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

The journey was not safe, and the squad leader who was dragged away by the evil spirit was not lying—their people were everywhere.

As Li De hurried along, he also kept an eye out for any Nilfgaardian patrols.

If you can dodge, then dodge; if you can't dodge, then fight your way through.

Fortunately, the road conditions ahead were getting better and better, and Coal Ball was moving very fast.

This resulted in the Nilfgaard officers only knowing that a madman was constantly breaking through checkpoints, but they could never catch him. The delayed communication made them unsure of the direction of the pursuit, and they could only curse at the corpses scattered on the ground afterward.

As night deepened, a cold wind brushed against Olivia's cheeks. She wrapped herself in a blanket and pressed it tightly against Li De's chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, which slightly suppressed the unease in her heart.

"Why don't you set up a portal and leave first? Just open the portal to the Blue Mountains. With the manuscript there, the spirits of the Blue Mountains will protect you."

Li De's voice carried on the wind, "This isn't a bandit seizing territory; it's a life-or-death battle between two nations. There are too many dangers; you don't need to risk your life with me."

Olivia shook her head vigorously, gripping his arm tightly, her tone stubborn: "The Lone Star Tribe always repays kindness. We haven't settled our debt to you yet. If I leave now, where will I find you?"

Li De shrugged helplessly and stopped trying to persuade him.

Legend has it that elves are mild-mannered, while dwarves are stubborn. How come the elves before me are the opposite, as stubborn as dwarves?

The two rode through the night, and by noon the next day, they finally appeared on the horizon and saw the capital of Sintra.

From afar, this majestic capital city with its towering walls is shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere.

The entrance was crowded with refugees, families in tow, dressed in rags, their faces showing exhaustion and fear.

Some people carried simple bags, some held crying, hungry children, and others limped forward with crutches.

Their homes were destroyed by Nilfgaard, and they could not survive in the wild. They had no choice but to flee to the capital, hoping for a way to survive.

Olivia was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect so many people to have made it here alive."

Li De's tone turned somber as he recalled the encirclement and suppression by the Nilfgaardian army along the way.

"The closer we get to the capital, the more Nilfgaard's army there is. It's impossible for so many ordinary people to all be lucky enough to evade the patrols. It's clear that Nilfgaard deliberately let them pass."

The sorceress asked in bewilderment, "Why would they do that?"

"To create chaos in the city."

Li De's few words exposed Nivergard's sinister intentions.

"There are so many refugees, the city simply cannot accommodate them."

"They have no money and no food. When they are starving, they can only rob. When the order collapses and people are in a panic, Nilfgaard will not even need to attack the city. Just besieging it will be enough to bring down the capital."

"It's also possible that...they wanted to gather people together and then massacre them all after the city fell."

Olivia shivered.

To prevent Nilfgaardian spies from infiltrating the city, guards at the city gates are checking the identities of those entering.

The combination of a witcher and a female elf is too conspicuous; Nilfgaard wouldn't be foolish enough to send them as spies.

So the guard just glanced at them, waved them through, and muttered, "Another Witcher..."

"again?"

A thought struck Li De: "Before me, there were other witchers here?"

As he was pondering, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the wanted poster on the bulletin board. Even from a distance, he could clearly see the portrait on the drawing—it was Geralt!

"Good heavens." He clicked his tongue inwardly. "What has Geralt done now? Sintra is almost destroyed, and he's still relentlessly hunting him down."

The two rode their horses and wandered around the outskirts of the inner city.

The guards in the outer city did not conduct strict inspections; they mostly just glanced at the palms of the hands to see if there were calluses from holding weapons for a long time.

In contrast, the inner city was much more heavily guarded, with the city gates tightly closed and soldiers fully armed, keeping a close watch on anyone who tried to approach.

Unable to sneak in, Li De had no choice but to circle the city wall, searching for other ways to enter.

At that moment, a knight dressed in silver armor strode over.

"Excuse me, are you Master Witcher Reed, the one who dealt with the Cowburger monster?"

