The son-in-law of Mr. Hachishaku

Chapter 263 From Baiguoyuan to Card Master

Li Ang was 'kidnapped'.

A few hours ago, he had just returned to the main world from the Big Dead World. Before he could take a sip of water, Xili, who had been squatting there for an unknown length of time, suddenly jumped out and threw him to the ground.

Then, a dazzling light lit up, and he was transported to a strange place.

There is an almost idyllic scene here, with clear blue skies and warm, bright sunshine. Next to the scattered thatched houses are orchards full of white flowers. The broad river passes here and flows slowly north.

But no matter how beautiful the scenery in front of him was, Li Ang had no time to appreciate it because he had lost Xili.

Or the other way around, in short, the two have lost contact now.

In order to figure out the situation, Li Ang randomly selected a lucky person passing by.

Lucky Man is an ordinary villager with a slightly funny pot-top haircut and coarse linen clothes. He is hurriedly pushing a wooden cart filled with pots and pans.

Being inexplicably blocked, Jarhead was a little angry, but after he compared the height and size difference between himself and Li Ang, he decided to give in.

"What's the matter, sir?"

"Don't be nervous, fellow, I just want to ask for directions." Li Ang forced out what he thought was a gentle smile: "What is this place?"

As a result, the fellow became even more nervous and stammered: "Bai Bai. Bai. Bai Guoyuan."

"It turns out this is here. Why does it look familiar?" Li Ang suddenly realized, and then asked: "What year is it now?"

Jarhead replied without thinking: "Era 1272."

Li Ang thought for a while and said, "How to get to Baiguoyuan Hotel?"

"Keep going along this road." Jarhead pointed behind him, and then kindly reminded: "I advise you to leave as soon as possible, there is going to be a war here."

Although the fellow looks a bit ugly, his heart is still beautiful.

So Li Ang gave a piece of gold weighing several grams to Jarhead as a reward for asking for directions.

He had just cut it from the gold bar with his fingernails.

Jarhead was so surprised that he kept bowing to Li Ang to thank him, but when he straightened up again, he had disappeared.

The White Orchard is an area within the Northern Kingdom [Temeria]. As the name suggests, it is an area rich in fruits. In addition, it also produces high-quality wood, which is very suitable for making furniture.

At the same time, Baiguoyuan is also the place where the plot of "The Witcher 3" begins, which is equivalent to the Novice Village.

According to the information given by fellow villagers, this year is not a good year.

In April last year, the King of Temeria was assassinated and the entire country fell into turmoil because of the delay in electing a new king who could convince the public. The nobles began to tear the country into pieces like cloth, just to grab more profits.

But when real predators get their hands on their treasure, these humble scavengers scatter in fear.

In August of the same year, Nilfgaard, the most powerful empire in the known world and history, located in the south of the continent, declared war on the northern countries including Temeria.

Known in history as the 'Third Northern War'.

The imperial soldiers held high the flag of the sun and crossed the Yaruga River on the north-south border. They made great progress along the way. In just a few months, many places in the northern countries fell, and the war spread rapidly.

In the spring of 1272, that was the time when Li Ang came.

The Imperial Army has penetrated deep into the heart of Temeria, within easy reach of the country's capital.

In order to prevent the fall of the capital, Temeria gathered troops in the northwest and established a defensive line to block intruders.

And this northwest direction is the Baiguoyuan area.

It is worth mentioning that the current king of Nilfgaard [Emhyr Emreth] is Ciri's biological father. The Principality of Toussaint in "Blood and Wine", the first dungeon that Leon experienced, was a vassal state of Nilfgaard.

The Grand Duchess was very kind and treated him quite well, but it was a pity that she was a stranger now.

After all, the plot of "Blood and Wine" won't happen three years later.

With a feeling of regret, Li Ang came to the Baiguoyuan Hotel.

Don't expect a hotel in the village to be high-end, with wooden walls, thatched roofs, and a small courtyard surrounded by fences. Even during the day, the room was quite dark and had to be illuminated by candles. A few heavy and undecorated rough wooden tables, a fully open kitchen, and a fireplace that stays on all year round are all the hotel has.

But the proprietress is very sentimental. There are many flowers and wind chimes made of wheat straw hanging on the roof. There are colorful graffiti on the walls. In the most conspicuous place in the store, there is a lily heraldic shield representing the Kingdom of Temeria.

The roof of the hotel was slightly low. In order not to hit his head, Li Ang could only stoop slightly.

