From Witcher to Lord of the Empire

Neither southerners nor northerners quite understand His Majesty Lann's persistence in hunting demons and his preference for the group of demon hunters.

Well, there is nothing wrong with His Majesty Lann being a demon hunter himself. But judging from the wisdom that His Majesty Lan has always shown, he should not be a person who makes absurd decisions due to personal factors.

When he was the commander-in-chief of the North, he used the terms of war to improve the status of the witchers in the entire north, and secured rights for the witchers in every country—even countries as small as a city. "Witcher Station" as a place to stay.

In the process of pacifying the south, His Majesty Lann even regarded "distributing demon hunters" as a measure of equal importance to "stabilizing the people's hearts", which puzzled some generals in the army.

But what happened next once again proved His Majesty Lan's foresight.

A new round of celestial sphere convergence has begun.

The countries and cities where witchers were stationed were rioted for a while, but they were quickly calmed down. Leaders of various countries discovered that even if the witchers themselves could not solve the problem, they could bring in more advanced witcher mentors, senior warlocks, or even His Majesty Lann to come in person.

They looked at the witcher for the first time.

At that time, the South had not yet been completely unified, and many independent provinces were riddled with holes under the ravages of various new monsters. In the end, they hurriedly recognized Queen Cirilla's legal right to rule, hoping to be incorporated into the radiation zone of the Demon Hunter Order as soon as possible and receive support.

After setting some restrictions, His Majesty Lann readily accepted.

Nowadays, Lan En has not truly proclaimed himself emperor, but he has taken the lead in popularizing demon hunters to every corner of his rule.

Even if they received support and obtained real benefits, it was still difficult for the nobles to understand Lan's actions.

But civilians began to use Lann as an object of prayer and praise.

——

Toussaint, the land of fairy tales, is also the southern country closest to the north, almost directly bordering Sintra.

Due to certain political considerations, Lann planned to establish a new branch of the Witcher Order and build a new castle.

Regarding the location of the new castle, Geralt gave a reference opinion: Toussaint.

It has the best wine, the most friendly atmosphere for witchers in the old days, and it also has the most neutral position in the history of the Civil War.

The most important thing is that after the great poet Dandelion's generous sacrifice, Duchess Anna, the ruler of Toussaint, is willing to dedicate her land to support the great and selfless group of witchers.

Since then, Toussaint has the largest witcher castle on the entire continent and has become the second core of the witcher order besides the Sintra headquarters.

If various countries have any large-scale commissions, they will often choose to come here to meet with the external affairs person of the sect.

The new Witcher Conference was also held here.

…

Next to the round table, all the members of the "Witcher Council" have arrived, and there are two new faces.

One of them sat next to Gerd of the Bear Party. This demon hunter has short white hair and war marks on his face. In addition to his two swords, he also has a pair of axes on his waist.

Although he is smaller than Gerd and Reso, he is still much stronger than the others.

The other demon hunter was sitting alone at the corner of the conference table, without any companions from his classmates. Behind him were two swords and a silver buckler.

The two newcomers didn't speak much, while the old demon hunters were chatting animatedly.

"I met a guy dressed very strangely. I guess he fell out of another world where the heavens and the earth meet." Kolgrim said mysteriously, "That guy has arms and eyes made of iron! The inside of his body There are also blood vessels made of copper and silver wires!”

"Oh?" Kelda showed an interested look, "Have you learned about any customs from other worlds with him?"

"No, that unlucky guy didn't know why he had to rush into the evil ghost's lair. When I found him, there were only pieces left."

Kolgrim shrugged: "I found a diary from the corpse. It was written messily in some local languages ​​and other incomprehensible characters."

Kelda, who likes research, immediately said: "Show me!"

Kolgrim was self-reliant. After groping for a while, he took out a notebook from his arms. At that moment, he attracted the attention of everyone around the round table.

Because the craftsmanship on that book is not what it should be in this era.

The old griffon soon began to mutter alone in the corner: "What is Lexington? What are bullets?"

"What does cybermaniac mean? He thinks he's crazy?"

Eskar and Reso did not participate in everyone's discussion. They were writing and drawing on the paper in front of them, as if they would report something later.

Both of them are serious working people.

Suddenly, a bright emerald light lit up inside the room, attracting the attention of all the witchers.

"Long time no see, everyone." Before the light dimmed, Lann's voice came out first.

The witcher greeted loudly, and the two new faces stood up directly. Among them, the witcher with the buckler on his back was the most nervous.

"Long live His Majesty Lann and His Majesty Cirilla!" Lambert shouted loudly, holding up his wine glass.

