Chapter 224 There are only female priests and goddesses in Freya Temple. After
hearing what Gede said, Lan also choked and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, Gede was a brave man who looked the same on the outside and didn't care about Lan's excessive modesty that might make others feel uncomfortable. Instead, he took the initiative to continue the conversation.
"But apart from you, I have never seen any other demon hunter who is stronger than me - even in the Bear Faction, I am still confident about this." "Before I
escape here, don't say that in In the archipelago, even in the entire northern territory and the south occupied by Nilfgaard, I have not met anyone stronger than me..."
Lann accurately grasped the key words in Gede's words: " Gede, you said you 'escaped' to Skellige? Are you in trouble? If you don't mind, maybe you can tell me, maybe there is something I can help with." If so
. Ordinary people might give themselves a little respect and cover up their "escape" by calling it a "strategic shift" or something like that.
But after hearing Lann's words, Gede didn't care at all, and talked about his past truthfully like a casual chat:
"I am ashamed to say that I once served a king. But then a coup broke out in the country, and the king's daughter claimed that she My father is a usurper, and I am the legitimate heir - I know this sounds ridiculous, but that's what she really said." "This
coup was successful in the end, and I was also punished for my firm support of the late king. They were wanted, so they fled to Skellig. I didn't expect that they would actually find this place a few days ago, and almost caused a tavern to be reduced to scorched earth. Fortunately, the security here was extremely tight during that time, which prevented the tragedy from happening. ."
Gede lowered his head, showing his disappointment for the first time in his conversation with Lann. He was mourning for the king he once served.
"I know that he is not actually a good person. He has committed crimes and his hands are stained with blood. But how many nobles in the north are normal? And he sincerely respects me and treats me very well. ——It’s rare to see someone who can treat a demon hunter like this.” Even though
Gede was telling a sad story, Lann’s eyes lit up when he heard it.
He found a suitable entry point from Gede's autobiography.
The words that were almost engraved into the muscle memory of his tongue popped out naturally:
"Gede, if this is the case, you can come to Sintra - I am confident enough to grant you political asylum. And I guarantee you , Everyone in Cintra has heartfelt respect for the witchers." "
To be honest, I plan to revive the witcher order in Cintra, and now it has gathered griffins, wolves, snakes, and cats. , if the Bear Faction can also join in, then we will almost have the prototype of the original religious order..."...
This
is the first time that Lann has said the words of solicitation with such confidence. According to his previous style, They told the griffons that they had the support of wolves, snakes, and cats, and told the wolves that griffons, snakes, and cats had already joined them—this was a back-and-forth process.
But this time he really gathered the above four schools of thought, so he was particularly confident in recruiting Gede.
However, the opposite happened.
This time, Lann's most confident solicitation so far was rejected, and it was an outright rejection. It was not the ambiguous "consideration" of the Wolf Faction before.
"I'm sorry, Rann. But now I have found someone who can serve me, and that is Torgil Tursek."
Gede said sincerely: "When I fled to Skellige, I had no fixed place to live. , he took me in, treated me with respect, and gave me bread, meat, and wine." "
Although we have a mutually beneficial relationship, he regards me as a friend, and I also regard him as a confidant. . We hit it off, and I'm very happy living here." "
You may have heard some rumors about the Bear Faction, and I can tell you that most of them are true - at least for the Witcher Order, I I really have no sense of belonging, and no idea of reviving the school."
The bear sect demon hunter shook his head gently, looked at Lann with a look of astonishment, and laughed.
"Rather than these great missions, I would rather follow my brothers, whether following them or leading them, this makes me happy." "
But in Skellig, I can still help you, That's why I'm waiting for you here."
"Tolgil is King Bran's elder, so he gave me a new commission - let me help you and support East to ascend the throne."
——After
some time.
Sitting on the dragon boat heading to Indalsfair Island, Lann looked melancholy.
At this moment, he was only surrounded by the lord of the Sea Rose family, Dona Ann Cinda, and the temporary demon hunter Ged of the Bear School, plus ten Cintra soldiers led by Milva.
As for the three demon hunters Geralt, Kolgrim, and Korn, they each led their teams to clean up the tasks on Big Skellig Island and Little Skellig Island.
We are still in the preparatory stage of gathering intelligence, and the war has not officially started yet, so there is no need to lead all the troops around. It's better to let them use local resources to improve Lan's own strength, and bring along his own escort team to make them more familiar with handling such matters.
The witchers also enjoyed this, especially Korn.
