Chapter 219 Lady Luck is calling
the ice giant. There are no detailed records of its age and strength, because it is a unique existence in the world. There is no second ice giant in the world that can be observed and recorded.
It is ancient and powerful, and no one knows when it appeared in Skellige's poetry and legends; even the oldest old man on the island can recall that his grandparents used to use the ice giant's weapon in the middle of the night. Ghost stories stop children from crying.
Lann can be sure that this ice giant is at least many times stronger than the old spear head that he defeated.
If East succeeds in defeating the ice giant, there is no doubt that he will become an epic hero like an ancestor in Skellige poetry. Not to mention becoming a king, maybe no one will object to changing the throne to a succession system. .
At the same time, it can be expected that this demon hunting mission will definitely bring huge benefits to Lan.
But at this moment, Lann only had worries in his heart, and he didn't want to complete this task.
He turned to look at King Bran: "What do you think about this matter? With all due respect, this is really... too dangerous."
King Bran's face was not much prettier than Lann. In the past days, , he has repeatedly tried to persuade his brother not to take risks, but he has never succeeded.
"The people of Skellig value three things most: honor, the deeds of their ancestors, and magical weapons." King Bran sighed, "Easter is determined to pursue glory. At the same time, he is also following in the footsteps of his ancestors. I should Support..."
"Then support me." East said, "I will take away fifty family warriors, and at the same time find a blacksmith to make me a weapon strong enough to kill the ice giant, and then I will board the Go to Udvik Island."
"Don't be anxious, my brother." King Bran quickly advised, "I have sent invitations to the other five families to have a banquet on Little Skellig Island in three days. I will work with Lan to persuade them to send troops. Maybe you don’t need to be a king at all, and naturally you don’t need to take risks..."
East retorted: "Even if they agree, this level of support will definitely not be as good as being a king. Revenge is so powerful."
Now even Lan began to persuade East: "Maybe we don't have to be in such a hurry, let me try it first. If things don't work, we can plan the path of the Frost Giants."
Then even Ciri joined in. Although the little girl has no idea how strong the ice giant is, seeing King Bran and Lan looking like this, they must be very dangerous things.
The little girl doesn't want her grandpa to be gone.
Finally, East sighed and reluctantly agreed that Lann and King Bran would contact the other five major families first. But in the process, he will also prepare his team and wait for the time to strike on his own.
King Bran glanced at Lan with gratitude and reached out to touch Ciri's head, but after looking at his greasy hands, he gave up after thinking about it.
Not wanting to talk about the Frost Giants anymore, His Majesty the King decided to change the subject and start talking about the situation in the north and south of the continent.
"Nilfgaard..." King Bran sighed, "I didn't expect it to have become such a huge monster now. I think I took a boat to plunder their 'City of Golden Towers'." "
I Go and plunder them too." Kratz, who had been silent for a long time, finally found a chance to interject, "That city is indeed beautiful. When the sun shines on it, the whole city looks like gold - I really thought it was all gold at first. , and returned disappointed."
"At that time, that city was the entire territory of Nilfgaard." East frowned, not knowing what he thought of, "Emhyr...who would have thought that that guy would be like this? In a short period of time, a small city has turned into the behemoth it is today."
This sentence silenced everyone present. Nilfgaard was their enemy, but no one present could deny Emperor Emhyr's skill and courage. People can't deny how powerful the Black Sun Empire is now.
King Bran took a deep breath and patted his head: "Don't think about these things in the past. Now that the enemy has appeared, now we just need to think about ways to deal with him." "There are still a few days before the banquet starts
. Time, Lann, do you have any plans during this time? How about I arrange for a few people to take you around?"
Hearing King Bran's inquiry, Lann fell into deep thought: "If arranged..."
...
"Can Tell me more about the ghosts on the mountain?"
Lan asked a man dressed as a mountain man at the pier of Great Skellige Island.
Facing Lan, the three demon hunters behind him, and the mighty forty or so Cintra soldiers behind him, even the Skellige people who are famous for their bravery couldn't help but show nervous expressions.
"Look at your armor...are you from Cintra? Who are you and why are you interested in this matter?" "
I heard about this matter from the chat among the sailors at the dock. I heard that you know the details, so I came here specifically to ask for advice." Lann was polite, "I am Lann of Cintra, Lann Lannister Leanne."
