"You want the corpse to speak," the Half-Fishman priest remarked with some disapproval in his voice.
His mindset probably leaned towards the order of following nature.
Believing that no matter what, the boundary between life and death should not be blurred.
"I hate it, but since the Lady seeks you, she will probably help. For details, you should talk to the Lady’s messenger. She is swimming over there."
The brass respirator of the Half-Fishman priest shook, and his staff pointed Lann in a general direction, then he said no more.
He didn’t approve of Lann’s intention but didn’t want to go against the Lady of the Lake’s will either.
Lann understood this mindset and nodded at him, following the direction along the riverside given to him.
Less than fifty meters from the altar, in a bay of the lake, he found the so-called "Lady’s messenger."
Before seeing her, Lann assumed this would be another Half-Fishman.
But once actually face-to-face, he realized he was completely wrong.
It was a creature entirely naked, with skin the color of lake green.
She looked like a slender female elf.
Pointy ears, a delicate face, with thick green hair casually draping over her naked body.
Lann did not conceal his footsteps, so this creature, frolicking freely on the lake under the moon, easily sensed the Demon Hunter’s arrival.
"Hey, you look pretty good, human. Want to have sex with me?"
Her face carried a naturally friendly smile, but her first words choked Lann.
The mouth Lann intended to speak with was now open but unable to utter a sound.
She emerged from the water and walked towards the shore, openly and naturally displaying her body to Lann.
"Are you a Nymph? If it’s just for sleeping together, I was looking for an Enchanting Demon."
Lann’s eyes naturally scanned up and down as he spoke dryly.
"Alright, although I would love to tell you that a Nymph isn’t bad in bed, since you are unwilling, let’s leave it at that."
It seemed like she wanted to taste him because of Lann’s good looks, without much attachment.
"It seems you are the Demon Hunter the Lady needs."
The Nymph circled Lann, curiously revolving around him.
Though she had just emerged from the lake water, her body only emitted a fresh spring-like fragrance.
Lann, with his extensive knowledge of human bones and musculature, could see from her few steps that her skeletal structure and muscle distribution had subtle differences from humans.
But all in all... she was indeed quite beautiful.
"I spoke to the priest there at the altar. I do not exclude helping the Lady, but I hope we can have mutual assistance."
"Making the dead speak..." At this point, the Nymph also frowned.
They are typical natural creatures, inherently repelling unnatural magic.
"In the past, the Lady would never satisfy such a request. But now the situation has changed, so this request can be fulfilled."
The solemnity of the Half-Fishman priest, along with the Nymph’s consternation, stirred Lann’s curiosity about the thing the Lady of the Lake was confronting.
"The Lady’s power is already so strong, why does she still need a mere Demon Hunter? And what is the ’changed situation’ you mentioned?"
"That’s actually a question, Demon Hunter."
The Nymph frowned and shook her head, her thick green hair falling to her chest before she gently brushed it aside.
"The monster you’re dealing with is named - Da Gun. And it’s precisely the key to making the dead speak."
Lann tilted his head and asked, puzzled.
For physical monsters, he managed to kill them smoothly. But when it came to dealing with curses and magical energies, his lack of knowledge left him helpless.
"Da Gun is not a creature of this world; it came through a conjunction of the spheres. Its foreign evil powers can be used as material to drive corpses without disrupting the local magic balance. It causes spirits to rampage and vitality to drain. But there are still issues to be cautious about..."
The Nymph gazed seriously into Lann’s eyes.
"Are you certain that this corpse’s sins are worth letting his soul suffer such torment?"
The Demon Hunter’s cat-like eyes showed no ripple or hesitation.
Lann’s response was calm and concise.
"It’s what he deserves."
After a long gaze exchanged between the Nymph and the Demon Hunter, their eyes finally broke apart.
"I’m willing to trust you, Demon Hunter. You need to come with me to Black Seagull Island to meet the Lady. By then, she will tell you more details."
Lann sidestepped to avoid the Nymph’s intentionally or unintentionally reaching hand towards his arm and glanced at the hanging moon.
"Tomorrow then, Nymph. It’s late today, and I have a child with me."
Having navigated through the massacre at the inn in Vizima, then transported to this village, and negotiating with the Half-Fishman and the Lady’s messenger,
A series of events have brought them to midnight.
Lann and the Nymph agreed to find a boat and set off for Black Seagull Island early the next morning.
He then returned to find Alia, already yawning to tears, and the corpse of Ubank.
With the blood flow having ceased, the blood pooled on the side of the body touching the ground, forming preliminary livor mortis.
Lann was well aware of this guy’s sins during his life, at least a portion of them.
He was also well aware of the punishment he would face tomorrow, so his treatment of the corpse was not overly cautious.
Tonight, few people rested in the village because of the spectacular full moon on the lake.
So Lann easily bought a large tarp from a farmer, wrapped the body, and carried it away.
This village seemed to be called Dusk Water.
Though separated from Vizima by the entire Vizima Lake, its living conditions were much better than the rural villages of Velen.
At least the village had a rather large tavern.
Lann could easily take Alia to make do for a night.
A countryside inn is certainly not comparable to a central hotel in the Vizima trade district.
But the scent of pine resin, even mixed with the smell of cockroaches and mice, was much more pleasant than the stench of human blood and bile.
Lann casually placed the body on the ground.
"Sir, I seem to have caught a cold."
On the other side, Alia groggily spoke.
Lann walked over to her and checked, she indeed showed a few symptoms.
This evening she first endured the shock from the massacre at the inn, then the dizziness from the portal, followed by the lake wind. Even an adult would have been overwhelmed.
"It’s not a big issue. I’ll give you some medicine tomorrow... not the Demon Hunter’s magic potion, non-toxic components! Do you think I’m dumb? After drinking it for a few days, you’ll be more or less fine."
Lann said it wasn’t a big deal, so Alia let her worries go.
In her heart, Lann was probably the most capable person she knew.
"And, Alia. Until this affair is concluded, stay in this village. I’ll leave money at the tavern’s counter for you."
Lann, facing the little girl’s confused and saddened gaze, shrugged with his arms folded.
"Hey! Don’t look at me like that, as if you’re a pup being driven out of your home... aren’t you ’Blood of the Running Wolf’?"
After the tease, the Demon Hunter became serious.
"It’s too dangerous to have you with me now, Alia. I took you out of Airetusa Academy to help me complete that night’s ’Alchemy.’ After completion, I couldn’t just send you back for no reason, so I brought you to Vizima. But I didn’t expect the opponent’s power in Vizima to be so vast..."
"Now whether it’s leaving you with Triss or letting you take care of yourself, considering the opponent’s demonstrated force, problems would arise, even in the palace."
"But here is quite good, a peaceful and quiet small village, ideal for temporarily placing you."
Alia, after thinking for a while, no longer resisted, and Lann also let out a breath.
He kneeled beside the body, entering meditation.
Adjusting his state for the journey to Black Seagull Island the next day.