Xili's face twitched and she shook the wolf head badge around her neck: "The tavern in Toussaint will not be open to you for a month!"

The witchers laughed even louder.

Lann and everyone laughed wantonly for a while, and then made a quiet gesture.

"Teacher, how are you doing in Toussaint recently?" Lann looked at Jaylon first.

Jaylon smiled and nodded. Toussaint is his hometown, which is one of the reasons why Lane chose Toussaint as the new site of the castle.

Although this place carries many memories that Jielong does not want to recall, it is still a place that he cannot let go of.

Jaylon was happy, and Lan also smiled sincerely.

Then he turned towards all the demon hunters: "I'm sorry everyone, Ciri and I are a little late due to reasons well known to everyone."

"Before today's topic begins, please let us welcome the two new members of the 'Witcher Council'—"

Lann first pointed to the white-haired demon hunter beside Gede.

"Hakan Helens!"

Hakan Helens is one of the few bears with feelings like Gerd, and he even has the idea of ​​reviving the school in his heart. After learning about the Demon Hunter Order, he took the initiative to surrender.

Gerd served as a recommender and introduced him to the Witcher Council. Although Gede himself is powerful, the Bear faction currently only occupies one seat in the parliament, and many aspects involving voting can only experience a sense of participation.

The appearance of Hakan solved Gede's urgent need. After a period of inspection of character and power, he recommended Hakan. In view of Gede's long-standing reputation, everyone expressed their willingness to accept it.

Afterwards, Gede kept hoping that other bear comrades with feelings would come to join him, but unfortunately he never met them again.

…

After introducing the newcomers of the Bear Faction, Lan pointed to the other side, the demon hunter carrying a buckler.

"And Caleb Asma, our manticore companion who came all the way from Zerikan!"

Caleb was lean and wore desert-dweller dreadlocks. He finally got in touch through Saskia after all the hard work.

They were the branch that broke away from the Demon Hunter Order and ran the farthest. They even crossed the northernmost Wyvern Mountains in the north to the inland country of Zerikan. They abandoned the witcher tradition of witchers and chose to become the bodyguards of the Zerikan royal family.

It is a pity that the demon hunters before Lann were involved in political struggles did not end well. The Manticore School in Zerikan can now be described as "living on".

Now I heard that there was actually a member of the royal family in the north who had become a demon hunter and wanted to rebuild the order. They had long been accustomed to being the bodyguards of the royal family and immediately moved to the south.

However, due to the new membership, the Manticore only received one seat in the Parliament.

They also expressed understanding. This situation has exceeded their most optimistic estimates, and they dare not expect more.

"Since then, the six schools of thought that split away in the golden age have finally gathered together in the religious order today." Lann said with emotion.

The demon hunters cheered and applauded in response, and spilled most of the wine in the glasses on the table.

After welcoming the new members, Lann motioned for everyone to take their seats and the meeting officially began.

"Are there any difficulties in implementing the measures proposed at the last meeting?"

First, issues left over from history need to be resolved.

"Eskar?" Lann turned his attention to the wolf faction.

Because he is calm and reliable, he delegates many important tasks to Eskar.

"Things on my side are going relatively smoothly." Eskar gave the good news.

"You asked us to search along the way to see if there were any wild-hunting fish that slipped through the net near Xianide Island - indeed there were, but they were quickly eliminated by us."

In addition to himself, Eskar's team also includes Vesemir and Geralt. They have all undergone secondary mutations and are easy to capture for the scattered deserters.

"A few of them even disguised themselves as the Iron Sid tribe elves here, got married and had children here - we didn't kill these, we want to wait for you to decide."

Lan pondered for a while: "I'll go see them later. Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"

Eskar thought for a while, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "During the process of clearing out the Wild Hunt, we met a very good knight. His name is Draco, and he is also actively helping nearby civilians, and even fights against the Wild Hunt alone. Hunting record."

Eskar gave a heartfelt admiration: "He is skilled with a sword, even as good as the bounty hunter named Bonnard; he is still your admirer and very much hopes to join your Lion Guard."

"Are you in Toussaint now?"

"right."

Lan nodded and said thoughtfully: "I will go see him after this meeting. If his qualifications and character are acceptable, I will use the ancient blood to help him undergo a demon hunter mutation after a period of investigation and absorb him into the Lion School. .”

Eskar showed a satisfied smile and spread his hands to indicate that his report was completed.

…

So Lan turned to Leisuo again: "What's the situation on your side?"

Leisuo is responsible for leading all the Snake Faction members in the south to search for the Ain El elves that were missed in the first battle near the Golden Tower City.

