Otolan

The matter of Ban Ade needs further consideration.

After all, the involvement of the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative is no small matter.

However, while the involvement of the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative and Master Otolan added variables, it also filled the void left by Hen Gedimidis, preventing Ban Ad from collapsing at the first sign of trouble from small groups of Wild Hunt.

In a sense, it's a good thing.

"Are you really alright?" Vesemir turned his gaze away from Nannick's disappearing figure at the end of the path and looked at him with slight concern. "I mean, how were you just now?"

"It's nothing," Ailin shook his head, then hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Could you tell me in detail what happened just now, from beginning to end?"

"Certainly."

Vesemir agreed.

After a moment of silence to gather his thoughts, he recounted the details of the Evil God's oppressive aura, the dust it stirred up, the emerald green Primal Magic, and so on.

Ailin's eyes kept shifting.

This incident actually didn't last long, less than five minutes, if Vesemir and Nannick hadn't happened to be there...

Earlier, Ailin could have received the two of them before using the "@#￥%&" @#￥%&'s Element.

Later, Vesemir and Nannick didn't even have a chance to see anything unusual...

You won't run into them.

After a short while, Vesemir finished his narration and, seeing the uncertain expression on Ailin's face, his worries deepened even further.

"Are you really alright?" he asked. "What kind of alchemical experiment were you doing just now?"

He consumed the relics of Evil God and experimented on himself...

Ailin, of course, wouldn't say that.

"It's alright, I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I?" He smiled. "As for the experiment, to be honest, I don't know how effective it will be yet. I'll try it myself first..."

Seeing that the worry on Vesemir's face had not disappeared, Ailin thought for a moment, then comforted him:

"Don't worry, it is indeed related to that big-eyed Evil God, but it's definitely safe."

"I'm not sure what the effect will be yet, so I asked about the details to make a comparison."

Vesemir nodded, somewhat skeptical.

Vesemir is easy to fool. They've been together for so long that he's witnessed many of the big scenes that Ailin has created.

It was just a brief moment of the Evil God's oppressive aura; Ailin had even summoned the Goddess Meritellie before.

Moreover, from Vesemir's perspective, Ailin is already an independent Witcher individual, and Witcher Master equal to him.

Being overly concerned is also a form of disrespect.

More importantly...

Everything that has happened in the past proves Ailin's maturity and thoughtfulness.

Even the High Priest of the Temple of Melitele was willing to listen to Ailin, so what did he have to worry about?

He then stopped talking about the matter and changed the subject to the changes in Ban Ade.

"The kings will probably wait and see for a while," Ailin pondered. "Senne has acted too hastily and has already shown his weakness. Everyone knows that he wants to replace Hen Gedimidis."

"Do you think Senne won't leave Ban Ade with his men?" Vesemir tugged at his wide-brimmed hat.

"Unless absolutely necessary, it shouldn't happen." Ailin didn't dare to be too definitive. "Nannick just said that the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative is only allowing Ban Ad to 'stay temporarily'..."

"And isn't the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative itself a loose organization?"

Ailin looked at Vesemir with a searching gaze.

"That's right," Vesemir nodded. "The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative is really just a coalition of several chambers of commerce."

"The only difference between them and ordinary merchant guilds is that they are led by sorcerers, and the goods they sell are mostly magic-related products such as magic items, potions, Magic Material, and mutated creatures."

"They do not have the same power as Ban Ad, Aretuza, and the Circle of Druids in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and the Northern Continent."

Ailin nodded. "Then do you think Senne will give up his power in Kedwen?"

"Definitely not." Vesemir shook his head firmly.

"That's the problem," Ailin said, frowning slightly. "The king and the nobles know this, Senne himself knows this, and so does the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative ..."

"But the king and nobles need Senne to win over the wizards from the Wizarding Academy stationed in Ban Ade to serve as the walls of the Northern Continent."

"Senne may want to use the Wild Hunt's renewed attack to shift the focus of the problem away from the whereabouts of Hen Gedimidis by creating a sense of urgency."

