Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 599 Main Quest Reward - Soul Realm
Have Wigford been waiting for me for a long time?

The Witcher paused, opening his mouth as if to speak, but Lydia van Bradwater stepped aside, clearing a path to the gallery: "Please follow me."

Erin looked around and saw that many pedestrians and shop owners were watching them.

This is not the place to talk.

Suppressing his curiosity, he tied the black horse he had just bought to the fence and followed Lydia van Bradwater into the gallery.

"Bang~"

The wooden door closed gently, immediately shutting out the hustle and bustle of the city.

After entering, there is a long corridor with pure white marble on the floor. One wall is blank, while the other wall is covered with many oil paintings.

Candlesticks woven from vines into elegant shapes hang from mid-air.

Since these candlesticks are only hung on one side of the wall where paintings are displayed, the entire corridor is somewhat dim.

The faint scent of incense in the air calmed my restless heart without me even realizing it.

Lydia van Bradwater gracefully conjured a flame with her thumb and forefinger, lit the candle in the candlestick by the door, and led the way, carrying the candlestick.

Erin noticed that Lydia van Bradwater's hands and clothes lacked the usual traces of face paint, and asked:

"Is Wigfordtz here too?"

Lydia van Bradwater shook her head slightly: "Vigor is still at the academy, but you'll see him in a little while."

Erin nodded and didn't ask anything more.

He was genuinely curious as to why Wiegoffetz knew of his arrival beforehand without prior notice...

However, you can ask him these questions yourself; there's no need to ask Lydia van Bradwater.

Although she is also a highly talented sorceress, this can be seen from the original story and from their time together in Kaer Morhen a few weeks ago.

The sorceress before him was different from other sorceresses of Aretusa origin; she had no interest in power, wealth, or anything else external to her.

Aside from painting, she had no personal opinions or political leanings; she was merely a vassal, handmaiden, and tool who obeyed Wiegforth's every word.

Erin followed Lydia van Bradwater through the long corridor, past two wooden doors, and down a winding path to the underground.

The journey was not short. As they followed the light in the sorceress's hand, Erin activated his Demon Hunter's Notebook.

[Mission: The World's Recovery]

[Task Type: Main Quest (First Stage)]

[Task Description: Main Task: Perform three Phase One Interdimensional Fusions (Required).]
Second: Eliminate all monsters that have smuggled in from another world (the quality and quantity of rewards increase based on the number of monsters eliminated).

【Task progress:
Main - Interdimensional Integration Phase 1 3/3 (Completed)

次——水鬼王2/2、巨沼仙2/2、水鬼124/243、尸王3/3、尸后3/3、食尸鬼326/326、腐骸君7/7、腐食魔377/377
】

[Note: You are the way out found by the dying world; it yearns to return to its most glorious state.]

"Ding! Have you completed the main quest: The Restoration of the World (Part 1)?"

Just as Erin predicted, all the monsters that were transported during the second and third interdimensional fusions were destroyed, except for the first "interdimensional fusion - water ghosts", which left behind nearly a hundred water ghosts.

Since he doesn't need to do it himself, as time goes by, the water ghosts under his first alien fusion will eventually be killed one by one.

However, Erin didn't want to wait any longer for a mere hundred water ghosts, and his mind stirred again.

[Ding! Main Quest: The World's Recovery (Part 1) is complete. Accept?]

[Quest Rewards: Soul Realm (Beginner), Experience Orb * 280]

[Ding! Do you wish to fuse with the Soul Domain (Initial)?]

[Ding! Main Quest: The World's Recovery (Second Stage) has been activated. Accept?]

"The Realm of Souls?" Erin was taken aback when he saw the new words appear in the mission rewards.

However, when one mentally contacts the words, no detailed explanation appears.

Through the translucent parchment of his demon hunter's journal, he glanced at Lydia van Bradwater, who was leading the way. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to merge with her directly here, lest any strange phenomena occur.

He then accepted the main quest for the second ring.

[Mission: The World's Recovery]

[Task Type: Main Quest (Second Stage)]

[Task Description: Main Task: Conduct a second-stage interdimensional fusion (must be completed).]
Second: Eliminate all monsters that have smuggled in from another world (the quality and quantity of rewards increase based on the number of monsters eliminated).

