Chapter 304: Who is stronger, the leader or the deputy leader?

Although I got up very early today, I learned how to build a fortress from the chief, and then I spit on the dead King Haxor with Vesemir in the castle hall, and chatted about the people and things I met along the way.

The time soon reached noon.

The school's chef walked into the castle hall and went into the side kitchen to tinker with it for a while.

He came out and put a few baskets of hot bread on the long table, and then set up a large pot in front of the fireplace and started to cook lunch.

Yes.

The Wolf School also has a dedicated chef, and even like ordinary noble families, they not only have a chef, but also a dedicated pastry chef.

If the temperature in Kaer Morhen was not unsuitable for growing grapes, there might even be dedicated winemakers.

Of course.

They are not ordinary people.

These chefs and pastry chefs are all monster hunters who have lost their ability to fight due to failure in hunting monsters.

There are many witchers in Kaer Morhen who do this kind of side job.

They once contributed to the school and to humanity, so when they lost the ability to continue fighting, the school would support them and let them do what they could in the Ancient Sea Fortress.

But after all, they were all experienced demon hunters in their dozens or even hundreds of years, and they were all quite good at these side jobs.

Let's just say that the bread baked that morning, in terms of texture, softness, fragrance and taste, was much more delicious than anything Arin had eaten since leaving Kaer Morhen.

Even the bread made in Meliteli's temple is not as good as that made by these old witchers.

"Rumeng, are you busier this year than in previous years?" When Vesemir saw someone coming, he stopped discussing whether Haxo was coal slag or meat dregs and greeted him.

"Of course," the witcher named Rumon, wearing a hood, continued to put meat and vegetables into the stew pot without looking back. "In previous years, there weren't so many people staying in Kaer Morhen. Those little guys might have eaten them!"

“Aren’t you tired?” Vesemir asked teasingly.

The old witcher glanced at Vesemir and cursed unhappily:

"Who are you looking down on? While I was fighting the demons for two days and two nights, you were still playing in the mud with the water ghosts..."

"If it weren't for that damn giant thorn demon tree, I would have definitely been promoted to a master earlier than you..."

Vesemir seemed to be very familiar with Rumeng. He was not angry when he heard this and chatted with him for a while.

In their conversation, no one pitied anyone, and no one envied anyone.

Good wanderers drown, good riders fall.

Even a master demon hunter cannot guarantee that he will always be the winner in the battle with demons.

Compared to his peers who died early in some unknown place and couldn't even leave Kaer Morhen, Rumen's ending was already very good.

Both Rumeng and Vesemir thought so.

"Gudu~Gudu~"

Bubbles began to emerge from the stew pot, emitting an enticing aroma.
The old witcher immediately fell silent, concentrated on fiddling with the charcoal fire, then covered the pot with a lid and began to simmer.

After completing this series of actions, the old demon hunter looked at the door absentmindedly and said to himself:
"More people, more people, more people, better..."

Then he glanced at Vesemir, nodded to Arryn, and walked to the side room to begin preparing other ingredients.

Only then did Ailin realize that under the shadow of the hood, Rumeng's face looked hideous, as if it had been corroded by some kind of acid.

One eye was empty, and the other seemed to be covered with a cloudy white film.

Ever since he traveled through time after drinking that cheap cup of milk tea, Ailin has been concentrating on improving his strength, and he went down the mountain soon after the spring.

I have never paid special attention to this group of people in the Ancient Sea Fortress.

Suddenly, I had a vague sense of fate.

It was as if he was their past and they were his future...

Aelin didn't like this feeling.

"Bang~"

Just as Arlin was daydreaming about his own end, the castle gate was thrown open.

"I'm so hungry. I don't know what kind of stew Uncle Lu Meng made today..."

"You only know how to eat. Didn't you meet the leader yesterday? Tell me what he looks like..."

"What? Captain? You haven't even reached the qualifications to join the Demon Hunting Corps yet..."

……

The chirping sounds suddenly came out all at once.

“It’s great to be young!” Vesemir sighed after hearing this voice and glanced sideways. “Come to think of it, you are only fourteen years old. How come you have no vitality at all? You are always worried like an old man…”

nonsense……

Ailin rolled his eyes inwardly.

As soon as he came here, he was slapped in the face by the Green Grass Trial. Then, before the Mountain Trial with a very high mortality rate even started, the threat from the king and the wizard came.

He had just dealt with Haxor when a Wild Hunt showed up. Now even the goddess Meliteli, who hadn't shown up for hundreds of years, showed up, leaving him with a choice...

The problems come one after another, each one more unsolvable than the last, making it hard to breathe.

