Chapter 152: They are all Geralt's wings (transitional chapter, don't jump if you are not happy)
"Thank you, Master Dandelion." A man with a bright blue cloak trimmed with gold stood up from the crowd. His voice was not loud but very rich, "Please allow me - Radcliffe of Cowburg, Master of Magical Mysteries - to express my gratitude and praise for your superb skills. I believe that everyone present will also agree with my point of view."
The onlookers began to cheer, while others raised their hands to greet the singer. The women were touched by the music, sobbing softly and wiping their eyes with whatever they had at hand.
Dandelion also saw the Baron's family, who had specially canceled their hunt to watch the famous poet's country performance.
The performance ended and the surroundings returned to the previous noise. The merchants whispered a few words and pushed a large barrel of beer under the oak tree. The baron's daughters cast their adoring eyes on Dandelion, who was smiling attentively at a big-eyed elf beauty.
Dandelion's apprentice put down the lute and picked up the small box in which the money was collected so that the audience could properly express their praise, but after sizing up the cheers around him, he dropped the box and picked up a vat.
This behavior made Dandelion look away from the elf beauty. He admired the apprentice's cleverness.
"Master!" someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "You haven't finished telling your story yet, tell us what happened next!" "You didn't
mention names in your song, but we all know that the character in your song is just It may be the famous Geralt of Rivia, and the sorceress with whom he fell in love is the equally famous Yennefer. As for the unexpected child, the child who is connected to the fate of the witcher and bound by an oath at birth is Cirilla, the unfortunate princess of Cintra. Is that right?"
Dandelion showed a mysterious and indifferent smile: "Everyone, the plot in my ballad can happen anywhere, and the emotions in the song can also happen anywhere. Anyone can experience it, regardless of the specific person."
A girl screamed: "Master, we all know that the person singing this is Geralt the Witcher! Keep singing! Please tell us what happened next? Witcher Did the man and the sorceress Yennefer finally find each other? Do they still love each other? Are they happy? We really want to know!"
A dwarf suddenly stood up in the crowd. He was the leader of a group of dwarf soldiers. He faced The screaming girls scolded loudly, as if their ears were being blown.
"Enough! Princesses, sorceresses, fate, love, these are all nonsense, poetic fictions, just to make the story more beautiful and touching." After finishing speaking, the dwarf turned to Dandelion: "Please forgive me
. My offense, great poet. But the description of the war between Soden and Mahakam in your poem is really wonderful, and the destruction of Cintra by Nilfgaard's iron heel, the looting and massacre that took place there - simply It's so vivid! I'm willing to pay money for such a song! This is the voice of a warrior!" "
No!" A knight in the audience shouted loudly, "Cintra did not perish. As far as I know, that person The Lion Knight, whose poetry was widely circulated, returned to Cintra to stabilize the situation and resist Nilfgaard. He is now known as the 'Lion of Cintra'!" "Huh?
Then I have to ask this uncontrollable man The delusional knight of his own tongue." The dwarf leader's eyes widened, "I respect the Lion Knight, and I have his commemorative Gwent card in my hand, but as far as I know he was plotted by the Nilfgaardians in Toussaint. How could he return to Sintra to stabilize the situation after being sacrificed?"
"Are you saying I lied? Insulting the honor and dignity of a knight?" The knight blushed and jumped up, "Everyone on the northern border knows that Lion The knight appears again. How could a man like him be plotted by the Nilfgaardians? I don't even know this. I don't think you have ever been to the battlefield!" "Shut your mouth full of
sores, I am a horse. Hakan supports the frontline warriors in Soden's battle!"
The quarrel began, and the voices of humans and dwarves became louder and louder, and at one point they even reached the point of fighting each other with swords.
A gray-haired druid wearing a white cloak came out in time to dissuade him: "My lords! Don't quarrel under the canopy of Peleucheris. This oak tree is older than the quarrels and quarrels in the world! We should learn from the poet Dandelion Learn to love, not fight, from the songs!"
The Druid's high respect allowed the two parties to temporarily swallow their dirty words, but a short and fat priest seemed to find an opportunity to take advantage of the Druid's words.
"Love and peace, that's what it is!"
echoed the sweaty priest: "Why are there fights? Because you have no love for God in your hearts. The ballad is about the fate of mankind, because we are in the hands of the gods and Playthings are the same, and the land under our feet is just the playground of the gods. The things described in the poem, the witcher, the lion knight, the princess and the sorceress are just metaphors, the product of the poet's imagination. We cannot just listen to the story , but feel the will of God from it..."
"What are you talking about, Great Sage?" a knight shouted, "What product of imagination? That's why I hate you guys who are talking about yourselves. The fantasy is convinced, but it denies the fact that it has not seen it. I have seen Lann of Cintra, that is a true knight, a lion worthy of praise!" "I agree."