For the Snake Faction, whose founding philosophy is to fight against the Wild Hunt, they are also happy to deal with these fellow elves who are supported by the Wild Hunt.

"The kill was very clean. We didn't find any fish that slipped through the net." Lei Suo's tone was even a little disappointed, "Your Griffin Knights are really powerful."

Lann laughed.

"But..." Leisuo suddenly changed the topic, "We discovered another Ain El, the Ain El that came from the intersection of the celestial sphere."

Lan's face turned solemn: "Did you kill them?"

Leisuo was shaking his head: "We didn't take action, but she died - this is the second question I want to tell you."

"There are many gangs among the people in the south who have taken it upon themselves to destroy monsters. Their methods of doing things are different from ours."

"The Ayn El I met is not a warrior. She seems to be a female pharmacist, and she also fell in love with a werewolf." Leisuo said a story that was as explosive as the first generation of Ancient Blood. "That werewolf is a The mercenary lost his daughter in the war but could not accept it. He kept hypnotizing himself because his daughter was missing."

"We met the werewolf while tracking Ain El and helped him figure out the truth. The female doctor of Ain El has also been helpful in this process."

"Because of his love for werewolves, he is willing to stay and accept your trial in order to have a chance of survival, so we are thinking of temporarily placing them in a nearby village, and we will decide how to deal with them after communicating with you."

Leisuo had a regretful expression on his face when he said this: "As a result, the identity of the werewolf was discovered by the villagers, and he and the female elf Ain El were killed by nearby villagers. When we rushed over, it was too late. "

Snake Pie has a bit of a waning mood. The other demon hunters also looked sad.

During their long career, they encountered many inhuman races such as werewolves and shapeshifters who were kind-hearted and even helpful. As a result, they often died at the hands of extreme villagers.

Some of them are people they have helped.

Lann nodded: "I understand. Looking back, I will issue a decree to try to regulate this behavior... It will be difficult, and implementation will be a long process."

"But it's better than nothing." Lei Suo nodded.

…

This concludes the Snake Faction's report.

"Anything else to report?"

Upon hearing Lan's inquiry, Lambert jumped up and raised his right hand: "I have a proposal!"

Lann raised his eyebrows.

Sure enough, the next words of this eccentric demon hunter made Vesemir cover his face.

"I think we can also build a tavern outside our castle, specifically for demon hunters and representatives from various countries who come to communicate."

Lambert's expression wavered.

"They can also issue the commission directly in the tavern - don't you think the two things 'tavern' and 'commission' go well together?"

…

Lambert was ignored.

Lan took a deep breath and looked around. Witchers all know that what comes next is the real topic of this meeting.

"I plan to expand the recruitment of apprentices again and extend it to all regions of the mainland, including the south."

Lann looked at the expressions of the demon hunters, but everyone's faces seemed to say "as expected".

Obviously this is not the first time Lane has proposed and implemented apprenticeship expansion.

And they clearly had something to say.

The demon hunters looked at each other for a long time and pushed each other for a while. Finally, Jielong spoke with a worried tone.

"In principle, we have no objection. Recently, the number of monsters has increased due to the intersection of heaven and earth, and the manpower does need to be replenished."

"But we know your purpose is not that simple." Jielong gradually became serious, "The situation in the south has not completely stabilized, and there are things everywhere that require a waste of manpower and material resources. In this case, you also allocated funds to train new recruits. Apprentice..."

"Lan, tell the truth. Do you actually value the enhancement of your strength by these apprentices more?"

By now, witchers have understood the workings of Rann's "Lions".

It is no secret that members of the "Lion Pride" who are endowed with the power of ancient blood can increase their strength by punishing rape and eliminating evil.

And Lan En's strength expanded rapidly during this process, and naturally he couldn't hide it from the eyes of those close to him.

"We have no objection to this, and it is also a good thing for the apprentices. But..." Jielong was concerned, "We are worried that you will be too...indulged in it."

"You are already the strongest person in history, Lan. Even Arzu can't compare to you. Do you want to continue to become stronger?"

Lann didn't feel any emotion because of Jaylon's doubts, but instead felt a little warm.

With a chuckle, he shook his head slightly: "It's not enough, teacher. My strength is not enough."

"You are almost ruling the continent, and Ain El in the other world is no longer a problem. What else do you need your strength for?"

Jeron said in a sincere tone: "Do you still want to cross the Feilong Mountains to attack Zerikan and Hakellan? Or do you want to cross the sea to conquer Ofir?"

"Zerikan and Ofir, if you have time in the future, it's not like they can't be part of the plan." Lann said matter-of-factly.

