By the time we returned to the Crow's Nest, it was already dawn, and the light of the morning sun shrouded the entire training ground, gilding everything with gold.

Some of the guards had already gotten up and were busy washing their horses and trimming their gear, and some of the over-energized guys were practicing their fighting skills, but everyone had their own business.

"Demon hunter, please take a step to speak. The white wolf and Luo dismounted and tied their horses to the stable, and were about to go to the castle to inform the baron, when they were stopped by a voice on the side of the road.

It turned out to be the sergeant who had led them to Philip when he first came to the Crow's Nest.

He was standing at the doorway of the stairs with his hands crossed, leaning against the pillars of the stairs behind him, looking at the two of them from afar.

Geralt and the two looked at each other and walked towards the sergeant.

"What's the matter?"

"What did you do with the Baron last night when you ordered everyone to lock the door and stay in the house and not go out?"

"Ask the Baron himself about this matter. Speaking of the Baron, do you know where he is now, and is he still sleeping?"

The sergeant smiled contemptuously, "How is that possible?" to go and have a look at the garden, he got up early, and when he saw that you were not there, he sat alone in the garden in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking. As his subordinate, I think it has something to do with what happened last night, so I'd like to ask you about it privately. ”

"Is this drunk again?"

"No, not really. He came together without drinking or eating, and just sat dryly. We are very worried that the current situation in Willen is not stable, and we need the leadership of the Baron to control the situation in the whole of Willen. Everywhere there are guerrillas and wild beasts, ghouls and plagues revolting against Nilfgaard, and the people need a stable environment to reopen their lives, and we cannot afford to let up. ”

It was still the small garden where I first saw Philip, but there was no laughter at the moment, only the lonely figure sitting quietly in a corner of the garden, looking at the blooming flowers and not knowing what he was thinking.

"Found you. The white wolf was the first to speak.

"See those purple flowers? I brought it back from Nasser. After reading a certain story in Boredom, Anna clamored for the flowers, and it took me a long time to bring them back. Since then, she has spent hours every day taking care of them, repairing the pruning shears and being satisfied. The baron did not look up at the white wolf, but opened his mouth to introduce the flowers in the garden.

"The ones over there, the ones with wrinkled petals, are known locally as 'Birds of Paradise' in Sericania, but Tamara likes to call them 'Dragons of Paradise'. She loves this flower. ”

"But now, alas, I'll never have a chance to know which flower Tia likes best... Fortunately, her soul is finally free. ”

"It's painful to lose your family, but we've done our best to get where we are, aren't we? At least things are going to be on the right side. The white wolf's voice was particularly magnetic on this morning morning.

"No, don't say that now, don't say it again. It's too late, I know... I should have noticed it, and I should have made up my mind to get them out of the hellish place of Willen. There's nothing good about staying in this kind of hellish place. ”

"I've brought news of your family, would you like to hear about it? Some of it must be of interest to you. The white wolf finally opened the topic.

"Did you inquire about anything?" Philip sat up suddenly, "Let's go into the room, it's a little cold outside." ”

The three of them returned to the warm canteen, where the stove was lit with blazing firewood, and they drank fragrant milk with some cocoa powder added to it, which made Geralt, who had been exposed to the dew outside all night, immediately feel comfortable, and just wanted to lie down on the soft bed and sleep beautifully.

"Any news on this?" asked Philip.

"Your daughter is in Redania now. ”

"Oh my God, what...?!Is she okay??How's her health??Is she safe??!

"One night is not enough time for us to rush to the city two hundred miles away to find your daughter. Moreover, we did not promise you to bring your daughter back. Geralt said coldly.

"So how do you know if she's safe? Have you asked anyone who saw her?"

"We didn't see her in person. However, with Tia's help, we found some clues and later talked to the people who helped her escape and later take her in, and learned a little about her situation. Tamara is safe now, but as far as we know, she doesn't want to see you again, let alone come back. ”

"Who helped her? Is it the muddy civilian hillbillies? I won't believe them! I'm going to make sure she's safe now!" Philip's voice grew louder and louder, like a raging brown bear.

"Please, go to Redania and find her, and see her. You must make sure she's safe with your own eyes, and I don't believe anyone but you right now!"

Faced with an angry father, the white wolf seemed to relent, and sighed, "Okay, I'll confirm this myself." ”

"Thanksgiving. Bring this with you~ Even if it's a reward. This thing might come in handy. The baron took out a folded piece of paper from his bosom, with beautiful and intricate patterns on it, and some signatures.

"What is this?"

"Customs clearance paperwork. Since the Redtanians conquered the Pontar Delta, it's hard to go to Novigre and Redania without this, and if you want to pass through the Redanian Pass, you can't do without this thing anyway. Although there are some people who copy it privately for profit, you must know that the official documents have some anti-counterfeiting means. If the army finds out that you are holding a copy of the paperwork, you will end up hanging on a wooden frame and hanged. I don't want you to lose the opportunity to see my daughter because of that. ”

"Okay. Geralt took the paperwork, glanced at it, and slipped it into the pocket inside the chain mail on his body.

"What about Anna? Why didn't you talk about her just now?"

