Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 601 We entered through the main gate
"I haven't been here in a long time, Lydia, your drawing skills have improved a lot."

Wigofferts strolled through the gallery’s long corridor, his gaze moving from one painting to the next.

"Yes, the difference is clearly visible to the naked eye. The treatment of the water ripples in the Lakeshire River here is much more exquisite than the previous painting of the roaring Pontal River..."

"The lines of the cliffs on both sides are also more rugged and clearer..."

“Lydia… your talent in painting is far greater than your talent in magic or elemental magic.”

Lydia van Bradwater placed her hands on her lower abdomen and followed behind Wigford.

The white gown, like soft clouds, gently brushed against the marble.

"Vigor, only you would praise me like that." She gently shook her head.

“I’m telling the truth.” Wigofferts didn’t turn around, but stopped in front of a landscape painting that was still fresh.

The painting depicts a gray castle standing amidst towering mountains, with eagles circling in the sky and wisps of clouds drifting through the mountains.

“Don’t take Akorif’s words to heart,” Wigofferts said. “He’s just too old and too stubborn to accept anything that doesn’t align with his beliefs in his familiar territory…”

Akorif was a former court painter in Temuria and the founder of the Akorif school of painting. He was skilled in portraiture and the reproduction of historical events.

He believed that painting could only achieve a higher level of value by reproducing the solemnity of history and the dignity of human figures.

To put it simply, he believes that the core of every painting is the figure.

The scenery may exist, but it must complement the characters and contain hidden metaphors.

“A landscape without human emotions, ideals, love and hatred is pale and impoverished and cannot be called a painting.”

This is his painting of Lydia van Bradwater, which can be described as a harsh critique.

He mistook the reflection on the lake for the stars in the night sky.

Wiegoffetz turned to Lydia van Bradwater: “Painting is painting, portraiture is painting, landscape is painting. A thousand years ago, at the ‘first landing,’ simple landscape painting was the mainstream.”

"Not everyone has to depend on the whims of powerful figures to survive. You've risen so quickly; it won't be long before you leap to the top..."

Lydia van Bradwater smiled serenely and shook her head gently.

It's unclear whether he was denying Wiegolferts's point of view or indicating that he didn't care about Akorif's evaluation.

A candle burned out its wax at that moment, and the flame flickered and went out.

Lydia van Bradwater stepped forward, raised her hand and took out an identical white candle from the void, lowered the vine-woven candle holder, placed the candle on it and lit it.

With Lydia van Bradwater and Wigford's wealth, they could both afford a magic lamp that would never go out as long as there were magic crystals.

But Lydia van Bradwater preferred this common and old-fashioned way of lighting.

It is very old.

Candle making can be traced back to the first landings, and even before that, as a technique brought by humans from their homeland on the other side of the celestial sphere.

It is a minority, not learned from the people of the mountains, but a craft unique to humankind.

The people of the mountains may have once possessed the skill of making wax, but long ago, when humans arrived in this world, they had already abandoned it and relied entirely on magic lamps for lighting.

Upon their initial arrival, handmade candles were a popular craft among the mountain people.

Of course, it refers to the mountain people of the past, not the people of today.

The people of the mountains today are said to use torches and flares made of pine resin and wood as their most common means of lighting.

Wigford watched Lydia van Bradwater quietly as she gracefully changed the candles with her long, slender, white arms, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Candlelight flickers.

The pleasant scent of incense filled the air as the candles were lit.

Lydia van Bradwater put away the used candlestick and glanced back at the end of the corridor.

The Witcher hadn't come out of the basement yet.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at Wigford and said softly, "Wigford, it's obvious he doesn't trust us."

"Is it really necessary to betray Ban Ade and the Risberg Civil Cooperative for someone who doesn't trust us?"

“It’s not a betrayal of Ban Ade,” Wigfordts shook his head, “it’s just a betrayal of Sunny, Ottoland, and the Lisberg Civil Cooperative. Once Henry Gedimidis returns, Ban Ade will only, and always will, be the possession of that sorcerer legend.”

“But…” Lydia van Bradwater hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

Wigford, however, smiled and pressed on, "But what is it?"

Lydia van Bradwater hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the basement and whispered, "Witchers have never even stepped onto the world stage."

"For a witcher, even if he's the Son of Miracles, this is..."

"This is too crazy!"

“Vigor, you are the source of magic, the most talented sorcerer in the world. Hen Gedimidis is your future.”

"It shouldn't be you who attaches yourself to a witcher, but all witchers, humans, and sorcerers who should grovel at your feet."

"You are the future of humanity!"

Lydia van Bradwater's tone was somewhat indignant.

Wigford smiled and ruffled her smooth hair: "But that's too far off. I don't have your patience to be constantly pointed at and criticized by a mediocre old man."

"Being a miracle worker is the best shortcut."

“And it is precisely because he is crazy enough that Lydia is the one standing beside him now…”

Before he could finish speaking, Wigford paused, and almost simultaneously looked to his side with Lydia van Bradwater.

"Tap~tap~tap~"

The sound of hurried footsteps came from there, and soon a witcher wearing leather armor and a long sword hanging at his waist walked out of the door.

"Eirin, are you ready?"

Wigford went to meet him, but his steps involuntarily slowed down.

Erin noticed Vigorford's unusual behavior and asked expressionlessly:

"What's wrong?" Wigfordts' eyes were filled with suspicion and uncertainty. "You...you seem a little different..."

Twenty minutes ago, Erin looked like a noble knight who had run away from home, bewitched by a chivalric novel.

The demon hunter before them now exuded an aura as if he had just emerged from a wilderness teeming with ferocious beasts—violent and savage.

He could faintly sense the oppressive aura that belonged only to powerful demons.

