Luo Xian came to the table from his own accord, took out a bunch of food from his bag, opened the oil paper and put it on the table, and asked the fisherman's wife enthusiastically, "This lady, is there any wine at home, we have been running for most of the day, and we haven't had time to rest, so don't you mind sitting down and eating something together." ”

Seeing this, the fisherman couldn't help sighing, and nodded slightly with his wife, "I only have a little home-brewed fruit wine at home, if you want, you can drink a little, it tastes pretty good." ”

"That's really anticipation. Luo Xian's friendliness dispelled the fisherman's doubts, after all, ordinary civilians didn't have much thought, "The children also come to eat a little, there are a few dishes made in the kitchen of the Baron of Crow's Nest, and it is difficult to eat outside." ”

"Sit down, all the guests, come and get a little bit, go and eat, don't disturb me talking to the guests, it's so late, you can't eat too much." The prepaid beckoned Geralt and the two to sit down, and then the conversation began.

"This was how it happened that night. As soon as I received the notice from Miss Tamara, I waited near the abandoned asphalt smokehouse with a few horses she had left for me. Because it is very close to the main road, but there is no traffic of any kind, it is easy to move and easy to hide. I remember that night was bitterly cold, it was very dark, the moon and the stars were covered by thick shade, and I couldn't see my fingers in the forest. ”

The fisherman recounts the night Anna and Tamara escaped.

"I've been waiting for a long time, the moon is already hanging high, but I still can't wait for them. I began to wonder if something had changed in the middle of the matter, and if their plans would be discovered by the Baron and stopped. But, thankfully, they did come eventually, so we changed our clothes and started heading in the direction of the river. The horses were used to carry things, so we all walked and had to change into clothes suitable for walking, not the home clothes of the noble lords and ladies in the castle. ”

"It was going well at first, but suddenly, a strong wind came out of nowhere, and I thought my head was going to be blown off! And those damn stupid birds, a big flock flying over the forest above us, screaming everywhere, it was so noisy!"

The nocturnal horses walked through the forest, and the sound of horses' hooves and human voices woke up the birds that were sleeping at night, and it must have been so, Luo Xian thought quietly in his head.

"I walked ahead and led the horse, and Mrs. Anna, not far behind me, suddenly let out a scream, and bent down in pain. Miss Tamara knelt down and grabbed her mother's arm. It was only then that I realized that Lady Anna's palms were scarred, as if they had been burned by fire. ”

Geralt and Luo Xian glanced at each other, their eyes full of doubt.

"Very well, you just said that Anna has a scar on her hand, can you describe it?"

The fisherman frowned, as if to reminisce, took the flask handed by his wife, and poured a glass of cider for the two late-night guests, carved from the wood common in the forest. Well, it was like she had been soldered with a soldering iron, right in the middle of her palm. ”

"The scar you said resembled the scar on the body of a horse and a cow, the kind that indicated the identity of the owner?" Geralt's brow furrowed, apparently aware of something.

The fisherman picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, took the fruit wine and chewed it a few times, then swallowed it, nodded and said, "Yes, but it's not the kind of black scar that has already been scarred, but the kind that looks like it is freshly burned, and it will glow, and at first glance, it looks like it is on fire." Mrs. Anna folded her hands and squatted on the ground in pain, and I thought it must have been because of the brand. I could not have imagined that the Baron would treat his wives like this, and I have no regrets about helping them out of that painful place in the crow's nest. ”

"Okay, what about what happened next?"

"Later, Lady Anna got better. Miss Tamara suggested that everyone ride away quickly, so we got back on our horses and walked a little longer. I thought it would end smoothly, but I didn't expect the sky to get darker and darker, like someone covering the moon in the sky with a curtain. Suddenly, even the crickets stopped chirping, and then there was a loud roar from the dark forest!"

"I immediately broke out in a cold sweat, for the dense forest of Willen was full of legends of monsters, and before I could catch my breath, a terrible beast jumped out of the forest! It was as tall as a barn, its body was strong, it had horns on its head, and its eyes were as red as burning coals in the night!"

The fisherman's account was greatly satisfied by the attentive listening shown by Rosson and Geralt, and he said in a vivid voice, "I thought I was finished! But the monster only attacked Lady Anna's horse, tore off the horse's head in one go, and then took Lady into the forest, and disappeared into it. ”

"Oh, what about Miss Tamara?"

"The horses could not stand such a fright, and Miss Tamara and I were both on our horses, and we were carried by the horses and ran away, and we could not pull them. But it was also because of this that we were able to escape from the clutches of that terrible beast and save our lives. Without your presence, you could not have imagined that the beast was so furious that it could not be defeated. ”

The fisherman took another sip from his glass, and after taking a long breath, continued, "I have returned here with Miss Tamara and provided her with a change of clothes. At that time, the young lady wanted to go back to her mother, but my wife kept begging her, saying that she would definitely die if she went alone. It was only after a long time that Mademoiselle dismissed this idea and decided to go to the city of Redania for help, and I sent her out of Willen by boat. ”

"Why did you help them, at the cost of offending the Baron, you must know that you had taken a great risk in this matter, not to mention the terrible monster that had happened later, and you almost lost your life for it. Luo Xian asked.

