Anna came to, clutching her head in pain. Clearly, the Crones' invasion of her will had harmed her body.
She asked, sounding somewhat deranged:
"Why...?"
Ever since the Crones had abducted her, she had resigned herself to growing old here and had never hoped to be rescued.
She did not want outsiders coming here, partly because she did not want anyone else deceived by the Crones, and partly because she feared that if word of her captivity spread, her daughter Tamara would surely try to rescue her.
She could not let her daughter fall into danger too.
"The Baron hired me. Don't worry, we'll get you out."
Although he had no fondness whatsoever for this woman, the White Wolf still showed considerable professionalism as he comforted his client.
"Never mind me... save these children! Save the children..." Anna muttered as though she had lost her mind.
Her behavior now was utterly different from when she had faced Chen Xu.
Back then, she had not cared whether these orphans lived or died.
Listening through the eavesdropping device while keeping watch outside the village, Chen Xu frowned deeply at those words.
Human nature was far too complicated. Even more skill infusions might never let him understand it thoroughly.
There was probably only one possible explanation for this shift between two entirely different attitudes:
The White Wolf's composure in dealing with the Crones had kindled her hope of resistance, whereas she had not thought Chen Xu capable of that back then.
The wife-searching party finally regrouped outside the village, and disagreements inevitably arose among them.
"Are we really going to do these witches' bidding? Eradicate some ridiculous 'dark power'?" Fringilla dreaded trouble more than anyone.
She wanted no part in something even the Crones themselves could not accomplish.
"And we don't know whether this so-called 'dark power' is good or evil." The White Wolf also stared at Chen Xu.
It was perfectly normal for him to raise that question. After all, an enemy's enemy might be a friend.
Besides, he was still thinking about Anna's words:
"Save the children!"
Where did the danger come from? Naturally, it was the Crones who had established the Trail of Treats.
"Judging by the orphans' builds, they're probably almost up to the Crones' slaughter standards." Chen Xu laid bare the White Wolf's thoughts:
"Once the children are eaten, Anna's already disordered mind will very likely collapse.
"But saving the children first would anger the Crones and trigger the curse."
"So first, we have to lift Anna's curse. Second, we have to keep the children out of the Crones' hands."
With the situation laid out clearly, it seemed even trickier.
The witcher pondered for a moment, then seemed to reach some sort of decision:
"Fringilla, sorry for the trouble, but please use a portal to send these children and Anna to Crow's Perch. I'll find a way to lift the curse."
In his eyes, the value of a life could not be measured. The Baron's wife's life was not necessarily worth more than an orphan's.
"That would be difficult, Geralt. Portals consume a great deal of power. I can't teleport a whole group."
Although Fringilla could just barely be counted among the top sorceresses, her specialty was illusion.
Being able to use an advanced spell like a portal was already quite an achievement:
"Besides, teleportation leaves traces. To anyone who knows even a little magic, the destination is practically an open book.
"The Crones could still track them down and seize the orphans, or even cause a greater disaster in their fury."
As things reached an impasse, Chen Xu suddenly pulled a pot from his saddlebag and began lighting a fire.
"What are you doing?" The White Wolf was baffled.
"Making them sick."
[Alchemy] activated, and Chen Xu poured in clean water kept in his storage space.
One after another, he added several sprigs of longrube grass collected along the way, oleander, and the harpy monster blood he had just obtained.
The Crones liked plump, fair-skinned "piglets," so Chen Xu decided to contaminate them.
"You want to poison the children?" Fringilla covered her mouth in surprise, realizing she had still underestimated how ruthless the man could be.
The White Wolf also felt this was highly inappropriate, but on second thought, it was a way to protect the children temporarily:
"Can you control the toxicity?"
Chen Xu had already surprised him so many times that he was no longer fazed.
Besides, while they were brewing sword oil earlier, he had clearly sensed the man's expertise in this area.
"Do you have any of that celandine left from last time?" Chen Xu meant the herbs the White Wolf had gathered in White Orchard to brew the [Swallow] potion.
He showed a trace of confidence. "Trust me, this will give them diarrhea so bad they'll question their lives."
Unnamed potion, 21 ml: Effect: taking 3 ml orally rapidly induces an allergic reaction in the human body, causing rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea, with a certain misleading effect. Symptoms are greatly reduced with Constitution above 8; immunity with Constitution above 13. A quack scribbling random prescriptions!
