Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 631 You didn't want to find out so soon
As one of the most famous cities in the Northern Continent, Ban Ade is where every warlock capable of casting a portal will mark a coordinate.

Vera was no exception.

Moreover, as a large-scale distribution center for magical materials and a source of semi-finished concoctions—such as Jujube Water, Universal Solvent, and Elemental Essence—many rare alchemical materials are only available in Ban Ade. Vera even has a safe house in the upper city of Ban Ade.

Of course, that was before Ban Ad was destroyed by the Wild Hunt.

After that, the alchemy industry across the entire Northern Continent suffered a severe blow, while Eritusa, as the second largest distribution center for magical materials in the Northern Continent, profited immensely.

But that's beside the point.

Even though Vera did not purchase any properties in the new city of Ban Ade after the city was destroyed once, she still visited Ban Ade many times afterward, only setting the portal's landing point on a small hill not far from the city.

A small hill that offered a clear view of the entire city, but now...

From her hilltop, Vera could only see distant, undulating mountains and a desolate wilderness in front of them.

As for cities...

No, there isn't even a small mountain village, let alone a city.

“Mentor,” Mary stepped out of the portal, looked around, and then looked at the motionless Vera with a puzzled expression, prompting, “Where is the next portal?”

“There’s no next portal…” Vera said.

"Ok?"

Vera turned around, her brows furrowed: "This...this is Ban Ade, the City of a Thousand Towers, Ban Ade."

"Huh?" Mary looked around blankly at the primitive, uninhabited landscape.

She paused, then looked again. The mountain in the wilderness did indeed look very much like the mountain behind the city of Ban Ade.

Ban Ade, built against the mountain, still has the mountain, but the city is gone.

That vast wilderness was the original location of the City of a Thousand Towers.

What about Kecheng?
What about that huge city of Ban Ade, the City of a Thousand Towers, one of the largest cities on the Northern Continent?

Vesemir, Dante, and Jerón Morlu, who followed them out of the portal, were also stunned.

Once everyone recovered from the absurd scene before them, they all turned to look at the only person who might know the truth—the hero Wiggefates, who had just rescued Hen Gedimidis from Ben Ade.

“I…I don’t know either…” The demon-blocking golden shackles on Vigford’s wrists reflected the hazy blue light of the sun as he looked blankly at everything below the hill. “When we left, it wasn’t like this…”

"It...it's still there..."

“Then Erin…” Mary immediately realized a problem.

Vigfortz lowered his head and remained silent. With the entire city of Ban Ade gone, what was the point of talking about being a Witcher?

Mary was truly panicked this time; she kept taking small, shuffling steps on the hill.

He wanted to rush down to that desolate plain, but he also knew that searching aimlessly would be pointless. So he could only deceive himself into thinking he was trying to find Erin by making useless feints.

"How could such a large city suddenly disappear?" Vesemir found it utterly absurd, and even his sense of urgency in finding Erin diminished considerably.

Perhaps because of so many unexpected events in the past, even the arrival of the evil god could not do anything to Arryn, Vesemir subconsciously did not feel that the young witcher he had "raised from childhood" would be in any danger.

“But it just vanished,” Dante shrugged, “along with those nasty wizards. Sorry, I wasn’t talking about you, Vigforts, you’re a real man…”

Although Wigfordts unexpectedly did nothing in the search for Erin.

However, the demon-suppressing golden shackles he voluntarily wore earned him everyone's respect and a limited degree of trust.

“It’s alright,” Wigfordts shook his head, then looked at Vera, “I’m sorry, Ms. Vera, in this situation, I probably can’t be of much help…”

Vera waved her hand, staring straight at him: "But you still won't tell me what happened in Ban Ad not long ago, and how you rescued Henry Gedmiddis?"

Wiggerts stared into Vera's red eyes, remained silent for a moment, glanced at the people around him out of the corner of his eye, and then shook his head.
"Feel sorry."

"But I assure you, I really don't know how to find Erin under these circumstances..."

There was a moment of silence on the hill.

The search for Erin seemed to have been cut short as soon as it began.

How do you find a person who has disappeared, when the entire city he lived in has vanished...?

