The noise in the tavern hall, the sound of the band's performance, the clangs and bangs from the brawl in the corner, all seemed to instantly drift away from our Demon Hunter.
In his golden pupils, soon there was only the graceful figure by the table in the flickering lamplight.
"You've arrived."
The woman in the black hooded cloak let out a soft laugh, as light as leaves falling on water, so light it was hard to catch the meaning.
"A man who should have retired is running around with my ugly daughter, can't I at least come and take a look?"
Geralt strode over and sat down by the table, and Dandelion quickly brought him a drink.
"My Silver Sword's a bit worn out, I'm out looking for a Blacksmith."
The Female Sorcerer in the green cloak by the table shook her head, leaning low over the table, seemingly not wanting anyone to see her face.
"So you came from Toussaint for over half a year just to find a Blacksmith in Novigrad."
Geralt seemed to ignore her sarcasm, raising the glass to take a gulp, then touching his beard.
Honey Wine, he didn't particularly like Honey Wine.
"Actually, the original plan was to sail from Novigrad to Skellige, as the Blacksmiths are better there."
"Everyone, it seems this place isn't suitable for discussing matters, how about going upstairs?"
Dandelion, adjusting his hat, suggested as the brawl in the corner of the tavern began escalating, drawing more and more people in.
He suggested Geralt and the Female Sorcerers head upstairs to find a room to chat, as it wouldn't be long before the guards arrived.
Although the witch hunt had stopped, Novigrad's attitude towards Female Sorcerers remained unfriendly. To avoid any bloody conflicts, it would be best not to confront the guards directly.
But how could Geralt allow others to cause chaos in his friend's tavern?
"You all go upstairs, it's been a long time since I last boxed."
The woman in the black cloak decisively pulled Ciri along, and the others followed suit.
Su Ming glanced at Geralt, who had jumped into the fray, shrugged, opting not to play with these drunken fools, as they were all ordinary people, not very interesting.
He followed the group upstairs.
Dandelion had evidently put a lot of thought into the inn, with the large room upstairs decorated very elegantly. Not only were there beautiful carpets, but also many ornaments brought from the distant East.
Large swathes of Silk draped over the bedposts, and colorful pillows filled the entire room. A pot of red flowers, unfamiliar to Su Ming, bloomed in the corner, while the view outside the window revealed the lights of the entire city.
Ciri hugged each Female Sorcerer warmly, happily sharing her journey with them.
However, the woman in the black cloak merely touched Ciri's face, then turned her gaze to Su Ming. Naturally, they weren't here just to see Ciri; they had serious matters at hand.
She lifted her hood, revealing black wavy hair cascading over her shoulders. Her violet eyes reflected Ciri's image as she raised an eyebrow, sizing up the unfamiliar man.
In just a brief moment, she began introducing her group to the outsider.
"I am Yennefer of Vengerberg, this is Triss of Maribo, Philippa of Trtogg, Fringilla of Toussaint, Margaret of Aretuza, Keira Metz of Carayas, Ada Amin of Blue Mountain..."
Indeed, it wasn't the two people Su Ming had imagined.
Perhaps the arrival of Yennefer and Triss was expected, considering it concerned Ciri, they were certain to come.
But now, Su Ming only wanted to ask Geralt where he downloaded his harem MOD from.
Yennefer had practically summoned half the members of the Female Sorcerer Gathering Place.
After the last invasion of the Wild Hunt, Yennefer, Triss, and Philippa began to reorganize the Female Sorcerer Gathering Place, given that many had died in the third Niflgaard invasion or the northern witch hunts.
They still needed to train apprentices or exchange information from around the world; the Gathering Place was a necessary organization.
Even if some of them did not have good relations, the Gathering Place provided more opportunities to understand their enemies, didn't it?
Nonetheless, those present were either friends of Yennefer or of Triss, all familiar to Geralt.
"I am honored, ladies. I am Slade from New York." Su Ming removed his helmet, offering a friendly smile to each of them. "But surely, for Ciri's schooling, it wasn't necessary for you all to make the trip? Especially you, 'Coral' of Blue Mountain, haven't you retired completely?"
The Elf Sorceress took off her hood, still holding her black cat in her arms, and found a cushion to sit down.
"You indeed know a lot about us, but our purpose here is not only for Ciri, it's because you appeared."
Su Ming nodded, guessing that was the case.
"It seems Ciri told you quite a lot, your perspective is as sharp as ever, is it because of Bai Shuang?"
The witches also removed their hoods, revealing pretty faces, each finding a place and sitting down in different postures.