"But these are not my goals, teacher."

Lann looked at Geron, then looked around at the witchers around the round table.

"Everyone, I have many labels on my body. Every time the herald sings names in a diplomatic venue, I have to say a long paragraph."

Lann joked: "The Lion King of Sintra, the Dragon Slayer, the Sword of the Dawn... blah blah blah, I know you will laugh out loud sometimes when you hear it."

"But among these titles, the most important one is - 'Heir of the Ancient Blood'."

Lan opened his hands towards the witchers: "To be honest. Apart from recovering Cintra, which is what I am really willing to do proactively, pacifying the north, conquering the south, and wiping out the Wild Hunt are all things I have to do as a last resort. of."

"I don't want to do this, but their turmoil will interfere with my real purpose and prevent me from dealing with my real enemies. So I have to deal with them as trouble first."

"In fact, my battle has not really begun until today." Lann took Ciri's hand.

Speak out the name in the prophecy: "My real enemy is - hoar frost."

"That is enough power to destroy the world. And in order to deal with it, I also need the opposite power that can truly save the world."

Lan's eyes were sincere: "My current strength is far from enough."

——

On June 13, 1270, the northern kingdoms announced that the original [Northern Military Unification Alliance] would be changed to the [Northern Kingdom Political and Military Unification Alliance], with Sintra still as the core country.

All official documents began to formally refer to Rann as "King in the North".

On June 18, 1270, the vassal states and provinces in the south were merged again, abandoning the original country name [Nilfgaard], and only retaining the original city of golden towers as the [Province of Nilfgaard].

The new country's name is "Cintra Empire"

On July 1, 1270, under the promotion of Emperor Lann of Cintra, the "Witcher Act" was implemented in the southern provinces, and the number of witcher apprentices was once again expanded.

On August 1, 1270, the northern kingdoms completed the peaceful transition of power, and all kingdoms voluntarily became tributaries or provinces of the Sintra Empire.

On October 1, 1270, the number of witcher apprentices was expanded for the third time.

On March 1, 1271, the number of witcher apprentices was expanded for the fourth time.

May 1, 1271, May Day. The first anniversary of Emperor Rann of Cintra's accession to the throne and the first anniversary of his marriage to Queen Ciri.

…

Lan took a deep breath and looked at the dancing numbers on the panel with a thoughtful look on his face.

The moonlight shone in from the window and shone on Xili's back. That delicate skin is brighter than the moonlight.

The breeze lifts the screen window, and you can faintly see the bonfire soaring into the sky in the capital. Men and women dance happily around the flames, celebrating their lion king and lioness together.

"Are you distracted?"

Xili's originally confused eyes suddenly became solemn, and she looked at Lan with gritted teeth.

"Even if your body is strengthened by the ancient blood... you can't treat me like this!"

Xili's face turned red, and she punched Lann's muscular chest hard, but the tough skin caused her whole body to tilt backwards. Not only did it not hurt Lan, it also caused him to grit his teeth in pain.

Of course, the gnashing of teeth could also be due to something else.

Lann laughed.

…

The flames in the city rose higher and higher until the color of the flames merged with the dawn on the horizon.

Lan walked to the balcony, rubbed his fingertips, and sighed after savoring the smooth touch.

He was really distracted just now.

Because of hoarfrost.

Over such a long period of time, his strength has grown more and more, but until today, he still has no clue as to how to solve this crisis of world destruction.

There is quite a bit of blank space in the original book about how to eliminate hoarfrost, and the detailed methods are only briefly mentioned.

How does the ancient blood fight against the hoar frost?

Are you trying to destroy some world-destroying monster? Or do you want to negotiate terms with the consciousness incarnation of some great existence? Or block a source that keeps spraying ice cubes?

Lan had no clue, so he was uneasy and almost made Ciri angry.

During this period of time, he has been asking warlocks and historians to search ancient books and interpret the prophecies about the ancient blood from various angles, but they have found nothing.

After all, it is a crisis of world destruction, and it is gradually approaching.

With Lan En's current strength, he can actually abandon this world with the people he values ​​​​and seek a new world just like the elves did back then.

Tree spirits, vampires, and night demons all joined Lann because of this.

But Lane wanted more.

If possible, he hopes to save the world. That's why he was so eager to improve his strength while continuing to train the army.

But now, since the known documents and histories of elves, humans, and even other ancient races cannot find the answer Lan wants.

He had only one choice.

"Tsk, I really don't want to see him." Lann raised his head helplessly, looked at the starry sky, and saw another pair of eyes in a daze.

