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

Li De ventured deeper into the deserted village and eventually arrived at the hillside behind the village, where a huge rock, taller than a person, stood alone in the shade.

The traces of spider silk abruptly stopped in front of the boulder, as if the wounded blood demon had vanished into the hard stone.

At the same time, the Witcher badge on his chest vibrated more and more violently, proving that the source of the magical fluctuations was here.

He reached out his right hand toward the boulder, and the next second, his fingers plunged directly into the rock without any obstruction. The seemingly real surface of the boulder rippled like the water of a lake.

"Illusion? A petty trick."

Li De chuckled. The innate source of magic was like a mobile magical entity, and its very existence would interfere with the effects of many spells.

For example, illusions, portals...

Therefore, he didn't even need to break the illusion. He just stood there, raised his hand, and touched it. The seemingly real giant rock illusion gradually disappeared like snow under the sun, and in its place was a dark cave entrance.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside. After passing through the narrow passage, the space suddenly opened up, revealing a square and spacious stone chamber.

The enclosed space, which should have been completely dark, was illuminated by several moonstones that emitted a shimmering white light.

In the center of the stone chamber, several iron beds were laid out, and the third blood demon that had escaped earlier was lying obediently on them, like a puppet.

On one side of the stone chamber, there were several long wooden tables piled with various experimental equipment, including flasks, cauldrons, test tubes, and crucibles, all neatly arranged, with colorful viscous liquids in the bottles.

In another corner, a simple forging workshop was set up. The forging furnace was still hot, and polished metal armor plates, hammers, and anvils were piled up next to it.

Clearly, this place is both a laboratory for modifying blood demons and a workshop for forging blood demon armor, the two being cleverly combined. The air is filled with a strange smell of potions, metal, and blood.

The owner of this stone chamber, the mastermind behind everything, was standing with his hands behind his back beside the iron bed, dressed in a black robe. The collar and hood covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of sinister eyes.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, leisurely sizing up the intruder, his tone tinged with amusement and impatience.

"Witcher, you're more stubborn than I thought. Aren't two Blood Demons enough to satisfy your appetite? Why did you have to chase me all the way here and ruin my plans?"

His voice was hoarse and grating, with a noticeable air leak, as if a hole had been punched in his trachea.

Li De seemed to have heard a joke and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Don't talk like we've made some shady deal. You were caught red-handed and tracked down here, yet you're acting like I gave you a chance and you didn't appreciate it. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

Perhaps not expecting Li De to be so direct, the black-robed sorcerer remained silent for two seconds.

When he spoke again, he no longer tried to disguise himself with a hoarse, lisping voice, nor did he try to scare away the witcher with a mysterious act. Instead, he used his most effective method—appealing to their emotions and promising them benefits.

"We are not actually enemies, Witchers."

The sorcerer took a step forward, the hem of his black robe swaying gently.

"You chased after me despite the danger, all for money. I'll pay you double, no, triple, the commission the beef burger gave you."

Li De slowly shook his head, gripped the sword hilt with his right hand, and said in a calm but firm tone: "This is not about money."

"Not money? Then what is it?"

The warlock first asked a question, then, as if he had thought of something, suddenly let out a piercing laugh and said in a feigned surprised and disgusting tone.

"You're not going to tell me you did all this for ordinary people, are you? Don't be ridiculous! Since when did witchers who scavenge for food from piles of corpses become righteous knights from folk tales?"

He paused, then continued with a hint of provocation in his voice, "Besides, don't you know your own situation? Don't you know how those humans treat demon hunters? Don't be fooled by their current treatment of you as an honored guest and savior; it's only because they need you to eliminate the Blood Demon! Once the monster is dealt with, they'll immediately turn on you and discard you like trash."

Seeing that Li De remained unmoved, the sorcerer's tone suddenly became urgent, and he put forward another condition.

"How about this, you can pretend you were never here, you still get triple commission, and I'll give you the Blood Demon's head too. It's a win-win situation! You can take the Blood Demon's head back to report, and I'll never go back to Bullburg. How about that? You won't lose anything in this deal."

