With Rience already gone, Lann had no choice but to trust the sorceress in front of him. Hiding his anger, he asked: "So, what is the price, Ms. Eilhart?"
Even though the woman in front of him spoke with the intention of helping him, his distrust only increased. He even suspected that the high-ranking sorceress Rience had spoken of earlier was her. When Lann heard who she was, he became even more cautious.
While Temeria needed a trio of sorcerer advisors, Redania only required Philippa, which speaks to her great power.
At this time, Philippa was one of the five most powerful sorceresses.
With such power, King Vizimir II valued Philippa highly. After the birth of his eldest son, Vizimir and the queen decided that Philippa would be the guardian of their heir.
Lann looked at the mysterious and arrogant female warlock in front of him and sneered in his heart. If he hadn't seen the picture of the interrogation of Philippa by the bald man in his previous life, he would have been almost fooled by the mysterious and arrogant attitude of the sorceress at this moment.
All the mages seemed obsessed with politics, wishing to steer the fate of the continent to their own plans. The kings had begun to distrust them for this reason. Philippa went further, attempting to rule Redania after the death of Vizimir II, and then wanting to establish a magic kingdom and crown herself queen.
And all players know her fate. Philippa will be imprisoned and Radovid V, who was raised by her, will gouge out her eyes. After escaping, she will once again become involved in political struggles and eventually die.
However, although her ultimate fate was ironic, at this moment she was indisputably powerful, and Lann could not face her in direct battle.
Asked by Lann about the price to be paid, Philippa shook her head. "I just want to have a good talk with you, Lord Lannister."
This person has other intentions, Lann can be sure, but he has to accept it, because she does have what she wants in her hand.
Lann only saw Philippa take out a bottle of potion, and then a wave of magic began to gradually spread from her body, she muttered something, and the potion in her hand began to float out.
That palm-sized bottle of potion poured out enough liquid to fill a wooden barrel. The contents split into countless streams, flowing accurately into the mouths of every attendant and soldier.
The sound of bodies falling echoed incessantly. Everyone recovered, but they were now exhausted and lying on the ground.
Seeing three attendants struggle to stand and place themselves between him and Philippa, Lann raised his hand to signal them not to worry. "You should have a good rest first, and we will talk about the next thing when we go back."
He turned his head and looked at Philippa calmly taking back the magic potion, and asked: "What kind of method is this? With Rience's magic attainments, how could he freeze so many soldiers in an instant?"
Philippa chuckled. "Your knowledge of mages is quite limited. Metals, plants, blood, and even a full moon night, all can be used appropriately to unleash powers you cannot imagine."
Pointing to those lying on the ground, Philippa continued: "The knowledge of magical botany is fascinating. Rience used a plant from the nightshade family, mixed into their daily diet. It only takes a little magic to bring about this effect."
Philippa explained patiently, not paying attention to the inconsistencies in her speech, or perhaps deliberately letting them pass.
Lann gritted his teeth. They had only just arrived in Oxenfurt today. Who had the chance to mix the potion into their meals so precisely and efficiently?
Only the stewards of Redania or the waiters of Oxenfurt, who were under the jurisdiction of Philippa and Dijkstra!
To put it another way, even if they did not instruct to poison directly, wouldn't they check the food for the royal visitors? Would the largest intelligence agency in the North be so careless?
Combined with Philippa's ability to take out the antidote so accurately, there is only one answer: Rience's behavior was supported by Philippa.
Lann took a deep breath. "Does the king know about this? Secretly collaborating with assassins to murder the king's allies can be convicted of treason, and at the very least, you can be convicted of dereliction of duty!"
Philippa responded sharply: "What is the purpose of the Earl of Cintra going out with forty fully armed soldiers at night? Assassinating the king? If this crime is true, we have protected the king, which is a great achievement."
"Don't be like a child, Earl Lannister - although you are still a child to me." Philippa said. "We should change places. This place is not suitable for conversation. Trust me, when you know about the great enterprise I am inviting you to, everything past and present will seem insignificant."
Mages are always so self-confident.
Lann hated being manipulated, but Philippa was right. They needed to return to Oxenfurt before they were misunderstood. After resting for this time, the soldiers finally had the strength to stand up.