[Quest - The Cabin in the Woods - Completed]
[Quest - The Unmarried - Completed]
[Quest - The Mermaid at the Bottom of the Well - Completed]
[Character Level Improvement +1]
In game terms - Skellige is real There are too many "question marks" and "exclamation marks", and there are many commissions that can be accepted. In a short period of time, Lann has been promoted to one level.
Now Lan En's level has reached level 32, and he has finally accumulated 4 spare skill points.
There is nothing more to say. According to the original plan, 1 skill point was left for possible followers, and the remaining 3 skill points were invested by Lann in skills that he had already prepared.
[Second Mutation] Page Skills - [Siint] Category - [Biting] Add points!
[Bearing]: Alder's Seal can freeze enemies.
A very short skill introduction, and the effect is very direct. Directly give [Alder's Seal] a brand new effect, turning it from a simple telepathy shock to an ice elemental attack.
From now on, Lann will also be a scene person with ice effects on his left hand and fire effects on his right hand.
[Bearing] This skill was used once by Lann in Toussaint's underground laboratory. Lann was not a demon hunter at that time, and Jeroen had just woken up from his slumber. At that time, the blizzard caused by [Biting] directly turned the monsters in the underground laboratory into ice sculptures, and then tore them into pieces with strong winds. ice cubes.
I don’t know how big the gap is between my current seal and Teacher Jielong’s?
...
While Lan was thinking, Gede gave Lan a strange look.
His demon hunter senses were keenly aware that the lion-eyed young man beside him suddenly became a little different, but he couldn't tell what was different.
However, because Gede and Lan were still not familiar enough after all, after thinking about it for a while, they still did not ask out their doubts.
At the same time, Dona's voice also rang: "We are here..."
"Welcome to Indalsfair Island!"
The island was surrounded by a light fog, but everyone on the ship knew that, Hidden in the fog are lush woods and blue coral reefs.
Indalsfell is the smallest island in the Skellige Archipelago, but it has the most special status - it is the birthplace of the islanders' culture.
At this moment, both Lann and Gede came with a mission, and although Dona was also an old lord who knew the rules, he was originally eager to avenge his dead family guard.
So after seeing that neither Lan nor Gede cared about them, Dona no longer wasted time on making pomp and entertainment, and led a group of people directly towards the goal this time - Freya Temple.
...
Except for the Eternal Fire, this was the second time Lan had seen the headquarters of a large religion.
If we say that the Temple Island of Eternal Fire gave Lan the impression of luxury and solemnity.
So the only feeling Freya gave Lan was "natural".
What appeared before Lann's eyes was a forest-like land. It was almost like a corner of the forest enclosed by a wall. There were patches of trees and various flowers and plants inside. The vibrant appearance almost reminded Lann of cloth. Lokiron.
It is also far from the image of the "church" in Lann's imagination and perception.
Dona led a group of people to the center of the forest garden, while introducing these outsiders to Skellig's most noble goddess and the most beloved goddess of believers: "
Freya is the goddess of hearth, love and fertility. The protector of divine oracles, prophets and telepaths. Warriors will pray to Him before going to sea to rob, and wives left on the island will also pray for their husbands' safe return." As
Lan and his party went deeper, signs began to appear on the roadside. Women who look like village women wearing coarse linen clothes.
They were dressed like village women, all of them had slim figures, and although their skin was not too delicate, it was not rough either.
Most of them wear braids and carry flower or fruit baskets, full of youth and vitality. This temperament and appearance reminded Lan of the female students he had seen in Cowburg.
According to Dona's introduction, they are all priests of the temple.
As a group of people passed by, they all greeted Dona, and the lord returned the greetings to them.
After saying hello to Dona, they could be seen to have obviously slowed down their pace, as if they were no longer in a hurry to do what they originally wanted to do -
a bunch of eyes were scanning Lann's body.
Dona smiled and looked at the young priestesses who were looking at them curiously. Among them, a few girls who were only thirteen or fourteen years old could be seen.
Even if there are flower baskets in front of them, it is not difficult to see the blush on their faces due to shyness.
"If it were normal, they would leave in a hurry after greeting me. I didn't expect that they would stop today - this is a treatment that I, a lord for decades, have not received, Lan." Lan's face was calm, and he was not satisfied with this
. I'm used to having small scenes.
Gede found these looks new. Even though he has gained a lot of recognition in Skellige now, most of them are praised by big men or lords who are similar to him. These little girl-like looks are rare... But if I remember correctly
, Shouldn’t the little girls of the archipelago like the brave warriors of the sea or the warriors fighting against the rocks? A handsome knight like Lann, a big bearded man, should not be popular in theory, right?