"What does that Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative, or more precisely, that legendary mage Otolan, want?"

"Could it be simply because they are both members of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, and they are helping each other out?"

"Mutual support?" Vesemir interrupted with a sneer. "The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative is not that kind of organization. They are even more profit-driven than the dwarf bankers."

"There are also ideological differences between Otolan and Hen Gedimidis."

"Although I don't know the specifics of the disagreement, if the relationship is really that good, Otolan should also stand on the side of the king and the nobles and question the whereabouts of Henry Gedimidis."

A disagreement... Ailin had a flash of inspiration and felt that he had grasped the key point.

Given the disagreements between Otolan and Henry Gedimidis, how could Senne, who belonged to Ben Ade, be connected with the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative?

Otolan even disregarded the feelings of many kings and nobles of the Northern Kingdoms, openly offering protection.

"Does Otolan have any connection with Senne?" Ailin asked.

"Contact?" Vesemir paused, his hand still stroking his wide-brimmed hat. He pondered for a moment, still unsure. "I don't seem to have heard of any contact..."

"Senne is the vice-principal of the Wizarding Academy and spends most of his time in Ban Ade. The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative located on the border between Temeria and Hidaris, which are quite far apart, almost spanning the entire Northern Continent ..."

"What about the Conclave of Sorcerers?" Ailin continued. "I heard that the Conclave of Sorcerers holds various council meetings every year, but Senne and Otolan never get a chance to attend them..."

"Then there probably isn't a chance," Vesemir denied. "The Council is just a name; there's no such place on the Northern Continent. It's basically held at Ban Ade Academy every year."

"Henry Gedimidis does chair meetings often, but even I know that Otolan hasn't been to Ban Ad in a long time."

"The rumors of a rift between Henry Gedimidis and Otolan, and their differing ideologies, began because of this."

Vesemir paused, then continued:

"Of course, this is just a rumor."

"The warlocks are a bunch of lazy people. Hen Gedimidis and Otolan are much older than Chieftain Soyer."

"Henry Gedimidis may have had to attend because the council was being held in Ban Ade."

"Otolan might just be too lazy to go because it's too far away."

"Given their age and status, no one can restrain them."

"I heard, I just heard..."

Vesemir looked around and lowered his voice:

"Besides Tissaia de Veris, who advocates for the interests of Sorceress and attends the annual conference, the other two members of the Talent and Skill Association, Naxi de la Roch and Born Drummond, also do not go to Ban Ade very often."

"I would definitely attend the conference that is said to be held every ten years, which is attended by all warlocks, Druid and representatives of the authorities."

Ailin asked curiously, "Have there been any rumors of discord between Naxi de la Roche and Born Drummond and Henry Gedimidis?"

"It seems...there isn't." Vesemir frowned.

"Then Otolan probably really does have some kind of conflict with Hen Gedimidis..." Ailin thought.

He knew a little about Otolan from reading novels in his previous life.

In fact, Otolan's conflict with the Brotherhood of Sorcerers is not with Hen Gedimidis, as described in the book.

Unlike most wizards, Otolan dedicated his life to popularizing magic. He believed that the convenience brought by supernatural powers should be shared with the general public to promote the overall progress of society. To achieve this goal, he came up with many inventions.

Despite many of its legendary ideas, it has been difficult to truly popularize them. Many products have put the cart before the horse, failing to achieve convenience and affordability, and always remain in the prototype stage.

The defeat only fueled Otolan's fighting spirit, but the outcome remained unchanged.

After many failures, Otolan suspected that someone in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers jealous of him, or that someone preferred that magic be controlled by elite individuals, namely male and Sorceress, and therefore was unwilling to promote it on a large scale.

This is not surprising.

There will always be people who want to be superior and use various restrictions to distinguish themselves from others.

In fact, the Radical Faction led by Senne himself advocated that sorcerers were superior to mortals and that the power of magic should guide humanity.

It's just puzzling why these two opposing ideologies have somehow converged in this world.