They injected the poisonous liquid into treats and handed them out to the orphans. Fringilla stayed behind to ensure nothing went wrong.
Chen Xu and the White Wolf headed to Downwarren to find out exactly what this so-called "dark power" was.
Downwarren was a mountain village beside Crookback Bog, less than ten minutes away on horseback.
The residents here seemed never to have gone hungry and were full of vitality. Calls rang out from taverns and merchants, and children ran and skipped through the streets.
This was quite rare in wartime, and was probably thanks to the Crones' protection.
The village ealdorman recognized the White Wolf at a glance as an emissary sent by the Ladies of the Wood, once again demonstrating the Crones' unrivaled control over their followers in Velen.
He volunteered what he knew about the "dark power":
Some villagers were indeed plagued by nightmares, and some had even sleepwalked away, never to return.
Their bodies lay beneath the enormous oak on the Whispering Hillock, and no one dared retrieve them.
The White Wolf made inquiries on his own as well, receiving answers identical to the ealdorman's.
This was where the Crones were clever: they achieved their ends through the mouths of the people, thereby breaking down the witcher's wariness.
Looking out from Downwarren's entrance, they could see a twisted oak as enormous as a mountain.
Despite the daylight, the place seemed shrouded in gray mist, sinister and terrifying.
Listening closely, they seemed to hear eerie whispers that could make one lose command of one's mind.
The Whispering Hillock... no matter how they looked at it, it was anything but benign.
"I told you, we should just go kill it. You had to ask so many questions." Chen Xu knew the plot, but clearly could not change the White Wolf's own thinking.
The closer they drew to the great oak, the clearer the whispers became.
Gradually, they changed from unconscious murmurs into warnings:
"Stand back! Leave!"
Had it sensed their hostility, or was it restraining itself, unwilling to hurt anyone?
There was no way to know.
They finally approached the foot of the tree. Bones littered the ground, and thick roots spread to every corner of the hillock.
A stone pillar glowing with golden light stood beside a cave.
A new Place of Power.
Chen Xu focused his senses, and the sound of long, steady breathing emerged beside the pillar:
"There's a werewolf beside the pillar. It should be resting."
His Reaction had now reached 16 points, just one point below the White Wolf's.
"Not just that. There's something big beneath the roots too." Geralt could sense more, and began applying sword oil.
He had dealt with werewolves many times. The unknown presence in the cave concerned him more.
"Wait a moment. Let me handle this one." Hungry for experience, Chen Xu immediately activated [Stealth].
His body's rhythm almost merged with his surroundings as he crept toward the sleeping werewolf.
When he drew close, just as he was about to plunge Moonblade into the werewolf's heart, a muffled rebuke suddenly came from the cave beneath the roots:
"Beast! Still sleeping!"
The werewolf jolted awake and opened its eyes. The despicable ambusher was right in front of it.
Terrifying claws four centimeters long swiped at him. Chen Xu barely blocked them with his silver sword, and both he and the sword were sent flying!
The White Wolf, who had just been admiring Chen Xu's stealth skills, cursed inwardly and joined the battle with his sword.
While the White Wolf took over the fight, Chen Xu quickly touched the Place of Power, extracted a skill point, then joined him in attacking the werewolf from both sides.
The witcher led the assault, while Chen Xu seized openings to land vicious blows on vital spots.
Like Ghouls, this kind of dark-attribute monster possessed astonishing regenerative abilities.
Fortunately, Geralt could use the Igni Sign to char its wounds completely and prevent regeneration.
The two had already developed astonishing coordination. Chen Xu discovered the werewolf's weakness and made the hand gesture for the Axii Sign toward Geralt.
In that single instant of distraction, Moonblade slipped between its ribs and pierced its heart.
The werewolf howled. Its eyes cleared for a moment, then turned lifeless.
[You killed a Qi Sense Lower Stage werewolf. Experience +200]
With the obstacle removed, Geralt used the Place of Power to recover, while Chen Xu dug one [Werewolf Mutagen] out of the monster's corpse.
The two cautiously entered the dark cave beneath the roots.
"...Have you come to take my life? Or to set me free?"