Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 658 Who is depicted in the long corridor of history?
Tissaya de Veris's response sealed the deal, bringing the Witcher discussion to a close.

Just as Fringilla Vigo had thought, as a sorcerer who was an eternal protagonist in the extraordinary world, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she would not allow a witcher to occupy too much time in such a solemn meeting.

Moreover, since Tissaia de Veres has extended an invitation, rather than discussing, debating, and studying an individual that does not exist in the sky, it is better to observe and explore it face to face.

Is it possible for the Witcher to refuse?

That's a problem we don't need to consider.

No one in the Northern Continent can defy the unified will of the entire Brotherhood of Warlocks, not even the king, let alone a single witcher.

therefore.

The conversation in the Hall of Glory quickly shifted from discussing Arlin, the Witcher, to larger topics, such as...

The recent persistent restlessness and aggressive behavior of low-level monsters, coupled with a dramatic increase in the concentration of free elements in the air, raises the question: does this indicate that the northern continent is about to experience a new wave of magical energy?

The Warlock Brotherhood and the human kingdoms of the Northern Continent will inevitably undergo a major reshuffle due to this series of events. How can they maintain a balance?

After the fall of Cordwin, Aeden suppressed the internal strife and showed signs of launching a renewed offensive to completely annihilate Cordwin. Should the Brotherhood of Warlocks intervene?
And the Wild Hunt...

There's also the receding snowline of the Flying Dragon Mountains and prophecies...

……

Looking at the solemn and dignified appearance of the High Council that she had envisioned—planning for the future of humanity and the extraordinary world—Fringilla Vigo felt, for some reason, none of the excitement she should have felt.

She sniffed, and a faint smell of rust filled her nostrils.

The crimson fox Vera beside him remained expressionless, but blood oozed from her palms due to the excessive force she had exerted.

Fringilla Vigo didn't express any extra concern. Adults who have a place here don't need anyone's concern. Instead, she withdrew her gaze and subtly looked across at the other side.

Across from him, Berendil Rogrides smirked, as if he had won some kind of victory.

Fringilla Vigo noticed that Berendil Rogrides made a very subtle nod to the goatee-bearded sorcerer of the Redanian faction. The goatee-bearded sorcerer saw it, but simply closed his eyes and gave no response.

Berendil Rogrides' expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he naturally maintained his elegant smile.

If it weren't for Fringilla Vigo keeping an eye on things, they might have missed it completely.

“The relationship between Redania and the Risberg Civil Cooperative Organization is still not very good,” Fringilla Vigo wondered. “It seems that this cooperation is only temporary, just for the sake of Erin, a witcher, to make him famous in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers…”

"Vera seemed quite angry, and Tissaya de Veres responded somewhat reluctantly..."

Fringilla Vigo tried to deduce something from the subtle entanglements involved, but due to a lack of information—she was even hearing the name Erin for the first time—she could only vaguely sense something.

If the Crimson Fox sides with Arryn, then Berendil Rogrides and the goatee wizard of Redania will be Arryn's enemies.

Then.

Rather than saying that Berendil Rogrides and the goatee wizard of Redania wanted to enhance the reputation of the Witcher, it was more accurate to say that they wanted to expose him to the public eye and make everyone stare at the Witcher.

Vera and Tissaya de Veres, on the other hand, had the opposite goals, or at least Vera's intentions were the opposite.

What are they trying to hide?
What do the Riesberg Civil Partnership, Ban Ad, and Redalia want to show everyone?
……

Her thoughts were churning like a storm in her mind. Fringilla Vigo didn't show it on her face, but her heart was in turmoil.

"How could a mere witcher who wasn't even present at the scene manage to attract the attention of so many important figures and stir up trouble at the most prestigious meeting in the extraordinary world..."

"Who exactly is Erin?"

……

Major issues such as the Warlock Brotherhood, the political situation in the North, and the future of humanity could not possibly be resolved in a single meeting.

As the noise and discussion gradually subsided, Tissaya de Veres reiterated the importance of the various nodes of the expedition to Dodurak and the corresponding resource supply, before announcing the end of the long meeting.

At Vera's prompting, Fringilla Vigo followed her, lagging behind Narcissus de la Roche and Tissaya de Veres, and were among the first to leave the Hall of Glory under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

At this moment, Vera remained expressionless, but her palms had somehow lost all color.

As I approached the entrance to the Hall of Glory, just before my left foot stepped over the low threshold and my right foot was about to leave the hall completely...

