"After a miscarriage, a fetus can sometimes become a dead baby if it is not properly buried. That's why you asked him to take us to the place where the child was buried. ”

"I really didn't expect you to understand this!"

Geralt found himself with a new understanding of Leon.

Li Ang was still calm: "I told you before that I used to have a witcher teacher. ”

"But I'm not good at learning, and the next thing is Ling's home field."

Geralt was about to say something more when the baron returned to the house.

"I'm ready, when are we leaving?"

Geralt replied, "Without further ado, let's do it tonight." ”

"Do it?" The baron's face was full of surprise.

Geralt went on to explain, "We suspect that your child has become a corpse baby, a cursed creature that only haunts at midnight and draws its power by killing pregnant women, and when it becomes strong enough, it will seek revenge on those who abandoned it. ”

The baron subconsciously looked at Leon: "But how does she know who abandoned her?" ”

Leon said expressionlessly, "Because she is your daughter." ”

Geralt added: "Through blood ties, we can also rely on it to find your family. ”

The baron nodded hurriedly: "Understood, understood, then what are you going to do with her?" ”

Geralt thought for a moment: "There are two ways, one is to bury the corpse baby under the threshold of the house, and then perform the ceremony, it will become a family goblin. It's a kind of . Belch. Elves who can protect you and your family. ”

"The other is to kill it directly, take blood, and finally find a witch doctor, and give the rest to the witch doctor."

"What to do depends on your choice."

The baron looked at Leon again, but this time Leon clearly did not intend to give any further help.

So after a pause of a few seconds, the baron decided: "No, you can't kill my child, she has already suffered too much, I choose to lift the curse." ”

"I'll dig a grave under the threshold first, and then I'll take you to the place where she's buried at midnight."

Geralt said angrily: "If the corpse baby fails to become a family goblin, we will have to use this grave, and it's good, not digging in vain." ”

"Don't take me." Leon said lazily, "I wouldn't lie down without a coffin lined with red velvet." ”

Geralt turned his head and said helplessly, "Yes, Mr. Dragon, after you die, I will bury you according to the rules of a vampire, if there is such a big coffin." ”

"That's pretty much it." Leon smiled with satisfaction.

The baron listened in a fog: "What dragons, vampires?" ”

"It's none to do with you, dig your grave." After Geralt finished his perfunctory work, he reminded again: "Remember to inform the people, stay at home tonight, don't come out, and sprinkle a line of salt at the door." ”

"And, wake up."

The baron could hear the impatience in the witcher's tone: "I'll go, I'll go." ”

After he left, Geralt finally couldn't help but ask, "Now you should tell me why you have to get that gnome?" ”

Li Ang didn't sell it either: "It's the elven sage we're looking for." ”

"What!" Geralt was pleasantly surprised: "Why didn't you say it earlier!" ”

Li Ang replied in a heartfelt manner: "Because you didn't ask." Have you ever asked me about the whereabouts of the elven sages? ”

Geralt frowned: "It's like. It seems that there really isn't. ”

"That's it." Leon leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table: "I'll squint for a while, and call me when you leave." ”

Geralt couldn't refute it, so he had to argue: "The main thing is that if you don't say it, I think you don't know." ”

"But then again, since you know that the Elven Sage is in the Crow's Nest, why don't you just come to him and stay in the White Orchard all the time."

Li Ang replied without opening his eyes: "Of course I'm waiting for you, how boring it is to travel alone." ”

Geralt said quietly, "Apparently you're not worried about Ciri's safety. ”

"She's so good now, I don't need to worry about it." Leon changed his posture to a more comfortable position: "And there is a situation that I have to tell you in advance, if Ciri leaves the Misty Island, he will definitely be discovered by the wild hunt, so I want you to be fully prepared for the final battle." ”

"My mission is to protect Ciri, and you'll have to figure out what the others do."

Geralt suddenly looked melancholy: "Okay, I'll figure it out." ”

After this conversation, the witcher's sense of urgency grew stronger. Although it was expected that there would be a battle between the Wild Hunt and the Wild Hunt, this battle came too quickly, and it seemed that we had to find a few trustworthy helpers.

The room fell silent, Geralt pondered what to do, and Leon took a nap.

A few hours later, night came as promised,

And brought strong winds and showers.

"That's not a good sign." Geralt looked up at the lightning and thunder in the sky.

