A fantastical journey across the heavens, beginning with the Witcher.

Chapter 84 The Banquet

A warm, bluish-green aura emanated from Athera's body, and a voice came from within her.

"My lord, this place is close to the ley lines and surrounded by magical sites, making it ideal for releasing the Oak's Sleep. However, I need a few days to prepare the ritual."

"No rush, take your time."

Li De waved his hand, saying that Kaer Morhen had been peaceful for so many years, a few more days wouldn't make a difference.

Lambert, who was standing nearby, suddenly chimed in, "Now that everyone's here, shouldn't we prepare a big meal, as is our usual practice? I've been waiting for this day for ages."

Thinking about the food he'd been eating these past few days, he couldn't help but show a look of disgust.

"You have no idea what we've been eating these past few days. I didn't lose weight after being away for half a year, but I've already lost two pounds in just half a month since I came back."

The meals these past few days have been cooked by Vesemir. He coughed but didn't refute it, clearly acknowledging the fact that his cooking skills were poor.

Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Li De smiled and agreed, "Alright, let's have a big meal tonight and treat ourselves to something nice."

As is customary, everyone began their preparations.

Escal and Geralt are skilled at tracking and hunting, so they go hunting in the back mountains.

Lambert and Vesemir went fishing by the river. Lambert, who was usually the most boisterous, was surprisingly able to calm down and engage in this kind of time-killing activity.

Their most famous amusement is catching a mentally challenged water monster while fishing, one refusing to let go and the other pulling desperately.

As a result, he was pulled into the water along with the pole. If Aiskar hadn't arrived in time, the kid would have been a water ghost by now.

After assigning tasks, Li De asked, "By the way, where is Olivia?"

"She's in the study. That girl has been staying in the study lately. When she gets tired, she goes back to your room to rest. When she gets hungry, she just eats a few bites of bread to fill her stomach. If it weren't for the fact that there are no burns on her face, I would have thought she was an ascetic who worships the fire of impurity."

No one lingered any longer and went their separate ways.

Li De then turned and walked towards the library.

Kaer Morhen's library is not grand, but it contains many rare books, all collected during the Witcher Order's heyday.

Besides the monster encyclopedias and wilderness tales compiled by previous generations of witchers, the library contains manuscripts left by sorcerers within the Order, mostly research notes on mutation potions and human modification.

Without a solid foundation in magical knowledge, it's impossible to understand.

Li De had flipped through a few of these books before, but he was completely confused by them, and he never touched them again.

He walked quietly to the study door without making a sound immediately.

Olivia was sitting at the wooden table by the window, her eyes glued to the pages of her book, unaware that he had walked to the door.

After a moment, perhaps because Li De's gaze was too intense, the sorceress stopped turning the pages of her book and turned to look at the door.

Upon seeing who it was, a smile appeared on her face: "You're back?"

"Hmm, are you enjoying your stay here?"

"I'm very happy."

The female elf nodded gently: "They've been extra kind to me ever since they heard I'm your lover. I originally thought Mr. Vesemir wouldn't allow me to look through these books, since they're all treasured possessions of the Witcher, priceless and unavailable."

Li De shrugged, his tone somewhat dismissive.

"How could that be? What is honey to them is chaff to us. These books are no different from waste paper to us."

"Then you don't know how warlocks get along. They value each other's research data more than their own lives. If they ask even one more question, they'll be treated as enemies."

"You can watch it if you like, don't be shy. I'll have Ciri come and get you after dinner is ready."

As the sun gradually disappeared behind the mountaintop, the people who had gone out returned to the fort one after another.

Geralt carried a fat wild deer, while Escale carried several wild rabbits. They had already been bled, skinned, and their internal organs cleaned up, ready to be cooked in the kitchen.

Lambert carried several fresh fish around, swaying them back and forth, as if he wanted to shove the fish directly in Li De's face to show off.

With the ingredients in place, Li De got busy.