"It's a pity that I don't know the dwarf, otherwise I would have introduced him."

The old lady boss probably had no sense of humor, so she said in a cold tone: "If you want to find a dwarf, there is a blacksmith shop on the left when you go out. Besides, we are already closed."

Li Ang exited the door and looked at the sun hanging high above his head: "Is this a nightclub?"

"What nightclub!" The proprietress put her hands on her hips angrily: "The war is about to begin. Everyone wants to leave this hellish place. Of course I have to make samples since I have no business."

"I'm here to take care of your business." Li Ang took another piece of gold and threw it to the other party: "I plan to live here for a while."

The landlady hurriedly caught the gold nugget, put it in her mouth and bit it.

After confirming that it was genuine, a bright smile instantly appeared on his face: "Hey, please tell me early and I will prepare a room for you."

"There's no rush." ​​Li Ang stopped her: "Let's play Gwent first."

Gwent is an ancient game originated from the dwarves. Players on both sides use cards representing different camps to simulate war on the board until one side wins.

Since the entertainment methods in this world are not rich, and Gwent is a low-cost game suitable for all ages (provided that no money is gambled), it quickly spread throughout the continent.

From princes and nobles to common people, everyone likes to play cards as a pastime in their spare time.

But there are also many people who are obsessed with it and go bankrupt playing cards.

Moreover, the racial characteristics of dwarves lead them to be keen on using superb skills to produce extremely sophisticated cards. The high-end cards drawn by each dwarf master are considered works of art and are quite expensive, further contributing to the prosperity of the sport.

Li Ang is not addicted to playing cards, but he has come here and he still wants to experience it.

So, a few hours later.

"I'm not coming, I'm not coming, if I keep playing, I will lose to you." The proprietress hurriedly ran away from the card table: "I'm going to prepare dinner, please wait a moment."

Li Ang put away the trophies on the table with a smile on his face.

After several hours of experience, he not only took back the gold nugget he just paid to the landlady, but also won an additional two months of free room and board, plus several collector-level cards.

In the end, he did not forget to taunt: "Elsa, what's the difference between your behavior of running away when you can't get enough, and running away on the battlefield?"

The proprietress who was cutting the meat pointedly said: "It is better to run away than lose your life."

Her words represent the thoughts of a large portion of White Orchard residents.

It is better to leave one's hometown than to be affected by the war.

Although Elsa, the proprietress, said so, she was not really planning to leave White Orchard. She had no children, no husband, and only had this country inn.

Without it there is no difference from death.

She just hopes that the war will come later. As for who is the final winner, it doesn't matter. Anyway, no matter who wins, they will have food and accommodation.

Compared with Elsa's drifting with the crowd, the young people in the village are more active.

They love their country and are willing to pay for it. Many of them volunteer to join the army, ready to resist enemy invaders at any time.

As an outsider, Li Ang did not intend to get involved in the conflicts between the two countries. The reason why he stayed in Baiguoyuan was to wait for others.

As we all know, waiting for someone is very boring.

He could only find something to do for himself, such as playing cards. In this way, the rumor that a Gwent master came to Elsa's hotel soon spread to the entire White Orchard area, and many people came here just to compete with Li Ang.

Because he rarely failed, some good people gave him a title.

The card master of White Orchard.

People in the world of "The Witcher" like to give nicknames to celebrities. For example, Geralt is called: The White Wolf and the Butcher of Blavikan. Xili is also known as: Cintra Young Lion, Jiweier (Swallow) and other titles.

Li Ang doesn't like this title very much because he really doesn't like playing cards.

4 April

play cards.

4 April

play cards.

4 April

play cards.

4 April

Li Ang, Li Ang! How could you let yourself down like this! The top priority is to find the whereabouts of Xili, have you forgotten? We must not continue like this tomorrow!

4 April

play cards.

4 April

The local lord came to me to play cards and won a pair of ancestral armor and a number of collectible cards.

4 April

The war begins, playing cards.

5 April

Nilfgaard eventually won the war. After the imperial army commander occupied the White Orchard area, he spared the local residents and prevented his soldiers from plundering the villagers.

5 April

While visiting the battlefield, I accidentally picked up a crystal crow skull, which smelled of lilac and gooseberry.

Until October 5th.

Li Ang finally ended his more than ten days of playing cards because no one wanted to play with him anymore.

Walking out of the hotel, stretched out beautifully towards the fiery morning sun.

