The Divine Hunter

After the castle valet had arranged rooms for the two witchers, Geralt went to Ciri's room to play with her.

Roy returned to the garden.

An old man with an antler helmet, a bushy beard, and an ebony staff was already waiting here.

"You're here." He stretched out his hand and asked the witcher to sit on the bench beside him, smoothing his white beard.

"There is no third pair of ears nearby. No one knows except you and me. Let's get straight to the point, what exactly is on your body?" The Druid closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I smelled a strong Natural breath, if I didn’t know your identity, I almost mistakenly thought you were an apprentice who entered the Druid way.”

Roy smiled.

The adventure of challenging the Lady of the Forest in Velen and sealing the adventures of Kungulan, the Whispering Hill, has finally come to harvest the fruits.

He didn't answer the question,

"Lord Mossack, in fact, I have always been curious, how many Druids are left in this world?"

"I don't know the exact number. After all, the number of believers in each gathering place has been changing. The bones have returned to nature, or their whereabouts are unknown. But there are still more than 200." The Druid turned his deep eyes to his eyes, It seems that he wants to see through his inner thoughts, but consistent with previous attempts, it still fails, "Why are you interested in this kind of question?"

He was half joking, half earnestly,

"Could it be that your Excellency wants to give up the way of the witcher and switch to the sect of nature? Speaking of which, there has never been a precedent for a witcher to switch to the way of the Druid. Your magical aura is quite active, and you may have a little talent. Don't give it a try, I'm willing to be your mentor."

"Thank you for your favor, but I'm purely out of curiosity..." Roy shook his head, "I'm still trying to become a qualified witcher, and I'll consider other fields when I learn something in the way of mutation."

"I also disagree with some of the Druids' ideas." Roy paused, "I would like to live in harmony with nature, but I don't want to devote my life to the way of nature and serve it like an ascetic. , subject to its constraints.”

"I have other ideals and goals that cannot reach your high cognitive level."

"Okay, kid, forget it if you don't want to, don't flatter me." Mossak glanced at him and asked, "Since you have no intention of becoming a Druid,

You can't use that thing, can you? "

"Are you referring to this thing?" Roy opened his palm, and in his palm lay a dazzling gem as bright as blood. It was faintly visible that there was a black smoke rampaging in the crystal wall, but he could not escape from the cage. .

"What's in it--soul?" Mossack's beard-stretching hand trembled suddenly, his eyes widened, a rare gaffe, and a very familiar aura lingered in front of him, as if he saw the Skellige Islands Iggy, an old friend of the Druid Ring.

But there is something strange about it.

"Where did you find it?"

Roy chuckled and closed his palms again,

"Be patient, Master, answer me one more question, how many Druid Rings still exist in the North?"

Mossak raised his eyebrows and sighed, "In recent centuries, human society has developed and grown rapidly, occupying more and more living space belonging to animals and plants, the natural environment has become more and more harsh, and the virgin forest is declining day by day. , the Druid's living environment has been compressed at an extreme speed, and now there are only six places left... in Skellige, Anglin's Cade Du, and the giant oak Berthiahris..."

Roy was slightly disappointed, "Is there a Druid Ring in Velen, No Man's Land?"

"As far as the old man knows... no druids have gone there in recent decades." Mossack looked at the dim sky above the patio, the rain falling into the garden, and flashed memories in his eyes, "but I listen to some The old man said that centuries ago, there existed an ancient druid ring in Velen, whose members guarded the forests and swamps of Velen, maintaining the balance of nature and ecology."

"But later, there was some kind of huge change in that land, and anger naturally kept pouring out, and the land was filled with human negative emotions and various poisons."

"No Druid can survive and practice in that kind of place, and the Druid Ring no longer exists."

"Wylen became a true no-man's land."

...

These remarks do coincide with the truth that Kungulan, the tree heart of Whispering Hill, told Roy.

He thought for a moment,

"Then Master, if I take the liberty to ask... Are all druids human? I mean ancient races such as dwarves, elves, halflings, etc."

