Ailin's City

Ianna paused, turned back, and smiled kindly. "Good child, although it's not very polite to say it like this, the descent of Evil God is no longer something that demon hunters can get involved in."

"Alright then," she said, noticing the change in the expressions of the witchers, "You stay in the temple and try to refine as much Necrophage Oil as possible."

"We need more soldiers to deal with ghouls, but we don't have enough silver weapons..."

This is not something a Witcher should get involved in... Ailin paused, then exchanged bewildered glances with Vesemir.

How is that possible?

Leaving aside the Sorceress of Aretuza, the Old Duke is summoning all the soldiers, including the farmers with pitchforks and the frail, elderly priests from the temple, to the battlefield...

They, the witchers, are experts at dealing with monsters.

He organized his thoughts and said, "We will certainly try our best to refine the Necrophage Oil before the operation. What I mean is, during the operation?"

"I also mean in action." Ianna's expression was serious.

The basement was quiet for a while.

"Eh~"

Ianna sighed, walked to the door, and gently closed it.

"In the 8th century, warlock leaders Jan Becker, Zambadista, and Joffrey Monk signed a non-aggression pact with the authorities, priests, and Druid, forming the ' Novigrad Alliance ' and facilitating the separation of warlocks from state power."

"While the Novigrad Alliance's treaty is essentially designed to clarify the boundaries of rights for users of supernatural powers, it also stipulates many shared responsibilities..."

Ailin stared blankly at Ianna, wondering why they were being given a history lesson at this time.

However, out of respect, he did not interrupt.

Vesemir's gaze shifted thoughtfully between Ianna and Ailin.

"For example, prohibiting necromancy, prohibiting magical experiments on living people, and prohibiting superhumans from usurping power..."

When she spoke of human experimentation, Ianna paused, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes as she looked at Ailin:

"Of course, some of these treaties are not strictly enforced..."

"But there's only one thing that's absolute..."

"When Evil God from another world wants to descend, warlocks, nobles, priests, and Druid must unite unconditionally to drive out the Evil God."

Ailin frowned.

"There are no witchers, Ailin," Ianna said. "Warlocks, nobles, priests, Druid, but exorcising Evil God has never been the witcher's duty, and you don't need to join in."

"But..." Ailin started to say something, but was interrupted by Ianna waving her hand:

"I haven't finished speaking yet. If it's like last May Festival, when hundreds of demons attack, I won't stop you. I will even beg you to stay for the sake of Arland."

"But the obstacle to the Summoning Ritual is several thousand large monsters of varying strengths."

"This is a war."

"War emphasizes collective cooperation rather than individual bravery."

"Your role will not be as significant as you imagine."

"Faced with thousands of ghouls," Ianna glanced at the eight witchers who were still children, then looked earnestly at Ailin, "Nine witchers would be of no use in the war and would only make it easier to disrupt the formation. It would be better to stay in the temple and make Sword Oil."

"I think even if Vesemir were here, she would agree with my idea."

Ailin remained silent for a long time without refuting it.

Because he knew that Ianna was actually right.

In the military, individual bravery is less important than strict discipline.

These nine witchers, without any prior training or coordination, were temporarily deployed into the Old Duke's army, which greatly increased the likelihood of problems arising.

Witchers have superior strength, but when hunting monsters, they are inevitably separated from ordinary soldiers or hampered by the army, thus failing to exert their full strength.

The orders came from top to bottom, which deviated from the witcher's experience. Should they be obeyed or not?

And so on.

These problems can be addressed through training and adjustment, but unfortunately, time doesn't allow them to do so.

"How does Mother Ianna plan to exorcise the Evil God?" Ailin changed the subject.

"There's no special tactic." Ianna breathed a sigh of relief. "Your search must have alerted the Evil God. With ghouls everywhere on the southern slopes of Mahakam, we can only push through Monster's Nest Monster's Nest one by one."

"The Old Duke's elite soldiers will protect the Sorceress and the temple priests as they advance step by step toward the site of the Evil God's ritual."

"Certainly..."

