Double Yolks and Stoneheart's Stirring

The fragrant, soft body in his arms trembled slightly.

"Welcome back," she said.

In the hazy light, the girl's jet-black hair shone with a soft glow.

"I really don't want to bother you, but..." Nannick's voice suddenly rang out from the side, "You're blocking everyone's way."

In an instant.

The girl in Ailin darted out of his embrace like a startled rabbit.

Her fair face, with her head bowed, was flushed red as if on fire.

Haha~

"Let them continue, we don't care!"

"That's right! Priestess Nannick, we don't care!"

The surrounding soldiers started making a ruckus, their voices loud and clear, as if the night's fighting had never happened; they were full of energy.

Vesemir crossed his arms, looked at Ailin with a smile, then at Lyra, and his smile grew even wider.

Lyra, hiding behind Nannick, blushed even more.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ailin felt slightly uncomfortable.

In the end, it was Nannick who came to their rescue. "Master Vesemir, Sir Ailin, and Duke Mason are waiting for you at the city gate. Go quickly."

Ailin nodded quickly, glanced at Lyra who was still looking down, and pulled Vesemir, who looked like she hadn't had enough, through the crowd.

Duke Mason stood before the city gates of Arland, leaning on his cane. His eyes were dark, and his hair was disheveled, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

Some nobles and wealthy merchants from Arland stood around him, though their numbers appeared to be considerably fewer than when Ailin was knighted.

When they saw Ailin and Vesemir approaching, they immediately greeted them with warm smiles.

However, there was no lengthy explanation.

When Ailin approached Duke Mason, the Old Duke merely managed a kind smile on his deeply lined face:

"I heard it from Arthur."

"Very good, Sir Ailin, you are very good."

"I want my descendants to remember my life and bestow upon me the title of Blue Death ... no... now I should be called ' Godslayer ' Ailin."

The Old Duke gently patted Ailin on the shoulder:

"Granting you a title is definitely the wisest decision I've ever made; it saved the city I love most."

He gazed at Ailin quietly for a long while, his aged eyes filled with admiration and disbelief:

"By Cliff, who would have thought you're only fourteen years old?"

"I can no longer imagine your future."

"Perhaps you can make my name, like Siegfried who bestowed the longsword upon the hero Zatret Volta, live on forever, accompanied by the moving notes of bards..."

Ailin knew Siegfried.

Legend has it that Balmor was the family heirloom of Earl Siegfried of the Gudismund Dynasty.

When Zatrete Voluta's sword was broken by the followers of the Evil God, Siegfried, in his territory, gifted the sword to Zatrete.

It was with this sword that Zatret drove away the Evil God.

Therefore, this epic is also a classic piece for bards, and there is no bard who cannot sing it.

To enhance the mood and make the audience feel more comfortable, this classic piece is usually placed at the beginning or end of the performance, depending on the audience's status—whether it's a commoner's tavern or a noble banquet.

"Go back and rest now," the Old Duke said with a smile, patting Ailin's right arm. "I've fought in wars, and I know that at times like this, a comfortable bed is a hundred times better than a wrinkled old face."

"After the Falga's Rebellion, I looked at Gedymar's old face in King Vizima Square, babbling on and on, and I was so tired that I wanted to punch him a few times."

"Hahaha~" The nobles and wealthy merchants around them laughed heartily, displaying their high emotional intelligence.

After the laughter subsided, the Old Duke nodded solemnly to Ailin:

"Go, but remember, Arland will not mistreat any warrior who fights for her."

"Just like..."

He squinted and looked around at the crowd. "Arland will not easily forgive those who abandon her in times of crisis and leave without saying goodbye."

The noise at the city gate suddenly stopped.

As Ailin pondered the deeper meaning of his words, the Old Duke looked at Vesemir: "Arland will not forget the help of the School of the Wolf, Master Vesemir."

Then.

He made way for him.

The familiar carriage stopped by the city gate. Arthur sat in the driver's seat, changed his clothes, and nodded to them.

He had left through the portal beforehand to report the situation to the Old Duke and make arrangements for the wounded.

"Get in my carriage and go back; it's not a short distance from here to the temple," the Old Duke said.

Ailin and Vesemir did not refuse and walked straight toward the carriage.

However, halfway there, Ailin suddenly remembered Lyra and Nannick.

However, when he turned around, the two priests who should have been behind them were nowhere to be seen.

"What is it, Sir Ailin?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing."

Ailin boarded the carriage.

The faint scent of daisies seemed to linger on the tip of my nose.

A Wooden Hut inside the Temple of Melitele.

The rising steam blurred the space inside the Wooden Hut.

The wind blowing in from the window caused the candlelight inside to flicker, illuminating a man, or more accurately, a boy, wearing a thin shirt.

"Whoosh~"

The last ladle of hot water was poured into the wooden bucket.

