Crossing the River by Feeling for the Child of Miracle

Ban Ad.

In a dimly lit, enclosed room in a Mage Tower, a figure with his eyes covered by a black cloth wields a metal rod as long as his arm.

The metal rod moved with effortless ease in his hands, as if it were an extension of his limbs, moving so fast that it left afterimages in mid-air.

Suddenly, several dark figures flew towards him from the side.

The figure's ears twitched slightly, and with both hands holding the stick, the right wrist gripping the end of the stick twisted, while the left foot stomped on the ground and the hip twisted.

"Call--"

In the blink of an eye, the metal rod pierced the air, emitting a sharp crack.

"Clap clap clap~"

The sound of breaking apart was almost continuous.

Those dark figures exploded into clumps of powder in mid-air.

There were several small teacups.

"Very good, Vilgefortz," someone clapped in the direction the teacup had come from, exclaiming in amazement, "I never expected that Moyuan would not only be so gifted in magic, but also so quick to master melee skills."

"I have nothing more to teach you in terms of staff fighting."

Vilgefortz removed his black eye mask, slightly out of breath, revealing a handsome but tired face.

He took a deep breath and naturally handed the metal rod to Lydia van Bradwater, who was walking over, and smiled at the aged-looking wizard:

"Your Excellency Vidal is too kind."

"I still have a lot to learn from you in the art of stick fighting."

The old wizard known as Vidal shook his head helplessly. "You're just too modest."

"The staff technique that I practiced for years to master, you mastered in a month. Are you mocking me?"

"Not at all," Vilgefortz, who clearly had a good relationship with Vidal, didn't argue and said with a smile, "It's only a little bit faster."

Vidal wasn't angry. He tapped him with his index finger and then made a couple of jokes, saying:

"Although I am fascinated by the ancient staff techniques of the elves, I still have to advise you that staff techniques are just a minor art. It's fine to practice them occasionally to exercise your body."

"But for a warlock, the most important thing is still magic and spells."

"For a gifted wizard like you, magic and spells are just enough; academic achievements are the most important ladder to advancement."

"Hospital... cough cough..."

He seemed to have mentioned someone he should avoid talking about, and coughed twice, somewhat awkwardly.

"Some research directions are only suitable for your Magic Source, and this particular point in time is very important..."

"I know," Vilgefortz, seemingly oblivious to the pause in his voice, still with that same smiling expression. "Staff fighting is just a personal hobby of mine. Ben Ade isn't exactly settled right now either, so he's just learning more to make up for his weaknesses."

"Things have been a bit unsettled lately," Vidal nodded, "But that's enough for now. We should spend more time researching protective spells..."

"Never mind."

"You are more skilled in magic than I am, so I won't embarrass myself by showing off."

"No, no..." Vilgefortz waved his hand.

After another round of polite exchanges, Vilgefortz gave Lydia a look, put on a coat, and saw Vidal out of the Sorcerer's Tower.

"This is Bonaventura's Steel Body Enchantment, which can enchant weapons with two effects: sturdiness and blunt strike. It is very useful when combined with staff techniques."

Vilgefortz took the gold-etched copper plate that Lydia handed over and gave it to Vidal was standing dumbfounded at the entrance of the Sorcerer's Tower.

"Bonaventura?" He stared incredulously at the etched bronze plate in his hand. "The Bonaventura of the Old Elven Court?"

"It's the one you're thinking of." Vilgefortz nodded.

"Take it, Vidal, I'm very grateful to you these past few days."

"Then... then... then I won't be polite." Vidal swallowed hard.

"You're welcome." Vilgefortz smiled as he watched him carefully put away the etched copper plate.

After putting away the copper coins, Vidal didn't leave immediately. He stood there for a moment, looking conflicted, then glanced at Lydia, took a step closer, and whispered in her ear:

"Vilgefortz, you shouldn't have refused the mission to cleanse the Free Elves ..."

"But it's too late now."

"In the next few days, Ban Ade will launch a war against the Free Elves. You... if you can take it on, then take it on; if not, then find a way to leave Ban Ade..."

"However, we need to hurry!"

He finished speaking.

