Demon Hunter: I have a red gourd

Chapter 86 She Wants to Meet You in Person
"Why can't you do anything about them? Isn't King Foltest supporting you?"

Ivan was a little confused. "Roche, since you already know the names of these officials and have evidence of their treason, wouldn't it be better to just identify these corrupt officials one by one and kill them?"

Roche smiled bitterly, the helplessness on his face becoming more and more intense. He slowly shook his head, walked to a corner of the tent, poured himself a glass of wine, and then drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy wine flowed down his throat, but failed to dispel the gloom in his heart.

"Things are far from as simple as you imagine, Ivan." Roche's expression was complicated. "Although King Foltest supports me behind the scenes, in the Northern Kingdom, the king cannot decide everything."

"Temeria is not a monarchical country like Nilfgaard. Here, the nobles have a great say in state affairs."

"Some of their families have extremely long histories, even dating back to the dawn of humanity. For example, the Maribo family, the Kamani family, and the Elland family. The ancestors of these families accompanied King Dismodes in expanding the territory and making great contributions to the development of human territory."

"For hundreds of years, their strength has continued to grow, their wealth and power snowballing. At court, they have their own factions, able to influence the formulation and implementation of policy. Locally, they have their own fiefdoms and resources, and command numerous vassals and knights, practically forming independent small kingdoms. Even if King Foltest's policies are implemented, they can arbitrarily change and veto them."

"Many of the ministers and officials colluding with the South this time come from these families. Unless I have irrefutable evidence of their treason, I cannot touch them at all, not even King Foltest himself."

After a long silence, Roche let out a long sigh.

"Ivan, you're right. It's always better to discover something in advance than to be unaware of it at all. Thanks to your reminder, I was able to discover these things in advance. I'm lucky enough."

"So, what are you going to do about the threat from the south?" Ivan actually didn't expect that Roche could find so many clues. At first, he just wanted to give a casual reminder.

Nilfgaard's methods also made him speechless. Is this the strength and strategy of the empire?
"I have reported these matters truthfully to King Foltest. He took it very seriously and immediately promised to send a letter to Queen Calanthe of Cintra as soon as possible, warning her to be vigilant against Nilfgaard's conspiracy and infiltration."

"However, Queen Calanthe is a woman with strong opinions. I cannot predict whether she will accept it."

"At the same time, I will also intensify military training within Temeria to ensure they are always ready for battle." Roche's face was stern. "Do you remember that profit-seeking profiteer Pierre at the horse market? I've ordered him to help me secure war horses as quickly as possible."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "If it weren't for the fact that this profiteer still had some tricks up his sleeve, I would have hanged him on the gallows in Vizima the last time he sold me inferior fodder."

"As for other matters, time is too short. I still need to work slowly with the king. Ivan, the intelligence you brought about the Scoia'tael is good news. Since the demon hunter Brian of the Cat School is the murderer who massacred those villagers, perhaps I can have a good talk with the leader of the Scoia'tael."

Roche quickly displayed the qualities of an excellent commander. His mind worked quickly and he had already planned his future course of action.

Ivan suddenly thought of something interesting. The reason why Nilfgaard had been able to quickly conquer Cintra was partly because Cintra was completely defenseless and unaware of the ambitions and plans of the South.

Another factor was the sheer speed of Nilfgaard's attack. By the time Cintra realized the danger, it was already too late. Even if Cintra's many northern allies, such as Skellige and Temeria, wanted to support them, they were unable to do so due to the long distances and slow deployment of troops.

But things are different now. King Foltest had already issued a warning to Queen Calanthe before the southern empire attacked. Even though Queen Calanthe had doubts about this sudden news, or even completely disbelieved it, Temeria had already made preparations and was ready to deal with the war.

Once Nilfgaard gathers its army again and attacks Cintra, Temeria is likely to respond quickly and send troops to Cintra for support.

By then, could Emhyr still quickly capture Cintra and open up a passage for Nilfgaard to attack the North as history should have developed?
My casual reminder might have made the butterfly from Brazil flap its wings again.

"Forget it, Ivan. I know you're a demon hunter and have no interest in these complicated political and military plots." Roche walked over to Ivan and patted him on the shoulder. "However, I do have some news to tell you. It's related to the warlock you've been searching for. Well, it should be considered good news."

Ivan was still thinking about the various situations between the North and the South, but when he heard these words, he instantly became alert.

"What good news? Has the Temeria court sorcerer identified the origin and function of the gem?"

"Not yet." Roche shook his head slightly, a meaningful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Yesterday, I specifically visited the sorceress, determined to find out for you the origins of that gem." Roche said slowly, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "But who could have imagined that when she learned from me that the person who had commissioned her to identify the gem's origins was actually a young demon hunter, she instantly became interested."

"She's very adamant. She refuses to reveal the secret of the gem directly to me, no matter what." Roche spread his hands, his expression both helpless and amused. "She won't tell you everything about the gem unless you, the young witcher, meet her in person."

"So, you may have to go to Vizima yourself to achieve your goal."

A sorceress, wanting to see him in person? What did she want? Ivan frowned.

"Roche, didn't you say there are two court sorcerers in Temeria? Which one is this sorceress who wants to see me in person?"

"Yes, there are two court sorcerers in Temeria right now, Keira Metz and Triss Merigold."

"Triss seems to have something to do recently and left Temeria."

"So the one who wants to meet you in person is another sorceress: Keira Metz."

Roche winked at Ivan, "Kayla is a petite beauty. I'm not sure why she insisted you meet her in person, but I guess it's good news, don't you think?"

(End of this chapter)