Witcher Tracks Exposed?

Leaving the nearby town of Ban Ade, Ailin and Vesemir did not take the main road, but instead followed a narrow country lane into the dense, cool woods.

Under the bright sunshine, the ancient trees and dense forests gained an extra touch of clarity and vibrancy.

Both witchers were in a good mood.

"The timing matches up," Ailin said, pulling on the reins and controlling Carrot's speed as they rode side by side with Vesemir. "That blue magical barrier is most likely the reason why the Wild Hunt didn't head north after leaving the Gors Velen, but instead attacked Arland from the west."

"So even after the light barrier disappears, the Wild Hunt will still attack Ban Ad?" Vesemir tilted his head.

"That's probably it, but I don't know what that blue light curtain is, why it was suddenly deactivated, or if it will rise again..."

"There's nothing we can do about it..." Vesemir shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself, "If Lady Vesemir were with us, it would be fine, but the School has no one we can trust in Ben Ade. If we rely solely on ourselves to go into the city to gather intelligence, the risk is too great, and it would also delay the rescue of Horton ..."

Upon hearing this, Ailin nodded slightly, knowing that Vesemir was worried that he would venture into Ban Ade alone.

"Don't worry, I think I know enough about everything I need to know, and I don't plan to go to Ban Ad," Ailin paused, then continued, "We'll continue on our way when it gets dark. There's nothing we need to stop at, and we'll be at Fujian soon."

"Hopefully Horton can hold on until then..."

Vesemir sighed.

"You definitely can," Ailin reassured her.

Following the forest path, the two witchers casually discussed their upcoming journey, as well as the strength and performance of the other witchers they had encountered along the way.

The journey, which was not far to begin with, quickly came to an end during the discussion.

"Splash splash~"

The faint sound of flowing water lingered in my ears, then turned a corner and passed through dense bushes and forest.

In a wide clearing in the woods, a brick house with a waterwheel that looked quite large from a distance came into the view of the two witchers.

"We're here!" Ailin breathed a sigh of relief.

This is an abandoned mill. When the group arrived this morning, they killed nearly twenty water ghosts to clear the place for a temporary rest.

The mill also contained several bags of good quality flour, a large quantity of unground wheat, and some farm tools.

It was probably abandoned recently because of the rampant water ghosts.

However, it didn't matter to the Witcher group, since they were only staying for one day and would leave at night.

"I wonder if those little brats have had a good rest. The journey ahead won't be easy." Upon seeing the barn in the distance, Vesemir chuckled and cursed.

Ailin chuckled, "I doubt it. Ernie and Klar have been clamoring to come down the mountain for a month now, and they've only been away from Kaer Morhen for two days. They're probably still excited..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

The two witchers almost simultaneously stopped smiling.

A strong, pungent smell of blood wafted towards us as the wind suddenly shifted.

The witchers in the barn have been attacked?!

"Ailin, speed up!" Vesemir turned his head and solemnly called out, quickly drawing a triangle with his right hand to cast the Quen Sign on himself.

Ailin nodded solemnly, spurred his horse, and galloped swiftly toward the distant barn.

"Da da da~"

The sound of galloping hooves echoed along the bumpy path.

The two witchers pressed their upper bodies against the horse's neck so they could reach the mill faster.

soon.

Ailin's keen Witcher Senses not only detected the strong, ink-like stench, but also the sounds of fierce shouts and fighting.

What is his Witcher fighting?

Water ghosts, Ghoul, bandits... or perhaps... a male witch?

No, according to the patrons in the tavern, no male witches have been involved with the water ghosts around the village in recent days, so the enemy shouldn't be Ban Ade's male witches.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind as Ailin stared intently at the ever-enlarging waterwheel.

Then the next second.

The witcher froze, then instinctively relaxed.

"Ding~"

[Slay the Level 14 "Water Ghost" Monster Horde!]

[Reward Settlement:...]

Final rating: D (Loot Lock)

[Loot obtained: 8 Drowner Heart Essence Fluid, 3 Lesser Experience Orbs, 2 Drowner's Chest]

The clanging and banging of machinery made Ailin breathe a sigh of relief.