Thinking this, Gede also turned his eyes to Lan. Of course, the emotions in his eyes were definitely different from those of the priestesses.
"Why are there such little children here?" Lann looked at the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girls with deer-like eyes, "Are they also priests?" The
images of these priests are also consistent with what Lann knows and imagines. Church” stereotype is far from it.
In the Freya sect, men can worship the god Freya, but only women can carry out his will, so there are only female priests in the sect.
"If we call them official, they are indeed 'priests'." Dona nodded to confirm Lan's question, "But they are still in the 'apprentice' stage. The sect will adopt those orphans who lost their families in the battle, and will They raise them and teach them to read, write, and pray. The talented ones will be trained to become priests." "
The church also regularly recruits students from families living in the islands, but the recruitment standards are even more stringent."
Lann He nodded clearly: "Is it a system similar to a church school? Maybe Cintra can learn about it..." "
Of course you can learn about it." Dona agreed, "The premise is that you need to have a church."
...
here Many houses are built of logs.
When a large and amazing marble building finally appeared in front of him, Lan knew that this was his destination.
There is a building high up on the long stone steps. It is covered with moss, ivy and shrubs. It looks like a large hedgehog. On its roof, Lane saw bushes and even a few small trees and mistletoe.
The two young priestesses waited silently in front of the temple. Dona greeted them politely and expressed a desire to speak with their leader, whom he called "High Priest Sigurdryfa."
They walked into the entrance, where sunlight filtering through the high windows illuminated the interior of the temple. One of the rays of sunlight happened to shine on the altar.
The two female priests motioned to everyone to be calm, because at this moment, they could still faintly hear the sound of prayers coming from inside.
...
"——Virgin Goddess Freya! Give me the power to love, give birth to children, raise warriors, and kill enemies!" ...
The
corners of Lann's mouth twitched, and this prayer was completely unlikeable. It is something that should appear in the temple.
On the simple marble altar, high above the statues of cats and eagles, and above the stone shells used for votive offerings, stood the goddess Freya, the "Great Mother". This is a maternal statue, wearing a robe that flows in the wind, and is pregnant. The sculptor even deliberately exaggerated her swollen belly.
The image of Freya is a trinity of goddesses, including the Virgin, the Mother and the Old Lady. And "Mother" is His most common image.
The statue in front of me lowered its head, its facial features covered by a piece of cloth. The goddess folded her hands on her chest, and there was a diamond hanging in the middle of the golden necklace above. This diamond has a slightly aqua blue color. Big, very big.
It is estimated to be 150 carats.
The believers who had just prayed had left here, leaving only a tall priest in front of the altar.
She was really, really tall, almost eye level with Lan when she turned around. Her hair color and eye color are very light, and she has a long and thin cheek that is neither beautiful nor feminine.
"Welcome, Lord Earl, welcome to the Holy Mother Temple." The tall priest greeted Dona.
"We also welcome you, Rann of Cintra, and the demon hunter Gerd from the south."
Dona, a highly respected old man in Skellige, bowed slightly towards the priest and saluted his faith: "Salute to you. , the distinguished high priest Sigurdlifa."
Lann and Gede just bowed their heads in greeting.
"His Excellency High Priest Sigurdryfa?" Lann was a little curious, "You seem to know that we will come?"
High Priest Sigedlifa nodded: "Lion of Cintra, your name has long been spread throughout history. Skellig. And now you have been here for only a week, but you have already stopped a conspiracy that may lead to the collapse of Skellig."
Then the high priest turned to Gede: "The bear witcher from the south, I heard that you are brave Abnormally, the first prey that comes to Skellig for hunting is the green dragon entrenched in the elven ruins. The islanders must express your gratitude, and a poem about you is already being written." Gede touched the back of his head
. : "That green dragon is not much bigger than a horse, it's nothing."
Lann was very curious about the reaction of the high priest.
"You seem to know us very well and know that we are coming?"
The high priest chuckled: "I know what you are thinking, but this information about you and the demon hunter Gerd was brought over by believers during their prayers. As for the information that you are coming to find me, you must inform me in advance."
Lann nodded to indicate that he understood. Just seeing the reaction of the high priest who knew the two people well, he thought that the other party used some kind of prophetic magic.
Lann is still very curious about the power of religion, because there are real so-called "gods" in this world.
Although the gods who actually appeared rarely showed direct destructive power, and their style was not very high, the sects and temples dedicated to them were often looted and massacred in the background stories.
