《The Witcher: Make the Witcher Great Again》


 Chapter 1: Is He Really a Genius?

    Chapter 1: Is He Really a Genius?


    November 1248.


    Deep in the Blue Mountains.


    The tall peaks were pallid compared to the chilly air, the trees in the valleys covered with dense snow, a silver-robed painting.


    The silent valley was occasionally disrupted by the sound of wind blowing snow, peaceful and serene.


    The air was filled with a chill breath, as though the whole world was engulfed in cold.


    On the snow-covered land, a small snow rabbit was scavenging for food.


    Its body was snow white and fuzzy, a cotton ball soft, its ears long and pointed, as if always on the watch for peril.


    What it didn''t know was that a young man was hiding in the snow just ten meters away.


    The young man had short, midnight-black hair, a cold-proof jacket on, and mole skin gloves covering his hands, with a white cloak draped over the top.


    The cloak''s colour, together with the snow that had settled on it, enabled him to blend almost seamlessly into the environment.


    His gaze was fixed on the snow rabbit foraging, and he slowly and quietly pulled out a hunting knife from his waist.


    The snow rabbit now seemed to suspect something and took flight.


    The young man did not tarry, pulled out the hunting knife, and jerked his arm sharply!


    A flash of silvery light.


    The tip of the short knife pinned the snow rabbit to the snow.


    Warm blood poured out onto the snow, scarlet red like summertime red wine.


    The young man came closer and pulled out the short knife.


    Then it was thrust in firmly.


    Putting the snow rabbit out of its misery.


    At this moment, a weak warm flow poured into his body through the weapon.


    The feeling was extremely slight.


    If he hadn''t been paying attention, he might have missed it.


    The young man whispered "panel" to himself.


    Rows of golden script appeared before his eyes like a waterfall:


    "Lynn"


    "Skills:"


    "Wolf School Swordsmanship (Mastered)"


    "Attribute Points: 1 (99%) ¡ú 2 (0%)"


    "Finally."


    Perceiving the golden plus sign flashing behind the skill in the attribute panel, Lynn felt an indescribable anticipation in his heart.


    But he held himself back from making points, took the ears of the snow rabbit, and headed in the direction he had come from.


    "Time passes so quickly. Unknowingly, I''ve already lived in this world for two and a half months."


    At first, when he had just transmigrated, several days passed before he could convince himself that he had transmigrated into a different world.


    And he had transmigrated into the body of a child who had just passed the Grass Trial.


    "I didn''t expect that commenting on the Qidian APP casually and then sleeping would really bring me into the world of the Witcher."


    Lynn was naturally very aware that this world was extremely dangerous.


    Not only was it full of monsters, but there were also constant wars between human nations.


    Let alone the commoners who lived in perilous conditions, even the kings were typically ignorant (physically).


    Compared to his previous home world, this world was definitely much more dangerous.


    However, fortunately, Lynn wasn''t left without any assistance.


    On his first day of transmigrating, he discovered that he had bound a Witcher-exclusive attribute panel.


    Being a modern person who had been exposed to many video games since he was young, he knew at the moment he saw the attribute panel that this was the key to him controlling his destiny in this world.


    If he did not want to become a tool to be utilized, he had to gain more skills and level them up.


    And for him to be able to do that, he needed to obtain attribute points.


    After some time of exploring, he found out how to obtain attribute points:


    That was by killing monsters.


    The more powerful the monster, the more experience he gained.


    When the experience bar was full, he would gain attribute points.


    His sole current skill, "Wolf School Swordsmanship," required a whole two attribute points to level up, and it had taken two and a half months for him to gain those two attribute points.


    .


    After thirty minutes, a dilapidated castle appeared before Lynn.


    That was Kaer Morhen, the seat and school of the Wolf School Witchers.


    Although in ruins now, one could still vaguely discern its past glory.


    When this castle prospered, the training grounds from inside to outside were full of people.


    But now, the only ones, like a knife, greeting him home were the shrieking cold winds.


    Crossing the rest of the planks of the bridge over the moat, Lynn entered the castle hall.


    The aroma of food and the voice of the old Witcher mingled.


    "You''ve come at the right time. I was just about to go out and look for you. Sit down, child, dinner time."


    The hall was spacious, with a huge fireplace with a chimney, and a blazing fire in the hearth, which illuminated the entire room.


    There was a massive long table in the center of the hall, where at least ten people could be seated, but now there was only one.


    An old man was laying tableware with food on the table, and greeting him.


    The old man was Vesemir, the aged grandmaster of the Wolf School.


    He was a father figure to the other Wolf School Witchers.


    No one knew how old Vesemir was.


    He was reported to have witnessed the building of the first brick of Kaer Morhen and witnessed firsthand the subsequent siege of Kaer Morhen.


    Nevertheless, even though Vesemir was older than Kaer Morhen, his body was still sufficient to make young ones envy him.


    "Yes, Master Vesemir."


    Lynn nodded.


    He put the snow rabbit in the kitchen first, then went to wash his hands.


    Then he returned to the long table and sat down.


    Vesemir had already shared the food.


    Meat, bread, and vegetables.


    Bread and vegetables on his plate were the same as on Vesemir''s plate, but Lynn''s plate had a lot more meat.


    "Eat, child, you need nutrition right now, eat more."


    Lynn felt warm in his heart.


    A Witcher''s life was very tough.


    Provisions in Kaer Morhen were very sparse.


    Although Witchers typically risked their lives to kill monsters, what they received as rewards was not much.


    All these foods were traded by Vesemir with the coins he earned from the villages at the foot of the Blue Mountains.


    But Vesemir always gave him as much meat as possible, just like caring for his own son.


    .


    After dinner, Lynn volunteered to do the dishes.


    Having done the dishes, he returned to his room.


    In this world without internet and electricity, of course, there were no evening entertainment activities.


    At night, it was bedtime.


    However, Lynn did not plan to sleep tonight.


    He had something very important to do.


    Back in his room, Lynn said "panel" in his mind.


    Large sections of golden script flashed in front of his eyes:


    "Lynn"


    "Skills:"


    "Wolf School Swordsmanship (Mastered)"


    "Attribute Points: 2 (0%)"


    Lynn rubbed his hands together in anticipation.


    Then, without hesitation.


    He imagined an invisible finger, pressing hard on the plus sign at the rear of "Wolf School Swordsmanship"!


    The "Attribute Points" at the bottom changed from 2 to 0.


    The "Mastered" at the rear of "Wolf School Swordsmanship" blurred, and when it cleared once more, it had become "Proficient".


    Lynn couldn''t help but take a sharp breath in.


    For at this moment, a flood of memories of swordsmanship began rushing into his mind.


    The whole process did not last long.


    And when the transmission was complete, his mind had much more experience and skill, and these skills and experiences were similar to what he had experienced for many years.


    Not only that, he even felt his body had changed.


    He took up the practice sword placed on the bed, assumed a default stance, and swung it out with force.


    The sword cut through the air, whirring.


    Lynn estimated his strength and speed had increased by about 5% after leveling up "Wolf School Swordsmanship" from before.


    He put away the practice sword with a contented look.


    If someone won a hundred million, that was probably how Lynn was feeling now.


    For before, he was only speculating, but now he really believed that the attribute panel could make him stronger.


    In this dangerous world, was anything more precious than this gift?


    .


    The next day, in the training ground.


    The morning dew was still cold on the body of the wooden dummy, but two figures were already fighting in the training ground.


    "Alright, that is enough."


    With Vesemir''s words, the two stopped and separated.


    "How was my performance, Master Vesemir?"


    Early that morning, Lynn came to look for Vesemir, hoping that Vesemir would spar with him.


    Although Vesemir believed that according to Lynn''s previous progress, he would have to practice with the dummy for a while before practicing with a living being.


    But it was a good quality for youngsters to be energetic, so he did not refuse.


    But when he sparred with Lynn, he could not help but be amazed. Lynn''s Wolf School swordsmanship had progressed much faster than he had expected.


    Lynn, who was only thirteen years old, had actually reached the level of an official Witcher in terms of swordsmanship alone. ''Is this child really a genius?''


    Vesemir''s face showed a mix of surprise and joy.


    But he still warned.


    "Although your swordsmanship has been enhanced so quickly, you can''t be proud. Your swordsmanship also has some weak points. Hope you can remain calm and continue to improve."


    Lynn did not regard Vesemir''s words as nonsense but very seriously said, "Yes, Master Vesemir, I know that skill has no end."


    If anything surprised and delighted Vesemir more than Lynn''s swordsmanship, it was definitely Lynn''s humble attitude.


    There was a pleased expression on Vesemir''s face.


    "Well done, then you continue to practice. We will start the monster knowledge class this afternoon."


    (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 2: You Are the Best of This Batch of Newcomers

    Chapter 2: You Are the Best of This Batch of Newcomers


    For a Witcher, rich monster knowledge and experience in fighting monsters are as important as a sword.


    These are all lessons summarized by predecessors with blood.


    If you can''t take an educated shot at what kind of monster you''re facing from the traces, not only does it add unnecessary complication to the battle, but it''s also a foolish and dumb look.


    "Today we will talk about the first monster, and that is the ghoul."


    "Ghouls are body-eating creatures. They appear in cemeteries, near ancient tombs, and where corpses are buried."


    "Because they love to feed on fresh corpses, they turn up wherever there are new grave openings: cemeteries, tombs, battlegrounds, etc."


    "Ghouls usually hunt in packs of small size, and usually these packs are led by giant ghouls."


    "If they are given a chance, they will even attack living human beings, especially when they''re in the minority."


    Lynn listened carefully to the lecture by Vesemir in the castle room.


    After Vesemir finished explaining everything that was in the ghoul chapter, he slammed the book shut and faced Lynn.


    "Lynn, remember what I explained to you earlier about the weakness of the ghoul?"


    Lynn hardly took any time to ponder: "Only flame, silver, and intense sunlight can slay ghouls."


    Vesemir spoke in agreement.


    "Of course, Witchers wield two swords, and the silver sword is precisely the weapon with which one deals with monsters."


    Lynn knew it all too well.


    He also knew that the silver sword was not pure silver but silver-coated steel core.


    Silver will harm the monsters which had emigrated to this planet at the Conjunction of the Spheres, but weapons made of pure silver are beyond what anyone can afford, and ineffective as weapons themselves, so it is enough to apply a coat of silver over the surface of a steel sword, and no need to manufacture pure silver weapons.


    Witchers don''t merely need to practice martial arts, but must learn the required knowledge and martial arts.


    Because Witchers are usually lone wolves, and monsters are always bunched up or possess power much greater than ordinary people.


    Therefore, monster hunting is not just about swords, but also brains.


    Before fighting a monster, the Witcher needs to know the species, name, characteristics, and weaknesses of the monster, so that he can use the right weapons and sword oils in the next fight.


    And once judgment is wrong.


    This is why scarcely anyone ever dies in bed.


    There was a pause, and Vesemir repeated his question.


    "So what''s the difference between a ghoul and a rotfiend?"


    Lynn answered nearly without thinking: "The biggest difference is the three bone crowns on the head."


    Vesemir nodded: "You reacted well. Rotfiends are much more deadly than ghouls. Rotfiend wounds, no matter how minor, will infect humans with corpse poison. Then what kind of potion can treat corpse poison?"


    Lynn answered: "Golden Oriole."


    The enjoyment in Vesemir''s eyes could hardly be concealed: "Correct answer, but the correct manner is not to poison. So when fighting rotfiends, you can''t fight them close-up. You must keep yourself away from it and use jump attack at the appropriate time.".


    The days in Kaer Morhen were plodding and dull, training in swords, reading monster lore, and venturing out of Kaer Morhen to hunt creatures in the mountains every day.


    The experience points from creatures to Lynn were ridiculously low, and so he spent a few days saving in order to save up a single attribute point.


    However, he was not anxious or impatient.


    Witchers live a long life, and he himself is only thirteen years old now, and he has a lot of time in front of him.


    Perhaps killing monsters can grant more experience points, but he does have proper self-awareness. Although he is now on par with an official Witcher when it comes to fighting with swords, he is still an apprentice to others.


    Therefore, it is still necessary to start little by little.


    After all, it is not a game but real life.


    You cannot reload and begin again in the real world.


    .


    The time passed swiftly in the chaotic schedule.


    Ere long, the worst winter of the year crept stealthily in.


    Kaer Morhen is situated deep in the Blue Mountains.


    Blue Mountains are in the north of Kaedwen Kingdom, therefore the cold wave here is more turbulent and the blizzard is more violent.


    And other Wolf School Witchers, if not obstructed by something, are inclined to make every effort to return to Kaer Morhen to reunite and spend winter.


    It was Lynn''s first winter here.


    The first snow fell very early.


    At first, it was just nice snowflakes, but soon enough it was a blizzard that howled all night.


    By morning after, Kaer Morhen walls were covered with the snowdrifts.


    Lynn and Vesemir had begun shoveling snow earlier than dawn to make a path.


    As they were busy until the sun, the ringing of horses'' hooves and footfalls suddenly echoed.


    Lynn and Vesemir both turned around, and saw three men riding three horses with loads and parcels entering the city gate.


    The leader man had white hair, a strong-looking face, and a height.


    While his chin was bristling with beard, it didn''t detract from his appearance, but lent a lot of masculinity.


    The two black-haired men standing behind him looked fairly young.


    One man sported a beautiful knife scar on his face, from eye to cheek.


    And the other man was even more frightening, since half his face was hidden behind deforming scars.


    "Geralt, Lambert, Eskel, welcome home."


    "Vesemir."


    The three of them warmly embraced Vesemir.


    They all then turned their eyes towards Lynn.


    "Is this the child who succeeded in the Trial of the Grasses?"


    Before Lynn''s transmigration, there were indeed more than him at Kaer Morhen, but several other children.


    They were all orphans whom Vesemir rescued.


    It''s just that the remaining other apprentices in his class died in the Trial of the Grasses.


    The Trial of the Grasses is the second, and also mandatory, stage of the Witcher trials.


    Young apprentices can only become actual Witchers after undergoing the extremely painful Trial of the Grasses and surviving through the subsequent stage of mutation.


    Unfortunately, the chances of survival through the Trial of the Grasses is extremely low, at most typically no higher than 30%.


    Even though Kaer Morhen has a more overall inheritance than any other Witcher school, that''s still 40%.


    "Kid, you''re the best of all those brats."


    Lambert stereotypically mocked.


    Geralt aside couldn''t help but point to his forehead: "Shut up, Lambert."


    Lambert spread his hands open.


    "What, did I speak incorrectly? Even if this boy can get through the final test, what for? He will die in some swamp in a year."


    This was when Vesemir stepped forward.


    "Lambert, winter has just arrived, do you want to spend the rest of the few months in an old and wrecked castle with a cranky old man?"


    Lambert finally closed his mouth.


    "Kid, don''t pay any mind to what Lambert just said. With us here, you don''t have anything to worry about."


    Geralt dropped to his knees in front of Lynn and put his hand on his shoulder, speaking softly.


    Lynn nodded.


    Actually, even if Geralt had not spoken, he would not mind.


    Because he perfectly well knew that the nature of Lambert was so.


    He was cranky, liked speaking rudely, and was argumentative and sarcastic.


    His arrogant and taunting nature was intolerable even to other Wolf School Witchers.


    And there were reasons for everything.


    Lambert once had an irresponsible father. Because his drunken father was rescued by a Witcher, he was sent to Kaer Morhen as a reward for the Law of Surprise.


    But whatever his flaws were, they were all appearances.


    In fact, he was genuine and was concerned about his friends, and he would go to any lengths for his companions.


    Although he didn''t ever hold back when expressing that he hated Kaer Morhen so much.


    However, when it was time to defend Kaer Morhen, he arrived with no hesitation at all.


    Vesemir put his hands on his hips and stood in line.


    "Chit-Chat can wait until the evening. Lynn, you go bring Geralt''s horses inside the castle and then remain inside the castle; do not go out, study the monster knowledge lessons I''ve taught you."


    "As for you two, you''ve come back on time; go get tools and help clean snow."

 Chapter 3: Whos your daddy

    Chapter 3: Whos your daddy


    The fire in the fireplace crackled cheerfully in the hallway, chasing away the cold that seeped in through the gaps in the doors and windows.


    Dinner was incredibly opulent.


    Geralt and the other two came back with a full load of supplies from the outside world, enough to sustain them in the castle all winter without worrying about food, even if they did nothing.


    The atmosphere at the dinner table was extremely lively.


    This was to be expected. Although Kaer Morhen was the base of the Wolf School, the Wolf School Witchers only gathered here in winter every year.


    Even Vesemir, who was responsible for training apprentices, would take a trip down the mountain alone every now and then to villages at the foot of the Blue Mountains to make some cash by signing monster hunting jobs to feed the apprentices.


    Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert were like children working hard outside, talking about what had been going on with them during the previous year.


    Vesemir sat like an old father at home, listening with a smile.


    The mood at the table was very harmonious until Lambert said a name.


    "Did Berengar say if he would be back this winter?"


    Geralt and Eskel stopped talking suddenly.


    As if Lambert had uttered some forbidden word.


    Vesemir placed his beer on the table and shook his head.


    "I thought he would return with you."


    Lambert scowled: "That stinky boy, how many winters has he not come back? Has he forgotten who he is!"


    "Lambert, have a drink." Geralt picked up his glass and clinked it against Lambert''s.


    Berengar.


    As soon as this name was mentioned, the figure of a man entered Lynn''s thoughts.


    Berengar was a Witcher of the Wolf School, too, but unlike Geralt and others, he did not feel he belonged to Kaer Morhen like the others.


    In reality, he hated his life and was resentful towards the brutality of the world.


    He wanted to wed and have children like a regular human being, not being spat upon wherever he went due to his cat eyes.


    But the status of a Witcher deprived him of these prospects.


    It was for this reason that in the original narrative, he left Kaer Morhen for good and never came back to this fortress of warm fire and home that could be so described.


    In this regard, Berengar was a bit like Lambert, neither of whom became a Witcher by choice.


    The difference was that Lambert, despite his dislike of it, still regarded Geralt and the others as comrades and kin.


    And Berengar was keen to sever all contact with Witchers.


    "Let us not talk of these gloomy things, let us talk of other things."


    Eskel pulled out two newly bought packs of cards and put them on the table.


    An instant magnet to everyone''s attention.


    "I worked as a guard for a dwarven caravan a few months ago, and this was a present from the caravan leader."


    "He said that this card game Gwent was first a traditional table-top game featuring dwarves, and now it''s spreading gradually. Gwent is employed in some regions to replace dice."


    Lambert spat wine from his mouth: "No way, Eskel, do you really think this kind of garbage?"


    Eskel wiped wine from his face.


    "I don''t know whether it can replace dice, but I have played a few games, and it''s actually a lot more thrilling than rolling dice to decide on sizes. Want to play? How about it?"


    Vesemir, being older, did not care for new things he was unaware of.


    Then Geralt and Lambert waived their hands, not being the first to try it.


    But at that moment, Lynn suddenly offered: "I''ll try."


    "This."


    Eskel looked at Vesemir.


    Lynn immediately understood what Eskel was worried about.


    So he quickly said: "We''ll just play cards, no games of chance."


    To his surprise, Vesemir spoke very bluntly: "It doesn''t matter, the flowers in the greenhouse will someday have to withstand the wind and rain outside. It''s sure to happen sooner or later, and it''s not bad to get a little rain first."


    Eskel was relieved.


    "Since the old fellow said so, I don''t care either. Pay attention, the rules are such and such."


    In fact, Gwent is a very old dwarven entertainment item.


    The rules were established long ago.


    It''s just that so far, this game is loved only by dwarves.


    But soon Gwent will become popular among humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings very much.


    By then, a unique card made by a dwarven master will even qualify as art.


    ......


    Lynn and Eskel sat facing each other on the table.


    Upon explaining the rules, the two officially began the duel.


    The others waited and watched.


    Half an hour elapsed.


    "Damn it, that''s impossible."


    Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert were all stunned.


    Even highly educated Witcher Vesemir had an expression of shock on his face.


    A few dozen gold coins from all over the world, shining in the fire, were stacked together in front of Lynn.


    And these gold pieces were in Eskel''s possession half an hour ago.


    Lynn struggled to suppress a smug look.


    Actually, the two decks of Northern Realms cards which Eskel introduced were both categories of ordinary Northern Realms cards.


    They resembled each other.


    Therefore, only the one skill one could fight here.


    For other people''s impression, he first played Gwent tonight only.


    But individuals would not even suspect that he is actually a Gwent game player with more than a thousand hours of gameplaying experience.


    "Then why not let me take a try at it?"


    Lambert, who didn''t care, couldn''t help but scratch after seeing Lynn and Eskel wrestle.


    For goodness'' sake, this thing is kind of interesting.


    Lynn swept the deck off the table and grinned and said, "Do you want me to show you the rules first?"


    Lambert growled, "Kid, don''t get so arrogant. I''ll whip you so bad you''ll call me daddy later."


    Half an hour passed.


    "Who''s the one calling daddy now?"


    Lynn smiled on his face.


    Lambert, who was sitting opposite him, threw the cards in his hand in anger.


    "This broken thing can''t be popular! If it can be popular, I''ll eat all these cards!"


    "Hahaha¡ª"


    Geralt and Eskel laughed so hard that they leaned back and forth.


    You know, there are not many opportunities to laugh at Lambert like this.


    Lynn held his giggles in and looked at the White Wolf: "Do others wish to play, Geralt?"


    Watches Eskel and Lambert losing in succession, Geralt has no heart for playing and waves his hand peremptorily: "I''d prefer to spend it on wine or abalone."


    Seeing that no one was in the mood to play anymore, Lynn reorganized the cards scattered on the table into two packs and handed them out to Eskel.


    But Eskel just took one pack.


    Lynn gazed at him bewildered.


    "I''ll give you that deck of cards." Eskel said.


    "In that case." Lynn didn''t hesitate, took the cards, then shoved Eskel''s money he had lost back to Eskel.


    "Then take back this money. I will not take your hard-earned money for working abroad."


    The air became suddenly quiet.


    Geralt, Eskel, and even Lambert''s eyes were filled with shock.


    Only the face of Vesemir was relieved and approving.


    .


    "It''s already late, it''s time to sleep early, boys."


    Vesemir stood up.


    But then his face suddenly became serious.


    "Did you hear that?"


    Lynn was shocked upon hearing the words.


    But then he also heard the very light footfalls that were hardly audible if not for the mutation.


    Everyone in the hall looked at the hall door.


    A man stepped out of the shadows and into the light.


    His locks were ashen with white strips on his temples, his complexion was as white as a corpse, he possessed a hooked nose, and yellow-green eyes sporting a pair of vertical pupils.


    He pulled a silver badge from under his shirt.


    It hung around his neck, shining with the light from the fire.


    It was the head of a fanged cat.

 Chapter 4: If He Doesn鈥檛 Leave Peacefully, Help Him Leave Peacefully

    Chapter 4: If He Won''t Leave Voluntarily, Assist Him in Leaving Voluntarily


    "Cat of Iello, what are you doing in Kaer Morhen? I don''t recall inviting you."


    The Wolf School Witchers stood as one.


    Vesemir growled at the man who emerged from the shadows.


    Geralt''s hand closed around the silver candlestick on the table.


    Eskel and Lambert positioned themselves between Lynn and the oncoming men.


    "Since the Wolf''s close relatives are to be expected, your hearing is fine," the man produced a scornful smile, "Braehan, Cat School Witcher, greets you."


    Vesemir replied in his icy tone, "Tuck away your hypocritical greetings. Kaer Morhen does not welcome Cat School Witchers."


    "Watch your tone, old bean. I will give you a second opportunity to recast your words. Remember, I am holding a sword, and you are not."


    Braehan tasted the glistening sword he carried.


    However, Vesemir was not impressed with his bluster.


    "I know that the Cat School Witchers are swift, but let us not forget, Cat of Iello, Wolf School Witchers not only master swordsmanship, but also the Sign powers the Cat School Witchers do not possess."


    "However fast you are, you must run ahead of us, and that is enough time for us to cast Signs."


    "Can you be sure your leather armor will be able to take four Igni Signs?"


    The mutations of Witchers from all schools differ.


    The Wolf School mutations are balanced.


    The Griffin School mutations enhance Sign skills.


    The Cat School.


    Since their founder was most likely an Aen Seidhe (also commonly called elves by humans), their fighting style is also inherited from the elves.


    Cat School Witchers typically have phenomenal speed.


    For example, an ordinary soldier might only be able to attack once a round.


    But a Cat School Witcher can make two, or even three, attacks.


    Such phenomenal speed obviously helps them during fights against humans.


    But there are two sides to every thing.


    While Cat School Witchers acquire supernatural speed, the gods close a window to them as well.


    And "this window" is that Cat School Witchers have the worst Sign ability use among all the Witcher schools.


    Many Cat School Witchers simply lack the capability of casting Signs outright.


    The threat from Vesemir took hold.


    Braehan''s face grew grim.


    "Damn hypocrites, you can sit next to the same table as the Butcher of Blavanik, why in the world not be more accepting and embrace an executioner?"


    Vesemir presented an eviction letter: "Because we are a different type of people than yourselves. Get out quickly, Iello Cat. If you want to get out forcibly, we will assist in getting you out forcibly."


    Braehan threw up his eyes and objected: "Witchers don''t fight Witchers. That''s the code of the Witchers, old man. Do you wish to break the code?"


    But Vesemir was not to be dissuaded.


    "If anybody''s breaking the code, it''s your Cat School. And I don''t mind making a special exception for you. If you insist on spitting, I recommend you swallow, or I''ll use your face to clean my floor."


    His own saliva was pushed back into his throat by the saliva in Braehan''s mouth.


    As he went through a period of confrontation, he finally seemed to have given in and started backing away slowly into the shadows.


    The scene fell silent once again after awhile.


    Only the sound of the fire crackling could be heard.


    "He''s gone," Vesemir eased back with a sigh of relief, "Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, get Lynn to bed. It''s late."


    Geralt did not move: "I''ll stay with you here, Vesemir. Don''t be in such a rush to fight with me. You''re getting old and need someone to watch your back."


    Vesemir thought for a moment and did not refuse.


    "That''s fine by me. Eskel, Lambert, you two get a good night''s rest tonight. Tomorrow you two take care of making sure our ''guest'' leaves the Blue Mountains."


    "Lynn, my child, don''t let tonight get to you. Forget about it."


    Vesemir spoke the first half to Eskel and Lambert.


    The second half was spoken to Lynn.


    Lynn nodded.


    He was very sensible and didn''t say or ask anything.


    He left the hall with Eskel and Lambert.


    .


    With Eskel and Lambert, Lynn returned to his room upstairs.


    "We''ll sleep next door to you. If you''re afraid or can''t sleep, you can come find us." Eskel said graciously.


    "Thank you, Eskel, and Lambert."


    Seeing Lynn come towards his room, Lambert couldn''t help but talk.


    "Kid, you don''t have anything to ask?"


    "No need, good night."


    Kaer Morhen''s quarters weren''t particularly good at keeping the sounds out.


    Even when the doors were closed, you could still hear sounds from outside seeping through the cracks and the thin planks.


    "What a nuisance kid."


    "You must be talking about yourself, Lambert."


    Lynn stripped off his clothes and lay on the bed.


    Gazing up at the ceiling.


    It wasn''t that he was deliberately acting mature; he genuinely didn''t have anything to ask.


    Because he understood a great deal more than Eskel and Lambert.


    There was a good reason that Vesemir did not greet, or rather, hated the Cat School.


    A very long time ago, when Geralt was an apprentice, the Cat School had betrayed the Wolf School.


    The then King of Kaedwen was deceived by sorcerers, who had led him to believe that Witchers would overthrow him.


    Therefore, under the guise of hosting a Witcher tournament, he misled the Wolf School and bribed the Cat School to attack them.


    In that infamous massacre, only Geralt and Vesemir of the Wolf School survived.


    Especially Geralt, who was saved because of the clemency of a druid.


    Since then, Vesemir fell into deep dislike and distrust of the Cat School.


    All the schools of Witchers split off from the Witcher Order, but every school inherited differently, thus dissimilar recipes to the Trial of the Grasses.


    The Trial of the Grasses at the Cat School was even more unique in that their founders had tried to pilfer the recipe when they defected from the Order, but it was later recovered by the Order Witchers who pursued them.


    They had to find new mutation techniques, and they did, but the new recipe for the Trial of the Grasses also had gigantic side effects.


    The Cat School''s Trial of the Grasses did not repress the Witchers'' emotions; rather, it intensified them, in an extreme, obsessive, and unhinged manner.


    That is why the majority of Cat School Witchers were madmen, psychopaths, and sadists.


    They frequently accepted commissions for hired assassinations and possessed an excessively elastic moral bottom line.


    And as for Braehan, he was scum of the scum.


    Geralt''s nicknames "Butcher of Blaviken" was an attribute from ignorant people he saved, that did no better.


    But Braehan''s "Cat of Iello" and the Iello Massacre he caused were well-deserved.


    .


    Under Geralt''s and Vesemir''s watch, Lynn slept peacefully that night.


    He got up early the following morning.


    Since he landed on this earth, he had abandoned his earlier habit of sleeping in, and he would wake up as soon as he got up from sleeping.


    He walked down to the hall and discovered Geralt and Vesemir sitting on the floor in meditation.


    In dangerous and complex environments, Witchers could utilize meditation instead of sleep.


    Witcher meditation also had the function of recharging energy and eliminating fatigue.


    And while they meditated, they were always aware of what was going on around them, so in the event that there was any movement, they could immediately snap out of the meditative state.


    Therefore, upon hearing the footsteps of Lynn, both Geralt and Vesemir opened their eyes.


    Lynn greeted them with good mornings and then proceeded to prepare breakfast.


    Scarcely a while had elapsed.


    Eskel and Lambert also went downstairs.


    After they had finished the breakfast Lynn had prepared, Eskel picked up his sword and shouted for Lambert.


    "Come on, Lambert, we''ll send our Cat School ''friend'' away. We don''t want him to lose himself in the Blue Mountains, seeing as they are snow-covered."


    This time, Lambert was uncharacteristically quiet.


    As soon as they left, the three of them, Lynn, Geralt, and Vesemir, sat down at the long table in the hall and ate breakfast.


    "Vesemir, what is Lynn to learn today?" Geralt demanded curtly, piercing a chunk of meat on his plate with his fork.


    Vesemir was a little parched and swallowed a mouthful of beer.


    "His lessons in sword fighting are progressing extremely well, so I plan to start teaching him Signs from today. Signs are, after all, part of a Witcher."


    Geralt proposed, "Then after breakfast, you have to rest, and I''ll teach him."


    Vesemir was perplexed.


    "Come on, I''m not quite that old yet, but your suggestion is a good one. Alright, leave it to you."

 Chapter 5: Hospitable Yharnamites, Simple and Honest Undead

    Clang, clang, clang! Metal against metal clanged in the training hall.


    Lynn and Geralt, both with an unsharpened training sword, clashed at a furious rate.


    Their swords rang out, continuously sending sparks flying.


    They fought for quite some time before Geralt decided to step back and lower his sword.


    "Not bad. From a strictly swordsmanship point of view, you''re on a par with a professional Witcher."


    "Lambert was right, you are indeed the best of this batch of newcomers. I at least have never seen anyone who has polished such savage sword skills in his apprenticeship."


    "Then, we''ll initiate your Sign training."


    Lynn also dropped his sword and was panting a little.


    While his "Wolf School Swordsmanship" had reached proficient level, he still had a feeling that the famous sorceress-troublesmaker hadn''t shown his ultimate power in the savage duel just now.


    Well, that was to be expected.


    After all, he''s the hero of the Witcher books and games.


    Despite Lynn, in his previous life, having ridiculed heroes who were pitchedforked to death for a while.


    It wasn''t until his Bloodborne gaming existence, where every pitchfork in Yharnam had killed him, that he learned that pitchforks can actually kill people.


    "We Witchers do not like complicated spells of sorcerers, but prefer simple spells that can be easily performed with one hand while fighting. Such simple spells, which sorcerers refer to as tricks, are our Witcher Signs."


    "Although these are tricks which sorcerers despise, if used properly, they have good effects."


    "Then I''ll teach you them one by one."


    "First is the Igni Sign."


    Geralt employed his left hand to form the hand gesture of the Sign.


    The next moment.


    A line of flame erupted from his palm, burning a ring of blackened earth on the training ground''s earth surface.


    If someone had been standing in front of Geralt previously, they would definitely have been severely burned by the flames.


    "Then the Quen Sign."


    With his movements, an incandescent orange shield flickered around Geralt.


    "Strike me now with all your strength, don''t hold back. Don''t worry, you won''t hurt me."


    Lynn nodded.


    He swung his practice sword and struck down with all his strength.


    Clang! As if he had hit a thick tower shield, Lynn''s hands numbed from the shock of the rebound, and he almost lost his grip on the weapon.


    But the bright orange shield did not budge.


    Geralt put away the Quen shield and stepped forward to ask with concern.


    "Are you okay, Lynn?"


    Lynn shook his head: "I''m fine, just numb."


    Geralt carefully examined Lynn''s hand, and having satisfied himself that he was okay, proceeded to go on.


    "Good, so we''ll keep going. when you cast the Quen Sign and your opponent is as numb as you were just now, you can take the opportunity to finish him off."


    "But it must be realized that the Quen Sign does have two modes:"


    "One is constant casting like I just did. As long as you constantly channel Chaos magic, the shield will not easily fall;"


    "The other is to put a shield around you, not constantly channeling magic, but the disadvantage is that it''s very easy to fall."


    "The weak point of the former is that you cannot move or attack while continually casting, and you need to maintain concentration; the latter has no weak point like this, so how to employ which mode in combat has to be carefully chosen."


    "There is also a defensive Sign named Heliotrop, which is exactly the same as Quen, with the exception that Heliotrop is done by crossing your hands to cast, and it''s used for defending against magic attacks only."


    Lynn nodded to indicate that he understood.


    "Good, then we''ll proceed. The third is the Yrden Sign," Geralt slapped the palm of his hand on the ground, and some purple lights shone on the ground. "After an enemy gets trapped in it, they will be slow, like mired in a swamp."


    "The Yrden Sign is best used in one-against-many situations. Even a swordsmanship master is in danger when he finds himself besieged by alone."


    "Sometimes a pitchfork jab from the rear can kill you. Nor are Witches nor sorcerers immortal."


    "Thus using the Yrden Sign in a polymorphic way in order to discover weaknesses of enemies who were originally in concordance is the key to turning the tide of battle."


    "Apart from that, the Yrden Sign can also force wraiths and other beings to assume material bodies, which is vastly important while fighting such beings."


    "Next, I''ll show you the Aard Sign."


    Geralt slapped a training dummy in the yard with his flat hand.


    Boom! The shockwave of nothing was a wall, thudding against the dummy.


    The straw and wood dummy flew apart at once, shattered.


    Straw rained like a shower of petals.


    "Well, you''ve felt the impact of the Aard Sign. Like the Yrden Sign, the Aard Sign is also well-suited for combat with more than one foe."


    "But it should be kept in mind that the power of the Aard Sign is reduced with range, so you need to master the range.


    "Also, the Aard Sign will be less effective in combat with large monsters or strong-armed foes, which should also be remembered."


    "Huh, what''s wrong? What''s that look?"


    Geralt stroked his face puzzled.


    Thinking that there was something on his face that was dirty.


    And then he heard Lynn say dryly, "That dummy you just knocked away was just finished by Master Vesemir, took him a whole day."


    Geralt''s face turned rigid.


    How dashing his Aard Sign just then.


    How weak he seemed to be cleaning up straw now.


    Lynn helped Geralt in picking up the scattered straw.


    Then, while Geralt repaired the dummy, he was rehearsing his Signs in the side.


    Starting with the Quen Sign.


    Of all the Signs, only Quen and Heliotrop are defensive Signs.


    Offense can be the best defense for others, but Lynn believes that only the living can do harm.


    He concentrated and executed the hand gesture for the Quen Sign.


    The next thing.


    He could feel the magic in his physique build towards his left hand like a wave, and release it at last.


    There was a bright orange barrier around him.


    It was effective, but not completely.


    Since the Quen shield flashed on and off, like an old light bulb.


    It probably would not even be worth using arrows to knock it down on its own.


    It was completely not on the same level as the effect Geralt had just achieved.


    "It''s okay, it''s like that in the beginning. It''s natural to not be able to maintain the stability of the Sign. Everybody has gone through this point, just practice more."


    Geralt, who was repairing the dummy at the opposite side, observed this and comforted him patiently.


    Lynn nodded.


    With no disappointment, he continued practicing.


    When the sun fell, Eskel and Lambert didn''t appear.


    It was the same the next day.


    It was not until the third evening that Eskel and Lambert arrived.


    In the training yard, Geralt looked at the two who had returned and asked, "How was it? Did our Cat School ''buddy'' lose his way in the Blue Mountains?"


    "No, we sent him off personally from the Blue Mountains. And in turn, he offered us an international gesture of friendship."


    As he was saying that, Lambert was on the verge of making the gesture.


    But he was immediately stopped by Eskel.


    "Lambert, there is a child here."


    Lynn, who was warming up Signs on the sidelines, couldn''t help it.


    It was just the middle finger, he''d already witnessed it.


    What was the middle finger? He even knew a couple of applications for it. Was he also proud of it?

 Chapter 6: My Current Skills? All Thanks to My Innate Talent!

    Chapter 6: My Current Skills? All Thanks to My Innate Talent!


    Days turned into weeks, and Kaer Morhen life turned peaceful once more following Braehan''s leaving the Blue Mountains.


    Lynn''s days were full.


    Morning hours were taken up training in the training courtyard, practicing Signs until he was able to quite feel the magic in his fingertips.


    Afternoons were devoted to delving the depths of the Blue Mountains with Geralt, Eskel, or Lambert.


    For once, the ancient Witchers had initially intended their winter at Kaer Morhen as a well-deserved respite.


    After all, being on the road was hard enough ¨C why make it harder by tracking down monsters in the mountains?


    Especially because there was no profit to be gained.


    But Lynn''s persistent insistence, and Vesemir''s surety that extra training would make the boy suitable for what came next, at last won through.


    Even grumbling Lambert, with a scowl as ugly as thunder, acquiesced.


    And thus, with these three experienced Witchers to guide him, Lynn was finally able to experience true monster hunting.


    He did make one condition, though: he had to execute the coup de gra?ce.


    The others found it a bit odd, but did not dwell on it and agreed.


    And thus began an era of unvarnished fear for the monsters of the Blue Mountains.


    By rights, the Witchers should have left them alone, as long as they kept their distance from Kaer Morhen.


    But now they were threatened with annihilation.


    Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert were seasoned monster hunters.


    Any of them was a force to be reckoned with, and now there were three.


    No monster could withstand such a pounding.


    The Witchers would wear down their prey to a sliver of health, and Lynn would put it out of its misery.


    Having experienced guides was definitely a plus.


    The experience points from monsters far outweighed anything he''d gotten from hunting animals.


    Within a month, he''d accumulated more attribute points than he ever had in all prior time put together.


    Today, Lynn stood at his window, gazing out into the winter wonderland.


    Snow fell in fat, silent flakes, blanketing the world in white.


    The air was still, save for the soft rustling of snowflakes against the glass.


    The warmth of the room made a sharp contrast with the cold world outside, creating an atmosphere of cozy tranquility.


    He was dazed by the beauty of the snow, but in fact, he was reading his attribute panel.


    "Lynn"


    "Skills:"


    "Wolf School Swordsmanship (Proficient)"


    "Signs (Novice)"


    "Attribute Points: 3 (0%)"


    After weeks of training, he could now successfully cast all five Witcher Signs.


    This success had unlocked the "Signs" skill on his panel.


    The 3 attribute points which he possessed were the reward of a month of monster fighting with his three great mentors.


    "I have two options here. I can further develop my swordsmanship, but the higher the skill level, the more points it consumes."


    "Developing ''Wolf School Swordsmanship'' from ''Mastered'' to ''Proficient'' took 2 points."


    "But the next one would take a whopping 5 points."


    "So, I''ll just save these 3 points for now, and put aside for the next step up."


    "Besides which, I''m quite too focused on swordsmanship."


    "The Wolf School is all about balance, after all."


    "My second option is to spend all 3 points on ''Signs,'' which would bump it from ''Novice'' to ''Proficient'' ¨C the ideal pair."


    "Alright, that''s it."


    Lynn made his decision.


    He imagined a finger firmly pressing down on the plus sign beside the "Signs" skill. The text blurred together, changing from "Novice" to "Mastered."


    And then he pressed it again.


    This time, "Mastered" turned into "Proficient" after another blur.


    There was a flood of memories about rehearsing Signs, like a river that streams into the sea, that overwhelmed Lynn''s mind.


    He suddenly had decades of experience with Signs.


    Lynn when memory transfer was complete, raised his hand and did the gesture for the Quen Sign.


    Bright orange light burst forth at once, forming a shield about him.


    Lynn''s face glowed with delight: "Not bad at all."


    Until now, he had become proficient in the casting of the Signs, but they were always precarious, not to mention useful in combat.


    Now, the Quen shield that he cast was clearly stable.


    And the whole process, from making the gesture to casting the Sign, did not require the same intense concentration as when he was a beginner. His body reacted instinctively to the thought.


