"Triss!" Triss was walking among the crowd and suddenly heard someone calling her name.
She turned around to find a sorceress dressed in an elegant black and white dress, whose skirts rustled as she moved. She had violet eyes, her long wavy black hair reflected flashes of light like peacock feathers, and she emanated the familiar scent of lilac and gooseberries that Triss recognized.
"Yennefer? I have been looking for you for many years..."
The sorceress named Yennefer turned her neck, decorated with a black velvet ribbon, and looked around in bewilderment. A large number of wizards were entering a conference room, and Triss was one of them.
"A sorcerer said that Tissaia needs my help, his name is Vilgefortz of Roggeveen." Yennefer frowned. "What's going on here? Why are so many sorcerers being summoned?"
Triss was overjoyed when she heard Yennefer's answer. "If you are here, Rectoress Tissaia will be able to breathe a sigh of relief."
Then she explained: "We are having a secret meeting of the sorcerers of the Northern Kingdoms. Nilfgaard is advancing uncontrollably; they have already occupied the Marnadal Valley, and Cintra is the next target!"
Everyone filed into the conference hall. In the room, a middle-aged sorcerer, apparently in his fifties, was talking enthusiastically. He had a well-groomed brown beard and seemed full of energy.
Both the age of mages, as well as witchers, cannot be judged by appearance. This is actually an old mage who is hundreds of years old, named Artorius Vigo. He is a master of illusions and spells. His powerful power and deep qualifications have given him many fans in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. His prestige surpasses even that of most members of the Council of Wizards and the Chapter of the Gift and the Art.
At this moment, Artorius was stating his point of view to the mages present. "It would be foolish to go to war with Nilfgaard, and it would be even more stupid to fight Nilfgaard for Cintra! Cintra has been rejecting our mages for decades; now they are reaping what they sowed."
The mages in the room were divided into two groups around both sides of the long table. Artorius's side was led by him and another white-haired male mage in robes. They were obviously a group that opposed the resistance to Nilfgaard.
Opposite them, the mages who advocated taking the initiative to fight against Nilfgaard were represented by two young-looking mages, a man and a woman.
The sorceress's name is Tissaia de Vries, she is a sorceress and a member of the Chapter of the Gift and the Art. She is one of the rectors at Aretuza and the author of The Poisoned Source. She is rigorously dressed, with her black hair tied up in a classic bun, and her long, low-cut solid-color dress outlines her voluptuous figure, revealing her generous cleavage while remaining dignified. Her elegant aura attracted everyone's attention in the room.
The man next to her was remarkably handsome, strongly built, and his attire was more similar to that of a noble swordsman than that of a sorcerer. This was the man who had brought Yennefer back: Vilgefortz of Roggeveen.
Hearing Artorius's point of view, Vilgefortz retorted: "We are not talking about just Cintra now. Nilfgaard will only be satisfied if it captures the entire continent."
"How do you know?"
Vilgefortz replied: "Because if it were me, I would do the same thing. I am the only one here who has led troops on the battlefield. I can know what the emperor of Nilfgaard thinks."
After hearing what he said, the white-bearded mage opposite laughed at him. "We all know it. Every chance you get, you put on your ridiculous costumes, dance with daggers, swords and spears. Over the years, you've looked more like a humble soldier than a sorcerer."
The white-bearded mage is called Stregobor. He has pale skin, a hunched back, a long staff, and a wide floor-length black robe. He looks like a mage who stepped out of a textbook.
His words aroused the ridicule of a group of arrogant mages. Vilgefortz is a powerful mage who has suddenly emerged in recent decades. He became a member of the Chapter of the Gift and the Art before he turned one hundred and is considered one of the ten most powerful mages in the world. However, his unconventional behavior is always criticized by senior mages.
Vilgefortz gritted his teeth helplessly after hearing what the other party said. Just as he was about to refute, Tissaia beside him suddenly spoke expressionlessly.
His voice was cold and majestic, reminding many of the young mages present of their days studying under Tissaia.
"No matter what Vilgefortz is, it is better than killing babies born at the time of a solar eclipse."
"And speaking of which, one of the girls born under the Black Sun that you did not kill has been pursuing you for years. You have tarnished the name of mages, Stregobor."
The ridiculed mage turned red with anger, but in front of Tissaia he could not afford a disrespectful tone. The strength and prestige of this sorceress were no less than her beauty, and she was indisputably one of the best mages of the time.
Tissaia was not interested in looking at the opponent's ugly appearance anymore but looked around and called: "If we take action now, we can still stop Nilfgaard. The south is the south, and our northern kingdoms should unite!"
Vilgefortz waved his hand, and a huge map appeared on the table in front of him. Chaos magic gathered at his fingertips to mark each position on the map. He said: "If we are to convince our kings to deploy troops now, there is still time. The army can reach Sodden in a week, and then save Cintra."
