Chapter 276 Wanderers Returning Home
"They are definitely not here to welcome us." Petrit said decisively, "Even the Great Elder didn't get this treatment when he came. But I probably know why they are doing this. Count the time If so..."
Geralt lowered his head and interrupted Gabo in a low voice: "If we go back to Sintra, we might be able to see such a scene." "
I'm looking forward to..." Gabo lowered his head and said weakly. "But Petrit has already guessed why these brothers and sisters gathered here." "
Today is the day for the children who are traveling to go home. Their children, or brothers and sisters should come back today. , they hope to let those children feel the taste of home for the first time, after all..."
Gabo, who had traveled abroad and returned home, sighed, his voice even more tired: "The outside world is not a 'home'. "
After the dwarves reach adulthood at the age of fifty-five, they will have the first opportunity to leave Mahakam since birth. However, if they do not return home within the specified time, they will be ordered not to return to Mahakam again in this life.
Generally speaking, at this time in previous years, dwarves who couldn't stand human society would have cried and rushed towards their parents, but this year...
"Something's wrong." Petrit frowned and counted the dwarves who were looking forward to it, "Faerun The Zi clan should have had this number of adult children last year, but now everyone is still waiting outside...none of those children have come back?"
Lann also frowned. This dwarf town is small and the buildings are low. , almost unobstructed. But he didn't see those people who could tell at a glance that they stood out from the crowd.
In order to speed up the efficiency of clearing the Mahakam monsters, Lann divided his troops into three groups. In charge of the Ferentz clan were Korgrim and Milva, who also brought a Cintra cavalry. But at this moment, the "eldest man" could not be found in the pile of dwarves in the "Witch's Lair".
The approach of Lann and his group quickly attracted the attention of the Ferentz clan. The eyes of parents who were waiting for their children to return brightened for a moment, then dimmed, and then suddenly became eager to try.
More dwarves ran towards the house in the center of the town, shouting.
"Chief, another human is here, and their team is also accompanied by Petrit, Gabo, Ziglin and Fuchs!"
A bald dwarf wearing a cotton jacket quickly ran out of the stone house. His age can be seen from his gray beard. It is obvious that he is an old dwarf who is hundreds of years old.
But his spirit was still as strong as a furnace fire, and he shouted from afar:
"Gabo! Petrit! I almost thought the snow in Mahakam had melted, but I can see you all appearing at the same time. In the same team!"
Gabo lowered his head in a depressed mood again, but Petrit quickly stepped forward and greeted the leader of the Ferentz clan politely. Then he began to introduce the identities of Lann and his group, as well as the purpose of his group.
Chief Ferentz's face soon became wonderful. He looked at Lann with the eyes of a rare animal, and quickly stepped forward and held out his right hand.
"Ha, Duke Lannister of Cintra, I have heard of you. But I never thought that anyone besides me could gain the friendship of Zygrin and Fuchs at the same time, and even be able to gather them in the same team. . You have to tell me what happened later!"
"I am Vavznek Ferenz, the patriarch here!"
This time, not only Gabo, but also Petrit bowed his head slightly.
With a smile that conformed to social etiquette, Lan slightly bent down to shake hands with Vavznek Ferenz, and introduced himself: "I am Lan of Cintra, Lan Lannister Leanne. I believe Vavznek Ferenc Chief Wrzynec already knows the purpose of our coming here."
"Please forgive my eagerness." Lann apologized slightly, "But if nothing went wrong, I should have sent a team here in advance to help clean up the monsters. . But now I haven’t seen them.”
“I know, you are talking about the team led by the snake-eyed demon hunter and the girl carrying a long bow.” When he said this, Vavznek looked at Glancing at Geralt behind Lan, the white wolf also had similar vertical amber pupils.
"They are not here now and have gone out to help. Speaking of which, this has something to do with them."
Vavznek said, pointing to the dwarves on the edge of the town. The parents seemed to be gathering around Lan En and his team when they first arrived, eager to try. At this moment, seeing the clan leader's signal, after discussing with each other, a representative was sent forward.
This is a female dwarf, a mother. Wearing a thick cotton skirt and thick cotton pants underneath, the whole person looked like a cotton ball. Not only that, she also has a long beard - this is a characteristic of dwarves, both men and women have beards.
Geralt is well-informed, Lann has strong expression management, and the others have experienced a lot during this time, so no one showed any strangeness to the appearance of the female dwarf.
However, although the appearance of the female dwarf is very different from that of humans, the mother's heart will not change.