However, on the other hand, while Otolan, who advocated for the popularization of magic, seemed to have a certain level of enlightenment, he was not a good person in essence.

Although he was dedicated to benefiting humanity through invention, he only considered the broader group of "humanity" in his mind.

In reality, the Otolan faction's research into biological modification created many monsters that roamed the world and killed many civilians.

To Otolan, these civilians were merely a costly sacrifice, a necessary sacrifice for the future of humanity.

A madman with a Frankenstein-like eccentricity—that's how Ailin described him.

Of course, those are things that happen a hundred years from now, or things that happen in books.

He didn't know what Otolan was like now.

"Our School of the Wolf's position on the matter of Ban Ade is similar to that of the kings and nobles of the Northern Continent," Ailin analyzed. "We all hope for a powerful force to stop the Wild Hunt."

"But at the same time..."

"The School of the Wolf, which is extremely close to Ban Ade, needs Ban Ade as a bulwark more than any other faction..."

"Shouldn't we consider the Temple of Melitele?" Honest Vesemir, hearing Ailin mention the School of the Wolf repeatedly, awkwardly put his wide-brimmed brown hat on his head.

Ailin is not actually considering the opinions of the School of the Wolf.

The School of the Wolf's opinion carries no weight in this matter; no one will listen... well... except for the Temple of Melitele.

What Ailin is thinking about now is the opinion that the Temple of Melitele has made to the outside world, the attitude of the temple.

Using the temple's authority to cater to the interests of the School of the Wolf seems... not a good idea.

"High Priest Ianna trusts you so much, you don't need to..." Vesemir hesitated.

"No need." Ailin shook his head. "Since Mother Ianna has given me the decision-making power, she must believe that the interests of the temple and the interests of the School of the Wolf are not in conflict."

"Moreover, the Temple of Melitele has nothing to worry about in this matter."

As a witcher who had met the Goddess Meritellie herself, no one understood the temple's interests better than him.

Solving the White Frost is the temple's fundamental demand, and the key to solving the White Frost lies with Meritellie, who says it is him. Therefore, his demand is the temple's demand.

When you think about it this way, Ianna's decision really does fit her identity as the High Priest of the Goddess Meritellie.

certainly.

Meritellie is Meritellie, and the temple is the temple; they are actually quite different.

therefore.

Ailin was very grateful for Ianna's favor.

"We still need to be careful," Vesemir advised.

Ailin nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

After speaking.

A moment of silence fell over the cabin as the two witchers pondered the potential impact of the intrusion of the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative.

Ailin wondered if Otolan's obsession with human modification might lead him to become interested in the body of Demon Source Henry Gedmiddis...

Then someone speculated that Otolan might also be coveting Ban Ad's wealth, and that Senne might have offered up a large amount of wealth, rare Magic Material, or some other treasure...

"There's too little information." Ailin shook his head, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Oh, right...

Information!

Isn't Arland a perfect candidate to inquire about the inside story?

"Is Lady Tissaia still in the temple?" Ailin asked Vesemir.

"I'm not quite sure," Vesemir shook his head. "They don't live in the temple; it seems the Old Duke has always been the one hosting them. Do you want to ask her?"

He frowned. "Tissaia de Veres isn't a bad person, but you'd better stay away from her."

"Just asking some questions," Ailin said.

Vesemir nodded, glanced at the night outside the window, and didn't try to persuade him further, "Then we'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'll go with you tomorrow..."

The faint sounds of fighting in the distance interrupted Vesemir.

It must be Ernie and the others who have returned.

"I'll go with you tomorrow. Get some rest. I'm going to check on those troublesome little brats." Vesemir stood up to say goodbye.

Ailin nodded and also got up to see him off.

"Bang!"

The wooden door closed gently.

Hearing the sudden bursts of shouts and complaints outside, Ailin curled the corners of his mouth and stopped thinking about Ben Ade's mess.

I listened for a while to the friendly interaction between the Witcher Master and the young witcher.

After they all returned to their houses, the area around the cottage became completely quiet.

Ailin let out a long sigh and opened the Witcher's Handbook.