Kaer Mohammed's kitchen was simple but adequate. He lit charcoal, set up a grill, rubbed the cleaned venison with coarse salt and spices, and roasted it slowly over the fire. Large pieces of venison bones and fresh fish were put into a pot, spring water was added, and the pot was set up on the stove to stew over a high fire.

Flames licked at the roasting meat, the fat on the surface of the venison slowly melted, and drops fell into the fire with a popping sound. The rich aroma of meat slowly spread and filled the entire kitchen.

Lambert, who was already greedy, stood at the kitchen door and refused to leave, his eyes fixed on the venison that was gradually turning golden brown on the grill.

While Li De turned around to chop vegetables, he secretly took out a dagger, quickly cut off a small piece of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside roasted meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

He didn't eat alone, and even shared a couple of pieces with Ciri, who was also a "thief".

He had only taken two bites when Geralt, the kitchen helper, caught him in the act. Lambert, his mouth stuffed full, pointed at Ciri, whose cheeks were also bulging, and began to twist the truth and frame her.

"I brought Li Lu'er here because she wanted to eat it."

Ciri, who was engrossed in eating meat, suddenly froze, looking at Lambert with a shocked expression.

She wanted to spit out the meat in her mouth to explain, but she couldn't bear to part with the delicious flavor. So she could only stare at Geralt with her big eyes, silently proclaiming her innocence.

"Don't blame the little girl for being greedy. We're just tasting it beforehand to see if it's cooked through, so she won't get an upset stomach if she eats it later."

Lambert immediately put on a good guy act and solemnly defended himself, which made Ciri so angry that she kept hitting his arm with her little fists.

At this moment, the meat soup in the pot was boiling and bubbling. Li Desheng filled two bowls and handed them to the two gluttons, one big and one small.

"Have some soup to help you settle down, then go call Olivia for dinner."

Ciri sipped half a bowl of soup, swallowed all the venison, kicked Lambert angrily, pretended to be a ghost, and ran away in a flash.

Lambert, who was baring his teeth just a moment ago, immediately reverted to a grinning expression after Ciri left, nudged Geralt with his elbow, and boasted.

"How are you? The little girl has been much happier these past few days, hasn't she? She hasn't been secretly wiping away tears in the middle of the night."

"Should I thank you for bullying her every day?"

"You're welcome, it's what I should do."

"roll!"

After a while of laughing and joking, dinner was ready.

The group moved a long wooden table to the courtyard, lit a bonfire for lighting, and laid out roasted meat, wild fruits, and meat soup on the table. Several barrels of wine were also piled up next to it, clearly indicating that they planned to drink until they were completely drunk.

What can a witcher talk about at a drinking party? Nothing more than the various unpleasant things he encounters during his travels.

For example, a sister-in-law and brother-in-law fell in love and lured the sister into the forest to feed a brown bear. It turned out that the brown bear was not a real wild animal, but a skin-changing human known as a "berserker." After learning the truth, the sister-in-law was beaten to death.

Eskar was hired to kill a brown bear. After learning the truth, she sneaked back to the village in the middle of the night and killed her lover as well.

For example, a plantation owner's wife offered a large reward for information leading to her missing husband.

Geralt accepted the bounty and, after some investigation, discovered that the manor owner was an undisputed drunkard and pervert who would often act out when drunk and spout nonsense like "I want to exercise my right of first night."

On the day he disappeared, he came out of a widow's house and heard crying coming from the grove. He thought it was a girl who "urgently needed to be rescued," and in a moment of impulse, he abandoned his guards and went in.

It turned out that the girl's cries were actually a group of evil spirits playing homemade bone instruments. The lord himself delivered himself to their doorstep, giving the monsters, who had just finished eating, another meal.

Fearing punishment, the guard didn't dare return to the manor and ran away instead.

When Geralt returned to the manor with the lord's relics and the skull that had been processed into a musical instrument, he caught the lord's wife and the butler having an affair.

After discussion, both parties reached an agreement.

Geralt concealed the truth from the outside world, allowing the lord to remain missing; the lady, in turn, paid double the reward, and neither party pursued the matter further.

The various convoluted and absurd stories are comparable to a ukiyo-e painting full of scheming.

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