Hearing this, the baron unconsciously clenched the shovel in his hand: "Don't scare me. ”

At this time, Leon stretched his waist and walked out of the house: "It's raining?" Not bad! The rain covers the footprints, the wind blows away the breath, the night hides the whereabouts, the lightning obstructs the sound, and it is a good weather for throwing corpses in the wilderness. ”

The baron blinked, suddenly not very wanting to go out.

"Just kidding, the shovel is good, just for self-defense." Leon smiled and patted his chubby shoulder, and stepped into the rainy night.

After thinking about it, the baron decided to go back and get a weapon before heading out.

On the way, he also noticed a very strange thing, the rain seemed to be hiding from Leon. Obviously, he and Geralt were drenched, but Leon's body was still dry, and not even a single hair was wet.

Seeing this, Geralt comforted: "Don't think so much, he is not a normal person. ”

"Would you like to tell me about Ciri when you have time, she seems to have been to you?"

The baron relaxed a little, and recounted: "She came a while ago, exhausted and covered in wounds, like a reservoir dog who has been chased and beaten. Later I learned that she came out of the humpback swamp. ”

"She took a little girl who was abandoned by her parents and killed a werewolf."

"And saved a villager from the werewolves."

"That villager was so stupid that he brought Ciri and the little girl to me to receive a reward, not my lost wife and daughter."

"I don't even recognize my own family!"

"In the end, I sent the villagers away, left them behind, took care of them, and gave them food."

Geralt asked, "How is that little girl doing now?" ”

The baron's eyebrows fluttered and he said, "You said Gretelka? She's fine, I asked her to go to the kitchen to help cook. Ciri told me what the kid's parents did, so I decided to keep her. ”

"She has food and shelter here, she is not afraid of wind and rain, and she has a small nest, and she lacks nothing."

Judging from the baron's expression, Geralt could tell that this was a man who liked children very much.

"And then?"

"And then. We're here. ”

The baron pointed to the ruins of a dilapidated building not far away: "My second child is buried here. ”

Geralt looked at the desolate scene in front of him and sneered, "You really know how to pick a place. ”

The baron first glanced at Leon secretly before complaining, "Enough, don't hurt me, I already know it's wrong." ”

Geralt ignored him and went to inspect the grave, only to find that it had already been dug open.

"What do you think?"

Li Ang, who had been silent all the way, spoke: "I looked with my eyes, and I said that tonight is your home field, and my opinion is not important." ”

Geralt always thought he was weird, but he didn't look into it.

"It's almost certain that the child has become a corpse baby and crawled out of it on its own."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse and unpleasant strange cry sounded from behind the wooden fence on the side of several people.

Then, a monster about a foot and a half long appeared, and slowly crawled towards the baron.

The corpse baby resembles a misshapen baby, its undeveloped muscles twisted by hatred, fear, and evil. It has a mouth full of fangs and a slime-stained black-purple tongue, crawling on all fours, half of its body rotting and the other bruised. The long umbilical cord looped around its leg a few times and wrapped it tightly around its neck.

The baron was so frightened that he retreated until he hid behind the two men.

Geralt drew the silver sword behind his back, his eyes full of wariness.

Only Li Ang looked left and right curiously, and finally commented: "Who did she inherit, how can she be so ugly?" ”

"Now is not the time to joke." Geralt's tone was a little eager: "Go and hold it in your arms, quick!" ”

The baron was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted: "Are you talking to me?" ”

"What if it goes berserk? I feel like it can bite the three of us in one bite! ”

Geralt said coldly, "If you keep shouting, it will definitely go crazy." It's calm at the moment, and I'll use magic to soothe it. ”

Li Ang also spoke: "Don't worry, even if it bites you to death, I can save you back, now go and hold your poor daughter in your arms, don't be sluggish." ”

As soon as he spoke, it was better than the baron's own father came.

"God willing."

The baron muttered as he stepped forward, holding back fear and disgust and lifted the infant up.

In order to keep the ugly monster from touching him, he broke his arms straight out.

The corpse baby responded enthusiastically to his father, regardless of his previous suspicions.

It stretched out its chubby, rotting little hands, its long fat tongue swaying back and forth, and its throat sneered violently.

This series of movements frightened the baron's face.

"Now the father is finally uglier than his daughter." Li Ang touched his chin and commented again.