Fringilla Vigo suddenly looked back as if she had sensed something.

The five high-backed chairs in the center were all empty, allowing the sorceress, who was at almost the same height, to see clearly the oil painting depicting the "first landing" in the center.

Jan Becker stands in an ancient sailboat swirling in the eddies between waves and reefs, a bright halo surrounding his head, his serious, resolute, and wise gaze piercing through centuries to meet her eyes.

A turbulent world political situation, a war that engulfs half of the northern continent, mythical creatures never before seen roaming and wreaking havoc in the skies, and a celestial conjunction that has not occurred for thousands of years once again sows the seeds of disaster across this continent...

Fringilla Vigo suddenly had a premonition.

Perhaps, this expedition will eventually, like this "first landing," hang in the long corridor of history, only...

I wonder who was among the figures depicted on the walls back then...
-
"Many people regard Druids as a kind of deity-worshipping sect like Meritelli and Cliff, which makes some sense. All Druids do worship Mother Nature as if they were gods."

"But fundamentally they are completely unrelated. It's like a banquet lacking beer, yet you not only didn't buy beer at the market, but you didn't even buy wine; instead, you bought a piece of smoked meat..."

"Do you understand what I mean, Erin?"

Sitting cross-legged in a forest clearing on the outer edge of the Ring of Maidalui, Erin, who was momentarily dazed by the sudden spiritual stimulation, nodded subconsciously.

Across from him, Zebi Ortega, with his long gray beard, sat cross-legged under a lush oak tree, but frowned slightly.
"Erin, did you stay out too late at the bonfire party last night? You're not quite focused today. Simmons, Olga, you two too..."

Erin didn't offer any explanation, but instead bowed in apology along with Simmons and Olga, the two druids:
“I’m sorry, mentor Zebi Ortega.”

Since the beginning, I've had this sudden urge, this "unstable prophetic power" about to activate again, as if something unfavorable to me is about to happen, yet it's elusive, like a sneeze stuck in my throat that I just can't sneeze, it's extremely uncomfortable.

In fact, whenever the "unstable prophetic power" takes effect, it always suddenly and silently pulls into a certain scene, which shouldn't be the case.

But the pressure from the last prophecy still lingered in Erin's mind, forcing him to be cautious, to the point that Zebi Ortega noticed him spacing out.

“There might also be some elements of a bonfire party involved,” Erin thought.

It wasn't that last night's banquet was too lively, leading to all-night revelry, and that the lack of energy affected the effectiveness of the prophetic power.

After treatment and the great master's praise of life, his injuries have fully recovered. He can go without sleep for several days without any problem, let alone go without sleep all night.

Last night, after hearing that he was going to stay and learn the ways of the druid, the search party for Ailin, which came because of him, was officially disbanded.

Vesemir and Danti returned to Kaer Morhen through Ida Amin's portal.

The refugee crisis in Kaer Morhen, guided by the Wolf School and the restoration forces of Koldwyn secretly led by Philippa Ehrhardt, is no longer a problem. However, the rapidly increasing attacks by cannibalistic creatures that cause injuries are leaving Kaer Morhen's manpower somewhat stretched thin.

Moreover, the Witchers of the Wolf School have returned one after another to spend the winter, and manpower is needed to prepare. The two Witcher Masters cannot stay here waiting for him to embark on the path of Druid.

Ada Emin also took Francesca Fantaby with her.

Francesca Fantaby was initially reluctant to leave, but after Vesemir and Dante persuaded Mary to return to Kaer Morhen with them and arranged a time to pick up Arlin and take him to the Free Elf camp, she had no choice but to leave with a heavy heart.

Jerón Morú also bid him farewell by the campfire and left the Ring of Mahinard Rui this morning.

He was, after all, a witcher of the Griffin School rather than the Wolf School, and needed to inform Grandmaster Aran of the Griffin School that he was still alive, as well as about the second mutation and the cooperation with the Wolf School.

Erin, considering that the avalanche that would destroy the Griffin School was likely to happen in the next few years, made a few subtle remarks and then did not stop him.

"Could it be that the avalanche that led to the decline of the Griffin School is happening this year?" he wondered.

"Because of my suggestion, Jerome warned the Griffin School, so the original disaster did not happen. That's why the unstable prophetic power is constipated like this."

"Does this prove that fate is not as invincible as I thought, and that the fate predicted in the prophecy may not come true due to external factors?"

"wrong……"

"The prophecy was not truly revealed before me; I did not see my destiny changed..."

Erin was multitasking.