[Note: You are the way out found by the dying world; it yearns to return to its most glorious state.]

The closest quest to the second phase of the interdimensional fusion, [Hunting Quest: Water Ghost III (Kill 178/500 Water Ghosts)], is still more than 300 Water Ghosts short, so it's not worth considering for now.

Erin put away her Witcher's Notebook and continued following in Lydia van Bradwater's footsteps.
"Tap tap tap~"

The sound of two people's footsteps echoed in the cold, damp corridor.

Lydia van Bradwater's white dress rustled as she walked, and in the cold corridor, she looked somewhat like a daytime spirit transformed from a young woman who died violently before her marriage.

Of course, Lydia van Bradwater was beautiful and elegant, much prettier than the daytime spirit.

However, in the original story, Lydia van Bradwater, on the recommendation of Wigford, participated in an experiment studying ancient cemetery artifacts and touched the cursed artifacts.

She suffered severe burns, a shattered jaw and throat, and lost the ability to speak, relying solely on telepathy as her only means of communication.

Considering that she was ultimately abandoned by Vigforts and died in the coup on Xenide Island, her fate was not much better than that of the originator of the daytime spirit.

"We're almost there..."

Lydia van Bradwater's gentle voice pulled Erin back from her memories of her fate.

He glanced at the sorceress, who was leaning against the candle and smiling faintly, and nodded politely.

Lydia van Bradwater is not Vesemir, Mary, or She-Ra; he has no interest in changing her fate.

"Squeak~"

A door was opened, revealing a completely dark interior.

However, Erin wasn't worried that Wigfordts and Lydia van Bradwater would sell him off to Ben Ade. Although, as Wigfordts had once said, the contract could be exploited, it couldn't be exploited in this way.

So he went first into the dark room.

"Crack~"

Lydia van Bradwater snapped her fingers behind her back, and several purple magic lamps lit up, revealing a telescope in the center of the room.

The room was completely empty except for this telescope.

Lydia van Bradwater fiddled with it for a while, and with a strange noise, Wigfordts appeared in the center of the three mirrors.

“Vigor, Master Erin has arrived…” Vigor Fortez smiled and nodded gently to Erin: “Please wait a moment, I’ll be there shortly.”

Before Erin could respond, Vigfortz's figure in the telescope suddenly disappeared again.

Not long after, with a "bang," an orange-red portal suddenly appeared on another layer, separated by the telescope.

A male wizard dressed in a pure black mage robe emerged from an orange-red portal.

"Long time no see, Erin."

Wigford still wore his signature gentle, reliable, and non-aggressive smile, unchanging as if he were wearing a meticulously crafted mask.

“Not long,” Erin shook his head, “only a week or two…”

Wiggerts didn't seem to care about the subtle resistance Erin showed, and still smiled as he said, "For me, that's been a very long time..."

After a few pleasantries that weren't exactly pleasant but were passable, the two quickly got down to business.

"Have you found the location where Henry Geddemidis is being held?" Erin asked.

“The approximate location has been determined,” Wigofferts nodded. “Senny, with the help of Otoland and the Risberg Civil Cooperative, has completely taken control of Ban Ad.”

"Hen Gedimidis is no longer as important to him as he once was; the advancement of the new city of Ban Ade and the Warlock Kingdom requires a large number of male witches..."

"The defenses are lax, and more and more clues are appearing every day."

"However, I now know a general location, but I still know nothing about the guards, traps, and other information inside."

“If I had another week, I could have uncovered all the intelligence beyond what we expected, but…”

Wiggoffts paused, then said meaningfully, "I suppose I don't have a week left."

Erin was silent for a few seconds, but couldn't help asking, "How did you know I would come? And how did you arrange for Ms. Lydia to wait for me in this gallery... The prophecy of the Demon Source?"

“It’s not a prophecy, it’s a guess…” Wigfordt’s lips curled into a smile with a hint of genuine joy and pride.

"Guessing..." Erin was taken aback upon hearing this and frowned.

Even if a prediction doesn't hold true, speculation still needs to be based on evidence.

But he teleported directly from Kaer Morhen to Parthoron Forest, and then rushed to the outskirts of the battlefield between the free elves and Ban Aard.