    Such as grabbing chopsticks during meals, without the conscious control of his hand.


    Next, Lynn experimented with the rest of the Signs separately.


    The only one who couldn''t be experimented with was the Axii Sign.


    Heliotrop, Igni, Aard, and Yrden all performed significantly better.


    "Normally, it would take years to achieve this level. I''ve reached the level of a professional Witcher in a month."


    "Maybe by the time I leave the mountain, I''ll be stronger than a regular Witcher."


    ....


    Two days later.


    "I don''t understand why we keep bringing this kid along with us on every outing? We''re not his babysitters!"


    A few hours into their excursion into the Blue Mountains, Lynn overheard Lambert complaining.


    Lynn held up two fingers in response.


    "First, I have a name. It is Lynn. Second, I can take care of myself."


    But Lambert replied, "We''ll speak about what you''ll be called after you pass the medallion tests. Now, shut up, kid."


    "You started it," Lynn rolled his eyes at Lambert, then at the other Witcher with half his face scarred. "Eskel, I don''t know how you can stand him."


    Eskel let out a sigh, "Sometimes we wonder too. But Lambert is right, we shouldn''t be talking now."


    As Eskel had warned, not a word was spoken by any of them for the remainder of the trip.


    They found a bit of snow, planted a stake in the earth, and tied a sheep to it before kneeling silently in a nearby bush.


    This was from "The Brothers Adalbert''s Bestiary," page 28, on how to lure a Forktail.


    A couple of days earlier, Lynn was reading about monster lore in the castle when he heard a roar in the distance.


    He also saw a Forktail passing by.


    The Blue Mountains were vast, and monsters were abundant, but they didn''t tend to come so close to Kaer Morhen.

 Chapter 7: I Need Your Help to Train

    Chapter 7: I Need Your Help to Train


    Thinking about how the Witchers would leave Kaer Morhen once spring arrived and the winter snow melted...


    And that included Vesemir.


    That would leave Lynn all alone at Kaer Morhen.


    Just in case anything happened...


    So, after some discussion, they decided to take care of the Forktail that dared to come near Kaer Morhen.


    That''s why the three of them were there.


    Finally, after patiently hiding in the bushes for a while, a loud, piercing roar echoed through the air, breaking the silence.


    A dark shadow circled above.


    It had clearly spotted the poor goat tied to the stake.


    The goat bleated loudly.


    Sensing the danger approaching, its survival instincts made it struggle even harder.


    But it was all in vain.


    Because when they tied it up, Lynn had checked multiple times to make sure it couldn''t break free.


    Lambert, with his gruff exterior but soft heart, said, "Kid, you stay hidden in these bushes, don''t leave them for any reason! Wait until I tell you to come out, got it?"


    Eskel interrupted, "Enough chatter, let''s go, Lambert."


    As the Forktail screeched and swooped down, biting into the goat like it was a normal hunt...


    Eskel and Lambert turned into two dark blurs, charging out of the bushes.


    The mutations from the Trial of the Grasses gave Witchers physical abilities far beyond those of normal humans.


    While it didn''t make them invulnerable, their strength, agility, and reaction speeds were much greater than average.


    So, while the foolish Forktail was still enjoying its meal, completely unaware of the approaching danger...


    The two Witchers were already behind it.


    Eskel didn''t hold back.


    He swung his sword hard, aiming for the base of the Forktail''s tail.


    Blood spurted out.


    The Forktail let out a piercing scream.


    Its tail lashed out instinctively.


    The Forktail''s name came from its tail.


    At the end of its tail, it had long, sharp protrusions that could split an oak shield in two.


    But Eskel was ready.


    He rolled away, dodging the sweeping attack that whistled over his head.


    While the Forktail attacked Eskel, Lambert seized the opportunity and struck.


    His sword hit the same wound that Eskel had just made.


    More blood gushed out.


    The blood splattered on the snow.


    The Forktail''s screams grew louder.


    It spun around, glaring at the two with hatred and malice.


    Then, it raised its head and opened its mouth.


    "Watch out!"


    Eskel and Lambert quickly retreated.


    Rings of visible sound waves pulsed outwards.


    The Forktail''s roar wasn''t as powerful as some other creatures that specialized in sonic attacks, but anyone within its range would be temporarily stunned.


    After using its roar to push the Witchers back, the Forktail didn''t chase, but instead took flight.


    Clearly, even with its limited intelligence, the Forktail knew it was no match for the Witchers.


    Staying would only mean being skinned and gutted.


    "It''s trying to escape!"


    "Don''t let it get away!"


    The two Witchers tried to stop the Forktail from fleeing.


    But the Forktail was fast, and in a short time, it was already out of their sword''s reach.


    Witchers aren''t great at long-range attacks. Even though the Forktail wasn''t that far away, at that distance, if it wanted to escape, they couldn''t stop it.


    But just as the Forktail was about to fly over the bush they''d hidden in, a blast of invisible force shot out from the bush, hitting the Forktail in the stomach from below.


    The Forktail cried out and fell from the sky like a broken kite.


    It crashed to the ground and slid for a short distance.


    "Kid!"


    When Lambert saw Lynn come out of the bush, his heart jumped into his throat.


    He and Eskel exchanged a look.


    They both rushed towards Lynn.


    Even though Lynn was skilled enough to leave, training and real battles were different.


    Many Witchers who passed all the tests and left Kaer Morhen died within a year, for that very reason.


    They were worried Lynn''s recklessness would get him killed.


    But what happened next surprised them.


    Lynn didn''t charge in with his sword. He stopped a few meters from the Forktail.


    He raised his hand.


    A stream of bright fire shot from his palm.


    It went straight for the Forktail''s eyes.


    He''d heard Lambert''s warning.


    But even without it, he wouldn''t have been foolish enough to fight the Forktail up close.


    He wasn''t stupid.


    Even though the Forktail''s tail was gone, injured monsters were still dangerous.


    Even Witchers were still flesh and blood.


    They could bleed and die.


    The Forktail was still a threat, even to experienced Witchers.


    It was best to avoid unnecessary risks. Why fight alone when he had Eskel and Lambert to help?


    They could hold it off until the others arrived, and then gang up on it.


    Once Lynn had knocked the Forktail out of the sky, its fate was sealed.


    Lynn aimed his Igni Sign at the Forktail''s wings.


    With its wings on fire, it couldn''t fly.


    By the time it rolled on the ground, trying to put out the flames, Eskel and Lambert had caught up.


    They slashed at the Forktail, bloodying it further.


    When it had lost enough blood, it was too weak to stand.


    That''s when Lynn finished it off.


    Thwack!


    His silver sword struck the Forktail''s neck, avoiding its horns.


    The Forktail cried out.


    Then, it stopped moving.


    A warm, tingling feeling flowed from the sword into Lynn.


    It was different from before.


    Lynn checked his status.


    "Attribute Points: 0 (0%) -> 0 (8%)"


    Monsters gave more experience than animals.


    With their first victory, they smiled at each other.


    Lambert, who was usually sarcastic, actually gave a compliment: "Not bad, kid. To be honest, you did better than I expected."


    Eskel simply gave him a thumbs-up.


    [author]


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 Chapter 8: I Love Learning, Learning Makes Me Happy

    Chapter 8: I Love Learning, Learning Makes Me Happy


    Time flew by.


    For Lynn, whose days were always packed and filled to the brim, the winter had felt like it had lasted only a few days.


    By the final week of February, while the Blue Mountains were still covered in snow, the snow at the foot of the mountains had already started to melt.


    And Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert had all left the castle.


    The supplies they''d restocked last winter were all used up.


    They needed to get out and earn some coin if they didn''t want to go hungry this winter.


    With Lynn''s swordsmanship and Signs at full Witcher level, Vesemir was ready to leave him alone at Kaer Morhen finally.


    Easier to have four people hunt for one, after all, than three hunt for two.


    And so, Lynn was left alone at Kaer Morhen.


    Kaer Morhen felt empty after Vesemir and the others had left.


    Lynn''s heart also felt empty.


    Even though he''d been in this world for less than a year, he already felt that he considered Vesemir, Geralt, and the others to be family.


    Maybe because he was an orphan in his past life and never experienced family love, and because individuals in the big city were always rushing, worn out by the pressures of modern living.


    Because since he''d arrived in this world, albeit not for long, everyone in the Wolf School, even the skeptical Lambert, had welcomed him like family, and he reveled in that.


    But he knew what would happen in the future.


    So, to prevent those tragedies,


    Even when there was nobody to supervise him, Lynn never loosened up.


    He went monster hunting in the mountains daily.


    But he was careful.


    He tried to find solo, weak monsters.


    He knew that even Witchers who had passed all the trials had a high death rate in their first year.


    It was not much being an ordinary Witcher. Only the likes of Geralt and the rest, the seasoned Witchers, could survive in this dangerous world.


    So he prioritized safety over experience points.


    And at night, he spent all his time in the library, reading the massive collection of books in the castle.


    When the Griffin School''s main fortress, Kaer Seren, was buried in an avalanche caused by sorcerers, Kaer Morhen was the only place that still possessed a huge amount of Witcher knowledge and texts.


    Lynn meditated for just three hours a day, replacing sleep with meditation, and spent the rest of his time reading books.


    In three months, he''d read all the books on monsters.


    Then, he had ample free time.


    He had planned to learn about monsters for the whole year, so it would be perfect timing for Geralt and the others to teach him alchemy when they came back in winter.


    Thanks to the memories of his past life, Lynn learned about monsters at a fast rate, understanding all of it and even making his own connections.


    So, contrary to his expectations, he finished all the monster books in three months, not a year.


    Lynn couldn''t help but sigh.


    He''d never considered that learning too fast could be a problem.


    He still hunted monsters in the mountains during the day.


    But now that he didn''t have to study, he had free time at night.


    It would be a waste to do nothing.


    Sitting alone in the empty hall, eating breakfast, Lynn had an idea.


    Why did he have to wait for Geralt and the others to study alchemy with them?


    He could study it on his own.


    There was an alchemy laboratory and alchemy texts in the castle.


    He could go up into the mountains to get the herbs he needed.


    And he''d collected enough monster materials over the past few months.


    And even if it was slower without an instructor, he could always try it a few more times.


    As long as he could put it on the attribute panel, he could allot points to it.


    It was free, so why not?


    Lynn was a very proactive person.


    If he had an idea, he''d give it a shot right away.


    Otherwise, he would not be able to sleep.


    So, after breakfast, he went to Kaer Morhen''s alchemy lab.


    Kaer Morhen''s alchemy lab was different from others.


    Its walls were made of thick stone, so it was dark.


    He pulled out a potion book from the shelf and started reading by candlelight.


    The first potion he read about was called Swallow.


    Symbolizing spring and rebirth, Swallow lent its name to this potion that sped up healing and recovery.


    Swallow potion was extremely common and useful in a majority of situations, with no side effects.


    It would also counteract the side effects of other potions.


    Lynn read the brewing instructions for Swallow potion several times over.


    He then put down the manual, picked a celandine and Drowner brain from the herb rack, and placed them in a stone mortar.


    He ground and crushed them with a pestle.


    He placed a cauldron on the fire and poured some dwarven spirits into it.


    He snapped his fingers.


    He lit the fire with the Igni Sign.


    When the dwarf spirits in the cauldron started boiling, he added the ground herbs and started stirring.


    While stirring, the concoction slowly turned red.


    He put out the flames fifteen minutes later, allowed the potion to cool, and transferred it into a cylindrical vial he had prepared.


    He shook the bottle, watching the liquid change from red to black, and smelling a terrible odor.


    "Did I fail?"


    Lynn wasn''t disappointed.


    He picked up the manual and read over the potion-making process again, then put it down, laid his right elbow on his left hand, and hit his cheek with his right fist, thinking:


    "It''s probably the heat. I''ll try a smaller flame next time."


    Three days later.


    Lynn looked at a cylindrical bottle filled with red liquid, a wave of joy crossing him.


    He''d done it.


    Even though Swallow was a basic Witcher potion, he was thrilled and happy.


    He opened his attribute panel, but it was the same.


    Witcher alchemy mostly comprised three types: oils, potions, and bombs.


    "So that''s not enough? Do I have to create all the recipes for it to show up on the panel?"


    Unfortunately, he was right.


    Six months later, after Lynn had finally managed to craft all eight oils, eighteen potions, and seven bombs, finally...


    A line of golden text materialized before his eyes:


    "New skill: Alchemy (Novice)"


    Lynn used the 3 attribute points he''d gained from monster-slaying on the "Alchemy" skill.


    He watched the text change, first to "Mastered" and then to "Proficient."


    A flood of alchemy knowledge filled his mind.


    When the transfer completed, Lynn found himself with the knowledge and experience of a decade or two of working.


    He closed his eyes, savoring the new memories.


    It was as though he''d been in the alchemy lab for years, concocting potions over and over again.


    "Phew."


    He exhaled.


    He stood up and walked over to the ingredients on the table.


    He started concocting potions again.


    But this time it went well. He did not have to stop and think like before.


    When he "wanted" to brew a Swallow potion, his body did it by itself, the whole process going along fluidly.


    When he finished, he''d not only made a perfect potion, which before had taken all his focus, but he''d done it so much faster.


    This meant that in alchemy, he was now on the level of a full formal Witcher.


    [author]


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 Chapter 9: 1249 Years Passed, I Miss It

    Chapter 9: 1249 Years Passed, I Miss It


    A riverbank, in the deep Blue Mountains.


    A Drowner''s scream and howl, broke the mountain''s serenity.


    The silver sword savagely hacked off a Drowner''s head, then Lynn pulled his corpse back, evaded another Drowner''s leaping attack.


    Letting those sword-like sharp claws leap into empty space.


    Lynn proceeded forward, both hands holding the silver sword tightly, held it aloft above his head, then savagely chopped downwards.


    Thwack!


    Blood splattered.


    The silver sword opened the Drowner''s head.


    A third Drowner, from behind, approached the Witcher.


    Perhaps because just now, too much force was used, the silver sword actually firmly stuck in the body of the Drowner''s head.


    For a short while, he actually couldn''t pull it out.


    But on Lynn''s face, not even an iota of panic could be found.


    He shifted around his body, towards the approaching Drowner from behind himself, extended his right hand.


    "Igni."


    Flames burst towards the Drowner''s face.


    The latter gave out a shriek, fell onto the earth, wildly clutched at the ground mud, put it onto its own face.


    It looked as though to do this might save its singed face.


    Lynn used his foot, stamped down at the body, pulled out the silver sword.


    Then his arm flashed out.


    The silver sword was like a shooting star which flashed by and pinned down the latter Drowner on the earth.


    The last Drowner, as if this one too knew fear, truly human-like, flipped its legs to run.


    Lynn didn''t pursue, but examined the rewards of just now, this battle:


    "Attribute Points: 4 (86%) ¡ú 5 (1%)"


    "Attribute points, at last reached 5 points, truly not easy."


    Lynn did some thinking, then decided that it should go to "Wolf School Swordsmanship."


    Though Signs and Alchemy are very important too.


    But those two skills can wait until later to level up.


    And as for that, martial arts need to come first to be upgraded.


    That''s when Lynn imagined a finger, pointing to "Wolf School Swordsmanship."


    "Wolf School Swordsmanship (Proficient) ¡ú Wolf School Swordsmanship (Master/Limit)"


    "New perk: Full Enhancement (speed increased 20%, strength increased 20%, constitution increased 20%)"


    A massive burst of swordsmanship memories filled Lynn''s mind.


    Different from before, nowadays, the swordsmanship memories that crowded his mind, were no longer mere training grounds, routine practice swordsmanship memories, but there were many killing experience memories in battle, memories, even blood lessons.


    Kill with man, kill with beast.


    One vs. one combat, combat with several men.


    Harsh battles with adverse fortune.


    Crisis counterattacks in desperation.


    These valuable memories which, to others, it had taken a body full of scars to obtain, now, as if gratis, flowed into Lynn''s head.


    Once all the memories of swords were poured in, it wasn''t done yet.


    Lynn could sense, his body clearly had no external appearance modifications, but the interior of his body did have real improvements.


    He pulled out the silver sword stuck in the body of the Drowner, spun it a few turns, then felt his speed and strength actually were two percent enhanced.


    "Good."


    Lynn''s eyes glinted.


    This is power!


    Chaotic footsteps suddenly reverberated.


    Lynn turned his head to look.


    He saw that the Drowner which ran away earlier, actually returned.


    Not only did it return, but also brought a Swamp Hag along.


    "So, it went to call for reinforcements." Lynn smiled.


    If he was him a minute ago, he would''ve run by now.


    Swamp Hags, this kind of monster, even experienced Witchers facing them, would have a headache.


    But after putting points into "Wolf School Swordsmanship" to "Master," not just in sword skill, he already could be placed along with experienced Witchers like Geralt.


    The bonus "Full Enhancement" gave him strength, speed, and constitution each 20% boost, more still provided him with enough confidence.


    Of course, he did not need to be like the past few months, battling a bit stronger monsters, he just needed to run away.


    "Perfect to use you for practice."


    As the last word left his mouth, the Witcher already ran out like an Icewind Wolf.


    The kicked earth had not yet hit the ground, Lynn had already bridged the distance between them quickly.


    The hazy eyes of the Swamp Hag suddenly narrowed sharply.


    It grasped the nearby Drowner, brutally thrust it at the Witcher.


    Lynn spun the silver sword, bisected the Drowner charging towards himself, right shoulder to left torso, into halves.


    But before the blood and internal organs had even touched the ground.


    The Swamp Hag, a dark shadow now, close on the heels of the Drowner, its scythe-like sharp claws already brutally fastened to Lynn''s chest.


    The Swamp Hag''s sharp claws were able to tear through any armor, a flesh and blood body in front of it was as weak as paper.


    As long as contact was maintained, Lynn would be cut into eight pieces in the blink of an eye.


    Even though the Swamp Hag was not a thinking creature, its tactics of first throwing the Drowner out as bait and then jumping in and attacking totally were as brilliant as thinking creatures.


    In fact.


    Under normal circumstances, this distance, this velocity.


    It was impossible to get there in time.


    But with the "Full Enhancement" buff, Lynn released his left hand that gripped the sword, bare-handed faced the Swamp Hag.


    "Aard."


    The non-material air wave was like a war hammer, solidly struck the body of the Swamp Hag.


    Bent fingers, cracked skin.


    The body of the Swamp Hag as well, as if striking a wall head-on, was struck and staggered back.


    Although this opening was merely for an instant.


    Although it was only a few seconds, it might catch its balance.


    But on the battlefield, a moment of distraction is enough to decide the win or defeat.


    The silver sword cut the neck of the Swamp Hag, like hot slicing through butter.


    The head of the Swamp Hag, with rage, unwillingness, surprise, and other complex feelings wrapped around it, shot up, fell into the turbid river, splashed the water into tiny waves.


    .....


    And when the time finally came at the close of 1249, before the snowy weight closed over the mountain, the Wolf School people once again made their way back to Kaer Morhen.


    Everyone comfortably sat in the hall, fed on good victuals and wine, and swapped stories about their year-long adventures.


    After eating and drinking to their heart''s content, Lynn actively proposed, hoping before this winter ended, to conduct the last stage of the Witcher trials.


    Which was the Medallion Trials.


    Medallion Trials, or the Trials of the Mountain, was the third level of the Witcher trials.


    All those who got through the Medallion Trials were the ones who could go out of school and walk down the mountain.


    As soon as Lynn''s words fell, the just now liveliness in atmosphere on the dinning table, at once came to silence.


    Including Vesemir, everybody used a dumbfounded shocked look, fixed their eyes to Lynn.


    After all, he was young, if he wished, he could very well stay at Kaer Morhen for another two years.


    No one would say anything about this.


    Witchers'' lifespans are usually quite long.


    Do not look at Eskel and Lambert looking like young men, who would have guessed, they were actually approximately as old as Yorinobu Arasaka.


    And as for Vesemir, if Saburo Arasaka were to arrive, he would have to call him grandpa.


    Although most Witchers are transformed from humans, Witchers who completed the Trial of the Grasses, in the concept of time, are actually closer to ancient races with long lifespans like elves and dwarves.


    Of course, Lynn''s reason for proposing to go down the mountain also had his own reasons.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 10: Lynn Will Protect Everyone!

    Chapter 10: Lynn Will Protect Everyone!


    The most fundamental reason was, he felt his advancement on the mountain, was going to slip into stagnation.


    Now his "Signs" and "Alchemy" skills, were both proficient level, which is the level of a formal Witcher who can leave the school.


    "Wolf School Swordsmanship" though was already master level, that is the level comparable to experienced Witchers like Geralt and them, who have witnessed all kinds of great storms and waves.


    And the "Full Enhancement" perk, based on the original Witcher, even further boosted his 20% strength, speed, and constitution.


    It can be said like that, the current him, do not look at him as if he is young, but already surpassed most official Witchers graduated from the school.


    To stay on the mountain, still slaying monsters, keep gaining attribute points, increasing skill levels.


    But still insufficient.


    He, who knows what will happen in the future, understands that he must become stronger.


    Only then can one defend Kaer Morhen, defend all of the Wolf School.


    Previously, Lynn was just an observer, and even now would sigh with regret for the conclusions in the original novel and games.


    Now, he is already a part of it, and more still has no business sitting idly by and watching all this transpire.


    "Lynn, I am aware that your sword fighting has progressed quite quickly, but the abilities of a Witcher are not solely sword fighting, Signs and Alchemy must develop overall, then you can be considered an official Witcher."


    Geralt spoke seriously and in good faith.


    He thought it was last year when Lynn went with them into the mountains to kill monsters, that made Lynn so confident to zealously prove himself.


    He admitted that from a swordsmanship point of view, Lynn really passed the test already.


    But Signs, he trained for one year, this is completely not enough.


    As for Alchemy.


    They had not yet taught Lynn.


    And a Witcher who does not understand Alchemy, certainly can''t be a good Witcher.


    Geralt''s start was good.


    And in fact, he was training Lynn in all ways.


    But what he didn''t know was, Lynn''s Wolf School Swordsmanship had long ago changed.


    Even to him, this mythic White Wolf, it was not to be rivaled.


    And as for Signs and Alchemy, they were already on par with a full-fledged Witcher.


    Lynn had long grown accustomed to his brothers'' good-natured suspicions.


    So.


    "I see, Geralt."


    Lynn nodded, making it seem like he got it.


    Then, he pulled out some bottles of wonderfully colored potions, set them on the table.


    All were brewed by him, in his free time, using proficient level Alchemy.


    All of them were quality standard potions.


    "This."


    Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert looked at one another.


    After some time, Geralt swallowed one of the potions.


    To begin with, he carefully examined the liquid colour in the flask, opened the stopper, and sniffed it.


    At last, having looked at Lynn once more, he gulped it down, no hesitation whatsoever.


    Lambert couldn''t help but enquire, "How is it?"


    Vesemir and Eskel stared at Geralt as well.


    Geralt put the empty bottle down, his face one of admiration, but also with a touch of questioning expression.


    "It''s qualified."


    But then he asked Lynn with a curious tone, "How did you do it, exactly?"


    To say that Geralt would be jealous of a junior like Lynn, that would not be so.


    But now he really did possess a kind of helpless feeling of "comparing people makes one die, comparing goods makes one throw them away."


    He still remembered how he learned Alchemy under Vesemir''s over-the-top pressure, under cramming education method.


    That truly was an intolerable memory.


    Even more sad was, that experience continued for a full several years.


    But Lynn, this kid, clearly last winter, was merely a junior apprentice after them.


    But he only borrowed a single year, and indeed, without any instructor to teach him, learned the Alchemy which he practiced for many years to perfection.


    Now, he partially understood where Lynn''s confidence came from.


    Goodness gracious, Geralt didn''t know Lynn was not only capable of brewing good standard potions, but also brewing them effectively and well, or else.


    When Lynn''s capability had been established, all fell into silence.


    Even Lambert, perpetually sarcastic, at this time lacked his usual cold derision.


    Everyone looked at Vesemir.


    Vesemir let out a sigh.


    Because he had been the great master of the Wolf School for so long, he had trained infinite apprentices.


    Among them, there were some who could not even persevere with the first physical training;


    Most were unable to make it through the Trial of the Grasses.


    Even those lucky enough to survive, would die in the Medallion Trials, and the quest after leaving the mountain.


    With time, the training of Witcher apprentices became more demanding.


    And Lynn was now the youngest and greatest apprentice of the Wolf School.


    In fact, unlike rumors, Witcher modifications do not take away their feelings.


    At least, not the Wolf School Witchers.


    Geralt, in most cases, was not willing to display his emotional changes, so as not to allow ordinary people to negotiate and moral kidnapping.


    Since Lynn was returned by Vesemir to the castle a few years ago, and everyone lived together, Vesemir long treated Lynn as his own son.


    If it were not for Lynn himself offering to attend the Medallion Trials, Vesemir would not force him.


    But now, since it was Lynn''s clear demand.


    Vesemir left the dinner table in silence.


    Leaving the rest of them looking at each other in confusion.


    "What''s wrong with the old man?"


    "Shut up, Lambert, you just never get the mood, do you!"


    Overlooking the quarrel between Geralt and Lambert, Eskel, like an older brother, inquired of Lynn with concern.


    "Lynn, you have talent, I admit, you''ve already matched an official Witcher in all aspects, but if you want to stay at Kaer Morhen for another two years, it''s fine too, you don''t have to rush to leave the mountain."


    "Although the times now are difficult, if we take a bite, we won''t let you go hungry."


    Apparently, as reported by Eskel, Lynn''s impatience to leave the school was that he was too proud to let others take care of him.


    Despite the fact that there indeed was this motivation involved, this was not the most important motivation.


    Lynn looked Eskel directly in the eye, and said sincerely.


    "Thank you, Eskel, I value your kindness."


    "It''s just that I believe, being alone as a child on the mountain, the space for growth is not good. If you don''t mind, I can go with you, or Geralt, down the mountain, I think this would be a better choice."


    From independent learning Alchemy, and getting benefits after skill upgrade, it can be seen that this attribute panel bound to me, can be said to have infinite possibilities.


    After Geralt and taking them off the mountain, both of them can find ways to learn more other skills, and can even ease Vesemir''s burden.


    It''s just killing two birds with one stone.


    Geralt, across from him, took a long swig of beer, "Since you''ve had some thought about it, I have complete respect for your choice, I''ll ride along with you to the Medallion Trials and when the snow that freezes the mountain next year thaws out, you can follow me down the mountain behind, I''ll see you."


    [author]


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 Chapter 11: We Are a Loving Family

    Chapter 11: We Are a Loving Family


    Most Witchers'' mortality rate is primarily concentrated in the first year after they leave the mountain.


    Others die at the hands of unexpected monsters as a result of misinformation provided by villagers;


    Others are because smart villagers can''t produce, or don''t want to produce, the agreed sum, then get lured into a barn, tricked, under the pretense of fetching hidden gold, but what they end up waiting for is a pitchfork jab from behind.


    In the Witcher code, those who pass all Witcher tests with flying colors should leave their Witcher school in peace, wander the world, and slay monsters for money.


    Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, Berengar.


    Together with old Vesemir, they all walked this way back then.


    But Geralt believes that a tree moved dies, a person moved lives, the Wolf School is already sparsely inhabited, so naturally there is no need to watch ancient traditions.


    He can make an exception for Lynn.


    "Then I''ll bother you, Geralt."


    Lynn nodded.


    Having Geralt, the "tale" hero, as a traveling companion, is definitely the best.


    Of course, Eskel is okay too.


    Although the half of his face with the almost disfigured scar is scary, Eskel is actually a very kind person.


    As for Lambert, forget about it.


    Although Lynn knows Lambert is not a bad person.


    But Lambert''s mouth is really too smelly.


    Stronger than feet with black silk and wrapped in little leather shoes.


    If he becomes his partner, Lynn is fearful that someday he won''t be able to hold back, and will sneak onto Lambert''s bed at night and smother him with a pillow.


    ....


    It had taken an eternity, but Vesemir returned.


    He was still holding a silver wolf head medallion in his hand.


    "Since you''ll be conducting the final test, then this medallion is yours. Put it on and go to the Circle of Elements atop the mountaintop."


    "As long as you succeed with this medallion, you will no longer be an apprentice, but an actual Witcher."


    Lynn took the Wolf School Witcher medallion from Vesemir''s hand.


    And wrapped it around his neck.


    "It suits you wonderfully, Lynn." Geralt continued to say.


    Eskel smiled and nodded as well.


    Lambert''s voice also relaxed a bit: "As long as you come back alive tomorrow, I''ll never call you kid again."


    "As for that, Lambert, you''ll take Lynn to participate in the Medallion Trials tomorrow."


    The second Vesemir''s voice fell, Lambert and Lynn complained simultaneously.


    "Why me?"


    "Why him?"


    Vesemir smiled.


    "The Medallion Trials are first to be done by apprentices, but out of the group of apprentices, Lynn alone survived, so someone has to accompany him."


    Lambert threw up his hands: "Come on now, Vesemir, old chap, I see the reasoning, but you still didn''t explain why I have to take this kid, I am not a babysitter."


    Vesemir put aside his smile.


    "But Lynn is a student of the Wolf School, your brother, I hope tomorrow''s Medallion Trials will make you clearly understand this point."


    Vesemir paused, and continued: "Of course, if that is not enough, then you''ll be answerable for Lynn''s path after leaving the mountain."


    Lynn and Lambert, having heard these words, shivered together.


    Lambert squeezed out a smile that was worse than tears: "Ahaha, I think we''ll have a good time together tomorrow, okay, kid?"


    Lynn also mechanically repeated: "Of course, we are a loving family."


    .....


    After dinner, they all returned to their rooms to rest.


    Lynn did the dishes willingly.


    Having washed the dishes, having returned to his room, Geralt folded his arms and leaned against the wall outside Lynn''s room.


    "Lynn, though I realize Lambert''s mouth smells, and Eskel and I generally can''t stand him, he is an experienced Witcher, I suppose there''s no helping it."


    "The Medallion Trials are unconventional, so tomorrow, regardless of what Lambert tells you, you do, alright?"


    "If Lambert gets in your face, you put up with it until you get back, and when you do, Eskel and I will see to fixing him."


    .....


    Early the next morning.


    When Lambert went downstairs, he found Lynn dressed already in all her equipment and set to go out.


    "You''re busy, not bad, look quite the thing, but whether you have actually got the talent, or are playing at it, we shall soon find out."


    "Appears as though I shall have to listen to you nag all day."


    "That''s true, kid, I know you''d rather team up with Geralt or Eskel. That''s okay, I don''t want to babysit you either, so we''re even. But, listen, I''m going to say but."


    Lambert suddenly shelved his usual skeptical expression and spoke in all seriousness.


    "Playing is playing, joking is joking, the Medallion Trials are no joke. When I competed in the Medallion Trials that year, two kids came back alive."


    "So, if you still wish to have Codwen''s villagers spit on you, help the plain villagers with monster hunting and be rewarded not in gold but with pitchforks, kill a Leshen with a great struggle, and the gold you gain is not enough to repair your equipment."


    "Then you better stick by me, no matter what I say, you do, clear?"


    Lambert assumed Lynn would resentfully perfunctorily oblige.


    At least if he was Lynn, he would do so.


    He did not believe Lynn would take it seriously.


    Such a reaction unsettled Lambert a bit.


    He coughed, hiding his embarrassment.


    "Because you see, that is the best, I hope we can have a good trip now."


    "Let''s eat first, we''ll leave after breakfast."


    Following breakfast, and resting for an hour, the two left the castle.


    The so-called Medallion Trials consist of swimming through a lake, going through a Cyclops''s cave, then Troll''s grounds, and arriving at the Circle of Elements.


    Activating the Witcher medallion at the Circle of Elements is deemed to have completed the trial.


    The most dangerous part of the whole Medallion Trials is not crossing the Troll''s grounds, but the Cyclops''s cave.


    Trolls seem fierce-looking, but problems can be solved using dialogue.


    Cyclops, though, can''t communicate.


    As soon as a Cyclops is awakened, it''s fight to the death.


    Lynn knew that some of Lambert''s gang kids fell into the hands of the Cyclops.


    ...


    Lambert, having left Vincent''s castle, seemed to be in a good humor.


    He started off by mimicking Vesemir even.


    "Only those who take up the medallion are deserving of the Witcher''s trial path."


    "Has Teacher Vesemir heard you imitating him?"


    "He has, the old man was in a bad mood," Lambert paused, trying to think how to explain, "so I don''t do this in front of him."


    He turned to Lynn: "Kid, do you know what comes next?"


    Lynn nodded slightly.


    "I know, lake, Cyclops, and Trolls."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 12: Sword, Angry Slash Harpy

    Chapter 12: Sword, Angry Slash Harpy


    Lambert whistled. "Not bad, did the old man tell you all this?"


    "No, I read it in books. I''ve read all the books in the castle''s library."


    "When I was your age, I couldn''t sit still." Lambert gave a quick sigh. "Wodhe, he was just like you, loved carrying books around day and night. We used to tease him, saying he should attend Oxenfurt University, not Kaer Morhen."


    Lynn asked, perplexed, "Wodhe?"


    Lambert''s tone turned serious. "An apprentice who trained with me. When we went through the Cyclops'' cave, he didn''t make it."


    Lynn sighed and said.


    "Lambert, sorry."


    "It''s all right, all water under the bridge." Lambert rubbed his cheeks, holding back a reassuring smile. "In those years, we all swam across the lake. Kid, you''re lucky. I''ve got a small boat, let''s take it across."


    Lynn did not say anything.


    Lambert cocked his head, gazed at him, and smiled. "Hey, kid, don''t wrinkle up that face. I''m not as fragile as you think. Death and living are commonplace in my profession, I''ve seen a lot of it. It''s just."


    "I hope you make it, kid."


    .


    The two men remained silent the rest of the way.


    Until the dilapidated boathouse and small boat tied to the dock came into view.


    Lambert was about to speak when his face abruptly turned solemn.


    "Wait, did you hear that?"


    "I heard it, and I saw it."


    Lynn unbuckled the silver sword on his back and prepared for battle.


    From the distant lake, a large shadow was rapidly approaching them.


    "It''s harpies!"


    Like other monsters, harpies too are a product of the Conjunction of the Spheres.


    They prefer to roost in arid and mountainous areas, and sparsely populated Blue Mountains provide an ideal solution.


    Harpies hunt in groups, usually from several to twenty. Although they are timid and cautious, if their group is more numerous than that of the adversary, they will attack without hesitation.


    Just like today.


    Two Witchers on the lake shore not far from here were spotted by a few harpies flying above the lake.


    They chattered in their characteristic calls, and then split into two groups.


    One of them came running towards Lynn, and the other towards Lambert.


    "Back off, kid!"


    Lambert shouted.


    To attract the harpies'' attention.


    He deliberately placed himself out in the open space.


    Then he took the sword in one hand, standing still on the ground like a reef.


    Until the diving harpy was very close to him, he unexpectedly switched from holding the sword with one hand to holding the hilt with both.


    Geralt was right.


    Lambert has a dirty mouth.


    But his expertise is undeniable.


    Especially his knowledge of timing, which is exquisite.


    At first, the harpies made use of the speed brought about by diving to attack the enemy.


    But Lambert used it to do the opposite.


    Before the harpy''s claws got to gut him, he smashed the harpy''s shoulder and chest with one swing of his sword.


    The latter let out an odd shriek and fell like a broken string kite.


    Lambert sidestepped, keeping away from rolling harpy, as his left hand swiftly created the Aard sign gesture, and slapped a swooping harpy with a palm strike.


    The harpy did not have time to react, as if it hit an invisible fence, turned in mid-air, and landed headfirst on the ground.


    There was a sharp cracking noise, and the neck and head of the harpy showed an unnatural and spine-tingling twist.


    It thrashed on the ground for a second and then froze.


    Lambert had killed two harpies in an instant.


    Harpies are not very smart, but the biological compulsion to seek advantages and avoid danger made the two other harpies encircling Lambert act in a drastically different manner.


    One harpy just spun around and flew away as fast as it could.


    The other one tried a half loop, trying to get Lambert from behind.


    The Wolf School Witcher medallion on Lambert''s chest then shook violently.


    Lambert didn''t turn back, but moved to the side, dodging the harpy''s stealth attack behind him.


    After that, the silver sword in his hand sparkled with icy light.


    In the next instant.


    The body and the harpy''s head rolled on the ground separately.


    Looking at the fleeing harpy, and confirming that he was unable to pursue, Lambert relinquished.


    Almost just as he was helping Lynn, he was taken aback by finding that.


    The battle on Lynn''s side was also over.


    .....


    When Lambert told Lynn to retreat, Lynn did so.


    He was not afraid, nor was he about to run away.


    But to take the harpies to a battlefield more suited to Witchers.


    Because their physical bodies are not similar to human bodies, harpies use their flying ability to quickly descend and strike enemies, and fly back up into the air.


    But if they fall to the ground, they are as clumsy as hens.


    There was a small wood not far from the boathouse.


    Lynn used rolling instead of retreating, and retreated quickly into the small wood.


    Among the harpies that chased closely, one didn''t even have a chance to turn back, and its wings hit a tall spruce tree.


    It lost balance at once.


    It fell from the air in a dog-eating-shit position.


    By the time it stood up, someone had already extended their hand towards it.


    The silver sword was raised high, and then chopped down with strength.


    Puchi!


    The muffled sound of a sharp blade slicing flesh was heard.


    The silver sword sliced into the harpy''s head, cutting off half of its skull.


    He stepped on the monster''s chest, kicked it away, and pulled out the bloodied silver sword.


    And then suddenly a foul and pungent gust of air hit him from behind, as if dead bodies rotting in unison with bird dung.


    He rolled over instinctively out of sheer reaction to get away.


    And his left hand drew the Igni sign symbol, shooting a serpent-shaped flame in the direction he just stood.


    The power of the skilled level sig was a bit weak, but fortunately, the harpy''s own feathers doubled as an igniter.


    Burnt hair scent hit his face.


    One of the harpies was set aflame directly.


    It fell to the ground, thrashing and trying to smother the flame on its body.


    The second harpy''s wings were not even burnt much, but it was enough to prevent it from flying back up.


    Not used to being on the ground, it awkwardly fired attacks at Lynn, which were easily avoided by Lynn.


    Lynn used an Aard sign to shock it, and then entered a thrusting stance.


    The following instant.


    He stomped on the ground with power.


    Dirt splashed about.


    He burst out like a crossbow bolt.


    With all his power, he put it into the edge of the silver sword, easily plunging the last harpy''s throat.


    A fiery current surged in his body, Lynn pulled out the attribute panel and examined it.


    "Attribute points: 0 (2%) ¡ú 0 (19%)"


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 Chapter 13: Well Said, Next Time Dont Say It

    Chapter 13: Well Said, Next Time Don''t Say It


    "Not bad," Lambert glanced at the bodies on the ground, a rare glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. "How do you feel?"


    "I... I''m fine."


    Lynn wiped the blood from the silver sword off the feathers of the harpy.


    Lambert shrugged, a little taken aback.


    "Look at all these corpses around, and the gruesome smell of blood in the air, and the characteristic mixed smell of rotting corpses and birdshit on the harpies.... you feel just fine, huh?"


    "It seems you were born to be a Witcher."


    With Lambert''s words of reminder, Lynn woke up.


    Staying amidst this graveyard of corpses, the sickening smell of blood heavy in the air, he felt no inclination to vomit or get ill.


    It was not that he couldn''t smell a thing.


    In fact, the super-charged senses of a Witcher are actually way more sensitive to smells than someone else''s are.


    But he just did not possess any terror, panic, or nervousness.


    Certainly, he was not agitated or exhilarated in a lunatic fashion.


    He just felt. excessively serene.


    Perhaps, as Lambert asserted, he was indeed a born Witcher.


    When they took useful materials off the harpies'' bodies, they boarded Lambert''s small boat.


    "I''ll sail."


    "Why?"


    "Because it''s my boat, no why."


    .....


    There was no fog on the lake at early morning, and Lynn could easily identify the entrance to the cave on the opposite side of the lake.


    The small boat glided noiselessly on the lake and left an almost imperceptible ripple.


    The wave radiated out from where the boat passed by, rippling outward, like scales of shimmering fish on the surface of the lake.


    The small boat finally reached the shore after a while.


    There was no place to tie the rope on this side of the shore.


    So, Lynn helped Lambert pull the small boat onto the shore.


    So that it would not be swept away by the current.


    Though both he and Lambert were competent swimmers, it was of course easier to sit in the boat than swim across the lake, which would be tiring and damp.


    "Let me see, what was that famous maxim? Tread lightly, don''t awaken Old Spearhead."


    Old Spearhead is the Cyclops who lives in the cave.


    It is also one of the more formidable "chief examiners" in the Medallion Trials.


    Many apprentices fell into the hands of Old Spearhead.


    Cyclops live for very long, and no one knows the age of the speaker.


    "Let''s get a wooden stake, sharpen it, stick it into the Cyclops''s eyes, and then act like sheep and run out of the cave."


    "Haha, the joke is so good, but the next time do not repeat it."


    When they were arguing, of a sudden, a cry for help echoed far away.


    Lynn turned his head to look.


    But all he could see was the reeds which stood tall and close together along the beach.


    Lambert spun around to him. "Did you hear anything?"


    Lynn nodded.