While pondering the reasons for his "spur-of-the-moment" decision, he listened attentively to the lecture by Master Zebi Ortega.

“I do not mean to belittle Meritelli and the cults of the true gods such as Cliff and Freya,” Zebi Ortega said carefully, “They have indeed guided human life and are an important cornerstone of order and stability.”

"But Mother Nature is different."

"Mother Nature does not need the faith of the masses. She is the mother of all things and spirits in the world. She does not need priests to worship her. We druids are not priests of Mother Nature, but gardeners who maintain this 'vast' garden and prune the wildly growing vines that prevent other creatures from absorbing sunlight."

"The power of nature, close to the source of the sacred forest, is Mother Nature's reward for the gardener's hard work..."

"And meditation, where the soul dreams of entering the sacred forest, is the gardener's way of receiving payment and giving back..."

……

Zebi Ortega looked at Erin: "You haven't been able to enter a meditative state, probably because of some misunderstandings. Try again now..."

Master Zebi Ortega, you've heard about my connection to the Temple of Meliteli...

Erin pulled himself out of his thoughts, sat cross-legged according to the requirements of Druidic meditation—which is actually just called meditation—and breathed at a certain frequency for a while. Then he opened his eyes and gently shook his head at the Archdruid Zebi Ortega, whose eyes inevitably showed disappointment.

“It’s alright,” Izeby Ortega said gently. “You’ve always been trained as a Witcher, so it’s normal to have more obstacles and distractions from nature.”

"This is only the fifth day. The last person in the Ring of Maidalui to activate meditation was only able to enter the Sacred Forest on the eighth day..."

Simmons and Olga also offered words of comfort.

Erin bowed apologetically to Izebe Ortega: "I'm just sorry for all the sacrifices you've made, Master Ortega..."

Izebi Ortega is indeed very responsible.

Apart from their first meeting, when Simmons and Olga, at the behest of the Grand Master of the Ring of Druids, introduced him to some basic Druidic knowledge, he personally taught him over four consecutive days some very basic knowledge and meditation techniques that were far too fundamental for a Grand Druid.

Moreover, they are very patient and always answer questions.

Even after discovering that his meditation was "problematic," they carefully analyzed the reasons for him, eliminating them one by one, just like today.

Unfortunately……

“It is my duty. Since you call me mentor, I should naturally teach you with all my heart,” Izebi Ortega waved his hand. “However, I can only teach you for two more days. The Grand Master has assigned me a mission, and I need to go to the Skellige Islands the day after tomorrow…”

"Is it still that golden-haired beast?" Erin asked.

After four or five days of activity in the Ring of Maidalui, Erin confirmed his guess: the golden beast the druids were looking for was King Kanor.

In fact, the druids, including Izebi Ortega, didn't intend to hide anything. Without him even asking, Simmons and Olga mentioned it during a casual conversation on the first day.

Izeby Ortega sighed and nodded: "Another group of druids has returned. They've searched every mountain range in the northern continent, but haven't found a trace of them."

“Actually,” Erin carefully chose his words, “although I’ve never seen a golden-haired beast, there are brown bears and grizzly bears among bears. It’s survival of the fittest. Although they are all bears, bears living in snowy mountains have thicker fur, while those in plains have thinner fur. Even though butterflies are beautiful, they started as caterpillars…”

"Could it be that the golden-haired beast hasn't grown up yet, or perhaps it's in another form?"

Upon hearing this, Izebi Ortega seemed to be pondering his words for a moment.

"What you said is very interesting... natural selection... survival of the fittest..."

"You mean the golden-haired beast changed to adapt to the environment of this world?"

Izeby Ortega felt he had grasped some profound truth of nature, and looked regretfully at the Witcher who hadn't been able to learn the mere meditation technique even after four or five days of study.

How could someone who can come up with such a principle not even be able to learn meditation?

Is it really because Mother Nature despises the Witcher who is stained with blood?
"Just some guesses." Erin shook his head gently.

“I think it’s very likely…” Izebe Ortega stroked his long gray beard, looking at the Witcher’s still-youthful face, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Those who yearn for nature in their studies cannot gain knowledge from their mentors; instead, they teach their mentors the philosophy of nature.

But what can he do?
Izeby Ortega thought for a moment, and suddenly a few words that Erin had casually asked him this morning after he saw off a witcher from the Griffin School flashed through his mind.

"Aelin, you said this morning that you were looking for an elf who had lived in the Ring of Maidalui?"

(End of this chapter)