The midday sun dispelled a little of the gloom in his heart. Chen Xu pulled his drafty leather armor tighter around him and climbed a silk tree for a brief rest.
A breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying ash and the stench of decay. Though he was in a forest, it felt as if he stood on scorched earth.
A plume of black smoke rose from a nearby village, and he could faintly hear weeping. It looked as though they were burning bodies.
The downside of heightened senses had become apparent. Chen Xu could only close his eyes and rest.
Near dusk, judging that his horse had rested enough, he rubbed his numb cheeks, mounted Lizi, and continued on his way.
He had indeed set out a little too hastily. The distance from White Orchard to Velen was unexpectedly long, and unlike Geralt, he could not carry so much food and so many supplies.
But he had to hurry and catch up with Geralt, because he currently possessed information no one else had:
In the castle of Velen's ruler, the Bloody Baron, there was a hideously deformed little creature.
That little thing, whom the Baron's men treated as a jester for their amusement, was actually the powerful elven sage Avallac'h.
While protecting Ciri, he had been cursed by Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt. He had held out until he hid Ciri somewhere safe, then could no longer suppress the curse as it erupted, turning him into the ugliest creature in the world-Uma.
In the original story, he had hidden Ciri on the Isle of Mists. As long as they helped lift his curse, finding Ciri would take mere minutes.
As for why Chen Xu did not choose to head straight to the Isle of Mists, it was mainly because the journey was long and perilous.
Aside from storms at sea, icebergs, and submerged reefs, the countless sea monsters-ekhidnas, drowners, and harpies-would also pose a major problem.
Along the way, he might also have to contend openly and covertly with Chosen of various identities.
The worst luck would be running into the Wild Hunt. Those ghostly knights riding skeletal horses would appear anywhere connected to Ciri.
With his luck running out, anything could befall him.
The moon shone bright among sparse stars. The forest gradually thinned, and signs of habitation were rare even over several kilometers.
The air grew damp, and mud splashed beneath the horse's hooves.
The familiar swamps of Velen appeared.
Although Geralt had set out earlier, he first had to go to Vizima for an "audience with the emperor," so he probably had not arrived as early as Chen Xu.
Mist lay everywhere in the bog.
Chen Xu pushed his senses to their limits, carefully avoiding places where he heard breathing or bubbling.
Velen was unsuitable for farming. Most of it was uninhabited territory, a domain of monsters.
The highly poisonous yellow-green mist formed as swamp plants and microorganisms decomposed animal and plant remains was the very miasma that had killed countless people on Blue Star, also called swamp gas.
Its toxicity was more than even a witcher's constitution could withstand.
He saw smoke rising among the alders in the distance and rode toward it.
His most urgent task was to get his bearings. Signs of habitation meant there might be a signpost.
Having learned his lesson, Chen Xu had already taken the silver sword off his back and tucked it into his saddlebag to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Once he drew close, he finally recognized the way.
Crookback Bog, a place teeming with drowners and water hags.
Paths led toward the center of the swamp, with sweet candies and candied-fruit pies scattered along them here and there.
Bright oleanders and low bog birches flanked the paths, with colored strips of cloth occasionally visible tied to them.
This was the famous Trail of Treats. Children lost in the swamp or abandoned there were often tempted by the sweets, making their way deeper into the bog step by step until they fell into the legendary Crones' cooking pot.
There were three Crones in all: Weavess, Brewess, and Whispess.
They called themselves the Ladies of the Wood, and their worship extended across almost all of Velen.
They usually appeared as beautiful, alluring witches, using witchcraft and magic to help Velen's inhabitants through hard times, but demanding absolute obedience in return.
In truth, they were three ancient witches, grotesquely bloated and covered in foul-smelling, oozing sores.
They likened children to tender little piglets, believing that youthful flesh and blood could preserve magical power and beautiful bodies.
The colored strips of cloth on those bog birch bushes were the most desperate marks the children had left before their deaths.
