Chapter 328: The Demon Hunter’s traces are exposed?
Leaving the small town near Ban Ard, Arryn and Vesemir did not take the main road, but instead followed a narrow country path and headed into the dense and cool woods.

The bright sunlight shines everywhere, and the woodland with dense ancient trees and blocking out the sun has an extra sense of clarity, clarity and liveliness.

Both demon hunters were in a good mood.

"The timing matches," Arryn pulled the reins, controlling Carrot's speed as they walked side by side with Vesemir. "That blue magic curtain is probably the reason why the Wild Hunt did not go north after leaving the floating harbor, but instead attacked Elland to the west."

“So after the light curtain disappears, the Wild Hunt will also attack Ban Ader?” Vesemir tilted his head.

"That's probably the case. I just don't know what that blue light curtain is. And why was it suddenly lifted? Will it be raised again..."

“There’s nothing we can do about it…” Vesemir shook his head helplessly, mumbling, “It would be fine if Ms. Vera came with us, but the school doesn’t have anyone we can trust in Ban Ader. If we rely solely on ourselves to go into the city to gather intelligence, the risk is too great, and it will also delay the rescue of Horton…”

Arryn nodded slightly, knowing that Vesemir was worried about him breaking into Ban Ader alone.

"Don't worry, I know almost everything I want to know. I have no plans to go to Ban Ader." Arlin paused and continued, "We will continue our journey after dark. There is no place we need to stop at. We will reach Vergen soon."

"I hope Holden can hold on until then..."

Vesemir sighed.

"It will definitely work." Ailin consoled.

Following the forest path, the two witchers discussed the next itinerary and the strength and performance of other witchers along the way.

The journey, which was not far to begin with, soon ended in discussion.

"Wow~"

The faint sound of flowing water lingered in my ears, and then turned a corner and passed through the dense bushes and forests.

In the vast clearing in the forest, a brick and stone house with a water wheel that looked quite large from a distance appeared in the sight of the two demon hunters.

"We're here!" Ailin breathed a sigh of relief.

This is an abandoned mill. When we arrived here this morning, the group killed nearly twenty water ghosts before clearing the place for temporary rest.

The mill also stored several bags of good quality flour, a large amount of unmilled wheat and some farm tools.

It was probably abandoned recently because of the rampant water ghosts.

But it doesn't matter to the witchers, after all, they only stay there for a day and leave at night.

“I don’t know if those little guys have had a good rest. The next journey won’t be easy.” Vesemir cursed with a smile when he saw the barn from afar.

Ailin smiled and said, "That's unlikely. Erni and Kral have been clamoring to go down the mountain for a month. They have only been away from Kaer Morhen for two days, so they must be very excited..."

The sound stopped suddenly.

The two demon hunters stopped smiling almost at the same time.

The strong smell of blood came to my face along with the sudden change in wind direction.

The demon hunter in the barn was attacked? ! !
"Erin, speed up." Vesemir tilted his head and shouted solemnly, then quickly drew a triangle with his right hand and cast a Quen Seal on himself.

Ailin nodded solemnly, squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and galloped quickly towards the barn in the distance.

"Da da da~"

The sound of fierce horse hooves could be heard on the bumpy road.

The two witchers pressed their upper bodies against the horses' necks in order to reach the mill more quickly.

soon.

Ailin's keen senses as a demon hunter not only captured the strong fishy smell like ink, but also the fierce shouting and fighting.

What was his witcher fighting?
Water ghost, ghoul, robber... or maybe... a wizard?
No, according to the drinkers in the tavern, no wizards have been concerned about the water ghosts around the village in recent days, so the enemies should not be the wizards of Ban Ade.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind as Ailin stared intently at the waterwheel that was getting bigger and bigger.

And then the next second.

The demon hunter's body suddenly froze, and he subconsciously relaxed.

"Ding~"

[Monster Group "Water Ghost" Lv14 Subjugation! ]

[Rewards settlement: …]

[Final rating: D (Loot locked)]

[Obtained loot: Water Ghost Heart Essence*8, Small Experience Beads*3, Water Ghost Treasure Chest*2]

The sound of mechanical machinery rang in his ears, making Ailin completely relieved.

