Bear School Astartes

It’s clear that Veltrest has some feelings towards Lann’s extraordinary individual strength, something never before seen.

However, he is considered a smart and rational king.

Compared to other kings in the Northern Quartet, perhaps only Redania’s King Vizimir could surpass him in experience and prestige.

Due to the early curse on his daughter, he issued a substantial bounty.

Many strange people and events converged in Vizima because of this, although most were charlatans and wild warlocks who could only conjure a small flame.

Ultimately, he came into contact with a few demon hunters, and the curse on Princess Yada was lifted by a demon hunter.

Geralt of Livia.

This gave Veltrest a deeper understanding of the solitary and rare group of demon hunters, surpassing even most intelligence personnel.

So, he clearly realized: Lann’s power was far beyond what a demon hunter could achieve.

Or rather, it wasn’t achieved solely through demon hunter mutations.

When Geralt lifted the vampire-bird curse on his daughter, in the end, he basically won.

But in a relaxed state, he was surprisingly attacked by Yada, only fourteen years old in body age, tearing open his neck with her nails in a primal beast-like response.

This means that in sudden situations, while demon hunters indeed have an edge over ordinary people, the difference isn’t substantial.

The difference between this and Lann on the battlefield is too great.

On the chaos-laden Sodden Mountain, no stray arrow ever touched Lann’s body, and no magic ever affected him.

Thus, unlike other kings, Veltrest didn’t spend much effort on the ’demon hunter mutation surgery’.

Instead, he started to focus on why Lann would periodically come here, embarking on journeys to some place on Vizima Lake and doing something.

Veltrest believed this was the root of why this demon hunter was so different.

Temeria’s intelligence personnel almost turned over every part of Darkened Waters and its surrounding waters and regions.

They successfully found the Da Gun Temple on Black Seagull Island and learned about the existence of half-fishmen who could communicate in Vizima Lake.

And they learned about the unusual belief here — Lady of the Lake.

The Lady of the Lake is the belief of knight spirit, with the primary place of faith being the southern Land of Knights, Land of Fairy Tales, Land of Fine Wine — Toussaint.

But here, Darkened Waters... a small village built on mudland on the outskirts of Vizima City.

Why would they believe in the representative of knight spirit without reason?

The Eternal Fire Church and Meretelli’s priestesses had to bring black bread and barley for distribution to make these people loudly chant the divine name.

Unless these clever, shrewd civilians... have indeed witnessed divine intervention?!

All these peculiarities made Veltrest and his intelligence chief believe they had found the correct answer.

After synthesizing various intelligence, even knight novels and folk tales, they made a speculation —

Perhaps the demon hunter is... blessed by the divine?

Of course, to avoid causing panic, Taler did not use the word ’divine’ in the report to the important figures.

He wrote, ’The demon hunter may have made a contract with some ancient, unknown supernatural creature on the island, gaining power.’

Regardless of the accuracy of this conclusion, after the important figures received this credible report, which differed from other countries’ perspectives, Veltrest faced significantly fewer hurdles when approving the intelligence department’s funding.

Returning to the small woodland where Velvet Ball and the Qilin conceal their forms, Lann saw the Three-Floral Kitten already playing with the Qilin.

The kitten was lying on the ground covered in fallen leaves, wriggling like a caterpillar. This was the instinctual movement of feline animals before adjusting their spine for hunting.

The Qilin tilted its head, gazing down at the kitten on the ground with a sense of boredom.

Its hoof emitted tiny sparks of lightning, striking not far from the ground.

The kitten then ’meowed’ and leapt, chasing after the sparks like a cat wand.

However, under the Qilin’s control, the kitten had yet to catch any sparks.

In another leap, the kitten was grabbed by a large hand in mid-air, holding the flesh at the back of its neck.

”Meow?”

The Three-Floral Kitten looked up in confusion, then relaxed its whole body.

”Lann, you’re finally back, meow.”

”Can we go? It’s boring just idling here.”

Though held by the neck, Velvet Ball still licked its little paw and then wiped its triangular ears with it.

Lann first placed Velvet Ball on the Qilin’s back, then mounted it himself.

The Three-Floral Kitten seemed unsatisfied with the height, and so climbed onto Lann’s shoulder, hanging there.

’Pat-pat’

Lann patted the side of the Qilin’s neck, even through leather gloves, one could feel the distinct texture of the luxurious, smooth mane.

A cold, white magical aura flashed by, with the altered [Yakxi Rune] facilitating communication between the ancient dragon and the human.

’Go this way, specifically towards the wilderness, any issue with that?’

Lann pointed out the path for the Qilin, after which the Qilin twisted its long neck, looking at him curiously.

’Oh, you call such an ordinary path the wild? And ask if I have a problem with it... Who are you looking down on?’

Of course, this was Mentos’ translation in Lann’s mind.

Though the Qilin was very intelligent, it hadn’t expressed such complex sentences itself.

The demon hunter scratched his chin.

Indeed, compared to the routes of the new continent in the monster world, the magic world was a land that had been cultivated by intelligent beings for thousands of years.

With the Qilin’s foot strength... it probably sees no difference between mountains and flat lands.

”Anyway...” Lann wore an expression of not wanting to converse much with this ancient dragon, ”Just go when I tell you to go!”

The Qilin began to move its feet, but not before snorting a lightning arc.

’Crackle’ a light sound, Lann and Velvet Ball both shivered.

”Ah!”

”Meow!”

Silver hair and the three-floral fur stood on end.

-----------------

Because they traversed unnoticed deep mountains and dense forests, the journey from the outskirts of Vizima City to Gos Velen took a day and a night.

In fact, if it were just the Qilin alone, it could complete it in a few hours.

But the demon hunter and the Three-Floral Kitten did not have the Qilin’s body structure, unable to endure the divine speed of [Electric Flash].

Now, with Gos Velen’s city wall visible in the distance, Lann, along with the Qilin and Velvet Ball, stayed quietly in an inconspicuous woods.

The demon hunter pulled out a conical crystal for communication, infusing chaos magic power into it.