The boy took off his clothes and threw them on the wooden screen that shielded him from the dampness, then slowly stepped into the scalding hot bathtub.

"Phew~"

Ailin let out a long, comfortable sigh.

In fact, as soon as he returned to the temple, he and Vesemir took a bath together in the temple's bathhouse and cleaned each other's bodies of stubborn bloodstains that seemed to have congealed in their pores.

However, Ailin, who had developed a habit in the Ancient Sea Fortress, preferred to soak in the bathtub in his room after a fierce battle, when conditions allowed.

This made him more relaxed than a comfortable bed.

"Unfortunately, the Temple of Melitele does not have a bathtub that can maintain the temperature."

Feeling the water gradually cooling, Ailin sighed, and with a flick of his right index finger, magic flowed through him.

"Glug~ Glug~"

The hot water in the bathtub churned for a while before returning to the most comfortable temperature.

Unfortunately, this temperature doesn't last long, and you have to use the Igni Sign to heat it up again, so you can't truly immerse yourself in the experience.

To be honest, he missed the bathtub that Lady Vesemir had given him.

"I wonder if Lady Vesemir has returned from Toussaint?" Ailin leaned the back of the barrel against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.

Wooden amulets carved in various shapes sway back and forth with the rising steam.

Even the most skilled assassin cannot kill a vigilant knight, and a heavily guarded king is often poisoned by his bedmate.

[The most dangerous people are those you know well, Ailin.]

Suddenly, Vesemir's admonition echoed in his ears.

If even Lady Vesemir cannot be trusted, then no matter how much preparation is made, Aretuza will be dangerous for him.

On their home turf, and being a warlock with a wide range of skills, more importantly, he was there for the enchantment of the Wolf School Master Set, not for "Sorcerer's Memory".

"This is difficult..." Ailin sighed.

"Gurgle~ gurgle~"

The steaming hot water in the bathtub made him squint his eyes comfortably.

"It's still early. Let's wait until Ghoul in Arland are wiped out before we talk about it," Ailin shook his head gently. "Who knows, things might be different by then."

It's not impossible.

After all, four or five months ago, when he left Kaer Morhen, he never imagined that the defense of Kaer Morhen would be resolved in the form of the great battle Kedwen and Ard, and the Wild Hunt's intrusion and destruction of Ban Ade.

In comparison.

Whether or not to go to Aretuza is up to him; ultimately, it's just a minor matter.

At least for now.

Then.

He stopped hesitating and, with a thought, opened the Witcher's Handbook.

Inventory:

Essence Fluid: 1 @#￥%&'s Element @#￥%&, 1 Summoning Ritual's Flesh Core, 1 Heart Essence Fluid of the Corpse Lord, 5 Monster's Nest's Core Nucleus, 7 Spiked Fiend's Heart Essence Fluid, 1 Grave Hag's Heart Essence Fluid, 15 Heart Essence Fluid of the Giant Ghoul, 90 Heart Essence Fluid of the Rotfiend...

Treasure Chests: 5 @#￥%&'s Chest @#￥%&, 5 Summoning Ritual Chest, 5 Corpse Lord's Chest, 5 Monster Nest Chest, 5 Spiked Fiend's Chest, 5 Grave Hag's Chest, 5 Giant Ghoul's Chest, 5 Ghoul's Chest, 5 Rotfiend's Chest

Experience Orbs: 163 Experience Orbs, 4002 Lesser Experience Orbs

A semi-transparent panel unfolded before my eyes.

Ailin's gaze was once again involuntarily drawn to the magnificent purple star-shaped mist...

"Not now." He suppressed the hunger that surged through every cell of his body.

He did not intend to use any of the Heart Essence Fluid, including the other flesh and blood cores, today.

When the body is in a weakened state, using this type of Heart Essence Fluid to enhance attributes will indeed result in attribute loss.

Anyway, there's nothing urgent going on right now, so I might as well wait a couple of days until my weakened state is over before using it.

He then turned his attention to the treasure chest.

Meritellie's blessings have their limits, and nine gold coins represent the limit of a bountiful harvest blessing.

Therefore, selectively opening treasure chests is necessary.

Not only that.

He had actually noticed this recently.

As his strength increased, his Conjunction of the Spheres brought about a "spiritual energy revival" in this world. The scale of battles he actively and passively participated in grew larger and larger, and naturally, the number and types of treasure chests he obtained after each battle also increased.

It's time to prioritize them.

"Da da da~"

Ailin tapped the rim of the bathtub with his right index finger, pondering carefully:

"The Evil God and the Summoning Ritual must be left behind. It's very rare to encounter this again. It's almost impossible to gather seven to fuse into a red quality. Once the goddess recovers from the Divine Art and blessing, we'll activate it as soon as possible."