A slender woman The warrior also stood up, her smooth black hair combed back into a thick braid. "I am Layla of Lyria. Although I have never seen a lion, I know the white wolf Geralt. He is a superb warrior. I have never seen anyone who can wield a sword better than him."
"But as far as I know." A sturdy young man with red hair shook his head. He was dressed as a traveler. "Queen Calanthe of Sintra and King East have no son or daughter. Where did that one come from? The unexpected child in poetry—what is it called, Princess Cirilla?"
The people who were arguing fell silent. They looked at the red-haired young man, seeming to think about when he had slipped into their conversation. Such a person.
The knight kicked the red-haired young man over: "Queen Calanthe gave birth to a princess with her ex-husband, Princess Pavetta. Later, Princess Pavetta and her husband died in a shipwreck. And Princess Cirilla is their only daughter, known as the Lion Cub of Cintra. Do you understand? You idiot!"
A dwarf sat on his vat and thought: "But I heard that Cirilla It's time for the princess to die when the city of Sintra was destroyed. All the royal family died together, including Princess Sirilla." "That's
nonsense!" It was the same knight, "The lion is still there, how could something happen to the young lion? ?"
The dwarf leader shouted: "Your lion has died in Toussaint!" The
dwarf and the knight were about to draw their swords at each other again. The baron and the wizard looked on coldly, and the dwarf businessman suddenly seized the opportunity and wanted to Selling beer to the people around him, the priest loudly denounced the barbaric behavior but was ignored.
"Everyone, we are all children of the earth." In the end, it was the Druid who calmed down the fight again. "We are the children of nature. Travelers gathered in the land of friendship. We are among the original tree roots. We should put aside Their respective identities and prejudices, because this land gave birth to us all. Let us not forget the ballad of the poet Dandelion..." "Wait a
minute," someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Dandelion is missing! He is gone. The apprentice disappeared with a lot of coins. Where did he go?" "
He ran away." Next to the beautiful elf who Dandelion had been making secret glances at, a tall elf said expressionlessly. He had been watching everything with cold eyes. , "While you were arguing about his story, he ran away with his harvest to enjoy it."
"What a dwarf!" The knight, who felt that his enthusiasm had been let down, cursed angrily.
"Like a dwarf!" screamed the dwarf trader.
"Like an elf!" The dwarf leader puffed his beard and glared.
"Like a human." corrected the elf beauty who had been enduring Dandelion's smile.
"Where has he gone? Where can we find out the story behind it?" the baron's daughters asked in confusion. They were intoxicated by the love story between the witcher and the sorceress and couldn't extricate themselves.
.........
"At that time, I was caught by Riens, and that was our first meeting." Dandelion looked solemn, "He was unreasonable and grabbed me directly from under the giant oak tree Peleuhers. Kidnapping, otherwise I will definitely have a good chat with my fans."
Lann raised his eyebrows: "Really?"
"Of course." Dandelion raised his head reservedly, "You didn't see the scene, Baron My daughter and the elven girl are all attracted to me, and I need to mediate the fight between them. After all, I am a singer and an artist, and I should bring peace and love." Dandelion sighed:
" What a pity that hateful sorcerer suddenly appeared and ruined everything!"
When
the stranger knocked on Dandelion's door, two girls were sitting on the poet's knees. The money he had just received under the giant oak tree was enough for him to enjoy a small luxury.
But the unfamiliar movement disturbed the poet's interest. Dandelion smoothed his hair and sat up in the huge carved armchair. The two girls hurriedly jumped off his knees, timidly arranging their messy clothes to cover up the infinite spring sunshine.
Seeing the girls leaving with coquettish smiles, the poet complained angrily: "Unfamiliar guest, you seem to be good at finding people, but you really don't know how to choose the right time." "Please forgive
my presumptuous visit, master." Stranger. The man walked to the table, and he was still polite at this time, "I know it's not appropriate to disturb you at this time, but you disappeared from under the oak tree too quickly. I couldn't catch up with you on the road, nor could I catch you immediately. I found traces of you in this town. I won't take up too much of your time."
He was polite, but did not wait for Dandelion to respond to his question, and continued on his own: "I am you fans, and are deeply enchanted by the characters in your poems. I want to know the true fate of the protagonists in your ballads. The beautiful works I heard under the big oak tree before must be based on the true fate of real people." "
I I want to know." The stranger looked directly into Dandelion's eyes, "Geralt and the traces of Cirilla." "
This strange sir," the poet said dryly, "you are really interested in something. Strange, your question is the same. I'm very curious..."
A huge money bag was thrown in front of Dandelion: "I hope this can make you forget your curiosity."
