All of us are one

Chapter 36 Chairman Furen's Confidence

The island was no different from what Jiang Yanming remembered, except that the forest was denser.

After Tila made a phone call, the two waited for nearly half an hour before a boat came from the other side of the island.

"They're here," Tira said, giving a heads-up.

Jiang Yanming didn't say anything, but got up and waited for the ship to slowly approach.

"Tila, it's been a long time."

A middle-aged, burly man in a black trench coat stood at the bow of the ship, waving to Tira from a distance.

As the ship drew nearer, Tira bowed slightly and said, "It's been a long time, teacher."

"You're Jiang? The last Tiger Witcher?" The burly man was over two meters tall and had a very robust build, typical of a Bear Witcher.

"Yes." Jiang Yanming nodded and asked, "What's your name?"

"Carrot," the burly man nodded and beckoned, "Get on board. All the other official Witchers are here; you're the only ones missing."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanming and Tila jumped onto the ship, and a lean witcher in the wheelhouse turned the ship around.

"I heard from President Furen that there aren't many official Witchers left," Jiang Yanming said softly.

"Including you, there are only 35 officially recognized Witchers we can contact," Carrot sighed. "There are also three apprentices in training in the fortress... The Witcher has fallen."

"Carlot, do you know what's going on with the headquarters island?" Jiang Yanming asked, pointing to the island in front of him. "Tira told me it's become a private island."

"I don't know, I haven't been back for a while." Carlot shook his head slightly. "For this kind of thing, I suggest you ask Chairman Furen, or Mr. Aruk who has been staying here for a long time."

"Ask him?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanming immediately pictured a middle-aged face.

In Jiang Yanming's memory, he was a hawkish demon hunter in his forties, but these memories were from ten years ago.

"Mr. Aruk often mentions you," Carrot said with a smile. "He says you're a witcher genius, becoming a full-fledged witcher in less than five years of training."

Jiang Yanming remained silent.

Indeed, according to the Witcher's memories, he could be considered a genius.

But the problem is, even if he's a genius witcher, he still hasn't killed a single monster, and after joining the Four Nations Alliance, he's struggling to survive on the poverty line.

"Times have changed," Jiang Yanming sighed. "We witchers train hard, even risking our lives to take potions, but in the end, we can't compete with a rifle."

Carrot remained silent upon hearing this, while Tira beside him wore a stern face and lowered her eyelids.

"Yes, even if I don't want to admit it, times have changed." Carrot sighed helplessly. "President Furen has prepared a lot of modern weapons, so I don't think our casualties will be too high in this final battle."

Jiang Yanming shook his head upon hearing this, without responding.

In his view, if witchers can use modern weapons, then wouldn't monsters, who are good at hiding their identities, also use modern weapons?

Carlot seemed to have thought of it too, his face darkened slightly, and he didn't say anything more.

And so, the three men on deck remained silent. In this atmosphere, the ship sailed around the island with its dense forests and arrived at a simple dock hidden in the woods.

"arrive."

Carrot disembarked first, followed by Jiang Yanming and the others.

After entering the dense forest from the dock, Carrot warned, "There are traps in the forest now. You two follow my steps and don't walk into the traps."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanming obediently followed Carrot's steps, with Tira following behind him, while the lean witcher who was steering the boat was at the end of the group.

The group continued on for about twenty minutes before Jiang Yanming finally saw an ancient fortress.

It was a fortress built against the mountain, with most of it inside the mountain. The exterior walls were covered with withered and green vines, showing signs of erosion over the years.

The fortress is surrounded by a winding, man-made river, and its walls have numerous observation and firing ports. A drawbridge connects to the gate leading to the fortress.

If this were in the era before gunpowder was invented, it would definitely be a sturdy fortress, but now it's just a giant coffin!

Looking at the ancient fortress before him, Jiang Yanming couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "I hope those monsters won't use high explosives..."

"It's me, Carrot!" Carrot called out as he reached the riverbank.

"Lower the drawbridge," a voice came from inside the fortress.

Crack crack crack... Boom!

The suspension bridge was lowered heavily, and a person walked out of the half-open gate.

"Haha, Jiang! You've finally arrived." A brown-haired young man in his thirties walked briskly toward the group with his arms outstretched.

"President Furen," Carrot, Tira, and the lean witcher all spoke up.

"Long time no see, President Fu Lun." Jiang Yanming nodded slightly.

According to the Witcher's memory, he knew Guild Master Furen, since his job was introduced by the Witcher Guild.

"Let's go, we need to prepare for the final battle as soon as possible, the monsters should be here soon." President Fu Lun gave Jiang Yanming a hug and then led the four of them into the fortress.

Upon entering the fortress, Jiang Yanming smelled a musty odor caused by long-term dampness and darkness, which matched the fortress's interior environment in his memory.

"President Furen, you seem to know about the monsters' movements?" Jiang Yanming asked President Furen, who was leading the way.

"No! Quite the opposite, it's the monsters who know our movements." President Furen smiled. "The last official demon hunters of the Owl Faction and the Tiger Faction have gathered. The monsters will definitely not be able to resist, and that's exactly what we want to see."

"Are you proactively revealing information?" Jiang Yanming asked softly.

"No, the monsters found this out themselves," Guild Master Furen shook his head and said. "Don't underestimate the monsters' ability to hide themselves; they have mastered a lot of worldly power."

"You never told me any of this!" Jiang Yanming sighed.

Despite being a small island nation, the Republic of Ramos still possesses over a dozen warships and an army of tens of thousands, making it a legitimate country with its own military!

"If I told you, would you still come back from the Four Nations Alliance?" Chairman Furen shrugged, then confidently reassured him, "Don't worry, everything is under my control. The Witchers will not perish in my hands; they will only grow stronger."

"I would rather the Witcher die out, so that no one will suffer because of being a Witcher," Tira replied in a low voice.

President Furen stopped and glanced at Tila with displeasure. He then led the group to the door of the hall on the second floor of the fortress, where a voice came from the other side of the heavy wooden door.

"arrive."

President Fu Lun pushed open the wooden door, and a wave of heat mixed with the smell of alcohol rushed out.

Inside the hall, the fireplace was burning, and a group of witchers were chatting, drinking, and playing cards around a long table next to it.

"Hey, Jiang!"

When a demon hunter saw Jiang Yanming, he immediately stood up and raised his wooden wine cup to greet him.