"We don't have any definite news about your wife yet, but we have a little bit of an eyebrow and are tracking it down, and we'll let you know when we have news. ”

"Okay, then you guys go get busy, and remember to let me know when there's news. The baron waved his hand, indicating that the meeting was over.

Geralt and Roson didn't get up and leave.

"What do you mean? Didn't I say it's over?"

"In exchange, I'm waiting for you to tell me about Ciri, as we agreed before. ”

The baron was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "Well, this is our agreement, and I will keep it." He sat down again.

"The last time I said that Ciri was scarred when she came to the crow's nest, I ordered my men to arrange for her to stay and bathe, so that she could rest first. Soon, when Ciri was almost recovered, we took her out hunting. I thought that she had been in bed for so long, and that going out for a ride would allow her to move her muscles a little. ”

"The hunt went well, and neither of us expected her swordsmanship to be so good that a large boar was stabbed to death with a few swords, and we disemboweled, skinned, and roasted on the fire. Few people would dare to face a raging boar head-on, but Ciri did, and she won the love of all of us. ”

"At the time, we didn't know where she came from. She wears a man's shirt, carries a thin-bladed sword, drinks like a gentleman, and has good swordsmanship, cutting wild boars is like killing piglets. She claimed to be a traveler, but we knew that was not true, and thought she was a she-wolf who roamed alone in the wilderness, so we graciously invited her to stay in the crow's nest. ”

"At the banquet, the atmosphere is very warm, but there are always some surprises. The boy who managed the stables was not convinced that Ciri was a lady who could be praised by everyone, and ridiculed the pretty woman for only knowing how to ride on men, and not really riding a horse. Ciri immediately made a bet with him. ”

Hearing this, Luo Xian saw a flash of sharpness in the eyes of the white wolf with vertical pupils in the beast's eyes, and suddenly understood in his heart.

This is the case for any father who hears a rough man speak insults to his beloved daughter.

Luo Xian was a little glad that the stupid boy who didn't choose his words didn't stand in front of the white wolf at that time, otherwise he would have been a corpse by now.

"What are you betting on?" asked the white wolf.

"The black mare in the stable, Ciri asked for this. The baron seemed to recall the situation, and the corners of his mouth smiled.

The boy rejected Ciri's offer. When Ciri asked why, I spoke. The black mare that Ciri has his eye on belongs to me, so that stupid boy can't bet with Ciri with my stuff. ”

"But Ciri was clever, and she took the opportunity to invite me to challenge, and the bet was on the mare she had her eye on. ”

"You accepted it?"

"Why don't I accept a challenge from a pretty girl, but my request is that if I win, Ciri will leave her with that thin-edged sword. I was thinking that a good weapon is no cheaper than a good horse, and that if Ciri loses her weapon, maybe I'll have a chance to keep her in the crow's nest and one day become my reliable subordinate. ”

"You are bold enough, you dare to stay as the daughter of Emperor Nilfgaard, if that is the case, this place is already a scorched earth at this moment. White Wolf sarcastically said.

"How do you gamble?" Luo Xian asked, he was very interested in the heroic and unmet white wolf daughter, because from the mouths of the public, this is a female swordsman who is no less than the white wolf, it can be said that a large part of her personality inherits the style of the white wolf, but she is not a demon hunter, which is a rare scenery in the other world where force is rampant.

"Of course, it was a horse race, and we set the time for sunrise the next day, which was also a beautiful morning like now. We set a starting point, and the agreed end point was a tall tower that had long been abandoned. Ciri rode a white horse from the stables, and she rode far more than we could have imagined. That's when I realized that she wasn't just an ordinary lady. ”

"Why?" Xiao Bai Luo asked again.

"Because the commoners did not know how to ride, excellent riding skills were the preserve of the nobility. Geralt explained the problem on the sidelines. "And the soldier's riding skills are generally practiced in battle, and although they are good, they are far inferior to the nobles in mastering the know-how. Only aristocratic families can make better use of their horses' abilities, especially when facing unfamiliar horses. ”

"Yes, when Ciri stepped on a strange white horse, and they were all faster than me, I realized that her origin was not simple. The baron began to laugh at himself.

"You lost?"

"Naturally, she lost, she is obviously the wind, where is the woman, she is the pride of the battlefield, defeating me, a self-styled baron from the countryside. And that beautiful black mare naturally belongs to Ciri. ”

"It sounds so exciting, I wish I was there. Luo Xian sighed, he came from a later life where men and women were equal, and naturally there was no prejudice between men and women. It's just that it's rare to see this kind of woman who can overpower men in momentum and skill no matter when and where, and it's definitely worth seeing.

"Just when I was willing to throw in the towel, an accident happened. ”

"What accident?"

Ciri seemed to sense something near the ruins tower, and alertly told me to shut up. At this time, the horses seemed to be afraid of something, and began to jump and neigh. ”

"What is it?"