Only Yennefer stood with Ciri.
The black-haired sorceress nodded: "The Wild Hunt is not the root of the problem, Bai Shuang is. It devours one world after another, like it devoured the Wild Hunt's world, swallowing ours. The Wild Hunt were merely beasts driven away by it."
The blind Philippa, as if her eyes were normal, steadily sat on the sofa, clutching the armrest, her fingers seeming to feel its texture, yet she posed a question to Su Ming.
"Last time Ciri closed the connection between our worlds, our world is temporarily safe, but do you know the Ouroboros Faction?"
"A mysterious underground religion in Skellige, they believe we live in a vast cosmos full of different worlds, and from the center of the universe, a mysterious phenomenon called Bai Shuang is produced."
Su Ming shared his intelligence, remembering that the game had a book mentioning the Ouroboros. Thanks to the fusion of soul and new body, he remembers his past life clearly.
"When Bai Shuang descends upon a world, within decades it will be devoid of life. The Ouroboros calls this cosmic renewal, the symbol of their faction, their so-called cycle." Triss tidied her red hair, her cloak making her bangs seem messy, she added a sentence.
Speaking of Bai Shuang, Su Ming felt that Earth he previously lived on seemed to have undergone such a reset.
The two glacial ages only confirmed humanity's current status, otherwise, dinosaurs would still be running rampant.
However, that's not important, Bai Shuang isn't cold; it's more like cleansing civilizations where productivity and technology haven't reached a certain level.
Yennefer, holding Ciri, also sat down, half-forcing Ciri's head onto her shoulder, helping her straighten her hair: "Everyone who researches mysticism knows Yisilin's prophecy, which foretold the world's destruction."
"The era of sword and axe is coming, the era of wolf blizzard is coming, the era of Bai Shuang and White Light is coming, the era of madness and shame is coming. In the era of the end, the world will perish in the frost and snow and be reborn under a new sun. The ancient bloodline will be reborn, from seeds sown long ago, this seed will not sprout but erupt in flames."
Su Ming recited the complete prophecy, the prophecy of the White Elf Yisilin runs throughout the Witcher games, almost every book involving mysticism will have different interpretations of this passage.
Many self-proclaimed divination masters speak of Yisilin's prophecy, yet look at the moon hanging in the well's mouth as the sky. But not the sorceresses, at least those who have seen Bai Shuang with their own eyes, like Yennefer, wouldn't.
"That's completely correct, your memory about mysticism is impressive, much easier to communicate with than a certain Demon Hunter." Yennefer mockingly referred to someone not present.
Some sorceresses knowingly laughed quietly, but Yennefer quickly continued speaking.
"The prophecy is true, so Ciri is the world's last hope, we can't let her leave, you're not going anywhere, are you, little Ciri?"
Ciri wanted to resist, but Yennefer's authoritative gaze held her firmly, making her stick out her tongue and make a face.
"Though I hate to interrupt your mother-daughter bonding, I'd like to remind you."
Su Ming cleared his throat, sat on the carpet, and took out a bottle of wine and snacks from his backpack to share with each woman:
"That's only half of the prophecy, the other half is 'all creatures will die, only the elves will rise'... Meaning, if you follow the prophecy, the only one among you with a chance to survive is Ada, or are you planning to gamble with your quarter elf blood, Yennefer?"
Everyone fell silent, only the most knowledgeable and oldest witch Philippa calmly tried to open the bottle.
Su Ming helped her remove the cork, handing her a wooden cup: "To me, in any world, lighting the fire means the continuation of the cycle, and only through rebellion is there hope."
"You want to rebel against the cosmos?" Fringilla's eyes widened, as if hearing something unbelievable.
Su Ming poured himself some wine, revealing a faint smile: "Why not? A mere cosmic disaster, how can it represent the will of the cosmos?"
Yennefer rested her chin, thinking. Ciri took the chance to escape from her embrace, hiding behind Triss, breathing a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Triss was unconsciously looking down, her long fingers tracing the carpet's pattern, she was also contemplating.
It was the blind Philippa who seemed to see the clearest; she knew this outsider posing the question must have a solution, otherwise, he wouldn't bring it up now to trouble everyone.
She took a sip of the Otherworld's wine, very elegantly set down the cup: "Tell us, Slade from New York, what is your plan?"
"In my world, a great man once said — when there's not enough noodles, use garlic. So, when magic can't solve the problem, solve it with science."
"Huh?"
Many sorceresses simultaneously showed bewildered expressions, what does that mean?