When he and his Snake Sect companions held the ceremony of liberating the heart of the tree, the remains dug up from the tomb were not humanoid, but looked like a lizard. He had to figure out the reason.

"Huh?" Mossack's thick and thick eyebrows twitched, and a hint of surprise flashed across his rough cheeks, "Where did you hear some rumors?"

"Let me tell you this... The intelligent creatures in the world are not only human, there are many creatures, even the monsters in your demon hunter mouth - knock monsters, forest gods, deer head spirits... They are naturally closer than humans. Naturally, if you are directed by a powerful and wise sage, it is indeed possible to step into the Druid way."

"However, in today's era, the conflict between monsters and humans has become more and more serious, and most living beings have lost themselves in the desire for revenge and killing, and can no longer integrate into nature."

Roy bowed his head and said nothing.

Mossack remained silent, but his eyes kept swept to the hand that wrapped the blood gem.

"Well, thank you for your selfless answer..." Roy pursed his lips, "Actually, this blood gem is a gift from an otherworldly being to me. As for the soul stored in it, it comes from Willen, she It's called Kungulan..."

"Kungulan..." Mossak took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "This pronunciation, in the Druid cipher text, represents the son of the oak tree."

Roy guessed more and more with certainty, "I can show you the gem, but you can't just take it away... Do you agree?"

The old man nodded suddenly and said loudly, "I swear to nature... If I didn't get your permission, I would never touch this gem and its soul."

Then, he got his wish, took the crystal clear blood gem from the witcher, and held it high in the air.

In the thundering sky, countless silver snakes cruised by.

The light of lightning sprinkled into the garden of the patio, illuminating the blood gems transparently. The black smoke that was ramming through the crystal wall seemed to be appeased, the speed slowed down, and it became peaceful and peaceful.

Mossack closed his eyes.

The witcher felt a rush of life coming towards his face, and he held down the trembling pendant between his neck.

The rich and emerald green magical aura gushed out from the antlers on the old man's head and the staff behind him. Even if he just took a sip, he felt refreshed and exhausted.

Gardenias, platycodon flowers, and morning glories in the surrounding gardens seem to be nourished, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing their stamens in the rainstorm, and blooming more delicately.

An emerald green vine covered with broken leaves drilled out of the light, and the tip grew slowly like a wriggling snake. It slowly touched the blood gem, and the black smoke remained motionless.

The figure of the old man seemed to be transformed into a vast virgin forest that was eternal and full of vitality, and fell into a strange state of communication.

Roy quietly observed this magical scene.

...

I don't know how long it took.

The vision disappeared, the plants in the garden bent down again,

Mossack opened his eyes, the surprise flashed in his eyes, and he returned the gem to Roy with a reluctant expression.

"Man, thank you for your trust." Mossak nodded at him, "I have verified that Kungulan has never deceived you, she is a genuine member of the ancient Druid ring, and her body is a kind of Weren's tree lizard that has been extinct for hundreds of years."

"She was deceived and framed by the three ladies of the woods... her body was destroyed, her soul fled, and clinging to the sacred oak tree in the middle of the Whispering Hill." The Druid stared at the witcher with no reproach in his eyes.

"Until she met you... Under the circumstances, you made the wisest choice as a witcher, I can understand."

"She definitely can't understand me. I deceived her. She should hate me to death, right?" Roy squeezed the blood gem lightly, and the black smoke began to run wild again.

"No, she's just been trapped for too long, and she has a lot of anger in her chest. But she noticed that when you left Willen, you had seriously injured a lady in the woods and avenged her. Her anger against you has long since dissipated, she Leaving the cage will never retaliate against you."

"Is it like this?" Roy remembered the stump of the boiled woman who was enchanted with the "Gluttony" bound weapon.

"I swear to the mother of nature that there will be no falsehood." Mossack reassured him with a solemn expression, and then said sincerely,

"Your Excellency, I have an unkind request. If Kungulan and I return to Skellige, the ecological balance of the archipelago will be even more unbreakable."

