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

Li De told one lie and one truth.

The lie is "I was just making it up".

The truth is, "It's very cold at night."

It was indeed very cold at night. Olivia was still pondering Li De's insights on the prophecy when she drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up by the cold not long after.

The elves' clothes were already thin, and they hadn't taken any luggage when they ran away.

The heat radiated from the campfire only warmed her front; when the cold wind blew, it felt as if a thin layer of ice had formed on her back, making her teeth chatter and causing her to curl up like a wounded little animal.

But she didn't want to ask Li De for help, so she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

……

The next morning, bright sunlight pierced through the dense canopy of trees, scattering golden dust across the ground.

Just then, a spot of light fell on Olivia's face. The sorceress groggily opened her eyes and was about to raise her hand to rub her sore eyes when she found that her whole body was tense, as if she were tightly wrapped by something.

She woke up instantly, and what came into view was a familiar suit of armor.

After spending so many days together, she recognized it at a glance as the armor of a witcher.

Looking down, she found herself wrapped in a thick blanket like a baby, being held firmly in Li De's arms.

The Witcher's heavy breathing gently touched the top of her head. When she looked up, she could see that sour face that made her both angry and helpless.

In an instant, her face flushed red with embarrassment. She forcibly suppressed the urge to scream and arched her back, trying to break free from her restraints.

But the witcher's arms were as strong as iron hoops, and he held her tightly. Her frantic struggles not only failed to escape this awkward situation, but also woke him up.

Noticing the change in breathing rhythm on her forehead, Olivia looked up awkwardly, only to meet Li De's teasing gaze.

"The way you arch your back looks like a maggot."

"You're the one who looks like a maggot!"

Caught red-handed, Olivia decided to give up and struggled even more wildly.

"Let me go! You despicable bastard!"

Li Desong opened his arms, grabbed a corner of the blanket, and shook it hard, sending the sorceress sprawling to the ground.

"Just say you're cold." He patted the dust off his hands, his tone tinged with helplessness. "If I hadn't found you shivering with cold when I was adding firewood in the middle of the night, you'd probably be visiting the goddess Meritelli in the divine realm by now."

"Well……"

Olivia rubbed her slightly numb bottom, glared at him resentfully, and muttered under her breath, "I'd rather freeze to death than have you care."

"Haven't you undergone any magical modifications? I remember that most female sorcerers are not afraid of the cold or heat, and wear beautiful robes all year round. You, on the other hand, almost froze to death for the sake of appearances."

"None of your business."

Olivia muttered to herself at first, but then her tone softened as she thought about how the Witcher had saved her twice and destroyed the portal base to save her people. She explained in a low voice.

"I cannot perform magical modifications, because once I do, I will be unable to reproduce. The tribe cannot be without spellcasters."

Li De was somewhat surprised.

"I have indeed heard that some female sorcerers can have children, but apart from some bloodline magic source, I have never heard of spellcasting aptitude being inherited."

It is common knowledge that sorceresses are infertile; magical alterations and the corruption of chaotic magic can greatly affect their ability to conceive. However, there are exceptions; my good friend Geralt is the son of a sorcerer.

According to Olivia, she can not only reliably conceive offspring, but also pass on spellcasting abilities. If this becomes widespread, the group of sorcerers, who are even rarer than gold, will likely experience explosive growth.

"This is the inherited heritage of the ancient races."

When she spoke of her tribe, Olivia proudly puffed out her chest.

Li De was so dazzled by her bright appearance that he coughed lightly and poured a handful of cold water on her: "Hehe, yes, the ancient race that was chased like stray dogs by the Wild Hunt."

Olivia was furious. She wanted to argue but found the facts irrefutable, so she could only mutter angrily.

"You...me...the Wild Hunt...can the Wild Hunt be compared? They are also an ancient race, it's normal that we can't beat them, our tribe has declined..."

The witcher, who had gained the upper hand, chuckled as he mounted his horse and called out, "Get on."

Olivia instinctively reached out her hand, but Li De grabbed her and pulled her onto the saddle. The two of them rode off at breakneck speed.

With the coal briquettes, the speed of movement increased several times.

The complex terrain of the dense forest did not affect its performance at all. However, the twists and turns and the hopping and jumping made the already sensitive female sorceress dizzy and almost vomit.

In the afternoon, the two finally emerged from the dense forest before the sun completely set and made it safely onto the main road.

In the afternoon, the two finally emerged from the dense forest and stepped onto the wide road before sunset.

Olivia leaned against Li De, her face pale, holding a water pouch with honey in her hands. She took small sips every now and then to replenish her strength and suppress her nausea.

"Where is this?"

She asked in a weak voice, but received no response.

Looking back in confusion, he found Li De's expression frighteningly grave.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh no, I've been teleported to Sintra."

Li De stared at the dense marks on the ground, his brows furrowed.

The muddy road was covered with numerous ruts, hoofprints, and countless boot tracks. Without a doubt, these were left by a large-scale troop movement.

Looking across the entire continent, only the Kingdom of Sintra, which is currently resisting the invasion of Nilfgaard, could mobilize such a large number of personnel.

In April, news broke that Nivergard's strikers had infiltrated the northern region with ill intentions.

Sintra, bearing the brunt of the attack, has already rallied its soldiers under the call of Queen Calanthe, preparing for a direct confrontation.

The Queen of Sintra, bearing the brunt of the attack, began to gather her soldiers, preparing for a direct confrontation.

It's already July, and we still don't know if a major war has broken out.

"I think I know what Odim is up to."

Li De lowered his eyes.

He was originally born in a small village in the Kingdom of Sintra. Later, the village was infected with a plague and everyone in the village died. That's when he was taken in by Master Xiong.

He didn't have any deep feelings for Sintra, nor did he believe that the queen known as the "Lion" could lead the army to defeat Nilfgaard, given the vast difference in strength between the two sides.

Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaard was ambitious and waged war year after year. Countries south of the Amer Mountains were either reduced to vassal states or completely occupied. The territory of Nilfgaard was more than ten times the size of Sintra.

This world is not like modern Earth. Low productivity means that the number of standing armies is small, the soldiers are replaced at an extremely fast pace, and there are no conditions for large-scale exercises. To maintain the combat effectiveness of the army, it must be tested by war.

The army of Nilfgaard has been "tempered" in the flames of war for the past decade or so; while Sintra has been at peace for many years, and most of its soldiers lack combat experience.

Even disregarding land area and number of soldiers, the difference in individual soldier quality is obvious.

Unless the northern states can set aside their past grievances and send troops to support them under the leadership of a powerful ruler, they have no chance of victory.

But given the current situation, this is entirely wishful thinking.

The two most powerful nations in the north—Redania and Temuria—are sworn enemies, their relationship comparable to that of England and France after the Hundred Years' War.

On the surface, there is peace, but behind the scenes, small frictions are constant, and the trade war is in full swing.

Last year, Li De tried to buy some Redania crystal wine in Temuria, but the stall owner immediately accused him of being a traitor.

Even though he repeatedly explained that witchers never get involved in political struggles and are only looking for commissions, he was still almost arrested by the patrolling army...

Before his time travel, he had only played a few related games and had a superficial understanding of many historical details. He only knew that Sintra did eventually fall, but he didn't know the specific year or month.

It now seems that this war of annihilation will likely take place this very month...