Just now, he rolled up the money quietly under the giant oak tree. The departing poet didn't even look at the money bag thrown in front of him at this moment. He said expressionlessly: "I'm sorry, I really don't want to discuss the themes, inspirations and characters of my work, whether it is fictional or not. This would deprive poetry of its romance and beauty, and make it stale and mediocre—especially to strangers." "Is it
possible? Even in the face of this generous reward? This is comparable to your grand concert this afternoon. It brings more income, I think I have been very generous." "
This is not a question of remuneration, stranger, but a matter of professionalism. If I told you, I would never be able to hold a concert again." Dandelion shook his head and started talking, ""
The stranger sighed: "I originally wanted to treat the artist in a more elegant way, but I'm sorry, I have to know the answer to the question." He peeled off
his name Wearing an "elegant" mask, his body began to reveal the outlaw temperament that Dandelion often encountered when traveling around.
"Remember, my name is Riens. And you may have to suffer a little, dear poet." A
blue light suddenly flashed in front of the poet's eyes, and his limbs gradually became numb, dull, and stiff. He wanted to shout to call the proprietress of this store, because this kind of "entertainment venue" would be equipped with several ruthless characters to prevent people from causing trouble.
But Reigns may have seen Dandelion's thoughts. He smiled gloomily: "You don't have to think about anything else. There are only you and me in this house." "There will be enough between us
. Lots of time to kill.”
………
“When I woke up, my shoulder and wrist were sprained, which almost made it impossible for me to play the piano. I wanted to scream, but my mouth was blocked as if it was stuffed with clay. Wait, I just realized that the guy named Riens is actually a warlock."
Dandelion muttered: "He turned out to be a warlock. This is all really new, he is dressed like a mercenary , also likes to use ropes and knives, how can any warlock do that?"
Lann smiled: "Maybe you have always been in contact with high-level warlocks like Yennefer. There are still many crappy spellcasters in this world. I I once killed several Nilfgaardian warlocks on the battlefield, and they couldn't even open the portal."
Dandelion looked at Lan in confusion: "You are a braggart better than me."
Lan. He smiled casually and took the initiative to continue the topic about Riens: "I guess you must have escaped later, otherwise I would not have met you here." The poet nodded: "Yes, I was
tortured by the warlock He didn’t reveal any trace of Geralt, and at the same time he angrily rebuked his despicable behavior. This made him so angry that he almost killed me. Fortunately, Yennefer was also at the giant oak tree that day, and she passed by and saved me.”
… ...
"Gods, please spare me. I really don't know where Geralt is. The last time I met him was a year ago. At that time, he abandoned me alone on the mountain. I walked down the hillside. I almost lost my life after he fell down and I lost contact with him after that!" "
I swear it's true, I hate him more than you do! He ruined my shoes and my wonderful night, if I When I see him again, I will definitely hit him on the head with the lute. We are in the same group, Mr. Warlock!"
Dandelion cried loudly, and his voice that sang like the sound of nature was also different from the restless one. With such an ability, Riens was so annoyed that he waved his hand and sealed the poet's mouth with magic.
At this time, there were three people standing in the room, one was Riens, whose vicious eyes were illuminated by the light; there were also two people dressed as thugs, one holding a lamp and the other standing guard at the door. Dandelion could hear their breathing and the strong stench of their sweat.
Dandelion knelt on the dirt floor, his wrists bound by a rope, which looped around the rafters and pulled his body up. He tried to stand up to relieve the pressure on his shoulders, but found that his legs were also tied.
"Our conversation is not over yet, you poor poet. The last time we met was a more honorable occasion, and I only asked you one question. Now, you have to answer all my questions without any dignity at all. . Do you understand the current situation?"
Dandelion felt as if a piece of clay had been stuffed into his throat to silence him. He could only nod his head in agreement.
Reigns smiled and gestured. The poet screamed helplessly, feeling the rope tightening. His arms were twisted behind his back, and his joints were painful.
"I know, smart poet, you are confusing the situation. Of course I know that you have no contact with the White Wolf. But you definitely know where the witcher will be when you haven't seen him for a year. They should have a Gathering place, right?”
Riens waved his hand to unblock the poet's silence magic: "This time, think clearly before speaking. I want you to answer me quickly and fluently, and tell me everything you know. Otherwise, your lips will enter your throat, Poet!"
Dandelion's face turned pale and he gritted his teeth angrily. But even so, he still trembled and continued to moan:
"I don't know... Gods above me, I'm just a poet! I heard part of it, and the rest was made up by me, fabricated... I'm just a poet ..."
Reeves laughed evilly, and magic waves began to emit from his hand again. Dandelion closed his eyes in despair.
At this moment, the villain on the lookout suddenly reminded: "Your Excellency, someone is coming."
