When Allen left the Sanctuary of Melitele, the sun was already sinking in the west. Blood-red evening clouds spread across the sky, and the golden-crimson sunlight spilled over the temple complex where cooking smoke curled upward, lending this divine place a touch of ordinary, living warmth.
Allen raised his eyes to take in the captivating sunset, then walked straight toward the outer perimeter of the sanctuary.
Although he had stayed at the Temple of Melitele for only a single day, the large pile of formulas and techniques he had gained already made him impatient to return to Kaer Morhen.
"Forgot to ask—Vera still hasn't told me when the expedition to the Valley of Thousand Monsters is supposed to assemble?"
Allen walked through the quiet depths of the temple, admiring the scenery of the early-autumn sanctuary while thinking about his plans after returning to Kaer Morhen.
"If there's still about a month left, at least I can arrange for Hughes, Bond, and the others to learn the Red Rider Standard Synchronized Breathing Method, and train their coordination for a while."
"Then, once we enter the Valley of Thousand Monsters, we can practice the Red Rider Standard Synchronized Legion Combat Spell: Blade and Shield—"
"Shield and Blade are practical combat skills. They're perfect for improving while fighting."
"But if the time is any shorter, it won't be enough. The Red Rider Standard Synchronized Breathing Method isn't something you can learn on the battlefield, and the Valley of Thousand Monsters is obviously not a quiet place suitable for training—"
Thinking like this, Allen emerged from the seldom-visited depths of the Temple of Melitele and reached the main road leading toward the temple complex.
Those temples were nestled among towering rock formations, their outlines indistinct.
Countless priestesses dressed in gray robes were busy at work, scattering seeds and feeding chickens.
Most of the priestesses were very young—some could even be called children. Some nodded or smiled at him when they saw him, then continued with their tasks.
Others giggled and boldly asked him questions, only to be scolded away by older priestesses.
Allen nodded back in response, but he couldn't recognize a single one of them.
The turbulent undercurrents of the Northern Kingdoms had yet to touch these simple lives. Most of them would never leave Temeria in their entire lives, and perhaps didn't even know much about neighboring Redania.
As Allen watched the busy priestesses, he thought of Lysa.
Lysa had once been one of these priestesses as well, but perhaps she had never truly blended in.
The first time he saw her at the Temple of Melitele, she had been following behind Ianna and Nenneke.
That wasn't something a priestess who had only recently joined the temple could easily accomplish.
Back then, Allen didn't know much about the Temple of Melitele and assumed it was because Lysa had been brought in by Vera.
But now that he thought about it, that little girl he had rescued from an abandoned mine had always been different from the priestesses who grew up in the Temple of Melitele—she had never truly settled down.
When he was nearing Melitele's dining hall, Allen unexpectedly saw two familiar figures.
Ianna and Vera. They were also heading toward the dining hall.
Ianna wore a kindly smile, responding to the greetings of priestesses and visiting pregnant women along the way.
Vera, on the other hand, had a cold expression on her face and looked distinctly displeased. Still, Ianna's replies inevitably slowed her pace, and although Vera looked sour, she didn't leave.
From afar, Allen observed their expressions and quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Looks like Mother Ianna managed to persuade her," he thought.
That was good news.
To be honest, if Vera really refused to let him take part in the expedition—and even used some special means to stop him—he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't fall into the trap.
When Allen's gaze rested on Ianna and Vera, they seemed to sense it as well and looked back, spotting him.
"Allen, you've come for dinner too," Ianna's smile deepened as she waved at him.
Vera's eyes flickered away, and she looked even more unhappy.
"Mother Ianna, Lady Vera."
As Allen approached and greeted them, he gave Ianna a look. Her slight nod finally put him completely at ease. He then asked, "By the way, Lady Vera, has the Sorcerers' Brotherhood decided on the assembly time and location yet?"
Vera was silent for a moment. Her gaze lingered on Allen's face for a long time before she sighed.
"In Maribor. Everyone is to assemble by the second week of the Month of the Soul, and we enter Dol Dhu Lokke in the third week—"
That would be November 7th to the 14th, roughly a month and a half from now—much later than he had expected.
Allen took the meal handed to him by a priestess of Melitele and said thoughtfully, "November 7th… isn't that right before the mountains are sealed by snow?"
Normally, before mid-November, Witchers of the Wolf School would certainly have returned to Kaer Morhen. Otherwise, once heavy snow sealed the mountains, the Killer's Path would be extremely dangerous for ordinary Witchers.
If the assembly was only from November 7th to 14th, snowfall was inevitable.
Snow was a common natural phenomenon, but it could bring tremendous inconvenience to warfare.