"This simple approach is also the most suitable for the current situation."

"Tissaia de Veris is the Dean of the Aretuza Academy, one of the five members of the Central Talent and Skill Association of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, and the most powerful Sorceress in the Northern Continent."

"The average quality of the Sorceress in Aretuza far surpasses that of the male wizards in Ban Ade."

"In addition, the priests of Meritellie, though not as skilled in exorcism as Cliff's followers, were also granted Divine Art by the goddess to combat evil..."

"The enemy is just a bunch of ghouls."

Ianna narrowed her eyes slightly, then suddenly sighed:

"It's a pity that Henry Gedimidis's fate is currently unknown, and Ban Ad also has his own troubles. Otherwise, if the two strongest forces of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers joined forces, their chances would be even greater."

"But don't worry, Ailin, we still have a good chance of winning."

Ailin nodded, seemingly agreeing with her statement. After thinking for a moment, she turned back and made the arrangements:

"Ernie, Klar, you two take the rest of the group and go refine some Necrophage Oil. Vesemir and I will come find you in a bit."

"What about the materials?" Ernie asked.

"Go find Lyra," Ianna added. "She'll take care of it."

The young witchers exchanged glances, then looked at Vesemir before leaving one after another.

"Bang!"

The wooden door was closed.

Ailin twitched his ears, listening to the footsteps gradually fade away, while his gaze fell on the broken ritual circle on the ground.

The candlelight flickered, bright and clear.

But the more he observed the distorted chalk drawings he had created on the ground, the more he felt a sense of distortion and being watched.

"Mother Ianna, 'Rituals are always fragile before they are completed,' that's what you taught me more than a month ago," Ailin suddenly said. "If I could find a way to drop Dwarven Bomb from the sky, this ritual..."

"It's no use." Ianna didn't ask him how to fly, and simply shook her head, rejecting his idea.

"The Summoning Ritual is special."

"Since you can describe the ritual, you should have seen it too. Although I call it Summoning Ritual, it is actually a powerful demon with some characteristics of Evil God."

Ailin nodded.

The scene of his entire body, including his eyes and tentacles, falling apart was truly unforgettable.

Ianna continued, "Because it is a powerful monster, it has everything a monster should have, including the Summoning Ritual, and it has also been specially enhanced with magical favor and recovery power."

"It can be immune to most magical damage and can also recover quickly by devouring nearby ghouls."

Ianna sighed, "So a sneak attack is useless. The only way is to use absolute power to eliminate its followers, kill the ritual, and banish the Evil God..."

Magical favor, restorative power...

Ailin pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Alright, that's enough Q&A," Ianna waved her hand. "Go and make Necrophage Oil. Every bottle you make might save one life on the front lines."

"If you can stop this resurgence of the Evil God, Mason will reward you handsomely."

After speaking.

She turned and left the basement.

"Mother Ianna, just in case, could you give us a few amulets that can shield us from the influence of Evil God?" Ailin hurriedly caught up.

"Don't even think about it," Ianna refused decisively. "There's no such thing as 'what if.' Just stay in the temple and make Sword Oil. Even if the Evil God is resurrected, he doesn't have the ability to break into the temple."

Then she quickened her pace, left the basement, went up the stairs, and walked out of the library.

I jogged all the way.

The old lady was quite old, but she was surprisingly fast.

Ailin chased after him, trying to persuade him along the way.

But she stubbornly refused to budge, until...

"The Evil God will surely revive," Ailin whispered as he chased after him.

Ianna paused in her tracks.

She looked up at the setting sun, which was obscured by layers of dark clouds, but did not turn around.

After letting out a deep sigh, he quickened his pace.

The Evil God will inevitably rise again.

If there is any hope or possibility, Ianna will not let the School of the Wolf witchers like Ailin go, especially Ailin and Vesemir.

It's important to know that although Arthur had been following them the whole time, only Ailin and Vesemir found the location of the Summoning Ritual.

Although they have already described the location, the Old Duke and Ianna will surely find the most experienced guide.