Li De nodded: "It's me."

The knight gestured invitingly, his tone sincere: "Very well, Her Majesty the Queen invites you."

"Did you know I was coming back?"

"Master Mossack foresaw your arrival, and His Majesty specially sent me here to await you."

……

Upon entering the inner city, the density of patrolling soldiers increased several times over, and knights dressed in gold and blue robes were everywhere.

As they approached the castle gates, Li De asked, "What does the Queen want with me? There's a wanted poster for another witcher on the bulletin board outside the city. I won't dare go in without an explanation."

The knight smiled and said, "His Majesty will explain the details to you personally. Please follow me, Master."

The group walked through the castle's corridors, where murals depicted Sintra's glorious past, a stark contrast to the current perilous situation.

The knight stopped at the doorway. A strong herbal scent wafted through the door. Li De sniffed twice and immediately recognized it as a potion concocted by a druid. Only these darlings of nature could make such a bitter potion taste so sweet.

The door slowly opened, and the guard stepped aside to make way for the group to pass.

Queen Calanthe's appearance was almost identical to what Li De had imagined; her facial features were sharply defined, lacking some of the softness of a woman and possessing more of the fortitude of a king.

Just by looking at his face, you can tell that he is a person with a strong personality and a firm will.

But at this moment, a lingering sadness shrouded her brow.

Calanther dismissed the knight, his voice betraying his weariness.

"Please forgive me for not being able to properly entertain you, after all, I have just lost a major battle that was crucial to the survival of the kingdom, and even my husband died on the battlefield. I am not in the mood to hold a banquet."

Li De cut to the chase: "Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities. May I ask what brings you here?"

He tried to play dumb to stall for time, but Calanther immediately saw through him: "You came for Ciri, didn't you?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Li De's eyes, and he seized the opportunity to probe, "So, Geralt has already been here?"

"That's right, he wanted to take Ciri away and send her back after the war."

"I saw his bounty at the city gate; I suppose His Majesty rejected his offer."

"kindness?"

Calanther was like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "He broke the contract first, forcing me to marry my daughter to a cursed monster, and then used the Law of Accidents to take my granddaughter away!"

"Ciri is my only family, and the heir to the kingdom! He hasn't shown himself for over a decade, and now that the kingdom is on the verge of collapse, he suddenly appears and wants to take Ciri away. How can I not suspect that he might be a spy sent by Nilfgaard!"

Li De's lips twitched. Queen Calanthe's tone was so hateful, she could practically tear Geralt apart.

"So you called me here because you want me to help you catch him?"

"No."

Calanther shook his head and said something that caught Reed off guard: "I want to ask you to take Ciri away."

Li De asked in astonishment, "So, you rejected the Law of Surprise, unwilling to hand your granddaughter over to Geralt, but instead want to entrust her to a stranger like me?"

"Compared to the nonsensical Law of Accidents, I have more faith in royal authority and kinship." The Queen first expressed her views on the Law of Accidents, and then explained: "Mossack made a prophecy. He saw you rescuing Ciri from the chaos of war."

"So I would like to ask you to send Ciri to the Skellige Isles, where King Bran, the ruler, is the brother of my current consort and will grant Ciri protection. In return, he will give you a reward you cannot refuse."

Li De remained silent for a few seconds before finally nodding and accepting the task.

"I will take her to a safe place, but I must remind you that the more you try to resist fate, the more you are swept up by it. Even if there were a portal to Skellige right now, Geralt would still be reunited with Ciri under the influence of the Law of Unexpectedness."

"I don't believe in fate!"

Queen Calanthe slammed her hand on the table and stood up angrily.

Li De met her gaze without flinching: "From the moment you believed in prophecy and decided to let me take Ciri away, you already believed in fate."

After a brief standoff, the queen known as the "Lion" finally gave in, slumping back into her seat with a weary tone: "That's it then. The knight at the gate will take you to Ciri. Make sure... protect her."