Behind Lann, Milva and House looked at each other and sighed softly in their hearts. One breath.
When he was in Brochlon, the Duke was willing to help people solve all kinds of trivial matters.
At that time, it could be explained that the Duke was enthusiastic about this kind of thing, thinking that it was to stabilize the lives of the people in the territory-unexpectedly, Skellige was still like this.
When the mountain people heard Lan En's name, they thought it was familiar at first, but after carefully looking at Lan En's cloak, hair, and eyes, they suddenly realized it.
"Are you the Lion of Sintra?" The mountain man jumped up. "I have heard your stories in the tavern, and sailors and merchants who come back from the sea often bring your poems. Listen to your performance on the battlefield. It's so exciting man!"
"Oh my gosh, you don't even look much older than my son! Don't worry kid, other families wouldn't dare to say it, but we in Great Skellige definitely support you, we We also have a grudge against the Nilfgaardians!"
House, standing behind Lann, clenched his fists. Damn it, why is this mountain man so humble? Did he just want to pat the Duke on the shoulder? Should I have someone break that hand later?
Lan En doesn't care much about these etiquette. If the other party is a noble who is rude to him, then Lan En will feel offended; but if it is a commoner who doesn't know the etiquette, then Lan En won't take it to heart at all. .
Not to mention this is Skellige.
"Yes, yes." Lann smiled, "Kratz is my cousin, and he invited me to come here for sightseeing recently. I was wondering if I could do something for him, and I happened to hear rumors about ghosts on the mountain. , so I wanted to come over and see if there's anything I can do."
"I know, 'Lannister, promise a thousand dollars', right? I've heard of it." The mountain man laughed, "If you ask me, you should be a historian. Kellig, son of the Islands. This is in line with your arrogance!"
House exhaled deeply, feeling that he should knock out a few of the teeth of this arrogant mountain man.
The unconscious mountain man continued to say to Lan: "If you want to know about the ghosts on the mountain, you have asked the right person. Listen to me..."
After a while, the system prompt sounded in Lan's ear. ——
[Discovery Mission-The Cabin in the Woods:
In order to provide a place for hunters and loggers on the mountain to rest, enthusiastic mountain people built a cabin as a transit station. But one day a horrific murder occurred there, and the ghost has been wandering there ever since. The mountain folk's axes have no effect on the void souls. Perhaps the witcher can solve this problem. 】
Lann nodded with satisfaction, turned around and thought about it and stretched out his hand: "Geralt, are you willing to take a trip? I will arrange for Milva and five people to follow you, and you can help me teach them how to deal with this evil spirit. Is it okay to grow spiritual creatures? For this task, you can get paid by registering at the castle. The bounty will be yours."
Geralt sighed: "Yes, you can, but what are you doing for this? "Well..."
"The Order of Demon Hunters." Before Lann could answer, Cohen said decisively.
He patted Lan's shoulder hard: "This is our Griffin school... No, this is what a demon hunter should do!" "
Entrust this to me Lan, I can do it without the bounty. The money should be distributed to those families who have been harmed by evil spirits. They need this money even more!"
Faced with Cohen who suddenly felt a sense of mission, Lan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth: "No, no, Cohen, that's not necessary. ...I would like to discuss this matter in the future. Although the bounty is nothing to me, it is still indispensable to the entire demon hunter group..." He persuaded
Cohen to calm down. In the end, the energetic Griffin Witcher went up the mountain with Geralt.
Kolgrim hugged his shoulders and watched the two companions go away, and looked at Lann: "What about me, what work do I have?"
This is not Brochlon after all, where Lann can let his men directly collect the tasks, and then in the study Feel free to wait for the mission completion experience to be delivered to your doorstep. Now he has to take the initiative to find tasks.
"House!"
"I'm here, sir!"
Lann pointed to the tavern: "Go and help me collect some information, not just the entrusted ones, but also help me find out information about other families in the archipelago, especially their knowledge of Nilfgar. The attitude of Germany and Cintra."
"Yes, sir!"
House responded sonorously with his head lowered. Suddenly he heard the sound of breaking wind coming from in front of him. When he looked up, he saw a money bag flying out of the Duke's hand.