Since the rewards have been calculated, it means that the enemies faced by Erni and Klar have been eliminated.

Or he was overthinking.

They had only been gone for two hours, how could it be such a coincidence that the wizards of Ban Ade took advantage of this moment to attack?

This should have been a very simple and easy judgment to make.

"I must be guilty of something," Ailin said with a bitter smile. "I was thinking about Ben Ade's blue light curtain just now, so I inevitably regarded the wizards as imaginary enemies."

"How could there be so many monsters in a mill that's close to the river and not too far from the city..."

"And with the mill at their back, how many water ghosts are needed to threaten seven witchers who have been killing water ghosts for half a year?"

"but……"

Aelin looked up and forward.

Because he subconsciously relaxed, the experienced old witcher master Vesemir had already ridden past him on his horse.

The expression beneath the black wide-brimmed hat was equally solemn and urgent.

“But I’m not the only one who has a guilty conscience,” Arryn thought. “Although Vesemir refused just now, he must have had his eyes on Ben Ader.”

"yes……"

"Who could resist a dog-eat-dog confrontation between two of the most intractable enemies?"

Ailin didn't intend to remind Vesemir. He squeezed his legs together and sped up to catch up.

However, although Ailin did not remind the witcher master.

Vesemir was still not far from the barn, and he also relaxed because he heard a familiar quarrel ahead.

"Clay! You stole my water ghost again!!!"

"Hahaha! Who told you to only think about how to pose? It's just a water ghost. It doesn't matter if you kill him with one sword, two swords, three swords, or four swords. Why do you deliberately want to behead him? Hahaha, do you think you are Captain Ailin?"

"I'm not! I didn't imitate deliberately..."

"Hahaha! You are! You have it! Everyone has seen it, not just once or twice..."

"Yes! Yes! We all saw it, Ajax!"

"Yes! I saw it! I saw it!"

"Ah - Clay, you are going too far! I will kill you -"

"come!"

……

The noisy fighting made the whole barn lively.

Vesemir, who had already imagined countless tragic scenes in his mind, was dismayed when he heard this, but he pulled the reins and breathed a sigh of relief.

Since they still have the energy to play and fight happily, they probably aren't hurt.

"Those little brats are so noisy..." Vesemir shook his head helplessly. He rode into the mill and smelled a stronger stench of blood and decay as soon as he turned the corner.

A dozen bodies of water ghosts were displayed in various postures in the open space in front of the mill.

Except for Ajax who was waving his sword and chasing Clay, Erni, Kral and several other demon hunters were squatting on the ground.

While processing the water ghost material.

He laughed and joined in the fun, making Ajax's face turn red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he screamed "Ahhh——"

But even though he was extremely angry, and even though the faint light of the Quen Sign flashed on Clay's body from time to time, Ajax still kept his temper and swung and smashed with the back of the sword.

"Master Vesemir! Captain! You are back!" the sharp-eyed Erni exclaimed.

All the demon hunters looked over here.

"Bang~"

The sack in Ailin's hand was thrown on the ground, a cleaner place.

"I brought you some food, Ernie. Come over and help distribute it."

When Erni heard what Alin said, he gently cut off the water ghost's tongue with the knife in his hand, then hurried over and picked up the sack.

"What's going on with these water ghosts?" Vesemir glanced around.

"It emerged from the river next to the waterwheel after you left." Clay dodged Ajax's sword and hurried over, saying with a grin.

Seeing that Vesemir and Arryn were there, Ajax felt too embarrassed to swing his sword again, so he sheathed the sword and added:

"There were three waves of water ghosts in total, and they all emerged from that river."

"No wonder there is so much wheat and flour here, and no one comes..."

Ajax nodded: "Indeed, at this frequency, ordinary people can't handle it... It must be abandoned..."

Vesemir nodded and asked no more questions.

Since coming down the mountain, they have discovered...

Influenced by the celestial sphere intersection at Ban Ade at the beginning of the year, the closer you are to Ban Ade, not only will you encounter water ghosts more often, but your strength, speed, skin toughness, and even the water ghosts' desire to attack will also be greatly enhanced.

