The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Lann took a deep breath, a sincere and genuine expression on his face. He was about to carry out his final purpose in this mission.

In response to Iris's question, he gave her an answer she had never considered, or rather, a proposal.

"If you don't know what will happen after you lose the violet rose, why don't you try to get out of here? You've suffered too much and have barely known the beauty of life. After you got married, you've been imprisoned in this mansion, unable to take a single step outside. Now that Olgierd is dead, there's nothing keeping you trapped here anymore. You're free, aren't you?"

Iris was suddenly stunned. She was a bird that had been imprisoned for too long. She only hoped to be free but forgot that she still had wings.

"I... but I have nowhere to go." Iris lowered her head. "I no longer have a husband, and my husband killed my father. Now, in addition, I am a spirit..."

"Why don't you come with me?"

Iris stepped back sharply, staring at Lann with panic-filled eyes.

Lann also took a step back, keeping a respectful distance to give her some security.

"I'm sorry to say that I have never introduced myself to you: I am Lann of Cintra, Lann Lannister, Earl, second in line to the throne - of course, as you can see, I am a witcher, so I have lost the qualification to inherit the throne now."

Behind Lann, Kolgrim gently poked Letho. "What is he doing?"

Letho didn't even turn his head. "Just watch."

Meanwhile, Lann looked up at the spirit in front of him, his eyes reflecting crystal-clear sincerity. "I can't stand to see innocent people suffer for the sins of others. That drives me to offer my help. Don't worry about the danger you might face as a spirit. My identity is your best protection."

Iris lowered her head and grasped her long skirt with both hands. "But... we barely know each other, and I don't want to be a burden on anyone else. Olgierd did everything for me, and I..."

Lann interrupted her. "We already know you well enough, and I believe you have seen me in your dreams."

"Besides, you won't be a burden. I've seen some of your works in the gallery, and it turns out that my princess needs a painting teacher. If you're willing, you'll be the one to do us a favor."

"Be a painting teacher for the princess?" Iris was stunned, and there was a hint of expectation and joy in her voice.

For a lady with a decent family background and who likes painting, this is an irresistible job; and for a soul that has almost lost all ties with the world, this is another new hope of life.

"Of course." Lann, sensing the change in his tone, seized the moment and extended his hand in a gesture of invitation. "May I have the honor of inviting you, Madam Iris, or perhaps, Miss Iris?"

After a couple of breaths, Lann felt the cold touch of fingers on the palm of his hand.

"You are a true knight... Mr. Lannister, thank you."

Olgierd von Everec, you may now rest in peace.

The next challenge was to make sure Iris didn't disappear along with this world, and to get her safely out of here.

"For a spirit to move, it needs a vessel, usually its own body. But since we just buried you, we'll need this..."

Lann pulled out of his inventory the portrait of Iris he had recovered from Olgierd's mansion.

"You will need to inhabit this portrait temporarily. I will also strengthen your spiritual body, but I need you to relax and not offer any resistance, okay?"

Iris lowered her head, put her left hand on Lann's palm, and nervously grasped her skirt with her right hand. "Of course."

Lann smiled slightly, spent an ability point to open the blank [Follower Bar], and invested experience points.

The experience it took to recruit Iris as a Follower exceeded the amount of experience it took to recruit House and the others, but not as much as it did with Kiyan.

The new [Follower] panel unfolded in front of him.

[Follower: Iris

Gender: Female

Race: Soul in the Painting

Level: 1

Talent: Tsubaki

Experience: 0/1000

HP: 2000/2000

Mana: 3000/3000

Items: Mourning Dress, Pearl Veil

Skills: Linkage Transition, Soul Resurrection, Spiritual Transmutation, Pain Drainage, Advanced Etiquette, Advanced Painting.

Quest: None]

[Shared Follower Talent: Tsubaki]

[Tsubaki: A strong emotional bond can sustain the soul of a being alive, and even create entities beyond imagination.]

Lann noticed that Iris's race was [Soul in the Painting] instead of [Wraith in the Painting].

In The Witcher game, before reaching the bedroom from the gallery, the player had to face a wraith boss, an extremely difficult creature to handle.

Not only did she have all the usual wraith abilities, but she could also move freely between the different paintings, healing quickly when she hid in them, thus frustrating the player's efforts.

Of all the wraiths in The Witcher series, this boss was the hardest to defeat.

And that boss was actually a fragment of Iris's grudge after her death, turned into a wraith.

But the Iris in front of Lann was different. This was the complete Iris. Not only did she retain her reason and communication ability, but also all of her basic skills and attributes. Even her basic stats were higher than Kiyan's.

No wonder she was a boss.

Of course, attributes are not everything. If a real fight breaks out, an experienced witcher can always kill monsters that are several times stronger than himself, not to mention that Iris is not a combatant at all in terms of her personality.

But even if she can't fight, Iris is completely sufficient as a special reserve talent. Iris's special ability of 'Soul in the Painting' can make her a core role in the city defense system and the reconnaissance system.

As long as her paintings are placed on the castle, the capital, and even the main roads of the kingdom, she can move freely in them.

Even bolder, it is not impossible to occasionally give these paintings to leaders of other kingdoms...

As Lann finished analyzing Iris's panel, Iris, sensing the changes inside her, gave Lann a tender look.

She smiled gratefully at Lann, her body lit up with cold green flames, and in the blink of an eye she melted into the portrait of herself.

Lann nodded with satisfaction. He turned around and faced the scrutinizing gaze of the other witchers.

"What's wrong?" He said loudly and righteously. "I am a griffin, a knight among witchers."

"And have you forgotten my goal of rebuilding the Order of Witchers? To lend a hand to the weak and provide protection to those in need, is this not the original intention of establishing the order?"

Kiyan looked at him with admiration.

The black cat and black dog who had been watching suddenly shuddered. "Our master, who summoned us, has died, and the connection with our mistress has just been broken."

"Witcher, although we don't know what you've done, thank you for it."

These creatures, summoned from another dimension, had now met the conditions to return home.

After thanking him, the black dog turned around and began to walk away. After taking two steps, his body disintegrated into a cloud of ash that dispersed into the air.

The black cat tilted its head. "This world is about to collapse. You better leave soon. Go back the same way you came, and you will find the painting that brought you here. Thanks again, witchers."

With these words, the black cat disappeared instantly.

At the warning, everyone rushed out of the place.

The thick dark fog that covered the mansion had already dissipated. The wooden planks beneath their feet vanished into a white, empty abyss, and for a moment it seemed as if hundreds of suns illuminated the place in unison.

Lann looked deeply back, taking one last look at this world, before being the first to touch the painting that had brought him to this place.

Once again, the familiar feeling of vertigo and dizziness enveloped him. Lann leaned against a tree, bent over, and began to vomit.

When he finally felt a little better, he looked up. The dark clouds in the sky had already completely dissipated.

It was a sunny day, after all.

...

With this, the 'Heart of Stone' series of quests were completely finished, and the Master Mirror had been banished.

The Witchers, exhausted after having raced from Novigrad and fought several battles, decided to rest in the nearly destroyed von Everec Estate for a day before returning to the city.

The owner of the mansion, Iris, offered them simple hospitality.

Lann cleaned up a guest room for himself, and his mind sank into his system panel.

This series of tasks directly brought him four character level upgrades. Lann used an ability point to turn Iris into a Follower and there were still three ability points left.

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