"Don't be stingy with the money for drinks. Treat others to a few drinks when needed. People in the Islands don't pay much attention to etiquette, so you should be polite. Of course, don't be afraid if you encounter difficulties. If you have trouble, come to me. Cousin Kratz is also a member of the family, so don't worry. ."
House caught the money bag at a loss, and touched his waist with the other hand: "Ah... Sir, the reward you gave me last time has not been spent yet..." "
Then bring a few more. Let's go drinking together, brothers, and teach them how to find out information. Bring in a few more helpers, and you'll be able to relax in the future." "...Yes,
sir."
After saying that, Lann took the rest without looking back. People rush to the next dock.
Three Cintra cavalry followed House, a little nervously.
Fighting on horseback is their nature, drinking in taverns and bragging is their fun, but they are really not that good at gathering intelligence.
"Mr. House... what should we do?"
The attendant with the lion's head silver sword on his waist threw the money bag in his hand and looked at the tavern nearby.
There were excited sounds of drinking, noise, and cheers coming from inside.
Reaching out to touch his treasure, Haos was confident.
…
"Want a hand of Gwent?"
It's daytime, but Skellige's taverns are full of joy regardless of time.
As soon as you walk in, you will be surrounded by the smell of charcoal grilled meat, the smell of fresh bread, and the mellow aroma of strong beer.
Directly opposite the door is the tavern owner's bar, where there is an astonishingly large grill with large pieces of meat and large fish; a target is hung on the west side of the tavern, where several people bet on throwing knives; the tavern The east side was cleared, and several people seemed to be wrestling or boxing.
House's target was naturally the card table on the west side of the tavern. He played cards with others for 20 crowns a game, and the Duke gave him enough money to lose from now until tomorrow morning - if he kept losing.
If his opponent loses, he will order House a glass of wine or a special delicacy, and then tell him about a new thing that happened locally - as a foreigner, this request is very reasonable.
I don’t know how long it took.
When House sat down again, there was a glass of golden ale on his left hand, and a sea salt roasted sturgeon with radish puree on his right hand - a dish that is now quite expensive because of the sharp decline in sturgeon numbers. .
The three Cintra cavalry following him had red faces, and they were obviously four to five points drunk. Each of them was also carrying a large plate, on which were placed three or four steaks, grilled fish, large piles of mashed radish and mashed potatoes, and you could also see mushrooms and beets.
They whispered:
"Hey, I can't eat anymore... What about you?"
"I can't drink anymore. If I drink any more, I'll be in trouble... Mr. House doesn't seem to have much to drink. He gave it to us..."
"It's... powerful. You deserve to be a member of the lions, Mr. House... It seems we haven't spent any money since we entered the tavern, right?" "If this continues, I'm even worried that
our money will increase... ..."
"Has more money become something we need to worry about?"
The three Cintra cavalry had grim faces. They never thought that drinking and eating meat would become an embarrassing thing.
In front of them, House's opponent let out a cry, slammed his hands on the table, and screamed in disbelief:
"How come you even have such a card? How can 'Northern Realm' beat my "monster" "Deck?"
House raised his chin slightly, put away the card with the blond knight on the table, and said calmly: "Lannister is invincible!"
The guy who lost the card looked dangerous, as if he wanted to take action. . But his intention was soon discovered. It was obvious that House had seen many such losers.
The sword attendant snapped his fingers, and the three cavalrymen behind him immediately slammed the three trays on the table, and the ferocious aura of the battlefield veterans slowly emanated.
The gambler immediately shrank and muttered: "Sir...sir, I have no money anymore. Really, I have lost all my money. I don't even have the money to buy you a drink. I originally thought that I could turn the tables on you with this one." "..."
He was busy explaining, while the four people opposite him had expressionless faces. So he thought about it and hurriedly pulled out a drawing with unknown content on his body and handed it to House:
"This is the only thing I have with me. This is all my property. It...it is a drawing. Very precious drawings, definitely enough for twenty or even fifty crowns, converted into coins, enough for your people to have a full meal in the tavern!" House raised his eyebrows and
took it casually: "Friend, I sympathize with you. , Really, but if you use items as collateral, the price cannot be determined by you..."