In the silence of the night, there were clearly the sounds of footsteps and water dripping on the muddy road, and then there was something like a wooden fence being pulled open. sound.
Riens himself was impatient and eager to interrogate. Riens did not take Dandelion to any secret interrogation room, but conducted the interrogation nearby.
He was originally confident that he could let the feeble poet pour out everything he knew, but he didn't expect that it would take so long and even attract outsiders.
Riens frowned: "Turn out the lights."
The room fell into darkness and silence.
The door creaked open, and a stench hit his face. Only then did Dandelion realize that he was locked in a small room in a pigsty.
A short woman wearing a cloak and a round hat appeared at the door. The man guarding the guard did not hesitate to rush towards her with a knife. As a result, the man guarding the guard staggered and knelt down under the influence of inertia, but the knife failed. Hitting anything was just a puff of smoke.
It's an illusion, the person coming is a warlock!
A figure burst into the cabin after the illusion dissipated, as nimble as a meerkat. She first waved her hands, causing an invisible barrier to cover the entire wooden house, and the surrounding area instantly became quiet. It seemed that she did not want to make too much noise to disturb the surroundings.
Immediately afterwards, Dandelion saw the little cloaked man's hand surrounded by lightning, hitting the freestyle man directly. The smell of barbecue suddenly floated along with a short scream.
After killing one person instantly, the lightning danced around the room as if it were spiritual. Dandelion closed his eyes in fear, only to hear the continuous howling or wailing coming from his ears, and then the strong man fell to the ground. the sound of.
Fortunately, I didn't feel any pain on my body.
Reigns shouted angrily, and a blue light film appeared in front of him. Then he drew out his dagger and wanted to face the enemy like a warrior. Unexpectedly, the lightning still had some power after shattering the light film, especially There were arcs of electricity stuck to his face and shoulders.
The warlock flew backwards and smashed the wooden wall of the pig pen.
The little cloaked man wanted to catch up, but he saw a golden circle of light suddenly appeared under Riens' feet. He fell directly into it and disappeared, and then flames poured out from it.
The sudden change in the situation forced the little cloaked man to stop, reciting words that Dandelion could not understand quickly and rhythmically, and then a yellow oval wrapped the flames together and disappeared together.
Darkness falls again.
"Help!" Dandelion felt the magic power blocking his throat disappear, and he wailed miserably, "Help!" "
Stop yelling, Dandelion, it's me." The little cloaked man, or rather - —Yennefer, taking off her hood, cut Dandelion's ropes with her dagger.
Although it was dark, the poet who was proficient in music immediately recognized Yennefer's voice.
"Thank God, Yennefer! I apologize for all the mean and offensive words I have said to you before. From today on, you will be the most beautiful woman in the world. I wish you and Geralt will not be separated until the end of the world." , I want to come up with a song for you that can be handed down from generation to generation throughout the north. I’m starting to think about it now... I think... I’m sorry, maybe it’s because I’ve been hanging for too long. I just want to vomit now...” “
You Not peeing your pants is the best thank you to me." Yennefer sneered, "I heard your singing under the giant oak tree. I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't expect you to run so fast. Fortunately, I I finally found you."
"I want to thank you again, Yennefer. I know you don't like me, and we are not even friends, but you still saved me." The
sorceress turned her head and was silent for a moment.
"You traveled with him." After a while, Yennefer said expressionlessly, "Thanks to you, he will not be alone. You are his friend. He has your company."
Dandeli En lowered his gaze after hearing this.
"Our friendship is not good for him. I have only brought him trouble...and he is always working hard for me."
Yennefer's eyes were long: "But he enjoys it. That's the kind of person he is."
Neither Dandelion nor Yennefer said clearly who "he" was, but they both knew who the other was referring to.
Dandelion breathed in the fresh air, waved his hands and said: "Don't worry about me now, he is in danger now, the warlock is looking for him. Yennefer, you must find him before the enemy and warn him!"
... …
"Later Yennefer asked me to come to Redania, to Cowburg, and said that there were Dijkstra and Philippa here - you may not have seen Philippa, that is another very dangerous sorceress - So that Riens shouldn't mess around here."
Lann nodded. He guessed that Dandelion, who had been at Cowburg, didn't know the details of what happened to Geralt, so he took the initiative and said:
"Yennefer later I did find Geralt. Although she was actually called by Triss instead of finding him by herself, they finally met - I heard that they are also a pair of people connected by fate. This may be fate. Right."
After hearing Lan clarify the relationship between several people in detail, Dandelion looked interested: "In other words, they are a demon hunter and a sorceress, and now they are teaching the unexpected children together?"
"Back to the point, we are talking about Reigns. If I find him, I will kill him, so you don't have to worry about being harassed by him in the future. I heard that he came to Cowburg recently, is that right? ”
(End of chapter)