"Do you think he's in danger?" Jerome Morui suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

“No…” Vigfortz began instinctively, but paused, then smiled wryly, “I originally thought Erin would definitely be safe, but now…”

His gaze passed over Vera and landed on the desolate wilderness at the foot of the Blue Mountains:

"I...I'm not sure..."

Wigford was genuinely puzzled.

What happened to Ben Ade after he and Lydia van Bradwater left?
The summoning of a black dragon is already outrageous enough, but why has the entire city of Ban Ade disappeared?
Did Erin make it?

No, at least not just Erin.

Otherwise, if they had such power, why would they have gone to such lengths to infiltrate Ban Ade Academy, descend into the underground palace, and rescue Henry Gedimidis step by step?

Even if Ottoran unleashed just one percent of that power, he would have to respectfully escort Henry Gedimidis away...

What exactly happened after he left?
“What should we do now?” Vesemir asked.

“Why don’t we go down and take a look first,” Dante suggested. “Let’s search for the villagers nearby, the traveling merchants. Something this big has happened; there can’t be no witnesses. At least we need to find out how Ban Ade disappeared…”

“No!” Vera shook her head, then glanced thoughtfully at Mary, whose face was full of anxiety. “There’s another way to find Erin, as long as he’s still in this world…”
-
“Enid, that’s Dorr Brettanna…”

Kalia pointed to the city blooming in the sunlight and pulled Francesca Fantaby next to her to prevent her from accidentally falling down the steep slope.

Francesca brushed aside the fern leaves that obscured her view like feathers and gazed into the distance with a mesmerizing look.

Flowers bloom along the hillside, stretching all the way to the pure white castle in the distance that seems to grow out of the snow-capped mountains.

A white waterfall cascades down from the edge of the castle, splashing up a misty spray that envelops the entire valley, partially obscuring the vibrant green and tender yellow hues, resembling both rain and clouds, making the whole castle look like a fairyland floating above the clouds.

This is an elegance and beauty that only the most prosperous mountain people could create.

Unfortunately, this elegance and beauty have now changed hands.

“Enid,” Kalia began hesitantly, “that witcher…”

“Kalia!” Francesca interrupted, turning around with a frown. She stood on tiptoe and cautiously looked around for a moment before glaring at the elven maid with displeasure. “You promised me you’d keep it a secret!”

"But there are so many people..."

“No buts, you promised me. Himmler, Shadia… and Ada, you can’t tell them if they ask…”

Under Francesca's harmless gaze, Kalia nodded helplessly:

"Okay, I won't say, but..."

“No buts!” Francesca stared nervously at Kalia.

"Yes, yes, no buts." Kalia could only shake her head and shut her mouth. But the conjunction of the celestial bodies was such a coincidence, happening precisely when the free elves were in the most danger. Wouldn't Himmler, Shadia, and Ida all have their suspicions?
Is there anything in this world that can be kept from two knowledgeable people at the same time, especially when they become curious...?

She didn't think Francesca was unaware of this principle...

Moreover, since that witcher actually did this, did he really intend to keep it a secret?
"Is Himmler planning to move the Free Elves' camp to this valley?"

Francesca turned her gaze away from the perpetually blooming Valley of Flowers, Dor Brettanna, and looked at Kalia, changing the subject.

“Enid, Lord Himreis is still your father, you should show him more respect…” Kalia shook her head with a wry smile, but seeing Francesca’s impatient look, she could only change her words, “It’s just a temporary arrangement here, Dol Brettana is already human territory.”

"Fortunately, Aden has also recently run into trouble, so setting up a temporary camp here in the short term shouldn't cause any major problems."

"On the contrary, our people have just survived a near-death experience and need time to rest..."

"How many people in the clan died?" Francesca asked after a moment of silence.

“Enid…”

“Tell me, Sister Kalia,” Francesca pleaded, “even though Himmler, Shadia, and Ida all kicked me out of the meeting, I’m not a child anymore…”

"They are protecting..."

"Sister Kalia!"

Francesca's clear blue eyes made it impossible for Kalia to refuse.

She sighed softly, stroking Francesca's smooth blonde hair: "I don't know the exact numbers, but the Scoia'tael Party has disbanded two squadrons..."