"What are you going to do with it?" Roy said expectantly, "Can you revive her?"

Even the lady in the lake can't revive the believers, but can only transform them into water spirits. Could the Druid ring have another secret method?

Mossack pondered, "This involves the secrets of the Church of Nature. I can only make a general statement that she will gain life in another form—more than ten years later, when the language of nature washes away Kungulan's soul With the excess anger and malice in the archipelago, a new druid sage will be born on the archipelago, or a symbiotic sacred oak tree."

"It will follow the direction of the breeze with us and achieve a natural balance."

Roy's eyes lit up.

"You should understand that I won't hand it over at will."

"What conditions do you have, and what do you want from me?" Mossack said in a predictable tone, "As long as you are willing, the reward is not a problem. Equivalent exchange is a kind of natural law. "

Roy took a deep breath, stood up suddenly, adjusted the circular collar wet by the rain, and looked at the still dark sky above the patio, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

After leaving the land of Velen, after so long, I finally got to this point.

Everything went according to his original plan.

"Master Mossak, I have heard that Druids are well versed in the way of nature and possess all kinds of incredible magical powers... Manipulate the weather, make plants take root and sprout quickly, make crops grow in abundance, listen to the voices of animals, cultivate tacit understanding with them, and even Become one of them."

The Druid straightened the antlers above his head with his right hand, "Don't you want to learn the way of nature?"

"I didn't say that before, I'm now studying hard to become a qualified witcher. I haven't had the time to get into other fields." Roy paused, "I need to borrow the Druid's ability to manipulate plants to cultivate a large number of rare plants...expensive , a rare herb."

Druid's eyelids jumped.

And Roy raised his voice, and the words became more fluent, "I give you Kungulan's soul, but in exchange, I hope you can send a Druid to serve the organization I belong to, the Brotherhood of Demon Hunters. Twenty years... Cultivate a rare botanical garden that includes thousands... By the way, help to research and improve alchemy preparations."

At this moment, Mossak's calm cheeks became stiff, and his expression was embarrassed.

"You really dare to speak. Are you asking a son of nature who advocates wildness and freedom to give up his 20-year practice and become a slave of your organization?"

"Forgive me for being helpless..." The old man waved his fist and emphasized a little excitedly, "Have you not heard a word? Every living being is a tree, with growth rings always present, flowers always blooming, and four seasons always passing by. Freedom is always priceless!"

"You misunderstood..." Roy's face remained calm, and he smiled at the old man, "I don't ask that Druid to serve the Witcher Brotherhood twenty-four hours a day from morning to night, Or stand by."

"We can discuss a charter now, such as working from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, and he will arrange the rest of the time by himself, go to the wild to appreciate nature, stroll around the city, play Quinte, drink, play cats and dogs, raise Poultry and livestock are fine."

"How can you be so cruel? Even the meanest vampire can't be bothered to set such a strict schedule... The service period is a maximum of one year, a maximum of eight hours a day, and he has to be given one day off a week to practice and connect with nature. ." Mossack just retorted, and suddenly shook his head, "No! The mother of nature is above! I haven't agreed to your conditions!"

"Master Mossack, be honest with your heart." Roy winked at him and breathed a sigh of relief, "Your heart has been shaken, the only thing missing is the details, let's discuss it now. , the specific arrangements of the druid who is about to serve the Witcher Brotherhood..."

The old man couldn't help but look solemn, blowing his beard and staring at the young witcher.

Finally shook his head and smiled,

"You bastard, it's really embarrassing... Who is Kungulan who is indispensable to us." The old man's voice changed, "But for Geralt's sake - I saved him when he was a child He died. Since you are with him, you must give me some preferential terms."

...

Next.

In the gardens of the Sintra Castle.

The druid and the witcher engage in a heated debate.

Red cheeks, dry mouth, and hands on each other's collar to vent and other situations occur from time to time.

After half an hour.

The two signed a magical contract.

