Count

The more Ailin thought about it, the more he felt that these Monster's Nest seemed to have a similar behavior pattern to the Swamp Hag he had encountered near the Old Spearhead Cave before he came down the mountain.

They all appeared after the Conjunction of the Spheres, and their strength far exceeded that of their counterparts, and their behavior was different from that of their kind.

Especially the unusual behavior...

The Swamp Hag used the heads of water ghosts to build Jingguan to worship the Evil God, a scene he still remembers vividly.

It was because of this Jingguan that he was watched by the Evil God with the big eyeball, and had to go to the Temple of Melitele in Arland as soon as Ban Ade's Apprentice Combat Tournament ended.

It can be said that everything that happened in between—the attack by Thomas Morlu, the hunt for the Greater Griffin, the martial law imposed during the War of Vengerberg, the Gors Velen Wild Hunt, and finally, the May Festival in Arland ...

The whole series of stories originated from that strange Swamp Hag.

The behavior patterns of these Monster's Nest are also very strange.

The number of ghouls had accumulated to such an extent that they did not attack the village, but instead carefully stole corpses and captured wild animals in the forest.

This is absolutely abnormal.

"Could these Monster's Nest be like that Swamp Hag's, followers of some Evil God?" Ailin wondered. "Or perhaps the Evil God took advantage of the spatial fluctuations caused by the Conjunction of the Spheres to infiltrate the Witcher world..."

"This seems a bit far-fetched, putting the cart before the horse..."

"The Monster's Nest appeared after the Conjunction of the Spheres, but that's just my conjecture. And while the Monster's Nest is said to possess intelligence, it's still different from naturally cunning monsters like the Swamp Hag..."

"Does a Monster's Nest, which is extremely stupid at birth and merely a breeding tool for ghouls, only becoming a little smarter after producing Giant Ghoul, really have the potential to become a follower of Evil God god?"

Ailin was about to deny it in his heart.

He didn't really want the Monster's Nest to be a follower of the Evil God.

There is a fundamental difference between ordinary monsters and believers of Evil God.

It is in the nature of cannibalistic creatures to kill and accumulate corpses, but it is highly likely that the purpose of followers of Evil God gods to kill and accumulate corpses is to summon Evil God.

Just thinking about the latter possibility made Ailin's expression turn sour.

Etc!

There is still one factor that has not been confirmed...

The Swamp Hag came to this world through the Circle of Elements, to that Monster's Nest...

"Are there any magical places around here?" Ailin asked Arthur. "Or perhaps ruins left over from the Elven Empire era?"

"A place of magic... ruins..." Arthur was stunned.

"I'm not sure if there are any magical sites nearby; I'd probably have to ask Lady Agatha, Lord Mason's magical advisor," Arthur frowned, wiping the sweat from his brow. "As for the ruins from the Elven Empire era..."

"Sir Ailin, you may not know..."

"Vizima and Arland were built on the ruins of the Elven Royal Court, and Temeria is full of elven relics."

Ailin nodded upon hearing this; he had only asked casually, so he wasn't disappointed.

Ordinary magical places, apart from being richer in surrounding elements, are no different from any desolate wilderness. They are neither useful for enhancing magical talent nor do they produce any rare and precious materials.

Only certain occult professions, such as sorcerers, witch hunters, and witch doctors, might require such an environment when performing certain rituals.

Moreover, this environment can be replaced.

Just like the School of the Wolf's School Emblem only requires an environment rich in magic, it is essentially already a finished product. It can be activated by a sorcerer... or even a male or female witch apprentice.

However, ordinary people who live near places of magic for a long time are at risk of being corrupted by the magic and developing physical deformities.

Therefore, they have almost no way of knowing this occult knowledge, nor is it necessary for them to know it.

However, even someone as knowledgeable as Arthur couldn't explain the terrain of Mahakam.

There's a high possibility that this place has no magic at all; everything here is simply his...

"However..." Arthur interrupted Ailin with narrowed eyes, making Ailin's heart skip a beat.

Arthur looked up at the sky obscured by dense foliage, reminiscing, "But Derek seemed to have mentioned..."

"In the mountains behind his village, there is a dilapidated tower built in the mountains."

"Do you know where it is?" Ailin asked quickly.

"I've never been here, but when I was a guest at his house, Derek pointed in the direction, it seemed..."