In this situation, how big a heart does it take to stop worrying and enjoy life?

The more you know, the less happy you are. This is indeed the truth.

The laughter and chatter of the witcher apprentices came to an abrupt end when they reached the dining room.

"Captain Ailin!"

a familiar voice exclaimed.

Ailin looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was indeed an acquaintance, Erni.

He was the first batch of members accepted by the Demon Hunting Corps after Seuss, Bonte, and Fred. If I remember correctly, his loyalty should have reached eighty...

While casually exchanging a few pleasantries, an idea came to his mind.

Ok?
【Name: Erni】

【Loyalty: 93】

[Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 8.6, Constitution 11.2, Perception 7.4, Mysticism 4.5]

【技能：狼学派双手剑LV2（23/100），冰矛咒LV1（3/100），昆恩LV1（46/100）……】

We haven’t seen each other for such a long time, how come our loyalty has not only not decreased but has increased by four points?

Out of curiosity.

Ailin clicked on the panels of the six people around Erni who were also members of the first batch of Demon Hunting Corps.

Everyone's loyalty increased by a few points, and they were all above 85 points, and even half of them reached 90 points.

This is already a very high number.

If converted using the language used in general games in the previous life, those above fifty are neutral, those above sixty are friendly, those above seventy are trusting, those eighty are intimate, those ninety are loyal, and those one hundred are die-hard fans.

In terms of the division of member rights that he had been thinking about in the past few days.

Once his level reaches over eighty, you can teach him all your skills without reservation.

When your level is above 90, you can open a portal and hunt large monsters at the intersection of the celestial sphere.

Thinking of the noise on the city gate tower yesterday...

"Could it be that it was because Mary spread the news, and my experience along the way played a role?" Ailin guessed in his heart.

Just as he was curious and was about to ask implicitly, the apprentices who were whispering noisily suddenly became quiet from the back to the front.

Soon.

A demon hunter with two swords on his back, a black beard and dark golden cat eyes walked over.

"Long time no see, Aristo." Vesemir walked up to him and patted his arm.

"Not long, much earlier than usual." A smile broke out on Aresto's grim face.

Noticing that Arryn was there, he nodded seriously and sat down next to Vesemir.

“But I heard about your great achievements in Kaer Morhen,” Aristo exclaimed, looking at Vesemir with envy, and said, “In just half a year, you have experienced so much!”

Is that too much?

Aristo probably doesn't know what they have experienced after leaving Ban Ade.

Vesemir smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, "A lot of things did happen. I almost didn't make it back."

Aristo's hand reaching for the bread basket paused. Vesemir's words seemed to contain a story he didn't know, so he asked curiously:

"What's wrong? After leaving Ban Ade, have you encountered anything more exciting than the death of a king?" The apprentices around also took their seats quietly.

However, no one reached for the bread on the table. They all pricked up their ears and looked at Vesemir with shining eyes.

Vesemir glanced at Arryn and saw him nod quietly. He then glanced at the witcher apprentices around him, cleared his throat, and said:
"It's not as exciting as seeing the king die in front of you, but it's certainly not any less exciting."

Just say it.

Vesemir fell silent and just stared at Arestor.

Not weak and the death of the king?
Ariste, who had just broken a piece of bread and was about to dip it into the steaming hot stew, immediately became interested.

Seeing that Vesemir was keeping him in suspense, he put down the bread and asked helplessly:

"Surely this story is worth a bottle of old rule?"

“Of course!” Vesemir laughed as he looked at Aristo. “The Great Griffin, the Wild Hunt, hundreds of spirits, and…”

Weisermil paused, glanced at Aylin, and then continued:

"There is also a knighthood ceremony and Cliff's honor ceremony..."

“Old man,” Vesemir bared his white teeth, as if he had determined to eat him, “this is not a good story that can be heard with just a bottle of old rules.”

Looking at Vesemir's expression, Aristo felt a little painful before he even agreed.

Because he was interested in every point Vesemir mentioned.

now.

The entire castle hall was suffocatingly quiet. A bonfire flickered in the fireplace. The apprentices' ears were perked up and their hands stopped moving.

They all looked at Aristo with bated breath, fearing that he would refuse.

"How many bottles?"

Aristo's beard trembled.

The moment he saw Vesemir proudly raising five fingers, he felt his heart, which was beating with strength, begin to twitch.

There was silence for a long time.

“Your story had better be worth it!” Aristo gritted his teeth, looked at Vesemir’s expression and shouted angrily, “Rumen, follow the old rules I hid from you and bring out five bottles.”