Roy held the blood gem and thought, the crystal wall prison immediately dissolved, Kungulan's soul was freed again, and a black smoke circled in the air lively, put it into the palm of Mossack, and a fingernail Size unpretentious acorns.

"Very good, please wait patiently, at most one month, Skellige's Druid Ring will send a member who is proficient in botany to the dance hall of Novigrad Commercial Street to join the Witcher Brotherhood ."

Mossack emphasized,

"According to the rules, he/she will serve your organization eight hours a day, six days a week, for five years. And you provide free room and board. He/she must not be forced to do things such as fighting, harming animals and plants, and destroying the ecological balance. And so on against Druid dogma. Otherwise, this agreement will end prematurely."

Mossack tucked the acorn into the oval head of the ebony cane and handed the witcher a prismatic crystal.

"If he/she violates the rules, you can contact me with the crystal... I will teach on behalf of the Druid Ring!"

"So happy to cooperate." Roy put the empty blood gems into the loot package and shook hands with Mossack.

Mossack breathed a sigh of relief, and his originally gloomy face showed a smile, "This is the matter, I have to say goodbye to East and Calanthe and rush back to Skellige."

"Kunguran can't wait to enjoy the free air!"

"Master Mossack, I actually have a question." Roy thought of Geralt's deep-seated wish, and it was necessary to help this old man, "Do you know a female Druid named Visenna? By the way, she's also a traveling herbalist."

"Hmm..." The old man lowered his head and pondered, his tall body circled around the garden, and slapped the antlers on his head, "I've seen her in the last thirty years, or at the last nature sect meeting... "

"A pretty woman, pale and thin, not as healthy as the other guys."

Roy listened intently.

"She has a compassionate heart. She has been wandering around the world for many years, providing free diagnosis and treatment for the poor, animals and plants." Moss Sack paused, "But I can feel that there is some kind of sadness in her heart."

"It can't be erased, it's buried deep in my heart."

"When the dream connection was performed at the conference, the dreams she showed were not like other companions - the singing of the stone, the light dance of the wind, the laughter of the flowing water. There is always a bit of joy and liveliness."

"Her dreams are empty, dark, and full of sadness." The old man's voice was dull and hoarse,

"There's no doubt that Visenna has a heart-wrenching past, and she's a poor woman."

"Can you contact her?" Roy asked nervously.

"Sorry, she doesn't belong to Skellige, nor does she belong to the Cade Du I am familiar with... and Druids often wander around the world and practice, and have not heard from him for more than ten years."

"Is there any other way?"

"Roy, why are you looking for her?"

The witcher rubbed his temples, thinking about giving the White Wolf some privacy.

"Visenna is a relative of a close friend of mine."

"Huh?" The old man rubbed his cane, his eyes turned with a thoughtful look, "Actually, it's not impossible, excluding the Skelly Jedruid Ring and Anglin's Cade Du, you can Visit the remaining four Druid Rings, which are located in - Keville, Mayena on the southern border of Temeria, Rock Menden Lake area south of Sodden, and the Great Oak Pleurochris. "

"Find the sages of these four Druid rings, and you can contact Visenna through them."

"I heard that some Druids hate humans." Roy pleaded, "especially hate witchers."

Druids protect nature, and monsters occupy important ecological niches in nature.

Therefore, in the eyes of some sages, the witchers who slaughtered monsters have been destroying the ecological balance.

"Let's do it." Mossack stroked his long beard, a glimpse of stunned eyes flashed across his eyes, and he said meaningfully, "I will treat it as a good deed, and let your 'friend' reunite with his relatives as soon as possible."

He handed Roy an acorn,

"This is a testament to the friendship of the Skellige Circle. See it, and the sages will help you once."

"Goodbye then, man." Mossack waved his hand and left the garden resolutely.

Roy stared at his open-minded back and glanced at the sky again. The rainstorm ended and the dark clouds dissipated quietly.

A golden sun shone down on the horizon, and it was very beautiful.