Arthur paused for a few seconds, turned around to determine the direction of Moor Village, then took a few steps to the side, looked up at the position of the sun, and then pointed to a certain direction in the northwest.

Ailin's expression suddenly changed, and he bent down, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

"Smack~ Smack~"

The loud thud of flesh writhing echoed in my mind again, and the direction...

Ailin suddenly opened his eyes.

The direction was almost exactly the same as the direction Arthur's finger was pointing.

Ailin swallowed hard.

Even if you don't want to believe it now, you have to admit that the possibility of the Monster's Nest being a follower of Evil God is surprisingly high.

"What's wrong, Sir Ailin? Is there something wrong with that tower?"

When Arthur saw the sudden change in Ailin's expression, he felt a sudden emptiness in his heart, as if a great disaster was about to befall him.

Ailin slowly rose, weighed the pros and cons, and spoke frankly, "These seven Monster's Nest may not just be monsters that produce monsters; they may be followers of Evil God..."

"Followers of Evil God god..." Arthur's eyes widened. "The Monster's Nest ... Could those foolish ghouls also be followers of Evil God?"

Ailin didn't rush to explain, but instead looked at Vesemir, whose eyes were also wide open. "Do you remember why we came to Arland in the first place?"

"For the Great Old One's Curse?" Vesemir frowned. "Wait...you just asked about the place of magic... the Circle of Elements ...you mean..."

"I once encountered a strange Swamp Hag who used the head of a water ghost to sacrifice to Evil God," Ailin nodded solemnly. "I was Great Old One's Curse because I accidentally entered that altar..."

Arthur listened to the conversation between the two witchers.

He didn't know what the Circle of Elements were, or what their connection was to the realm of magic... and what was so strange about the Swamp Hag building the Jingguan...?

Arthur only knew that Master Vesemir's expression was becoming increasingly serious.

He... acknowledged Ailin's point of view.

Evil God even though Arthur wasn't a member of the Monster Hunter Army and only had a rudimentary understanding of mysticism, he knew that in legends, life... or more precisely, flesh and blood, were the most important materials for a certain type of forbidden ritual.

The followers of the Evil God have gathered hundreds, even thousands, of ghouls in this deep mountain...

What... do they want to do?!

"Arthur!"

"Arthur!"

"Ah!" Arthur suddenly snapped back to reality, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

"Are you alright?" Ailin asked with concern.

"N-nothing... it's nothing..." Arthur swallowed, feeling his throat so dry it felt like it was on fire.

"An evil... Evil God... is it real?" He cautiously looked at Vesemir, deliberately avoiding Ailin's gaze, and probed.

"I would love to say no," Vesemir said, "But unfortunately that is the most likely scenario."

"You yourself know how strange the behavior of these Monster's Nest is..."

"They've already produced so many cannibalistic creatures, yet they're only stealing corpses and haven't launched any large-scale attacks on villages..."

"Not only do they know how to place their weakest point in the most conspicuous place to show weakness to the enemy, but they also continuously learn and evolve in battle..."

With his worst guess confirmed, Arthur took a deep breath and calmed down.

"What can I do?" he asked.

Vesemir gave him an approving look. "Go back now and inform Sala of the situation here, tell her to be prepared, and also inform the Old Duke of this matter as soon as possible..."

"And the High Priest!" Ailin added, not forgetting the "Gaze of the Great Old One" that had caused him so much suffering. "Ask Mother Ianna if there's any way to avoid being noticed by the Evil God."

"And what about you guys?" Arthur nodded and asked.

"Ernie and the others will escort you back, we..."

"Master Vesemir!" the young witcher interrupted Vesemir with a low, disgruntled complaint.

"Listen to me!" Vesemir's eyebrows shot up as he reprimanded, then, ignoring the young witcher's resentful gaze, continued, "Ailin and I will continue searching for the remaining Monster's Nest, to see if we can find ' The Earl ' in the distance..."

Arthur worriedly said, "But Mahakam has a complex terrain, and it's easy to get lost in the mountains without a guide."

Ailin and Vesemir exchanged a glance and smiled.

"We'll find a way, you should go now... Ernie, Klar, lead everyone to protect Sir Arthur ..."

"Yes!"

"Knew!"

The young witcher answered reluctantly.