    "I heard it."


    "And then?"


    "Disregard him."


    He did indeed hear a call for help from a child a moment ago.


    And Lambert heard it too, so it was not his illusion.


    But Kaer Morhen lies in the deep Blue Mountains.


    And where they are goes deeper than Kaer Morhen.


    And to say nothing of children, even villagers living in the base of the Blue Mountains would not venture so deep into the hinterland.


    Furthermore, in the set of books in Kaer Morhen, there is a peculiar record of data with respect to this kind of monster:


    There is also a carrion-eating animal called a foglet.


    They are skilled at leading astray, tempting, and confusing human beings.


    Where dense fog is, foglets can be¡ªswamps, mountain passes, banks of river and lake.


    Without fog, foglets can produce or summon dense fog.


    If you feel the air around you become heavy and thick and there is no wind, then it is a sign that foglets are coming and are ready to attack you at any time.


    Thick fog is not just a way of camouflaging from foglets, but also an attack weapon of theirs.


    They tamper with the fog.


    They can cut off travelers, make them blind to the road, and deaf to any sound.


    They emit feeble light like fireflies to attract lost ones to their dens within swamps, caves, or ravines.


    And sometimes, they don''t even need to attack human beings, they simply need to drive their prey mad and into the swamp, and they can wait for their prey to drown in the water.


    Keeping in mind the content of the book, Lynn can pretty much form conclusions.


    The voice of the child was actually imitated by the foglet to lure them.


    Lambert sneered with a spiteful tone.


    "Oh, don''t you want to go take a look? Maybe some poor kid is in need of our help."


    Lynn glared at him angrily. "Do I look like a three-year-old?"


    "I think you look four."


    Lynn did not yield to him either, and gave him the middle finger straight.


    "Well said, do not say it next time."


    .......


    Joking is joking, playing is playing, and after the jokes, they never forgot business.


    "Ready to go into the cave?"


    Lynn nodded.


    Lambert suppressed the smile on his lips. "First, drink a bottle of Cat potion before going in. Do you recall the effect of the Cat potion?"


    Lynn also became serious and spoke.


    "Cat potion is one of the most used potions by Witchers. It is It is suitable to drink before exploring dark areas such as caves or tombs, or strolling in dangerous areas at midnight."


    "After drinking it, a Witcher can see in complete darkness so that he will not be ambushed by any nocturnal creature."


    "This potion allows the drinker to sense ordinary creatures, or creatures made up of inanimate objects, even behind walls."


    "But this potion, as it is with all Witcher potions, will cause minor toxin accumulation."


    Lambert nodded.


    And then he handed over a bottle of Cat potion. "It seems you have learned all this well, that is good."


    After Lynn had swallowed it, he too produced a bottle of Cat potion and drank the whole thing.


    "In the cave ahead, you''ll find a Cyclops called Old Spearhead. Don''t ask me how long it has lived. When I was your age, it had been occupying the cave for years."


    "Kid, I''m going to tell you something. You''re going to remember it."


    Lambert held up two fingers.


    "When we enter the cave later, there are only two choices:"


    "The first, and most common, is that Old Spearhead is sleeping. And if we''re quiet enough, we can pass safely."


    Lynn nodded.


    He was aware that there was only Old Spearhead, a giant, in the entire cave, and no other monsters.


    So long as they don''t wake it up, they will succeed.


    "What about the second one?" he asked.


    Lambert was silent for a moment before speaking.


    "The second one, which is what happened when I took the trial... we need to escape from the awake Old Spearhead."


    "Of course, something we would all rather not be seeing, so from here on in, walk carefully, and even watch how you breathe."


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 Chapter 14: You Have to First Attack That Minion with Taunt

    Chapter 14: You Have to First Attack That Minion with Taunt


    When the Cat potion took effect, Lynn and Lambert entered the dark cave that smelled of stench.


    The cave was as dark as night without any light in it.


    However, the Cat potion enabled them to see in the dark.


    With Lambert leading them inside the dark cave, they went on for about a few minutes.


    Lambert, ahead, abruptly halted and brought his hand up, making a fist, lowering his voice:


    "Wait, did you hear that?"


    Lynn stopped at once, listening.


    But other than his and Lambert''s shallow breathing, there was nothing.


    So he shook his head.


    "No, I didn''t hear anything."


    "That''s it, no snoring, which means Old Spearhead is not sleeping, damn it!"


    Lambert cursed under his breath.


    Then Lynn observed a look on Lambert''s face he had never seen before.


    "Kid, if I tell you to make a break for it later, you run, don''t look back and don''t stop, okay?"


    Lynn was no fool.


    He was able to tell that what Lambert said indicated that in case something unexpected happene, Lambert would give him an opportunity for him to escape.


    ''The Wolf School never leaves any brother behind.''


    He murmured softly in his heart.


    But he did not say it out loud.


    For now was not the moment to bicker with Lambert.


    He just nodded, as if he understood.


    ....


    They just walked ahead for a while.


    When Lambert stopped again.


    Even without his reminder, Lynn had already seen in the clearing not very far before them a Cyclops carrying a wooden club, standing under a stone platform.


    There was no other path in the clearing.


    No doubt, that stone platform was the exit of the cave.


    Old Spearhead guarded the cave entrance.


    This was the worst of it.


    Lynn thought, "We have to find a way to lure it away."


    Lambert said quickly, "I''ll lure it away, you take the opportunity to climb up."


    "What about you?"


    "Kid, I''ve crossed more bridges than you''ve driven roads, you''d better take care of yourself."


    Then Lambert talked without allowing Lynn to protest. He drew the silver sword from his back and charged at Old Spearhead, shouting.


    Cyclops have relatively mature minds.


    But thieves would not even let travelers who had strayed into their camp go, much less hope that Cyclops would show mercy.


    The bellow of Old Spearhead shook the dust within the cave.


    It clutched the enormous wooden club and swished it.


    The wooden club was wildly swung, sending dust and dirt flying on the ground.


    Lambert kept dodging and retreating.


    Then he spotted an opportunity and threw the Axii sign.


    The sign worked.


    Old Spearhead was disabled by the Axii sign, knocked senseless into immobility.


    Meanwhile, with Lambert distracting the Cyclops, Lynn was able to climb onto the stone platform unharmed.


    He turned his head and saw Old Spearhead being knocked off balance by the Axii sign.


    If Lambert seized this chance to run over, he could jump onto the stone platform before Old Spearhead awakened.


    But what followed was out of Lynn''s expectation.


    Lambert did not seize the chance to flee from Old Spearhead.


    Instead, he rushed forward and slashed Old Spearhead''s foot with his sword.


    The silver sword inflicted a deep cut on the giant''s foot.


    The red blood rushed in and flowed out at once.


    Pain awakened Old Spearhead from sleep.


    The palm, fan-like in motion, automatically waved.


    Because the distance was too close, Lambert was unable to escape, but owing to this critical moment, having experienced all kinds of great storms and waves, his body instinctively sketched a Quen sign unconsciously.


    Boom!


    Bright orange light blew out like glass.


    Lambert was punched around like a sack.


    "Damn it! Lambert! Damn it!"


    Lynn jumped from the stone parapet without thinking.


    "Hey! Over here!"


    "You bloody fool, stupid moron, I''m talking to you, didn''t you understand?"


    Lynn did not unsheathe his sword.


    Instead, he picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at Old Spearhead.


    The wound was slight, but the insult was extremely powerful.


    Old Spearhead had initially planned to remove Lambert out of the way.


    But it was enraged by Lynn''s actions.


    It decided to deal with this black-haired little wolf cub first.


    Satisfied that his actions effectively distracted Old Spearhead from Lambert.


    Lynn backed away while mentally estimating the distance between him and Old Spearhead.


    "Now!"


    Lynn drew out his silver sword and waved his right arm.


    The silver sword he threw became a shooting star and pierced Old Spearhead''s single eye.


    Juice splashed.


    A shrill scream echoed within the cave.


    Old Spearhead instinctively covered his face with his hands.


    But still, the strong light green liquid kept dripping down between its fingers.


    Then it grabbed the huge wooden club and wildly swung everything around it.


    .....


    What would be the case if a giant, much larger than a husky, started destroying a house?


    Lynn, experiencing all this himself, believed that he was the best one to react:


    It was a storm.


    As quickly as a storm can blow through, dust and flying boulders swept through the cave.


    These wood-blown gravels were no less potent than crossbow bolts.


    Fortunately, Lynn had taken the distance beforehand, so no matter how far Old Spearhead blew his top, the huge wooden club would not land on him, let alone graze Lambert, who was shoved out of the way.


    He just had to continue supplying magic energy to the Quen shield in order to hold up against the splashing rocks.


    Such tough and unrelenting assault went on for ten solid minutes.


    Old Spearhead finally blew his top.


    The wheezing Old Spearhead was spent so he sat down on the ground.


    But he hadn''t counted on Lynn to cheekily get near him at this juncture.


    Any Witcher who has gone through mutation has perfect control over his body.


    As long as Lynn desired, he could remain absolutely silent.


    And the thing was actually so.


    It did not take its revenge until Old Spearhead tripped over it while stepping on it.


    It tried to catch hold of Lynn.


    But Lynn fell down at once and escaped.


    Then forward he leaped, so making Old Spearhead''s second convulsion also a miss.


    Old Spearhead vented its raging wrath, ready to slap to death this dirty human like an insect.


    Lambert burst out of the still lingering smoke and dust, and slashed Old Spearhead''s injured foot once more.


    Old Spearhead''s bellow turned into a howl, and its huge body knelt down like a golden mountain that was about to fall over.


    Lynn by no means would allow this great opportunity to escape.


    He took advantage of the moment to jump onto the back of Old Spearhead.


    "Grab!"


    Lambert on the ground threw his silver sword to Lynn.


    "Good night, sweet dreams."


    He said.


    Then he drove the captive silver sword into Old Spearhead''s back of the neck.


    Deep into the hilt.


    Old Spearhead screamed, and his vitality quickly dissipated.


    The same hot surge as when the Swamp Hag died coursed into his body along the silver sword.


    "Attribute points: 0 (19%) ¡ú 0 (69%)"


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    [/author]

 Chapter 15: Now We Are Far Ahead

    Chapter 15: Now We Are Far Ahead


    Lynn drew out a hunting knife, removing infusion fragments, monster heart, Cyclops eyes, and other things from Old Spearhead''s body, muttering to himself.


    "Although the Medallion Trials, as the final stage of the Witcher trials, are no joke, is it too harsh, even brutal, that the apprentices should be presented with a novice murderer such as Hogg straight away?"


    He did not know whether Witchers had the habit of talking to themselves.


    After coming to this world and becoming a Witcher, Lynn found that he occasionally spoke to himself subconsciously.


    But it was not a killer problem.


    After digging up the materials, he jumped off Old Spearhead''s body and walked towards Lambert.


    "Are you okay, Lambert?"


    "Yeah, I won''t die."


    Lambert drew out a vial of Swallow potion and drank it.


    Later, his face looked a lot better.


    The self-healing ability of Witchers is stronger than a normal person''s, combined with the effect of the Swallow potion, that as long as it''s not an instant killing wound that will kill them right away, they can be saved in most cases.


    Lynn questioned, "What was that just now? What were you doing wild?"


    Lambert let out a sigh. "Kid, I''ll never say kid again, and stop asking questions, how''s that, is this fair?"


    Lynn stared at Lambert''s cat eyes silently.


    But even if Lambert didn''t speak it, he knew.


    It was for Wodhe.


    The kid that Lambert had mentioned earlier, who died at the hands of Old Spearhead.


    They say Witchers don''t feel anything.


    They say they love only gold.


    They say these mutants are cruel animals.


    They are wrong.


    Lynn did not continue to ask questions. He merely put his hand on Lambert''s shoulder and patted it gently.


    "Let''s go, let''s leave."


    .....


    More than a dozen minutes later, they finally came out of the stinky cave.


    "We''re finally out."


    Lambert put hands on hips and exhaled towards the sky.


    Lynn agreed.


    Humans simply cannot live without fresh air and sunshine.


    They had not been in the cave, at most, for less than an hour.


    But it felt like a century.


    "Next, if we can pass through the land of Trolls, we can reach the final destination, the Circle of Elements."


    Lambert sneered. "They should be afraid, not us."


    Maybe because he got his revenge successfully for Wodhe, Lambert was in good spirits.


    Lynn was subdued.


    Actually, his impression of Trolls wasn''t bad.


    Whereas formerly, there existed instances where Trolls assaulted human beings.


    Such instances are getting fewer and far between these days.


    There exist some Trolls who like building bridges and reside beneath them, so they will be able to charge tolls from travelers.


    As far as Novigrad, the Jewel of the North, is concerned, it''s far ahead in this area.


    For example, the respectable people of Novigrad just started a new fashion of hiring a Troll to guard their treasures.


    Of course, if you think about it, it''s not something to disapprove of.


    This job requires not only loyalty, but also an enormous body, unlimited energy, and bone-crushing strength.


    And speaking of brains, everyone thinks that it''s not essential and even thinks that too much brains is a disadvantage.


    To put it bluntly, the best known great guard tought to be a guy who is so stupid that he "wouldn''t even think about betraying his master."


    ........


    When they arrived in the Trolls'' country, they thought that they would be attacked by stones.


    But they saw an unexpected sight:


    "Get out of here!"


    Two rock Trolls picked stones from the ground and threw them into the air.


    Some harpies hung in the air.


    They were very fast and avoided the stones with ease before they could strike them.


    Then the harpies swooped down shrieking.


    The rock Trolls bent, flattened themselves on the ground, and rolled up into a ball.


    The sharp claws that could gut men were useless against the rock Trolls'' stone backsides, scratching out only streaks of sparks.


    "What''s happening?"


    Lambert was also perplexed.


    The last time they were there, there weren''t any harpies, but only rock Trolls.


    They had to make way by dodging rocks thrown at them by the rock Trolls in order to reach the Circle of Elements.


    He was assuming that the same thing will be repeated this time.


    But he did not anticipate that the monsters would turn against each other.


    "They''re fighting over food, look over there, Lambert."


    Lynn gestured toward the horizon.


    On the ground in the distance, a pile of wild animal meat was stacked carelessly, and a much smaller Troll was hovering guard over the meat pile.


    "These fools actually know how to stock up on food for the winter before they can''t get any. I see who''s going to say Trolls are stupid in the future."


    Lambert paused and continued.


    "But this is a good chance for us."


    Before Lynn could answer.


    A new change came into the picture.


    The remaining two adult Trolls, with the deliberate guidance of the other harpies, were going farther and farther from the little Troll.


    Seizing the opportunity, some harpies swooped down.


    Although the little Troll looked small, it was highly intelligent.


    The little Troll bent down like its friends, fell flat on the ground, covered its soft belly, and used its stony back to face the enemy.


    But this time, these harpies did not pass by in haste.


    Instead, they flew down and grasped the protrusions on the small Troll''s rocky back.


    They flew the small Troll off the ground, swaying.


    It seemed that they were going to kill the small Troll by tossing it to the ground.


    And the small Troll knew this.


    It struggled wildly.


    But it was useless.


    Its limbs were too short, and the body structure of rock Trolls was different from that of humans. Their backs were turtle shell-like.


    So, it could not do anything about the harpies grabbing the protrusions on its back.


    But at this moment, a silver light suddenly pierced from afar and hit a harpy in the chest.


    The latter cried out and crashed down to the ground below.


    Then the terrible expression on the other harpy''s face ceased and, as if crazy, then it snarled at its friend and flailed its claws wildly.


    Puchi!


    A lot of blood was scraped on the attacked harpy''s neck with a lot of surprising wounds.


    It also fell to the ground like a damaged kite.


    With wounds that were so serious, even monsters couldn''t help but die.


    The other harpies were left dumbfounded for a second.


    Though they did not understand why their friend would fight their own, they came as a group, dropped the little Troll, and assaulted the harpy that assaulted their friend.


    On the ground, Lynn pulled out his silver sword from the killed harpy.


    Lambert cast an Axii sign on the harpies in the air.


    The harpy he attacked also went mad all of a sudden and attacked its friends, as did the other harpy which went mad.


    This is the power of the Axii sign.


    It can influence, enchant, and master other animals.


    Even if they are not intellectual animals, they will also be influenced by the Axii sign.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 16: I Have Seen the Noblest Orcs and the Most Base Humans

    Chapter 16: I Have Seen the Noblest Orcs and the Most Base Humans


    Thus, with the help of Lynn and Lambert, the harpies that were attacking the Trolls were killed or fled within no time.


    After the last of the harpies had fled, the rock Trolls became aware that there were two unwanted visitors on their property.


    Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Lynn advanced and spoke, "Hey, I just helped you, have you forgotten already?"


    "Help?" The grown-up rock Trolls scratched their heads in confusion.


    But they made no other hostile advances.


    It was a good start.


    "Yes."


    Lynn gestured his eyes to the harpy corpses scattered about.


    The three rock Trolls, two adults and one juvenile, looked at each other.


    Then, their eyes shifted rapidly between Lynn and the harpy corpses.


    Later, one of the rock Trolls slowly spoke, "Witcher, help Trolls? Witcher, good man?"


    Lynn stroked his chest.


    "That''s right, we''re good people."


    Another adult rock Troll replied.


    "You''re so stupid, Witchers kill monsters, Trolls are monsters."


    Lynn nodded his head. "No, Witchers only eliminate monsters that injure people. Harpies injure people, so we helped you get rid of the harpies. You don''t injure people, so you don''t have anything to fear from us."


    The three stone Trolls, two adults and one child gazed at each other once more, and it was obvious on their faces that their minds were scrambled.


    Finally, the first adult stone Troll spoke in astonishment.


    "Witchers don''t kill Trolls?"


    "Yes, we don''t kill you, if you don''t hurt people."


    "Witchers are nice people, Trolls don''t hurt people, Witchers don''t kill Trolls, Trolls don''t devour Witchers."


    The rock Trolls, having agreed, were very happy.


    They even invited Lynn and Lambert to have dinner with them before they departed.


    But they were politely declined.


    Although the rock Trolls'' food contained no technology, it was packed with hardcore content.


    They could digest such swill and livestock fodder, but not Lambert and Lynn.


    It was safer to pass by.


    And before he left, Lynn directed the rock Trolls that if there were any Witcher apprentices with two swords and a medallion like him who chanced by in the future, he would be grateful if the rock Trolls did not pelt stones at them.


    ......


    The Circle of Elements altar sat atop the mountain north of the Trolls'' territory.


    On the level, sand-smoothed and wind-polished stone platform were candles.


    Four braziers, each in one of the four directions of the altar, were also present.


    Walking into these ruins, Lynn could hardly imagine the majestic view of the past.


    But when Kaer Morhen and the Wolf School were defeated, ruins was all that was left.


    Lambert could not help but inquire, "I still don''t understand why you helped the Trolls before?"


    Lynn answered gravely, "Humans are not so noble, and Trolls are not so base. If we can converse, why fight to the death? And besides, no bounty can be claimed."


    Lambert arched an eyebrow. "If an assistant professor from Oxenfurt University said that, it would make sense, but you''re a Witcher."


    Lynn snapped back. "Witchers kill only monsters who harm humans¡ªhave you forgotten Master Vesemir''s teachings?"


    "Okay, I won''t protest. Let''s charge the medallion and go back. I can''t wait to wash away this harpy stink."


    Lynn scrunched up his nose. "You city man, can''t even stand this little bit of grime and stench?"


    Lambert was doubtful. "Gee? Then you are bold enough not to wash it off and sleep with this stench."


    "Never mind."


    "I guessed so. Okay, let''s be serious. I guess the castle books also told you about the Circle of Elements?"


    Lynn nodded.


    He looked at the four braziers.


    "The Circle of Elements, as is the Place of Power, is a place where uncontrolled energy (magic) accumulates."


    "The positions of these four braziers are not random. Burn the braziers in the proper sequence only then can the Circle of Elements be charged."


    "Sorcerers say that sorcery comes from nature, comes from the four elements of nature: earth, water, air, and fire."


    "Then we just burn the braziers in sequence accordingly."


    As he said that, Lynn had already done so.


    He clicked his fingers four times, lighting up the braziers in each of the four directions in succession.


    Then he took off the wolf head medallion that had been draped about his neck and placed it on the stone platform.


    Looking at systematic Lynn, Lambert curled his lip.


    "Easy to work with clever folks. I don''t even have to open my mouth."


    "The Witcher medallion will absorb magic automatically. We simply have to wait."


    Lambert made a motion to Lynn to have a seat somewhere.


    "Though it''s slightly premature to have this conversation today, I''d thought you were going down from the mountain next year, so it''s not premature. So I think a little worldly wisdom should be imparted to you before that."


    Lynn sat next to Lambert. "I''m paying attention."


    "In our line of work, ideals are nice, but reality sucks. We''re monster slayers who slay monsters, but the commoners treat us like monsters."


    Lynn let out a sigh upon listening to Lambert''s words.


    This was also why Berengar hated his Witcher persona.


    Lambert continued, "Most of the Witchers began going down the mountain on principles. If they weren''t paid, they considered it a good thing and took no money."


    "But soon enough, they will turn their heads, because they know that in the North, commoners will take an inch and expect a mile."


    "Because the reason why commoners are commoners is that although they are actually very pitiful and are oppressed and exploited by the king and nobles, they never know how to resist and unite, or even think about it."


    "They take out their wrath on other diligent and honest individuals."


    "Of course, not all Northerners are commoners."


    "But at least most of the Kaedwen people are commoners, but this is not a matter of human nature, but a matter created by their ''great'' King Henselt."


    "As a professional I have met burglars who look like councilors, councilors who look like beggars, prostitutes who look like princesses, princesses who look like pregnant cows, and kings who look like burglars."


    "King Henselt doesn''t look much like a thief, but this ''well respected by all'' majesty is little more than a thief."


    "King Henselt intends to kill every non-human race in his nation, including non-human soldiers who fought and bled for him on his behalf, and non-human good citizens who are upright, industrious, and pay their taxes."


    "You can also picture what kind of attitude a king who''s so harsh towards his own people would have for Witchers."


    Lynn knew what Lambert meant.


    Henselt was the worst of the Northern kings'' monarchs.


    He did worse than the next Redanian King Radovid V.


    Radovid was cruel, but at least he was able.


    In the future timeline, if Radovid would not have been murdered by the conspirators, he would have conquered the Nilfgaardian Empire and brought all of the North under his rule, making him the overlord of the North.


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 Chapter 17: That Old Rascal Is Very Bad

    Chapter 17: That Old Rascal Is Very Bad


    And Henselt?


    That old rascal is very bad.


    In the future timeline, the southern Nilfgaardian Empire began the Second Northern War.


    Rationally, after the First Northern War, all the Northern kings should have understood the threat of the Nilfgaardian Empire and joined hands.


    And the other Northern kings did just that.


    But only King Henselt of Kaedwen took advantage of his border kingdom Aedirn being busy fighting with the Nilfgaardians and openly sent soldiers to occupy and annex Aedirn''s land.


    Subsequently, he even went so far as to shake hands with the marshal of the Nilfgaardians to finalize the division of Aedirn.


    He had absolutely no shame.


    "To the west of the Kaedwen Kingdom is the Redania Kingdom. Vizimir II, the Just, rules Redania as its King."


    "King Vizimir keeps neighboring nations fairly in check, and he keeps the internal economy in very good order as well. Above all, King Vizimir is quite tolerant with Witchers."


    "So not only can we get a lot of work in Redania, but also we can hardly ever find people who won''t pay."


    "But if you want to know where Witchers can live best: one is martial-plentiful Skellige Islands. Skelligers are a militaristic people that celebrates strength, and nothing can settle for drink and combat."


    "The second is the mythic realm of knights, the fairy tale kingdom of Toussaint, with honey and wine flowing everywhere."


    "The third is the Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss."


    Lambert sighed. "Too bad, I''ve never had the chance to go to Toussaint. If you ever get a chance to go to Toussaint, don''t forget to tell me about it when you get back."


    "Alright, let''s go take a look, it should be done."


    ....


    Lynn walked over to the stone platform.


    He confirmed that the medallion left on the stone platform had finished charging.


    He picked up the medallion.


    And the moment his hand touched the stone platform.


    He sensed a sudden rush of magic from the stone platform into his hand.


    He was shocked and picked up the medallion from the stone platform.


    The feeling of magic running into his hand instantly stopped.


    He thought for a moment and put his hand back on the stone platform.


    Quickly, that feeling returned.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Lambert''s voice came from behind him.


    "It''s nothing, but wait for me for a moment."


    Lynn hesitated for a moment and shut his eyes.


    He touched tentatively.


    Then he found that if he wanted to, he could let the magic built up in his hand flow into his body.


    Or he could just turn and walk away and leave it alone.


    But what Lynn could feel was that the accumulated magic in his hand was very soft.


    Similar to a warm bath with the right temperature.


    After balancing for some time, he eased his guard and let the magic flow into his body.


    The Witcher medallion in his hand shook due to the flow of magic.


    He could feel the flow of magic built up by the Circle of Elements entering his body gradually down his arm.


    He opened the attribute window and found that the attribute points were increasing as more and more magic was being taken in.


    "So it can be like this."


    Lynn''s eyes gleamed, greedily drawing in the magic of the Circle of Elements.


    Until the magic coming into his body began to slow down, as if a dry river, until it disappeared.


    He glanced at the attribute panel and realized what he had just gained:


    "Attribute points: 0 (69%) ¡ú 5 (0%)"


    Translating the Circle of Elements'' magic actually gained 431% experience points.


    Even though very ecstatic, Lynn did not hesitate to distribute all of them to the signs.


    "Signs (Proficient) ¡ú (Master/Ultimate)"


    "New skill: Magic Absorption (Increases magic recovery speed by 20%)"


    As the phrases behind the Signs on the attribute panel changed, Lynn witnessed the unstable magic within him suddenly boil over.


    Instinctively, he raised his hand, and a fierce gleaming fire burst out of his palm.


    Had he this ability while he fought against the Swamp Hag some months prior, the Master grade Aard sign he flung could actually drive the Swamp Hag back instead of just having it stumble back.


    Not just that, he could also very much feel that upon releasing the sign, consumed chaotic magic were being replenished quite rapidly, too, with a much more substantial recovery rate than before.


    Great!


    "Lynn, you."


    If the Igni sign was on the level of a lighter that was released by an average Witcher, then Lynn''s just released flame would be a flamethrower.


    Lambert stared in awe at the Igni sign Lynn emitted.


    "Is he really a genius?"


    ....


    When night fell, they both returned to Kaer Morhen.


    In celebration of Lynn''s success at the Medallion Trials, Vesemir opened doors to all his favorite wine.


    You know, Vesemir wouldn''t even allow anyone to touch those wines at the time.


    Lambert did try to slip into the cellar once, but Vesemir chased him for a couple of miles.


    Of course, if there was simply wine and not food, then that wouldn''t be an option.


    Geralt and Eskel prepared a mountain of delicious-looking food themselves.


    The aroma of meat was coming pouring over, and Lambert''s mouth started to water.


    "Cheers!"


    They all sat around the table, and the firelight illuminated the smiles on their faces.


    It was bitterly cold at night on the mountain.


    But the serene atmosphere and the crackling firewood in the hearth drove the chill away.


    That evening, Vesemir became tipsy.


    Everyone walked the old Witcher to his room.


    "Guess what? I''ve never seen Dad Vesemir drunk," Lambert looked over to catch Geralt''s eye, "How about you, Geralt, when was the last time you saw Dad Vesemir drunk?"


    "A long, long time ago, so long ago that I couldn''t remember why."


    The four of them returned to the hall and had a long night carousing after that.


    Lynn could vaguely remember getting up to very silly things.


    But he couldn''t remember what it was.


    The next day, he did not get up until noon.


    And his head hurt like hell.


    He drank some water and ran around Kaer Morhen for several laps.


    After a long cold wind, at last he sobered up a lot.


    When he returned to the castle hall, he found that the hall was in chaos.


    Geralt and the others did not even go back to their rooms. They just slept in the hallway, thereabouts.


    Lynn cleaned up quietly for them and led them back to their individual rooms one by one.


    ....


    When people always hope for a certain day in the future to come faster, time will run out from their fingertips unconsciously.


    When they think back unexpectedly, they will lament that the days passed too rapidly.


    When the moment came at March 1250, it was yet cold in the mountains.


    But the Witchers were ready to leave.


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 Chapter 18: This Is the Best of Times, This Is the Worst of Times

    Chapter 18: This Is the Best of Times, This Is the Worst of Times


    Lambert took a few steps back.


    From head to toe, he sized Lynn up in front of him carefully.


    A satisfied expression seldom appearing on his face.


    "Good, very spirited."


    By this time, Lynn had also put on the same standard Wolf School medium armor as the others.


    He had two swords on his back.


    One was a steel sword, and the other was a steel sword too.


    Just kidding, the other was actually a silver sword.


    The steel and silver swords used by Witchers are hand-and-a-half swords, not one-handed swords.


    Hand-and-a-half swords have the advantage of length and chopping and slashing of two-handed swords over one-handed swords, and are lighter than two-handed swords.


    Most characters in fantasy, therefore, use hand-and-a-half swords.


    Vesemir''s eyes were slightly red.


    In fact, this set of equipment had been prepared since Lynn was picked up by him and brought back to Kaer Morhen many years ago.


    However, he did not expect that the day to use it would come so early.


    Among the Wolf School folks, Lambert, who always argued with Vesemir, did not have any more words after seeing Vesemir''s red eyes.


    Geralt coughed, disrupting the silence.


    "Lynn, I know you''ve reached the strength of a full-grown Witcher now, but you can''t be proud and lazy because of it."


    "Even though we had to come down the mountain alone after completing the Mountain Trials, I think rules must change with the times. So, you will come after me first, and we will go together."


    Eskel, who was beside him, also said something.


    "Numerous Witchers completed all the trials finally, but died a couple of years later after coming down the mountain."


    "Apart from that, they were not killed by monsters, but were murdered by humans. These are caused by a lack of experience. When you are with Geralt, you must observe and learn well."


    The last one to see Lynn off was Vesemir.


    Vesemir now seemed like a typical old man.


    He had boundless words and boundless counsel as ever.


    Lynn showed no impatience.


    Instead, he listened patiently.


    Finally, Vesemir let out a deep sigh.


    "It used to be so simple, monsters were bad, humans were good. Now, everything is complicated."


    Geralt, who was beside him, didn''t see eye to eye. "It was just as complicated in the past, you''re just old and forgetful."


    "Don''t mention my age, aren''t you in your fifties as well?"


    Finally, Vesemir spoke with a serious warning.


    "Kid, don''t ever remember that Witchers are to remain neutral and not be swept up in the vortex of political intrigue."


    Lynn nodded.


    Then he looked at Geralt.


    Geralt was a little confused by his look.


    "What are you looking at me for?"


    .


    Lynn rode behind Geralt, letting Geralt''s mare, Roach, take him slowly away from the Blue Mountains.


    Vesemir and Kaer Morhen gradually disappeared behind them into the Blue Mountains.


    Vesemir was always the last to leave Kaer Morhen.


    However, he was also the first to return to Kaer Morhen.


    He readied the castle that stood empty for a year to welcome the others of the Wolf School, whom he regarded as his children.


    It was because of Vesemir''s insistence that they had to return to Kaer Morhen every winter that the Wolf School Witchers were so tight-knit.


    "Lynn, listen to Geralt, for sure. I don''t want you, the last Witcher of the Wolf School, to miss this year''s winter reunion."


    Lambert horseback rode to Geralt''s left.


    No sooner had he said this than Eskel couldn''t help but interrupt him.


    "Lynn will not be the last Witcher. Even without relying on the Law of Surprise, we can obtain new blood from impoverished parents who are not able to have more children."


    But Lambert replied quickly.


    "I believe such parents would rather send their children to the artisans in the city to learn a trade that can provide for themselves, than become a Witcher who is despised wherever he goes."


    He shrugged and continued, "If they are lucky enough to survive the Trial of the Grasses, that is."


    Lambert was not like Geralt and Eskel.


    He had a hot-headed father who would beat him and his mother black and blue when drunk.


    Then his father was saved by a Witcher.


    And the payment was Lambert.


    It was precisely because Lambert did not want what had been done to him to be done to other children that he was so disgusted by the Trial of the Grasses and begrudged training new Witchers.


    Eskel looked at him strangely.


    "Lambert, what''s wrong with you today?"


    Lambert avoided Eskel''s gaze. "Nothing, I just think, since monsters are becoming fewer and fewer, why do we need more Witchers?"


    It was then that Lynn, who was sitting behind Geralt, suddenly said.


    "Because if all the Witchers are gone, who''ll deal with the monsters when the next Conjunction of the Spheres occurs?"


    "We all know that the earliest races on this planet were only gnomes and the now-extinct lizardmen."


    "Although humans now widely use the term Elder Races to collectively refer to gnomes, dwarves, and elves, dwarves and elves are, in fact, latecomers."


    "Then it was the turn of humans to set foot on this land."


    "After that, there were several subsequent Conjunctions of the Spheres, and monsters came flooding in by the hordes, threatening people''s lives."


    "Although through the centuries, thanks to the tireless work of Witchers, monsters have indeed decreased and decreased in number."


    "Nowadays, it is true that it is no longer like in the past, where every village posted notices and commissions for Witchers."


    "However, it does not in any way mean that the Conjunction of the Spheres won''t happen again sometime in the future."


    "Just as tides, just as sunrise and sunset, so the Conjunction of the Spheres is a natural process too, which can''t be stopped or changed."


    "One day, perhaps, the monsters in this world will indeed be eradicated, but at the time of the next Conjunction of the Spheres, monsters from other worlds will invade this one, and this world will need Witchers again."


    "Then it is a big mistake to think that Witchers are no longer necessary because monsters have decreased."


    It was very evident from Lynn that this era was a profound change unprecedented in a century.


    In the subsequent wave of the times, from kings and nobles to commoners, no one could stay out of it.


    Even the oldest magic sorcerer group, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, would suffer the fate of their rising inflated ambitions and fall in the near future.


    Sorcerers are the creators of Witchers and the advisors and guests of the Northern kings.


    They are also the backstage operators who made the name and reputation of Witcher so awful.


    Witchers might once have been an honorable and respectable profession such as rangers.


    They have fallen into the current state of sewer rats, thanks to the sorcerers.


    As long as the giant of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers exists for a day, Witchers will not cease to decline.


    But who would have thought that in the near future, the invincible Brotherhood of Sorcerers would dissolve into nothingness like smoke in the past.


    Along with the sorcerers who were once advisers and guests of the king, their fortunes in the North also took a dramatic turn for the worse, as they became like rats running across the street, being hanged or burned at the stake.


    This is the worst of times, and the best of times.


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 Chapter 19: The World Is Changing, the Scenery Here Is Unique

    Chapter 19: The World Is Changing, the Scenery Here Is Unique


    Eskel and Lambert broke away from Lynn and Geralt at the foot of the Blue Mountains.


    It was not possible for anyone to pay for several Witchers at once.


    They would not be able to live on one share of the payment and split it between them.


    Witchers, therefore, worked alone.


    Eskel and Lambert broke away from them at the foot of the mountain.


    They moved west together, planning to go through Kaedwen first, and then onward to Redania.


    As before mentioned, King Vizimir of Redania held the title of Just, so the position of the Witchers in Redania was not bad nor good.


    Additionally, Redania''s general national power was currently rated number one in the North.


    The territory was thriving and the people confident.


    It was a case of both an ascending great power and of common folk''s pride.


    Witchesers were thus able to get rewards in most cases when they worked in Redania.


    There would be no Kaedwen commoners who would say, "I''m already so miserable, can''t you at least help me for nothing? Are you still human? Shit mutant freak! Take the plague with you! he~tui!"


    If all went as usual, Lambert could stay in Redania until the end of the year before going back to Kaer Morhen.


    And Eskel was going to test his luck in Temeria, Redania''s southern neighbor.


    King Foltest of Temeria, like Vizimir, had a neutral attitude towards Witchers.


    However, there was a province called Velen in Temeria that Eskel would avoid far away.


    Lynn and Geralt moved straight south of Kaedwen. They were going to Aedirn, the neighbor of Kaedwen.


    Aedirn and Kaedwen often had border conflicts.


    This was because King Henselt of Kaedwen was extremely eager for the ownership of a territory that bordered Aedirn and Kaedwen.


    The two countries had battled numerous times for this.


    Occasionally Kaedwen would emerge victorious, and sometimes Aedirn.


    And following each war carrion-eating predators were attracted.


    So Geralt thought that they might be provided with some work to do on the border of the two countries.


    Since they had long known that Kaedwenites were extremely unfriendly to Witchers, they did not plan on remaining in Kaedwen for long.


    Geralt even brought Lynn so that they would be away from villages and towns in the distance.


    They tried their best to add to their diet by hunting wild animals in the wild forests and fishing in the rivers.


    .....


    "Hey, you two, yes, you, come here!"


    Lynn and Geralt were walking away from the southern border of Kaedwen when they suddenly found a group of soldiers standing on the road.


    When they were just about to cross paths, the leader, who appeared to be a captain, turned around and yelled at them.


    "Honorable Captain, I don''t think it''s against the law to simply walk on the road in Kaedwen," Geralt teased with his own brand of sarcasm.


    The captain did not heed his sarcasm and spoke.


    "There''s work for you dirty mutants. A few days ago, an Aedirnian army disguised as a merchant caravan secretly crossed the border. Having been found by our army, they were defeated and left many dead bodies behind before fleeing back to their country."


    "But we didn''t even have time to bury the dead on the battlefield, and carrion-eating beasts came."


    Geralt shrugged.


    "So you need two Witchers to see whether the carrion-eating creatures are sated. And if they are not, you expect us to give them a supplementary meal?"


    The captain laughed loudly.


    "Hahaha, you''re hilarious. Who referred to Witchers as emotionless freaks?"


    "But that''s right, that''s the case, and there is a good reward involved. I know you mutants won''t work for nothing."


    Geralt did not take the job immediately, but asked for details.


    "There''s a reward? Simple. But first, let''s talk about the price. How much is a fine reward? I need an exact figure."


    The captain raised six fingers. "A full sixty ducats."


    Ducats were common coinage in countries such as Aedirn, Cintra, Skellige, and Kaedwen.


    Its financial worth was not great, but it was adequate.


    Geralt rapped his head. "Just sixty ducats? That''s not enough."


    The safest to value money were the crowns of Novigrad.


    It was not merely because the economy of Novigrad was prosperous and Novigrad was recognized as the Pearl of the North, but Novigrad itself was a neutral free city.


    No matter what the world situations changed, things in Novigrad were always unique.


    .....


    After some haggling.


    The captain raised the reward to one hundred ducats, and the two parties made a deal.


    So Lynn and Geralt proceeded towards the battlefield the captain had informed them about.


    They traveled on the road for nearly half an hour, and then they deserted the road and began searching for tracks in the woods.


    Witchers were trackers above all. Not so much because they were skilled, but due to their intensified senses through mutation, which distinguished them from ordinary people.


    If they turned on Witcher senses, the pheromones ordinary people were unable to sense were all laid out before their eyes.


    After more than an hour of tracking and searching, they reached the battlefield the captain told them about deep in the woods.


    But to their disappointment, there were still human beings present in the place that would otherwise have corpses and flesh-eating animals alone.


    A Southerner-clad merchant stood transfixed on the overturned truck, which was ringed by hordes of ghoul-like things hungry for meat.


    Well, ghouls were four-legged animals. Such as the Undead of another world, they could not jump high and moved only in a circle around the truck.


    The Southerner was thus safe.


    Of course, only temporarily.


    The moment they realized that they could get up onto the truck using their sharp claws, the Southerner''s luck would be finished.


    "Help!"


    The two looked at each other and pulled out the silver swords on their backs with great caution.


    After wearing a Quen shield, they bent down and crawled along.


    When the ghouls that surrounded the truck finally sensed the abnormality and turned.


    The two no longer hid their bodies, but stamped on the ground and rushed at the ghouls.


    Lynn wrote an Aard sign with his left hand and slapped it hard.


    The Master level Aard sign hit the rushing ghouls like a tsunami.


    Like a thick wall, it crushed the ghouls that jumped at him into shreds.


    Lynn took the opportunity to step forward and pierced the knocked-down ghoul with his silver sword into its heart.


    When he pierced the second ghoul, the other knocked-down ghouls that were still standing also stood up from the ground once more and attacked again.


    The "Magic Absorption" skill caused Lynn to feel like the magic he just absorbed had regained somewhat.


    So he slapped the ground normally.


    A purple-colored ring of light emanated from the ground.


    The rest of the ghouls, when they entered the zone of the Yrden trap, slowed down like mired in a bog immediately.


    And Lynn, while inside it, remained unaffected.


    The second thing.


    Sword flash flew, flesh and blood flew, wailing echoed in all locations.


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 Chapter 20: The Three of Us Are Going to Kill Everything

    Chapter 20: The Three of Us Are Going to Kill Everything


    Lynn was as swift as a shadow, nimbly dodging between the ghouls, avoiding their attacks effortlessly under heavy slowing effects.


    And left wounds on them.


    Soon, these ghouls were all easily killed by Lynn.


    And he himself wasn''t even touched by the ghouls'' clothes.


    A warm current flowed into his body, granting Lynn a lot of experience points.