"As 'otherworldly visitors' from the Conjunction of the Spheres, the Corpse Lord and the Grave Hag are very likely to unlock a power system similar to the 'Beast Roar'. Moreover, the Conjunction of the Spheres occurs once a month, so it shouldn't be difficult to collect seven treasure chests."

"Hmm... let's use the Goddess's Blessing of Harvest as the second batch of unboxing."

"As for Spiked Fiend, Giant Ghoul, Ghoul, and Rotfiend, there is no need to waste blessings on them."

"Although the world of Witcher does not have native monsters, they are mostly from ancient times through the Conjunction of the Spheres."

"But for the Witcher's Handbook's Notes, there is still a distinction between native and non-native monsters. After killing a monster that exists in the Northern Continent, it seems that you will only get recipes from the previous game or magical items that are closely related to the monster."

"The monsters that emerge from the Conjunction of the Spheres of the Witcher's Handbook rarely yield the recipes found in the game; instead, they produce all sorts of strange and unusual skill items."

"Although we haven't tried getting seven consecutive gold coins from local monsters yet, there's no need to waste blessings when the treasure chests are full."

"Certainly..."

"It's still necessary to get gold from monster chests that aren't Ghoul, demons, or hybrid beasts. At least you should open the low-level monster Sword Oil."

"But it's Monster's Nest..."

Monster's Nest are not categorized in the game, and their appearance is also unknown, so Ailin hesitated.

He thought for a while, and then heated the bathtub again with the Igni Sign. He decided to temporarily classify it as belonging to the category of Corpse Lord and Grave Hag, because the cause of the Monster's Nest was indeed suspicious, and the possibility of encountering it a second time was not low if he actively searched for it.

so...

"Are only Spiked Fiend, Giant Ghoul, Ghoul, and Rotfiend left?"

As is customary, Ailin praised Meritellie. Although the goddess could not bestow blessings at the moment, the proper procedures still had to be followed.

"Homage to the Mother of All Things, Goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth, eternal maiden, mother, and guardian of the old..."

[Ding! 5 Spiked Fiend's Chest, 5 Giant Ghoul's Chest, 5 Ghoul's Chest, and 5 Rotfiend's Chest have been opened]

Two gold, four blue, and fifteen white.

Oh ho!

Ailin, who had been lounging in the bathtub, immediately sat up straight.

A double-yolk egg, not bad luck.

Indeed, a sense of ritual does have some effect.

Both golden @#￥%&'s Chest had normal cutscenes, meaning they didn't contain any important information. It was more like excessive packaging, a way to enhance the prestige of the golden treasure chests.

So he quickly skipped over it.

[Ding! Obtained: Maribor Forest Potion Recipe, Demon Dust Bomb Recipe, Experience Orbs *8, Rotten Flesh*11]

"Maribor Forest?"

When Erin saw the results in the system notification bar, Ailin was stunned for a moment.

If he remembers correctly, the effects of Maribor Forest are also related to adrenaline.

Name: Maribor Forest

[Type: Potion Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV3]

[Recipe: Dwarven Strong Alcohol *1, Berberis Fruit *3, Giant Ghoul Bone Marrow*1, Drowner Tongue *4]

[Function: Accelerates the regeneration rate of adrenaline.]

[Note: I have good news for you! Maribor Forest can be used simultaneously with the Giant Ghoul Decoction. Of course, in a way, this is also bad news. Children at such a young age needing to supplement their kidneys—that's truly tragic!]

Upon seeing the note, Ailin's face darkened.

What does it mean to need tonics for your kidneys at such a young age...?

However, he couldn't argue with the notes, so he activated the Giant Ghoul Decoction function.

[Name: Giant Ghoul Decoction Recipe]

[Function: Adrenaline is produced faster than usual until the enemy hits you!]

Goodness.

Adrenaline is a great thing that can directly stimulate and multiply strength, agility, and reaction speed.

He couldn't even imagine how powerful it would be if both were used simultaneously.

Of course, putting aside the question of whether the toxicity is tolerable, can a Witcher's two kidneys really withstand such violent stimulation and output?

Ailin smacked his lips, feeling a slight emptiness on both sides of his waist.

[Name: Demon Dust]

[Type: Bomb Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV2]

[Ingredients: Saltpeter*1, Mushroom*2]

[Function: Releases toxic gases upon explosion.]

[Note: Whether it's toxic or not doesn't matter, the important thing is that it's cheap!]

If I remember correctly, Demon Dust is effective against werewolves, vampire night demons, blood demons, and forest genie monsters.

To be honest, when Ailin was fighting these monsters in the game, he used the same New Year's greeting sword technique and didn't really use Demon Dust much.

"Hopefully, in reality, Demon Dust can actually create a weakness attack effect." He has high expectations for this.

After opening the treasure chest, Ailin glanced at the total of over two hundred Experience Orbs and took a deep breath.

Then, with a thought, he turned the page of the Witcher's Handbook.

The Stoneheart, linked by countless withered veins, is restless and ready to stir.