But in the mountains, what guide could compare to two witchers who had personally been there?

No.

As experienced witchers, they even know how to deal with Ghoul, Rotfiend, Giant Ghoul, and Spiked Fiend.

War, in a sense, is a game of exchanging pieces.

Even with the addition of the Witcher, there is a real possibility that it could hinder the march.

Are we really going to just give up such a huge advantage?

A giant Giant Ghoul requires the lives of several soldiers, several Sorceress, and several temple priests to exchange for.

What right does Ianna have to stop them?

The Temple of Melitele is a temple for everyone.

If there were enough chances of survival, would Ianna give up any possibility of preventing the Evil God's resurgence and stop them from participating?

The claim that "the Novigrad Alliance treaty does not include Witchers" is just an excuse. Witchers hadn't even been created in the 8th century, so how could a contract be signed?

The Evil God was bound to revive, and even Ianna herself, who devised the plan, had no certainty, which is why she stopped them from going.

Although Ailin himself didn't know why he held such a high position in Ianna's heart, even surpassing the other priests of the Temple of Melitele...

"Are you really going to obediently go back and boil oil?" Vesemir, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly asked.

"Of course not!" Ailin looked away. "I like this city."

If Ban Ade were to be invaded by Evil God, or even in any other unfamiliar city, giving up would be the end of it.

But Arland is different, completely different.

The city loved him; his name was spoken everywhere, poems featuring him were sung, and he was known to everyone he went to...

He likes this city.

What are your plans?

"Amulets to shield against the influence of Evil God are necessary, but..." Ailin shook his head, "But the Temple of Melitele doesn't only have Ianna as a priest."

After speaking.

Ailin headed straight east, but after a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Vesemir:

"This matter is related to..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Vesemir interrupted irritably, slapping his head hard. "You're my traveling apprentice, not fully independent yet, and you already want to abandon me?"

"No need to even think about it!"

"You have that much faith in me?" Ailin scratched his head and smiled helplessly. "That's an Evil God Evil God equal to, or perhaps even more powerful than, the ' Centipede Skull Serpent,' who destroyed three great cities and caused the deaths of nearly 100,000 people three hundred years ago..."

"Will you allow Him to be summoned?"

"Won't."

"Then what do I have to worry about? Instead of trying to persuade me to leave, you should think more about how to use your sweet talk to get Lyra to help us get the amulet."

"How did you know I was planning to look for Lyra?" Ailin looked at Vesemir in surprise.

"Hmph~" Vesemir snorted smugly, "Does this even need thinking?"

"Which lovestruck little girl in the Temple of Melitele not only has the ability to obtain the amulet, but is also willing to risk offending the temple's High Priest to give it to us..."

Ailin lowered his head and walked straight ahead without saying a word.

Vesemir snorted smugly twice and pressed down on his Black Wide-brimmed Hat.

"Thank you, Vesemir."

The keen Witcher Senses detected the almost inaudible sound.

Vesemir's lips curled into a smile as he inhaled the vibrant human scent wafting from the foot of the mountain.

"You're welcome. I also really like this city."

When Ailin found Lyra, she was leading Ernie and several Klar witchers, each carrying a cauldron, as well as several baskets of Dog Oil and dandelions, toward the witchers' quarters.

"Amulet?" She put down a finely crafted crucible with difficulty.

"That's right, it's best if it can withstand the Great Old One's Curse."

Ailin looked down.

It is obvious that this crucible was prepared for him.

Because the other crucible was somewhat old, it was being held by the priest's apprentice, who was watching him curiously from a distance.

"Can you find it now? We're... in a bit of a hurry..."

Lyra's expression suddenly became strange, looking hesitant, but neither like she couldn't find it, nor like she wanted to stop it.

"What's wrong?" Ailin asked. "Can't you find it?"

Lyra gently shook her head. "With me..."

The few words, barely uttered, were still unspoken.

"Lyra!"

Suddenly, Nannick's shouts came from afar.

Ailin's heart skipped a beat.

He exchanged a glance with Vesemir.

The situation seems to be getting worse.