Even the Wild Hunt and the Warlocks couldn't catch him, so where did Vigfortz get his basis?

Wigford smiled, his eyes narrowing.

“When Sunny and Ottolan heard that the Wild Hunt had arrived, and brought all the top sorcerers from the Ben Ade and the Risberg Civil Cooperative, I immediately realized that this was a good opportunity to dig out all the intelligence.”

"At that moment, I suddenly felt a little regretful..."

"It would be a waste of such a good opportunity to merely find out where Hen Gedimidis is imprisoned, compared to taking advantage of the rare emptiness of Ban Ade."

"If we had enough power, we could have taken this opportunity to rescue Hen Gedimidis directly."

"It was at that moment that I suddenly thought of you..."

Why did I mistake the reflection on the water for stars in the night sky?

Wigford stared intently at Erin, as if he were looking at some rare treasure:
"You are the Child of Miracles, and the Child of Miracles should naturally descend at the most opportune time and save the world..."

Upon hearing this, Erin twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly.

This isn't a guess; it's pure conjecture.

It was a lucky coincidence.

“This isn’t just wild guessing…” Vigfortz seemed to have guessed Erin’s thoughts from his expression, and said with a smile, “The Northern Continent hasn’t seen a celestial conjunction for fifteen hundred years, and you encountered it on your first trip down the mountain, and even helped you deal with an ungrateful mortal king…”

"The Wild Hunt has always been a monster from myths and legends, but it made its first appearance right here in Floating Harbor, right in front of you, and caused a horrific tragedy."

"The demonic spirits that Falgar left behind and suppressed have remained silent for nearly thirty years, except for you, who appeared in Elland to participate in the May Festival celebrations and were awakened by the Wild Hunt's spells that bombarded the city..."

"And the evil god, which you just happened to discover."

"And even with the combined forces of the Elland army, the Eretusa sorceresses, and the priests of the Meriteli Temple, it was you who ultimately made the move..."

“At least I wasn’t there when the Wild Hunt destroyed Ban Ad.” Arlin offered a dry explanation.

"Are you really not here?" Vigfortz said meaningfully, then raised his hand to stop Erin's hesitant rebuttal, his eyes growing increasingly fervent.

"No need to explain, I know none of this concerns you."

"But……"

"But!"

"While the rest of the Northern Continent is filled with song and dance, and peace and tranquility, you alone always appear at every major event and at the most crucial moment, playing the most important role and turning the tide..."

"If this isn't fate, then what is it?"

"So, when I realized that this was an unprecedented opportunity to rescue Henry Gedimidis, an opportunity that would be hard to come by again, I immediately had a strong premonition..."

"You will definitely come!"

"And obviously, I guessed right."

Erin was speechless upon hearing this.

Aside from the apprenticeship competition between the Wolf School and the Cat School, where the celestial spheres converged, which was indeed inextricably linked to him, all other events that he happened to encounter were merely accidents.

But as he listened, he almost got convinced himself.

yes……

While everything else is peaceful and prosperous, you're like a madman following a primary school student, appearing wherever trouble arises. If I don't suspect you, I'll suspect who.

Then Erin couldn't help but frown again.

Wiegolford's inference is essentially a backward deduction.

Back in Kaer Morhen, he had asked Vigforts how he had seen through his identity as the Son of Miracles...

Vigfortz described it as an ancient Elven tracking spell called "The Stars of Ilar".

First, discover Erin's unique qualities, then delve into his background and deeds, and finally confirm his identity as the Child of Miracles.

It's generally difficult for someone who has never fought with Arlin and doesn't possess similar magical abilities to connect Arlin with the miracle child in the prophecy of Islin.

But Wigford is not the only smart person in the world.

When someone is curious about another person, they will instinctively search for all the information that person can gather, and Erin's story cannot stand up to scrutiny.

Could it be... that someone other than Vigfortz is secretly casting a malicious glance at him?
But he was completely unaware?
“So, Son of Miracles,” Vigforts’ voice interrupted his thoughts, “shall we now set out to rescue Hen Gedimidis?”

Erin was about to nod instinctively, but after thinking for a moment, she gently shook her head:
"Give me a private room; I need to make some preparations..."

(End of this chapter)