    On Geralt''s side, the battle was also quickly over.


    Several ghouls devoid of any breath were scattered around him.


    .....


    Upon seeing that all the carrion-eating creatures were killed by the two Witchers, the Southerner nimbly came down from the roof of the truck.


    He first examined the corpses of the caravan men on the ground, mourned for a while, and then walked over to the two of them, hands on hips, with a self-satisfied smile on his face.


    "The three of us are quite good, killing everything."


    Lynn''s eyebrow rose.


    "The three of us? It seems you just made noises, we were the ones that killed everything, weren''t we?"


    The smile of the Southerner never dropped, and shame was nowhere to be found on his face.


    "Do not take life so seriously, life is a play, you lose if you are serious, my friend."


    Feeling that the other person was so shameless, Lynn was not being polite to him: "Then your acting in this play is very awkward, my friend."


    "Alright, alright, I confess, you saved my life, is that alright, Witcher masters?" The Southerner offered Lynn a French military salute.


    He went on with sarcasm: "People always say that Witchers feel nothing, it seems that the rumors are untrue."


    Lynn responded sarcastically as well: "People also said that when you are saved by others, you are ought to respond with earnestness and sincerity, not try to play with sarcasm."


    "Alright, gentlemen, excuse me but I have to interrupt your nice and cozy discussion." Geralt interfered at the right moment, "But this is not the place for talk."


    He nodded his head slightly in the Southerner''s direction: "If you don''t mind, sir, we need to burn these corpses so that more carrion-eating monsters with the scent of blood won''t be attracted."


    "Of course, Witcher masters, do as you wish."


    The Southerner quickly moved away, watching Lynn and Geralt pile the ghouls'' corpses together and incinerate them.


    "Excuse my presumption, how did it happen that the two Witcher masters just happened to be traveling by here?"


    Geralt replied: "This is a question we should be asking, what are you doing here?"


    "Alas," the Southerner sighed, "Damn it, my friend warned me Northerners cannot be trusted, I used to think he was too extreme."


    "Damn it, now it seems he was correct. I would rather starve to death, die outside, jump off a building, and never come to the North again."


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other.


    They both instinctively sensed something was not quite right.


    "So, you are not Aedirnian soldiers pretending to be a merchant caravan?"


    The Southerner jumped up like a scalded cat: "What Aedirnian soldiers? I''m from Ebbing! Do you know where Ebbing is?"


    Both Witchers nodded.


    Ebbing was one of the four biggest vassal states in the southern Nilfgaardian Empire and enjoyed some autonomy.


    It was a separate kingdom prior to its annexation by Nilfgaard in 1239.


    Nevertheless, the North-South strife in those days was much less biting and slashing than it would become later, so it was not unusual for a Southern merchant to appear in the North.


    But the problem was that the Kaedwen army captain who hired them said that those they killed were "Aedirnian soldiers disguised as a merchant caravan."


    For the first time in their working life, they experienced pure malice.


    It seemed that the society of any world loved to douse freshies in the workplace with cold water.


    Lynn asked curiously, "Okay, then what are you doing here?"


    The Southerner sighed again.


    "Toussaint''s famous wine, East-East, is very popular in the South. It is a very high-end and expensive wine, but no one imports East-East to the North."


    "I wanted to be the first to try, so I came to Kaedwen."


    "Some months ago, when I first came to Kaedwen and was inspected while crossing the border, one of the guard captains said he had a channel where he could help me sell these things directly, so I would not need to spend any more energy peddling them around."


    "But his condition was that we split the money earned 50-50."


    "Though I had to give up 50% of the profit, it saved me much time and trouble, so I agreed."


    "But what I hadn''t counted on was after a few transactions, he wished to increase his profit to 70% and only willing to give 30% to me."


    Lynn understood now.


    "So you did not agree?"


    Said the Southerner flatly.


    "Of course not, I ran back and forth between Toussaint and Kaedwen so hard, not only to keep bandits on the road from my neck, but to watch out for monsters in the wilderness."


    "When I was on the road, I could not even eat, often, and I had to include the price of the wine and the money paid to the guys."


    "30%? How am I supposed to live on 30%!"


    "So I insisted that the division must be the same as before, or this would be the last time that we did business, and we would go our separate ways from that day forward."


    Lynn shrugged his hands.


    "So I did not expect them to use knives. Not only did they murder you and your men, threw them into the pile of corpses, but also left it to the carrion-eating beasts to dispose of the task of destroying the dead bodies."


    "They were still nervous, and hired two Witchers to burn the dead bodies so that nothing would be left behind."


    The Southerner''s eyes widened.


    Clearly, he strongly figured out something by Lynn''s words.


    The eyes looking at the two Witchers were also alert.


    "You, you."


    Geralt on the side calmly said.


    "Don''t worry, we are monster killers. And besides, no one commissioned us to burn live humans. But I''m curious how you escaped? "


    After listening to Geralt''s words, and seeing that Lynn and Geralt really didn''t plan to draw swords, the Southerner breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Finally, one rumor is true, though mutants, you have principles still! Thanks, Witcher masters!"


    "The scene was in disarray at that time. My horse was struck by an arrow and threw me off. The horse''s blood splashed all over me, so I took the opportunity to pretend to be a corpse. Fortunately, they didn''t give a finishing blow."


    The Southerner muttered as he rummaged through all his pockets, but unfortunately, he was not able to produce any coin.


    "Those bastards took everything. I. I have nothing to repay you."


    To the Southerner''s surprise, Lynn waved his hand in a magnanimous gesture.


    "It doesn''t matter. We rescued you, so we cannot simply throw you back to the carrion-eating beasts because you cannot pay. Go home, Ebbing man."


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 Chapter 21: Killing in Defense of Life, Slaying Karma Is Not Killing People

    Chapter 21: Killing in Defense of Life, Slaying Karma Is Not Killing People


    "So, Witcher, is the job we assigned you completed?"


    As Lynn and Geralt returned to the empty roadside, the captain inquired impatiently.


    Geralt didn''t respond, merely gazed at Lynn.


    Clearly, he had hoped to find out how Lynn would react.


    Lynn hesitated for a moment and said.


    The captain''s face suddenly became a little nervous with the words: "Interesting thing? What is it?"


    Lynn looked at the changing face of the captain: "There was a man who didn''t die, and you know what, he wasn''t a merchant in disguise as an Aedirnian soldier, but a real Ebbing merchant from the South."


    The captain blushed immediately and protested.


    "That man, you released him? You fools, he is a spy sent by Nilfgaard!"


    Lynn spread his arms.


    "You were hired to burn corpses, not burn alive individuals. And you very clearly said they were impersonating Aedirnians, why are they Nilfgaardian spies now?"


    The captain spat on the ground: "I don''t waste time arguing with you, leave! Get out of my sight! Dirty mutants!"


    Lynn smiled coldly.


    "Come now, have you forgotten something? We have done your job, now do yours."


    The captain, with a look of fury, drew out the long sword at his waist with a swoosh.


    "You bums didn''t do it properly and still have the cheek to ask me for money? You''re not leaving, are you? If you don''t leave, you''ll be hung for spying!"


    With the captain''s order, the soldiers who were standing around them also closed in on them with ill will, trapping them in the middle.


    Lynn had the steel sword hilt under his back in his right hand, but did not draw it yet.


    Geralt stood guard behind him.


    Back in his previous life, every time Lynn read how depravedly Witchers were treated in "stories," he always thought that surely it was some kind of exaggeration by "story" creators.


    He had never been able to manage to believe that there really were such fools with not enough headroom and too much courage in the world.


    Now he did.


    Biology is really diverse.


    "I just don''t get why people always want to fight combat-ready Witchers, or rather two of them. Isn''t this a call to death? Is it because we''re not scary enough?"


    "Listen, we are not Toussaint rangers, and we don''t want to deliver justice. We just want to take our own reward."


    "You had to loot a great deal of valuable items from that Nilfgaardian caravan, I suppose? Why go out of your way and find two enemies in Witchers for the sake of one hundred ducats?"


    "If you pay us the reward, we will be gone."


    Faced with this utterly normal request, the captain''s attitude was one of contempt.


    "Ha, there are five of us, and only two of you. The odds are on my side! Shut up with your garbage, freak! You should be afraid, not us!"


    Since a fight was sure to ensue, Lynn was not polite.


    "You are really stubborn."


    He shook his head and sighed deeply.


    His left hand quickly did the Igni sign gesture and pushed forward.


    The flame deluge erupted from his palm, consuming the still bellowing captain and a second guard.


    In an instant of time, both their faces were on fire, dancing and wailing.


    The numeric advantage in the captain''s mouth was halved in an instant.


    This was not yet the end.


    Lynn unsheathed his steel sword with a swish and slashed at a guard in front of him.


    The guard was shocked at the woeful sight of his friend being burned by the fire. His mind went blank and he did not react at all.


    In a flash, he was decapitated.


    Another guard roared and jabbed his halberd at Lynn.


    But it was parried away by Lynn''s steel sword.


    Next, the steel sword grated against the halberd, leaving a trail of sparks, and cut off the guard''s fingers.


    As the latter let out a shrill cry, the steel sword cut his throat.


    A warm flow flowed into his body along the sword.


    "Attribute points: 0 (35%) ¡ú 0 (55%)"


    Geralt, however, dispatched the last guard in neat fashion.


    The whole battle was a flash in the pan. In the blink of an eye, all the soldiers still whining about mutant freaks just now became warm corpses.


    Although the Witcher philosophy is to kill monsters and protect humans, even the founders who made the philosophy weren''t so naively white-left to compel Witchers not to protect themselves when their lives are on the line.


    In addition, the Witchers themselves are also "people" under the "protect people" of the principle.


    Therefore, the two Witchers did not have any moral blame or psychological burden to search through the dead guards.


    Then they collected the bodies in a heap and burned them up using the Igni sign.


    This alone would destroy all the clues.


    Even if there was a person who would find this burnt heap of bodies, they could not have the least idea who did it.


    ...


    After leaving Kaedwen''s border, the two continued south through and into Aedirn.


    After leaving Kaedwen, the Aedirnians they encountered were very different from Kaedwenians.


    It wasn''t that Aedirnians were afraid of Witchers so much, but most Aedirnians showed fear in their eyes when they saw fully armored Witchers.


    Even some who seemed to be hooligans did not come near to make any trouble.


    This saved them much trouble.


    A few days later, they noticed a notice for Witchers on a bulletin board near a town.


    ...


    "I am a Witcher, mayor. I am not a merchant, I don''t sell, and I am not a herbalist, I don''t cure diseases."


    "I am not a king''s courtier either, I won''t collect taxes or bring farmers for him."


    In the noisy tavern, the mayor, who was sitting opposite Lynn, the client as well, took hold of the available beer and took a sip.


    "Then what can you do?"


    Lynn paused for a second and replied.


    "I can kill monsters, and if someone is cursed, I can lift it;"


    "If ghouls make it into your holy cemetery, I can send them all packing and make sure they don''t bother the rest of your ancestors."


    "So, mayor, understand?"


    The mayor seemed to understand, but seemed not to understand, anyway, he nodded stiffly: "I seem to understand."


    Lynn rapped on the splattered table.


    "Okay, I''ll ask once more, is there anything I can do here?"


    The mayor cried out, with an accent of pretension: "Really is, there are a lot of many monsters here, countless."


    Lynn raised an eyebrow.


    He glanced at the crowded tavern.


    He did not think whether what was spoken by the mayor were true.


    Generally speaking, only peaceful areas by monsters and wars would show such a scene.


    He did not refute the mayor but nodded: "Okay, tell me the details."


    Therefore the mayor began to narrate in details.


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 Chapter 22: Because It Doesnt Cost Anything Anyway, Believe a Little Bit

    Chapter 22: Because It Doesn''t Cost Anything Anyway, Believe a Little Bit


    "Recently, a farmer in our town left the pub, but could not find his way home and so slept on the street."


    Lynn slapped his hand across his forehead and asked, "Was that farmer drunk and inebriated?"


    The mayor wrinkled his brow: "That''s so, but is there any need for a connection between the two?"


    Lynn sighed and asked, "Anything else?"


    "Yes, there is a strange fish in the river not far from the town. It resides in the river and periodically suddenly shoots out to drag away washerwomen."


    Lynn stiffened when he heard this.


    "How many victims so far?"


    The mayor was surprised for a moment, and slowly replied,


    "None for the moment."


    "So how do you know that there is an unusual fish in the river?"


    "Because that''s what the washerwomen said."


    "So you just told me that an unusual fish dragged away the washerwomen, who said so?"


    "Luther said so. He promised me that he saw it with his own eyes."


    Then the mayor spoke about a lot of unusual things that happened in the town.


    But each of them was a joke created by rural rubes to pass the time.


    But Lynn wasn''t impatient, but endured all of them patiently.


    Finally, he stood up.


    "I see, mayor. It seems that the situation in the town really is quite critical."


    "But first, before I attend to the affairs of your town, I have some other business to take care of. I will be back, and then I will look and see if there is something I can help with."


    ....


    Lynn opened the tavern door, stepped out, and left the raucous and noisy atmosphere behind.


    He walked straight out of town, and Geralt was expecting him with Roach at the notice board under the town gate.


    "You''re back, what''s the commission?"


    Lynn flung out his hands and explained in a hopeless manner.


    "The mayor did tell me a lot, but I get the suspicion that those so-called monsters are all products of the imagination of this town''s population."


    "The tipsy farmer couldn''t get home. It wasn''t a lost creature that killed it, it was simply because he was tipsy."


    "The washerwomen said there was a strange fish in the river, but until now there isn''t even one victim, and all the evidence are only their biased words."


    "More to the point, if there actually were bloodthirsty monsters in an area, the people there should all be scowling."


    "But as I can tell, everyone here is smiling and singing and dancing, like they are indulging in these rumors as tittle-tattle."


    Geralt agreed.


    "Yes, at times, the information given by individuals is false. I once had a case where the person in question alleged that he was being attacked by an evil spirit, but upon investigation, it was found that."


    "Actually, the said evil spirit was fabricated by the husband of the person involved. The reason why he intentionally imitated the state of being possessed by an evil spirit was to intentionally lead the person involved and the neighbors into believing this manner so that he could kill the person involved later and falsely attribute the death of the person involved to the evil spirit."


    "But since you don''t think there are any monsters here, should we leave this town and find work elsewhere?"


    Lynn hesitated for an instant, but shook his head.


    "No, just in case, we''d better stay and trust our own eyes to check again."


    Geralt concurred.


    ....


    And so they stayed in this town.


    Lynn knelt beside the river, while Geralt set out to find the tipsy farmer and others that the mayor had mentioned.


    In the course of the following days, they gained nothing.


    Lynn, on duty at the river, didn''t spot any strange fish. To the contrary, he had washerwomen in a good frenzy surrounding him because he was too pretty.


    The same with Geralt.


    He adhered to the "victim''s" testimony and came to the scene of the accident to observe what was what, but didn''t find any trace of anything other than the "victim''s" own trail.


    Finally, after spending a few days in the town, nothing materialized.


    This was sufficient to prove that there were actually no monsters in the town.


    However, neither of them was disappointed either.


    Instead, if monsters only existed in the villagers'' word of mouth and not otherwise, it would actually be preferable.


    But shortly after the two left the town, a barefoot farmer running in the mud barefoot passed them by.


    He gasped and said, "Praise the gods, noble sirs."


    Geralt pulled in Roach and nodded to the farmer: "We offer the same praise."


    The farmer bent down, supporting his knees, and gasped.


    "I have seen you helping the mayor in the town, and I have also heard that you are Witchers. In fact, our village is attacked by monsters and requires the service of Witchers."


    "Want work, gentlemen? Follow me."


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other.


    "What monster?"


    The farmer rubbed his hands nervously: "I... I''m not eloquent, I''m not capable of speaking. Quickly, please come with me. Our families have gathered money, and we will surely not give you less money."


    Geralt did not agree immediately: "Lynn, what do you think?"


    He wanted Lynn to decide for himself as much as possible.


    Whether the result was good or bad in the end.


    That way Lynn would grow up as fast as possible.


    Lynn agreed at once.


    "Because it doesn''t cost anything anyway, have a little faith."


    "Thank you for your kindness, boy sir. So let''s get a move on. If we get a move on, we can make it before nightfall."


    ...


    When Lynn and Geralt arrived at last in the village the farmer had indicated, it was dark already.


    But outside the village gate, a large number of people emerged.


    "It''s the Witcher!"


    "The Witcher has arrived!"


    "That''s the Witcher? He looks no different from ordinary mercenaries. Can he even kill monsters? Don''t let us help in lifting corpses afterwards."


    "What''s wrong with you? Witchers are master monster-killers."


    The top farmer waved the two Witchers with gesturing arms, as if shooing a crowd.


    "Disperse, disperse! There is nothing to look at! Don''t clog up the road!"


    Behind this farmer, Lynn and Geralt drew near the village elder.


    "Elder, I brought you the Witcher masters."


    This village elder was a bald, fourty-year-old man with a sorrowful face.


    After seeing Lynn and Geralt, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and made an inviting gesture: "That''s good, that''s good. Please come in, two Witcher masters, let''s talk in the house."


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 Chapter 23: What Do You Think?

    Chapter 23: What Do You Think?


    Lynn used the remaining bread to clean the meat sauce spotless off the plate.


    The village elder''s daughter turned over a lightly moist hand towel.


    Lynn thanked her and cleaned his hands with the towel.


    Geralt, however, had also eaten food and drink.


    He exchanged a glance with Lynn, and finally gave him a reassuring look, urging Lynn to speak with the elder.


    So Lynn pondered his words and said.


    "Thank you for hospitality. Let''s get down to business if possible now. I heard that you are threatened by monsters."


    The village elder''s face instantly turned bitter.


    "Yes, you''re right, Witcher master. That''s right, we are a peaceful village. Previously, except for taxmen, there were essentially very few outsiders visiting."


    "But not so long ago, a monster came to our cemetery, killed the gravedigger who was guarding the cemetery. And has been taking over, not willing to leave."


    Lynn nodded and said, "What''s it like, a monster?"


    The elder responded in a local accent.


    "Everyone has their own theory. Villagers are going mad guessing about mutant crab monsters and manticores. I think it''s all rubbish."


    "We pleaded with the noble lord who rules our village for help, but we didn''t even see the noble lord. We were sent back by his guards with a word, ''This is your business, clean up after yourselves.''"


    Lynn was curious: "Has anyone ever laid eyes on the monster themselves? Even from afar?"


    "Of course, and very close up. The result was either death or maiming."


    The village elder sighed: "I knew that monster was not something ordinary people could handle, but Gwyn would not listen. He wanted to send a team of young men to the cemetery. And because of that. only Gwyn and Roy came back alive."


    "Okay, please bring the survivors here. We need to interview them in person."


    Lynn''s order was immediately followed.


    Two disheartened young men entered the room and sat in front of Lynn.


    "Your village elder informs us that there are creatures in the graveyard in your village. Did you catch a look at what the creature was like?"


    The young man called Gwyn responded dejectedly: "It was rather dark at the time. Roy thought he saw something."


    Gwyn had hardly spoken when he was interrupted by Roy, who was annoyed.


    "I did see it! The monster was like a crippled old woman, especially its claws were extremely sharp. Smith was in two pieces with its claws, and his pitchfork."


    Old woman, crippled, sharp claws.


    A snapshot of a monster appeared in Lynn''s mind.


    He could almost second-guess what he had to deal with.


    He pondered thoughtfully, "And then?"


    Roy swallowed hard, as if recalling some terrible memories.


    "I was standing right next to Smith. There was blood all over my face, and I heard Sangji and Troy screaming."


    "I was afraid. I was not thinking of anything else during that time. I just didn''t want to die like that. I have not even taken a woman''s hand yet. It would be a pity if I died like this."


    Lynn nodded and pitied him, "Understandable."


    It was just too difficult to make some villagers who never received combat training fight to death when they encountered monsters.


    Additionally, even if they did not flee, the final result would only be some more corpses.


    That beast. if the report given by this villager were true, even if some completely armed soldiers wielding silver swords appeared, they could not exit the cemetery alive.


    Lynn glared over her shoulder at Gwyn on the side.


    "What about you? Didn''t you see anything?"


    Before Gwyn could open his mouth, Roy spoke on his behalf with a look of scorn.


    "Him? He was the one who commanded us to head to the cemetery to kill monsters initially. Thus, when that monster attacked, he also ran away first. What did he see?"


    Gwyn blushes right away.


    He scowled fiercely at Roy.


    For a moment, Lynn believed Gwyn would explode.


    But he finally put up with it.


    He merely stood up calmly and left.


    The wooden door at his back was shut with a crash into the door frame.


    Roy didn''t take it seriously: "It doesn''t matter, let the coward go. He doesn''t know as much as I do. If you want to know something, master, just ask me."


    Lynn stepped away from the door and nodded.


    "Can you remember any other details?"


    "Details. oh, yes, one other thing is that we went to the cemetery in the afternoon, but never did see any trace of the monster. The monster never popped out until it was almost dark."


    Realizing that he could not learn any more, Lynn stood up.


    "Okay, we know all we need to know."


    Roy spoke sincerely: "I hope you can kill that creature and avenge my friends."


    After Roy had left, the village elder returned into the room, scowling and apprehensive in front of them.


    "Witcher master, do you really think you can eliminate the monster?"


    Lynn grinned: "Just give us a while to discuss it."


    "Alright, alright."


    The village elder nodded curtly.


    He did not forget to close the door when he left.


    When there were only the two of them left in the room, Geralt, who had been holding his tongue, finally spoke.


    "It appears you have surmised something, haven''t you?"


    Lynn put his fingers on his chin and thought.


    "There are several kinds of monsters who like to haunt cemeteries: ghouls, devourers, arachas, grave hags."


    "But there is only one kind of monster that matches the description of the old woman Roy recounted to us:"


    "¡ªGrave hags."


    Grave hags look like disabled, humped, and distorted old women.


    They typically patrol the edges of cemeteries and fields of battle.


    Because they know that the aforementioned two places are their favorite foods.


    Grave hags subsist on dead human bodies.


    They especially love human bone marrow.


    They draw it out from bones with their soft, extended tongues.


    As with other varieties of carrion feeders, grave hags also attack live people.


    Since they prefer rotten corpses, they don''t consume them immediately after they kill humans but bury the corpses in the cemetery and wait for them to rot.


    In addition, grave hags highly value their home area.


    Their nests seem to be imitations of human dwellings and are normally built near cemeteries.


    If they have already eaten their meals, they will leave their nests during the night to hunt.


    The victims are lone travelers, or family of the deceased who are too bereaved to witness the sunset.


    Only in special situations will ravenous grave hags come outside to hunt during the day.


    But since sunlight will weaken grave hags severely, you will have to try to hunt them during the day when sunlight occurs.


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 Chapter 24: Lynn Joins the Hunt

    Chapter 24: Lynn Joins the Hunt


    As the monster had now been identified, the two Witchers did not waste any time and set to work immediately.


    Witchers were not just swordsmen.


    They were called monster slayers because, apart from swordsmanship and signs, they also had other ways of dealing with monsters.


    Grave hags, first of all, were carrion-eating monsters.


    Therefore, applying a coat of necrophage oil to the sword would be extremely useful.


    Second, most carrion-feeding creatures feared fire.


    Grave hags were no exception.


    Thereafter, strengthening sign potions would be of huge use.


    Such as Petri''s Philter and Tawny Owl.


    The former might augment the effectiveness of signs.


    The latter could really increase the restoration rate of vitality and magic, which would hugely enhance Witchers'' sign-casting stamina in prolonged spells.


    Of course, some Swallow potions had to be prepared as well, no matter what happened.


    In battle, a seemingly inconspicuous Swallow potion might be the difference between life and death.


    Reflecting on this, Lynn couldn''t help but imagine a Griffin School Witcher in the future. If someone had given a Swallow potion to him when he was close to death, he might have survived.


    As a seasoned Witcher, Geralt had already prepared ingredients for these commonly used potions and kept them stored in his pouch of alchemy.


    Lynn, on the other hand, volunteered to prepare sword oil and potions.


    It was morning when everything was ready.


    The two met the village elder together.


    "We are ready, where is the cemetery?"


    The elder asked Roy to take Lynn and Geralt along.


    Half an hour later, the three finally arrived at the cemetery, which was near the village.


    The chaotic and desolate scene of the cemetery lay before them:


    The cemetery grave stones were overturned or crushed.


    There were broken stones scattered on the flattened grass.


    There was dried blood all over the cemetery.


    There were numerous footprints in different sizes and shapes on the ground, but not a hint of the monster.


    At that moment, Lynn heard Roy, their captain, make a bewildered noise.


    "Smith, Sangji, Troy, their bodies disappeared! What is going on?"


    Lynn took a look around and soon found a clue.


    "There!"


    He indicated some newly dug graves with no gravestones in the cemetery.


    "Does that beast bury the dead?" Roy did not believe it.


    "No, you are wrong," Geralt shook his head. "It buries humans because it prefers to eat foul-smelling corpses."


    In an instant, Roy''s face turned white, he grasped the cemetery wall and vomited.


    Lynn and Geralt were normal.


    There was no uncomfortable reaction.


    The two ignored Roy, who almost vomited out his midnight snack, and observed the scene in the cemetery with vigilance.


    "Did you find it?"


    Lynn looked at the illegal building in the bottom of the cemetery, which was constructed of wood.


    "I sense it, the monster should be hiding in the gravedigger''s hut."


    He looked up at the black sky: "There is no sun to make it weak, but it is better to fight it in the daytime than at night."


    On the other side, Roy finally had nothing to vomit.


    But his face was still very bad.


    The whole man was crumbling, as if a gust of wind would knock him over.


    He stuttered: "Two Witcher masters, I... I do not believe I can help much. Staying here will just be a hold-up for the two of you masters."


    Lynn agreed.


    "You go back to the village first and make your village elder prepare the gold. We shall come back to call on you with the head of the monster afterwards."


    Observing Roy running towards the village as if he was amnestied, hoping his parents had granted him two legs.


    Lynn and Geralt produced the sword oil and potions prepared in advance.


    They applied the necrophage oil evenly on the silver sword, and then consumed Petri''s Philter and Tawny Owl in turn.


    The moment the strong effects of the potions set in, both pulled out their silver swords and noiselessly circled the gravedigger''s hut on both sides.


    Upon arriving at the gravedigger''s hut, it was a simple confirmation by their Witcher senses that the beast was actually within the hut.


    Lynn and Geralt exchanged glances.


    With no hesitation.


    Geralt moved around the back of the gravedigger''s hut and vomited bellowing flames from his hand.


    The Igni sign of normal Witchers had quite limited power, but Geralt was not normal Witchers. The time he spent at the Trial of the Grasses was considerably longer compared to common Witchers, and consequently, the mutation enhancement he received was also greater than that of common Wolf School Witchers.


    His sign ability was comparable to the Griffin School.


    The raging fire climbed up onto the wooden hut walls, and soon enough, set fire to the wood-made hut.


    Lynn came to the front door of the hut and slapped the ground.


    He set an Yrden trap.


    Before long, the fire on the hut became bigger and bigger.


    Fire was a horror rooted deep within the bones of most carrion-eaters.


    Grave hags were not an exception.


    Boom!


    The hut door was kicked open.


    A deformed and terrifying monster in a ghastly shape fled in a state of panic.


    But as soon as it just walked over onto the territory of the Yrden sign, three mountains smashed it down.


    The body fell behind right away.


    Lynn exploited the moment, raised the silver sword in both hands, and slashed at the back of the grave hag.


    Puchi!


    There was silver light.


    A deep, bone-deep wound was left on the deformed body of the grave hag.


    Dealing with such creatures that came into this world through the Conjunction of the Spheres, silver not only became their enemy, but an equivalent amount of necrophage oil evenly spread on the silver sword poisoned them even more.


    The graveyard crone let out a blood-curdling scream.


    By habit, it had reverted to whatever it had reached for.


    The Yrden symbol, however, greatly limited its speed.


    With the "Full Enhancement" skill, Lynn evaded the grave hag''s counterattack with an easy backflip.


    He then moved forward again and swung his silver sword, leaving another bloody wound on the grave hag.


    The grave hag shrieked time and time again.


    It fought fiercely one after another.


    Clang clang clang clang¡ª


    Lynn realized that the grave hag''s powerful combo was actually to escape the range of the Yrden sign.


    He also realized that if the Yrden sign failed to impede the speed of the grave hag, the difficulty of this encounter would increase by over a level.


    So, he did not dodge this time, but used his faster speed relative to the slowed grave hag to parry each claw strike of the creature.


    And then he seized the moment and pushed out the waiting Igni sign in his left hand, and the flames burning engulfed the grave hag''s body whose face was also still fierce.


    The fierce face instantly transformed into surprise, then terror.


    The grave hag''s body was like the best firewood, and the flames engulfed it in an instant.


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 Chapter 25: Fists of Fury: Aldersberg

    Chapter 25: Fists of Fury: Aldersberg


    It shrieked and wildly flailed its arms to try to suffocate the fire.


    Not only did the fire blind its eyes but also deflected its attention.


    It was briefly unaware of the Witcher''s presence.


    Boom!


    Lynn''s right foot kicked a shallow hole in the soft grass.


    The whole person whirled around at high speed like a top, and the traveling blade cut across the grave hag''s throat.


    The grave hag''s head was ripped off its neck, and the body of ash fell to the ground, finally motionless.


    A burning warm flow poured into Lynn''s body.


    "Attribute points: 0 (55%) ¡ú 1 (5%)"


    "Are you okay, Lynn? Are you injured anywhere?"


    Having forced the gravedigger''s hut out of the grave hag, Geralt had originally planned to get there to help Lynn immediately, but he found that Lynn seemed to be holding her own.


    Since Lynn would now have to travel around on her own to complete work in the future, Geralt eventually decided to stand watch after some deliberation.


    But his left hand had been shaking out the gesture of the Axii sign.


    Once Lynn was vanquished, he would unleash the Axii sign immediately to make the grave hag stumble into a sort of temporary confusion and disorientation.


    He was glad that Lynn did not need his help at the end but overpowered the grave hag on his own.


    Geralt put away the Axii sign and instead flashed a thumbs up.


    Subsequently, the two collected the necessary items from the grave hag.


    They went into the gravedigger''s hut to take a look before leaving.


    When they returned to the village with Lynn and Geralt, they found that all the villagers had gathered at the village gate.


    "They''re back, they''re alive."


    "I once said we should employ a Witcher. Witchers are professionals in this field, and we shouldn''t be cheap to pay."


    Once Geralt had eliminated the head of the grave hag, the village elder also gratefully removed the two hundred ducats their entire village had raised and handed them to Geralt.


    Geralt confirmed that they were all pure gold coins, no combination of copper or silver coins, and nodded happily, securing the bag of money.


    He also gave the village elder some advice on how to defend against those flesh-eating beasts and other monsters that would invade the village.


    Now that the job was done, the two did not need to stay any longer.


    After replenishing some supplies in the village, the two disappeared into the distant horizon.


    ...


    Half a month later.


    Inside a tavern in Aldersberg.


    Two bare-chested men stood in a cleared space in the tavern where the chairs and tables were pushed to the sides.


    One was drenched in blood and sweat.


    His breathing was sounding heavily, like a period bellows.


    The youth standing on the other side of him did not even break a bead of sweat.


    The young man raised his fists high, gazing at the man, even though he didn''t move, he was as fierce as an animal.


    The man and the young man were surrounded by crowds.


    Some of them were carrying wine cups, while others had their fists in hand.


    The onlookers surrounding them were even more infuriated than the two men in the duel.


    They blushed and kept yelling and roaring.


    "What are you doing? I did not come here to watch you stand still!"


    "Go! Tear him to pieces! He''s going to die!"


    "Steady! Steady!"


    "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"


    Maybe swept up by the atmosphere of the spot, maybe made uncomfortable by the young man''s cat eyes, or maybe feeling that he had a great advantage.


    The man roared and ran up.


    Lynn shook his head slightly.


    In his opinion, the man not only had a wide-open door but was full of faults.


    His fist was even slower than a turtle.


    He not only dodged the punched fist easily but also punched the opponent''s waist.


    Because he didn''t want to be responsible for any deaths, he restrained himself a bit.


    But still.


    The man who was punched by the Ora almost gazed out his eyes.


    Lynn retreated one step.


    He dodged the man''s incessant vomiting in time.


    "Sorry, you fought well."


    Lynn left.


    The crowd parted for him.


    As he made his way through the center of the crowd, the onlookers who had bet on him and won a lot of money because of him slapped his arms and shoulders wildly and cheered for him.


    Lynn went to the bar to order a beer and then sat down at an available table.


    Shortly, the organizer of the boxing match, a man with a big beard, came up to him respectfully and put a money bag making sound when slightly shaken on the table before Lynn with both hands.


    "Witcher master, this is your share."


    Lynn thanked him.


    He opened the money bag and gazed at it.


    There were dozens of golden little cuties sleeping quietly in the money bag.


    Lynn kept the money bag contentedly.


    The bearded man didn''t leave but rubbed his hands with a smile: "Witcher master, I wonder if you want to have long-term cooperation?"


    Although the young man seemed young, he was actually a ruthless person.


    Since he came to this city two days ago, he has never lost a single game.


    Because he was the organizer of the boxing bout, the bearded man naturally realized that the young man was unusual.


    If he could maintain long-term collaboration with Lynn, the days of making fortunes were not far away.


    "Sorry, I''m not interested."


    Lynn turned him down without deliberation.


    He glanced at the bearded and smiling man and knew what the other man was thinking.


    He did not want to be a big fool who "if he worked harder, the other fellow would be able to buy a new carriage next year."


    It is fine to earn some pocket money from time to time, but long-term cooperation is impossible.


    ...


    After the bearded man had left, the beer Lynn had ordered was finally brought.


    Lynn consumed the beer while musing about the past few days


    After the previous commission, he and Geralt headed south.


    And then they ended up in this city named Aldersberg.


    Aldersberg was an industrialized city in southern Aedirn with foundries and wool mills, and it was highly developed and prosperous.


    He and Geralt had stayed a couple of days in a hotel in Aldersberg.


    Unfortunately, there was no commission for Witchers to do in the city.


    The two of them just stayed the entire day in the tavern idle.


    So Lynn chose to join the tavern''s boxing competition.


    And Geralt went to enjoy the abalone feast.


    Geralt at first wanted to take his good brother Lynn with him.


    But Lynn declined graciously.


    He himself would not wear colored glasses to treat workers in this industry.


    After all, they do not steal nor rob.


    That''s also the hard-earned money they made through their work.


    It''s simply that he felt that as a Witcher there would be so many sorceresses to peg in the coming days that one did not have to hurry up to eat abalone feasts here.


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 Chapter 26: Youre a Friend Im Definitely Making

    Chapter 26: You''re a Friend I''m Definitely Making


    Witchers live in poverty and cannot save money.


    On the one hand, it is indeed true that living is getting harder and earning money is getting harder;


    But on the other hand, it is also because other Witchers, like Geralt, spend a lot of money on this.


    A noise of footsteps suddenly interrupted his line of thought.


    He glanced around and saw a well-dressed man walking towards him.


    The man had black thick hair, a good-looking face, and a tall, powerful figure.


    He wore a robe of fine material, with ornamentation on it.


    He appeared to be in a legitimate business.


    The man raised his glass in a toast to Lynn''s congratulations.


    "What a wonderful boxing fight."


    Lynn also nodded in approval: "Thank you, you are."


    "I beg your pardon, I am a trader of Kovir. I am Istrad."


    Istrad?


    Lynn raised his eyebrows.


    Then he carefully looked at the trader who claimed to be from Kovir.


    The other''s face was far younger than his face in his recollection.


    But if nothing, then it should be him.


    But what Lynn did not expect was that he would find him here.


    Lynn''s stare made Istrad involuntarily brush his face: "Witcher master, is there filth on my face?"


    "It''s nothing, sit down, Lord Istrad." Lynn waved an inviting hand, "You may call me Lynn."


    Istrad thanked him.


    Having settled into the seat across from Lynn, he came to the point.


    "Master Lynn, I have no time for beating about the bush, so I will just be straight with you. I have a commission here requiring a Witcher master."


    "What sort of commission is it?"


    "As you may have noticed, I''m a merchant. I believe that the journey may not be very safe, and therefore I would like to have you as a caravan guard."


    As a matter of fact, there is no strict rule in the Witcher code, so Witchers accept only bounty assignments to kill monsters.


    It''s just that over the centuries, Witchers established an unstated rule: Witchers may only live off bounty quests.


    After all, Witchers were born to take care of monsters.


    But Lynn believed rules were meant to be broken.


    In addition, whatever he would do in the future can be said to completely obliterate the Witcher code his ancestors set.


    Thus, is this a warm-up for breaking ancient precepts to follow?


    He recalled just now.


    The return for the guard work was secondary.


    The key was that since this person had arrived here at this time, it meant that the "Night of the Long Fangs" event hadn''t yet taken place.


    Now that being the case.


    "I see. Lord Istrad, I want to ask you where your destination is? I have to assess the risk based on the destination and the route, so that I can decide on the reward."


    Istrad concurred: "I understand. Though we''ve never met, I believe you won''t spread it around."


    "My caravan will go through the Mahakam Mountains, sail to Free City of Novigrad by boat on the Pontar River, and journey north to reach the Principality of Tretogor."


    The Principality of Tretogor is located in the north of the continent, further north than Redania. It borders the neutral states of Kovir and Poviss and is an independent state.


    Lynn stroked his chin: "In truth, Lord Istrad, the way from Aldersberg to the Principality of Tretogor is anything but short."


    Istrad answered with a practical face.


    "That''s true, that''s why I need a good Witcher to protect my caravan."


    "If you agree, all of the expense throughout the duration of labor will be paid for by the caravan. When you arrive in the Principality of Tretogor, I''ll give you two hundred crowns."


    Crowns are a Novigrad currency.


    It is the most stable and most expensive among the currencies issued by the Northern Kingdoms.


    Six Temerian orens could exchange for one Novigrad crown currently.


    Therefore, the majority of merchants are willing to pay crown gold coins.


    Two hundred crowns amount to one thousand two hundred orens.


    It is not a small amount.


    Furthermore, if he nodded, what he would get was not only a big reward.


    He had no ground to refuse.


    "Lord Istrad, I''m honored to accept your service, but I have a small question."


    Istrad smiled happily: "Tell me, please."


    Lynn blinked.


    "As this is a long journey, do you mind if we take on another Witcher?"


    .


    When Geralt had finally eaten his feast of abalone and returned to the tavern to welcome Lynn.


    Lynn told Geralt of Istrad''s commission too.


    Geralt paused for a moment, then nodded.


    "The offer is very good. Long a journey, but better to have work than none."


    Geralt wasn''t the kind of fussy type.


    Now that the Witchers were on the downslide, they could not even survive, so they still talked about that.


    It''s more to say that they were already so destitute, and the Witchers could still stick by their principles and bottom line without stealing houses, which was already quite good.


    What else do you want?


    As long as it''s not a killing commission directly against the ancestral tenets, other jobs can be negotiated.


    After all, the taste of hunger is really not pleasant.


    "So you agreed?"


    "Of course."


    Having seen that Geralt had agreed.


    Lynn swallowed the remaining reasons.


    Actually, if it was just some guesses beforehand.


    Then after the talk, Lynn was nearly certain that the Kovir merchant who had impersonated Istrad was indeed the future king of Kovir and Poviss, Istrad Thyssen.


    Istrad was a member of the Thyssen family.


    His grandfather and father once governed Kovir and Poviss.


    Nonetheless, while his father ruled, the nation and the throne were taken by a noble named Ryder.


    From then on, the young prince Istrad and those of the remaining nobles loyal to him fled and traveled to the Principality of Tretogor.


    The Principality of Tretogor was a refuge for the exiles since it was once the home town of the Thyssen family, and also because there were many collateral branches of the Thyssen family.


    Istrad himself spent most of his exile in Tretogor.


    But he did not waste his time idly.


    He had been building up his strength, recruiting followers, and rallying allies in secret.


    When the time was right, he returned as king, slew the traitor''s family and resumed the throne.


    The night of such massacre afterwards became known as the "Night of the Long Fangs."


    Istrad and his son, as to character or ability, were undoubtedly among the best of the Northern Kings.


    In the future timeline, when the entire north was under threat from the Nilfgaardian Empire, Istrad, who had been sitting on Kovir and Poviss'' throne for a long while, not only graciously summoned one million crown gold pieces to aid Redania.


    He even released the inner prisoners and permitted them to be mercenaries of the Free Company in order to battle in defense of the north, and eventually reversed the tide of affairs.


    In the rather more distant future, due to the persecution of sorcerers begun by King Radovid of Redania in the north.


    All sorcerers of the north were in danger.


    At that dark period, the only haven that sheltered sorcerers was Kovir and Poviss during the reign of Istrad''s son.


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 Chapter 27: Theres Still a Master

    Chapter 27: There''s Still a Master


    Two days later, Lynn and Geralt followed Istrad''s caravan and left Aldersberg.


    Istrad''s caravan was extremely large, consisting of an entire dozen large carts, all packed with goods.


    They said all the goods were going to be delivered to the Mahakam Mountains.


    They were the day-to-day items needed by the dwarves of the Mahakam Mountains.