"You are Mr. Lannister... no, Lord Lannister." The names of dwarves are not so hierarchical, but this female dwarf forced her names and language organization to conform to the etiquette of human society, "Mr. Kolgrim Ms. Milva often told us about you."
"We have a request..."
While listening to the words of the dwarf mother, Lann understood the cause and effect.
...
According to the situation in previous years, the traveling dwarves should have returned home one after another a week ago, but this year, there is still no sign of them.
Thinking of the monsters rioting in Mahakam recently, all the parents were frightened, fearing that the wanderers returning home would be attacked on the way. They asked the clan leader Vavznek, but the Ferenc clan itself was so weak that it had to turn to Carbon Mountain for help. If they redeployed more manpower, they would probably lose several mines.
Just at this time, Kolgrim and Milva led the team.
The people of Cintra understood the purpose of their trip. Faced with this operation that could not only eliminate the monsters but also obtain the Ferenz dwarves, they were happy to cooperate, so they set off after a brief rest.
This was about five days ago.
...
"But they haven't come back until today..." When she said this, the dwarf mother wiped the corners of her eyes, "I don't know what happened..."
Lann's face became serious.
Patriarch Vavznek also showed a guilty look at this time: "I'm sorry, Duke Lannister, no one could have imagined that things would develop to this extent. The Ferentz clan really can't spare any manpower." Geralt
indulged Ma stepped forward to Lan En in two steps and asked in a low voice: "Lan En. Will it be..."
The white wolf's expression was also indescribably serious at this moment.
Lan took a deep breath and shook his head: "No, there is Kolgrim in the team. He is a demon hunter who can go north alone to collect the school's equipment blueprint. Even if he encounters an invincible opponent, he You can also run away."
Acting within one's ability, seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages is a compulsory course for every demon hunter. Not to mention a fight to the death, even those who may be injured will be avoided by the demon hunters. Geralt once said in front of Lann without any psychological pressure, "Faced with a dozen water ghosts, I turned around and ran away."
Lann trusted Kolgrim.
And -
Lann slightly stirred up the chaotic energy in his body and activated the [Teleport] skill, and a symbol that only he could see suddenly appeared in his sight.
Both Kolgrim and Milva were marked by [Teleport] by Lan, and now these marks representing their existence are still moving frequently. It doesn't look like there was an accident - at least it looked like a big accident. .
However, the group of them was indeed a little far away from Lan at the moment.
Lann also looked at Milva's follower panel. The [health points] were still on the health line, which was the level of loss in normal combat. Being able to maintain such a bloodline after running around in the wild for five days can even be said to be a success.
Because of this, Lan En can be said to be the only person present who still looks relaxed.
Facing the puzzled Geralt, Lan thought for a while and explained: "Haven't you all been casted by me before [Teleport]? I can roughly sense your position through that. And Milva is mine." A member of the lion pride, I can sense her physical condition, and it doesn't look like she is in danger."
Geralt showed a surprised expression, receiving a bit of the shock of the ancient blood.
Since the situation was not critical, Lan did not directly activate the [Teleport] skill; but the team had been out for so long and still hadn't come back, and he was a little worried, so he immediately decided not to enter the "witch's lair", but instead changed his route to fight with the witch on the spot. With your team together, you can also clear out monsters along the way.
If Kolgrim and the others didn't meet the dwarves who should be returning home, they could still go find the dwarves along the way and brush up the favor of the Ferentz clan.
Faced with Lan's decision, the dwarf parents who had been looking forward to it shed tears of excitement.
"Thank you, Mr. Lannister... no, it's the Duke of Lannister!"
The system prompt sounded at this moment:
[Discovery mission - a place of no return:
According to the dwarf tradition of "traveling", all wanderers who go out should arrive early It was time to return home, but my parents, who had been looking forward to it this year, were not able to see any of them. The team you originally sent to clear out the monsters stepped forward to accept the commission, but it seemed that they ran into trouble and couldn't solve it in time. Perhaps you can help the dwarves overcome their difficulties and find the children who have returned to Mahakam. 】
The side missions that have not appeared for a long time are also updated at this moment. When I was in the Fuchs clan before, there was no movement in the system. It was probably because all the actions taken at that time were included in the [Cleaning] task and failed to provide any unexpected gains.
...
Just as Lan was forming his team, Black Leila suddenly came to Lan's side.
After experiencing so much with the Cintra team, Lann's bravery has unknowingly surpassed Geralt's position in Layla's heart. Now it can be clearly felt that Layla's eyes are shining with admiration when she looks at Lann. Little star.