Before he could think of what to do today, the Witcher badge that he had placed in his pocket began to vibrate slightly.

It means that a sorceress monster is approaching.

Li Ang carefully sensed the surroundings. There were no monsters or sorceresses, but there were two demon hunters.

The one at the head is tall and stocky, with gray hair and a long scar on the right side of his face. He is wearing a well-made leather chain armor, and the Witcher's iconic vertical cat eyes and steel-silver swords are naturally indispensable.

The one following him had a stockier build, his face was as old as the leather armor on his body, he had a brown-gray beard, and there were scratches and bloodstains on one shoulder.

When a long-lived witcher appears old, it proves that his true age is far beyond imagination.

There is only one such old demon hunter in the entire continent, and that is the highly respected master of the Wolf School - Vesemir.

If Li Ang remembers correctly, Vesemir was born in 1095.

As for the demon hunter who acts with the master of the Wolf School, who else can he be besides the famous white wolf Geralt.

The purpose of the two people's trip to White Grass Garden was to find Geralt's old sweetheart: the sorceress Yennefer.

The cause was that Yennefer sent a letter to Geralt, which mentioned that she might have discovered Ciri's whereabouts.

Everyone knows that the witcher is infertile, and the sorceress cannot have children of her own for some reasons, so Geralt and Yennefer have always regarded Ciri, their adopted daughter, as their biological daughter.

My daughter is lost and must be found.

However, Geralt was a step too late. The meeting place agreed upon by the two had been razed to the ground by the Imperial Army, and Yennefer was nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, Geralt met Vesemir on the way, and the experienced old demon hunter tracked Yennefer to the White Orchard through the footprints left by Yennefer.

"Do you feel it? There is something nearby." Geralt reminded.

"I haven't reached the point where my eyesight is dim yet." Vesemir said slowly: "I thought it was an exaggeration to think that there were griffons near the village, but I didn't expect that there were still dirty things in the village."

Geralt said in his deep voice: "Maybe it's because of the war. There are corpses and blood everywhere, and monsters will lose control after smelling it."

Vesemir added: "There is another possibility. We have met the same kind."

"You mean the witcher?" Geralt asked.

Vesemir shrugged and said nothing.

The two led the horses straight to the inn. The old demon hunter's shoulder had just been scratched by a gryphon and he needed to find a place to deal with it. By the way, he could also find out about Yennefer.

But as soon as they arrived at the door of the hotel, they were blocked by a tall 'elf'.

Geralt's height was already considered outstanding among humans, but the opponent was at least half a head taller than him.

"Please give way, Mr. Elf."

Li Ang, who was mistakenly recognized, smiled and said: "Are my ears that pointy? Forget it, just think you are complimenting me, Geralt of Rivia."

"And good morning, Master Vesemir."

Geralt and Vesemir were very surprised on the inside, but on the surface they didn't have any violent mood swings.

Unlike rumors, the transformation of witchers will not deprive them of their emotions. Indeed, some witchers have tried to completely eliminate their emotions, but the results were unsatisfactory. A more reliable statement about the emotions of witchers is that the witchers’ accurate judgment, calmness and calm attitude in battle are more due to their rigorous training and years of experience in fighting monsters. .

And maintaining a paralyzed face can help the demon hunter avoid many unnecessary troubles.

"You know us?"

"Of course, I not only know you, but I also know the purpose of your coming."

Then, Li Ang extended his hand and invited: "Please, you two, let's go inside and chat slowly."

Witchers don't know fear. If you dare to invite us, we dare to enter.

Leon followed the two of them into the hotel and greeted: "Elsa, please have three glasses of rye vodka, the kind you just took out from the wine cellar."

The duty of demon hunters is to hunt monsters, which can be regarded as a kind act to protect the environment and the people. However, due to their powerful combat power that exceeds ordinary people, they are regarded as aliens by most people. In addition, there are always false rumors against demon hunters. Over time, civilians have a deep prejudice against this group.

So when Geralt and Vesemir walked into the inn, they were greeted by a pair of strange and disgusting eyes.

The two of them had long been accustomed to this and sat down at an empty table with a calm expression.

Li Ang's treatment was completely opposite. As soon as he entered the door, the guests began to applaud and cheer.

Who made him the card master of Baiguoyuan?

After greeting the guests one by one, Li Ang walked to sit opposite the two demon hunters.

"Let's make a long story short, want some Gwent?"

(End of this chapter)