Witcher's Atelier

He has an ordinary appearance, a gentle temperament, and is well-dressed. He looks like an ordinary young aristocrat, but with four scars, it is difficult to imagine that he is the famous Dowaqin of Skellige.

She has a gorgeous face, bright clothes, and sparkling jewelry. In fact, regardless of her preconceptions, she looks dignified and beautiful, and she is worthy of being the "Jewel of Tritog's Court."

Incidentally, her political opponents changed the last two words to "spider."

Stopping at a social distance, the sorceress extended her right hand to him.

"Duvacin salutes you, Ms. Erhardt." Victor bowed and held up her hand, performing a standard kiss on the hand. Looking up, he could clearly see the satisfied smile on the sorceress's lips.

"You can call me Philippa," she said, moving the boy to the soft sofa. "Come and sit down! Let's have a glass of red wine first."

Cynthia walked to the wine cabinet consciously, "Ma'am, is it east of the east?"

Philippa glanced at Victor, with a smile on her lips: "No, bring out this year's newly produced 'Breshe's Shore'. I want to hear Mr. Dragonborn's evaluation of this wine."

The young man raised his eyebrows and said, "Please call me Victor.".

He took the red wine from Cynthia and put it on the table.

He holds the handle of the glass, exerts force with his wrist in one direction, and then slowly rotates the glass around a point, causing the liquid to create beautiful vortexes in the glass.

After sobering up for a few seconds, he held the stem of the goblet between his thumb, index finger and middle finger, clinked the glass with the sorceress, smelled the aroma and took a sip under her admiring eyes.

Putting down the glass, "It's a good vintage, but it's a bit immature. Maybe it will taste better if it matures for a few more years." Victor commented softly.

The smile on Philipba's lips became even stronger, "Wise judgment, I agree with your opinion.".

With a wave of her hand, the mage's apprentice presented the ivory chessboard and chessboard, "Play a game with me." The sorceress's tone was soft, but it could not change the nature of the question being turned into an affirmative sentence - a command.

But the boy didn't mean to object.

The chess game is divided into black and white, with sixty-four grids vertically and horizontally, and sixteen pieces on each side, corresponding to the feudal classes in the world of demon hunting, such as kings, bishops, knights, etc.

The sorceress held the king, one black and one white, in her palm, her magic light flashing, "Choose one!"

Being able to do magic means you can do whatever you want, but it's a pity that you don't have the talent.

After the selection, Victor holds black and Philippa holds white. The timer hourglass is three minutes and the move is reversed.

As a person who likes to think about plans, the boy is naturally very good at chess, and the sorceress is not to mention well versed in maneuvering.

Both sides started their attacks very quickly, and in a blink of an eye the war entered a fever pitch.

She eats the queen with her knight, turning the hourglass upside down.

When it was Victor's turn to think, Philippa suddenly asked: "Why do you think chess is set up like this? The king is the most important, but moves slowly? And the queen is so powerful that she can be sacrificed?"

The witcher blinked, feeling the subtle atmosphere.

After a pause of about a minute, Victor replied: "I don't know about the king, but I have heard about the queen. Because it is a political marriage, it symbolizes third-party reinforcements, so it has the strongest mobility and power."

She nodded in approval, "What a pity for your queen. If she were a sorceress, she would not be defeated by the knight." Philippa said it calmly, like a casual joke.

The pause was shorter this time, and he quickly figured out the answer.

Sighing, Victor advanced the soldiers and turned the hourglass upside down. "No king will marry a sorceress. No country will allow a sorceress to sit on the throne. The ancient tradition is stupid, but it is a tradition after all."

"Where's Skellige?"

"I thought that people on the mainland looked down on people from the Islands, and women and sorceresses are different after all. At least their life spans are very different. Enduring for decades and hundreds of years are two different concepts.

Ms. Philippa, I am from the east of Serikania and will go back in the future. Please forgive me if I am wrong! "

She responded with a chuckle, and neither of them spoke anymore.

…

At the end of the game, the boy lost to the sorceress.

Throwing down the chess pieces, Philippa raised her glass, "I've delayed you for a long time without realizing it. It's actually nothing special. I just heard that the Dragonborn was going to perform for the king, so I couldn't help but want to see you first and talk to you. Very. It’s unimaginable that you would still want to perform for Radovid after you have established such a great reputation.”

Tactically leaning back, Victor folded his hands on his abdomen, "Since I can perform for King Foltest, I will naturally not refuse His Majesty Radovid. In fact, I believe you have also investigated. It was originally planned to keep it secret, but it was forced. I just admitted my identity, so being a Dragonborn is not a burden."