Even though the main force of the expedition wasn't ordinary humans, but supernaturals such as sorcerers and Witchers, supernaturals were still human—they felt cold, and they could freeze to death.
Spells could provide warmth, but spells consumed resources, and using magic for warmth during a war was both extravagant and dangerous.
Moreover—
Vast snowfields could conceal many dangers and introduce far more variables to a march.
And although the battlefield's main forces were supernaturals, logistics would still have to be handled by ordinary humans. Once it snowed, the pressure on supply lines would increase dramatically.
Simply put, Launching the expedition a month and a half later would cost at least three to four times more than launching it half a month to a month earlier.
That was why Allen had always assumed that the expedition would begin in at most a month, perhaps even half a month. He hadn't expected it to be this late.
"Temeria's snow season is later than Kaedwen's,"
Ianna said as she nodded slightly to a bowing pregnant woman, then found a seat at the edge of the dining hall and sat down.
"And I know Dol Dhu Lokke. It's in a valley at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains. Because the mountains block the weather, and it's close to the Trava River, snowfall there comes even later than in most parts of Temeria, and the snow season is much shorter."
"'Dol Dhu Lokke' in the Elder Speech means 'Beautiful Valley.' After the Conjunction of the Spheres and before it was occupied by monsters, its beauty rivaled Dol Blathanna and Toussaint—"
After sitting down, Vera gently shook her head.
"The snow season in Dol Dhu Lokke may be later, but the reason the Sorcerers' Brotherhood set the date a month later is because they have no other choice."
"The expedition's supplies come from the Free City of Novigrad. Although Narses de la Roche holds considerable influence there, preparing the materials takes time. Transporting them from Novigrad to Maribor takes time, and constructing temporary supply lines outside Dol Dhu Lokke also takes time—"
"And Prince Theoderic of Maribor isn't exactly enthusiastic about this matter either—"
Vera sighed softly.
"November 7th is only the ideal date in Tissaia's mind. It's already very difficult to even begin the expedition by November 14th."
"So, in order to avoid snowfall, she plans to end it quickly."
End it quickly—
Allen fell silent.
That would not be easy at all.
No one knew what conditions truly awaited them inside the Valley of Thousand Monsters.
No one even knew where Ban Ard was located within it.
The Sorcerers' Brotherhood concluded that Ban Ard had been transported into the Valley of Thousand Monsters through divination—not through reconnaissance, and certainly not because some farmer or soldier stumbled upon it by accident.
So the expedition into the Valley of Thousand Monsters actually consisted of two steps.
First, locate Ban Ard. Second, rescue all the mages of Ban Ard.
And without even thinking, Allen knew that a cursed place normally avoided at all costs would never have any detailed records. At most, the Sorcerers' Brotherhood might possess maps from several hundred years ago.
Several hundred years ago—
Who knew how the terrain inside the Valley of Thousand Monsters had been ravaged by monsters by now?
After all, it was home to the Viy, the colossal monster that had once destroyed half of Maribor—a creature on a scale capable of reshaping the land itself.
Thus, the first step alone—finding Ban Ard's location—would likely take a great deal of time.
If they accidentally stirred up a powerful monster like the Viy, then forget about a swift victory. Even retreating safely without collapsing into a rout would be extremely difficult.
And was the Viy truly the strongest monster in the Valley of Thousand Monsters?
No one knew.
Besides, during the expedition, would every participant truly be like Tissaia de Vries, wholeheartedly focused on rescuing fellow members of the Sorcerers' Brotherhood?
Was Belendil Rogrides the only one harboring ulterior motives?
Allen himself didn't believe that.
A swift victory—
That was absolutely impossible.
"Allen, I'm not asking you to avoid it," Vera said, watching the changes in the Witcher's expression and unable to resist trying to persuade him.
"But the expedition to the Valley of Thousand Monsters is itself a hasty operation. Tissaia forced it through by mending the Sorcerers' Brotherhood, and inevitably, many things have been overlooked."
"The sorcerers participating in the expedition are extremely powerful—Tissaia de Vries, Narses de la Roche, and dozens of senior sorcerers. In the past two or three hundred years, the Sorcerers' Brotherhood has never launched an expedition of this scale."
"In theory, multi-element magic can also handle any accident encountered along the way."
"And on the Northern Continent, there are no experts more professional in hunting monsters than Witchers of the Wolf School, Griffin School, and Bear School—"
"But so what, Allen?"
"I've taken part in military expeditions. I know that in war, discipline, unity of thought, and morale matter most. Individual strength doesn't even rank in the top ten."
"The sorcerers of the Sorcerers' Brotherhood have received no training at all, and they have even less coordination with Witchers."