    The caravan was not small in terms of size, so naturally the number of armed guards couldn''t be small as well.


    Up to thirty human guards, and a small contingent of dwarves with a small army but good equipment.


    Two columns deep the guards were, protecting the wagons in the middle.


    Lynn and Geralt followed behind Istrad at the vanguard.


    Noticing Lynn and Geralt sharing a horse, Istrad magnanimously offered Lynn a jet-black Kovir from the group.


    The group rode on without stopping at all, and the pace was very fast.


    Before one could even say Aldersberg was far behind, it became a black dot and disappeared.


    The journey was serene.


    The robbers they encountered basically fled when they noticed a caravan with so many guards.


    They would only now and then attack the caravan by the sporadic nekkers or ghouls.


    But with Lynn and Geralt, two Witchers, they never gave the creatures an opportunity to approach the caravan and killed them with ease.


    Time for the evening soon arrived.


    Even though it was not entirely dark.


    Everyone began a bonfire.


    A circle was formed around the bonfire using roughly a dozen wagons.


    Everyone slept close to the bonfire.


    April was the month, and it was still somewhat cold in the evenings.


    But the whistling cold wind was not strong enough to suppress the warmth caused by the crowd.


    Nobody had the idea of sleeping early at night after dinner.


    Moreover, it was impossible to sleep early.


    Thus, someone suggested that since there was nothing to do in the first place, why not indulge in some activity.


    But the moment this was said, it was vetoed by the others immediately.


    After all, they were not housed in a safe city but in the dangerous wilderness.


    And the next day, they still had to travel.


    It would be too stupid to expend too much physical energy at night.


    But the captain of the dwarven team had a better idea.


    "Why not play a great Gwent game?"


    Gwent was a dwarven-made game. Although Gwent had not yet been popularized throughout at this point, it was the most favorite entertainment game in Mahakam.


    The dwarf commander''s name was Yarpen Zigrin.


    He took two Gwent card decks from his belt and laid them on the ground, a Northern Realms deck and a Nilfgaardian Empire deck.


    "Everyone may play, but it will be expensive for the contestants, at a crown each."


    Who has said dwarves know only how to hack with an axe?


    Leastways this dwarf named Yarpen Zigrin turned out to be as cunning as a gnome.


    He did not play himself.


    Other people had to pay him money to play.


    Other caravan members, excluding the dwarves, like Istrad, had never seen Gwent.


    But this card game caused much excitement among everyone.


    So after Yarpen and another dwarf demonstrated the gameplay and rules of Gwent, everyone''s enthusiasm was ignited.


    The first to hold back was Istrad.


    He openly used a crown to ask Yarpen for the Northern Realms deck.


    A young guard painfully removed a crown and exchanged it for the remaining deck of Nilfgaardian Empire.


    The two sat down in the open space and began a duel.


    Within a few minutes, the young guard was defeated.


    But it was unable to discourage other people who were ready to try.


    Even Geralt could not help but go up and play two rounds.


    Lynn did not play on impulse.


    He watched the fight for a long time.


    It wasn''t until he convinced himself that the two decks Yarpen pulled out contained only some simple cards that he agreed to enter the battlefield.


    "Lord Zigrin, I have my own Gwent cards, so I don''t need your deck."


    "However, it''s a little boring to play cards like this. How about adding some prizes?"


    No one could refuse such an offer.


    Lynn pulled out five crowns first and placed them before him.


    Across from him sat a bald strong man.


    Watching Lynn take out five crowns, the bald strong man took out an equal number of crowns and placed them.


    Then the two engaged in a duel.


    Gwent compared abilities and cards.


    But the bald strong man used the deck which Yarpen had provided him, and it only contained simple cards, so no card advantage was present, and only abilities remained.


    And apart from Yarpen and a few other dwarves, no one else had played Gwent until today.


    As for skills, Lynn absolutely dominated way ahead.


    So the result was as clear as day.


    In an hour''s time, Lynn''s opponents changed one by one.


    Before anyone knew that the dashing black-haired boy in front of them was a Gwent master.


    The boy already won dozens of crowns honestly.


    Early morning the next day, the light was white and gray, the air was moist, and the air smelled of morning fog.


    The whole camp could hear the packing up.


    The stomping of horses'' feet, clinking of horse equipment, creaking of wooden poles, rubbing of wagon crossbars, and the noise of talking and swearing.


    The captain of the guard marched down the line, giving orders as he went.


    Since the route to be taken today had to pass through a forest.


    Therefore, Istrad changed the position formation of the team.


    This time, it was not Lynn and Geralt who followed him at the front of the team anymore.


    Instead, Geralt and the captain of the guard were at the front.


    Lynn was in charge of the back of the team.


    Neither of the two Witchers protested this arrangement.


    ....


    The convoy moved very slowly down the road in the thick forest, and the thick leaves formed a green roof above the convoy.


    Sunlight filtered through openings in the leaves onto the road, creating mottled light and shadow.


    The sound of horse hooves and footsteps echoed through the trees, as if they became a part of the forest.


    When the horses'' hooves reached, Yarpen arrived on a pony.


    A smile spread across his face as he nodded to Lynn.


    "Good morning, Witcher."


    Lynn had always replied kindness with kindness for nice people.


    "Good morning, Lord Zigrin."


    "Hah, not a lord, but call me Yarpen, then," Yarpen stroked his big beard and laughed. "May I inquire how you obtained your Gwent cards? Your card game is superior to the dwarven masters who invented Gwent."


    "It was a gift from a Witcher brother of mine. He also got it from a dwarven rich merchant."


    "I see... Young Witcher, will you fight tonight?"


    Lynn grinned and shook his head.


    "The wise will not stand under a wall that is going to collapse."


    Lynn won dozens of crowns the previous night. Although no one else complained, if he won tonight as well, there could be trouble.


    He did not fear trouble, but he did not want to cause trouble.


    The motivation for taking up this assignment was not entirely for the remuneration.


    So, it was not necessary to disturb Istrad''s underlings at the expense of some money.


    It was intelligent to recognize what had to be done, stop in the proper moment, and grasp the best.


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 Chapter 28: For a Blue and Pure World

    Chapter 28: For a Blue and Pure World


    Yarpen''s eyes widened.


    "Are you really a Witcher? Even professors from Oxenfurt University couldn''t say something so profound and so concise. They''d only make the simple complicated and prattle on about any rubbish at all."


    Lynn smiled: "By the way, Yarpen, why don''t you and your friends play?"


    "My card abilities are ordinary, I cannot win every time like you. The best way not to lose is not to play. Allowing the cards to others win a little less, but I like a sure-win deal."


    The two chatted happily, like old friends who had not seen each other for years.


    Since arriving at the caravan, Lynn was the first interesting person Yarpen had encountered.


    And Lynn liked this dwarf as well, so he was happy to talk to him.


    After a brief exchange, Yarpen simply let out a sigh of relief: "Luckily, we''re not in Kaedwen''s territories."


    Lynn immediately sensed the underlying meaning in his words.


    "Are you scared of the Scoia''tael?"


    As Kaedwen''s discrimination and oppression of non-human races were extremely serious, they spawned many non-human races that were dissatisfied with the situation and rebelled.


    Most individuals thought that uprisings of non-human kinds happened only in Kaedwen.


    But what they did not realize was that turbulences of non-human races did not happen only in Kaedwen.


    It also included the entire Northern Kingdoms.


    Yarpen was stunned, then stroked his beard and cried out.


    "Scoia''tael? They do have squirrel tails or furs on their head or clothing as ornaments, the name suits them well, though I have heard them call themselves ''Children of Freedom'' many times."


    In fact, the name Scoia''tael officially entered the history scene during the First Northern War.


    Up until now, it has not yet become famous.


    But Children of Freedom?


    Lynn curled his lips.


    Tsk tsk, they really know how to gild their own faces.


    Looking at Yarpen''s solemn face, Lynn half-joked.


    "If I recall correctly, their motto is ''Drive humans back into the sea'', doesn''t it not mention dwarves?"


    Yarpen shook his head.


    "It''s not that easy. I know humans call dwarves and elves the Old Races, but dwarves and elves have never had any common purpose."


    "To be precise, the only difference between elves and humans is that their White Ships arrived on this ground a thousand years before human beings."


    "Don''t glance at them smiling over at us now, calling us compatriots, calling us kin."


    "But before humans came, they were firing their arrows at us. Now all of a sudden we''re brothers again? Sorry, at least me and my companions don''t think so."


    Lynn asked in a questioning manner: "But I remember, didn''t there just so happen to be some dwarves who joined their uprising?"


    Yarpen breathed heavily.


    "That''s true, after all, every dwarf has his own idea."


    "I must say, some dwarves, despite not being young, are still hotheads, and some passionate slogans can easily exploit their stupidity and naivety."


    "But to me, we have to learn how to live peacefully together."


    "Dwarves and humans, come on, we''re not that different, we bleed the same blood, drink the same water. Humans aren''t monsters, and neither are dwarves."


    "The world is so wide, it can hold humans and dwarves. well, and elves, if only they were not so fanatical and extreme, we."


    Yarpen''s words were cut off by an arrow shot from the wood.


    Then a few more.


    Arrows, like flying birds, kept shooting from the wood, in the caravan''s direction.


    "Enemy attack!"


    One of the guards sitting by the carriage shouted.


    But it stopped shortly.


    An arrow hit his neck, and he rolled off the carriage.


    The surprise attack left the team bewildered.


    "Be careful!"


    An arrow swooshed down out of nowhere into the back of the pony.


    The pony whinnied and fell on its side.


    Yarpen had no chance to leap from the saddle.


    He could only stand by helpless as he was pushed to the ground by the falling pony.


    And at this critical moment.


    A hand quickly grasped the back of his collar and pulled him up just in time.


    "Thanks, Witcher."


    Yarpen was shocked, but he did not forget to thank him.


    Being trampled by a horse on this insane battlefield meant death.


    Lynn nodded.


    He put Yarpen on the ground.


    He also got off the horse.


    It was not suitable to ride a horse through the jungle.


    He slapped the back of the horse and released it. In the meantime, he and Yarpen took cover behind a wagon.


    Istrad''s horses were all well trained, so there was no worry that they would lose their way. They simply had to be called back later.


    The two utilized the wagon as cover to take shelter.


    Arrows whizzed past, whistling through the air, and the sound of them striking the wagon continued to ring.


    Lynn gestured Yarpen to hide properly.


    Then he put on a Quen shield and looked outside.


    The caravan had stopped.


    The ground and wagons were laden with arrows.


    The caravan guards showed the professionalism of their trade.


    After the initial confusion, the remaining guards relied on the wagons to defend themselves with crossbows.


    But Lynn soon concluded after a brief observation:


    It was not good!


    From the number of arrows fired by both sides, it was clear that they were outnumbered.


    And the foes were penned in the forest, and they were on the road and couldn''t move.


    If the foes made a circuit to the forest at their rear and shot arrows behind them, they would perish.


    Taking advantage of the fact that the foes hadn''t circulated yet, escaping to the forest at their back might give them a chance of survival.


    What about Geralt?


    Was he going to leave him and escape alone?


    Lynn knew Geralt''s character very well. If Geralt was a coward, then he would have been killed with a pitchfork in the original novel.


    Given this, he did not waver.


    He faced the dwarf and spoke.


    "Yarpen, you stay here."


    Yarpen was surprised: "What? Witcher, where are you going?"


    Lynn did not reply.


    He took out a potion from his pouch.


    This was a potion he had brewed during his downtime on the road. With limited facilities in the wilderness, he could not brew potions in bulk as he used to do in Kaer Morhen.


    A few bottles did suffice, however.


    The one in his hand was named "Blizzard".


    It would trigger adrenaline secretion and stimulate the nervous response system and enable him to get into a bullet-time-like mode for a brief period.


    He drank the potion in one gulp, the liquid gushed down his throat and covered his entire body. The potion took effect quickly, and Lynn felt a prickly and numb sensation on his face simultaneously.


    Especially around his eyes, the numbness was even stronger.


    In Yarpen''s eyes, Lynn''s facial blood vessels puffed up simultaneously, visible to the naked eye, and made his originally good-looking face look terrifying.


    This sudden contrast shocked Yarpen.


    "Stay here."


    Lynn ignored Yarpen''s reaction, uttered the words again, and then jumped out from behind the cover wagon and ran toward the forest like a savage ice wolf.


    The caravan path across the forest was only forty or fifty meters away from the forest where the foes were hiding.


    Even ordinary folks would not take long to walk this distance.


    And a Witcher, whose body was stronger than ordinary people, would need even less time.


    But as soon as he moved away from the wagon, the enemies saw him.


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 Chapter 29: Elves: I Was Here First, Clearly

    Chapter 29: Elves: I Was Here First, Clearly


    Twenty or thirty arrows shot over fiercely.


    Lynn''s eyes narrowed slightly.


    These arrows, enough to turn a person into a hedgehog, appeared to be moving as slow as snails in the eyes of the Witcher, whose face was reacting to the potion''s toxins.


    As if he had activated Sandevistan, he moved with incredible reflexes, dodging and weaving through the incoming rain of arrows, nimbly avoiding them all.


    After dodging this volley of arrows, he was less than twenty meters away from the forest. He took a deep breath, stomped hard on the ground, and lunged forward at an incredible speed, like a fired crossbow bolt, plunging into the trees in front of him.


    The forest was different from the outside. The terrain inside was uneven, and the trees provided cover.


    Once inside the forest, the threat of arrows was greatly reduced.


    Lynn exhaled a breath of turbid air, rolled behind a large rock, closed his eyes, and then reopened them.


    Witcher senses, activate!


    The world changed before his eyes.


    A large amount of pheromones appeared before him, distinguished by visible colors:


    The messy footprints trampled in the forest...


    The sweat and body odor from living in the wild for a long time without timely cleaning...


    And the subtle air movements caused by breathing...


    This was the Witcher senses brought about by the mutations of the Trial of the Grasses.


    Witcher senses allowed Witchers to easily identify the traces left by the monsters they were tracking from the scene, and they could also directly "see" the sound of breathing.


    Literally see.


    When a creature breathed, ripples spread out that could be seen after activating Witcher senses.


    These ripples were the sound of breathing.


    Ordinary people, of course, couldn''t see them.


    Only Witchers could see them after activating Witcher senses.


    And the place where the ripples appeared represented a creature there.


    And different creatures emitted different ripples, so experienced Witchers could also judge what creature they were dealing with in advance by the sound of breathing.


    "Found them!"


    In just a few seconds, Lynn had identified the positions of the enemies hiding in the forest.


    He held the steel sword in reverse, lowered his body, and emerged from behind the hiding rock, rushing towards the three enemies closest to him.


    ...


    Hearing the movement behind him, the elf instinctively turned around and shot an arrow.


    He reacted quickly, and although he didn''t have time to aim, the arrow he shot in haste still went straight towards the direction of the sound.


    From the sound, the elf judged that the opponent was only a few steps away from him.


    And at this distance, few people could dodge a flying arrow.


    But what followed was not the sound of an arrow piercing a body, but the sound of metal colliding.


    A confused expression appeared on the elf''s face.


    Until he saw the Witcher rushing out of the bushes.


    He instinctively reached for an arrow, but Lynn reacted faster.


    Just a flash of cold light.


    Then he heard his companion''s scream.


    Slicing through the elf''s throat with a sword, Lynn didn''t stop, because the corner of his eye caught the remaining three elves in the team who had also spotted him, aiming their bows in his direction.


    At this moment, Lynn''s brain didn''t have a single thought of panic, fear, or hesitation. The combat experience and memory given to him when he learned the Master Wolf School swordsmanship made him instinctively step forward.


    With the help of the super reaction brought by the Blizzard potion, he wasted almost no speed, dodging two consecutive arrows with slight evasive movements.


    He ignored the other two elves reaching for arrows behind him, and instead lunged straight at the elf in the middle who had drawn his long sword.


    Seeing Lynn''s figure approaching like a ghost, the elf hurriedly swung his long sword to slash at him, but unfortunately, both his movements and speed were full of flaws in Lynn''s eyes.


    He easily avoided the elf''s long sword and then used the steel sword in his hand to cleave through the opponent''s shoulder.


    Puchi!


    Blood spurted out like a fountain.


    Except that the fountain spurted water, while what spurted from the elf''s body was blood.


    He snatched the long sword from the opponent''s hand and quickly threw it to the left.


    It was firmly nailed into the chest of another elf who had just nocked an arrow.


    "Human!"


    The last elf shouted, raised his long sword, and slashed at Lynn''s back.


    But this sword missed.


    The violently vibrating Witcher medallion reminded Lynn.


    He didn''t need to look with his eyes to feel the malice from behind.


    So he jumped aside without hesitation.


    While dodging the slashed long sword, he also used the steel sword in his hand to cut through the elf''s throat.


    The latter''s eyes widened.


    He fell straight down.


    His hands desperately tried to cover his throat.


    But it was all in vain.


    Blood kept seeping out from between his fingers.


    Finally, he slowly stopped struggling.


    He choked to death on the blood flowing from his throat.


    ...


    Killing four people in a row, Lynn didn''t stay in place.


    He could feel a warm current surging into his body.


    But he didn''t have time to check the attribute panel.


    There weren''t just these enemies in this forest.


    Through the breathing sounds "seen" by Witcher senses, Lynn could tell that this group of Scoia''tael¡ªwell, they called themselves "Children of Freedom" now¡ªwere scattered throughout the forest in small teams.


    There were even two teams, just as he had worried, moving towards the north side of the forest, obviously trying to sneak around behind the caravan.


    Therefore, he had to act more actively on his side.


    Fortunately, these Children of Freedom chose this forest as the battlefield, which was not only advantageous to them but also to Lynn.


    Honestly, if this were a plain instead of a forest, he wouldn''t dare to rush in so rashly.


    But now, with the cover of the trees, not only was the threat of arrows greatly reduced, but the enemies'' line of sight was also blocked.


    On the contrary, he could see through the enemies'' positions with his Witcher senses, giving him the advantage of striking first.


    He wasn''t afraid of forcing these Children of Freedom into a corner, and having them all come to encircle him.


    Don''t forget, he wasn''t fighting alone.


    Istrad''s men were still exchanging fire with these Children of Freedom outside the forest.


    If they found that the arrows coming from the opposite side were becoming sparse, would they take the opportunity to kill their way in?


    At that time, Lynn would bloom in the center, and these pointy-eared people would only die faster.


    ...


    At the same time, in a high place in the forest.


    Several elves with indifferent faces gathered around a tall elf commander.


    Coeinhearn da Reo was the commander of this group of Children of Freedom.


    Children of Freedom, of course, didn''t refer to him and his men.


    As long as they were elves who resisted human tyranny and believed that the continent belonged to Aen Seidhe, they were all Children of Freedom.


    In the past year or two, he and his men had been attacking everywhere in the Kingdom of Aedirn.


    They attacked villages, killed lone travelers, and didn''t even spare children and old people who went into the forest to collect firewood.


    In Coeinhearn''s view, this world should have belonged to elves.


    But now, the living space of elves was being further compressed by the humans'' step-by-step encroachment.


    Many elves like Coeinhearn couldn''t understand why.


    Why?


    This world clearly belonged to the elves first.


    Because he and his men had done all kinds of evil in Aedirn, they had attracted the encirclement and suppression of the Aedirn army.


    Seeing that it was becoming more and more difficult to survive in Aedirn, Coeinhearn had to lead his men south to the Kingdom of Lyria and Rivia.


    But on the way, his scouts, who had been sent out to explore, accidentally discovered Istrad''s caravan...


    Supplies and provisions were, of course, important and precious to these Children of Freedom who burned, killed, and looted.


    That''s why Coeinhearn still carried out an ambush even though the other side had a large number of guards.


    Coeinhearn thought that as long as his men released a few rounds of arrows, the humans on the opposite side would be scared and flee in all directions.


    Just like they had done countless times when they robbed caravans in the past.


    But this time, the result was completely opposite to what Coeinhearn expected.


    The humans on the opposite side were not defeated by the elves'' arrows.


    Instead, they relied on the wagons to organize a counterattack.


    Although his men had the advantage of terrain because they were hiding in the forest in advance, his side''s progress was also very slow.


    What made him even more anxious was that if they couldn''t eat those humans for a long time, if the Aedirn patrols were attracted by the sound of fighting, they would be in danger of being attacked from both sides.


    Just as Coeinhearn was hesitating...


    An elf stumbled up the high ground and reported in a panic.


    "Coeinhearn, a human has killed his way in. He''s very powerful and has killed several of our brothers. We can''t stop him."


    Coeinhearn could hardly believe his ears.


    His men couldn''t stop a human?


    "Waste!"


    Coeinhearn kicked the reporting elf to the ground and shouted to the elves around him, "You all come with me."


    [author]


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 Chapter 30: Despicable Outsider

    Chapter 30: Despicable Outsider


    When Coeinhearn led his men to find the human who had killed his way in, the man was pulling a sword out of one of his men''s chests.


    And at the man''s feet, there was a pile of corpses.


    Obviously, before he arrived, his men had tried to encircle this daring human.


    Unfortunately, they all failed.


    Looking at the young faces of those who died with their eyes open, the elves following Coeinhearn felt a surge of anger rising from their hearts.


    Only Coeinhearn noticed the man''s unusual appearance.


    "You... no!" Coeinhearn stared at Lynn''s cat-like pupils. "You''re not human, you''re a Witcher?"


    In today''s world, the number of Witchers is extremely small.


    Except for the Wolf School, which still maintains the Witcher tradition, other schools have even lost their strongholds.


    So much so that in this world, some people even think that Witchers are just made-up bedtime stories.


    But it''s clear that Coeinhearn had heard of the Witcher''s deeds.


    "What''s going on? Don''t Witchers adhere to the path of neutrality? Have you broken your oath now?"


    "You attacked that caravan, and I''m the guard of that caravan. Witchers don''t actively attack intelligent species, but you left me no choice."


    Lynn didn''t agree with the human persecution of elves.


    But these Scoia''tael¡ªor, as they call themselves now, "Children of Freedom"¡ªwere no better in Lynn''s eyes.


    Their hands were also stained with the blood of innocents.


    Since everyone was not a good person, they shouldn''t always claim to be the partners of justice.


    Coeinhearn spat on the ground.


    "I knew it, your so-called neutrality is just a pretense. In the end, you mutants will still stand on the side of humans."


    Lynn shook his head.


    "Wrong. I just don''t want to stand on the side of the abusers. Besides, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to watch you slit the throats of those innocents?"


    "Do you know that you''re attacking a caravan? They''re not even Aedirn caravans, they''re Kovirians. Kovirians have never persecuted your people."


    This was true.


    Because Kovir was located in the northwest corner of the known world, there were very few Old Races living in Kovir and Poviss.


    This was not because the locals had killed them to the point of extinction, but because Kovir and Poviss were too cold.


    Dwarves and elves couldn''t stand the harsh climate.


    However, Lynn''s statement was clearly not accepted by the other side.


    An elf next to Coeinhearn roared angrily.


    "But humans killed my relatives!"


    Lynn also raised his voice and roared back: "Then go find the murderer who killed your relatives and take revenge! Instead of barking here like a mad dog!"


    The elf commander stopped his men from further insults. He looked at the Witcher and sighed.


    "It seems that we can''t reach a consensus after all. Witcher, blame yourself for choosing the wrong side."


    "Kill him."


    The elves next to Coeinhearn drew their weapons and charged towards Lynn.


    But faster than them was an arrow shot from behind Lynn.


    While Lynn was talking to Coeinhearn, an elf took the opportunity to quietly climb up a big tree behind Lynn and lurked in the trunk.


    And when Coeinhearn gave the order to attack, he aimed at Lynn''s back and shot an arrow.


    If it were an ordinary person, their attention would definitely be attracted by the elves who were killing them.


    How could they have the energy to guard against arrows from behind?


    But what he didn''t know was that the Witcher''s school medallion was not just for show. It would remind the Witcher of attacks from behind and the side.


    The archer had just released the bowstring when Lynn, who felt the medallion vibrate, instinctively dodged to the side. Using the last bit of the Blizzard potion''s duration, Lynn quickly grabbed the arrow he had dodged.


    Then he turned around and flicked his arm.


    The arrow flew back faster than it came.


    A scream came.


    The archer fell from the tree trunk, his arrow-pierced head hitting the ground first. His neck made a crisp sound, and his head and neck formed a shocking and strange angle.


    Obviously, he couldn''t survive.


    The tragic death of their companion didn''t distract the elves who were attacking from the front for even a second. Their attention was all focused on Lynn.


    They were in unison, maintaining their formation.


    They swung their weapons from different angles.


    No one could block attacks from five directions at the same time.


    Indeed, no one could.


    But Lynn didn''t need to.


    He raised his hand.


    The fire snake formed by the Igni sign shot towards the faces of the three elves in the middle.


    Then he jumped back, dodging the two swords that were swung at him.


    Then...


    After two cold flashes, Lynn walked to the three elves with burns on their faces, clutching their faces and screaming...


    But before he could execute the three injured elves, a double-headed sword turned into a sharp whirlwind, biting at his neck.


    Lynn had to retract his execution move and jump back.


    Then, the weapons in their hands turned into cold light and slashed at each other.


    Clang!


    The double-headed sword and the steel sword collided heavily.


    Sparks were bright.


    Coeinhearn''s hands were gripping the double-headed sword tightly. This weapon seemed to be an extension of his hands and feet, allowing him to easily swing it into a whirlwind, with constant attacks.


    Clang clang clang clang!


    Continuous clanging sounds rang out, and the sparks from the collision of the blades fell like rain.


    After the effect of the Blizzard potion wore off, the two sides were evenly matched.


    This was normal.


    After all, elves, as a race with a lifespan far exceeding that of humans, had a lot of time and energy to carefully hone their martial arts.


    And Coeinhearn''s advantage was more than that.


    After the previous battle, Lynn''s physical strength had been greatly depleted.


    But Coeinhearn had not participated in the battle before.


    Clang!


    Realizing this, Lynn, after parrying the opponent''s sword, didn''t take advantage of the situation to counterattack. Instead, he jumped back and began to form a sign with one hand.


    But Coeinhearn didn''t give Lynn any chance to form a sign. He jumped up, and then his whole body, along with the double-headed sword, turned into a whirlwind, whistling down from the air.


    The surging sword wind made Lynn seem to have to give up forming a sign and dodge aside, avoiding its edge.


    The ground was cut to pieces by the surging sword wind, with ravines crisscrossing.


    This was not the end.


    Coeinhearn lowered his body, and the double-headed sword changed its attack, attacking Lynn''s lower body from below.


    Lynn kept retreating, then seized the opportunity to step on the blade of the double-headed sword.


    Coeinhearn instinctively felt bad.


    When he had this thought, Lynn had already swept his chest horizontally with a sword.


    Unable to react in time, Coeinhearn subconsciously released the double-headed sword and retreated to dodge.


    "Commander!"


    One of the elves with burns on his face, although he couldn''t see, still threw his long sword in the direction of the battle sound.


    It was unclear if it was the blessing of the elven gods, but this throw was quite accurate.


    It flew straight towards Coeinhearn.


    But as soon as Coeinhearn grabbed the flying long sword, Lynn attacked again.


    This time it was Lynn''s turn to launch a swift attack.


    The afterimages formed by the strikes of the Master Wolf School swordsmanship were one wave after another.


    The screams of the blade tearing through the air were continuous.


    Under Lynn''s sudden burst of fierce attack, Coeinhearn was unwilling to choose a lose-lose strategy, so he focused on defense and retreated while fighting.


    On the surface, he was being suppressed by the Witcher, but in fact, the two sides were still evenly matched.


    He knew that Lynn''s attack was extremely exhausting, even for a Witcher.


    In Coeinhearn''s view, a person who had already consumed too much physical strength in the previous battle was simply insane to choose such a fighting style.


    Until Coeinhearn retreated while fighting, all the way to the place where Lynn had just been "interrupted" from forming a sign.


    Purple light suddenly lit up from the ground, enveloping Coeinhearn.


    His body seemed to be sinking into a swamp, and his parrying movements suddenly became slow.


    And this was exactly the effect of the Master Yrden trap.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 31: War Is Not a Dinner Party

    Chapter 31: War Is Not a Dinner Party


    The sign that Lynn had released earlier was not actually interrupted by Coeinhearn.


    He just pretended to be interrupted, and placed the sign on the ground with the densest grass.


    He deliberately dodged to the side, just to divert Coeinhearn''s attention.


    After that, he launched a fierce attack, also to force Coeinhearn back to the place where the Yrden trap was set.


    Coeinhearn was indeed one of the Scoia''tael commanders who would stir up the north in the future.


    He himself was able to find those Children of Freedom in this forest because of the "perspective" ability brought by Witcher senses, but the other party was able to lock his position so quickly without any cheats.


    However, this future Scoia''tael commander obviously could no longer stain the countless blood debts of the northern people like in another timeline.


    Seeing Coeinhearn step into the trap, Lynn did not stop at all.


    No words that would slow down his movements were needed.


    But this time, there was no sound of blades colliding.


    The tip of the sword was close to the ground, like a waterfall against the current, and like a bird soaring into the sky.


    Coeinhearn was stunned in place, as if he had been immobilized.


    He slowly lowered his head.


    Looking at the terrible wound that had almost been cut from his chest to his shoulder.


    The long sword slipped from his hand.


    He looked at Lynn, blood bubbles spitting out of his mouth.


    "Despicable Witcher."


    After uttering this last word, he fell forward like a hard piece of wood.


    Crimson blood flowed out from under him in large patches, quickly staining the ground beneath him red.


    A hot warm current surged into Lynn''s body.


    "Commander? Commander!"


    The remaining three elves with burns on their faces did not know what had happened due to their loss of sight.


    They only heard Coeinhearn''s last words and the sound of something falling to the ground, but it didn''t sound like their commander had won.


    "Now, it''s your turn."


    Lynn flicked off the blood stains on the steel sword, looked at the three elves, and had a cold expression.


    Every world has its own rules:


    In the era after the signing of the Geneva Conventions, it is naturally reasonable to provide humanitarian treatment and medical assistance to the wounded and sick of the enemy.


    But in this cruel world where human life is as worthless as grass, talking about those things is really out of touch with the times.


    To take a step back, if he was defeated now, would these Children of Freedom spare his life?


    Of course, Lynn was not a racist either.


    It''s funny, humans have classified Witchers into the same category as gnomes, dwarves, elves and other non-human races. Naturally, Lynn would not raise his hands to support human supremacy.


    It''s just that he felt that the elven civilians who still live in human society and are oppressed are definitely worthy of sympathy and pity, but every single one of the Scoia''tael had to die.


    Hearing the Witcher''s indifferent voice, the faces of the Children of Freedom were filled with shock and fear.


    They never expected that the commander who led them to escape from the pursuit of the Aedirn army would die in this unknown jungle.


    "You dare to kill Coeinhearn? Witcher, you will pay for this!"


    Lynn took out a bottle of tawny-colored Tawny Owl potion from his pouch and drank it all.


    The tawny-colored Tawny Owl potion can accelerate the regeneration of physical and magical strength.


    As the potion began to take effect, Lynn felt his lost physical strength gradually recovering.


    He threw down the bottle and said disdainfully.


    "What you said is completely unreasonable. War is not a dinner party. Since you chose to kill, you should have been prepared to be killed."


    Although they couldn''t see, the elves all stared at the approximate direction of Lynn with hatred.


    There was no doubt.


    Even if they knew that they were no match for Lynn now, they would still fight to the death.


    And Lynn chose to fulfill their last wish.


    But at this moment, a large number of footsteps came from far to near.


    The faces of the Children of Freedom all showed joy.


    "You''re dead, Witcher."


    They subconsciously thought that their companions had come to support them.


    However, Lynn put away his weapon.


    Because what appeared in his sight was not the companions of the Children of Freedom, but his companions.


    Geralt, Yarpen, and Istrad were all among them.


    It turned out that after Geralt noticed Lynn rushing into the forest, he was worried about Lynn''s safety, so after drinking a few bottles of potions, he also followed into the forest.


    With the two of them making a big fuss, even the Children of Freedom, who had the advantage in numbers, couldn''t help but fall into chaos.


    The guard captain seized the opportunity and issued a counterattack order.


    Originally, if the Children of Freedom had adjusted their tactics in time, they would have been able to withstand the human offensive.


    But at this critical moment, Coeinhearn took people to block Lynn.


    Without his command, these Children of Freedom immediately fell into a state of leaderlessness and fighting on their own.


    After all, these guys were not even regular troops. Although their lifespan was indeed very long compared to humans, they had lived under human rule for too long. They had long been accustomed to day-to-day labor rather than military training.


    Except for individual cases like Coeinhearn, who had never succumbed to humans and had been fighting against humans, most of the Children of Freedom were just farmers and craftsmen not long ago.


    When the bravest Children of Freedom fell under the human sword, when the dwarves, who were also Old Races, swung their axes and killed them, and they didn''t receive any orders from their commander...


    They naturally fled in all directions.


    ...


    The battle was over.


    The three Children of Freedom knew that resistance was useless, and finally had to drop their weapons and choose to surrender, begging for human forgiveness.


    But the humans raised their crossbows.


    "No!"


    In the screams of the Children of Freedom, they were shot into hedgehogs by random arrows.


    "Go check if there are any still breathing. The adults said, no prisoners."


    After the guard captain finished instructing his men, he walked up to Lynn, with a respectful expression on his face.


    But he didn''t dare to look up at Lynn''s face.


    "Master Lynn, you''ve worked hard. Are you injured anywhere?"


    Lynn shook his head: "No, I''m covered in enemy blood."


    "That''s good, master, leave this to us. The adults have something to look for you. He''s waiting for you outside the jungle."


    Lynn walked out of the forest.


    He saw that Geralt had come out of the forest before him, standing with Istrad.


    "Master Lynn, please come over." Istrad saw Lynn and hurriedly greeted Lynn warmly. "Are you okay?"


    Lynn nodded.


    A hint of admiration flashed in Istrad''s eyes.


    "As expected of Master Lynn, hiring you and Master Geralt was one of the most correct things I''ve done in my life."


    Lynn said modestly: "Your Excellency, you''re too polite. Since we accepted the commission to protect the caravan, it''s our duty to step forward in times of danger."


    Istrad said sincerely.


    "That''s true, but the achievements of the two masters cannot be ignored. I assure you that my gratitude will not just stay on my lips, but will be included in the reward after we arrive at the Principality of Tretogor."


    Since Istrad had said so, Lynn couldn''t refuse: "Then thank you, Your Excellency."


    However, Lynn had a strange premonition.


    He always felt that Istrad''s request for him and Geralt to come over was not just to express his gratitude.


    Sure enough, Istrad said another thing with a serious face.


    "There is one more thing, please keep today''s events a secret."


    Lynn answered without thinking.


    "Of course, we will keep it a secret."


    He knew that Istrad would make this request.


    And he also knew Istrad''s concerns.


    It was actually related to an elven sorceress.


    Her name was Francesca.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 32: My Old Home Is Right in This Little Village

    Chapter 32: My Old Home Is Right in This Little Village


    Francesca was the daughter of the elven sage, Ithlinne.


    Unlike the elven sage who advocated peace, Francesca had participated in the Aelirenn Uprising two centuries ago.


    Although the uprising ultimately ended in failure, Francesca never gave up her desire to reclaim the elven territory, Dol Blathanna.


    Because of this, some people said that Francesca was connected to the non-human rebellions that were springing up in the Northern Kingdoms.


    Of course, Francesca herself had never admitted it, but thinking about it, it was impossible to admit such a thing.


    However, Lynn knew better than Istrad.


    The rumors were true.


    Francesca was indeed connected to the elven rebels later known as the Scoia''tael.


    Although it couldn''t be said that Francesca was behind all the non-human rebellions, it was certain that some Scoia''tael commando units were directly or indirectly influenced by her.


    Not only that, the agreement Francesca reached with the Nilfgaardian Emperor to reclaim Dol Blathanna would make even her father shudder.


    Although Istrad didn''t know these things, out of his innate political sense, he would rather not have the bounty offered by Aedirn, and didn''t want to be targeted by the supporters of the non-human rebellions.


    Especially since this person was a core member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.


    Lynn thought for a while, and added: "Your Excellency, we guarantee that we will never tell anyone, but you don''t need to worry about us, but the others in the caravan."


    Faced with Lynn''s suggestion, Istrad shook his head with a smile.


    "Master Lynn, you are actually overthinking it. The guards in the caravan are all my confidants and can be trusted."


    "As for Yarpen and the others... I will give him a big bag of gold enough to shut Yarpen and the other dwarves up."


    "If you want to talk about which race''s reputation is most trustworthy in this world, dwarves are definitely one of them. At least I have never seen a dwarf who broke his promise."


    Speaking of this, Istrad suddenly laughed at himself: "In this regard, we humans are the typical example of saying one thing to someone''s face and another behind their back."


    ...


    The first stop of Istrad''s caravan was the dwarves'' homeland, Mahakam.


    The Mahakam Mountains were located between the Kingdoms of Temeria and Aedirn.


    Legally, it was a vassal state of Temeria.


    But it enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.


    Although Mahakam was called the dwarves'' homeland, the Mahakam Mountains were originally inhabited by gnomes.


    The dwarves came to the Mahakam Mountains about three or four thousand years ago.


    Because of their similar lifestyles, they began to share this mountain range.


    The mineral resources in the Mahakam Mountains were extremely rich, and the quality of the iron ore produced here was considered to be the best in the world.


    In addition to iron ore, it was also home to the largest and highest quality armory in the north.


    This was also the reason why Istrad''s caravan set Mahakam as its first stop.


    On the one hand, it was to bring daily necessities to the dwarves and gnomes in the mountains, and on the other hand, it was to purchase high-quality dwarven weapons from Mahakam.


    ...


    Since the encounter with the elven commando unit in the jungle a few days ago, the caravan had not encountered any other dangers.


    When the caravan arrived at the village at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains, Yarpen and other dwarves found Istrad and said that they wanted to stay in the village. They would rejoin the caravan after it came down from the mountain.


    Anyway, the caravan would not encounter danger in Mahakam, so it didn''t matter if they were there or not.


    Although Yarpen didn''t explain the reason, Istrad agreed to their request.


    In this way, the caravan rested in the village for one night.


    When they went up the mountain the next day, Yarpen and other dwarves didn''t leave with the caravan, but watched the caravan go up the mountain.


    On the way up the mountain, the two human guards next to Lynn and Geralt couldn''t help but talk in a low voice.


    "Isn''t Mahakam the dwarves'' homeland? Why don''t Yarpen and the others want to go home and take a look?"


    "Who knows, maybe they have some unspeakable secrets."


    Geralt heard their conversation and suddenly said.


    "No, they don''t not want to go back, they can''t go back."


    The two guards heard this and immediately asked respectfully.


    "Master, do you know this too? Tell us about it."


    Istrad''s men were all from the Principality of Tretogor.


    Tretogor was culturally very close to Kovir.


    After all, before the Poviss split, they used to be one country.


    Istrad''s men had no problem with Witchers.


    At most, they were curious about the rumors about Witchers.


    And after Lynn and Geralt showed their skills, they quickly won the respect of everyone in the caravan.


    Even when they camped in the wild every day, they didn''t need to do it themselves, and someone would take the initiative to do everything for them.


    Geralt continued.


    "Mahakam is a conservative and xenophobic land."


    "The dwarves living in Mahakam are bound by various traditions. If they can''t bear it and leave the mountains, they will be regarded as traitors."


    "That''s why Yarpen and the others have to stay in the village at the foot of the mountain. If they go up the mountain with us, it may cause us trouble."


    ...


    When the mountain road narrowed to barely accommodate a large wagon, a solid fortress appeared in front of them.


    And these were not all of Mahakam''s outer defenses.


    Lynn looked up and looked up.


    Two watchtowers clung to the steep rock walls on both sides, and a weathered gray stone arch bridge connected them in the middle.


    Silent faces watched them from the arrow slits, battlements and stone bridges.


    "Outsiders, this is Mahakam, state your purpose!" A rough voice came down from the city wall.


    Istrad rode his horse, laboriously passing through the gaps between the wagons, and came to the front of the team.


    He took out a badge from his clothes and held it high.


    The badge shone in the sun.


    "I have the special permission of Elder Brouver Hoog."


    The dwarven captain on the battlements squinted and carefully identified the authenticity of the badge.


    "Well, this is indeed the Mahakam badge. Boys, lift the alert."


    Soon, the city gate opened.


    Twenty or so dwarves stood on both sides.


    The leading dwarf nodded to Istrad.


    "Outsiders, you can pass."


    Istrad thanked him.


    Then he shouted to the team behind him.


    "Guard captain, bring down a barrel of Mahakam spirits from the second last wagon."


    The leading dwarf quickly waved his hand: "Stop, we don''t accept bribes."


    Istrad said with a smile.


    "This is not a bribe, but a token of appreciation. You have worked hard to stand guard here. It''s not bad to have a drink when you have free time."


    "I believe that Elder Brouver would understand you if he knew."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 33: Come Back Quickly, the Village Is Handing Out Succubi

    Chapter 33: Come Back Quickly, the Village Is Handing Out Succubi


    The leading dwarf hesitated for a while, but in that short time, two caravan guards had already lifted the barrel of Mahakam spirits and placed it in front of him.


    The aroma of the wine emanating from the barrel almost hooked out these dwarves'' hungry worms.


