Chapter 218 The King and the Former King
The west wind blew strong, the waves crashed on the shore with a thunderous sound, and white fountains rose up again and again from the gaps in the rocks.
Kratz wrapped his cloak around himself and stared at the terrace in front of him, knowing that someone would come over soon.
"Lord Kratz." A cautious voice sounded behind Kratz, "Will the Lion of Cintra be coming today?" Earl
Kratz An Clete, Lord of Skellig, The patriarch of the Clete family, a man feared by the Nilfgaardians as the "Boar of the Sea", turned around and looked at the place where the question came from.
She was an ordinary island woman: her hands and feet were thick, her chest was bulging, and her skin was rough and tanned. She was holding a basket of shells in her hand, and was obviously about to go to work; she bowed slightly, using body language to show respect to the lord.
But this level of "respect" is not enough.
For a civilian, it is absolutely unacceptable to speak to the lord so directly and impolitely. It is rude to even approach the lord at such a close distance.
If placed in some inland areas, some cruel lords could order the woman's tongue to be cut off just based on her words and deeds.
But this is not inland, not even a continent. This is the Skellige Islands, the home of the islanders and the sons of the mountains. The so-called class is very vague here. The people respect and revere the nobles, but they will never bow down in fear.
Therefore, after hearing the woman's question, Kratz actually asked her leisurely: "What's wrong? Do you also want to see the lions of Sintra?" "
Yes, Lord Kratz... I heard that He is an extremely handsome knight, and he is unparalleled in bravery."
"Sailors can't satisfy you anymore. Are you looking for a handsome knight? Then you may be disappointed. Our Lord Lannister has already found his master." The
woman He replied nonchalantly: "She's the princess of Cintra, right? We don't care, and neither do others. It's better this way..."
Kratz finally turned dark this time: "What do you mean by others?"
The woman turned around. Pointing to the castle: "The other cooks, maids, laundrymen, etc. who are preparing the banquet inside are all waiting to see the Lion of Sintra!"
Kratz's neck became stiff.
He looked behind the woman, which was his beloved castle named "Kelzo".
Because he knew about the arrival of Lan En and his party, he specially summoned a large number of maids to prepare for the banquet. At this moment, it can be seen that these people only focused on the work at hand, and more of their thoughts were on their work. The gaze was cast—on Kratz, or rather, on the balcony behind Kratz.
Kratz was about to scold them loudly, but suddenly he felt a rootless wind blowing behind him, making his cloak rustle fiercely.
A fiery red portal appeared in mid-air.
The first person to come out was a blond knight wearing silver-black armor. He was wearing a cloak sewn from a whole piece of the skin of a large griffon.
Followed closely was a girl with mouse-grey hair. She was wearing a white gown and a reddish-brown deerskin belt. She was wearing a smaller griffon cape and was holding on to the knight in front of her.
Then came three swordsmen with amber eyes. They were wearing badges in the shape of wolves, snakes, and griffins. Their bodies were swaying like sailors in a storm.
Then there was a guard carrying a lion-headed silver sword on his waist and a female archer carrying a life-size mahogany long bow. Behind them were another forty guards.
The last person to come out was a sorceress with long black wavy hair. She wore a star-shaped obsidian necklace and exuded the aroma of lilac and gooseberry.
The group of people who appeared out of thin air instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the castle, and many of them had blazing gazes containing curiosity.
Kratz immediately yelled at his distracted people:
"Didn't you see that all our guests have arrived? Are you still dawdling like this! You know that King Bran will visit my castle soon, you guys?" Do you want to entertain our king with such an appearance?"
Seeing the lord's anger, the waiters in the castle no longer dared to be indifferent, and hurriedly lowered their heads and accelerated their movements.
Kratz shook his head and turned around to say hello, but saw a whirlwind of mouse gray rushing into his arms. The huge force made him take several steps back.
"Kratz, I miss you so much!" Ciri screamed, "And where are Halma and Caris? I miss them too!"
Ciri often vacationed in Skellige when she was young, and she and Kratz The Klett family where Ci belongs has close ties. According to seniority, Kratz is Shili's uncle and Lann's cousin.