Just as they were about to leave, Lann suddenly stopped.
Philippa tilted her head slightly, her gaze inquisitive.
Lann hesitated and said: "I think… I forgot something."
Philippa raised her chin slightly: "Since you forgot it, it means it's not something important."
Lann frowned, thinking that Philippa seemed to have a point this time.
...
In the canal, the river water mixed with sawdust and all kinds of strange things rose and fell.
Dandelion, soaked, sat on the riverbank, staring wistfully at the horizon and hugging himself as he shivered.
"Have they finished fighting..."
"Will they forget me like Geralt..."
...
At this moment it was already beginning to get light.
Lann finally remembered the bard and sent servants to find him. The group crept back to Oxenfurt, gathered their belongings, and got ready.
When Lann saw Philippa again, she had returned to her elegant appearance as a court sorceress.
The first time they met, Philippa was wearing men's clothing to move around easily. In addition, she had followed Lann for a long time in the dark, inevitably getting soaked in the rain in her owl form. Although she maintained a haughty attitude, she couldn't help but look disheveled.
Seeing Lann still in his battle armor, Philippa giggled as if facing a stubborn child and pointed at the couch. "Sit down."
Philippa poured herself a glass of wine and said while drinking: "I know you still care about Rience' poisoning, but don't worry, this is a test I planned, and everything is under my control. Even if you don't pass the test in the end, we can guarantee that you will not be hurt by Rience - after all, you are the king's ally."
"Rience is just a chess piece, you are much more important."
As expected of her, the first sentence at the beginning of the conversation infuriated Lann.
Lann controlled himself from sounding too hostile and, in a neutral voice, replied: "A test?"
Philippa nodded and said: "I heard some rumors and summarized some information. All clues point to one result: you have extraordinary talent, Lannister. Maybe you haven't noticed this yourself, and if this is true, then there is no doubt that your future is bright, and that's why I want to invite you to join my great cause."
Philippa looked at Lann's expression without any change and said with emotion: "This test proves that you are indeed special. I didn't stop Rience's behavior, and secretly observed everything: he actually added the same poison to your diet, but you were not affected at all."
"You can fight dozens of killers with swords alone and kill them all in an instant. Also, you can use signs to control a sorcerer's mind, something many mages can't do."
So Rience poisoned him too? Lann didn't really feel anything at all. Not to mention the Witchers' excellent poison resistance, Lann himself maxed out [Heightened Tolerance] and [Fast Metabolism], two Alchemy branch skills fundamental to the drug-consuming style.
"Constitution, combat, magic, and immense magical power. You have proven your worth, Lannister." Philippa said mysteriously. "You may not yet understand your potential due to your origins, but I can give you a direction to explore your true self. Research this term: Elder Blood."
Lann's anger partially dissipated, replaced by a sense of disbelief. 'Do I really need you to tell me I have Elder Blood?'
Philippa continued: "As for the great cause I want you to participate in, I cannot reveal the details until our relationship is more established."
"But I can tell you that my plan involves a force capable of disrupting the continent. Joining us will only bring you benefits."
Lann felt even more absurdly amused. 'By benefits you mean going to the bonfire together?'
Although Philippa's reputation improved after her death, centuries later historians and politicians rehabilitated the image of the sorceresses and granted them the title of martyrs, and Philippa was canonized.
From this point of view, Philippa's political ideals were not entirely in vain...
Looking at Philippa, who had helped poison him and was now blatantly trying to recruit him, Lann almost laughed in anger.
It is another situation where the enemy is exposed, and he is in the dark.
Though he and Philippa would inevitably part ways over differences in values, taking advantage of Philippa's arrogance and his own future knowledge might allow Lann to utilize this powerful sorceress temporarily.
But conflict was already brewing. Lann was a man of strong convictions, and he knew Philippa was ruthless. Eventually, they would clash.
Although Lann always knew that his situation was dangerous and many powerful beings could play with him as they wished, deep down in his heart he still believed himself to be the 'protagonist', this situation was a wake-up call for him. Lann plans to wait patiently and make her pay for the humiliation she has suffered this day.
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