The Divine Hunter

The village of Lower Valen on the mountainside, a trivial village in the south of the vast expanse of Valen.

In the afternoon, the village chief, Carson, leaned in front of his door frame as usual, basking in the lazy sun and looking at the neat rows of fields down the slope.

The industrious villagers of Lower Valen traveled between the ridges, wielding hoes to loosen soil or fertilize crops.

Tanaka's carrots, peppers, and turnips are growing satisfactorily, and they are even more vibrant when they are poured with a scoop of golden liquid.

"Another good year, thanks to the magic acorns from the ladies."

More than half a year has passed since the Balder Mountain Night Banquet in the spring. The villagers have squeezed the gift of magic acorns into oil to nurture the earth. So far, the effect seems to be as good as ever.

Carson touched his right ear, closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, the ravine on his wrinkled forehead deepened. "It's time to choose offerings for the ladies... What should I prepare this year? Which one should I choose to offer?"

After a long time, the distressed Carson took a puff of his pipe and puffed out a circle of white smoke into the air from his nostrils. But through the smoke ring, he noticed several abrupt figures.

Five strangers led their horses and walked slowly towards the village.

...

"Who are you?" Carson stopped them at the entrance of the village. Normally, there will be no outsiders in Lower Valen for several months. Today, five people came at one time, which is quite rare.

In addition, these five foreign men were sturdy, carrying double swords, and their eyes, which were completely different from ordinary people, reminded him of experienced hunters, and beasts such as poisonous snakes and eagles.

He frowned.

"Old man, we are travelers from the eastern swamp..." The youngest one showed a gentle smile and looked at the wooden sign at the entrance of the village, "We are also wandering witchers. You don't have to be nervous, we only Will show force to monsters, and will never embarrass ordinary people."

Carlson took a step back and glanced vigilantly at the pendant between the witcher's neck. When he glanced at Phryus, his pupils shrank instantly, "Cat sent a witcher? What are you doing in Lower Valen?"

"I passed by Guidi this time and wanted to ask you something... Did you see a flock of crows flying by this afternoon?"

"Crow? There is no such unlucky animal in Lower Valen." The old village chief's voice became louder, "Now I want to ask a few people to leave, outsiders are not welcome here.

"

Alarmed by Carson's voice, the dozen or so young adults in the village quickly surrounded them, carrying a pile of hoes, sickles, and pitchforks, their eyes full of undisguised threats and rejection.

This seems very abnormal to the witchers. Even if they hate them, few people will draw their weapons in front of them, especially in the face of five witchers who are in a group. This kind of provocative behavior is no different from begging for death.

What do the villagers have to rely on?

The atmosphere in the field became tense.

The cat demon hunter quietly held down the hilt of the sword behind him. He was so impatient now that he couldn't bear it.

The apprentice has been kidnapped and his whereabouts are still unknown, but what does the kidnapper mean when he leads himself and his companions to Lower Valen, facing this group of ignorant farmers? Simply play them, or let them - Tu Village?

There was a flash of blood in Phryus' gray-green pupils, the knuckles holding the hilt turned white, and the Serret brothers tightened their muscles, ready to go.

And Roy and Leto exchanged glances.

"Don't be impatient, owl." Roy comforted his companions and faced the villagers, "Everyone in Valen, please believe that we have no ill intentions, otherwise we will not come in from the village entrance in an open and honest way."

He stared into Carlson's eyes, "If we have bad intentions, we will choose to attack at night..." Roy said with a half-smile, "Let your wives and children lose their husbands and fathers in their sleep."

The witcher's voice seemed to contain magic, and the villagers couldn't help but feel a little scared. However, there are also individual impulsive peasants who were angered by his words!

"kill!"

A peasant with extremely developed chest hair in the crowd suddenly shouted, widened the bull's eyes, and suddenly poked the pitchfork forward.

And his target, the youngest witcher, didn't move, just stared straight at him, letting his pitchfork stick to the lion's breastplate on his chest.

"Boom-"

The yellow light shattered, and the pitchfork stopped without stabbing in.

The hands-on peasants felt the strange silence, swallowed hard, and then conveyed their questioning eyes to the other villagers, as if asking them—

Why don't you come with me?

"It's best to think carefully before you start," Roy said, "Is the thing in your hands sharper than the steel sword that the witcher has forged? To be tough?"