Now that the rewards have been distributed, it means that the enemies Ernie and Klar faced have been eliminated.

He's overthinking it.

They had only been gone for two hours. How could it be such a coincidence that the male witches of Ban Ade seized this moment to attack?

This should have been a very simple and easy judgment to make.

"I guess I was just feeling guilty," Ailin thought with a wry smile. "I was so focused on Ban Ade's blue screen that I couldn't help but think of the wizards as my enemies."

"How could so many monsters possibly appear at a mill that's close to the river and not too far from the city..."

"And with the mill behind them, how many water ghosts would it take to threaten seven witchers who have been killing water ghosts for half a year?"

"But..."

Ailin looked up and ahead.

Because of his unconscious relaxation, the highly experienced old Witcher Master Vesemir had already ridden past him.

The expression beneath the Black Wide-brimmed Hat was equally solemn and urgent.

"But I'm not the only one with a guilty conscience," Ailin thought. "Although Vesemir just refused outright, he must have had his eye on Ban Ad."

"Yes..."

Who can resist letting their two most formidable enemies fight like dogs?

Ailin didn't bother to remind Vesemir, and with a quick squeeze of his legs, he sped up to catch up.

However, Ailin did not remind the Witcher Master.

Vesemir was still not far from the barn, and he relaxed as well, because he heard the familiar sounds of arguing coming from ahead.

"Kray! You stole my water ghost again!!!"

"Hahaha! Who told you to only think about how to pose? It's just a water ghost. Whether it's one, two, three, or four swords, killing it is one thing, but you deliberately tried to behead it! Hahaha, do you think you're Commander Ailin?"

"I didn't! I didn't deliberately imitate..."

"Hahaha! It's you! You have it! Everyone saw it, and it wasn't just once or twice..."

"Yes! Yes! We all saw it, Aias!"

"Yes! I saw it! I saw it!"

"Ah— Kray, you've gone too far! I'll kill you—"

Come on!

The deafening noise and boisterous fighting enlivened the entire barn.

Vesemir had already imagined countless horrific scenes in his mind, was speechless with dismay, but he also tugged on the reins and breathed a sigh of relief.

Since they still have the energy to play around so happily, they probably weren't injured.

"Those little brats are really making a fuss..." Vesemir shook his head helplessly.

As I rode into the mill, I turned a corner and was immediately greeted by an even stronger stench of blood and decay.

A dozen or so water ghost corpses were displayed in various poses on the open ground in front of the mill.

Besides Aias, who was brandishing his sword and chasing Kray, Ernie, Klar, and several other witchers were crouching on the ground.

While processing the water ghost material.

While laughing and joining in the fun, Aias's face turned red, veins popped on his forehead, and he kept yelling "Ahhh!"

Even though he was furious, and even though the faint light of the Quen Sign was flashing on Kray's body from time to time, Aias still maintained his composure and swung and slashed with the back of his sword.

"Master Vesemir! Commander! You're back!" Ernie exclaimed with keen eyes.

All the Witcher's eyes were on them.

"Bang!"

The sack in Ailin's hand was thrown on the ground, in a cleaner spot.

"I brought you some food, Ernie, come and help me distribute it."

Upon hearing Ailin's words, Ernie lightly sliced off the water ghost's tongue with her small knife and quickly walked over to pick up the sack.

"What's going on with these water ghosts?" Vesemir glanced around.

"They emerged from the riverbed next to the waterwheel after you left," Kray said with a grin as he hurried over, dodging Aias's sword.

Seeing that Vesemir and Ailin were both present, Aias felt embarrassed to continue wielding his sword and simply sheathed it, adding:

"There were three waves of water ghosts, all of which emerged from that river."

"No wonder there's still so much wheat and flour here, and no one's come over..."

Aias nodded. "Indeed, at this frequency, how could an ordinary person withstand it... it would definitely have to be abandoned..."

Vesemir nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Since they came down the mountain, they have discovered...

Influenced by the Conjunction of the Spheres that occurred at the beginning of the year, the closer one gets to Ban Ade, the more frequently one encounters water ghosts, and the greater the increase in strength, speed, skin toughness, and even the water ghosts' desire to attack.

