Sure enough, after riding a horse across a long bridge of more than 30 meters, and being looked at by the guards on the arrow tower with eagle-like eyes, the two successfully entered the territory of the legendary bloody baron~ Crow's Nest.

Along the slowly ascending hillside, there are large areas of farmland that have been developed inside the towering wooden piles. The farmland is divided into neat small pieces, and crops are planted on each piece. Sheepfolds, pigsties, cowsheds, children and dogs are scattered on the trails mixed with grass clippings, manure and dirt. A handful of female villagers called their children's names and half-closed the door warily, only to look at the two strangers with indifferent eyes behind the door.

There was a small open market, some daily necessities were placed on the wooden countertop, and several housewives were slowly picking up what they needed for the house, but they were indifferent to Geralt's arrival.

Men are almost all working, sawing wood, peeling, mending farm tools, weaving nets... Only a few old men with snow-white hair and beards were resting and smoking with pipes in their mouths.

At the end of the gentle slope is a solid gate, and behind it is a steep slope at one end, and various wooden stakes and horses are erected on both sides, which shows that this is an important dangerous place.

The slope was so narrow that the horses could not run, but could only walk slowly step by step, and it seems that the baron had considered being attacked by the enemy when he built the crow's nest before. Even if the farmstead below has fallen, relying on the dangerous road here, it can still resist several times or even ten times the enemy.

However, after all, the strength of the individual cannot compete with the will of the state, and there are times when the strong fortress is abandoned by the owner without care, so as to usher in its new life.

In order to facilitate the movement of carriages and horses, the slope less than ten meters wide was covered with thick wooden planks, and several guards were arranged.

"Stop, stranger! who are you, what are you doing here?" the two heavily armed guards called out to the horses, and the two crossbow arrows from the turret pointed diagonally downward at Geralt and the two.

"Is the Baron at home?"

"Hehe, that depends on who asks. ”

"Demon hunter, I have something important to look for him. ”

"Oh, I still want to go to Queen Tero~ Your excuse..."

"Wait, I've seen them, the white-haired one is really a famous demon hunter, and the leader knows his name. You know we were there last night..."

"What's going on?"

"They invited us to drink at the Crossroads Inn, and we got along well, but we didn't expect them to come to the Crow's Nest today. Hey, Demon Hunter, I remember your destination wasn't here, what caused you to change your itinerary?"

"There are some things that require face-to-face communication with your baron, so here we are. So, can we go in?"

"What's the matter?"

"Important things can only be said to the baron himself. ”

"Okay, Rodrin, there are only two of them, there won't be any trouble, everyone is here, someone is watching them, there are a lot of us. ”

After saying this, the guard who claimed to have seen the Demon Hunter last night turned around and waved his hand towards the Arrow Tower, "Open the door~ Sergeant Alda, the Demon Hunter wants to meet Lord Baron!"

With the sound of Kerakala's chains churning from the tower, the heavy iron fence was hoisted up, revealing the passage below.

"You two, tie your horses to stakes on flat ground. Remember, don't get in trouble, you know?"

"Sergeant, that's what they want to see the baron. ”

At the end of the slope was the iron fence, and it was a flat land, surrounded only by two-storey brick and concrete buildings, rows of dummies in iron armor, horses tied to stakes, and hares and pigs' legs hung on hooks, and it seemed that this was the camp where the barons lived. Not far away, the sound of a blacksmith wielding a hammer, the sound of a whetstone turning and sharpening a weapon, and the sound of a blazing fire burning in a furnace.

It was littered with armed soldiers, stout buckets of water scattered everywhere, and tall stables and barns in the distance.

"Come with me, the baron is meeting guests, you can wait a moment. A guard coming down from the tower stood by the iron fence with his hands folded and watched Geralt and the two.

As he walked, Geralt asked, "The guard at the gate calls you a sergeant, and you used to be a soldier in Temeria?"

"Dude, who I am is none of your business. A cold voice came from Sergeant Alda, who was leading the way in front.

"Deserters?"

"Temeria doesn't exist anymore, are there any deserters?"

"So, what are you doing in Willen?"

"After Temeria was defeated by the men in black in Nilfgaard, we were left with only two options for those of us who survived. Abandon resistance and return to the countryside to live an ordinary life, where you continue to be exploited by the military. Or if those wandering guerrillas continue to resist for the lost country, and fight to the death for the once beloved Temeria. Thankfully, our Baron has given us a third option, to join Nilfgaard, to become part of the army, to control the region, and at least in our hands, the peasants who were once compatriots will be better off. ”

"So, the Baron has become your commander, take this place, turn everything into reality, and wait for the canonization of the Nilfgaard Empire?"