Philippa leaned forward slightly and asked with interest: "Oh! In this case, if... you are really a dragonborn? Then... you are also a prophet?"

Are all sorceresses good at this overpowering trick? And Philippa's momentum is obviously more courageous than Keira!

The colors are saturated and the scenery is beautiful. I see how charming Mount Tai is. How should I expect Mount Tai to see me?

Victor remained calm on the surface, "I'm not a prophet. I can only see broken fragments by chance, and it's difficult to make a complete prediction."

"So are there any prophecies recently? Oh, your reaction is saying yes, can you share it with me?" Philippa smiled.

"Tsk! I hate sorceresses reading minds."

"Don't be so stingy. It's hard to understand your thoughts. It's just that when I mentioned the prophecy, your spirit fluctuated obviously." She pointed her finger slightly when speaking, showing off the charm of a mature woman.

Touching his nose, Victor looked indifferent: "When Hawthorne dies, Temeria burns, and the White Wolf awakens, the blood of the ancients will return."

He didn't care to tell the sorceress. It was originally a boast he made in Kaer Morhen. Now he sorted it out and covered it up to fool people. But he didn't expect that the sorceress would be aware of the association alone. It seems that there is still a lot of room for improvement in the cultivation of qi.

After listening to what Victor said, Philippa thought about it for a while and came up with a rough explanation. It was so simple and direct that it was ridiculous. Although there are so many absurd prophecies every year, this one is also a particularly bad one.

The three prerequisites are not connected to each other, and the difficulty of realization is very different. It is completely forced together. It doesn't even rhyme!

So she smiled and stood up to politely see him off.

Until Victor went far away, Cynthia quietly came to Philippa, "Is what he said true? Do you want to...?"

"No, I can't read his true thoughts, and there is no need to make enemies. He has expressed his opinion and wants to stand outside the chessboard. The islanders value him very much and have a strong influence. Even if they want to eliminate him, they can't do it publicly."

...

Dandelion likes to court women. In principle, as long as they are women, it's fine, but "Philippa Ehrhart", just imagining courting her is enough to make the bard's spine cold and his knees tremble.

——"Journey to the West" Sabines Ignis

...

Playing chess with the sorceress took a lot of time. Unknowingly, the sun had set. Following the footsteps of the servants, the boy went to the place where Radovid V was.

Recalling the experience just now, Victor had a little reflection. He should be more tactful next time. After all, if he turned the table with Philippa, he could only start with anti-magic metal bombs, and then escape, and never set foot in Redania for the next few years.

No... I guess I have to go to Skellige to avoid disaster. Redania is considered rich, and can easily hire dozens of villains to commit murders, and their quality is definitely far superior to that of the country bumpkin Duke Falvik of Morn.

In the past, there seemed to be several witchers who offended the nobles and were hunted to death for no reason, and their lives were not worth 500 crowns.

If the bombing of Superman really took place in the palace, the conservative estimate of this good head would be a starting price of 1,000 crowns.

…

The "Monk Hall" in the Redanian Palace has a similar status to the "Pure White Hall" in Temeria, both of which commemorate the outstanding wizards who have made contributions to the royal family in history.

Having participated in the banquet in the Pure White Hall, the scene in the Monk Hall is not outstanding. At the same buffet, people carry plates or wine glasses and walk freely in the hall to communicate with others. There are long tables on both sides and in the center to display food and meals, and there are no fixed seats.

The social model of the nobles lacks novelty.

And Radovid is obviously not among them. If the king is present, it will form a clear star-studded circle, ensuring that the assassin will not find the wrong assassination target. Of course, whether or not he could succeed was another matter.

Victor was soon taken to the performance preparation room, where there was a dressing room, many costumes were provided, and there were sofas for performers to take a short break.

Based on past performance experience, it should have been like this, but as soon as he stepped into the room, the boy immediately felt that the atmosphere was wrong.

He knew it was wrong at first glance. There were twelve plate-armored knights wearing helmets and armor all around him. Judging from the equipment, these people must have anti-magic weapons, which means that they can fight against mages when necessary.

This situation is not common. The current mainstream view is that soldiers fight soldiers, generals fight generals, and mages fight mages.

In war, people of different classes have almost no need to fight because the gap is too big. One-sided killing from top to bottom violates the so-called chivalry.

However, in places where anti-magic weapons are highly popular, it is feasible for knights to fight against mages, and the situation will change, such as the "Redanian Royal Guard".

