Chapter 339: This world is a leaky shack
Eithné fell silent.
After a long pause, she spoke slowly.
"You have done a great service to Brokilon, and it is only right that we accept your request, as it is not an unreasonable one."
"However, Brokilon is once again in peril. Unless you can help me deal with this trouble."
Lynn didn't hesitate. "Just say the word."
Eithné nodded, clearly pleased with his attitude.
"I wonder if you've heard of the fiend Dagon?"
Lynn recalled the bizarre, humanoid enemy he had fought on the way here.
"I've not only heard of it, but I have also cleansed the Lady of the Lake's waters of its corruption in Toussaint."
Eithné continued.
"Then that makes things simpler. For some time now, Dagon has extended its influence into Brokilon. It has corrupted a lake somewhere in the forest and moved its profane altar there."
"Its cultists have a strong resistance to piercing damage, and my children are no match for its minions."
"I will agree to your terms. If you can complete this task, I will send my most skilled child with you to Kaer Morhen."
Clearing out fiend cultists?
Lynn only hesitated for a moment before accepting.
He had already dealt with Dagon's cultists back in Toussaint.
Now, his strength was far greater than it had been then. If these cultists were only as powerful as the humanoid monster he had faced earlier, it wouldn't take much effort.
Besides, he had the help of Gared and Mousesack.
Still, he was a little curious.
If Eithné and the Lady of the Lake were beings of the same caliber, why wouldn't Eithné handle a problem that was already at her doorstep herself, instead of asking for outside help?
"Hmm, Witcher, you seem to still have doubts. Speak your mind."
The Dryad Queen wasn't a human monarch whose mood shifted like the wind. She wouldn't fly into a rage over a misspoken word.
So, Lynn shared what was on his mind.
"Witcher, it's not that I am unwilling to handle it myself. It's just... I cannot leave Duén Canell."
"Why is that?"
"Witcher, have you not noticed anything different between Duén Canell and the rest of the forest?"
At first, Lynn hadn't felt anything.
But with Eithné's specific prompting, he focused his senses and finally detected a subtle abnormality.
Logically, a place where the waters of Brokilon flowed should have a more active and concentrated presence of chaotic magic than the outside world.
He'd had this feeling when he first arrived at Duén Canell.
However, within the dense chaotic magic, there was a faint, unwelcome scent of sulfur.
Lynn's expression immediately became strange.
Something was wrong.
How could a place so full of life have the smell of death?
Eithné asked, "Witcher, you know about the Conjunction of Spheres, don't you?"
Lynn nodded.
He then recited the definition that human scholars held regarding the Conjunction:
"If our world is a ship, then our world and other worlds sail together on the vast ocean of the cosmos."
"Each of these ships carries its own cargo and crew. Usually, different ships are very far apart, but every few millennia, a fierce storm erupts on this cosmic ocean."
"So much so that two or more ships are blown toward each other, either colliding or sailing closely together."
"At this time, crew and cargo from one ship fall onto another, and vice versa."
"Only when the weather calms do the ships separate again and go their separate ways."
This was the analogy given by a famous professor from Oxenfurt Academy for this natural phenomenon. It was the common understanding of the Conjunction of Spheres in human society.
However, a flicker of disdain crossed Eithné's eyes.
"It's a straightforward analogy, but this explanation is like how the human race understands everything else. They have only a partial grasp of the truth, yet they are so quick to voice their opinions."
Lynn wasn't offended.
Indeed, even the most learned human scholar would likely be no more than a child debating the sun in front of her. After all, the history of every human kingdom, north or south, wasn't as long as her life.
"If you believe this explanation is flawed, I'm all ears."
Eithné shook her head.
"This world is not a ship. It's a house, and a broken, shaky one at that, full of holes."
"The so-called Conjunction of Spheres is just a hole that's torn open in the house, and things from outside the house are blown in through it."
"Most of the time, the holes in the house get fixed."
Lynn was puzzled. "You said 'most of the time'?"
Eithné nodded.
"Yes. That means, in rare cases, a hole in the house doesn't get fixed. It remains open."
She looked at Lynn again.
"It seems you've already guessed it. You're right. Deep beneath Duén Canell, there is such a portal connecting to another world."
"On the other side of the portal is a burning world. The sky is always overcast, the ground is covered in flowing lava, and the air is constantly filled with the scent of sulfur."
"Ten centuries ago, flaming monsters came to this world through that portal, causing immense destruction to Brokilon."
"We suffered great casualties to drive them back to their world, but we were never able to close that portal."
"Therefore, I must remain in Duén Canell, constantly maintaining the barrier that suppresses the portal and prevents those monsters from invading our world again."
Hearing this, Lynn couldn't help but gasp.
He never expected such a secret to be hidden beneath Duén Canell.
But this also solved a puzzle he'd had while reading the original novels: In the books, Brokilon was constantly retreating in the face of encroaching human nations until Milva deliberately led the human army into a dryad ambush, turning the tide for a time.
Yet, if "Silver-Eyed" Eithné was so powerful, why didn't she simply conjure a wicker man to unleash a cataclysm on the human army? After all, powerful druids could summon them, so it stood to reason the Dryad Queen could, too.
Now, hearing Eithné's own words, the mystery was solved.
If Eithné's duty was to sit on the Golden Throne for the sake of the world's fate, unable to move a single step, then she had no complaints about fighting for Brokilon and clearing out the darkness.
Now, only one question remained.
(End of Chapter)
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