"Halma and Caris went to sea. They will come back in the evening." Mentioning his proud son and daughter, Kratz's face also showed warmth like the sea breeze, and he tightened his arms. Ciri, "My princess, you have grown taller...and your strength has become stronger." "
And you, Lann." Kratz turned to Lann and said with emotion, "You have also grown taller, only this Only then can I remember how old you are. You are only about the same age as my Harma, but I didn't expect that you have already achieved such results." Kratz came to support
Cintra when it was captured before, and in Bro It has been almost a year since I met Lan outside Chiron.
I don't know if it's because he's still in the growth stage, or because his system has strengthened his physique, but Lann's height has now increased by a few centimeters, and he is now 6.2 feet - that is, a height of 1.88 meters.
Of course, this development speed is still far behind compared to Ciri.
Faced with Kratz's praise, Lann, who had finally suppressed the discomfort of the portal, finally forced a smile: "This process is not easy, and that's why I came to you today." "I'm glad you came to seek
help. I'm really glad. Yes." Kratz stepped forward and patted Lan's shoulder hard.
"I have arranged a place for you in the castle. The butler will bring you desserts and drinks first, so you can take a short rest." "
I have also prepared a sumptuous dinner for you. Uncle East and King Bran will also Come here, let's discuss other things."
Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, and Lan En and his party were naturally casual and did not object at all.
The butlers of the Clete family came quickly upon the lord's call, each leading the way and taking the guests to where they should go.
Lan noticed that when Yennefer passed by, Kratz seemed to be hesitant to speak and wanted to come forward to talk; while Geralt's eyes flickered and his face was expressionless, but he seemed to have emotions written on his face.
On the other hand, the sorceress had a cold look on her face, and she didn't even care.
When an ex-boyfriend meets his current boyfriend, it feels like a familiar Shura field.
"Children, don't look blindly. Let's go quickly." Lann grabbed Ciri, who was peeping her head, and quickly followed the housekeeper.
This action made the little princess dissatisfied.
...
They quickly separated and were led to their respective rooms.
"Thank you for your hard work, please leave me alone for a while."
The butler bowed to Lan and then slowly withdrew.
Lan looked around. This bedroom is more than enough to be used as a living room. There are bookshelves and a long desk in the room. The bed is big enough to sleep five or six people. There is also a balcony ten steps away, on which three curious seabirds are standing. Looking at myself.
Lann chuckled and patted the black magic scimitar behind his back. Immediately there was an emerald-colored void flame burning on it, but it did not hurt Lann at all.
Then, a slim figure wearing a Gothic dress appeared. She walked slowly to Lan's side and stood side by side with him, looking at the sea view below.
"Is this Skellig? I've only seen descriptions of this place in books before." "
Yes, Alice, this is Skellig."
After receiving Lan's affirmative answer, the beautiful ghost in the painting I couldn't help but sigh: "It's so beautiful."
Their location afforded a sweeping view of the sea.
Directly in front of you across the strait is the small island of Skellig, which is low and flat in the south and has a deep fjord on the north side; in the distance to the left is the green island of Spekker, with its fang-like outline and steep The cliffs stand above the waves, with the mountaintops hidden in the clouds; to the right you can see the cliffs of Udvik Island, with its seagulls, petrels, cormorants and gannets.
"I heard that this place is jointly governed by seven families. The king is not a succession system, but elected by them?"
Lann nodded: "Yes, the seven families are distributed on six islands and rule each other. So the politics here are very complicated. Complex - but in a sense, very simple."
Alice nodded thoughtfully and commented: "A wonderful country, wonderful customs, and wonderful systems."
As she said that, she turned to look Lan En's side face, admiring the lines and muscles on it from the perspective of a painter, intoxicated by its beauty.
"I guess you didn't just ask me to come out to accompany you to enjoy the sea view, right? Your Highness the Princess can also do this." Lan nodded sheepishly: "I want to trouble you to
draw a few pictures."
"A few pictures ?"
"Seven, each family will send one painting. The number may be a bit too much, this is a big project." "
As a painter, I will enjoy it." Alice squinted her eyes, dark eye shadow Draw a nice outline.
As long as a smile appears on a melancholy face, it will make people feel relaxed and happy.
"But I also have a request, or need - I need to go to various islands to collect pictures, so that I can draw paintings that suit the tastes of each family. This requires you to always take me with you." After hearing this, although
Alice There was still a faint smile on her face, but Lan knew that this lady was expressing her dissatisfaction in a subtle way.