"I owe Miss Tamara a favor. About three months ago, one of my children had a high fever and we couldn't do anything, and we all thought that this child was finished, waiting to lose this little thing. However, I don't know where Miss Tamara heard about it, and sent for food and ointment. We were so poor that we couldn't afford to buy medicine, and it was she who saved my child, which is an ironclad fact that we must not forget. ”

At this, the fisherman looked at his wife, who was busy arranging for the children to sleep, "When Miss Tamara came to me later, I did not have the courage to go and help. But my wife said, 'This is an era of war and cold. We should repay the kindness we have received from others, otherwise what difference are we from those bastards who rob everywhere?"

"You're really lucky to have married a very wise woman. A good wife brings happiness to the family, and that's a useful old saying. Geralt complimented the fisherman and his wife.

The fisherman nodded, and spread his hands again, "But, I regret that in the end I did not save Lady Anna, and watched her be plundered by wild beasts. ”

At this point, it has become clear that I have obtained the truth of most of the things that happened that night from the fisherman, it is really rare, "Thank you for your help, we are leaving, I am really sorry to disturb your rest so late." ”

Geralt stood up from his chair with his hands propped up.

"Mademoiselle will be fine, will she?" asked one of the fishermen's children timidly in the room inside.

"We will do our best to keep her safe. Geralt left the words, turned and left the fisherman's hut with Roussian.

Back in the wilderness, the two rode slowly towards the crow's nest.

"It doesn't sound like the Baron did it, the imprint on the hand of the Lady Anna that the fisherman had just spoken of. Luo Xian said.

"That's true, from what I've seen from my travels around the continent, it's probably related to witches, the kind of brand-like thing, which is actually a kind of mark of a witch. ”

"Got involved with witches again? Didn't you visit the legendary witch? Your acquaintance, dressed as a herbalist, has something to do with her?"

"No, I'm not talking about her, I suspect there are other witches hiding in this forest. The kind of brand on Anna's hand is the witch's mark, a means to prevent the target from escaping her surveillance. ”

Luo Xian was silent for a moment, and said with some confusion, "You mean, that beast that suddenly appeared was sent by an unknown witch to capture Anna, and it has something to do with the brand on her hand?"

Geralt nodded, "Because the beasts described by the fisherman are actually very ancient goblins, and I have read about them in the secret texts of the Demon Hunters, and they are very difficult to deal with. I suspect that it's not just Philip's crow's nest that Anna wants to escape, but also the hidden witches in the forests that pervade Willen. ”

"Let's talk about that monster first, what's it called, let's hear it?" Luo Xian was interested in all non-earthly life, this was a mysterious thing that he couldn't get into contact with before, he now felt that everything had become too interesting, he could travel in different civilizations and worlds, visit and explore all kinds of mysterious powers and lives, maybe his death was not an end, but a new beginning.

"Deer heads, that's what they call them. ”

"In fact, since the dawn of human beings, they have always been attracted to the primeval forest, and they live near it in order to obtain the output of various forests. It also includes the sources of various legends about the ferocity and gentleness, friendliness and hostility of the forest beasts. However, as humans have explored the forest, the corresponding respect for the unknown has begun to fade. By collecting timber and building stone dwellings, humanity began to multiply like a plague, angering the inhabitants of the forest and its depths. ”

"But the heart of the ancient forest has its own guardians. In a place born in darkness and pristine nature, a powerful and terrifying guardian lives. Known as the Deerhead, the Guardian is immune to all human steel weapons, and ancient beings believed it was there to protect the forest and the beasts that inhabit it from the unbridled human race. ”

Druid Rouse remembered this kind of profession that only appears in games, but it seems that druids are also elves or humans who have transferred to the profession, not a unique life, is it the legendary Treant? The same as the one in the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 game?

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is a game that Luo Xian likes to play in his spare time from training, and there are many strange races and civilizations in it, including tree people.

"The deer's head is infested in the dense and primeval jungle. They have a very strong sense of territory, and they only have their own scheming and secret companions when foraging, and they use their innate magic to control the flora and fauna in their territory. ”

"The wolves are its companions, and the beasts follow the orders of the deerhead, making it a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes it can heal other forest animals or summon evil spirits and crows to protect the forest. The deer's head is slow but deadly, and be careful not to get restrained or trip over its underground rhizomes. ”

"It creates a totem with magical powers, increasing its power within a certain range. It summons wolves and crows that disturb its opponents, and manipulates plants to assist it. However, fortunately, the deer head spirit has a great weakness, they are afraid of fire, and the fear of flames is their nature. ”

"This is the information about the deer head spirit recorded in the Demon Hunter's Secret Books. ”

"How do you remember so clearly?" Luo Xian couldn't help but ask.

"When you have hundreds of years of life to squander, but you don't want to go out because you're lazy, and you just want to pass the time by reading the boring books in your study, trust me, you'll remember the contents of the book very well. Geralt laughed.

Well, I can't tell you're still an otaku.

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