It was simply not the same species as the water ghosts he had encountered in the past.

Vesemir frowned tightly and glanced at the dusty cloth bag faintly visible through the open door not far away.

Perhaps these young witchers, and even Arryn, did not realize it.

The impact of these water ghosts may be more than just the abandonment of a mill.

In Kaedwen and throughout the northern continent, wheat is ground using water power and is built along rivers.

Water ghosts have such a strong desire to attack.

At least most of the mills near Ben Ade are believed to be out of service.

Before long, Ban Ader... no... considering the war with Aedirn, the huge consumption of food will cause big problems for the entire Kaedwen...

Thinking of this, Vesemir glanced at Arryn secretly and sighed in his heart.

Then he scolded the young witchers who had been jumping around like monkeys to grab food after leaving Kaer Morhen.

As usual, calmly,
……

As soon as Vesemir and Arryn left, the nameless village near Ban Ader became a commotion.

Even the villagers who did not see the flashing light curtain could, after asking their neighbors out of curiosity, look up and find that the much-anticipated light curtain had suddenly disappeared.

This is not a trivial matter.

The space isolation barrier named "Gianbadista" has been standing in Ban Ade for more than two months. People have gradually become accustomed to it. It has even become a kind of psychological pillar that supports some villagers who worry about the sudden outbreak of water ghost tides all day long to help them survive the threat of sudden outbreak of water ghost tides.

Many people's daily goal is to move into the place protected by the noble wizards.

therefore.

The sparsely populated village suddenly erupted in a loud uproar, and everyone ran to the home of the village chief, who should have known the truth.

"What happened?!" The bald old village chief in patched clothes opened the gate and was frightened by the crowd at the door. "Has another family been attacked by water ghosts?"

Everyone was talking at once about the explanation.

The village chief had just walked out of the house when he was pushed out of the path blocked by rocks by the huge crowd and saw the "bare" city at a glance.

"Old Toss, do you know why the blue pot lid disappeared?"

Although the village chief didn't look like he knew the truth, someone still asked with expectant eyes.

When the village chief saw this scene, his heart skipped a beat and he also felt a little panicked.

The disappearance of the "Blue Pot Lid" was such a big thing. If it wasn't due to some sudden accident, according to convention, the noble lords or wizards in the city council would definitely send someone to inform him.

To prevent riots in the surrounding villages and cause unnecessary losses.

This didn't inform anything...

Could it be... Could it be that Ben Ade was attacked by a water ghost again like he was more than two months ago? ! !

A terrible thought suddenly popped into his mind, and his old heart began beating violently, and the village chief almost couldn't breathe.

But then, he looked at the familiar faces around him with panic and helplessness in their eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

"I thought it was something serious... making a fuss..."

"Our Ban Ade is one of the only two mage schools in the northern countries. How could there be a problem..."

The old village chief calmed everyone down after some persuasion, but he himself was still feeling anxious.

until……

The sound of horse hooves suddenly appeared outside the village.

Several guards in armor escorted five mages in black robes into the narrow village road.

Bright silver stars sparkled on the wizard's black robe, so mysterious that people dared not look directly at it.

Everyone hid far away.

As they approached Ban Ade, they knew that the decorations on the wizard's robes represented status.

Black robe with silver stars...

This was a high-level wizard they had never seen before.

Only the village chief gritted his teeth and went forward with his back bent.

"My...my dear mages..."

Before he could finish his trembling greeting, he was interrupted by a "young" wizard riding a shiny black horse in the center of the five wizards.

"Are you the village chief here?" he asked gently.

The village chief nodded repeatedly, bending his waist even deeper: "Master...Mage...I am...I am...the village chief..."

The "young" wizard smiled and nodded:
"Please find someone familiar with the surrounding terrain to lead us..."

After a pause, he turned his head to look at the guard beside him.

"It is Bumrah Mill, Lord Senny."

"That's right," Sonny smiled as if he was embarrassed, and looked at the village chief again, "lead the way to Bambara Mill."

(End of this chapter)