After saying that, he looked at the Witcher with sincere eyes.

Li De's lips curled up, his sharp gaze sweeping over the hem of the sorcerer's robe, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

"From the moment you saw me, your feet have been shuffling on the ground, constantly fidgeting. Did you realize that the teleportation portal you prepared suddenly stopped working?"

The sorcerer suddenly looked up, his nails digging into his flesh, his body trembling slightly beneath his black robe.

"Damn it! Was this your doing?!"

"A natural source of magic, isn't that amazing? If I hadn't dealt with a sorcerer before, I wouldn't have known that I had the special ability to interfere with the operation of spells."

Li De paused for a moment, then offered a very friendly suggestion: "Of course, you can also cast a spell manually and create a portal yourself. The question is, do you dare? Do you think you have enough time to complete the spell in front of me?"

The warlock stared intently at the demon hunter, his breathing heavy and his chest heaving violently; he was clearly enraged.

His original plan was simply to meet with the witcher, either to bribe him with money or to provoke and intimidate him with words, and to take all the responsibility upon himself. Once Li De wavered slightly, he would immediately activate the teleportation portal he had prepared in advance to escape.

Since no one knows his true identity anyway, this way, he can both protect Gillen, who has not yet been exposed, and ensure the smooth progress of subsequent plans, which can be described as a win-win situation.

As for the witcher who ruined his plans, there will be plenty of opportunities for revenge later.

With Gillen as an inside man, it only takes a little guidance to ruin the reputation of the Witcher, who is disliked by humans.

For example, he was accused of dereliction of duty, deliberately allowing the monster to wreak havoc and kill so many students and guards in order to threaten his employer into increasing wages.

Or, you could simply dump all the dirty water on him and fabricate a story that "the Witcher opened an elven ruin nearby, releasing a sleeping Blood Demon, and the starving monster wreaked havoc in the most populated Cowburg," which would be so reasonable and convincing.

But to his utter surprise, the first step of his plan had completely failed.

One in a thousand people might not have the talent of a sorcerer; and one in a hundred sorcerers might not be born with a natural magical talent.

He just happened to encounter this rare physique!

The warlock cursed inwardly: "With such great warlock talent, why the hell are you a demon hunter?"

"You sound like you're swearing? And you're swearing pretty rudely."

Li De's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the sorcerer's thoughts.

He slowly drew his silver sword, its sharp blade gleaming coldly in the moonstone's reflection, the tip pointing directly at his opponent.

"However, it's alright. I've always had a high tolerance for the dying."

The warlock panicked. In such a confined space, he was no match for the exceptionally skilled demon hunter.

"What do you really want? Status? Fame and fortune? I can give you all of that! My experiments can bring you everything! Let me go... no! Join me!"

He pointed at the Blood Demon in the iron cage, a fanatical glint in his eyes: "You saw it too, how powerful my experimental subjects are! Those ordinary soldiers are nothing more than chicks that can be crushed with a single squeeze in their hands!"

Meanwhile, the sorcerer secretly cast spells, his voice carrying a seductive quality, painting a beautiful picture, completely unaware that he had inadvertently revealed his true thoughts.

"As long as we continue our experiments, we can create a powerful army of monsters. Then, we can overthrow the existing order and establish a country of our own! You will be the king, and I will be the chief sorcerer. Together, we will rule this land, and everyone will have a bright future!"

Li De suddenly realized.

"All that nonsense I've listened to wasn't for nothing; so this is what you're planning. In that case, Gillen, who's cooperating with you, isn't just anyone, is he? Is he a fugitive prince from the Duchy of Giso, or some knight-errant who has lost his territory?"

"you?!"

The warlock abruptly raised his finger and pointed it at the demon hunter, his finger trembling violently.

He couldn't understand how this witcher, who had only been in Cowburg for two days, had managed to uncover his deepest secrets.

Li De's smile deepened, a cold glint flashing in his golden cat eyes, and he said with certainty, "It seems I guessed right."