During the previous time in Kaer Morhen, Lann had always let Alice possess the portrait, leaving her in the castle while he went hunting; this was also the case for most of the time after returning to Brokiron.
Although during this process, Lann had introduced Alice to Ciri as a painting teacher, the little princess was also very receptive to the souls in the paintings. But now it seems that Alice is a little dissatisfied with this arrangement.
"Sorry, Alice." Lann gave in easily, "There were a lot of battles involved before, and you didn't like to participate in these bloody scenes, so I did something else to your possession. and I thought you would like it, because you are a painter, and the new life we agreed to give you is also like this." Alice chuckled and waited for
Lan to finish explaining, then gently stepped forward step.
Now she and Lann were almost only a palm apart. Although she was illusory, Lann could still feel her veil gently rubbing his cheek under the sea breeze.
"I like painting. When you brought me out of the world of paintings, you also promised me a new life - becoming the princess's painting teacher, and at the same time letting my works be seen by more people." "I like painting
. Hua, I'm very grateful to you, Lann." As Alice spoke, her body leaned forward slightly involuntarily, "But I like something else now."
Lann felt something rubbing his wrist, and he knew That was Alice's skirt blown up by the sea breeze.
He lowered his eyebrows slightly, and Alice just raised her chin slightly.
Alice was not human and was not breathing, but at this moment Lan still felt that his face was being swept by a stream of heat.
"So, what do you like now? Alice."
The soul in the painting chuckled and did not answer directly. She took one last step forward, and the moment she touched Lan En, she turned into emerald-colored flames, wrapping Lan En's whole body.
The warm, soft touch was fleeting, and Lan felt like his face was covered by a piece of silk. When he came back to his senses, the emerald-colored flames had re-condensed on the black magic scimitar behind his back, leaving only an orchid-like voice in the empty valley echoing: "Unless you have other mission needs, I
will I don’t want to go into the painting anymore. If there is a battle, I also want to participate. I think I should be pretty good.” “Lan, is that okay?”
Lann
couldn’t help but reach out and hold the handle of the scimitar, and whispered softly Said: "Of course."
——Dragon
ships appeared one after another in the strait between Big Skellig Island and Little Skellig Island. The red and white sails sparkled in the sun, and the bronze shield hanging on the side of the ship also shone.
"The coat of arms of the Tursek family, it's grandpa here!" Xili shouted excitedly after seeing the logo on the dragon boat.
"King Bran is also here." Lann added.
The arrival of the king's car seemed to be a normal thing for everyone in Kel'Zhuo.
There was nothing royal about these ships. Apart from the exceptionally well-trained soldiers on board, there was no sign of any dignity among the people on them.
If anything, it was the look of reverence and admiration from the castle guards all the way.
Because the two people who got off the boat were both kings elected by everyone. One is from the past and the other is from the present.
The first time he saw Ister Tursek, Ciri pounced on him. The two of them had met before with the help of Mossak, and Lann met Ester for the first time after Cintra was captured.
The handsome sea knight has been visibly aged, with white hair and wrinkles taking over his face over the course of a year. He and King Bran stood together, those who knew thought they were brothers, and those who didn't knew probably misunderstood them as uncle and nephew.
But Lann could feel the burning fire beneath this vicissitudes of life. He was suppressing it, waiting for it to explode.
"Thank you, Lan."
That's all East said.
Then he opened his arms and hugged Lan tightly.
...
The appearance of King Bran is almost the same as that of East.
But he is taller and stronger than East. Compared with East, who has the title of "Sea Knight", his figure is more like "Sea Boar" Kratz.
He was about six and a half feet tall, with a waist wider than his shoulders and three bearskin belts. He wore a chainmail and leather vest, underneath a cotton coat of distinct colors and layers.
When he stood in front of him, Lan seemed to see a bear. Lann also believed that no matter how big the waves and heavy rain were, the man in front of him would never be shaken at all on the boat.
Compared with the silent East, King Bran's character is also much more outgoing. At this moment, he is grabbing a lobster as long as Ciri's forearm with both hands and gnawing on it. There are already a lot of scallops and oysters piled up in front of him. Empty shell.
