise at this moment.The name of this character can be described as thunderous to Lan En.

Saskia comes from Zerikhan, a country that worships dragons and regards them as totems. She doesn't know who her biological father is, but she has a great and powerful adoptive father.

If Lann remembers correctly, Saskia, who inherited her adoptive father's belief that all beings are equal and freedom is priceless, left Zerikhan to travel north.During the later period of the Civil War and when most of the northern border was captured by Nilfgaard, Saskia would also raise a group of troops in Aden, which was close to the subjugation of the country, known as the "Virgins of Aden", in an attempt to establish a harmonious society among all races. Kingdom of life.Even the leader of the Scoia'tael Party, Iorves, whom Lan had contacted before, would be convinced by her and would be willing to be driven.

[...Wait, all races live in harmony?When did this kind of slogan seem to be shouted out, and when did it come? 】

Lane thought about it, and finally gave up.If you can't remember it, it means it's not important.

All in all, Saskia is a high-level military talent who is highly compatible with the ideas put forward by Lann—at least the ideas that have been publicized to the outside world.

What Lane valued more was another point - Saskia's powerful combat power.

The tall, heroic woman in front of me is not actually human, her appearance is a disguise made by magic.If she were to show her real body and fight Lan En's current trump card, the Ice Giant, it would be really hard to say who would win.

But at this moment, Saskia didn't take the initiative to reveal her identity, and Lan didn't reveal it after thinking about it.Looking at the girl's long-awaited look of wanting to communicate with her, don't be too easy to deceive.

Lane prefers to keep this secret first, and then use it as a bargaining chip to play a greater role.

……

At this moment, seeing those guarding Cintra attendants, Sakia seemed to realize how rude her behavior was.

"I'm sorry, Lannister... Your Excellency the Duke, I'm so excited, because I have admired you for a long time, and I just got to see the real person today, so I can't help myself."

Saying that, Saskia gave Lann a slight salute.

Saskia's demeanor is very calm, but she paradoxically has an abrupt feeling of "communicating with people for the first time".Like the kind of ivory tower student who has learned a lot of knowledge and comes to a social occasion for the first time, his mind is full of etiquette rules, but he doesn't know which one to use on the spot, which seems confusing.

However, she didn't have the shyness of those students who had little social experience. Instead, she revealed a kind of self-confidence from the inside out.

After seeing Lann's calm gesture, the attendants put away their weapons, but their right hands were still tightly gripped on the hilt.

After following Lan En for so long, the attendants also have good eyesight, and the posture of this woman's appearance shows that she is extraordinary.They could even vaguely feel an aura that they could only feel when facing a beast from each other.

"You have been looking for me? Are you going to join me? How did you come to the dwarves' territory?" Lan asked intentionally.

Saskia was delighted to see that Lan En was willing to communicate with her. After hearing Lan En's inquiry, she immediately opened up the chatterbox.

"I heard your name in the Pontar Valley. At that time, I heard that your country accommodates multiple races, and they can all live in peace and respect each other."

"I grew up learning the idea of ​​racial equality, but I never saw it in any country. So when I heard the rumor about you, I was very excited."

Saskia's eyes are blue, like a stream of clear springs: "From the time I heard the news, I hoped to witness it with my own eyes. I happened to meet the local Scoia'tael, and they... had a friendly exchange with me. Fan, tell me where Cintra is."

Lan En didn't change his face, but he was muttering in his heart: Pontal's Scoia'tael, could it be the Iorveth group?Saskia in front of her has the appearance of a human, and the Scoia'tael hates humans extremely... How did they communicate?
Sakia continued: "I looked at the map and found the path to Sintra, so I came all the way and passed the Mahakam Mountains."

"As for why I'm in the dwarf's territory... it's because I'm tired from the journey, and I plan to rest for a while. I just heard that there are dragons here, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to see dragons, so I plan to take a rest here, and then find a chance to go to Sintra."

Lan silently drew a road map from Pontal to Sintra in his mind. It seemed that Sakiya was following a straight line and planned to cross the Mahakam Mountains.Normal people would not take this route. For example, Lann used Temeria and Redania to go around a big circle when he participated in the Northern Conference.

The way Lan En was thinking was seen by others, and Saskia stared at Lan En motionless, with expectation in her eyes.

Seeing this, Gabo took the initiative to come forward and explain: "Sakiya has indeed been in Mahakam for a while, and we all know her. It's just that we never knew that her destination was Sintra—maybe this is Be guided by fate, hahaha."

Gabo deliberately laughed a few times to ease the atmosphere.

Herilera frowned and questioned: "But how can a traveler climb the Mahakam Mountains? She is not an envoy like us, or a lead ring of friendship."

Gabo waved his hands and explained: "Mahakan holds an ale festival every 25 years, and even the great elders will agree to open the door to welcome tourists from all over the world - Leila guessed that you were not born at the last ale festival, so I don't know Know.

"It's just that not many people are willing to participate in this ale festival because of the well-known Scoia'tael. Sakiya is the first person to climb the Mahakam Mountains, and so far the only one."

"I can't promise you anything, Duke Lannister, but Saskia is not a villain or an assassin. We dwarves have a good eye for people, and she is a good person."

Lane glanced at Gabo, then at Saskia.He naturally knew that Saskia was not a bad person.

He was amazed that Saskia was able to gain the approval of the dwarves so easily, and even let Gabor, a prestigious dwarf, sponsor her on a diplomatic mission.