But Captain Aden was taciturn, and she was the only outsider in this team, so she had no communication with Lan. But now she suddenly had an idea, so she took the opportunity to step forward and whispered to Chonghui:
"Duke Lannister, when we in Aedirn were stationed at the foot of Mahakam Mountain with Queen Meve, we heard that They say there are Scoia'tael nearby. Is it possible..."
Kolgrim is proficient in dealing with monsters in the wild, and he can escape without defeating them. But if it is ambushed by an inhuman race, that's a different story. Intelligent life will always know how to deal with its own kind better than monsters.
Lann sensed the locations of the marked Kolgrim and Milva again, and pondered for a moment.
"This possibility cannot be ruled out. If we really encounter the Scoia'tael, we will need Captain Layla's professional advice." "Just
call me Layla!" The female captain of the Adenian Special Forces readily agreed.
After a brief exchange, Lann stopped staying. After the team rested and received supplies from many eager dwarf parents, they immediately left.
With Milva in the target team, Lann is equivalent to opening a positioning system. With a rough target in mind, two dwarves, Gabo and Petrit, who were extremely familiar with the surrounding environment, quickly discovered traces of human habitation at the speed of everyone.
...
"Bonfire." Geralt's amber vertical pupils lit up slightly, searching for any traces that could be left here.
"It's Kolgrim, that's right, as well as Milva and the soldiers." Geralt nodded, "In addition, there are many strange pheromones. They should be dwarves. The number is about fifty. They should have found them. Those children who are returning home."
Lan En looked far away in the direction he came from: "But this place is very close to the "Witch's Lair". Even if we ride horses and the dwarves can only walk, it won't be more than a day's journey."
Lann felt Milva's position: "But they didn't go back to their home so close. Instead, they went far away. Why?"
Lann had many guesses, but Milva was already very close to them. You'll find out when you meet. Instead of wasting time here, it's better to hurry up and get going.
The team continued to set off in the direction Lann sensed. The rare sound of horse hooves echoed in the valley, causing waves of echoes.
Suddenly, Geralt, who was at the end of the queue, shrank his pupils. He pulled the reins suddenly, and reflexively shot a [Sign of Yax] to the left with his left hand. At the same time, he shouted:
"Enemy attack!"
A huge insect broke out from under the snow and soil, and it turned out to be a [Qi Qi Mo Engineer].
These mutated bugs are responsible for hunting like worker ants in the group. It can be considered cunning, as it knows how to attack the end of the team when facing a large force. Unfortunately, it chose the experienced Geralt and fell into the trap immediately.
The Qiqimo engineer who originally made a pounce posture was hit by the hypnotic seal. His whole body stiffened into wood in mid-air, drew a straight arc, and then hit the ground again.
Immediately afterwards, a cone-shaped flame enveloped the Qiqimo Engineer, instantly igniting its chitinous carapace. The pain awakened it from its hypnosis, but unfortunately it lost the strength to attack again.
Geralt turned his left hand around, and more [Qiqimo Engineer Soldiers] came out of the ground. Insects do not act alone. Unfortunately, there are not many of them. They can only count six or seven at a glance. They are definitely no match for this cavalry team, which has two demon hunters and is experienced in fighting demons.
Lann didn't even need to take action. Geralt's seal combined with the cavalry's bows and arrows killed all the insects.
Since he was in a hurry and didn't have time to do an on-site autopsy, Lan put all the corpses of these strange insects into the [Inventory] with a wave of his hand. Everyone else was already used to it, only the new team members were a little surprised.
Petrit suddenly felt emotional, but it was not because of Lan's sudden ability.
"If it were normal, there would never be so many monsters around the Ferenz clan - in fact, the Ferenz clan is responsible for supporting other clans every year during the 'big cleaning'. It is rare that this year it is not only unable to solve its own problems. , and also need to ask for help from Carbon Mountain."
"Let me guess - because of the dragon?"
Petrit nodded.
This topic immediately attracted the attention of Saskia in the team: "So what's wrong with the dragons this year?"
Petrit nodded and shook his head. He said: "The residence of the Ferenzi clan is very close to the red dragon. Climbing up the hill to the north of the [Witch's Lair] is the red dragon's lair. Ferenzi has been responsible for making offerings to the dragon, so that the red dragon and While the dwarves maintain peace, they can also hire the red dragon to eliminate monsters and do some 'exercise'."
(End of this chapter)