Geralt was in no mood to tease him, and stared at the corpse baby intently: "Take it back to your lair next." ”

"What! Take it back. The baron burst into tears with excitement: "What a joke! ”

Geralt said contemptuously, "I remember, it was you who were going to try the old legend and turn it into a family elf." ”

Leon sneered: "Oh, poor little girl, once again abandoned by her father. ”

Under the attack of the two, the baron scolded to give himself courage, held the corpse baby high, and walked in the direction of the crow's nest in an extremely awkward posture.

Geralt followed, occasionally releasing the Yaksi Fayin to soothe the baby's emotions.

Fortunately, when the baron buried his daughter, he did not choose a place too far, and after a while, the outline of a crow's nest appeared in the night ahead.

Leon then asked, "Have you named the child?" ”

"Do you still need a name?" The baron asked in surprise.

Geralt then remembered that he had just forgotten about asking about Ciri.

"Hurry up and think of one, the name is a powerful seal."

"Okay, I'll think right away!" The baron clung to the corpse baby: "It seems to be struggling more and more, what should I do!" ”

"Good daughter, I'll come up with a nice name for you as soon as possible, don't get excited, okay?"

Geralt pulled out the silver sword behind his back again: "It's not because of this, other monsters are coming." ”

"The smell of corpse babies attracts demon spirits." Leon's hands lit up black and red flames: "You take care of the two of them, and I'll take care of the rest." ”

Geralt secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm much more relieved to have your words." ”

After just a few seconds, the surrounding air suddenly ignited a miserable green ghostly fire, and a rickety monster emerged from the black mist.

They were clad in tattered cloaks, their shriveled bodies suspended in mid-air, swords in one hand and green lanterns in the other.

Demon spirits, incarnated by the dead who died in anger and pain during their lifetime, will feel endless and indescribable pain even after death.

So they are full of anger, they feel that they have been wronged, and they hate and envy the living.

Normally, Wisps are not harmed by fire, toxins, or conventional weapons, and even witchers have to smear their swords with Evil Spirit Oil against them.

But Leon's fire is not an ordinary fire, in addition to the black light virus, there is also a terrifying death of destiny.

Not to mention a few demon spirits, even when death comes, they have to shed their skin.

The scorching flames poured out like a tidal wave towards the wraith, and for a moment Geralt and the Baron could hear only a terrible howl and the stinging of the fire.

Geralt didn't need his own help, and continued to use the seal to appease the corpse baby.

The baron didn't need to be urged by others, and consciously quickened his pace: "It's working, go quickly!" ”

After a few hundred meters, several waves of demons appeared, but none of them were Li Ang's enemies, and the three of them returned to the crow's nest without danger.

Standing in front of the newly dug pit, the baron was finally willing to hold his daughter, his face was full of guilt, and even his voice was much lower.

"And then, what do I do?"

"Follow me." Geralt chanted an ancient incantation.

"With the power of the earth and the sky."

"The world that was originally your home."

"Please forgive me for the child who came into the world but was not accepted."

"Your name is Tia, and I accept you as my daughter."

With the last spell coming out of the baron's mouth, the baby with a name is considered to be completely dead.

The rain that had been falling all night stopped at this time.

"Very well, let's bury the body."

On the instructions of the witcher, the baron picked up a shovel and reburied his daughter under the threshold.

After burying it, the baron wiped the corners of his eyes: "What else can I do for her?" ”

Geralt looked at the small dirt bag in front of him: "Within a day, Tia will become a family goblin." You go back and rest first, I'll keep an eye on it here for a while. ”

The baron wanted to wait with him, but the witcher refused.

"But she's my child, and it's all my fault, it's my responsibility."

"It's too late to talk about fatherly love." Geralt crossed his arms: "What's more, you can't help if you stay, the rest is the work of the witcher." ”

"Let's go home quickly, don't get drunk anymore."

The baron dejected and dejected.

Geralt had time to solve Leon's question, "What's going on with you today, why are you absent-minded?" ”

Leon Ang, who was contemplating against the wall, came back to his senses and sighed: "Every family has a scripture that is difficult to read. ”

"Indeed." Geralt thought he was talking about the Baron's family.

As everyone knows, Li Ang is talking about himself.

During the day, he received a message.

Our great goddess of the law of the Dark Moon, the only designated heir of the royal family of Kalia, the chosen of the supreme will, the beloved child of the Queen of the Full Moon, and the allegiance of followers such as Iggy the Blacksmith, is always in the disgraced princess - Raani.

Has returned to her faithful junction and found her fiancé running away.

(End of chapter)