After a simple body search, the knights made way for Victor to lead to the depths, where there was a person with his back to this side. He sat on a chair, his left hand supporting his chin, and his right hand fiddling with something on the table.

It couldn't be someone else. Taking a deep breath, Victor approached Radovid V, who was fiddling with a set of chess on an ivory chessboard.

He wore a crown and a red-bottomed silver eagle costume. His handsome profile and bald head were so familiar that Victor kept it in his heart and often used it.

He bowed, and the boy's etiquette was impeccable. "Your Majesty, Victor Corleone salutes you."

He had an ordinary appearance, a calm temperament, and was well-dressed. He looked like an ordinary nobleman. It was hard to believe that he was the invincible Duvakin in Skellige, except for the four scars.

"It's a bit rude to meet you in such a place, but I believe that the wisdom of the Dragonborn can understand. Please sit down!" The king extended his hand to motion Victor to sit opposite.

As expected, he is the direct disciple of Philippa Ehart. This style of "as a matter of course, please cooperate with me" is inherited from the same lineage.

But like the sorceress, Victor still had no intention of opposing the king this time. It was just a small matter, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart.

The next thing you have to say is: Play a game with me!

"Play a game with me!" Radovid said.

Then the king took the black and white queens into his palms, exchanged them behind his back, and then took them out and put them in front of Victor.

Your next sentence is: Choose one!

"Choose one!" Radovid said.

Shaking his head in his heart, the poor little bald man has been played by women like Philippa since he was a child. But although he was pitiful, Victor had no sympathy for him. That was the fate of the king, just like he had to choose a fate now.

After the selection, Victor holds black and Radovid V holds white. The timer is three minutes and the move is reversed.

In today's second game of chess, the boy and the king met their opponents. They were both young and good at planning. There was almost no way to hide the opponent's next move, so both sides played very quickly. In the blink of an eye, the war was hand-to-hand.

"Kah!" Use the knight to eat the queen, and Radovid turns the hourglass upside down.

Then while Victor was thinking, the king suddenly asked: "Why do you think chess is set up like this? The king is the most important, but moves slowly? And the queen can obviously be sacrificed, but is so powerful?"

The young man blinked and asked the same question, did you two, master and apprentice, make an appointment to play with me?

Of course this is impossible.

After thinking for a minute, Victor replied: "Your Majesty, I don't know why the Queen is so powerful, but I heard that the meaning of the King's slowness is because 'every step' the King takes has a profound impact on the country and is extremely important. !”

Pushing the pawn to the bottom line and turning it into a queen, Victor turned the hourglass upside down. "If one of the other pieces falls, there will be another one. Only the king cannot be replaced."

Dear Your Majesty, I am from the east of Serikania and will go back in the future, so please forgive me if I am wrong. "

With shining brown pupils, Radovid stared at Victor sharply, vaguely able to see the prototype of the future "heart of stone".

But Victor is not afraid of him at all now, because the king has a more important enemy in his heart.

After that, neither of them spoke anymore.

…

At the end of the game, the boy lost to the king.

Throwing down the chess piece, Radovid smiled, "Thank you, it was fun playing against you."

"It's an honor to play chess with the king."

Radovid nodded to the boy, "I have indeed received your respect for me. Finally, there is a rude question. Are you really a dragonborn or a prophet?"

The young man knew what the little bald head wanted to know, didn't he just want to hear the prophecy? You people treat it as a treasure before hearing it, and treat it as a piece of grass after hearing it. Since even the sorceress can tell it, it doesn't matter if you tell the king.

"It should be noted that when Hawthorne dies, Temeria burns, and the White Wolf awakens, the ancient blood returns." Victor smiled, "No doubt, this is my prophecy."

The boy's directness made the king's detours seem stingy.

Radovid rubbed his index finger against the crowd and was silent for a moment, "...don't be so smart next time! And...thank you."

…

Later, after singing "Return of the Dragonborn", Victor, who lost two games of chess, returned to Lame Potter with a generous reward and fell asleep soundly.

…

Until modern times, many scholars still believe that "The Burning Omen" is a fictitious meta-"prophecy", a deceitful scam fabricated by later generations, and far-fetchedly attributed to the sage.

Because it's so simple, so easy to understand, so incredibly straightforward, and so impeccably accurate that it doesn't look like a prophecy at all, and it doesn't even rhyme!

──Volume 9 of "The World's Largest Encyclopedia"

by Effenberg and Talbot

Today's chapter almost exploded on the spot as I wrote it, it was so difficult. Thanks to Tao Chenggong for the reward and encouragement. Thank you for subscribing. Thank you for your monthly and recommended votes.