Back in the bedroom, Xili collapsed in the quilt, and the gauze curtain was blown up and brushed her back.

Lan En made the final decision in his heart and gently left a kiss on his wife's forehead.

Then he turned around and entered his study, sat down cross-legged, and his body lit up with an emerald light.

Consciousness sinks into the system.

[Travel], activate.

…

There was no need for any channel or medium anymore. At that moment, a huge weight was lifted from Lann's body, and his consciousness suddenly rose into the bright starry sky.

He looked around, and the huge amount of energy in his body seemed to have found an outlet at this moment, and countless stars were lit up in his sight.

Although they were separated by an unknown number of light-years, the scenes among the stars automatically appeared in front of Lan's eyes, as if they were very close, flashing like a slide that had been accelerated countless times.

There are vehicles made of steel traveling through the desert, warriors using roars as weapons roam the battlefield, and hunters equipped with strange armors shuttle under the minions of monsters...

Countless worlds appeared in front of Lann's eyes, and each world stretched out a hand to pull at him, plead with him, and even demand.

And a voice full of surprise sounded in Lan's ears.

"Ha, Lane!"

Lan turned back and looked at the happy businessman.

He was still dressed like a wanderer, with a crew cut that was easy to take care of, and was wearing a brown linen long-sleeved undershirt; he had two satchels slung on his left and right sides, from which half of the parchment rolled into a scroll leaked out, with a faintly disturbing content on it. The comfortable atmosphere is steaming.

He came walking on the stars, opened his arms, and welcomed you warmly.

"Lan, you are finally here!"

There is indescribable joy in the words.

Lan took a deep breath and was about to open his mouth when the person in front of him reached out to stop him.

The Mirror Master looked Lann up and down, as if appreciating a piece of art. His tone was full of emotion, like a poem.

"Why did you come here? What delayed you?"

"No, no, don't speak yet. You are not strong enough to speak. We need to save some strength for the next world."

"I don't plan to go to the next world yet." Lan said coldly.

He spoke.

Mirror Master's expression became visibly lost.

"You're still so disobedient - okay."

Everything just seemed to be just a welcome, and Mirror Master's mood quickly became calmer. His flailing arms were once again crossed in front of his chest in a regular manner, and the expression on his face was half-smiling.

"I know your purpose, I know everything. And I can tell you, I can give you the answer."

"But you should also know - I have my own rules for how I behave, and those are rules that I am unwilling to violate."

Lann sighed: "I know."

"Besides, you are not qualified to ask for anything from me now - because you owe me a favor, remember?"

Lan sighed again: "I remember."

"So?" Mirror Master opened his palm and shook it towards himself a few times, as if to indicate something, his eyes showing expectation.

Lann sighed again.

"We travelers should help each other. You helped me, so I have to help you, right?" Lann looked at the Mirror Master with satisfaction in his eyes.

"That's right, Lane, that's right."

"You did save me. Regardless of your rules, I should have repaid you." Lann shook his head, "It's just that your behavior always makes people uneasy."

"You misunderstood me, Lann." Mirror Master's eyes were sincere, "That's because you are different to them."

"...It doesn't make me any more reassured at all."

Lann looked back at his own world, and the hazy star realm wrapped around the continent like a cradle.

"So how can I repay you for the favor until I get what I want?"

The curvature of the Mirror Master's face began to rise, and his eyes became more and more satisfied.

"We have a little misunderstanding, it doesn't matter, we have plenty of time in the future. After all, in this world of thousands, we are the only ones who are the same, and only we can understand each other and truly communicate."

"So first of all, you have to gain my true friendship and become someone who truly stands by my side—Lan."

The Mirror Master put an emphasis on the word "real."

"You're very talented and I'm sure we'll get along great."

"It's the same as before, you know my job, I like to make contracts with people - but someone always breaks them."

"So you are going to those new worlds to help me collect bad debts. After that, I don't care what you want to do to that world."

"Believe me, maybe during our journey, the answer you want will be discovered naturally?"

"after all……"

Mirror Master turned around and opened his arms towards the countless twinkling stars.

"This endless world has endless possibilities!"

Lan En looked over from Mirror Master's back. Countless tiny stars seemed to be held in his arms. He owned the entire starry sky.

So Lan also stretched out his hand, contracted his palms, and a flash of light was caught between his fingertips, floating out from the embrace, and it belonged to him from then on.

"How's it going Lan?"

Lann, the blond lion king and the demon hunter.

He took a deep breath, looked at his fingertips, and said slowly:

"Complete your contract and save my world."

"Just start with it."

(Complete book)

After I wake up, I will finish this book.