The ferocious aura materialized into a gaping maw with sharp teeth, rushing towards us.

But in the blink of an eye, all the strange phenomena disappeared.

“Well, we’ve done a little more preparation,” Erin said, looking around before changing the subject. “How do we get into Ban Ade? Through a portal?”

Wigford gave him a long look but didn't ask any further questions.

“A week ago, after returning from Kaer Morhen, Ban Ad was surrounded by Jonas’s spatial confinement ritual,” Wigfordtz said as he walked out of the gallery. “The portal can neither be entered nor exited.”

"I was only teleported here through the portal after I left the academy."

Erin followed behind Vigforts, frowning. "Can't use a portal? How are we supposed to infiltrate Ban Ad?"

Upon hearing this question, Wiegolfordz exchanged a meaningful glance with Lydia van Bradwater, smiled knowingly, and said:

"We went in through the main entrance."

“Hmm, from the main entrance…” Erin nodded, then realized what Wiggerts was talking about.

"Go in through the main entrance?!"
-
"His name is Lin Ai Wolfgang, from Temuria. He is the son of a noble friend of mine. He recently discovered his magical talent and asked me to be his mentor."

"At fourteen, awakening his warlock talent is a bit late, but he's really lucky to have a magical source, and to have someone as talented as Lord Vigfortz as his mentor. His talent isn't that important anymore."

"Haha, you flatter me. I myself still have many shortcomings. My friend probably sent him here because he values ​​Ben Ade."

“He is indeed very lucky. Joining Ban Ade now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a wizard. Alright, Lord Wigford, registration is complete. I won't take up any more of your time, please go in!”

"Thank you!"

After passing through the heavily guarded gates of Ban Ade, one then passes through a thick, water-like blue magical barrier.

Arlin officially stepped onto the land of Ban Ad's School of Wizardry, the mortal enemy of the Wolf School, as a witcher.

"They really did come in through the main entrance..."

Erin subconsciously stepped on the solid ground, looking at the City of a Thousand Towers standing before him, feeling a little unreal.

And behind him...

Six male wizards, accompanied by a dozen or so sword-wielding guards, stood solemnly at the crowded entrance of the academy, checking the people entering.

Is this the benefit of having a spy?
I love it!

“Even without us, you could still find a way in.” Wigfordt’s voice echoed in his mind. “Senny’s security arrangements seem tight, but they can’t stop anyone with the right intentions…”

"Why?" Erin asked, somewhat curious.

Wigford tilted his head back and said, "You'll see when you look closely."

Erin followed his gaze and, sure enough, noticed something amiss after only a few seconds.

Besides male wizards like Vigfortz, who wear wizard robes, the passageways they walk through will be filled with inquiries from other male wizards.

In the other passages, the male wizards, though standing at the gates, were lost in their own thoughts.

Several men dressed in silk robes, who looked like merchants, approached, gave a money bag to the guards with swords, and then walked in without asking any questions.

The wizards glanced at it briefly before drifting off into their own thoughts, lost in their own world.

“Because of the war with the Mountain People, Sunny has increased the intensity of its vigilance,” Vigfordts explained. “Indeed, theoretically speaking, there’s the new city of Ban Ade as an outer defense against military attacks, a layer of magical barriers to block offensive magic, Jonas’s spatial confinement ritual, and the double-handed guards of the male sorcerers and swordsmen at the gates…”

"Ban Ade Academy should be impregnable..."

“But…” Erin made a transition for Wigford.

Wigfordtz paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, but... but the academy is the core of Ban Ad New City. Land sales, caravan permits, trials, dispute resolution, large-scale trade... all the functions of the city lord's mansion can only be carried out in the academy."

"The guards at the academy gate seem very strict, but in reality they are no different from the ferocious and frightening stone statues at the entrance of a tomb. They only serve to scare people."

“No…” Lydia van Bradwater suddenly spoke up, interrupting Wigford.

Wiggerts and Erin were both taken aback, then they saw Lydia van Bradwater raise her slender, pale index finger and point at a guard who was arrogantly accepting bribes from a merchant:
“There’s no ‘entry fee’ for carving stone statues…”

Wigford laughed heartily: "That's right, the difference is indeed significant."

Erin shook his head speechlessly, not really impressed by Lydia van Bradwater's lame joke.

However, the tense atmosphere among the three of them has indeed improved considerably.

After exchanging a few more words, and walking into a secluded grove of trees, Erin looked around before getting back to the main topic:

"Where did Sunny hide Henry Gedimidis? Do you have a map?"

Wiggerts didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stopped and turned to Lydia van Bradwater: "Lydia, keep an eye on what's happening at the academy."

“You…you guys be careful…” Lydia van Bradford nodded, glanced at Wiggeferts worriedly, then nodded to Erin and left.

Before Lydia van Bradwater's figure disappeared from sight, Wiggerts looked up to determine the direction and said:
"let's go."

Erin subconsciously followed Vigforts a few steps, then suddenly realized something: "You're coming with me to rescue Henry Gedimidis?"

Wigford stopped and turned around, a meaningful smile appearing on his handsome yet somewhat masculine face with a bit of stubble.

“Of course,” he replied matter-of-factly, then asked with a hint of doubt, “Is there a second sorcerer here? Did Philippa Ehrhardt come with you?”

Erin paused, then said, "But..."

Before he could finish speaking, Vigforts interrupted him: "The road to rescuing Hen Gedimidis is littered with all sorts of traps, as well as various magical creations of the Sunny and Risberg Civil Cooperatives."

"You need a warlock, Arryn, an experienced warlock who is knowledgeable in traps and magical artifacts."

"and……"

Wiggins paused, then smiled and pointed to his forehead:
"No magic map is clearer than this one."

(End of this chapter)