The witches had thoroughly disgusted Chen Xu on his first playthrough. Now that he had to face them in person, he truly lacked a little courage.
As he ventured deeper into the alder woods, a tiny settlement consisting of just two buildings appeared before him.
Like rivers flowing into the sea, the branches of the Trail of Treats converged on a churchlike wooden house.
The other building, a thatched cottage, stood at the entrance to the village. Cold, damp wind poured constantly through its loosely fitted plank walls.
He heard laughter. One, two, three... five young children were playing hide-and-seek in front of the door, enjoying themselves.
A chubby little boy wearing a felt cap came to hide by the haystack beside the house, only to be frightened back by a tall, dark figure.
"Ah-Gran!"
His terrified scream brought the other children and a white-haired old woman whose bearing and manners were quite dignified.
Her long dress was made of fine fabric in vivid colors, not something an ordinary peasant woman could own.
"It's too late! You should all have gone to bed long ago!"
The old woman scolded the children sternly, but her thin, withered hand gently patted the back of the boy who had flung himself into her arms.
"Who are you?" Shielding the children behind her, she stared warily up at Chen Xu on his tall horse and demanded, "Strangers aren't welcome here."
"Don't be nervous. I'm just a lost traveler." Apart from the signpost here, Chen Xu had another reason for risking the Crones' attention by coming: there was something he wanted to confirm.
This old woman was actually Anna, the wife of Velen's lord. Because of the Baron's drinking, domestic violence, and other problems, she had run away from home with her daughter.
She was a follower of the Ladies of the Wood. The Crones had captured her to raise these orphans, fattening them up until they were ready for the pot.
The Baron was currently searching for his wife and daughter. Chen Xu could exchange her for anything he wanted from him.
But he could not simply tie the old woman up and take her away.
First, the Crones' hands and ears were everywhere in the forest. Such powerful beings could easily discover his little maneuvers, causing unforeseen trouble.
Second, he was unwilling to forcibly deliver a woman into the hands of an abusive husband. Rashly interfering in someone else's family affairs was unwise and could leave both sides blaming him.
Besides, without her to look after them, there was no telling what would become of these orphans.
"Could you tell me the way out of the forest, and give me a little food while you're at it?" Chen Xu took out a handful of gold coins. "Use the rest to get the children some better food."
"Wait here." The old woman did not take the coins. They had no shortage of food; all the costs of raising the children were covered by the diners.
She herded the children back into the cottage, wrapped a piece of bread in cloth, and brought it out to Chen Xu. Pointing to the signpost at the village entrance, she said coldly:
"Follow this road north, and don't come back to bother me."
Chen Xu nodded. As he took the bread, he asked casually, "I heard these children are all going to be fed to the Crones. Is that true?"
After some inward hesitation, he still wanted to hear Anna's answer.
The old woman trembled, but showed no panic. "Mind your words, young man. This is the divine realm of the Ladies of the Wood.
These homeless little ones wouldn't survive a day out there. Here, they can eat well, dress warmly, and have a real childhood. Isn't that a good thing?"
She muttered neurotically, sounding more as though she were hypnotizing herself.
She had not denied it. That made things easy.
In Chen Xu's eyes, this old woman was the most disgusting person in the original story.
While her husband was away serving in the army, she had carried on an affair with her childhood sweetheart.
After their affair was discovered, the Baron, consumed by rage, had cut Anna's childhood sweetheart to pieces.
From then on, she had treated her husband as an enemy and made several attempts to murder him.
No matter how the Baron tried to make amends and atone, all he received in return were cold looks and the most vicious slander.
She had even begged an evil god to abort her husband's child, then deliberately pinned the blame for that sin on the drunken Baron.
Now, knowing full well that she was raising these "little piglets" for the Crones, she still acted as though she were doing what was best for the children.
Chen Xu had the answer he wanted.
Following the signposts, he spurred his horse onward and finally reached his destination as dawn approached:
The Bloody Baron's castle-Crow's Perch.