"Want to try it?"

The peasants took a step back in unison, and the "weapons" dropped to the ground.

"What do you want, witcher?"

"An answer..." Roy took the dagger from Phrius and showed it, "It doesn't matter if you didn't see the crows, but you must have seen this dagger? Don't be excited, these are three ladies. The token handed to us, they guided us to Lower Valen, I think she definitely needs a word from you."

...

The scale of Lower Valen is not small, there are about a hundred households, and the village chief Carson's home is located in the center of the village.

"Witcher, is this holy artifact really given by Madam?" Carlson scrutinized the dagger and quickly determined that it was the one on the north side of the swamp.

"You can understand that." Roy stood by the window and looked at the villagers who came and went. Velen was originally the poorest piece of land in Temeria, but the residents of Lower Valen were surprisingly good. Most farmers look quite healthy due to their sallow complexion and thin body due to malnutrition.

"I can tell you the whole story: the lady in the woods used a dagger to carve blood on the chest of the unfortunate man in the swamp, who was cut into a stick, and directed us to go down to Warren, of course we have let the unfortunate person go to the ground. So , Carson, as the village chief of Lower Valen, should you give us a hint on how to retrieve the child taken by the lady in the forest?"

"Madam took your child away?"

"Stealing, more precisely! She stole an eight-year-old from under our noses, my apprentice!" Furious roared furiously.

Mrs. Lin Zhong is so cruel and ruthless towards the believers in her jurisdiction, how will she deal with his "little monkey"?

"Shut up! You are slandering the master of the entire Velen!" Carson was angry at first, then panicked, and threw the dagger back to the witcher, "Go away, the village can't be implicated by a group of arrogant and ignorant idiots!"

"Tell us the answer, and we will leave naturally..." Phillius pressed against the old man Carlson's chest, his gray-green eyes stared at the old man's black eyes, and his voice was as cold as a knife, "Tell us where to find Madam in the forest, Or what to do to get her to get the baby back!"

Carlson's old face flushed with orange peel from his contemptuous eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"Old guy, don't talk, right?" Phryus grabbed a gray beard under his chin fiercely, "Believe it or not I'll make you a mute from now on?"

"If you really can't find Carl, why don't you let the entire Lower Warren be buried with you." Oakes grinned, revealing his pale gums, and further threatened.

"Okay... I said..." Carlson sighed and emphasized again, "But you have to be clear, I am not afraid of threats, but obey the will of the lady in the forest."

He took a deep breath, obviously in awe of Madam Lin. "The ladies instruct you to come down to Warren...I can probably guess their purpose..."

"Tell me……"

Carlson took a few breaths to calm down his restless mood, and then explained, "Madam wants you to learn basic etiquette - offer sacrifices to her."

"What basic etiquette?" The witcher glanced at the wall of the village chief's house, which also had a portrait of Lady in the Woods hanging on it.

"Willen is the territory of the lady in the forest. All life, including witchers, must obey their rules. If you want to exchange the boy, you can only redeem him from the lady with an equivalent sacrifice?"

"What robber logic?!" Phrius sneered, "That boy belongs to me, she must be returned to the original owner!"

"No, everything and everything in Willen belongs to the lady. For whatever reason, as long as they see the 'thing', they can take it away by themselves." Carson said stiffly, emphasizing, "You should feel Luckily, the children who are favored by the ladies will be happy."

"Get happiness in their fat belly?" Roy said in his heart, persuading the excited Phleus.

"Okay, let's accept this statement for the time being. Then, Mayor Carson, what sacrifices do you think should be offered? Also, after offering those sacrifices, will the child be able to return safely?"

"Ears, hair, hands and feet, eyeballs, this is the norm." Carson's eyes flashed, "All need some."

"Dream! Do you think the witcher is a gecko and can be reborn from a severed limb?"

"It's okay to replace it with other sacrifices." Carson paused, "The ladies in the forest especially favor particularly strong or magical animals."

"You mean the monster in the swamp?"

Carson nodded, "The more powerful the monster hunted for sacrifice, the happier the ladies would be, and the more likely it would be to return the boy."

"Only possible?" Phrius was quite dissatisfied with this statement.

"Don't worry, as long as you do your best, Madam will naturally fulfill your wishes."