Vidal gave him another complicated look, then left without turning back.

Vilgefortz leaned against the stone door, pondering Vidal's words, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Vigor?" Lydia called softly.

Vilgefortz snapped out of his reverie and glanced around casually, "Hmm, let's go back first."

"Thump~"

A heavy stone gate separated the inside from the outside.

Vilgefortz and Lydia entered the study in silence.

Inside the study, books, etchings, and ancient stone slabs are scattered about, not neatly arranged, but you can tell that they are stacked according to a certain pattern.

The carriers on which most of the texts were written were exceptionally ancient, with slender Elder Speech transcribed on them, giving the entire study an air of antiquity.

Vilgefortz sat back in his high-backed chair expressionlessly, and Lydia habitually poured him a glass of red wine.

"Regular warm water is fine," Vilgefortz waved his hand in refusal. "The college has called a meeting this evening, so I won't be drinking."

Lydia nodded and summoned a silver jug carved with the Lady of the Lake Chalice, then poured a glass of water onto the table.

"Thank you, Lydia."

Lydia shook her head and asked, "Vigor, should we prepare to leave?"

"No rush," Vilgefortz said, downing his glass of water in one gulp. "Senne and his Radical Faction are too busy to bother with a nobody like me."

"You're no nobody; you're a once-in-a-century source of magic, a true genius among warlocks," Lydia said reproachfully.

"At least for Senne, I am," Vilgefortz shrugged. "And it's not a bad thing, at least he doesn't give us much attention, which makes our actions easier."

Lydia paused for a few seconds, then gently placed the kettle on the table.

"Weige, we don't necessarily have to work for the Dean. Henry Gedimidis is Senne's personal possession, that's too dangerous."

"This is the downside of being an independent sorcerer, Lydia," Vilgefortz said, leaning back wearily in his high-backed chair. "While we enjoy a level of freedom beyond that of ordinary sorcerers, we will also eventually face dangers that ordinary people do not encounter."

"Ban Ade or Aretuza, we have to choose a side."

"And this isn't really a drawback. Having a choice is better than having no choice at all. At least you won't blindly follow a failed leader and rush headlong into the abyss."

Upon hearing this, Lydia hesitated for a few seconds before asking:

"Vigor, you don't think highly of Senne."

This is a certainty, not a question.

A source of magic is of extraordinary significance, and no faction would not want to obtain it.

Senne certainly extended an olive branch, but Vilgefortz rejected it.

"But why?" she asked, puzzled. "A month or two ago, Ban Ade might have been just an empty shell, but now, with Otolan in Ban Ade, the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate has moved almost all of its assets here to support and build the facility."

"Given that Archmage Naxi de la Roch in Novigrad was merely an elder of the City Builders' Alliance without his own power base, and Archmage Born Drummond, who lived in seclusion in the Dragon Mountains of the Henfors Alliance, was a reclusive hermit, the alliance between Ban Ade and the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate could almost represent the entire Brotherhood of Sorcerers."

"Aretuza doesn't seem to have an advantage."

"No one doubts that Ban Ade is indeed the warlock's kingdom that Senne spoke of," Vilgefortz did not deny, "The two largest forces of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers combined are enough to overthrow the entire Northern Continent."

"Then why?"

Instead of answering her question, Vilgefortz asked in return, "Do you remember the message that came from Arland more than half a month ago?"

Lydia paused, her brows furrowing slightly as she recalled the events.

"You mean the dean's exorcism of the Evil God?"

Vilgefortz shook his head. "It was Ailin, the Child of Miracle Ailin, who banished the Evil God."

Lydia remained silent for a few seconds, without denying it.

After a moment of contemplation with her head bowed, she suddenly looked up, her tone both incredulous and uncertain, and said:

"You think Senne has no hope because that witcher named Ailin is on the Dean's side?"

"Isn't this too..."

Lydia didn't continue, but changed her words:

"When you came back from Passerlon Forest before, didn't you say that the Witcher's identity was questionable?"

Vilgefortz shook his head, rose from his high-backed chair, and looked back out the window.