Ciri sat between Easter and Bran, concentrating on a crab as big as her face.
East pays more attention to dining etiquette and uses knives and forks skillfully. Because he had to touch Ciri's head from time to time, he couldn't get his hands dirty.
"If I were to find someone in my castle who likes Uncle Bran the most, it must be my cook." Kratz joked, "Every time uncle comes over, the cook always feels that her cooking skills have improved. ."
Sitting next to Kratz were two young people of similar age to Lan, a man and a woman.
The man has half-length dark brown hair and has started growing a beard at a young age.
The woman has reddish-brown hair, which is simply tied into a ponytail and draped behind her back.
This is Halma and Keris, Kratz's children. They were all looking at Lann intently at the moment, but the meanings in their eyes were different.
Fortunately, Lan had long been accustomed to the sight of others. He drank a glass of wine without changing his expression and asked East:
"Uncle, I heard something about you from Uncle Mossack. ."
East nodded: "Then he must have told you that I want to regain the throne of Skellige."
This sentence was said without any concealment, even if the current king of Skellige was sitting next to him.
The king who was about to be usurped didn't care at all. He put down the lobster shell and sucked his fingers. "Don't look at me. I am happy to see this matter come to fruition. It was East who gave up the idea of the throne on his own initiative. I wanted to travel to the sea, Kratz was still young at that time, and the patriarchs of the other six major families either had no interest in politics, or their brains suffered a landslide. I was unwilling to let the islands sink in the hands of these people, so I agreed to run for the king." "Those who are in charge of me
. Although the year was wonderful, the ministers also complained: rather than solving the political problems of the islands, I would rather take people out to sea to plunder. There were even some rumors that I did this to escape My wife who likes to talk at home - ha, how can the son of the Islands be afraid of his wife?"
"Deep in my heart, I envy East. So now that he is willing to take back the baggage he threw at me, I can't ask for more. "
King Bran monologued his thoughts very directly, which no one in other countries on the mainland would dare to listen to. But the Islanders around the table were accustomed to these verbal complaints, and had obviously heard them too much.
Lan En took a sip of wine. He was a little happy to speak so straightforwardly in a political situation, and he was assimilated unconsciously.
"But I heard that there are obstacles?"
East nodded: "The king's abdication cannot designate a successor, especially for me, who has given up the throne. Many lords think it is too childish."
At this point, East was disdainful. He smiled and said: "Actually, they want to be the king."
Lann thought: "But uncle, you should also have a lot of prestige in the archipelago, right?"
East replied affirmatively: "I already have a group of supporters. Coupled with Bran's support, there is no problem if I want to be the king according to the normal voting system. But what I want is not just to be the king, I also need the support of the major families to send troops to Nilfgaard to help Sin. Terra."
When he said this, East glanced at Ciri tenderly, and then turned to Lan: "So I need to reasonably stop the mouths of those patriarchs - according to the customs of the islanders." "This
method It's a bit risky. I noticed these warriors behind you, are they demon hunters? I saw Geralt among them - I may need their help." Lann was startled, East
should He knew that the witcher was not involved in politics. What kind of business did he need to do as king that the witcher needed to take action?
East quickly explained: "Not long ago - about two months ago - an ice giant appeared on Udvik Island. We don't know what woke it up from its slumber, but it After appearing, he wreaked havoc and destroyed most of the island." "
Not just on Udvik Island, this giant is said to be able to use ice magic to travel between different islands, and also has the mysterious ability to command the female siren. Strength. Each lord organized an army to encircle and suppress this giant more than once, but each time they were defeated." "
And I am going to hunt this ice giant and get its head." "
Use the most powerful monster, Come and give glory to the bravest warrior, and help me regain the throne of Skellige. This is my plan."
The moment East's voice fell, the system's prompt tone sounded at this time:
[Discovery Mission - Fury of Glacier:
An unknown astronomical phenomenon awakened the hibernating giant in advance. It wreaked havoc and destroyed everything that moved in front of it. As a result, the beautiful Udvik Island suffered horrific damage; the giant beast's Danger is spreading throughout Skellige, and the brave sea knights hope to win the crown for themselves by defeating monsters. Witcher, you may be able to help. After all, you are also helping yourself. 】
(End of this chapter)