"Like you?" Roy took a deep look at the village chief, "Go down to Valen Village to offer sacrifices to the lady in the forest, and they will give you a good harvest and protect your safety?"

"That's it..." Carson admitted simply, with the orange peel on his old face and pride, "I can guarantee that the people of Lower Warren are much happier than the rest of Willen."

"Those lame, blind, and deaf people who are sacrificed also think so?"

"Better physically disabled than dead!"

"Your thoughts are no different from a dog in captivity." Leto suddenly sarcastic, and the Oakes brothers also showed disdain.

"What do you know, witcher," Cassens retorted plausibly, "not everyone has your skills. In a poor and dangerous place like Willen, if you want to survive, ordinary people must find a backer. ."

"Without the gift of Madam, the population of Lower Valen would have been reduced by at least half. They gave us the right to live!" Carson's voice trembled, with respect and fear in his eyes.

Sacrifice the few to save the many?

Although it was more than ten years ahead of schedule, the pattern here is still the same as Roy imagined.

The villagers of the barrens and the lady in the forest form a sinful and shameful master-slave relationship.

He no longer tried in vain to correct the villagers' thinking, "What will you do after you bring the sacrifices back?"

"I'll teach you at that time..." Carson urged, "but you have to hurry up, and it's best to finish the sacrifice tomorrow."

...

The witcher hastily left Lower Varen.

"I just noticed something..." Leto said, "The woman in that painting has her eyes moving."

"Carson is right at least in one place..." Roy replied, "Willen is the territory of the lady in the forest, and they have many means to monitor our actions, such as the painting."

"Then do you want to go to the swamp to hunt monsters and offer sacrifices?" Oaks was distressed. "This feeling of being held by the nose makes me very uncomfortable..."

"Several friends of the Snake faction, today's incident involves the existence of the legend, which is beyond my ability. I'm really not sure if I'm alone," Ferius took off his sunglasses, his face Squeeze out a sincere expression, "Can I hire you? Do me a favor, rescue Carl, pay..."

"What's the reward... How about giving me a beating after finishing the work?" Oaks pinched the Cat Pie witcher's shoulder and gave him a hard hug, "Fowl, I didn't do this to help you! That kid Carl is quite lovable. I like it! By the way," the amber pupils shot out a cold light, "I also want to see how sacred the lady in the forest is!"

"Get back to Carl, you can beat me ten times!" The owl's eyes flashed with gratitude.

The remaining three Snake factions exchanged glances.

Since Oaks wants to intervene, they are not afraid!

"Then dismantle the trick!" Serret said viciously.

"It will be the so-called master of Willen." The bald-headed man looked indifferent.

And Roy hesitated for a moment, Mrs. Lin Zhong, in his knowledge, the direct combat power is not very high, probably in the category of ancient deer-headed elites, in terms of heads-up, the three snakes and owls have the power to fight!

However, their various strange methods emerge in an endless stream, especially summoning the army of monsters is the most difficult.

It is not easy to take care of the Lady of the Woods in the land of Willen.

Roy Anjin's pupils flashed with a strange brilliance, "Everyone, Carl must be saved, but we can't follow the rhythm and pace of those old witches honestly - we have to prepare both hands!"

"What's the meaning?"

"Remember that book "The Omniscient She"? The book records the story of three ladies in the forest and their sealed mother... Let's not go to the swamp..." Roy turned his eyes to a hill in the distance, "Go to Whispering Hill, see the sealed fairy mother, who got the weakness of the three witches from her mouth."

Everyone immediately understood and felt absurd.

"Are you sure this is not a legendary story, the so-called fairy mother does have a person?" Serret put his arms around his chest and raised his eyebrows, obviously not believing the theory in the book.

"Carl's sleepwalking and the strange behavior of the villagers in Lower Valen are not enough to explain the situation?" Roy looked determined. "And I have a strong hunch that there is a powerful magical signal under the whispering hill. Who else can be except the fairy mother?"

"Even if we make a mistake in judgment this time, we won't make a trip in vain. Whispering Hill is a good place for hunting sacrifices."

Ever since they obtained the blueprints for the equipment of the Flying Lion Monster and the Snake Sect, everyone in the Snake Sect believed deeply in the predictive ability of Roy's ancient blood, and nodded silently upon hearing this.

And Phryus observed the expressions of several people, and suddenly clenched his fists, "Then go to the Whispering Hills!"