Stregobor responded tit for tat again: "Why? So what if Cintra is destroyed? Who cares?"
"I care!" A mage suddenly shouted from behind Tissaia: "If Cintra perishes, my country will be next!"
At this moment, the door to the hall opened and a sorceress entered with a group of sorcerers. The woman had a rare short haircut and was wearing an elegant palace-cut dress, her skin was white as snow, beautiful and elegant.
In stark contrast to her, the sorcerers following her wore solid-colored robes, simple looking, even a bit like standard military uniforms.
The sorceress at the head was named Fringilla Vigo, originally from Beauclair in Toussaint, and served Nilfgaard. After she and her followers entered, they broke up the confrontation between the two factions, creating a three-sided atmosphere.
This was actually a secret meeting of the sorcerers of the Northern Kingdoms, but the magical academies did not have a clear political stance; mages from all countries graduated from them and were allowed to return regardless of their origin.
Fringilla's timely appearance at this meeting clearly indicated that someone had leaked the information to her.
Artorius Vigo, who had been advocating for Nilfgaard just now, crossed his arms. He was Fringilla's uncle. He was Fringilla's uncle and his support for Nilfgaard, in a way, was also to support his niece.
"We are fighting Cintra, but we are only fighting Cintra." Fringilla emphasized. "I know you are biased against Nilfgaard, but since our Majesty Emhyr succeeded to the throne, Everything has changed."
"We open up trade and invest in research, and everyone in the northern countries has benefited a lot from this."
Fringilla looked around confidently. The mages behind Artorius gave her friendly smiles. Some mages behind Tissaia also lowered their heads, clearly they had 'benefited'.
"We, in Nilfgaard, are breaking down walls." Fringilla looked at the mages on Tissaia's side. "While Queen Calanthe is only building more. Will they support a monarch like that?"
The new emperor of Nilfgaard truly had extraordinary methods, and the 'benefit' that Fringilla mentioned not only referred to the mages present, but also to the king they served. This was one of the reasons why Nilfgaard had not faced massive resistance until now.
Tissaia suddenly asked: "If Nilfgaard in your mouth is so friendly, why are the mages behind you so miserable?"
"Fringilla, you were once one of my best students, why are you now helping Nilfgaard and treating your companions like slaves?"
Everyone's gazes were drawn to the sorcerers behind Fringilla, who followed her obediently, in simple attire. This was in stark contrast to the rest of the sorcerers present.
Tissaia looked at the group of mages behind Fringilla and said. "Resisting Nilfgaard is not just for Cintra, but to protect the way of life of the mages, defend our academies and maintain the order that we have built with so much effort for hundreds of years. This order that Nilfgaard is destroying."
Fringilla shook her head and said: "The misery you mention is only when compared to the luxury you live in, Tissaia. Nilfgaard did not destroy order, only modified it."
"Until now, only the best mages have been appointed royal advisors after graduating from the academies, while other mages have been ignored and even fallen into despair."
"Look at them, Tissaia, there are also your students among them. After they failed to become royal advisors and left the academy, have you ever seen them again?"
She opened her hands, took a step back, and let the warlocks behind her attract everyone's attention. "We are all from the two magic academies of Aretuza and Ban Ard. The number of you here far exceeds the number of royal advisors in the Northern Kingdoms, so you should be able to understand what I say."
"Nilfgaard is simply opening another path, accusing us of slavery is excessive. In fact, we are training more mages as soldiers in the army and offering a broader setting for them."
At this time, Triss suddenly retorted: "You have also violated the taboo rules. You study demonology, necromancy and fire magic."
Fringilla shook her head. "Taboo magic is just scary stories we were taught in the academy, we've never really explored them and they were just left aside."
She really had something to say. All members of the older generation of mages knew taboo magic, but the younger mages did not learn it after being educated in the academy. Therefore, Triss' accusation against her has no lethality whatsoever. Only a new generation of mages like her would care about this kind of thing.
The topic was quickly passed over by Fringilla, and she exchanged a glance with her uncle, feeling that her words so far should have gained the support of the mages present and weakened the secret meeting of wizards who had organized to resist Nilfgaard.
"I know some people are alarmist and think that Nilfgaard is destroying the continent. But only we know that by taking Cintra, we are saving it from the rule of the stupid Calanthe."
"And the destruction of this country without magic will also make other kings of the continent realize the importance of magic again! "
The mages in the room began to murmur, Cintra's supporters were being shaken, and the young mages who did not come from the nobility were assessing the situation while looking at the sorcerers behind Fringilla.
"I've heard enough of the boring debates." Artorius and his niece sang in unison. "Cintra should face the consequences of its own actions. Let's vote and decide."
"Those who want Cintra to continue its proud lionessship and protect itself, raise your hands."
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