Francesca, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

Two squadrons, which consist of nearly two hundred of the most elite Free Elf warriors, would only result in several times the overall casualties of the Free Elfs.

"Shasha~"

The gentle breeze of early autumn stirred the sea of ​​flowers below the mountain, making them sway and rustle.

“They have simply returned to the embrace of the White Ship, Enid. We will all eventually board the White Ship and return to our homeland, the final resting place of the mountain people…”

Kalia inhaled the fragrance of the mountain flowers, held Francesca's trembling body in her arms, and gently patted her back as if she were holding a child having a nightmare.

"So, where should we move to after we leave Dol Brettana, Kalia?"

Francesca's dreamlike murmurs came from her arms:

"Is there still a place in this world where mountain dwellers can settle down?"

Kalia's hands paused, her eyes filled with sorrow, confusion, and struggle.

She opened her mouth...

"It will happen, it will happen eventually."

Francesca suddenly darted out of Kalia's arms, nearly losing her footing and falling off the cliff.

Because it wasn't Kalia who spoke.

"Ada!"

Kalia swiftly grabbed Francesca and gave her a reproachful sidelong glance.

“Sorry.” Ada Emin brushed aside the lush, green fern leaves and smiled apologetically, “I should have made some noise…”

"Ada, when did you arrive?" Francesca asked anxiously after catching her breath, without even having a chance to scold him.

“Just now,” Ada Emin smiled gently, “don’t worry, I didn’t hear anything.”

Francesca frowned slightly, looking at Kalia with a hint of disbelief.

Kalia nodded slightly, indicating that this was indeed the case, and Francesca finally breathed a sigh of relief, pouting and muttering in dissatisfaction:
"The meeting is over, this should be the busiest time of the year, what are you doing here?"

“Enid, it’s Erin,” Ada Emin’s smile vanished, “Eirin has disappeared…”

Francesca was a little nervous when she heard Erin's name, but after he finished speaking, she froze, then suddenly stood up, her face turning pale with fright:
"what?"

"Eirin...is missing?!"
-
On the open field of the Ban Ade ruins.

"Crack~"

A snap of the fingers.

Vera opened her right palm, and blazing crimson flames ignited out of thin air, rising and then transforming into ice crystals, lightning, and mud...

"The element concentration is higher, at least double what it was a month ago..."

She withdrew her right palm, and the magic transformed into mud, which turned into powder and slowly fell from her palm.

"Vigorfords, what do you think?"

“I’m sorry, Ms. Vera, I can’t sense it,” Vigforts said, lifting the magic-blocking shackles on his wrists. “But I think it must have changed today, after I left.”

"At least for the past month, the elemental concentration around Ban Ad has been increasing, but the absolute rate of increase is slower than it was a month or two ago, and it is definitely not twice as dramatic."

Vera nodded thoughtfully, gazing at the banks of the Lake Hilla River, at the vast, murky yellow field, lost in thought.

At this time.

Vesemir and Danti walked over from a distance.

As Vesemir approached, he gave Wigafftez a strange look:
"The caravans transporting grain and supplies said that just as dawn broke, the ground began to tremble slightly, and many people ran out of Ban Ade, desperately trying to escape..."

"Some say the Wild Hunt is back, some say..."

Visermilton paused, then didn't continue for a moment.
"What did someone say?" Vera asked, frowning.

Vesemir swallowed hard: "Some say... the Black Dragon, the Black Dragon that disappeared from this world long ago, is destroying Ban Ad..."

"Black Dragon?" Vera frowned even more deeply.

“Master, it doesn’t matter if it’s a black dragon, a white dragon, or a red dragon,” Mary gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, “How exactly are we supposed to find Erin? Who did you just send a magical message to? Why did you keep it from me?”

Vera ignored Mary's sudden retort, watched her remain silent for a few seconds, and then sighed softly:
"You didn't want to find out so soon..."

Mary paused, taken aback. "What do you mean? Of course I want to get it done as soon as possible..."

The words have not yet fallen.

"Boom~"

An orange-red portal opened before everyone.

"Where's Erin? How could Erin have disappeared?"

A clear, melodious, yet somewhat clumsy voice darted out of the portal before its owner could react.

(End of this chapter)