As he spoke, House's voice became smaller and smaller.
He frowned.
On the drawing in his hand, there was a long sword with a bear head and a hilt drawn on it. The size and materials of the long sword are marked in detail on it. As long as you find a qualified blacksmith, it is definitely not difficult to make the same long sword according to the same pattern.
Seeing House's expression, the gambler thought he was dissatisfied and hurriedly explained: "Sir, to tell you the truth, I used to be a tavern owner, and I once entertained a strange man in the tavern - —He is as strong as a bear, but his poker skills are as bad as a water ghost! He lost two hundred crowns to me in one night. In the end, he had nothing to lose, so he mortgaged this thing to me, saying it was very precious. Equipment blueprint!"
House raised the blueprint in his hand: "So you know what this is?"
The gambler's voice suddenly became softer: "I...can't understand the words on it, but the strong man said This thing is worth more than the money he lost to me. I don't think he is a liar."
House thought for a while and asked: "Where did that man go?"
Unexpectedly, the gambler suddenly became excited when he heard this question. Get up: "That guy originally said he was going to bring money to redeem this crap... this drawing, but that night my tavern was suddenly attacked by a group of people, and the man disappeared in the chaos! Fortunately, that paragraph Because of Mr. East's incident, the number of patrols around the island doubled. The Lord's soldiers discovered the enemy in time and captured them, otherwise my tavern would be burned down!" House looked at the drawing in his hand
. , showing a thoughtful expression: "Do you know where the attacking group came from? Where is that man now?"
The gambler showed a strange expression: "Why do you care about this?"
House looked matter-of-fact. Naturally: "If you lose, in addition to asking for a treat, you also want to tell me a story. This is a very good story."
After hearing House's words, he already recognized the value of the drawings. He didn't need to pay for it anymore. The disciple's face suddenly became excited.
"Listening to Lord Kratz's later statement, it seems that the group came from the Principality of Arc Coast, which is a vassal state of Redania. As for that man... he must still be in Skellige. He is so unworthy. Wen's gambler can't escape at all!"
After hearing the gambler's last words, the four Houses immediately cast strange looks, as if to say, "As a gambler, you are no better."
And that man is in Skellig... Isn't it the same as saying it or not... Forget it, go back and report to the Duke. If the Lord is really interested, there will be a way.
Even such a trivial matter requires an adult to take action personally, which makes House very unhappy.
"My card skills are pretty good..." The gambler met the gazes of the four people and said softly, "And although the guards arrived in time that night, my tavern still suffered a lot of losses, so I wanted to Let's come out and have fun. I still own a tavern and an industry." "
Then why don't you take the credit and use this 'valuable' drawing to pay for a glass of wine?"
The gambler was speechless. .
And House also knew what he was thinking. This guy was probably ignorant. He just wanted to get rid of this "waste paper" that he couldn't understand as soon as possible. If it could be worth a glass of wine, it would be considered a profit.
Especially when you are losing cards and have nothing to lose.
Seeing a few drunken sailors looking around, House knew he should call it a day. Skellige people are famous for their unity, and I am a foreigner. I have won too many times before, and now I have won another person to the point where he is almost losing his pants. It is time to give it up.
Recalling the Duke's instructions to him to "be kind to others," House coughed lightly, took out ten crowns from his pocket and put it on the table: "
This drawing is indeed valuable, and I don't want to take advantage of you. You He sounds like a poor man. Use the money to ride a truck so that you don't have to walk back with your legs."
The gambler suddenly raised his head after hearing this, his eyes shining: "The man said this blueprint is worth two hundred..."
"Get out of here . !" House slapped the table hard.
Not to mention that House was angry, even the surrounding sailors who originally wanted to help the locals withdrew their attention.
"Betting on dogs!" House spat harshly as he watched the opponent stagger away.
Shaking his head like the Duke, House asked several cavalrymen to sit down, thinking of taking care of all the meat steaks in front of him, and then headed back home.
A sailor suddenly sat down in front of him.
"What are you doing?"
Facing House's question, the sailor smiled: "You seem like a nice person. You seem to be interested in that bear-like man? I can tell you." "Other than
that , I also know a little secret that Cintra may care about. If you want to know, I can also tell you."
(End of this chapter)