The gaze passed through the towering spell towers, through the Zambadista's Spatial Isolation Barrier, and looked out towards Ban Ad.

Against the backdrop of a blue magical barrier, the undulating snow-capped mountains seemed to be submerged in a cataclysmic flood, sinking into the deep sea.

"A child of only fourteen years old, who had just passed the Trial of the Mountains and become Witcher Master, encountered Conjunction of the Spheres that had not occurred for hundreds of years as soon as he came down the mountain."

"That Conjunction of the Spheres also killed the School of the Wolf's greatest enemy and turned enemies into bitter enemies."

"May Festival in Arland, the Wild Hunt killed so many people, yet he became a hero of Meritellie and was knighted because of the divine revelation he received from Arland."

"In July, immediately after we left, he subdued the Greater Griffin that was wreaking havoc in Vengerberg, thus completely freeing Ard's war machine. At the same time, due to Ban Aard's 'Doomsday,' he recalled the wizards from the front lines and marched straight down to completely conquer Kedwen."

"Not long ago, he once again single-handedly banished the Evil God..."

Vilgefortz turned to Lydia and asked meaningfully:

"Lydia, what is Child of Miracle?"

Lydia trembled uncontrollably as she pondered Vilgefortz's words.

In a daze.

She seemed to see the whole world enveloped by a pair of tender hands covered in calluses from swords.

Intrigue, war, politics, and the human heart are all playthings in his hands.

A biting chill seeped directly from the tailbone to the scalp.

"Besides, it's not just because of him..."

Vilgefortz turned back to look out the window again. "The establishment of the Sorcerer Kingdom is no small matter. This is not just the internal affair of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers; the eyes of the entire Northern Continent will be on it. In this matter, Senne is not qualified, far from qualified."

"Even adding the Otolan and Rissberg Civil Conglomerate won't work?"

"It's precisely because they're included that it's even worse."

"Otolan is just a spoiled dreamer. The Rissberg Civil Conglomerate is full of short-sighted businessmen who are unaware of their own shortcomings." Vilgefortz smiled contemptuously, as if he were not talking about the most powerful person in the world, but just a farmer in the village who thought the king was tilling the land with a golden hoe.

"They mistook the reflection on the water for stars in the night sky."

"If the Ban Ade and the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate do not unite, the northern states may turn a blind eye in order to prevent Ard from becoming too powerful."

"But even after uniting, their strength is enough to arouse the vigilance of all forces, yet it is far from enough to completely subdue the northern kingdoms."

"Without Ms. Tissaia de Veres, destruction was only a matter of time."

Lydia stared intently at Vilgefortz.

Vilgefortz, however, did not notice this, or rather, he did notice it but did not care.

He spoke almost to himself, his brow furrowed, and continued:

"The miracles created by the Child of Miracle are not the miracles in epics that bring the dead back to life or regenerate dead trees."

"He always manages to find a fulcrum to leverage fate, making everything unfold naturally according to his wishes..."

"I don't know how he became Witcher Master, how he orchestrated the Conjunction of the Spheres, how he subdued the Greater Griffin, and how he banished the Evil God..."

"But even in the seemingly impossible, there are still hidden patterns, patterns that we can use."

As he spoke, Vilgefortz lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

A while later.

"Never mind, there's still too little literature about the Child of Miracle."

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing his thoughts, and looked at Lydia: "If there are any requests from Aretuza, we can agree to them."

"I have some information about Henry Gedimidis's location. Tell them not to rush."

Lydia nodded slightly, then tilted her head as if suddenly remembering something, and said:

"Oh, right."

"This morning, when you and Vidal were training with the stick, the dean, besides asking about the location of Hen Gedimidis, also mentioned something else."

"What is it?" Vilgefortz asked curiously.

Lydia said, "She wants us to provide a map of Ben Ade, preferably with the locations of important figures marked. She said that once Henry Gedimidis's location is determined, she will send people to rescue him."

Upon hearing this, Vilgefortz raised his long eyebrows and his gaze fell on the Elder Speech text etching of the prophecy of the Child of Miracle, which was laid flat on the table.

"Send someone to rescue him..." he murmured thoughtfully.