    This made him stop insisting: "Okay, then thank you."


    The caravan continued on its way.


    After that, they passed several more checkpoints.


    With the Mahakam badge leading the way, all checkpoints were cleared.


    And Istrad returned the favor.


    Without exception, they all gave away a barrel of Mahakam spirits for free.


    With barrels of Mahakam spirits being given away, one could clearly feel the obvious change in the attitude of these dwarves.


    Geralt rode his horse to Lynn''s side and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Lynn, do you know why Istrad is doing this?"


    Lynn nodded.


    "The high-quality weapons produced by the dwarves have filled Mahakam''s treasury with wealth. However, contrary to what most people think, ordinary dwarves don''t actually live very well."


    "The money earned from each transaction goes directly into the hands of the elders."


    "Or more precisely, it is sent to the vault deep in Carbon Mountain."


    "Dwarves get their daily necessities from their clans: clothes, food, tools..."


    "Besides, dwarves who want more things won''t live long in Mahakam."


    Geralt said with a sigh.


    "As you said, ordinary dwarves in Mahakam cannot keep their wealth. Therefore, they can''t often drink the famous wine produced in their hometown."


    Lynn raised his eyebrows: "It sounds really miserable."


    Geralt was noncommittal about this: "Maybe, this is also the reason why some dwarves choose to escape from Mahakam, but some humans envy this kind of life?"


    "Envy?" Lynn gave Geralt a strange look.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if he had misheard.


    Geralt smiled.


    "It feels incredible, right? Although most of the wealth created by these ordinary dwarves is handed over to the elders, ordinary dwarves living in Mahakam don''t have to worry about tomorrow and the future. The clan will arrange everything for them."


    "The clan teaches them to read and write, and teaches them how to become a real dwarf. Even those dwarves who don''t really know how to swing a hammer, the clan will assign them to suitable positions."


    "When the clan thinks someone is suitable to be a father, the clan will also introduce him to a partner."


    "When they have children, the clan will help them raise their children so that they can go out to work during the day."


    "When they are old and can''t move, the clan will take care of them and help them live their old age."


    "Therefore, although ordinary dwarves generally don''t have much wealth in their lives, they don''t have to worry about tomorrow and the future."


    "This is also what some humans envy them for."


    ...


    When they passed the last checkpoint, the peaks suddenly unfolded.


    Green fields, blue skies and snow-capped mountain peaks appeared in the field of vision.


    The huge valley stretched out in front of them, all the way to the misty east.


    At this moment, the valley was bathed in sunlight.


    Protected by mountains on all sides, the valley was full of large and small mines, foundries, forges and armories.


    Standing on the top of the mountain and looking down, you could see the dwarves below as dense and busy as ants.


    At this time, thirty dwarven soldiers came up to greet them. The leading dwarven captain said politely but with some sense of distance.


    "Your Excellency Istrad, the elders asked me to lead you and your people."


    "Thank you for your trouble."


    The dwarven captain waved his hand.


    His men were divided into two groups.


    One group led the way in front.


    The other group went around to the back of the convoy.


    When the team had walked a third of the way down the mountain, the dwarven captain suddenly came to Lynn''s side.


    Compared to when he was talking to Istrad, the dwarven captain''s attitude was even more polite at this time.


    "Are you two Witchers?"


    Although he was confused as to why they were looking for him, Lynn nodded.


    "That''s right."


    The dwarven captain immediately showed an "I knew it" expression.


    "When you get to Carbon Mountain, please come with me. The elders have a commission and are looking for Witchers to help."


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other.


    "Captain, do you know what the elders want us to do?"


    The dwarven captain shook his head quickly: "Sorry, please ask the elders in person when you see them for the specific situation. I don''t know either. I''m only responsible for conveying the message."


    Geralt mouthed to Lynn: "It''s okay to go and take a look first."


    So Lynn said to the dwarven captain.


    "Then I''ll trouble you to lead the way."


    It took a full two hours to walk from the top of the mountain to the valley.


    By the time the slope under the horses'' hooves began to slow down, it was already evening.


    The narrow mountain road also began to become wide and straight.


    Before parting, Lynn went to Istrad and told him about the elders'' summons.


    Although Istrad was surprised, he thought about it and said.


    "We may stay in Mahakam for three to five days. If you are still unable to get away by then, then we will discuss the future situation at that time?"


    Since the employer was so understanding, how could Lynn refuse?


    So, Istrad and the others in the caravan found a hotel to stay in after arriving in the valley.


    And Lynn and Geralt followed the dwarven team and continued to move deep into the valley.


    By the time they arrived at the solid castle deep in the valley, it was completely dark.


    The torches on the battlements were burning brightly.


    Lights also streamed out from the windows behind the city tower.


    Lynn couldn''t help but ask: "Are we here?"


    The dwarven captain smiled and pointed his finger upwards.


    "No, Master Witcher, please look up."


    Look up?


    Lynn raised his head in confusion and looked up.


    Then his sight kept rising higher and higher.


    At first, he only saw rocks and trees, and the mountains covered by the night.


    But then, he noticed the misty lights high up.


    It was a castle tower, embedded on the steep cliffs.


    The lights on the tower were like orange eyes overlooking the earth.


    Above that, there was a higher and farther tower.


    And then there was another one.


    Finally, at the extremely high place where eagles soared, there was a starlight that dotted the night sky.


    But if you look closely, you will find that it is not starlight, but dots of lights.


    "Carbon Mountain, the capital of Mahakam."


    Lynn heard Geralt next to him say this.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 34: Mahakam Technology, Shocking!

    Chapter 34: Mahakam Technology, Shocking!


    The peak where Carbon Mountain was located was even higher than the peak Lynn and the others had just descended.


    If they set off now to climb up to see the elders, they would probably have to wait until dawn at the earliest.


    Fortunately, they didn''t have to walk this time.


    Lynn and Geralt followed the dwarven captain into the castle, and in a room in the castle, they took an elevator that slowly ascended upwards.


    The elevator in this world was naturally not as fast as the elevator in their hometown world, but it was much faster than climbing.


    They didn''t spend too much time, and they reached the top of Carbon Mountain.


    Lynn, who had just finished riding the elevator, had only one thought: Mahakam technology, shocking!


    They continued to follow the dwarven captain, and finally, in the magnificent throne hall, Lynn and Geralt finally met the ruler of Mahakam, Elder Brouver Hoog.


    This old man wore a golden crown, had white hair and beard, but was still as strong as a giant bear.


    Even the silk and satin on his body could not hide his strong figure and strong muscles.


    "Welcome, Master Witcher. Mahakam is a conservative and xenophobic land. It has never welcomed outsiders, except for Witchers."


    Geralt gave Lynn a look, signaling him to negotiate with the elders.


    Lynn knew that Geralt was deliberately training him.


    Just like other times along the way.


    After all, he couldn''t stay by his side forever.


    He would always have to travel alone.


    Lynn was not stage fright either, and after bowing, he said generously.


    "Elder Brouver, we are also very honored to be summoned by you."


    Brouver nodded, his voice was loud and full of energy.


    "Well, I believe you two masters have guessed it. The reason why I summoned you two here is because there are dangerous monsters in the mountain, monsters that only Witchers can solve."


    "However, you two masters have come from a long way, and you are tired from the journey. It''s so late at night, why not take a good rest first?"


    "I have ordered people to prepare the best guest rooms for you two masters, and ordered that whatever you two masters ask for, we will try our best to satisfy you."


    "Wait until tomorrow, no, the day after tomorrow, and we will talk about the commission... Thor!"


    The dwarven captain who led the way walked into the throne hall.


    "Father."


    Brouver waved his hand: "Take the two Witcher masters to the guest rooms, and don''t neglect them."


    ...


    So Lynn and Geralt followed the dwarven captain Thor out of the throne hall.


    Carbon Mountain at night was even less popular than the town at the foot of the mountain.


    It was filled with a solemn atmosphere.


    In addition to the torches lit everywhere, the only people coming and going were patrol soldiers with heavy armor and cold expressions.


    "Master Witcher, didn''t you expect that the elder''s son would only be an ordinary guard captain?" Thor, who was leading the way, suddenly said this.


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other, and then Lynn said honestly: "I really didn''t expect that."


    Thor laughed.


    "Every elder can only be selected from the elders of the clan. And Mahakam''s tradition means that even if I am the elder''s son, I can only start as a captain, and I don''t get any preferential treatment."


    Lynn wasn''t sure if he had seen it wrong.


    Just now, he seemed to see a strange expression flash across Thor''s face.


    But it was very short, only a moment.


    However, Lynn knew very well in his heart.


    Even without taking cat potions, Witchers have better night vision than ordinary humans.


    He couldn''t have seen it wrong.


    However, he pretended not to see anything and said nothing.


    All the buildings on Carbon Mountain were made of stone. Except for the elder''s throne hall, the other buildings on the mountain had no flashy decorations.


    Thor left after taking the two to the guest room.


    Lynn and Geralt said good night to each other and entered their rooms.


    The furnishings in the guest room were very simple and plain.


    There were only some tables and chairs.


    And these were also made of stone.


    Lynn took off his clothes and lay on the cold stone bed.


    Maybe it was because he was in a high mountain area, but he actually felt a little cold.


    Fortunately, he found a few blankets in the closet. He pulled up one of them and put it on his body, and then he felt more comfortable.


    But after a few minutes, he opened his eyes again.


    When his stomach growled, he remembered that he hadn''t eaten anything all day except for breakfast when he left the village at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains.


    After a day of riding and it was already evening, the breakfast he ate had long been digested.


    "I don''t know if dwarves have the habit of eating supper."


    With this thought, Lynn put on his clothes again and walked out of the guest room.


    Then, he met Geralt in the corridor outside.


    When the two looked at each other, they both knew what the other was going to do.


    Geralt didn''t say anything else, just said "Let''s go."


    The two went together, met a team of patrolling dwarven soldiers, asked for directions to the cafeteria, and walked towards the cafeteria.


    Carbon Mountain at night was brightly lit, but silent.


    Except for the heavy sound of the patrolling dwarven soldiers'' iron boots stepping on the ground, there was no other sound.


    Although they were in a safe city, Lynn and Geralt were used to hiding their footsteps.


    Because of this, when they were about to turn a corner, they vaguely heard a faint conversation coming from the other side of the corner.


    "Why do Witchers come to Mahakam at this critical moment? Damn it, who said that Witchers are like endangered rare animals, and you can''t meet a few of them in a year?"


    "Shhh, keep your voice down, in case someone hears..."


    "Don''t worry, didn''t our patrol team just pass by? The next patrol team won''t pass here for at least twenty minutes."


    "Alas, to be honest, even without the Witcher, I don''t believe that that person''s plan will succeed... That person is going to challenge the most demanding elder in Mahakam''s history."


    "I know it''s difficult, but if we don''t try, we will never change."


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other.


    The two first hid their footsteps like they did when they came, and retreated quietly.


    After retreating for a while, the two walked towards the corner where they had just overheard the conversation.


    And this time, neither of them hid their footsteps.


    When they walked to the previous corner, they happened to meet two dwarven soldiers who looked like they were on a normal patrol.


    "Two Witcher masters, are you out so late for something?"


    One of the dwarven soldiers greeted them friendly.


    Lynn pursed his lips and said nothing.


    Then he and Geralt looked at each other, and without any words, they understood each other''s meaning.


    He and Geralt shot at the same time, each making a gesture of the Axii sign.


    Quickly controlled the two dwarven soldiers.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 35: I Have a Plan! A Big Plan!

    Chapter 35: I Have a Plan! A Big Plan!


    The Axii sign allows Witchers to influence the minds of others, charm and control them. Those affected will show obvious mental confusion, and after the sign ends, they will forget the memory of the time they were controlled.


    Lynn asked: "Is there anyone in Carbon Mountain who is dissatisfied with Elder Brouver?"


    The charmed dwarven soldier answered honestly: "Yes... yes."


    "Who are they?"


    "Many people."


    "Why are they dissatisfied?"


    "Because that old bastard Brouver not only plugs his ears and covers his eyes, but also wants everyone to do the same. He wants everyone to pretend that they can''t see the non-humans being massacred by humans outside the Mahakam Mountains, just like him."


    Lynn and Geralt exchanged glances.


    Then Lynn continued to ask: "Don''t you know that it is Elder Brouver''s excellent political skills that have allowed Mahakam to avoid falling into the same situation as Dol Blathanna or other elven city-states?"


    "Although Mahakam now nominally obeys Temeria, it still retains a high degree of autonomy."


    "There are no human garrisons in the mountains, and Temerians still have to exchange real gold and silver for things. Isn''t that enough?"


    The dwarven soldier charmed by the sign said dryly.


    "Of course it''s not enough. This continent originally belonged to our non-humans. We should drive humans back into the sea."


    "This slogan sounds familiar. I feel like I''ve heard it somewhere." Lynn looked around and said, "But I heard that before humans landed, it was the elves who occupied your land outside the mountains. It was the elves who drove you into the Mahakam Mountains with arrows."


    "Humans came to this continent and only seized the land of the elves. They did not fight with the dwarves. You two races should not have any deep blood feuds, right?"


    Neither of the two dwarven soldiers responded.


    Not because the sign was lifted, but because they themselves didn''t know how to answer.


    Obviously, they were also being led astray.


    So Lynn asked a new question.


    "So who is this ''that person'' you mentioned?"


    "I don''t know. My cousin told me these things. He said that I only need to know this, and knowing too much detail is not good."


    "What''s your cousin''s name, where does he live? What does he do?"


    When the dwarven soldier answered Lynn''s questions one by one, Lynn and Geralt lifted their control over them.


    "You and your companion just spaced out. Now, wake up."


    Lynn snapped his fingers in front of the two dwarven soldiers.


    The latter''s eyes immediately cleared.


    "Sorry, Master Witcher, I seem to have been distracted just now. What were you saying?"


    Lynn showed a very bright smile, as if nothing had really happened.


    "My companion and I are hungry and want to go to the cafeteria to find something to eat. Do you know which direction the cafeteria is in?"


    "Oh, the cafeteria is over there."


    One of the dwarven soldiers pointed Lynn in a direction.


    After saying thank you, Lynn and Geralt left.


    After watching the two Witchers leave, he couldn''t help but say strangely.


    "I seem to have been distracted just now? Is it because I''ve been too tired lately?"


    "Don''t stand still, let''s go. If we are found to be out of the team for too long, we will be whipped." His companion urged.


    ...


    "Lynn, I''m starting to wonder if you are the protagonist in a knight''s tale."


    When the two walked a long way and noticed that there was no one else around, Geralt spread his hands and said, "Otherwise, how could we go anywhere and something happens?"


    Lynn said helplessly: "Geralt, don''t joke about me. This joke is not funny."


    Lynn had no impression of the conspiracy in Mahakam.


    Of course, this was also because his understanding of this world was mainly from Geralt''s perspective.


    But, although Geralt was the protagonist of the "story", this didn''t mean that the world revolved around Geralt.


    In the land beyond his reach, the world would of course continue to operate.


    However, based on Lynn''s impression that Elder Brouver had always been in power in Mahakam, the conspiracy in Mahakam should have been resolved by Brouver in the end.


    Geralt saw Lynn thinking and asked.


    "What are you thinking, Lynn?"


    "I''m thinking, maybe we don''t have to look for that dwarven soldier''s cousin. We can just go see Brouver tomorrow and tell the elders about this."


    Lynn glanced at Geralt, and before the other person could speak, he immediately added.


    "I know that Witchers should remain neutral, so I didn''t intend to get involved in the investigation myself."


    "Geralt, to be honest, sometimes these old-fashioned rules should be swept into the museum along with the past history."


    "You have also seen that Elder Brouver is quite nice and polite to us. In this regard, he is much stronger than some anthropomorphic Northern Kings."


    "But if another more traditional elder comes to power, it''s hard to say. Maybe they won''t even let us out of Mahakam."


    "So, I think even if we don''t get involved, we should at least give Elder Brouver a reminder."


    In fact, Lynn had another reason that he didn''t say.


    Since Istrad could do business with Mahakam, why couldn''t he?


    When needed in the future, he could use this favor to play a role.


    After all, Lynn didn''t intend to always be a Witcher who "exchanges a Drowner head for half a crown."


    He had even greater dreams.


    He had a plan! A big plan!


    Geralt was not a pedantic person.


    The reason why he was always reluctant to get involved in these things was not because he was cowardly or submissive.


    It was because he had been educated like this since he was a child.


    So he was used to thinking according to this inertia.


    But when Lynn offered better and more reasonable advice, Geralt did not reprimand Lynn, but agreed with Lynn''s point of view after carefully considering the pros and cons.


    After that, the two went to the cafeteria, ate and drank, and went back to the guest room to sleep.


    ...


    Lynn was woken up by a fight.


    The moment he woke up, his first reaction was to touch the steel sword placed by the bed.


    And when he saw the situation in the room clearly, the muscles that were tense all over his body relaxed.


    No one broke in.


    He put down the steel sword, got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.


    He saw that just a few meters away, two shirtless dwarven strongmen were waving weapons and fighting each other.


    There was also a group of dwarves cheering and applauding.


    The sound was coming from there.


    Lynn''s mouth twitched.


    Damn it!


    He didn''t know what these dwarves were thinking.


    They actually built the training ground next to the guest room.


    No wonder it was so noisy early in the morning.


    Lynn, who was woken up, was no longer sleepy.


    He simply put on his clothes and left the guest room.


    He walked out of the guest room and came to the training ground.


    "What''s going on?" he asked a dwarf at random.


    The dwarf put his hands on his chest and glanced at Lynn: "Did I disturb you, Master Witcher?"


    Lynn showed a kind smile.


    "No, I like to be woken up by noise. Otherwise, I might not be able to get up until noon..."


    "Otherwise, what do you think? I rode a horse all day yesterday, either going up or down the mountain. I didn''t get to bed until almost midnight, and I was woken up again after sleeping for a few hours."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 36: Sorry, You Fought Well

    Chapter 36: Sorry, You Fought Well


    The dwarf scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.


    "Mahakam doesn''t often have visitors, so the guest rooms are basically empty all year round. We didn''t think carefully and forgot that there were distinguished guests staying there."


    Lynn waved his hand: "Forget it, I''ve been woken up anyway. So, what are they doing?"


    "As you can see, they are solving problems with their fists," the dwarf grinned and said, "We dwarves are not like elves, who don''t talk about those fancy things, nor are we like humans, who don''t have so many tricks."


    As he spoke, he waved his fists a few times in the air.


    "When we dwarves encounter problems, we like to solve them with our fists. Whoever has the bigger fist, we listen to them."


    Lynn smiled slightly: "Then you must get along very well with the Skelligers. They also like to solve problems by fighting."


    The dwarf scratched his cheek.


    "I''ve heard about that too, but it''s hard to see Skelligers on the mainland. Few captains in Novigrad are willing to go to the Skellige Islands. At least when I went to Novigrad, I didn''t meet a captain with such courage."


    Although Mahakam was conservative and xenophobic, not all dwarves had never gone out to see the outside world in their lives.


    Every dwarf could leave Mahakam after his fiftieth birthday and experience a year in human society.


    However, if he didn''t return after a year, he would be permanently removed from the clan register.


    And Yarpen and other dwarves who stayed at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains were unwilling to go up the mountain because they didn''t return within the agreed time.


    They were just afraid of causing unnecessary trouble.


    "Alas, let''s not talk about these old things. Master Witcher, how about showing us your skills?"


    The dwarf looked at Lynn with curiosity and expectation.


    Lynn originally intended to refuse, but then changed his mind.


    "Okay, why not?"


    "Okay, then you wait here."


    The dwarf ran out in a puff of smoke, stood in front of the crowd, and waved his hands non-stop.


    "Everyone stop! Stop! Listen to me first!"


    He pointed to Lynn, who was still standing in the crowd: "This master Witcher who has come from afar wants to see our skills. Who wants to be his opponent?"


    One of the two dwarves who were still fighting in the field stopped when he heard this.


    The other one didn''t talk about martial ethics and took the opportunity to hit the latter''s face hard with the hammer handle.


    The latter was knocked to the ground by his blow.


    "The fight is not over yet, Wakanda. We dwarves don''t talk about human chivalry."


    The knocked-down dwarf was covered in blood.


    But unexpectedly, he didn''t get up and curse.


    Instead, he dropped his weapon and left.


    The winning dwarf patted his chest: "Master Witcher, I, Regan, will be your opponent."


    "Okay."


    Lynn said, and then held his steel sword and prepared to step forward.


    But he was stopped by the dwarves.


    "Hey, Master Witcher, we are just having a competition, not a death match. Real weapons can easily cause accidents. Let''s use blunt training equipment."


    "Master Witcher, are you good at using swords, axes, or hammers? We''ll get them for you."


    So Lynn said politely:


    "Then please get me a hand-and-a-half sword."


    The weapon Lynn wanted was quickly brought over by other dwarves.


    He took the training sword.


    He twirled it a few times.


    He nodded.


    This sword was okay.


    Although it wasn''t 100% handy.


    But after all, this was a hasty matter. How could he find the perfect weapon?


    What''s more, this was just a competition, not a life-and-death fight.


    It was enough.


    So he stepped onto the field and faced the dwarf named Regan.


    After a moment of confrontation, Regan let out an astonishing roar, stepped forward, and swung his war hammer at Lynn.


    He didn''t hold back at all.


    Even the air was torn apart with a sharp whistling sound.


    Although this was just a competition, not a life-and-death fight.


    But if he was hit by this blow, he would probably have to lie in bed for a long time.


    The onlookers all let out a cry of surprise.


    They didn''t expect Regan to make such a heavy move as soon as he came up.


    However, this fierce attack appeared extremely clear in Lynn''s eyes.


    Even without drinking the Blizzard potion, the mutations brought by the Trial of the Grasses and the "Full Enhancement" feat enhanced his reaction speed.


    Therefore, in Lynn''s view, Regan''s attack was fierce, but it was also full of flaws.


    So he calmly dodged the opponent''s attack.


    And hit Regan''s chest with the hilt of his sword.


    Puchi!


    A dull thumping sound rang out.


    Regan was struck by lightning.


    He dropped his weapon, knelt on the ground, and couldn''t stand up for a long time.


    The onlookers all let out a cry of surprise.


    The way they looked at Lynn also had a bit of awe.


    Although they also realized that a Witcher who was a monster killer couldn''t be incompetent.


    But they were still shocked that Lynn could defeat their companion so easily.


    Lynn put away his training sword.


    He walked over and pulled Regan up from the ground.


    "You fought well."


    "Cough cough, as expected of Master Witcher, thank you for showing mercy."


    Regan, who had recovered, patted the dirt on his body.


    There was no trace of jealousy on his face. Instead, he expressed his sincere respect to Lynn before walking away.


    The dwarf who spoke to Lynn first was very excited when he saw this scene, as if he had won the victory.


    "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge Master Witcher?"


    The dwarves who were watching looked at me, I looked at you, and no one moved.


    "Let me try."


    Until a dwarf with his beard braided into two braids squeezed out of the crowd and stepped forward.


    He picked up a blunt axe and spat into his palm: "Let me learn some of Master Witcher''s skills."


    There was a buzz in the crowd.


    "It''s Muradin. This is going to be a good show."


    "Do you know him? How come I''ve never heard of his name?"


    "Of course you haven''t heard of him, because he just finished his experience in human society and just returned to Mahakam not long ago. On his way down the mountain, he once encountered a dozen robbers. He killed them all by himself."


    "Damn! So fierce?"


    Hearing the exclamations coming from the crowd, Muradin was very pleased.


    He had just returned to Mahakam, and the clan had not yet assigned him a job.


    If he could defeat the Witcher and make his name known.


    The clan might let him start as a guard captain.


    That''s why Muradin wanted to challenge Lynn.


    Of course.


    If he lost, there was nothing to be ashamed of.


    After all, he lost to a Witcher.


    Dwarves respected the strong and didn''t think it was a disgrace to lose to the strong.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 37: With Three Sentences, I Got the Elders to Do This for Me

    Chapter 37: With Three Sentences, I Got the Elders to Do This for Me


    Muradin was stronger than Regan.


    Lynn quickly realized this after fighting him.


    But he was only a little stronger than Regan.


    He was far less powerful than the elven commander Coenich he had encountered before.


    No wonder, that elven commander had honed his martial arts to the master level. If Muradin had such strength, he would definitely not have the leisure to fight here.


    Therefore, Muradin only managed to hold on for a few more rounds under Lynn''s hands, and then he was defeated.


    "I lost."


    If you were not as skilled as others, there was nothing to say.


    Muradin admitted it generously.


    None of the surrounding dwarves looked down on Muradin because of this, but their eyes looking at Lynn became more eager.


    After Lynn defeated two dwarves in a row, although the atmosphere was gradually pushed to a climax, no one was willing to come down.


    Although the dwarves were forthright, they didn''t have so many twists and turns.


    But no one was willing to fight a losing battle, even the dwarves.


    When they realized that Lynn''s strength was very strong, at least they thought they were no match for Lynn, no one was willing to come down again.


    At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded like thunder.


    "What are you all doing here?!"


    Thor led a few dwarven guards, forced his way through the crowd, and walked in.


    The lively and noisy atmosphere just now instantly dropped to freezing point.


    The surrounding dwarves looked at Thor, who appeared with the guards, as if a mouse had seen a cat.


    Thor looked around and found that Lynn was also among them, so he asked in a slightly softer tone: "What''s going on? Master Witcher, what happened here?"


    A dwarf tried to argue: "Captain Thor, we..."


    But before he could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Thor.


    "Shut up! No one is asking you. I''m talking to Master Witcher!"


    "You guys don''t know what''s going on! Master Witcher is a guest invited by the elders to handle the case. If you interfere with Master Witcher''s handling of the case, you are offending the elders!"


    "You know what the consequences of offending the elders are."


    The dwarf who had just tried to argue immediately shut his mouth.


    The dwarves around him were also frightened and turned pale.


    Whipping, imprisonment... these punishments were trivial matters.


    What they feared most was exile.


    The dwarves who were willing to return to Mahakam after their experience wanted to stay on the mountain for one reason or another.


    If they were exiled, it would be no different from death for them.


    Therefore, the dwarves all looked at Lynn with worry and anxiety.


    It was no exaggeration to say that their fate was in Lynn''s hands.


    "There''s no need to be so aggressive, Captain Thor," Lynn smiled and spread his hands, "I''m just asking my newly acquainted dwarven friends for some martial arts advice."


    With the Witcher taking the initiative to help cover up, the dwarves around them finally relaxed.


    They all echoed.


    "That''s right."


    "Actually, the master is too polite. We have nothing to teach the master. On the contrary, the master gave us a good lesson."


    Thor glanced at Lynn suspiciously.


    But in the end he didn''t say anything.


    He nodded.


    "If that''s the case, okay, then this time I''ll let it go."


    "Also, master, the elders asked you and the other master to have a good rest today, and talk to you about the commission tomorrow."


    Lynn coughed.


    "In fact, I have something very important to tell the elders. Please report it to them."


    Half an hour later.


    It was still in the magnificent throne hall.


    "Master Witcher, I heard that you want to see me. Have you found anything before I told you the content of the commission? Well, you are indeed a famous monster killer!"


    Brouver''s hearty laughter echoed in the empty hall.


    But Lynn shook his head and said regretfully.


    "No, Elder, I''m sorry for causing you misunderstanding. In fact, I came here not for the commission, but for other reasons."


    "Other reasons?" A look of doubt flashed across the elder''s face.


    Lynn nodded: "Before this, please ask everyone to leave. This matter is very important and needs to be kept secret."


    However, Brouver hesitated.


    His thick and sturdy palm was placed on the armrest of the throne, tapping lightly.


    Then, he said something that seemed irrelevant and confusing.


    "Master Witcher, I''ve heard some bad rumors about you. In the rumors, you not only hunt monsters, but also take on assassination jobs."


    "Tell me, young Master Witcher, is there such a thing?"


    Lynn immediately and keenly sensed what Brouver meant by saying this.


    He also noticed that the temperature in the throne hall was rapidly dropping.


    Indeed, even if Brouver Hoog was a brave warrior, he was also the ruler of Mahakam.


    Who would be willing to face a swordsman with a weapon alone?


    Having figured this out, Lynn continued to say calmly: "The rumors are true, but Elder, the rumors are missing very important information, which is enough to mislead people."


    Brouver asked: "What information?"


    Lynn slowly told a story.


    "About three centuries ago, the legendary sorcerer Cosimo and his apprentice Alzur jointly created the Witcher Order."


    "Their idea at the time was that Witchers should help humans eliminate monsters based on chivalry."


    "And the Witcher Order at that time did indeed do this."


    "It was only about half a century later that the Witcher Order split, and then gave birth to several independent Witcher schools."


    "Only the Griffin School inherited the Order''s concept of advocating chivalry."


    "Although the Bear School is indifferent, it only does things for money and does not take on assassination jobs."


    "Our Wolf School is between the Griffin School and the Bear School. Although most of the time we do the work of taking money from people and eliminating disasters for them, we have also done a lot of losing money business."


    "And the only Witchers who engage in assassination work are the Cat School and the Viper School."


    Lynn paused and continued.


    "Besides, Elder, you, who are wise, must have guessed that this is my first time in Mahakam. I have never had any contact with Mahakam before."


    "As noble as you are, it is impossible to have enemies outside Mahakam. And Mahakam has been closed and conservative all year round. Even the forces inside Mahakam have no chance to leave Mahakam, let alone go outside to find a Witcher. What do you think?"


    Brouver hesitated for a while and said.


    "Sorry, master, it''s my paranoia. Please don''t take it to heart... You, all step down."


    The well-equipped dwarven royal guards in the throne hall bowed and then stepped out.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 38: Quickly Take Out That Sharp and Peerless Sword

    Chapter 38: Quickly Take Out That Sharp and Peerless Sword


    When only Lynn and Brouver were left in the empty throne hall, Brouver said: "Now, you can speak, Master Witcher."


    Lynn first used his Witcher senses to explore the surroundings.


    He nodded only after confirming that no one else was nearby.


    Then he told Brouver what he had overheard last night about a force within Mahakam trying to rebel against Brouver.


    Of course, in order to avoid Brouver''s resentment, Lynn concealed the fact that he and Geralt had used the Axii sign.


    Instead, he changed the information obtained by using the sign to hypnotize them to what he had overheard.


    "Well, so that''s what happened."


    As Lynn expected, Brouver knew that there were people in Mahakam who opposed him.


    The elder did not react with any surprise.


    His previous look of vigilance had eased a lot.


    "Master Witcher, thank you for your frankness. However, I already know about this, so you don''t have to worry about it. You just need to complete the commission I prepared for you."


    Seeing Brouver''s confident look, Lynn stopped talking about it.


    Although this was not enough to sell a favor to the elder, bringing the words was at least enough to prove that he was a friend of Mahakam, not an enemy.


    This also achieved his goal.


    "I understand, but Elder, since we''re talking about the commission, why don''t we talk about what you want us to do now?"


    Lynn spread his hands: "Anyway, I''m here, so there''s no harm in listening."


    Brouver nodded.


    "Okay, Master Witcher, if you insist..."


    He cleared his throat and began to tell the story.


    "About a month ago, miners discovered an abandoned mine in the mountains."


    "Although I don''t know why it was abandoned, these miners discovered that the abandoned mine was full of orichalcum ore."


    Orichalcum?


    Lynn nodded slightly.


    No wonder.


    Hearing this, he could probably guess what would happen next.


    "So, even though you felt something was wrong, you still ordered the miners to enter the abandoned mine to work."


    Brouver did not avoid it, but admitted it generously.


    "Yes, although Mahakam has many mines, no one will think there are not enough mines, and neither do dwarves."


    "Especially orichalcum, which is a metal that is much harder than ordinary steel. Weapons forged from orichalcum can be used for at least several centuries."


    "Even if it wasn''t me, anyone else who became the elder would make the same decision as me."


    "I originally planned to implement a rotation system for the miners to ensure that each miner would not stay inside for too long. But I didn''t expect that every miner who went in would suddenly start to get sick, with red rashes and blisters all over their bodies."


    "So I ordered the miners to withdraw and closed the abandoned mine again."


    After a pause, Brouver looked at Lynn expectantly: "The things in that mine are the purpose of my invitation to you. Master Witcher, can you solve it?"


    Lynn supported his right elbow with his left hand, clenched his right hand into a fist, and gently tapped his cheek with his fist, pretending to be thinking.


    "Monsters that make people sick usually refer to plague maidens."


    "But plague maidens usually appear with plagues," thinking of this, Lynn asked, "Elder, has Mahakam ever had a large-scale plague?"


    Brouver thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, at least since I took office, Mahakam has not had a large plague."


    "That''s strange."


    Brouver''s answer did not match the knowledge recorded in the books of Kaer Morhen.


    The ancestors of the Wolf School could not lie.


    Then the truth was only...


    Seeing Lynn''s solemn expression, Brouver''s heart sank.


    "Master Witcher, is this monster called a plague maiden difficult to deal with?"


    Lynn nodded.


    "As long as it''s an evil spirit, it''s not easy to deal with. It''s difficult to deal with on the one hand, and on the other hand, to truly kill them, unlike killing ordinary monsters, where you only need to destroy their bodies."


    In fact, there was one more thing Lynn didn''t say.


    A mine that could produce very precious orichalcum ore but was still abandoned, and a plague evil spirit in the mine that made people sick...


    All of the above was enough to prove that Mahakam must have had a plague before.


    He didn''t know if Brouver was not telling the truth or if he really didn''t know.


    "Elder, where are those sick miners? I want to see their condition first and then decide whether to take this commission."


    Although Witchers make a living by hunting monsters.


    But they can also refuse commissions that are too dangerous.


    For example, a few years ago, when King Foltest''s daughter needed a Witcher to help lift the curse of the Striga...


    Before Geralt, several Witchers had actually been to Vizima.


    But because they thought that the king''s request not to kill the Striga, but only to lift the curse, was too harsh, this job was left for Geralt to do.


    The reason for those Witchers'' refusal was also very simple. No matter how good the money was, you had to have a life to spend it.


    Brouver expressed understanding.


    "Of course, I understand. But I want to say that my reward will definitely not disappoint you and your companion."


    "How about this, Master Witcher? In order to increase your enthusiasm for work, I can tell you in advance what kind of reward you will get if you complete my commission."


    "First of all, gold. I know that you Witchers sometimes ask for strange Laws of Surprise as rewards, but most of the time, you still ask for gold. After all, money can make the world go round."


    "So, I will give you four thousand shiny orens, and I can assure you that they are complete and have not been cut at the edges."


    In this world, some poor people will cut off a part of the edges of coins.


    On the one hand, these cut parts can also be used as money.


    On the other hand, the cut coins are paid to the Witchers as complete coins.


    There was no way, in this world, the situation of Witchers was not much better than that of non-humans.


    Being glared at and spat on was almost commonplace.


    Naturally, there would also be guys who thought they were smart and took advantage of the Witchers.


    However, with the personal guarantee of Elder Brouver, Lynn and Geralt would at least not have to worry about this on this commission.


    And the elder had not finished speaking.


    "In addition to gold, I will also generously give you two sharp swords that can cut iron like mud."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 39: Pain, So Much Pain

    Chapter 39: Pain, So Much Pain


    When the elder said "sword," a thought flashed into Lynn''s mind like lightning.


    He couldn''t help but gasp: "Could it be..."


    Brouver was very satisfied with the expression on Lynn''s face at this moment.


    As a dwarf, also an ancient race, he didn''t have the same prejudice against Witchers as humans did.


    On the contrary, Witchers, as monster killers, were generally respected by dwarves.


    Being able to make a Witcher react like this naturally greatly satisfied Brouver''s vanity.


    "That''s right. As everyone knows, whether in the south or the north, the most exquisite metallurgy and forging techniques come from the hands of dwarves and gnomes."


    "Not to mention, the only place in the known world that produces orichalcum is Mahakam."


    "The two masters probably don''t know that orichalcum is a metal that is much harder than ordinary steel. Any weapon that contains a little orichalcum is stronger and more durable than ordinary weapons."


    "And the sword made of pure orichalcum as a material and made by the gnome with the best forging skills is called Gwyhyr."


    "What I intend to give to the two of you is a Gwyhyr sword."


    Gwyhyr?


    Even Lynn couldn''t help but feel his heart tremble when he heard the name Gwyhyr.


    Only the sharpest gnome swords can be called Gwyhyr swords.


    Any standard sword called Gwyhyr can split a linen scarf thrown into the air, or easily split an old crab''s shell in half, without even sweating a drop.


    The "Zireael" used by Ciri, Geralt''s adopted daughter, the Lion Cub of Cintra, and the Daughter of the Elder Blood, in the future, was a Gwyhyr sword.


    Brouver was even more satisfied with Lynn''s reaction.


    He stroked his big beard and said somewhat proudly.


    "That''s right, Master Witcher. It seems you''ve also heard of the prestige of the Gwyhyr sword, which is very good. In the outside world, you''ll hear many blacksmiths or merchants mysteriously tell you that they have Gwyhyr swords in their hands."


    "But I can tell you very definitely that they are all liars, because very few Gwyhyr swords have ever left Mahakam."


    Anyone who makes a living by fighting can''t help but regard swords and armor as their second life.


    The value of a Gwyhyr sword cannot be measured by money. Even if you are rich, buying a Gwyhyr sword is more difficult than climbing to the sky.


    ...


    After saying goodbye to the elder and leaving the magnificent throne hall, Lynn went directly to find Geralt without any delay.


    And told Geralt the elder''s offer.


    Geralt''s eyelids twitched.


    "Four thousand orens, a Gwyhyr sword. It seems that our elder has really paid a lot this time."


    "But, then again, no matter how precious the Gwyhyr sword is in the outside world, this is Mahakam after all."


    "Comparing the income of restoring a mine with giving away a Gwyhyr sword, anyone would choose the former without hesitation."


    "So, did you agree?"


    To Geralt''s surprise, Lynn shook his head.


    "No, what I told Brouver was that I had to go see the sick miners first, and then make a decision after discussing it with my companion... Geralt, what''s with that expression on your face?"


    Lynn was able to resist the temptation of huge profits and not be blinded by them.


    This really surprised Geralt and made him proud of Lynn.


    In fact, during this journey, Geralt tried to let Lynn negotiate by himself as much as possible.


    It was also to make it easier to observe Lynn.


    A Witcher, walking in this world, not only needs to be good at fighting.


    Learning how to deal with people is also very important.


    Fortunately, so far, Lynn''s performance has far exceeded Geralt''s expectations.


    This also made Geralt decide that after this escort mission was over, he could let Lynn go alone with confidence.


    Since Lynn had already discussed it with Elder Brouver, Geralt couldn''t sit still.


    "Then we''ll split up. After breakfast, you go see the patients Brouver mentioned."


    "What about you?" Lynn asked.


    Geralt wiped his mouth with a napkin: "I''ll go to the abandoned mine to see if I can find anything."


    The two split up.


    Lynn found Thor and told him his intention.


    Thor readily assigned a dwarf to Lynn.


    Let him take Lynn to the quarantine area.


    After a while...


    "Master Witcher, this is where the sick miners are housed. I... I won''t go in. I''ll wait for you here."


    The dwarf who led Lynn said with a flattering smile.


    Lynn nodded understandingly.


    Judging from Brouver''s description, contact with the sick miners was likely to be contagious.


    It was understandable that others were afraid.


    As for Lynn himself.


    He was a Witcher, and like the sorceresses, he wouldn''t get sick.


    At this time, Lynn was standing in front of a temporary fence made of wood.


    This wooden fence, several meters high, separated the place where the sick miners lived from other areas.


    A circle of iron chains was wrapped around the door to the entrance and exit.


    After the dwarf who led the way unlocked the iron chains, Lynn walked through the door.


    The area behind the door was not large, with only a few stone buildings.


    He walked towards one of the stone houses.


    He hadn''t even gotten close yet, but he could already smell a strong, indescribable stench coming from the house.


    He frowned slightly, but still stepped forward, pushed open the door of the house, and walked in.


    The house was very dark.


    The windows were nailed with layers of thick wooden boards.


    There were no lights such as candles or torches.


    The sick miners lay on the ground like corpses.


    Their whole bodies were wrapped in bandages.


    When they saw someone pushing the door open and coming in, instead of pushing food in through the crack under the door, they all struggled excitedly.


    "Save us!"


    "I don''t want to die!"


    "Don''t leave us alone!"


    "Pain! So much pain!"


    "I''m not sick, hahaha, let me out, I''m not sick!"


    Many sick miners were too weak to even stand up.


    They could only crawl towards Lynn like maggots.


    To be honest, this scene was actually quite terrifying.


    Even though he knew that these dwarven miners wouldn''t actually hurt him, they just wanted to leave this hellish place.


    Seeing that the situation was gradually getting out of control, Lynn had no choice but to use the Axii sign to calm them down.


    Under the effect of the Axii sign, the miners finally calmed down and lay back down obediently.


    "Now, I have a few questions to ask you."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 40: Deep Underground

    Chapter 40: Deep Underground


    The questions Lynn wanted to ask were mainly how these miners discovered the abandoned mine and how they got sick. Did they see any monsters in the mine, or a woman with red rashes and blisters all over her body, with rats running around?


    Their answers were similar to what Brouver had told Lynn.