It was a completely different species from the water ghosts he had encountered in the past.

Vesemir frowned deeply, then glanced at the dusty cloth bag peeking out from the half-open doorway not far away.

Perhaps these young witchers, and even Ailin, didn't realize it.

The impact of these water ghosts may not be limited to just abandoning a mill.

In Kedwen and throughout the Northern Continent, wheat grinding was done using water power, and the mills were built along the riverbanks.

The water ghost has such a strong desire to attack.

At least most of the mills near Ben Ade should have been rendered useless.

Before long, Ban Ade... no... even counting the war with Ard and the massive consumption of food, the whole of Kedwen will be in serious trouble...

Thinking of this, Vesemir glanced at Ailin discreetly and sighed inwardly.

Then he reprimanded the young witchers who, after leaving Kaer Morhen, had been jumping around like monkeys scrambling for food.

Unperturbed and as usual,

No sooner had Vesemir and Ailin left than the nameless village near Ban Ade began to stir.

Even villagers who didn't see the light screen flashing could find that the much-anticipated light screen had suddenly disappeared after asking their neighbors out of curiosity and looking up.

This is no small matter.

The "Zambadista's Spatial Isolation Barrier" has stood in Ban Ade for more than two months and has gradually become a familiar sight to everyone. In fact, it has become a kind of psychological pillar for some villagers who are worried about the sudden outbreak of water ghost tides.

Many people are busy every day with the goal of moving into that place protected by the venerable mages.

therefore.

The sparse village suddenly erupted into a great commotion, with everyone rushing noisily to the village chief's house, the one who should know the truth best.

"What's going on?!" The bald, patched-clothes-clad old village chief flung open the courtyard gate in horror, only to be startled by the crowd thronging the entrance. "Has another family been attacked by a water ghost?"

A cacophony of explanations erupted from all sides.

As soon as the village chief stepped out of his house, he was jostled by a massive crowd as he emerged from the path hidden by the mountain rocks, and he immediately saw the "bare" city.

"Old Toss, do you know why that Blue Shield disappeared?"

Although the village chief didn't seem to know anything about it, some people still asked with expectant eyes.

When the village chief saw this scene, his heart skipped a beat, and he also felt a little flustered.

Such a significant event as the disappearance of "Blue Shield" would, according to custom, be forcibly reported by the noble lords or mages of the city council if it weren't for some unexpected accident.

To prevent riots from breaking out in the surrounding villages and causing unnecessary losses.

There was no notification whatsoever...

Could it be... could it be that Ban Ad has been overrun by water ghosts again, just like two months ago?!

A terrible thought suddenly entered his mind, and his aging heart immediately began to pound violently. The village chief almost couldn't catch his breath.

But then, looking at the familiar faces around him, their eyes filled with panic and helplessness, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"I thought it was something serious... You're making a fuss over nothing..."

"Our class, Ad, is one of only two magic academies in the Northern Kingdoms, how could there be a problem..."

The old village chief managed to calm everyone down after a few words, but his own heart was still in turmoil.

until...

The clatter of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the village.

Several heavily armed guards escorted five mages dressed in black robes into the narrow village path.

The mage's black robe shimmered with dazzling silver stars, so mysterious that one dared not look directly at him.

Everyone kept their distance.

As they approached Ban Ade, they knew that the decorations on the mage's robes signified his status.

A black robe inlaid with silver stars...

This was a high-ranking monk they had never seen before.

Only the village chief, steeling himself, bowed and went to greet them.

"Venerable... Venerable Dharma Masters..."

Before he could finish his trembling greeting, he was interrupted by a "young" mage riding a shiny black horse from the center of the five mages.

"Are you the village chief?" he asked gently.

The village chief nodded repeatedly, bowing even deeper. "Master... Master... I am... I am... the village chief..."

The "young" monk smiled and nodded.

"Please find someone familiar with the area to guide us..."

He paused, then turned to look at the guard beside him.

"It's the Banla Mill, Senne. Sunny."

"That's right," Senne smiled somewhat sheepishly, then looked back at the village chief, "Lead the way to Banla Mill."