"No one is prepared. If a slightly larger accident occurs, no one knows what will happen to the expeditionary force."
"And theoretically, high-ranking sorcerers all belong to the Sorcerers' Brotherhood and answer to the Supreme Council—but in reality, they belong to organizations like the Rogrides family or the Crowned Silver Eagle."
"Do they really want to save Ban Ard?"
Vera gently shook her head.
"To be honest, I don't have the slightest confidence in this operation. I even think that Tissaia de Vries is bound to suffer a major setback over it."
Allen turned to look at Ianna.
Ianna shrugged. "Even though I did just persuade her, I think what Vera said is actually correct."
Allen thought for a moment, then set down the bread roll in his hand.
"Actually, you've both misunderstood one thing."
"It's not that the expedition to Dol Dhu Lokke needs me and the Wolf School—it's that I and the Wolf School need this expedition."
Although he didn't know what method Ianna had used to persuade Vera, it was clear that it still wasn't enough.
Vera was convinced on the surface, but not in her heart.
Of course, since Ianna had spoken this way, Allen believed that Vera would most likely not stop him from joining the Wolf School in the expedition to the Valley of Thousand Monsters.
But that wasn't enough.
He needed Vera to stand completely on his side, so that after returning to Kaer Morhen, she could help persuade Sol and the other Witcher masters of the Wolf School.
Allen glanced around and noticed that the nearest people were ordinary folk more than ten meters away. He lowered his voice.
"You may have already sensed it—I can gain strength from hunting monsters. Sword oils, potions, heart essence, even swordsmanship, Signs, and other techniques."
"Monsters are my stepping stones."
"And not just individually. The witcher corps—that is, Hughes, Bond, Erni, and the others—can also gain improvement from hunting monsters."
"Right now, the only thing limiting our rate of growth is monsters themselves—"
The ability to gain power from monsters was Allen's secret, but in truth, Vesemir, Vera, and Sol could surely see it.
Ianna, who hadn't been in close, long-term contact with him, might not know as much.
But in this world, there were no people more trustworthy than the priestesses of Melitele. Because of the Goddess Melitele, they were natural allies. And besides, she was Vera's foster mother—this double bond made it all the more so.
He also needed to reveal a bit of his hand, to put his allies at ease.
After all, the Temple of Melitele would also be sending a group of priestesses to take part in this operation.
Hearing this, Ianna and Vera exchanged glances, showing no sign of surprise.
So they had guessed it already—Allen thought.
"So—" Vera lowered her head in thought. "You want to use the Sorcerers' Brotherhood's protection to hunt the monsters in Dol Dhu Lokke. Hm… compared to letting you take that bunch of brutes from the Wolf School charging straight into Dol Dhu Lokke to hunt on your own, this does indeed seem rather… safe."
Allen pretended not to notice the sarcasm in the sorceress's tone and shook his head.
"It's not for the sake of hunting the monsters in Dol Dhu Lokke—or rather, not just those monsters—"
He paused, then looked into Vera's ruby-like eyes.
"I want Ban Ard. The Ban Ard that's inside Dol Dhu Lokke."
Want Ban Ard—
Vera froze, instinctively turning to look at Ianna.
"You mean…?" Ianna frowned as well.
Allen took a deep breath.
"Monsters on the Northern Continent are too scattered, too hard to find. Around Kaer Morhen, they've been killed to the point that even Drowners are becoming scarce."
"The strength of the Wolf School and myself has already sunk into a quagmire. It's very hard to improve further."
"So I need the Wolf School to change locations—no, more precisely, to add a dedicated hunting base—"
"Have you lost your mind?!" Vera suddenly leapt to her feet. The screech of wood scraping against the floor drew countless gazes from the dining hall.
"That's Dol Dhu Lokke!" Under Ianna's pull, Vera sat back down, lowering her voice, though the tremor in it was impossible to hide. "The Valley of Thousand Monsters, Dol Dhu Lokke—even the Sorcerers' Brotherhood might be wiped out there!"
"Have you gone mad, Allen?!"
"Sol, Vesemir, Aristo—no one in the Wolf School will agree with this insane idea. No one—"
Allen did not respond to Vera's shock. He remained silent for a long time, waiting for her to calm down. Only then did he fix his gaze on those dark-red eyes and speak, slowly and clearly:
"So help me."
"Vera—Mom—"
.......
📢Advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
1. Advanced chapters of The Witcher: Wolf School's HuntingNotes.
2. Advanced chapters of Advanced Guide for Veteran Gunpla Builders.
3. Advanced chapters of In MyGO!!!!!, Producing MyGO!!!!!.