In the early morning of the next day, when the leader of the guards, who had been thoroughly drunk the previous night, saw Kray swaying towards him, the remaining traces of his intoxication immediately vanished. If it weren't for being extremely familiar with their young master, the guard leader would have almost failed to recognize him because Kray's current appearance was far from commendable.
The disheveled figure was indeed Kray, with chunks of mud on his face, and his hair and clothes smeared with dirt. On his expensive silk coat, there seemed to be remnants of vomit, giving the impression that he had just been pulled out of a pigsty.
"Uh... Young Master, what is this?" The guard leader, now sober, wore a forced smile as he quickly approached Kray. He discreetly sniffed the unpleasant odor emanating from him, pretending not to notice.
As a seasoned individual from Bai Port, the guard leader was well aware of the young master's identity. The old Count was originally long-lived, and with the heir, Lord Willis, not in the best health, this young man might soon become the powerful Count of Bai Port.
Unaware of Kray's overnight disappearance, the guard leader, now putting on a smiling face, hurriedly approached Kray. He only wrinkled his nose at the foul smell, choosing to ignore it.
Jokes aside, as an old man from Bai Port, he was well aware of the young master's identity. The old Count was originally long-lived, and with the heir, Lord Willis, not in the best health, this young man might soon become the powerful Count of Bai Port.
Kray extended his dirty boot, delivering a swift kick to the guard captain, who ended up sprawled on the ground. Kray cursed, "You rascals, I drank too much last night. Where were you guys? You made me lie in the mud all night. I'll beat you..." Righteous anger, but Kray wasn't actually angry at all.
Kray intentionally said so; he needed to provide a preemptive explanation for his current appearance. Before dawn, Kray, having erased all traces, emerged from the Sacred Wood Forest. After giving it some thought, he decided not to go directly to his room. If he looked suspicious on the way, any early-rising Southern noble might discover him, causing trouble.
Those Southern nobles didn't care much, especially with Robert's imminent arrival in Winterfell. Everything could be magnified at this critical moment. You say you're not an assassin, where's the evidence? Sorry, I suspect you, and with the Queen's temperament, Robert might really throw himself into prison. Even if it's after he leaves, Kray might be released.
Enduring it, Kray found an empty mud pit where no one was around, lay down, took an empty bottle in his hand, and pretended to be drunk in the mud pit until the early guards discovered him.
Watching the busy guard leader, Kray felt a slight relief. His impromptu acting seemed to have passed the test.
"Hurry up and get me a bath!" Kray ordered sternly.
Under the shocked and disdainful gaze of his sister, Viola, Kray, without changing his expression, returned to his room to bathe and change clothes.
Finally presenting himself in a decent manner, Kray opened the door with satisfaction. As soon as he sat down, his sister Viola approached with a curious look.
"Kray, confess honestly, which noble lady did you engage with last night? Tsk, we Mandellers have some status; can't you choose a cleaner place? Or is it that either you or that lady has a very unique taste?"
"..."
Kray was shocked; he really wanted to pry open Viola's head to see what was inside.
"Mind your words, Viola. Noble ladies cannot speak like that. Be careful, or you might not find a husband in the future."
"Grandfather can't control me..."
Ignoring Viola's grumbling, the newly transformed Kray walked out of the room, sat on a stone pillar, and the brisk northern wind made him feel more awake. He finally had the opportunity to check his system.
After becoming the first demon hunter in the history of Westeros, his system had undergone an upgrade.
When he was busy escaping from the Sacred Wood Forest before being discovered, he hadn't had a chance to examine the specific changes.
The light blue system unfolded again, and Kray saw the system:
Demon Hunter System (Level 2) Potions (Expand) Bombs (Expand) Equipment (Expand) Mana Pool: 120 Unlocked Seals: Kunen (Level 1), Aden (Level 1), Alder (Level 1), Igni (Level 1), Axsi (Level 1) Items (Expand) With 120 points of mana remaining, he could easily allow a subject to undergo pain similar to what Kray endured and become a true demon hunter, although it couldn't offset severe side effects by that much.
This also meant that Kray's plan to expand the demon hunter team was officially underway, and he was already excitedly scouting candidates in his mind.
But what excited Kray the most was not this; becoming a demon hunter not only meant becoming a formidable warrior with physical qualities far surpassing ordinary people and rapid healing but more importantly:
He could finally experiment with various potion combinations available to demon hunters!
Opening the potion section, the system did not disappoint him. Four basic potion formulas had already appeared:
Swallow, Cat, Thunder, Killer Whale.
Although it is in its early stages, it holds extraordinary significance in this low-magic world. Apart from the magical dragons that may soar the skies later on, all victories and defeats are determined by the language of swords on the battlefield.
The essence of this power game is fundamentally a competition among several powerful gamblers, using their violent resources as chips on the gambling table. In the process of desperately winning chips from opponents, gamblers who accumulate a sufficient number of chips can exchange them with the boss (if there is one) for a prize, and this prize is called the Iron Throne!
To put it bluntly, he who has an army is the boss; if you have no army, you're just playing around, better head home. Even the one known for saying, 'Chaos is a ladder,' has someone or several important patrons behind him. Initially, it was Lysa Arryn, and later it changed to Cersei and Tywin. Finally, he simply took control of the Eyrie himself. This is the correct way to play the game of power called 'The Game of Thrones.' Characters like the 'Emperor' Joffrey Baratheon and the 'Faceless Man' Arya Stark, all play the same game – flipping the table.
Now, supported by White Harbor, Kray has become the Witcher. When he completely assimilates this power, he also has the ability to be the one to flip the table.
Kray didn't bother to investigate the specific formula of those four potions for now; there was no hurry. Suddenly displaying extraordinary strength would only arouse suspicion from others.
As the excitement fades, he is now contemplating one thing: what secrets are hidden in the wood of the Fishbeam or the Heart Tree? He has tried many plants and animals in the North, so why does the Heart Tree possess such immense magic? If it's because the Heart Tree is the core of worship, the so-called power of faith, Kray thinks this perspective reverses cause and effect. Perhaps, during the rise of the worship of the Old Gods, people discovered the magic of the Heart Tree, and that's why they began to worship it?
This leads to another question: Where does the magic of the Heart Tree come from? Kray fundamentally doesn't believe that this type of plant inherently possesses magic; there must be other reasons