"Griffon, it's a wild griffon!" said the baron, describing the situation in a vivid voice, and Roxian was fascinated to hear it. "My entourage screamed like a woman, and for a moment, everyone forgot about the bet. The guards scattered and fled, and they couldn't care about anything else to save their lives. They only play a role in the face of humans, and courage can only be achieved in front of farmers and civilians, but when it comes to real monsters, they are not effective. ”

"Some people are fine, while others are not so lucky. What happened next... Two demon hunters, even if I, Philip, have fought all my life and have seen a lot of knowledge, but such a thing is really unheard of. ”

"What's the matter? about Ciri?"

"That's why I took a fancy to her, although she was only a woman, but worthy of being a natural warrior, in the face of the demon beasts coming from the air raid, she did not panic, drew the thin-edged sword on her back, calmly responded to the battle, and before the battle, issued a new bet to me. ”

"What bet?" Luo Xian couldn't help but speak again, and the Ciri described by Philip was once again fuller in his mind.

At that moment, the baron stopped talking, and instead smiled.

"Oh, I knew that. Geralt spoke.

"You're smart. Find Anna and you'll hear the rest of the story. The baron spread his hands.

Broken Dog?!Luo Xian instantly thought of this word.

You really have to work hard to find Anna, otherwise you don't even want to know anything about Ciri from the baron, both sides are holding each other's key points, this feeling is really sour enough.

"We're all working hard, Philip. Geralt's voice showed some dissatisfaction.

"It's really slow~" the baron also sarcastically.

"The two of them weren't together, something we hadn't expected. But don't worry, I promised you, Anna, we'll help you find it. Now let's talk about something else, and I can't help but ask, how did you negotiate terms with the Nilfgaards?"

"What else should I do? Fight them to the death and die a heroic death? Fuck them heroically! Fuck them a sacrifice! That's a matter for the nobles, not for us mud-legged people! You fight here and there for the land, and we poor people just want to be fed. Eat your fill!You know?!"

"So you chose to be a traitor to Temeria and steal your life?"

"Temeria was not the owner of this land in the first place, they were also snatched from someone else, and everyone has a dirty history. And the commoners are forgetful, and it won't be long before no one remembers the previous emperor. Temeria is all gone, treason or not, it's all bullshit!"

"However, the Nilfgaard garrison here doesn't seem to be very strong, and you still have a chance. ”

"Hehe, so what? Even if I launch a counterattack and kill them all, reinforcements from the south will arrive soon. Don't think I don't know that they have amassed more than 80,000 troops in the camp to the south, as well as countless siege engines and catapults. My side has just resisted, and it won't be long before the Blackshirts will swarm in and take control of the whole of Willen. At this time, you should also know how to save your life if you think about it with **. ”

"I'm curious how you went from being a soldier to being the owner of a crow's nest? ”

"As you inquired, this is no secret in Willen. I was originally a soldier of Temeria, and as soon as the war between Temeria and Nilfgaard began, my unit was scattered. Soon we stragglers saw the situation clearly, the emperor was assassinated, the loyal ministers disappeared, the morale of the army plummeted, and there was no hope of regrouping and defeating the enemy. ”

"Some of the people were ready to continue the resistance, and they slowly moved north. The other deserters and wounded soldiers stayed behind and joined us. We grew louder and louder, and by the time we reached the crow's nest, I had a large group of men under my command. ”

"You broke into the castle, made yourself a baron, and made it your home?" asked the white wolf.

"As soon as Nilfgaard's forces attacked, the lords fled and the crow's nests were emptied. According to the laws of the Empire, the nobleman fled his domain for no reason, which meant that he also gave up his title at the same time. His Majesty Enshir Enres, Emperor of Nilfgaard, has now been to Vigema in the south, and as soon as this war is over and Nilfgaard wins, the Blackshirts will give me an official title, and no one will dare to say that I am a self-appointed baron. ”

"Well, may your dreams come true and bring true peace to the tormented land of Wilen. Let me ask one last question, have you ever heard of a mysterious witch in the forest, or anything about witches?"

"I don't pay attention to the nonsense of the civilians. Whoever sees something they don't understand will make a fuss about leaning on witches, wizards, demons, or whatever the hell stuff they don't understand, and if you really look into it, you'll find that it's all, a waste of time. ”

"Not at all?"

"Didn't you mention before that there was a witch in the village of Midcowps?"

"It's been investigated, it's an acquaintance of mine, and she doesn't have any contact with Anna. ”

"Demon hunters have a lot of friends, well, there have been legends of witches here in Wiren since ancient times, and they all say that witches live in the depths of the forest, but who has seen them with their own eyes? ”

"Well, that's the end of this conversation. Geralt beckoned Luo to prepare to leave the cafeteria.

As soon as he walked to the training ground, he heard the baron's voice from behind, a little out of breath, as if he was sprinting.

"Two Demon Hunters, please wait a minute!"

The two stopped, turned to look back.

"If you do find my daughter, can you give this to her?" The baron held a small puppet in his hand, the size of a palm, which appeared to be a woman, dressed in simple fabric. It seemed that the baron had found it from somewhere, but suddenly remembered it, and chased it out again, wanting to ask the two white wolves to hand over to Tamara.

"Ragdolls?"

The baron didn't say anything more, just nodded.

White Wolf and Luo retrieved the horses from the stables and left the crow's nest again.