    They discovered the abandoned mine while opening up a new mine.


    Because they discovered the presence of orichalcum ore in the abandoned mine.


    Brouver ordered them to continue mining.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t last long, and some people started to get sick.


    But in the initial stage, it didn''t attract much attention.


    Until all the miners who entered the abandoned mine developed red rashes and blisters on their bodies.


    Brouver realized that something was wrong.


    It was at that time that they, the sick miners, were evacuated.


    And after several twists and turns, they were finally placed here.


    Brouver didn''t completely abandon them here.


    They were given three meals a day, and someone was sent to take care of them before.


    However, the people who took care of them soon developed the same symptoms.


    So, no one dared to enter here later.


    As for what would happen to them if the situation continued to deteriorate, they didn''t know.


    Some people speculated that they might be killed and their bodies burned.


    But some people would rather have it happen sooner than later, to end this living hell.


    After asking all the questions, Lynn gave them all a checkup.


    Soon, he discovered the problem.


    These sick miners, every dwarf, had the power of a curse left on their bodies.


    Ordinary people might not be able to sense it.


    But in the eyes of a Witcher, it was very obvious.


    He said to himself.


    "Sure enough, this is not an ordinary plague, it''s a curse."


    "Brouver was right to lock them up here."


    "If they weren''t quarantined, the entire Mahakam would be infected before long."


    "This is a curse, and even the most skilled apothecary can''t do anything about it."


    "It seems that to lift the curse on them, we can only eliminate the plague maiden in the abandoned mine."


    ...


    After coming out of the quarantine area.


    Lynn returned to the guest room.


    Geralt didn''t come back until evening.


    Unfortunately, Geralt found nothing.


    The abandoned mine had been sealed off and barricaded, and people were sent to guard it outside.


    Since he was told that the abandoned mine could only be entered and not exited, Geralt didn''t dare to enter rashly.


    However, he learned from the dwarven soldiers patrolling outside that.


    Those soldiers guarding the abandoned mine were not infected.


    This coincided with Lynn''s discovery.


    It also confirmed Lynn''s idea that "the disease is transmitted by a curse."


    It seemed that only by entering the cursed area of the abandoned mine would they be entangled by the curse.


    ...


    The next day.


    He and Geralt went to visit Brouver again.


    This time, the two finally gave a definite answer.


    "Elder, after careful consideration, we are willing to accept your commission."


    Brouver was naturally very happy.


    Mahakam had been closed to the outside world for many years.


    It was not easy for two Witchers to come to the mountain by accident. If they missed it, they didn''t know when the next Witcher would come to the mountain.


    "That''s great, Master Witcher. It''s really a wise choice. Don''t worry, I promise to fulfill the rewards I promised yesterday."


    "Of course we believe in the elder''s reputation, but this commission is different from the past. The monsters to be dealt with are also extraordinary. Our strength alone is not enough, so we need your support."


    Brouver was like a bucket of cold water poured on him.


    Although he also had a hunch that the monsters in the abandoned mine were not easy to deal with.


    But he didn''t expect that even the two Witchers would say so.


    So he agreed very readily: "Okay, masters, just say it."


    Geralt took out a list of the materials he had listed yesterday.


    Considering that the next battle would be a tough one, there was no room for sloppiness.


    Therefore, all the auxiliary means of the Witchers needed to be used.


    Such as sword oil, potions, and the most indispensable alchemy bombs.


    All of the above can greatly improve the combat effectiveness of Witchers.


    Unfortunately, because Witchers are generally poor, few Witchers can use these means in every hunt.


    After all, this mission was to do business for the public, so it was reasonable to ask the public to reimburse them.


    Perhaps Mahakam Mountain did not have all the materials Geralt needed, but they could gather as much as possible.


    Anyway, the plague spirit was trapped in the abandoned mine and couldn''t get out. They had plenty of time to prepare.


    ...


    While waiting for Brouver''s men to gather the materials needed to make sword oil, potions, and alchemy bombs, Istrad came to Carbon Mountain to find them.


    His caravan had finished everything in Mahakam.


    Now they were just waiting for the two of them.


    Knowing that they needed some time to deal with the plague spirit in the abandoned mine, Istrad said that he would wait for them in Mahakam.


    A few days later, the dwarves under Brouver finally brought the materials they needed.


    So in the following time, Lynn and Geralt began to prepare sword oil, potions, and alchemy bombs.


    After all this was done, Thor and a team of dwarven guards escorted them to the abandoned mine.


    Under the violent dismantling of the dwarven guards, the barricades and wooden boards used to seal the abandoned mine were quickly removed.


    A gust of cold wind suddenly blew out of the mine tunnel.


    The cold air was overflowing.


    Even the strongest dwarves couldn''t help but shiver.


    The dwarven guards all looked scared, and even Thor couldn''t help but say awkwardly.


    "The front is not a place we can go. We can only send you here."


    "Good luck, Master Witcher."


    ...


    The surface of the mine was uneven.


    Every other section of the road was hung with an empty torch.


    The road under their feet sloped gently downward at a not-so-steep angle.


    This was still a normal mine. It would take two hours to go deep into the mine along this mine to reach the abandoned mine.


    Lynn and Geralt walked along the mine for about ten minutes before entering a man-made cave.


    On the stone wall in front, several bottomless tunnels were lined up in a row.


    The two did not continue to move forward, but planned to take potions and apply sword oil in this cave to prepare for the next battle.


    After all, this was still a safe area.


    If they continued to move forward, it would be hard to say what they would encounter.


    As Witchers, they should always be on guard against possible dangers.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 41: A Lie

    Chapter 41: A Lie


    Since they already realized that the monster they would be killing was likely a plague spirit, Lynn and Geralt took away the ready-mixed specter oil and spread it on the silver sword blade with care and evenness.


    Having the sword oil appropriate for the monster on the sword could do more damage.


    This was also common sense for the witchers.


    Assuming the Witcher knew in advance what he was working with, he would then mix the corresponding sword oil and apply it to the sword.


    Naturally, if they were to do it improperly, not only would they fail to replicate the effect of the sword oil, but it would also activate opposite effects.


    The two began consuming potions after applying the sword oil.


    The abandoned mine was black as coal.


    So the Cat potion, one that would give Witchers vision in areas of darkness, was definitely a necessity.


    And then Petri''s Philter.


    Both Lynn and Geralt had given it the last time when they were fighting the grave hag.


    One that would enhance the signs.


    On spirit creatures like specters, signs and silver swords were on par with each other.


    Mainly the Yrden sign.


    The Yrden sign was almost miraculous for all specters.


    And then there was the Tawny Owl potion.


    Employed to speed up the healing of vitality and magic.


    With a couple of bottles of potions, Lynn''s face became colorless instantly, his blood vessels became apparent, and his veins were swelling.


    There was also a little stinging sensation coming from his body.


    This meant that the toxicity the potion had accumulated was at the upper limit even the Witcher''s body could barely tolerate.


    If he continued consuming potions, even a Witcher would not be safe.


    But Lynn observed Geralt and found the White Wolf''s symptoms were far less serious than his own. Apparently, to the other side, the toxicity of those potions had not reached the upper limit.


    And that was true indeed.


    Given the invisible dangers in the abandoned mine, even supposing there was a consideration to let Lynn gain some experience, the White Wolf still took an extra bottle of Wolf potion to improve his physical agility and a bottle of Thunderbolt potion to improve his muscular power in order to ensure security and fault tolerance.


    Finally, the two checked the alchemy bombs strapped around their waist.


    Just as they were about to continue, suddenly Lynn and Geralt both looked back in the direction of the mine they had come from.


    A carefully litened step was moving in that direction.


    Specters would not have steps.


    Lynn and Geralt looked at each other.


    So they did not draw out their swords, but just kept glaring at the mine they had just come from.


    A bit later, Thor produced a smoldering torch.


    When he looked at Lynn and Geralt''s repulsively ugly faces from the potion, he was frightened so much that he almost dropped the torch in his hand.


    "Master Witchers, what happened to your faces?"


    Lynn didn''t answer, but instead threw a question at him: "Thor, why are you here?"


    The one who came was Brouver''s son, the dwarven captain Thor who led them to this mine.


    Thor concluded dryly: "I have come to save the two masters."


    Lynn glared at Geralt.


    Geralt looked at Lynn.


    Finally, Lynn negotiated with Thor: "I don''t get it."


    "You don''t have to get it. You merely need to be aware that you can get five hundred orens for free without moving a single finger."


    In these words, Thor took out a money pouch and threw it at Lynn.


    But the latter did not catch it.


    He threw the money purse onto the ground, and the coins inside rang against each other, making a piercing sound.


    Sensing the atmosphere was not fit, Thor gulped and continued.


    "Listen, two masters, I myself have deep admiration for Witchers, so I dared to approach you to remind you that the beings inside are far more beyond your imagination."


    "Naturally, I am not insulting the two masters, but if you can be paid for not risking, why not take the risk?"


    Lynn stroked his chin with his fingers and continued, "Perhaps because the terms that the elder proposed are four thousand orens and an acutely sharpened Gwyhyr sword."


    "And what you proposed to me is barely five hundred."


    "Damn it," Thor was obviously a bit on edge, "For the sake of the plague, Master Witcher, the elder has tricked you. You will not be getting one coin."


    He spoke in a tone of temptation, like the devil, that echoed across the empty mine.


    "Want to know why? Because you will be dying here. As long as you die, the elder won''t be giving a single copper."


    Lynn spoke strangely: "Thor, I remember the elder is your father, isn''t he?"


    After a brief pause, Lynn''s next words surprised Thor to the point of almost staring his eyes out.


    "Why do you plot against the elder? Just because he did not welcome you with special care?"


    Thor''s eyes wandered around, and he did not even dare look into Lynn''s eyes.


    It was sure that this was an act of guilt.


    "I. I don''t understand what you''re saying?"


    Lynn didn''t intend to let him go, but instead belligerently asked: "No, you understand. Of course, you understand what I''m saying. You took the money to let us go, and that''s also conspiratorial, isn''t it?"


    Thor''s expression finally darkened: "I was going to talk to you nicely. Damn mutants, why can''t you just take the money and leave? Why must it be so humiliating!"


    "Finally lost the role of a good guy?" Lynn smiled. "Actually, even if you don''t tell me, I can probably deduce something."


    "Despite the fact that I don''t know why you want to overthrow your father, if the matter in the abandoned mine is not solved, it will destabilize the elder regime sooner or later, so you want to pay us to go away."


    "But Thor, you must be knowledgeable about professional ethics, shouldn''t you? You should have heard a saying as well, being loyal to your mission and meeting your trust."


    Thor seemed to take offense, his face flushed with anger.


    "Shut up! You slut! Don''t you understand who you''re speaking to?"


    "Consider what you''re saying¡ªprofessional standards, fidelity to your cause, remaining faithful to your trust?! Deserving?! I said it twice, take the money and leave me alone! I won''t say it a third time!"


    Faced with Thor''s threat, Lynn was unmoved.


    "Nobody behind your back will conspire against you, whoever it is, or if you are the mastermind, those conspiracies against Brouver will be unsuccessful."


    "If you leave right away, Thor, at least you''ll get to pack your luggage and escape Mahakam alive."


    Thor drew back a step and rapidly drew out the battle axe from his belt.


    "You asked for this, you scoundrel! I shall kill you and your companion. Your deceit will not serve you, for I possess a turtle stone!"


    Lynn grinned.


    Turtle stones were mythical.


    Just as dimeritium was the sorcerers'' nemesis, turtle stones were used to deal with Witchers, according to legend.


    As long as you possess a turtle stone, even the most ferocious mutants will not be against you.


    This is a lie!


    Dimeritium would actually prevent sorcerers and Witchers from casting spells.


    But the turtle stone was entirely a rumor.


    He had no idea why there were so many people who believed this awkward rumor.


    Lynn did not want to cast a sign on Thor.


    He did not plan on drawing his sword and battling Thor''s axe directly.


    He simply dodged the axe blade that was being swung at him and subsequently delivered an uppercut to the other person''s chin.


    [author]


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 Chapter 42: Its Actually a Message

    Chapter 42: It''s Actually a Message


    Geralt had been watching all this time, and it wasn''t until he saw Thor collapse onto the ground like a log that he finally stopped his silence.


    "You didn''t kill him, did you?"


    "Naturally, I tried to hold back," Lynn shrugged. "But after all, he''s Brouver''s son, and it would be most appropriate to hand him over to the elder."


    As he spoke, he pulled out a rope and tied Thor''s hands and feet behind his back.


    "Even though I don''t know why he would want to defy his father, now he can''t do anything. He just has to wait here for us to come back."


    Geralt also nodded, approving Lynn''s action.


    "The abandoned mine with the sick-making is deeper inside. The specter must be bound and cannot go outside of the abandoned mine far. Otherwise, the barricades and wooden boards at the entrance will not be able to contain it."


    Then he turned his head and noticed that Lynn had bound Thor.


    However, this way of tying up was not only complicated, but also had. how would he put it, Geralt even felt a sort of special beauty from it.


    At that moment, a bold idea even came to Geralt''s mind:


    He wanted to try if it would fit Yennefer.


    Provided he wouldn''t get beaten to death by Yennefer.


    Glancing into Geralt''s curious and fascinated eyes, Lynn clarified: "This is Kinbaku, people in my hometown who live well enjoy playing like this."


    The kinbaku?


    Geralt had not remembered any country of the Northern Kingdoms possessing such a game.


    But it didn''t matter, and he was not going to look into it.


    After they had managed this little incident, the two just kept walking, their feet trudging on the dark black tunnel for about an hour.


    The deeper they went, the less there were signs of manmade excavation.


    Finally.


    A dimly hollow cave stood in front of them.


    This cave was seemingly a resting camp for the miners.


    Everything in the camp was terribly decayed.


    But at the center of the camp, there was a strange purple light that glowed.


    Lynn came over to take a look and found the light to be a magic barrier in miniature size.


    There was a magic stone constantly supplying power for this magic barrier.


    Used to protect a few tattered sheepskin manuscripts from the ravages of time.


    "You read first, I''ll be on guard."


    Geralt unsheathed the silver sword in his back, turned the sword, and stood at Lynn''s side.


    Lynn nodded, pulled the manuscript off the magic barrier, and torchless, he read it immediately with the darkness vision afforded him by the Cat potion.


    "My name is Casti, head of the Healers Guild."


    "I left these manuscripts, praying to warn those to come."


    "If my comrades find these manuscripts, then study all the manuscripts carefully. I hope that my manuscripts will help you exterminate the ghost deep within the mine."


    "Otherwise, just make a dash, escape here, run as fast as you can."


    "November 6, 897, my members and I were given orders by Elder Otto to go to Mahakam. We intend to exterminate the great plague plaguing the hills of Mahakam."


    "November 10, 897, by investigation, I found that the cause of the great plague was not disease, but a mine that mined orichalcum ore. It may be a plague specter or something similar other presence. We can only destroy the great plague of Mahakam by solving it."


    "The pen-holding hand is shaking. Is that fright? Yes, after looking at the deplorable state of those plague-stricken dwarves, one cannot help but be afraid."


    "Or more precisely, more than death, I am more terrified of dying in such miserable state."


    "But even the youngest Elma did not falter. What could I, who am to lead, do?"


    "The Healers Guild is there to ''save as many people as possible.'' How do we ever cease to move forward?"


    "November 12, 897, take heed of the objects in the mine. I don''t know what it is, but it is most definitely not friendly to living folk."


    "Aberrants¡ªI so call them for the present."


    "After we killed one, my members and I studied the body."


    "It can be seen that this animal was a dwarf who worked in this mine before he died, but now, something horrific has changed him."


    "Before we killed him during the time when we were infecting him, most of his organs in his body were in bad shape, and he also had symptoms of hemorrhagic fever."


    "How did he survive up to now?"


    "November 14, 897, my members and I were all infected."


    "In theory, this shouldn''t have happened, because sorceresses don''t get sick."


    "But the thing is that we all bear symptoms such as hemorrhagic fever, just like the aberrants we killed."


    "We have to get out of here."


    "November 15, 897, I underestimated Elder Otto''s fear of the big plague, and I overestimated my place in his heart."


    "Since my people and I entered the mine, Elder Otto had the mine entrance closed off. No matter what I explained to them, they would not open the door."


    "---For to do so would be to open the door, and those cursed, idiot, obstinate dwarven guards didn''t know whether opening the door would gaze into the face of a sorceress, or a woman specter who used a sorceress''s voice to persuade them to open the door."


    "Requests, intimidation, threats. I have tried every option, but they refuse outright to open the door."


    "The reason for the great plague, the Crimson Plague Ghost, is tied to me and my members, as with those infected dwarf miners."


    "If the Crimson Plague Ghost tied to me hadn''t jammed my magic circuit, I could have blown open the door blocking the mine entrance with a mere flick of my finger."


    "My magic circuit is jammed, and I''m not even able to summon a small flame."


    "Wait, how did I learn the name Crimson Plague Ghost?"


    "November 897, what day is today? Or is December already here? I can''t remember."


    "Among my members, the youngest Elma committed suicide because she couldn''t take it anymore."


    "Then Andy and Randy were present. Their symptoms were becoming more and more similar to those whom we met when we first entered the mine."


    "In order not to hurt me, while they were still rational, they rushed into the deepest part of the mine and never came back."


    "Now I''m the only one left, only I''m trapped in the darkness."


    "I feel like all the strength in my body has been drained, and it''s like I''m on fire."


    "I''m starting to think that I won''t be able to get out."


    "November 897 (?), whoever finds this, remember, don''t stay more than a day in the mine, or you''ll be like me."


    "Wait, who am I?"


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 43: Here They Come

    Chapter 43: Here They Come


    Lynn flipped the manuscript to the last page.


    After confirming that there was no information on the back, he handed it to Geralt.


    While Geralt was flipping through the manuscript, Lynn took over the guard duty this time.


    A few minutes later, Geralt, who had finally finished reading all the manuscripts, frowned.


    "897? That was more than three hundred years ago."


    "No wonder Brouver didn''t know that Mahakam had a big plague before. It seems that it was Elder Otto, who was in office before Brouver, who destroyed all the relevant records."


    Lynn couldn''t help but sigh.


    The sorcerers in this world were very powerful.


    Alzur, Raffold... were all legendary sorcerers who could suppress a country with their own power.


    For example, when Prince Maribor and Prince Erland fought for the throne of Temeria, a protracted war broke out.


    This war spanned several generations and continued into the eleventh century.


    It brought endless pain to the people.


    Because this war was so long that it seemed to have no end, this war was also called the Endless War.


    Alzur tried to persuade Prince Erland to hand over the throne to the rightful heir, Prince Maribor.


    But Prince Erland refused, relying on his huge army.


    There was no way, Alzur had to summon a huge Glustyworp on the battlefield where the two armies fought a decisive battle, sweeping away Prince Erland''s army.


    Prince Erland had no choice but to surrender, and this protracted war finally came to an end.


    But at the same time, the sorcerers in this world were also very weak.


    Because the era of shining stars when Alzur and Raffold were active had passed.


    Now was the twilight era of Ragnarok.


    Even the most powerful sorcerers of this era could not touch the realm of Alzur back then.


    Who would have thought that dimeritium, which was like a turtle stone in front of Alzur, had become the nemesis of sorcerers.


    People always assumed that the times should be rolling forward.


    But the result was...


    Geralt folded the manuscript and carefully put it away.


    "According to the content of the manuscript, we only have one day at most in the abandoned mine. The ''disease'' that can infect sorceresses may also bypass our Witcher''s immune system."


    "Let''s go, let''s end this as soon as possible."


    ...


    There was a wooden door at the end of the camp.


    Lynn pushed open the wooden door.


    The door was not locked.


    It opened with just a light push.


    The empty darkness unfolded before their eyes.


    An even more bone-chilling cold wind blew out from the depths of the mine.


    Walking in the mine, Lynn couldn''t help but have an illusion.


    It was as if they were not walking in the mines of Mahakam, but in the esophagus of some huge monster.


    As they continued to go deeper into the mine, the traces of artificial excavation began to gradually decrease.


    The remaining traces were clearly left three centuries ago.


    Now it had become rotten under the erosion of the long river of time.


    However, there were screams and scratching sounds coming from behind a brick wall that was sealed.


    "Are there still living people?"


    Lynn used the Aard sign to blast open the sealed brick wall.


    Behind the collapsed wall, it was empty.


    Only a pile of bones remained.


    Many phenomena in the Witcher world could not be explained by science, and could not even be explained by magic.


    Geralt squatted on the ground and used his Witcher senses to check.


    He quickly came to a conclusion.


    "Bones, blood, dried mucus... must be the victims infected hundreds of years ago."


    "They were all sealed behind this wall. It seems that Brouver''s predecessor was much more hard-hearted than Brouver."


    Brouver at least just gathered the patients together for isolation.


    Brouver''s predecessor directly sealed the patients in the mine.


    "I hope they were already dead when they were abandoned here."


    Lynn hoped so.


    But the cruel reality before his eyes was:


    The wall was full of marks, undoubtedly scratched out by the patients'' fingernails.


    They were not dead when they were sealed here.


    And until they died, they wanted to escape.


    At this moment, a sharp and piercing cry suddenly came from the depths of the mine at the other end.


    "Gua... gu gu... woo..."


    In a burst of ambiguous strange cries, a deformed figure emerged from the direction of the mine at the other end.


    Before the two could see the figure clearly, the thing turned into a gust of wind and rushed towards the two of them.


    Lynn didn''t even think about it and raised his arm.


    The air waves spewed out by the Aard sign even stirred up the dust on the ground.


    As for the deformed figure that rushed over, it flew backwards at an extremely fast speed, hitting the wall of the mine and making a sound as if its bones were broken into a ball.


    Then Geralt appeared beside the figure like a ghost.


    A cold light flashed.


    The silver sword cut off the other person''s head.


    The thing stopped struggling.


    Lynn stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully looked at the true face of the attacker.


    "Not human, but a dwarf... Judging from the rotten clothes on him, he was a dwarven miner hundreds of years ago."


    "But the strange thing is that hundreds of years was enough for the body to turn into bones, but he was alive and kicking."


    Geralt put away the silver sword, took out a hunting knife, and skillfully cut open the attacker''s stomach.


    "Most of the organs have been severely damaged, and there are symptoms of hemorrhagic fever..."


    "This is probably what the manuscript said, the patient who attacked the Healers Guild."


    "It seems that as long as you are possessed by the Crimson Plague Ghost, you will become like this, neither human nor ghost. No wonder she told future generations that they must not stay in the mine for too long."


    The two continued to move deeper into the mine.


    This time they didn''t go far, and Lynn faintly heard a voice coming from the front.


    He and Geralt looked at each other, slowed down, and slowly approached.


    Then they found a busy figure in a slightly empty cave not far ahead.


    She was not a dwarf, but a human, petite and thin, wearing a blue doctor''s robe¡ªalthough the doctor''s robe had become tattered due to the long time.


    She turned her back to the two of them, muttering to herself.


    "Don''t call the leader yet, I have potions, suturing tools... I know I can do it..."


    On a table that had also rotted in front of her, lay the body of a dead aberrant.


    Perhaps because she was concentrating all her attention on the body of the aberrant, she didn''t notice the two people approaching from behind.


    Geralt looked at Lynn.


    He used his eyes to ask Lynn.


    Even a long-lived species could not survive for three centuries in an abandoned mine without food and water.


    As long as Lynn nodded, Geralt could cut off the head of this person or ghost with lightning speed.


    But Lynn shook his head gently.


    Then he took the initiative to expose himself.


    "Hello."


    The female doctor was startled.


    She turned around quickly.


    When she turned around, Lynn saw clearly that the upper half of her face was tightly wrapped with several layers of bandages.


    As for the skin exposed outside the bandages, it was obviously rotten.


    And in her throat, there was a scalpel deeply inserted.


    This was very similar to the ending of someone in the manuscript left by Casti.


    But contrary to this scary face, the female doctor''s voice sounded very gentle and soft.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 44: Well-Funded Battle in His Life

    Chapter 44: Well-Funded Battle in His Life


    "...Oh, you''re a patient. We only take care of patients with mild symptoms here. Patients with severe symptoms, please go find the leader..."


    Lynn glanced at the aberrant on the rotten wooden table.


    "What are you doing here? Are you... treating the corpse?"


    The female doctor shook her head quickly: "No, no! They are certainly not corpses, my goodness, how could you have such a terrible idea? I''m just helping them receive drug treatment to relieve their pain."


    Lynn nodded, and then asked softly: "Are you Elma?"


    Elma covered her mouth in surprise.


    "How do you know my name?"


    "Of course Casti told me."


    Elma asked confused: "You know the leader? Wait, why haven''t I ever heard the leader mention your name?"


    Lynn said calmly.


    "That''s because I knew Casti later. Let''s not talk about this, Elma, are there other people here besides you?"


    Elma said in a low voice.


    "The leader, Randy, and Andy are inside, responsible for helping seriously ill patients with surgery. You don''t know, there are too many seriously ill patients, and the leader and the others are too busy. I want to help, but I''m not capable enough..."


    Lynn comforted: "You have done a good job, Elma, don''t be too harsh on yourself."


    "Thank you, kind sir."


    "You''re welcome, it''s my pleasure. We should go, Elma. We have something to find Casti, something very, very important."


    Elma nodded sensibly.


    She turned around and turned her back to Lynn again.


    At this moment, the silver sword smeared with specter oil pierced Elma''s heart.


    "Rest in peace, Elma."


    Looking at Elma''s body falling to the ground, Lynn snapped his fingers.


    Watching the female doctor''s body burn in front of him.


    "I was wondering when you would realize she wasn''t the real Elma."


    Geralt said beside him.


    "In the books of Kaer Morhen, there is mention of this situation. She is a very special and rare ''specter''. Compared with the real specter, she is too kind and weak. But even so, she should not continue to live in this world."


    Lynn sighed: "Letting her go is the best choice."


    Next, after confirming that there was no danger around, Lynn and Geralt began to prepare for the final battle.


    The two first confirmed how much effect was left of the potions they had taken before.


    And then drank more potions as needed.


    Next, they checked the alchemy bombs tied around their waists to make sure they were in a position where they could be touched and thrown at any time.


    After doing all this, Lynn strode forward.


    "Let''s go, let''s end this."


    ...


    The cave at the deepest part of the mine had been transformed into a temporary field hospital.


    A large number of aberrants lay on wooden planks used as stretchers, like wounded soldiers.


    Of course, these wooden planks had long since rotted away due to the passage of time.


    In the very center of the cave was a wooden table used as an operating table.


    There was also an aberrant lying on the operating table.


    Around it stood three figures wearing tattered blue doctor''s robes.


    "The purpose of surgery is to relieve pain, an extension of mercy. When I touch the correct nerve, let''s see how the patient reacts."


    Casti, the leader of the Healers Guild, had a withered face, as wrinkled as an apple without water, and only endless emptiness and darkness remained in his eyes.


    "Listen to its comfortable murmur, listen to the melody of mercy itself."


    "Pray, Andy, show us the limits of your good deeds."


    Andy, who was called Andy, with bandages wrapped around his face and wrapped like a mummy, slowly picked up the scalpel and carefully cut a bloody wound on the aberrant''s stomach.


    "Stop, steady your hands, it should be gentle but not heavy, we can''t hear the patient''s soothing sigh."


    "Maybe this unexpected listener is making you tremble."


    Along with Casti''s voice.


    All three figures turned to look at the entrance of the cave.


    Lynn and Geralt, holding silver swords, were walking in from the entrance of the cave.


    Casti invited: "Come on, take a step forward, welcome to join us. I can tell that you two are here for treatment."


    Although they had never met before, Lynn recognized the identities of the three from their distinctly different clothes: "Casti?"


    "That''s me, you know me? But I don''t have any impression of you, but it doesn''t matter."


    Casti tilted his head in confusion, but then tried to squeeze out a "gentle" smile.


    "I can tell you''re in pain. We don''t want to see you suffer like this. Come on, you and your companion, lie down on the operating table and let us heal you."


    Lynn shook his head.


    "Casti, we are here to fulfill your unfulfilled wish."


    "You... and you are all dead. Now, you should rest in peace."


    This sentence was like a signal.


    Geralt, who was standing beside Lynn, flicked his left hand.


    The honeycomb bomb drew a beautiful arc and flew accurately towards Casti and the other three.


    And exploded in the air, turning into countless fragments, like a storm, turning Casti and the other three, including the aberrant on the stone platform, into sieves.


    Andy and Randy fell down without even making a sound.


    But Casti, who was full of fragments, could still stand.


    And let out a banshee-like howl.


    The terrifying sound waves carried a visible wave, forming a gully on the ground all the way, approaching the two of them.


    Lynn and Geralt jumped to both sides respectively.


    Dodging the sonic attack.


    And this sound wave was like a horn to gather companions. The aberrants lying on the rotten wooden planks all sat up in shock, rushing towards the two like a tide.


    Lynn advanced instead of retreating.


    Like an icefield wolf, Lynn rushed towards the aberrants, dodging the attack of the foremost aberrant, and at the same time, the silver sword drew a silver light in the darkness.


    The blade cut open the patient''s stomach, and the dark red blood, which was already as sticky as slime, fell in a mess.


    Lynn took out a hunting knife with his left hand and threw it forward.


    A scream sounded.


    The hunting knife easily hit another aberrant''s forehead and sank deep into the handle.


    But more aberrants emerged from all directions.


    Screaming and surrounding the Witcher from all directions.


    Lynn formed the Yrden sign and slapped it on the ground.


    The purple light rose from the ground. All the aberrants who entered the Yrden trap became slow.


    As if entering a swamp.


    Taking this opportunity, Lynn made a forward lunge.


    His wrist turned, and the cold-glowing blade slashed out horizontally, cutting open the chest and abdomen of the three aberrants who stepped into the Yrden trap at the same time.


    Then he jumped back, and the silver sword picked up, splitting open the chin of the aberrant approaching from the other direction.


    But more and more aberrants surrounded him from all directions.


    Killing one, two more emerged.


    Like a tide, it seemed that they could never be killed.


    ...


    Lynn and Geralt fought and retreated.


    Gradually retreated back to the mine they came in.


    Although the two seemed to be forced to retreat step by step by the aberrants, in front of the two master swordsman Witchers, the aberrants had to drop several bodies every time they took a step forward.


    Cold light shone, sword shadows danced, and flesh and blood flew.


    And when the two retreated back to the mine, the narrow mine also greatly limited the numerical advantage of the aberrants.


    This allowed Lynn and Geralt to only face no more than four aberrants at a time, greatly reducing the pressure.


    Geralt slashed open the stomachs of two aberrants with one sword, and took advantage of this gap to place an Yrden sign on the ground.


    Then Lynn followed up with an Aard sign, knocking back all the aberrants that rushed up.


    Geralt shouted: "Now!"


    Lynn heard the words.


    He took out a Dragon''s Dream bomb from his waist and threw it out without hesitation.


    The Dragon''s Dream fell into the rushing aberrants and did not react.


    At this time, Lynn snapped his fingers.


    The Igni sign ignited the fuse of the Dragon''s Dream.


    The next second, the violently exploding flames engulfed the rushing aberrants.


    This killed at least a dozen aberrants.


    Unlike the honeycomb bomb, which is similar to a fragmentation grenade, the Dragon''s Dream bomb releases flammable gas, which will burn violently when exposed to fire.


    Alchemy bombs are very effective against both humans and monsters.


    But Witchers rarely use alchemy bombs.


    Because they are too expensive.


    Using alchemy bombs in battle is not spending money, but burning money.


    Many times, the rewards that Witchers get may not even be enough to repair silver swords and armor.


    Let alone using alchemy bombs.


    But it''s different now.


    Because all the alchemy bombs, including the materials for sword oil and potions, are provided free of charge by Elder Brouver.


    Bombs can be used casually without feeling bad.


    Therefore, even Geralt, who has been drifting for half his life, has never fought such a well-funded battle.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 45: Good Chance

    Chapter 45: Good Chance


    Just as the flames caused by the Dragon''s Dream bomb Lynn threw were about to die down, Geralt also threw a Dancing Star bomb.


    Compared to the previous two alchemy bombs, the Dancing Star bomb was just a simple incendiary bomb.


    The flames released by the Dancing Star bomb, when they came into contact with the residual gas released by the Dragon''s Dream bomb, immediately ignited a raging fire again.


    The entire area within sight was filled with flames.


    The effect was surprisingly good.


    The swarming aberrants were all set on fire and howled in the sea of fire.


    They tried to put out the flames on their bodies.


    But it was useless.


    Because they brought more than just these few alchemy bombs.


    When Lynn and Geralt threw almost twenty or thirty alchemy bombs into it in one breath, they finally stopped.


    And at this time, not only the entrance, but even the cave inside was completely filled with the spreading sea of fire.


    Even the two Witchers had to retreat a few meters again to avoid being accidentally injured.


    After a long time, the flames burning in the cave gradually subsided.


    The two walked into the cave.


    All the aberrants turned into charred corpses without any life.


    Was it over?


    Just as this thought popped up in Lynn''s mind, the Wolf School Witcher medallion hanging around his neck suddenly vibrated violently.


    "Lynn, be careful!"


    Geralt beside him issued a loud warning.


    From the countless charred corpses on the ground, a large amount of red smoke suddenly began to emerge.


    These red smokes gathered in the air, gradually condensing into the shape of a thin and long ghost, and suddenly attacked Lynn.


    Quen sign!


    Bright orange light lit up around Lynn''s body.


    The red smoke hit the Quen shield, making a solid heavy sound.


    Lynn felt that the magic power in his body was suddenly consumed.


    If he hadn''t upgraded the sign skill to master level, even the Quen shield in the continuous output of magic power state would not be able to stop the invasion of the red mist.


    At this moment, a silver light lit up from behind the red smoke.


    The silver sword seemed to cut through the air, passing through the red mist.


    But a horrified scream came from the red mist.


    The red smoke dissipated in front of Lynn.


    But the next moment, it reorganized its body in front of Geralt.


    The huge and sharp claws turned into black shadows, covering Geralt''s back.


    Clang!


    Putting away the Quen sign and rushing to Geralt''s side, Lynn used his silver sword to block the falling claws. The collision between the two made a violent explosion.


    But the power from the silver sword was stronger than expected.


    Lynn was forced to kneel on one knee on the ground.


    But even so.


    Lynn still felt that the force pressing on the silver sword was still increasing.


    However, Lynn had no intention of competing with the Crimson Plague Ghost for strength.


    When the Crimson Plague Ghost continued to exert pressure, trying to overwhelm Lynn, Lynn''s body suddenly flashed from the left side and withdrew from the competition.


    The Crimson Plague Ghost did not expect Lynn to react like this. It was too late to withdraw its strength at this time.


    The body leaned forward out of inertia.


    And Lynn used the rotation of his body to drive the blade and heavily cut on the back of the Crimson Plague Ghost.


    Like Geralt''s sword cutting through the air, Lynn felt the same way.


    But the blood-red mist splashed like blood.


    After a successful blow, Lynn did not pursue, but quickly jumped back, dodging the Crimson Plague Ghost''s angry backhand.


    The purple light lit up from the ground. The Yrden sign cast by Geralt bound the Crimson Plague Ghost in place and forced it to reveal its original shape.


    "Good chance!"


    Lynn''s pupils shrank sharply.


    He took out the Blizzard potion from his alchemy bag and drank it all.


    Then he launched a surprise attack on the Crimson Plague Ghost bound by the Yrden sign at the fastest speed.


    The Blizzard potion he drank quickly took effect, stimulating the nervous system, allowing Lynn to temporarily enter a super-sensory state like bullet time, and then superimposed the effect of the "Comprehensive Enhancement" expertise. As a result, others could only attack once in a round, while Lynn could attack two to three times.


    Moreover, due to the Yrden trap, the silver sword that cut into the Crimson Plague Ghost''s body this time no longer had the light and fluttering feeling of cutting through the air.


    The crimson bones were broken by Lynn''s slash, and then turned into more fine slag.


    The specter oil smeared on the silver sword made the Crimson Plague Ghost''s wound black and slowly corroded the Crimson Plague Ghost''s spirit body.


    The Crimson Plague Ghost kept making mournful cries.


    It tried to avoid or block Lynn''s attack.


    But under the continuous effect of the Yrden sign, its speed was as slow as a turtle.


    This allowed Lynn''s every attack to accurately and powerfully act on the Crimson Plague Ghost''s body.


    Finally, in a desperate long howl, the Crimson Plague Ghost burned like fire in front of the two Witchers and turned into a pile of ashes.


    An unprecedented hot current poured into Lynn''s body along his arms.


    "Attribute points: 2 (15%) ¡ú 4 (15%)"


    The experience contributed by the Crimson Plague Ghost was quite large, the most of all the monsters hunted so far.


    And this also proved the power of the Crimson Plague Ghost from the side.


    This battle seemed simple, but in fact, Lynn and Geralt were able to win entirely because they had an absolute advantage.


    There was a significant difference between one Witcher and two Witchers fighting a monster.


    Moreover, Lynn was not an ordinary Witcher.


    He was a master in Wolf School swordsmanship and signs.


    Although his alchemy was only proficient, he was also at the level of a formal Witcher.


    He and Geralt fought side by side, naturally exerting a miraculous effect of one plus one greater than two.


    In addition, Elder Brouver paid for the sword oil, potions, and alchemy bombs for this mission, so they could use them casually.


    The Witcher in his prime was also different from the Witcher who could not afford sword oil, potions, and alchemy bombs.


    Even Geralt had never fought such a well-funded battle in his life.


    Of course, the last and most critical point was:


    Geralt''s grasp of timing was superb.


    Unless it was a creature that could teleport, no creature could avoid an attack while attacking, not even a monster.


    Geralt''s Yrden trap was neither too early nor too late. It just happened to restrain the Crimson Plague Ghost when it attacked and was too late to withdraw and could not avoid it.


    If it was a rookie Witcher, even if he was lucky enough to trap the Crimson Plague Ghost with the Yrden trap, he would not be able to restrain the Crimson Plague Ghost for too long because the sign was not powerful enough.


    But Geralt''s sign power was estimated to be second only to Vesemir.


    The Yrden trap not only restricted the Crimson Plague Ghost''s short-range flashing ability, but also greatly slowed down its speed, making it unable to avoid Lynn''s continuous attacks.


    More importantly, the Yrden trap also forced the Crimson Plague Ghost to reveal its original shape, without any damage reduction, all of which were real damage.


    Because of this, the dignified Crimson Plague Ghost, who had once disturbed Mahakam, died so aggrievedly.


    He didn''t even have time to hand over his talent ability before he died.


    ...


    After cleaning up the battlefield, Lynn and Geralt walked out of the abandoned mine with Thor tied up.


    The dwarven guards outside were stunned when they saw Thor tied up with Kinbaku, not understanding what was going on.


    Lynn told them what happened in the abandoned mine. The dwarven guards were dubious, but they still escorted Lynn and Thor to see Brouver.


    As for Geralt, he didn''t go with them.


    Anyway, Lynn would collect the reward for him.


    He would give it to Geralt later.


    He was going to the isolation ward.


    That was where the sick miners were isolated.


    He wanted to see if the miners had recovered after the Crimson Plague Ghost was eliminated.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 46: Mahakam Will Provide

    Chapter 46: Mahakam Will Provide


    Let us leave Geralt for now. Lynn, with the dwarven guards and Thor in hand, arrived at the throne room.


    In front of Brouver, Lynn woke up Thor.


    Thor realized the surroundings clearly and knew that he had failed. He didn''t try to make any more excuses and confessed everything.


    To Thor''s surprise, after he had exposed all his secrets, he was anticipating shock and astonishment on his father''s face.


    However, in place of that, his father still had that uncaring expression.


    "Thor, I''m disappointed. I''m very disappointed in you. What do you imagine I don''t know about you and your fellow conspirators? Trying to form an alliance with those Children of Freedom, what''s in your heads, you rebels? Paste?"


    Thor''s face showed a disbelieving expression right away.


    Brouver didn''t hide his disgust and disappointment: "Put away that look of yours. I''m old, but I''m not blind yet."


    Thor eagerly leapt up and roared.


    But was immediately pushed back down to the ground by the two dwarven royal guards behind him.


    "In that case! Father, why are you still taking the side of humans? Persecution of elves by humans, persecution of our ancient races. why do you still want to turn a blind eye! "


    Unlike the excited Thor, Brouver was much calmer.


    "Watch your mouth, young man. You don''t know what you are doing at all."


    In the empty throne room, Thor looked at Brouver''s cold face, as expressionless as a rock.


    "My unknowing child, Mahakam is in the center of the continent, surrounded by many human kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Temeria, the Principality of Erland, the Kingdom of Redania, the Kingdom of Kaedwen, the Kingdom of Aedirn, the United Kingdom of Lyria and Rivia, the Kingdom of Sodden, and the Nilfgaardian Empire."


    "Do you know what will be our fate if we choose to fight together with those Children of Freedom?"


    "After we do that, the kings will either send an expeditionary force to invade Mahakam, or they can choose not to. As long as they impose a trade embargo on us, we will die of starvation and destitution."


    "After all, although Mahakam is abundant with mines, there is still too little arable land. It can''t support so many people."


    "What''s more, do you really know your so-called allies, the elves who are also the ancient races in your mouth?"