"Hahaha, don't worry, you won't be disappointed!" Vesemir laughed.

soon.

Hooded Rumen brought an exquisitely carved oak box.

The witcher who was watching the show on the side finally understood what the old rules were.

This is Toussaint’s national treasure, East of East wine, which has a history of nearly three hundred years.

And that's not all.

These wines were bottled more than thirty years ago.

In fact, the older the wine is, the more fragrant it is.

Generally speaking, the best drinking period for wine is within one to two years after bottling. Only 1% of wines have the potential to age for five to ten years, while 10% of top wines may reach their peak quality after years.

Dong Zhidong is in this one percent.

It is hard for witchers to imagine how much these five bottles of wine would be worth if put up for auction.

"Is it such a big deal?" When Rumonti came over, he looked at Aristo in surprise.

Even though many demon hunters have the habit of storing wine because of their long lifespans, Thirty Years of East is still considered one of the few precious wines in Kaer Morhen.

“Rumen, you should stay here as well and be my witness…” Aristo glared at Vesemir unhappily, “I want to hear how good his story is.”

"If it's not worth the five bottles of old rules, you can take me to where he hides the wine."

Rumen glanced at Vesemir.

“No problem!” Vesemir smiled confidently and snatched a bottle of East of the East with mottled paper marks.

The moment the cork was unscrewed skillfully, a rich smoky aroma mixed with the aroma of grapes emanated.

The sound of swallowing could be heard almost simultaneously throughout the castle hall.

"You are still young, just drink the stew. There is no share of this wine for you." Vesemir smiled and poured a glass for Arryn beside him.

Looking at the clear wine that looked like liquid ruby ​​and slowly flowed down from the bottle like thick honey, Erni and Clare swallowed their saliva again and looked at each other.

If I remember correctly, Captain Ailin seems to be only one year older than them...

However, looking at the solemn expression on Arestor's face, they wisely did not voice their doubts.

With the aroma of wine, they both took two big gulps of the stew.

But I feel that the delicious food I usually eat is tasteless at this moment.

"Say it quickly!"

Ares poured a glass for himself and Rumeng and urged them repeatedly.

“Don’t be impatient!” Vesemir took a sip of the mellow wine, smacked his lips, and then said:

"After leaving Ban Ade, we plan to go to Elland as originally planned..."

Although Vesemir's lectures were boring, he told stories very well.

The light of the fireplace flickered slightly, mixed with the aroma of fine wine, and everyone seemed to be taken to Vengerberg, to the floating harbor, and to Elland...

The giant griffin cast a huge pressure, the skeleton knight galloped overhead, and the demons all over the mountains and plains carried green lights and attacked the human city...

And in the telling of the story, Vesemir fades into the background of all events, just as he does after the Ellander May Festival.

Of course, Ailin knew that this was not the case.

Whether in the Great Griffin or in the May Festival, although he may have made the greatest contribution, Vesemir's role in both was crucial and indispensable.

Therefore, many times when he wanted to correct it, Vesemir simply covered it up.

Vesemir also put his hand on Arryn's push and signaled him with his eyes, "Shut up and listen to me!"

At first, Arryn didn't understand. When he was in Ellander, it was to enhance his reputation and prevent all the credit from being diverted to Vesemir, who had a greater reputation.

But why do this in Kaer Morhen?
But gradually, the witcher apprentices looked at him with more and more longing and yearning.

Ailin had an idea.

【Name: Erni】

【Loyalty: 94】

……

【Name: Erni】

【Loyalty: 95】

The moment Erni's panel was opened, his loyalty increased a little, and the same was true for the panels of other members of the Demon Hunting Corps.

The story is not over yet, they are all over ninety.

And looking at the eyes of the apprentices who had just passed the Green Grass Trial, he estimated that as long as they joined, their loyalty would definitely not be low.

Not only that.

Even Aristo and Rumeng looked at him differently.

for a long time.

That's the end of the story.

"Is it worth it, Aristo?" Vesemir asked jokingly, changing his tone.

Aristo did not reply. He stared at Arryn for a few seconds, then looked at Vesemir with envy and even jealousy:
"It would have been great if I had been chosen as the apprentice's practical instructor."

Just say it.

He sighed inwardly.

People are really different from each other.

Other people's traveling apprentices were as glorious as legendary human heroes, but his traveling apprentice Sally abandoned his companions without even seeing the enemy's face.

Vesemir laughed at this.

At this time.

A quiet discussion suddenly broke out among the apprentices who were eating melons:
"The veteran demon hunter master Aristo and their leader, Master Ailin..."

"Which one is stronger?"

(End of this chapter)