Arthur had originally intended to say that even the most experienced hunters wouldn't dare abandon their guide on their first trip so deep into Mahakam.

But the words were barely on the tip of my tongue...

As Ailin bent his knees and closed his eyes, the image of the Monster's Nest, which they had been searching for for two or three days, suddenly appeared before his eyes.

That nonchalant expression was still vivid in his mind. Arthur opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only say dryly, "Be careful," before disappearing into the forest with the seven reluctant witchers.

"Finally gone..." Vesemir breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the empty woodland after the large group of people had disappeared.

Seeing his expression, Ailin joked, "Is taking care of a child really that tiring?"

"You're not that much older than them," Vesemir rolled his eyes and said irritably, "And don't forget, Captain Ailin, you're the one who should be taking care of the kids, Witcher Master ..."

Amidst the laughter and chatter, the atmosphere eased somewhat after the young witcher and Arthur left.

"I've already notified the Good Girl she's here," Ailin suddenly said, her smile vanishing abruptly.

"Then let's keep going. By the time your Good Girl arrives, you might not be able to see what you want to see." Vesemir looked down at the dense, swarming carnivorous creatures in the valley, resembling maggots and sending chills down one's spine.

Then he tilted his head and asked, "Do you know the way?"

"No need to know the way..." Ailin shook his head, pointing to the other end of the valley, hidden by rocks and trees, "The ' Earl ' is there..."

——

This land was barren, overgrown with weeds, and countless trees of unknown species stretched out their twisted roots and branches like tentacles of a devil reaching out from hell.

What exacerbates this terrifying atmosphere is that despite the lush foliage and bushes, not a single living creature can be seen.

A faint, putrid smell lingered in the air.

"A clumsy attempt at concealment..." Vesemir said, looking around as he walked. "It's so quiet here it's giving me goosebumps..."

An inexplicably oppressive atmosphere lingered around them, causing Ailin to shrug uncomfortably.

"It is indeed clumsy," he said softly, "But it is also possible that we are close enough to it."

Smack

The sounds of flesh writhing in his mind seemed to be right in front of him.

A ferocious beast was devouring rotting flesh and blood, its intestines writhing as it digested...

Without needing to think carefully, just hearing the sound made him feel nauseous, thanks to the boundless imagination of humankind.

"Roar~"

A rough yet childish roar, accompanied by the sound of excretion.

Ailin knew then that another hideous monster had been added to the world.

"Are you alright?" Vesemir asked, looking at him with concern. "Should we rest for a while?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head, shaking off the discomfort of his mind being polluted, and pointed to the brown earthen slope blocking his view ahead, "It's just ahead."

It's definitely right ahead.

They casually jumped onto a bare hill.

Everything visible to the naked eye caused both witchers' pupils to contract simultaneously, and they involuntarily placed their hands on the hilt of the silver sword.

Red, bright red, dark red...

The filthy flesh and blood formed a carpet nearly a kilometer in diameter, covering the earth like a bloody wound slashed open by a sharp blade by Mother Nature.

The "wound" appeared to be wriggling with parasites. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that nearly a thousand ghouls were carrying the corpse...

Humans, beasts, monsters...

It stretches as far as the eye can see.

This vast valley resembled a slaughterhouse of flesh and blood, and the two witchers hadn't even seen the "Earl" yet.

In silence, the two witchers took a deep breath and released their grip on the hilts of their swords.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and a hint of fear in each other's eyes. Then, crouching low, they cautiously made their way along the ridge toward the direction where the ghouls were transporting the body parts.

"Phew~"

The mountain wind carried a strong smell of blood and stench.

"Buzz~"

"Buzz~"

The School Emblem hummed softly.

At the summit of a distant mountain, the domed tower reveals its dilapidated, crumbling shell, from which one can vaguely discern the ornate yet impractical style of the Mountain Folk.

Ailin immediately understood.

This dilapidated tower is the elven ruin that Arthur spoke of.

The two witchers then exchanged another glance and continued up the ridge.

Domes, arched windows, walls carved with large ships and dragons, then wide-open doors, and closed, bright red eyelids...

eyelids?

Ailin realized something was wrong.

Just then.

The closed eyes, clinging to the tower with bright red flesh and blood, suddenly opened wide.

His dragon-like red vertical pupils met his gaze.

Smack

The sounds of flesh writhing in my mind abruptly stopped.