The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Chapter 118 Halma and Lev

On Udvik Island, after bidding farewell to Harold, Ron and his party searched northward along the giant ship. The scene along the way became increasingly horrific, with broken shields and shattered spears scattered by the roadside, and occasionally a few corpses of the expedition members, already frozen stiff.

After passing through the snow-covered coniferous forest, the view suddenly opened up, and a lake appeared before them. The lake's surface reflected the majestic snow-capped mountains like a mirror, and a dilapidated building stood atop the distant mountain peak.

Ron pointed to a building in the distance and asked, "Is that the Todaro family's workshop?"

Floren stopped and took a breath.

"Yes, the Todaloch family was once famous for producing the sharpest swords in the archipelago. After the giants awoke, most of the people here fled to Greater Skellige. Are you interested in their workshops?"

Ron nodded. "How do we get there? This is the only way to get to the other side of the snow mountain, right?"

Floren pointed to the fork in the road ahead. "There are two paths. You can go straight through the mine at the foot of the mountain, but there are definitely monsters there. The other way is to go up the ridge, which is farther, but safer."

"Let's take the mountain path," Ron decided decisively. "The terrain in the mine is complicated, and we're not familiar with the route, which could cause unnecessary casualties."

Floren nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the ridge.

The group climbed up the mountain path, and soon the Toda Luoqu Workshop came into view. The huge wooden building was covered with frost, and the workshop, which should have been brightly lit, reeked of blood.

Titus led a group of soldiers to explore the cave on the left.

Ron pushed open the door of the building on the right and entered the room. The moment he did, even the regular army soldiers behind him, who were used to seeing life and death, couldn't help but frown.

The thick iron hooks hanging from the roof beams were laden with corpses, all members of the expedition team. Blood dripped continuously onto the ground, and a strong stench of decay filled the air.

Floren covered his nose, his gaze quickly sweeping over the corpses, seemingly searching for something. "That damn giant! It used this as a food storage room. More than twenty people are dead, but I haven't seen Halma. He's probably still alive!"

"The Great One" Titus emerged from a cave on the side, followed by two soldiers pushing a simple wooden cart loaded with tools.

"We found the forging tools you requested nearby, but they are quite heavy. If we bring them all, at least two sergeants will be unable to participate in the battle in time."

Ron glanced at the heavy forging tools and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it for now. We'll come back for them after we're done. The forging hammer and anvil aren't going to grow legs and run away."

Titus nodded, and the group regrouped and continued along the mountain path. They had just rounded the steep rock face when a roar suddenly came from afar.

Floren's eyes lit up. "It's Harma's voice! He's nearby, seemingly fighting some kind of enemy!"

Ron gestured behind him, and the group quickened their pace, passing through low bushes. At the foot of the mountain, an abandoned village appeared, most of the buildings of which had collapsed. In mid-air, two female sirens were swooping down.

A red-haired man stood in the middle of the village, gripping a sword, his roar clearly audible.

"Spears!" Ron stretched out his right hand.

A regular soldier handed him a broadsword-wielding spear. Ron stepped forward with his left foot, leaned back sharply, and stretched his arm muscles to their limit. He held this position, his chest heaving twice to gather his strength.

boom!

The moment the heavy spear left his hand, a muffled explosion resounded through the air. The spear vanished, and Floren, standing nearby, felt a rapid gust of air brush against his cheek. He instinctively closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the heavy spear was already in front of the siren. The attack was not very precise, it just grazed her, but the terrifying destructive power was chilling. The siren let out a miserable howl, a huge cavity burst out of her side, and half of her body turned into a rain of blood as she crashed heavily to the ground.

The other siren was terrified by its companion's tragic state and turned to flee, but Cassius had already drawn his longbow. The bowstring vibrated, and a heavy armor-piercing arrow pierced the monster's back, bringing it down from the sky.

The group walked quickly toward the center of the village. The red-haired man looked up and grinned.

"Florence! Haha, you bastard, you're still alive!" The red-haired man sheathed his blood-stained sword and strode forward, his face beaming with ecstatic joy. "You even brought reinforcements!"

"I almost died!" Fren punched Halma in exasperation. "If Ron hadn't saved me, I'd be troll shit by now!"

"Who threw that javelin just now? That was amazing!" His voice was rough and loud, and his gaze swept over Ron and the regular army soldiers with curiosity.

Ron didn't reply, his gaze passing over Halma to the man behind him. The man's face was deathly pale, and blood stained most of his body. "He seems to be badly injured."

"Yes, thankfully you showed up in time," Halma said, turning her head to look and sighing.

"Lev's wound needs tending; those bastards hurt him badly, but that's for the best. If things were calm, what would we have to tell of our heroic adventures?"

Ron nodded to Titus, who stepped forward, knelt down beside the man, and examined the wound.

"Does being a hero mean not making any plans and just leading your men to their deaths?" Ron asked casually.

Halma grinned. "You're wrong. The gods want to see just how capable we really are, and they'll find out soon enough."

Ron raised an eyebrow, looking at the red-haired man in front of him who was still full of energy despite being in a difficult situation. He did not refute him. This was the survival philosophy of the islanders. Meticulous actions and schemes were never their forte.

This fearless, even somewhat reckless, style forges the most valiant warriors, and recruiting a group of Skellige warriors would be a great addition to one's army's fighting strength.

Their fighting style is indeed well-suited for boosting morale and breaking through enemy lines in tough battles; of course, I certainly wouldn't entrust command of the standing army to someone with this style...

"My Lord," Titus stood up. "This warrior was seriously injured. If we hadn't brought Lazarus potion, we would almost certainly have been beyond saving. His condition has now stabilized, but he will need a long period of rest."

"Haha, I knew it!" Halma laughed. "Lev won't die so easily! He swore an oath to his ancestors' remains to plunge his sword into the giant's heart. Now that he can't, let me fulfill that oath for him!"

Halma looked at his unconscious companion, bent down and picked up his longsword, his eyes burning with even stronger fighting spirit.

"Halma, where are the others?" Floren asked after looking around.

Halma's smile faded slightly. "We were first chased by giants, and then entangled by a group of female sea monsters. We barely managed to fight our way out, and not many of us survived."

"Not many? You don't mean you and Lev, do you?"

"Florence, you're still here, aren't you?" Halma patted Florence's shoulder forcefully. "My brother, I knew you'd come back to fight alongside me!"

Floren rolled his eyes helplessly and turned to Ron. "You know what? Sometimes I really want to beat this heartless bastard up, but even in the most desperate moments, he never gives up and always manages to cheer everyone up."

"Florence, you haven't introduced this to me yet!" Halma pointed at Ron, her curiosity and excitement undisguised. "Where did you find this warrior? His physique is enough to make every archipelago warrior envious."

"Ron, the leader of the Calard Mercenary Group," Ron introduced himself calmly. "My ship was stranded on the Marlin Coast due to a storm, and Floren hired us to come find you."

"So you've found it now! But I still need to kill that giant. Do you want to come with me?" Halma gripped his longsword tightly.

Ron's lips curled into a smile. "Alright, I happen to have an unfinished bet with someone, and I also have to kill this giant. Let my warriors stay here and guard Lev; the few of us are enough."

Halma clapped his hands. "Ha! I knew we'd get along!"

"I'll go too," Floren said, taking the longbow from his back. "I'll cover you."

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