One of the largest sects in the north is the Eternal Fire, a large armed organization without a god.
But there are really so-called "gods" in this world.
...
The high priest must have seen Lann's reaction too much, and took the initiative to explain: "You seem to be disappointed that I did not know about your arrival through divine magic. Please remember-not those who believe in God can have power, but It is God who sends down power through believers when necessary."
Lann showed a polite and serious expression very cooperatively, indicating that he had been taught. My expectations for divine magic have dropped.
At this time, Dona took a step forward and expressed the intention of his and others' visit: "Siegdrifa, I am here to ask you for help. We need the help of the Virgin Freya." The high priest showed a faint smile and
said He took a listening posture and signaled Dona to speak frankly.
"The bloodshed at the king's banquet has the latest development." Dona looked into the pale eyes of the high priest, "It's a berserker, a follower of the evil god who can turn into a bear. The Svablo sect is back." He continued
. The high priest with a calm expression finally changed his appearance. Her face was filled with disbelief and a kind of pious anger.
"Believers of the evil god?"
Dona nodded: "That's why I came to seek help. I wonder if I can get information about those thugs through the power of the Holy Mother." The
high priest's chest heaved vigorously, and she turned to look at Freya The Mother Statue in the Trinity forced her tone to calm down:
"There are actually remnants of the Svablo sect... but the Virgin has never sent down an oracle, which shows that Svablo is not a threat." "
They are already a threat. Well, they almost plunged Skellige into unprecedented chaos," Donner retorted.
Dona continued: "The Holy Mother may not have sent down an oracle, but as believers, shouldn't we take the initiative to share the worries of the Holy Mother? The cultists of the past have appeared again. Shouldn't we eliminate the heretics and protect the believers of the Holy Mother? "
...
The priest lowered his head and thought carefully about Dona's words.
She was quickly convinced.
"I can try to help find the people behind those thugs."
Gede showed a happy expression after hearing this, and asked curiously: "What are you going to do?" "
It's not me, it's us." The high priest looked matter-of-factly. His expression said, "We pray for God's power."
Lann crossed his arms. There was finally something religious in this sect.
...
Lann looked at Dona and the high priest in front of him. They were sitting there kneeling, with their heads lowered, motionless.
Lann did not participate. Since he suffered a big loss in the Ring of Elements, he refused to meditate and pray in such a place where there might be any risk.
Seeing Lann's reaction, Gede naturally stopped looking for boredom. The witcher has faith rather than belief, not to mention that he is a bear.
The high priest did not get angry because of their disrespect to God, but just went about his own business to greet Dona.
So there was this scene in front of us: no hymns, no mantras, and no mysterious consciousness. There were only two devout believers kneeling on the ground, silently praying for God's power.
A quarter of an hour passed, and Gerd almost started to yawn. He was a little impatient.
Lan En still has patience. He maintains a wait-and-see attitude towards whether the high priest can pray for God's power.
But he believed in King Bran, and he believed in Donah.
The most virtuous and respected old lord of the archipelago will never be a person who is dazzled by his faith. When it comes to Skellig's succession to the throne, he will never treat it nonsense.
Another quarter of an hour passed in this patient waiting.
Suddenly, Lan felt like he was being looked at by a pair of eyes.
This feeling was similar to the feeling of being looked at by those curious priestesses on the road. Lann, who had long been accustomed to other people's gazes, was particularly sensitive to this.
But compared with the shy eyes of those little girls, this gaze was...extraordinarily direct.
If the eyes of those girls were hiding behind tree trunks and peeking out curiously, then the sight that fell on Lann at this time was that of a man holding a torch in front of his eyes in the middle of the night, regardless of the possibility. The possibility of setting his hair on fire was sizing him up.
If this unscrupulous feeling were magnified several times, Lann would almost misunderstand that it was the Mirror Master who had returned from the star realm.
However, the gaze only stayed on Lan En for a moment, as if he had discovered something, and soon disappeared.
At the same time, the body of the high priest who was praying suddenly twitched, like a newborn baby taking its first breath, gasping for air.
Dona was awakened from the prayer by the movement of the high priest, and showed an envious expression.
"I have received a revelation from God." The high priest was relieved at first, and then showed an unspeakable expression.
She said: "The secret of Svablo's sect lies with Mokvarg!"
That expression was very familiar to Lann, it was a forcefully suppressed anger.
Gede wondered: "Who is Mokwag?"
"He was once a pirate and a blasphemer." The high priest took a deep breath again, "And now, he is a werewolf, an evil monster that can never have enough to eat!" (End of this chapter
)