"Well, at least one settled Willen would give Nilfgaard a fitting answer. ”

The sergeant led the two of them towards the deepest part of the crow's nest, where it seemed to be the lord's castle.

Everywhere Luo Xian looked, there were buildings made of boulders and wall bricks, and the thick patrol city wall enclosed a large area, about the size of dozens of acres, the area of four or five standard football fields, and a towering stone castle stood on the side. There are about five or six floors, and the higher you go, the smaller it gets.

The highlight is a garden near the stone walls of the castle, where the trees and flowers bloom, and where you can hear the birds and the running water, which is now the baron's meeting place.

Geralt and Rouse were asked to stay at the entrance to the garden, and the sergeant went in and whispered a few words in the ear of a man in red before turning back, and when he came out, he nodded at Geralt and the two of them, and left without saying anything else.

Stone tables and chairs were everywhere, an old woman was bent over and slowly sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground, and several knights in dark armor were talking to a fat man in a red robe.

Obviously, the man in red who was chatting loudly was our Baron.

"There's really no entertainment in a country place like Willen, and the kind of ball that Virjema held back then was worthy of, and I took my Anne to several gatherings of 100. Oh, now that I think back to the time when we danced, we were spinning in circles..."

What was speaking loudly and unscrupulously was a tall fat man, with a fat face, a garlic nose, a brown beard, and a bear-like thick figure, which was the first image he left for Luo Xian.

It is clear that the so-called baron was an alcoholic in addition to vulgarity, as evidenced by the ubiquitous wine stains on his clothes and his round red face.

As he spoke, the baron got up from the stone bench, took the old maid who was sweeping the fallen leaves beside him, and jumped up with his arms around her waist.

"One-two-three, one-two-three..."

"Enough~" Several knights in dark armor had obviously had enough of this vulgar lord before, and got up impatiently and said, Luo Xian only then noticed that the chest of these people's armor was embellished with a huge sun symbol, which was the symbol of the Nilfgaard officer.

"Whatever you do, we will receive the agreed amount of goods every week, so that you can exercise your rights here. ”

"Why don't you stay and have a drink? It's almost tea time. ”

"No, we have other tasks. Besides, now you have other visitors to receive, so keep your wine and feast on them, and let's go. ”

Only then did the baron in red turn his bloated figure, and his small eyes radiated a fine light, and he looked at Geralt and the two.

Rouse stayed at the entrance of the garden as an evasion, and Geralt headed towards the baron, dealing with what he wanted to know.

"Look at these guys, who won't even stay for a drink, they don't seem to have taken us ex-Temerians seriously. These southerners still have the face to say that their country is very cultured. Am I right? Demon Hunter. The baron's hoarse voice looked a little tired.

"There are always some discrepancies between rumors and reality, especially about those outsiders, there are not many reliable ones. Geralt shrugged in understanding.

"You're right, but what rumors are true for you dancers who walk between swords and fire?"

"I am..."

"I know who you are, Alda has already told me. I also know why you're here, but I didn't expect you to be alone, when did demon hunters get used to traveling together?"

"A warm-hearted companion on the journey, just helping each other, he doesn't know much about me. You know why I'm here, so you..."

"Don't stand here, let's go in and say. The baron stretched out his hand to make an invitation, and walked in front, leading Geralt and the others towards a wooden door on the first floor of the stone castle.

It seems to be a huge dining room, with no sunlight shining in, and is lit by the numerous candles on the stone walls and tabletops. Rows of long tables and benches made of logs, bags of supplies and barrels piled up in the corners, a few stoves against the wall where roaring wood was burning, a dozen roast chickens and pork legs were worn on iron drills, grease leaching from under the skin and dripping into the firewood and creaking.

"You're welcome, just sit down. "Where did I put that damn vodka?" said the baron, rummaging through the huge wine cabinet, and how can I talk without a drink?" ”

"Ah, here it is, how about a drink now?" said the Baron, taking a bottle of wine and a few glasses.

"I'm not used to spirits, so I'd like to have a glass of ale if I had one. Luo Xian excused himself.

"Then you're welcome, take the cup yourself and put it in the barrel, I don't have much else here, and the wine is definitely enough." ”