As expected of her.

After pondering for a while, Lan pointed to the tavern and gestured to his team: "As you can see, my current team includes both humans and dwarves. We are willing to entrust our backs and lives to each other."

"In my country, there are dryads, elves, and other races that are inconvenient to say but are very rare. Sintra welcomes every like-minded person or non-human to join. If you want, you can return to Sintra with us later. Terra, see for yourself, think about it, and examine whether the scene there is in line with your ideals."

Saskia breathed a sigh of relief.

She first showed a grateful smile to Gabo, then bowed her head slightly to Lann, and after thinking about it, she saluted: "Thank you for your approval, this is my honor, Your Excellency the Duke."

……

The atmosphere in Lann's team began to relax. Since the Duke has accepted the new female warrior, the attendants have no reason to guard against her.

On the contrary, Colgrim's eyes lit up slightly after hearing what Saskia said. He looked around and approached Layla, and asked in a low voice, "Mahakan still has dragons?"

Leila glanced at Colgrim's and Geralt's similar amber vertical pupils, nodded after thinking for a while and replied, "There is a red dragon here, called Kelturis."

"It is said that it was the last red dragon between the ocean and the Faerui Mountains. It came to Mahakam to build its nest hundreds of years ago, and then a century-long conflict broke out with the dwarves. Later, the dragon got tired of fighting, and the dwarves also Knowing that the red dragon will not go anywhere, so the two sides reached an agreement. It will not bother the dwarf, and the dwarf will try to meet its needs."

Leila spoke in a loud voice, which was heard by Gabo who was not far away.He snorted coldly: "It's not 'we meet its needs', we have reached an agreement with the big lizard. We provide food and shelter, and it no longer kills our compatriots, and at the same time helps us resist the nearby monsters. This is Employment relationship!"

……

Gabo seems to want to explain in detail the relationship between the Mahakam dwarves and the red dragon Kelturis.But the next second he was speechless.

Because in this topic, another protagonist besides the dwarves appeared.

——A high-pitched roar resounded through the sky.

At that moment, it was as if a bronze horn sounded in everyone's ears. Apart from it, people could not hear other sounds.

"Ow--"

Lann looked up quickly, only to see a huge shadow sweeping over his head, like a brick-red fortress swimming in the air.

A beautiful creature spread its wings and flew lightly to the depths of the Mahakam Mountains.

Only one word emerged in everyone's mind - dragon!

……

The deafening beast roar just now echoed in Gabo's ears. He shrank his neck, smiled at the amazed eyes of the Sintra people, and greeted with an extra loud voice, as if he wanted to drive away the red dragon The shock that just came.

"Stunning, isn't it? That's Kelturis, the red dragon of Mahakam."

He seemed to introduce the red dragon as a scenic spot: "I know that Yarpan once killed an albino red dragon in Quartz Mountain, but Kelturis is much bigger and much more difficult to deal with. And only we dwarves can make it settle down."

"Fortunately, there is only this one dragon in the entire mountain range. If there is another one, Mahakam may not be able to hold on."

"But you don't have to worry. Although the power of this big lizard is scary, it doesn't hurt people—at least it hasn't in the past hundred years."

The eyes of the demon hunters who followed Lann showed yearning, especially Ke En.The pride of the Griffin School is George, the legendary demon hunter who slays dragons alone. There is even a portrait of George slaying a dragon in Kaer Morhen of the Wolf School.

However, demon hunters know better about doing what they can. They are all pragmatists, and they will never deal with opponents that they cannot win 100% for the sake of glory or wealth.

Just before everyone reacted to Gabo's words, there was a second horn-like howl in the sky.

"Ow!"

In the crowd, Saskia's face suddenly changed.

The demon hunters also became suspicious, their pupils began to shrink, first they looked at the roaring dragon in the distance, and then they suddenly began to look at the surrounding environment, the snow and the rocks.

"Garbo, I don't mean to offend." Geralt said coldly, "Although I can't communicate with the dragon, you know what we demon hunters do for a living—the emotion conveyed in the roar of the beast is irresistible. It's not like a 'harmless' creature would pass it on."

Colgrim's snake pupils also began to shrink: "Instead, it feels like 'I want to find something to beat, tear, and burn'."

Lan En shook his head, exchanged glances with Ke En, and suddenly pulled out the long sword behind him.

"Its mission of 'helping dwarves resist monsters' doesn't seem to be doing very well - watch out, something is coming!"

The cold wind whistled between the mountain peaks, and besides the dragon's roar far away in the sky, there were more hisses that echoed it to everyone's ears.

Rocky figures rolled out from the back of the rock, they seemed to be disturbed by the movement of the giant dragon, and rushed towards the defense line of the gathering place in a panic.

The dwarves in the tavern had already run out.

After watching the dragon sweeping through the sky and the monsters attacking, a small group of dwarves ran back to the tavern immediately.After a while, a bunch of hammers and axes were brought out, distributed to each other's partners, and ready for battle.

Obviously, the dwarves are already very experienced in such scenes. Except for residents, absenteeism, and bar owners, they can transform into experienced axemen and hammermen at any time.

Gabo spit in the palm of his hand and moved his stiff arm in the wind and snow.

"It's not the ice trolls, it's the Sharmas...Damn it, this year's 'big cleaning' has cleared up a lot, why is there still such a large group? You know, I was almost torn off by them back then! "

(End of this chapter)