    Brouver paused before continuing.


    "In 1240 BC, the earliest elves arrived at this continent by white ships and settled down. Since then, they have taken up almost the entire continent and dominated the world."


    "From the Endless Ocean''s shores in the west to the Blue Mountains in the east, from the Dragon Mountains in the north to the Mahakam Mountains in the south."


    "The ruins of those elven cities across the world are evidence of this great show in the past. Great human cities like Vizima and Oxenfurt were built on top of ancient elves."


    "So here comes the question, my innocent kid, if elves are latecomers, how did they gain so much territory from other ancient races?"


    "Did our dwarven ancestors, the ancestors of gnomes, and the ancestors of other intelligent races cede their living space to them for free because they saw that the elves had just arrived and had no place to live?"


    Thor was silent.


    Brouver sighed.


    "Although elves always try to portray themselves as victims of human expansion, do you think they are innocent?"


    "The slopes of the Blue Mountains and the beaches of Loc Muinne are strewn with the ruins of the ancient lizardman cities."


    "And beneath the ruins, in the caverns, there still are scattered remnants of this intelligent reptilian race."


    "They dwelled here many years before elves arrived. The skeletons in the ruins evidently show signs of swords."


    "You see, at that time, human beings, the species which the elves regard as the source of evil and the evil of this world, had not yet set foot on this continent."


    "True, most elves today try to defend their ancestors¡ªwhen the earliest elves discovered the ancient lizardman cities, there were only lizardman ghosts and skeletons left behind."


    "My child, if it were you, would you believe so? Those lizardmen voluntarily wiped out their entire species to make way for the elves?"


    Thor was silenced by Brouver.


    Whereas dwarves were a race that "never shut up if they could fight"¡ªalthough in a sense, this stereotype was not wrong¡ªdwarves were not all brutish.


    Especially dwarves who grew up in Mahakam, in learning to swing axes and war hammers, learned cultural education as well.


    Thor certainly knew the history Brouver recited.


    It was just that, like with most people who return the knowledge they learned from their tutors to their tutors when they enter society, Thor had forgotten about it a long time ago.


    It was not until his aging father mentioned it that he remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.


    But he still argued unconvinced.


    "Father, what you mentioned. all took place in the past. Maybe, maybe you are right, maybe elves indeed were our enemies. But now there is a more important enemy, that is, humans."


    "The past has gone, what matters is the present. Now elves are no longer our enemies, but our friends. We can only unite with the Children of Freedom to have a future."


    Brouver shook his head.


    Looking at his misguided son, he finally showed a spark of sympathy.


    "No, you are mistaken, miserable child. You are just blinded by the seemingly noble ideals of those Children of Freedom."


    "Do you know what you''re asking for? You are asking for thousands of dwarves to bleed and die for your foolishness."


    "You did not even realize that those false Children of Freedom are pawns in someone else''s game. ''Drive humans back into the sea,'' does this slogan sound familiar? Do you know who invented this slogan?"


    "It''s the Nilfgaardians! It''s those abominable humans in your eyes who hatched this scheme, instigated those wretched elves to assume the Children of Freedom''s banner, and provided them with weapons and assistance so that the Nilfgaardians would profit from it."


    "My child, the struggle against oppression and tyranny that you thought was nothing more than part of a greater conspiracy from beginning to end. The Children of Freedom are nothing more than pawns for the south to plot against the north."


    "Child, do you want dozens of dwarven families to be torn apart by the ambitions of the south?"


    ...


    When Thor was struck down by the guards, something changed in him.


    Fanaticism, passion, and ideals left his eyes.


    He only saw how the elves at the foot of the mountain were being choked by human oppression, but not that even the spark of resistance was a greater evil.


    All his ideals and ambitions were shattered by Brouver''s words. He seemed to have aged a lot overnight.


    However, as he was taken by the guards to Lynn, he whispered "sorry." Yet when the Witcher turned around to look at him, Thor''s expression didn''t change one bit, and he didn''t even look at him.


    Perhaps he just misheard.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 47: A Good Sword

    Chapter 47: A Good Sword


    After Thor was taken away, the throne hall became silent and oppressive.


    No one spoke.


    Given the current atmosphere, Lynn didn''t want to directly bring up the reward with Brouver.


    Of course, he wasn''t afraid that Brouver would go back on his word.


    Through this commission, his and Geralt''s strength had been proven.


    As long as Brouver wasn''t an idiot, he would never offend two Witchers who could easily deal with the Crimson Plague Ghost for just a few thousand orens.


    As he expected, after a period of silence, Brouver took the initiative to break the silence.


    "Master Witcher, you have done a great job. Not only did you complete the mission I gave you, but you also exposed the traitor who conspired against me. Your mission is complete. Now, it''s my turn to fulfill my promise."


    "Bring the things up."


    Two dwarven attendants in robes walked out of another door in the throne hall.


    Each of them held something in their hands and came to Lynn.


    The first dwarven attendant held a box in his hand.


    The box was filled with neat and shiny oren gold coins.


    Some of these gold coins had the head of the previous Temerian king, and some had the head of the current king, King Foltest.


    But no matter whose head it was, these were all uncut, undamaged, and complete gold coins.


    The second dwarven attendant carefully held a sheathed sword in both hands.


    Lynn took the box first and placed it at his feet.


    Then he took the sword from the second dwarven attendant.


    Whoosh!


    The sword was silver-white, shining with cold light, like a mirror or a pool of lake water.


    There was a recessed blood groove in the center of the blade.


    Perhaps for aesthetic reasons, the end of the hilt had a hollow design.


    Lynn drew both Gwyhyr and his steel sword.


    Then he held his steel sword in his left hand and Gwyhyr in his right hand.


    The next moment.


    The two swords collided forcefully.


    With a clear clang, a notch appeared on the blade of his steel sword, and obvious cracks appeared on the blade near the notch.


    But Gwyhyr was unscathed and still as shiny as new.


    Lynn couldn''t help but gasp.


    There was no doubt that this was the best of the best swords.


    Seeing that Lynn had finished testing, Brouver smiled triumphantly: "How about it, Master Witcher, didn''t I lie to you?"


    Lynn put away the weapons and bowed solemnly to Brouver.


    Although the two parties had agreed in advance that the reward would be four thousand orens and a Gwyhyr sword.


    But Brouver could have just given him a dwarven sword as a reward.


    After all, even a dwarven sword made of ordinary steel was more durable than a human sword, and he wouldn''t be able to tell the difference in a short time.


    When a real problem occurred, it would be unknown how much time had passed. Even if he found Mahakam, the other party could deny everything.


    If it were those uncivilized people with low brain capacity and high courage, they would definitely do this.


    But Brouver was in a high position and still kept his promise.


    Before entering society, Lynn always thought that keeping one''s word was the most basic thing. After struggling in society for more than ten years, Lynn realized how lucky it was to meet a boss who kept his word.


    Weapons were the second life of those who lived by the sword.


    Brouver was willing to give him a priceless sword, which was worthy of his solemn bow.


    Finally, before leaving the throne hall, Lynn told Brouver about the Healers Guild.


    Brouver also said that he would send someone to the mine to collect their bodies and bury them properly.


    In addition, he would erect a solemn monument in the mountains so that Mahakam would always remember everything they had done for the dwarves.


    ...


    After leaving the throne hall, Lynn took the four thousand oren gold coins and the Gwyhyr sword back to the guest room to wait for Geralt.


    Not long after, Geralt came back.


    Geralt went to the isolation ward and found that the rashes and blisters on the sick miners'' bodies had obvious signs of fading.


    He believed that they would recover without medicine soon.


    Hearing this, Lynn was relieved.


    Although Witchers worked for money, they also had to ensure that the work was done well and not leave any problems for the employer.


    Witchers had long lives. If they tried to earn quick money and cut corners, this approach was very undesirable.


    This was also what Vesemir had taught.


    Vesemir was always right about Witcher commissions.


    It was always right to listen to his advice.


    Lynn gave Geralt his share of the two thousand orens.


    And handed over the Gwyhyr.


    Geralt swung it around and marveled.


    Even with his decades of Witcher experience, he had never seen a better sword.


    Dwarven craftsmanship was not uncommon. Weapons made of ordinary steel could be purchased directly in Mahakam.


    Originally, an important source of Mahakam''s income came from weapons trade.


    What was truly precious were weapons made of orichalcum.


    At least Geralt had never heard of anyone being able to afford such good weapons.


    But then, Geralt''s actions stunned Lynn:


    He did not accept the Gwyhyr sword.


    Instead, he handed it back to Lynn.


    "Geralt?"


    Lynn looked at him confused.


    Geralt said very seriously: "Take it, this is Elder Brouver''s reward for you."


    Lynn immediately shook his head: "No, this is our common reward, and... this sword can play a greater role in your hands, can''t it?"


    "But I believe you will use it well too, take it!"


    Geralt stuffed the Gwyhyr sword into Lynn''s hand without any explanation.


    Before Lynn could say any words of gratitude, he strode out.


    "Now that the elder''s commission is complete, I''m going to find Istrad and tell him we can go with him."


    "Your adventure down the mountain has exceeded many Witchers. Their first year of travel was not as exciting as yours. Take a break, you deserve it."


    Watching Geralt leave, Lynn didn''t know how to describe his feelings at this moment.


    But at this moment, he suddenly figured out a question that he had always been confused about.


    Why did other Witcher schools die out, leaving only a few people, while the Wolf School still maintained a big family?


    Lynn stroked the cold, winter-like blade of Gwyhyr and made a vow in his heart.


    He would never let the Wolf School fall apart in the "future"!


    He would definitely recast the glory of the Witchers!


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 48: Dont Lie to Yourself

    Chapter 48: Don''t Lie to Yourself


    Mahakam had a grand banquet that evening.


    Any dwarves were welcome.


    Everybody was equal at this point, class and rank not being an issue.


    The feast was overflowing with beer and barbecued meat.


    It was a thank you and a goodbye.


    The raucous banquet raged on late into the night before it finally died down. Afterwards, everyone was exhausted and needed a well-deserved rest.


    Geralt was dosed with a huge quantity of wine and was intoxicated when he was brought back to the guest room.


    Fortunately, Lynn slipped away half of the way.


    Otherwise, he would have been intoxicated as well.


    Lynn lay down on the bed and began organizing the loot of this mining trip.


    First of all, there was the pile of ashes that the Crimson Plague Ghost was reduced to upon death.


    These ashes were bound in felt by Geralt and Lynn and returned.


    Of course, this wasn''t because the two had bad taste.


    But this wasn''t normal ashes.


    It was ghost spirit dust.


    Essentially, any specter would emit this substance.


    Ghost spirit dust was a form of alchemy material.


    Provided buckthorn grass and fleawort were added, Petri''s Philter could be brewed.


    That was the potion that could enhance the Witcher''s sign power.


    Sorcerers could also use it with other alchemy materials to brew sorcerer potions.


    Therefore, the price of ghost spirit dust was generally not cheap.


    It was sold and purchased by the gram.


    Looking at the whole bag of ghost spirit dust, Lynn happily stored it once more.


    He could sell it to the sorcerers later and be rich once again.


    Then Lynn produced a glass container with a cover.


    Inside it was a red meat ball that looked like the thalamus of a brain.


    This item was also a trophy that the Crimson Plague Ghost had dropped. It was called a mutagen.


    Mutagens were extremely precious trophies to Witchers.


    Sadly, not all monsters dropped this item.


    Mutagens did basically three things.


    First, they were utilized to prepare decoctions for the Trial of the Grasses.


    Yes, that was the decoction required for the Trial of the Grasses, which turned common folk into Witchers.


    Every school was different, since materials used in every school''s decoctions were different.


    But the commonality was that mutagens must be utilized to prepare decoctions.


    Secondly, mutagens could also be utilized to prepare special decoctions.


    Toxicity of this specific decoction was greater than that of the standard potions normally utilized by Witchers and obviously the effect was better.


    For example, the Noonwraith decoction could shorten the duration of hypnosis, coma, and blindness among Witchers.


    Another example was the Ekimmara decoction, which could suck out the blood of the enemy in order to heal one''s injuries, etc.


    Finally, mutagens played a very significant part.


    That was to allow Witchers to perform secondary mutations.


    Mutation was the biggest difference between Witchers and human beings.


    While the rate of success at the Trial of the Grasses was low.


    While even after so much hard work and at such an enormous cost.


    The resultant Witchers were still far from the super soldiers in people''s imagination.


    But!


    Observe that there was a but here.


    Witcher mutation was not completely useless.


    Although Witchers could not be called invulnerable, their resistance to poison was several times higher than that of common people, and they could work with potions with various magical effects.


    Mutation also gave them the ability to perform signs.


    Do not be shallow and think that Witcher''s signs were just tricks because sorcerers used to call them tricks.


    Sorcerers may have such a thought since sorcerers were noble casters.


    However, common people should not.


    You may have been able to fool your brothers, but do not try to fool yourself.


    Any Witcher who officially graduated had sign capabilities that were probably no worse than some guys who deliberately spread rumors and maligned Witchers thought.


    Signs, after all, were the lone magic weapon for Witchers to fight monsters.


    It was likely that the methods of dealing with monsters would not be as terrible as some guys who knowingly spread rumors and lies about Witchers said.


    Finally, mutation also enhanced the physical skills of the Witcher.


    Strength, agility, reaction speed, physical coordination, endurance, ability of physical recovery, immune system, resistance to poison, ability of sense, and other factors were all further enhanced.


    All the above were the changes the Trial of the Grasses brought about to the Witchers.


    Secondary mutation was to further enhance the Witcher''s abilities based on the Trial of the Grasses.


    The kind of improvement was also different depending on the mutagen injected during secondary mutation.


    Mutagens were operationally distinguished into red, blue, and green.


    Red enhanced strength, blue enhanced signs, and green enhanced vitality.


    Each of the mutagens was assigned weak, normal, and strong.


    And what Lynn was carrying at the moment was a strong red mutagen.


    "Secondary mutation?"


    As a human being from Earth, he must know where the formula for secondary mutation was.


    It was located in the duchy of Toussaint, a place as beautiful as a fairy tale.


    Of course, not only did Toussaint possess secondary mutations, but also master-level equipment designs for various schools, and also certain side missions which impacted the "future."


    It was as if he''d need to be seeking out a chance to go visit the duchy of Toussaint sometime in the future.


    .


    Two days later, Lynn and Geralt, recovered fully from the battle in the desert mine, pursued Istrad''s caravan down from the mountain and left Mahakam.


    They took aboard a stop and Yarpen and his group, who had lingered in the village at the base of the Mahakam Mountains, and traveled towards the floating port in the northern part of the Mahakam Mountains.


    The floating harbour was located in the Pontar Valley, built along the upper course of the Pontar River, surrounded by impassable bushes and forests.


    In the floating harbour you, Istrad rented a boat so that they could travel downstream on the Pontar River to Novigrad.


    The Pontar River, or the Pontar, or the Elven name Eithine, was one of the largest rivers of the Northern Kingdoms.


    Just like the Yaruga River in the south, the Pontar River had begun in the Blue Mountains, flowed east-west, and poured into the sea near Oxenfurt and Novigrad.


    The Pontar River, flowing through four countries, served as the northern boundary between the southern kingdoms of Temeria and Aedirn, and the southern boundary between Redania and Kaedwen kingdoms.


    And the area where these four countries had met was given the name of the Pontar Valley, or just "Pontar."


    The Pontar River had always been an important north trade stream at all times.


    So the countries along the Pontar River had fought over the Pontar River in the past many times.


    There existed a saying which had long been going around among people¡ªwhoever possessed the Pontar River would have the entire north at their command.


    But even as that was the case, the Pontar River had never been in the hands of any one nation, and therefore the north had always been split until now.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 49: Shocking! Geralt Actually Has Such a Past.

    Chapter 49: Shocking! Geralt Actually Has Such a Past.


    Seven days went by, and the vessel reached the mouth of the Pontar River¡ªNovigrad, the greatest and most prosperous city in the north.


    Novigrad proved to be the pearl of the north. Seagulls perched on the top of countless masts, and there were crowds of people in the harbor, full of life and noise.


    After the group reached Novigrad, Istrad sold half of the fine weapons of the Mahakam Mountains from his wagon in Novigrad and gained a lot of Novigrad crowns.


    And Lynn and Geralt also took advantage of the few days the caravan stayed in Novigrad to buy a lot of alchemy materials.


    As being the world''s most coveted city, Novigrad held traders of all parts of the Northern Kingdoms selling a multitude of all forms of stuff.


    There were individuals who sold alchemy supplies again.


    Although, overall, their items were fairly not that cost-efficient as opposed to others.


    Yet, anyway, they still couldn''t help themselves but buy something they needed.


    The experience upon entering the abandoned mine was the most vivid proof.


    If it were not for a sufficient amount of potions and alchemy bombs, the Crimson Plague Ghost would not be so simple to kill.


    Even if they encountered troublesome monsters once again on the next journey, they might be unable to stock up on sword oil, potions, and materials for alchemy bombs in a timely manner.


    In addition, money had to be spent.


    Only by spending it and turning it into actual combat power were they able to maximize their earnings.


    So Lynn and Geralt started a crazy shopping binge in Novigrad.


    They did not leave out any of the ingredients that go into making easily accessible sword oils, potions, and alchemy bombs.


    They then went to the city blacksmith store to get their exhausted silver swords repaired.


    Gwyhyr was a steel sword, and it was effective enough to kill human beings. Steel swords were not so effective in killing monsters of the Conjunction of the Spheres. Silver swords alone could be effective enough.


    When the sun set and the streets and alleys of Novigrad were shrouded in a sea of orange light, Lynn, after returning to the tavern and counting the remaining money, realized that they had already spent close to fifty oren gold coins for this day trip.


    Compared to the four-thousand-oren payment, fifty orens is nothing, but most Witchers basically did not get four-figure payments for completing Witcher contracts.


    Usually, the payments were three figures, and they were rather low.


    This was thanks to Elder Brouver being so generous.


    If it were a stingy employer, they would not only not make any money, but also have to spend a lot of money from their own pockets.


    Now Lynn understood why after the breakup in the Witcher Order, the various schools gradually deteriorated, and there came no Witcher who could bring all the schools under one umbrella.


    Because Witchers were too poor.


    They earned less, wasted more, and the profit was quite unequal compared to the amount of effort they put in.


    Despite having such great ideals, at some point or the other, they would lose all their warlike ideas and energy.


    After that, they would spend their time in brothels and indulge in immoral ways of life.


    Until they were one day killed by a monster on a Witcher contract, or killed by the pitchforks of thankful villagers who didn''t want to pay.


    .


    A couple of days later, the party left Novigrad and headed north by sea.


    They traveled across the Praxeda Bay and anchored at the mouth of the Braa River.


    When all of them disembarked on the shore, they were already within the territory of the Duchy of Tretogor.


    The Duchy of Tretogor was located at the far north of the world, at the foot of the Dragon Mountains.


    Nobody had ever returned alive from beyond the Dragon Mountains.


    Therefore, the Dragon Mountains and the Blue Mountains were also known as the edge of the world.


    The Duchy of Tretogor was previously a part of the Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss.


    But when the Kingdom of Poviss dissolved, the Duchy of Tretogor and other minor countries seceded from Kovir.


    It was now a separate country.


    This country was ruled by Duchess Benenka.


    But the interesting thing was that she was a child of tragedy who carried the Black Sun Curse.


    The Black Sun Curse was also known as the Dark Sun Curse.


    The Black Sun referred to an eclipse of the sun.


    This was a prediction made by the sorcerer Ithbad.


    His prediction was based on the inscription of the Vozgor Great Tomb and Doak Stone Monument, and also referred to the Hairy Crone''s legends and traditions.


    According to his interpretation, in the not-so-distant future, there would be a solar eclipse before the resurrection of the witch Lilith.


    Lilith was still worshiped in the East and named Nehalenia. And resurrected by "sixty maidens wearing crowns of gold filling the valley with blood."


    Because of it, during years when this prediction was first announced, dozens of girls from prosperous families, even noble families, suffered misfortune.


    Sorcerers intercepted these "children of disaster" everywhere, killed them after the arrest, and then performed autopsy.


    They even performed live autopsies.


    After they stained their hands with the blood of thousands of innocent girls, they had to admit that it was difficult to distinguish between children of disaster and ordinary girls.


    So, they planned to imprison these girls in tall towers and isolate them from the world.


    This plan also failed.


    Because for some years, it was fashionable among the royal courts and nobles to "rescue beautiful girls from high towers."


    Then, with the lapse of time, these girls either came to untimely ends, or escaped from the high towers.


    Some were abandoned by sorcerers when they grew up, and then tried other means to kidnap other new girls.


    Two of the escaped girls became rather harsh to people when they were all grown up, thanks to the miserable experience of being persecuted.


    Geralt was nicknamed the "Butcher of Blaviken" due to a particular incident when he killed a group of bandits in Blaviken.


    And the leader of that bandit group, Renfri the Shrike, was a Disaster child and victim of Black Sun Curse.


    Of course, not everyone believed in the Black Sun Curse prophecy.


    Those who did not believe in the prophecy called the Black Sun Curse "Madman Ithbad''s Mania."


    And Duchess Benenka was also imprisoned in a magic tower because of the Black Sun Curse.


    But later, with the help of other individuals, she escaped.


    The Duchy of Tretogor was also affected during the Poviss schism and was thrown into chaos.


    At that moment, Duchess Benenka dominated other competitors and gained power in Tretogor.


    But perhaps because she was tortured in all kinds of ways while she was in prison, Duchess Benenka practiced brutal rule in Tretogor after gaining power.


    It was said that the most common landmark in Tretogor was the gallows.


    .


    The night was dark.


    The sky was covered with thick clouds.


    It was as dark as night, without any hint of light.


    Along the road to Tretogor City, a caravan was moving slowly in front.


    Before long, the scout who had ridden off to scout ahead returned on horseback.


    Having heard the message, Istrad rode his horse up to the Witcher.


    "Master Lynn, Master Geralt, our scouts said that there is an inn a short distance down the road. We can spend the night there."


    Lynn agreed.


    It was better to have a roof over one''s head than to camp in the open.


    Remaining at an inn did not just mean hot food, but also a hot warm bath.


    Not just Lynn and Geralt, but the entire caravan as well, were looking forward.


    So all of them regained their spirits, and after some time of riding, the brightly lit inn entered everyone''s vision.


    [author]


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 Chapter 50: The King of Lyria Message

    Chapter 50: The King of Lyria Message


    A stinking wooden board¡ªthat is, the inn sign¡ªwas nailed against the wall, groaning in the wind and swaying back and forth.


    The letters on it were not only crooked, but also illegible after the rain and wind of years.


    Of course, nobody bothered what the name of the inn was.


    The innkeeper had already been waiting at the door for quite a while. When he spotted the caravan approaching, he greeted them immediately with a smile.


    And he also called some people from the store to help take care of the horses.


    The inn did not have enough manpower.


    Lynn and the others waited in the lobby on the first floor for a long time before the food was finally served.


    Well, the inn''s chef was really awful. He did nothing but heat the food. Don''t even hope for it to taste good.


    But no one cared so much about being able to eat warm food in such a remote wilderness.


    There was not even a whisper of voices in the lobby on the first floor for a while, only the crunching noise.


    Though the chef''s skill was not that high, the boss himself was very attentive.


    When everyone was still being served, he hurried to warm up bath water.


    Nevertheless, given the crowd that was inside the caravan, there wasn''t much they could do except take turns washing up.


    Istrad, as the paying customer, naturally was the first one to go through this treatment.


    Later on, Lynn and Geralt.


    The efforts of the two on their way had already gained the admiration of others, and everybody was willing to wait for a while longer.


    While Lynn and Geralt went to take a warm bath, Istrad, having washed himself already, began assigning duties to his men.


    He left three men to clear the stables and guard the horses and the goods in the carriages.


    Although he did not think the innkeeper and his men would be idiotic enough to steal guests'' trunks.


    Better safe than sorry.


    Having bathed hot and cozy, Lynn, having been on the road all day since he got off the boat, was tired.


    So after saying good night to Geralt, he went into his room, climbed onto the bed, and slept.


    .


    He was unaware of the length of his time sleeping.


    As Lynn awakened, he had a feeling that he would rise to the window and see sunshine streaming onto the room.


    This was not to be. Nothing but pitch black met his view.


    After being certain that he was not dreaming, Lynn emerged from bed.


    He moved toward the window and looked out.


    Outside the window was completely still.


    It was as if the whole world was just this small inn.


    Then Lynn''s gaze moved downwards, from a distance to close to the inn.


    When he entered the inn, he had consciously observed the location of the stable.


    And the stable was where the caravan''s carriages were parked.


    But strangely enough, Lynn saw nothing.


    He could only see black as coal.


    Something was wrong!


    Why didn''t the three men Istrad left to guard the carriages have light torches?


    No one had been willing to hide in the dark.


    Torches not only served to scare wild animals and generate heat, but most importantly, they would give people a sense of security.


    But then, the torches in the stable had all been extinguished.


    This was to mean something dreadful is going on.


    Hardly at the same time when the alarm bell was sounding, he heard an odd weird sound.


    It was very slight and from above Lynn''s head.


    It was a sound like the wood of the beam was decaying due to years of decay.


    But Lynn intervened and rushed to the bed, throwing Gwyhyr, which he had been given by Mahakam, and the scabbard in the direction of the strange noise above his head.


    "Ah!"


    A scream.


    A black shadow fell from the beam and fell heavily on the floor of the room.


    And because of the incorrect falling position, his right leg was bent into a very unnatural twisted position with a click.


    It was awful to behold.


    The man was shrieking with agony.


    Lynn could not usually stand to hear other humans shriek.


    So he hired Gwyhyr to slit the man''s throat.


    Watching him struggle to breathe in the blood gushing from his throat.


    There were noises of battle and bellowing too outside at this point.


    .


    At the same time, a tall knight over two meters tall, wearing complete heavy armor, with an enormous sword in hand, stood in Istrad''s chamber.


    The man in the bed pulled the quilt over his face, so he could not look at his face.


    But beneath the raised form of the quilt, there was a form of a body that rested in the bed.


    Beneath the high helmet, from under the bulk helmet, a high knight exhaled a scornful laugh: "Only children like to take shelter under the quilt."


    And then he coldbloodedly raised the sword and hewed down.


    The great sword sliced the quilt and the board below the quilt in two.


    But no scream and no blood.


    The feeling of the massivesword whiplashing down was also incorrect.


    The big knight stepped forward with caution and violently tore the quilt off.


    Only then did he get a glimpse of that under the quilt, which was not a body but a pillow-stuffed shape trying to disguise itself.


    And at that moment, the cabinet in the room suddenly swung open, and Istrad dashed out with a dagger grasped in his hand.


    But the great knight reacted even faster.


    He violently shook his hand, and the iron glove shoved the dagger away from Istrad''s hand.


    And then he crushed down on Istrad''s throat and scooped up Istrad as if he was handling a chicken.


    He grinned and grunted muffled.


    "The King of Lyria told me to pass on a message to you, Istrad. He wanted you to greet that old fellow Baldwin when you meet him."


    Seeing Istrad wrack his brains in vain upon hearing the mention of the King of Lyria and Baldwin, the tall knight was extremely delighted.


    The Lyrian King to whom the tall knight was dedicated was the plotter behind the "Poviss Split" and captured control of the divided Kingdom of Poviss as a result.


    And as for Baldwin, Baldwin Tyssen was the man, and the father of Istrad.


    During Baldwin''s time as King of Kovir, he not only did not stave off the splitting of Poviss, but in Kovir a revolt arose.


    Thus, the Tyssen family were forced to flee Kovir.


    By the way, King Idi, who became the king of Kovir afterwards, almost beheaded Geralt.


    Just because Geralt killed a two-headed snake monster that frightened the citizens, but was slandered as a "quack, senseless killer, and scavenger" by Kovir''s advisor, the wizard Stregobor and Xaverius when he collected the reward.


    Sadly, King Idi believed their lies for facts and not only did not give Geralt a single penny, but also did not allow Geralt to leave Kovir in twelve hours.


    Anyone who had the common sense knew that although the territory of the Northern Kingdoms was small, it was not that small that they could reach the border from the royal city within twelve hours.


    And lastly, it was King Idi''s hourglass that broke, and Geralt barely managed to get out alive.


    .


    And for that matter, following his eviction from Kovir, Baldwin never had the chance to make a comeback.


    For he died suddenly on his way out.


    After the Tyssen family fled into the Duchy of Tretogor in a state of panic, the King of Lyria did not take it lying down.


    He knew very well that since he was able to topple the Tyssen family, the Tyssen family could topple his rule one day.


    Therefore, the King of Lyria had always dispatched spies to the Duchy of Tretogor.


    It was precisely for this reason that he was able to properly understand the time when Istrad returned to Tretogor and set up an ambush at this country inn in advance.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 51: From Now On, Riches and Glory

    Chapter 51: From Now On, Riches and Glory


    The tall knight gradually closed his hand around Istrad''s neck.


    An opportunity to kill a member of the royal family was not one that was presented to everyone.


    Not to mention, when he returned, he would have high honor and the fine reward that was waiting for him from the King of Lyria.


    He would receive a large area of fertile land and the title of a noble earl.


    Although a knight could not exactly be considered a noble, he was practically the lowest of the low among nobles.


    The moment he became an earl, he would no longer be ordered about, but a high-ranking blue-blooded nobleman.


    Just as the tall knight was dreaming of a bright future.


    Bang!


    The door behind the tall knight was kicked open.


    Unconsciously, the tall knight raised the two-handed giant sword and drew it back with force.


    In his opinion.


    If it was Istrad''s minion, after seeing Istrad was trapped in his hand, he would definitely be overwhelmed by the impulse to save his master and rush over right away.


    Then the two-handed giant sword swung over would hit the target directly.


    Still, Lynn did not jump over right away, but dodged the swinging giant sword by a forward roll.


    On the other hand, the tall knight''s action of swinging the giant sword opened his door wide and exposed his weak points. After being shut in by Lynn, he could not make an effective defense.


    Lynn drew out his sword and stabbed it into the gap in the greaves on the tall knight''s right knee.


    Even if he were fully armored, there would be gaps in places that needed to move.


    The tall knight pained and involuntarily dropped Istrad, the "cargo." His right leg could not support him even standing straight, so he used force with his left leg and dove at Lynn.


    That is, according to him, at such a close range, Lynn couldn''t help but dodge. If he were knocked over, then definitely he would be capable of counterattacking.


    However, to the tall knight''s astonishment, Lynn swept past him like a gust of wind.


    His hands swung in the air, grasping at nothing. Nothing but the hard earth was there to greet him.


    Ignoring the dizziness from the fall, the tall knight tried to get up. As soon as his arm bore the weight of the ground, he was powerfully kicked on the side of the head.


    His head was saved by the full helmet, yet he was toppled over, face up.


    The figure at once leapt onto him, opened the armor of his helmet, and got his hand directly on his face.


    Before he could wriggle, he heard a cold voice.


    "Aard."


    Bang!


    Blood gushed like exploding watermelon juice. Lynn let go of his hand, only to discover that the face of the tall knight was indented as if struck by a warhammer, and it was obviously impossible to survive.


    He wiped his bloody hands on the sheets on the bed, then turned to Istrad, who was clutching his neck and gasping for air.


    "Lord Istrad, are you alright?"


    "I. I''m fine, thank you, Master Lynn."


    Istrad could feel the scrapes on his neck, which were grazed by the iron gloves of the tall knight.


    But now was not the time to pay attention to this.


    He said anxiously.


    "Master Lynn, we need to depart as quickly as possible."


    Actually, Istrad had been extremely on guard throughout the journey.


    It wasn''t until he stepped foot on Tretogor soil that Istrad lowered his guard.


    Since Tretogor possessed numerous Tyssen family branches, it was also Istrad''s second hometown.


    He contemplated that he might be ambushed but never believed it would be in the Duchy of Tretogor.


    Istrad had but a single thought left other than that of being lucky for surviving the disaster:


    It was to return to Tretogor City as soon as possible.


    Only then could he truly be protected and safe.


    But Lynn grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back into the room.


    "We cannot venture out. They will set up ambushes outside. We are safest in the inn."


    A sound of footsteps was heard in the hallway outside just then.


    Lynn made some motions, commanding Istrad to hide in the corner of the wall farthest from the window.


    He himself slid along to the wall beside the door.


    He cast a Quen shield and drew Gwyhyr, ready to fight.


    .


    Four or five killers stood outside the door.


    Their companions had attracted Istrad''s men to the first floor of the inn.


    Istrad never showed up on the first floor, so he was likely still on the second floor.


    Their leader and second-in-command had reached the second floor stealthily before the assault was officially launched.


    But strangely, there was complete silence on the entire second floor.


    They did not know what had happened, but they knew that the mission would be fulfilled only if they went back with the head of Istrad.


    So these assassins did not hesitate.


    Having looked at each other, they rushed in.


    The one rushing forward had just seen Istrad trembling in the corner and the tall knight on the floor with his face ruined when a cold light fell rapidly.


    It fell on his face.


    There was the slicing sound of blade through flesh and bone.


    The assassin had no time to even raise his weapon to parry and was already sliced across the face by the sword.


    Then, he experienced a kick.


    As his body toppled backwards, the cold-glowing sword also separated from his face.


    It drew an arc in the air, from a vertical slash to a horizontal slash, and slashed down hard on the stomach of the next close assassin.


    The extremely sharp Gwyhyr effortlessly cut through the leather armor that covered the assassin''s body.


    Blood gushed out happily.


    The third assassin raised his hand crossbow.


    This was not the war crossbow wielded by the regular army. This was a smaller one, and its range and strength were relatively less.


    However, the advantage was that it was portable and light.


    His experience of killing people told him that since the Witcher had just turned his body and swung his sword, he could not dodge the crossbow bolt at short range.


    Nobody could.


    Not even a Witcher.


    The crossbow''s trigger was pulled.


    The crossbow''s string whined.


    The crossbow''s bolt shot out.


    But before it could hit the Witcher, it was deflected by a shining orange shield that suddenly appeared.


    The crossbow bolt arced upwards with a metallic screech, whirled into the air, and finally embedded itself into the beam of the room.


    At this sight, the assassin quickly threw the hand crossbow at Lynn as a hidden weapon.


    Lynn did not even sidestep.


    The master-level Quen shield was no longer a brittle piece of glass that would break upon the first impact.


    The thrown hand crossbow was not as lethal as the crossbow bolt, let alone penetrate the defenses of the Quen shield.


    He did not even flinch, and plunged the bloodied sword into the stomach of the third assassin.


    The last assassin swung his long sword at Lynn from above.


    But he missed the Witcher.


    Lynn evaded and drew Gwyhyr.


    Then he slashed his sword backwards.


    This sword was too swift and too accurate. The last assassin did not even feel it.


    When he tried to attack again, his legs were already out of control.


    It was only when the killer landed headfirst on his partner''s body, who had passed away, that he realized his legs had been cut off by Lynn at some time.


    He screamed in terror and tried to stand up, but his legs, having lost the lower portion beneath the knee, were not under his control.


    Finally, among the dispersed corpses, his head dropped, and his body was covered with the constantly dripping red liquid.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 52: King Rad Has a Lot to Consider

    Chapter 52: King Rad Has a Lot to Consider


    There were footsteps again soon.


    It wasn''t an assassin this time who appeared, but a caravan guard who was familiar.


    He gasped when he spotted the dead bodies on the ground. Once he had verified Lynn and Istrad were safe, he exhaled in relief.


    "My lord, Master Lynn, are you alright?"


    Lynn nodded: "Where''s Geralt?"


    "Master Geralt is also helping us to drive away the attack of the enemy downstairs."


    Istrad was much relieved when he understood that his subordinate had entered.


    He began inquiring about the situation.


    He came to know that the first floor of the inn had been in their firm control.


    But they had no idea how many enemies were waiting in ambush outside.


    Someone tried to make a rush outside but was killed by arrows shot from outside.


    Istrad couldn''t help but praise Lynn''s previous choice.


    The caravan guard sought Istrad''s opinion: "My lord, what do we do now?"


    "We''ll stay at the inn until morning," Istrad hesitated and asked Lynn politely, "Master Lynn, is there something you''d like to say?"


    Lynn nodded: "Wise judgment, sir, nothing to say."


    Istrad was extremely polite to Lynn.


    But in front of his men, Istrad returned to his old standard superior attitude.


    "Then do as I say."


    "Yes!"


    The caravan guard bowed respectfully.


    He exited the room.


    Soon.


    The guard captain sent a few men up to cover the corridor.


    And he also left men on the stairs from the second floor to the first floor.


    As for the rest of human beings, they all stayed at the first floor and used the chairs and tables in the first floor lobby to set up a temporary station.


    Because Istrad''s room was occupied by corpses.


    Even if the corpses were cleaned away, the blood stains could not be swept out for a while.


    So Lynn and Istrad just switched to Lynn''s room.


    They were neither of them in the mood to sleep.


    Istrad sat back from the window to rest, while Lynn sat down in front of him and sat on the floor to meditate.


    The room was not lit.


    No one spoke a word.


    They stayed thus until sunrise.


    .


    When it was completely light, Istrad''s men felt strong enough to walk towards the window slowly.


    Gazing outside.


    The outside of the inn was serene.


    Later, the guard captain sent two people outside.


    They reconnoitered around.


    Later, the two returned unscathed.


    Sure enough, there were no ambushers outside.


    Lynn and the rest walked hand in hand out of the inn.


    They headed for the stable to confirm.


    They found out only later that the three people Istrad had left at the stable cut their throats.


    But much to their surprise, there was nothing of a battle scene outside the stable.


    Geralt smelled the wine bottles which were still left at the crime scene and noticed the smell of anesthetic powder within.


    And then he passed over the wine bottle to Lynn.


    Lynn also sensed the smell of anesthetic powder.


    "I see, now everything makes sense."


    Anesthetic powder was the medicine used in the Witcher world. Mixing this thing with the wine, it was not at all surprising that the three people were killed without a fight.


    The freight on the carriages parked within the stable had no sign of being transferred.


    But the horses were all dead.


    This was quite clear.


    The attackers'' motive was not to kill for money, nor were they ordinary bandits.


    They came to kill.


    Istrad''s men went to examine the bodies of the attackers who perished last night.


    They found that the attackers did not seem to be a group, but from two different groups.


    The second-floor attackers who were slain wore all breastplates and chain mail. Although the coats of arms on the armor were obliterated, there was no doubt that these men were professional soldiers.


    And the first-floor attackers wore much less organized. Some of them wore leather armor, and others wore cotton armor. The weapons they employed were even more diverse.


    This confirmed that those people were a group of mercenaries.


    The forensic evidence from the bodies also confirmed the notion that "the attackers came to kill."


    Next.


    On Istrad''s orders, his men looted the entire inn, up to nearly three feet deep into the ground.


    But they were unable to find the innkeeper and the waiter who had received them yesterday evening.


    But in the cellar of the inn, one of the caravan guards found several naked corpses who had been soaked in wine barrels and had long been dead.


    Even if they were not wearing anything that would be a piece of evidence, from the night attack, these corpses were most likely the real innkeeper and waiter of this inn.


    Istrad and his soldiers had somber faces.


    Evidently, they all knew the mastermind behind the attackers.


    The brain and biggest recipient of the Poviss divide, the current King Rad of Poviss.


    Of course, in actuality, folk knew that King Rad did not simply reign supreme over Poviss.


    After the Poviss divide, King Idi, who had usurped the Tyssen dynasty, nominally held the throne of Kovir, yet de facto control of Kovir had long ago devolved to King Rad.


    King Idi was happy to be a puppet, but King Rad had a lot to consider.


    Istrad''s guardsmen were talking about it.


    "We can''t stay here. We have to leave. Who knows when those attackers will come back."


    "How do we leave? The horses are all dead. How can we carry so much merchandise without horses?"


    Nobody said anything.


    The goods in the carriages were all great weapons purchased in Mahakam. No one would say that they left them behind.


    It was such an era when human life was insignificant, and humans assumed that human life was of less value compared to valuable items.


    Stepping back a bit, even if they did not care about the goods and went on foot to Tretogor City, it was impossible.


    During that period, individuals were pinned at the village of origin for their entire lives. In addition to lords killing runaway farmers, there was another reason why farmers lacked means of transportation.


    Walking from one village or town to another on foot was far more challenging than it is thought to be.


    Istrad remained silent.


    He heard what his underlings spoke, but he did not have any notion to intervene.


    He knew his underlings were right.


    No one could promise that there were just so many attackers last night, and that there was only that tide of attackers.


    If they stayed here, they might be attacked again.


    But if they left like this, abandoning all the goods would not only cause him terrible losses, but also leave him and his people exhausted on the road.


    If they were attacked again at that time.


    Istrad could not help being anxious.


    And at this juncture, the corner of his eye out of the blue picked up the fact that Lynn and Geralt were kneeling outside the stable, as if trying to investigate something.


    A frivolous thought occurred to Istrad all of a sudden.


    But he was not dismissing such a frivolous thought, but held it precariously in his grip as a straw in salvation.


    He walked ahead in some expectation.


    But before he could get to him, he was stopped by the young Witcher.


    "Sir, do not go any further. Stand there and do not move," Lynn extended his hand and pointed to Istrad, "You will erase the traces here."


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 53: Detective Lynn

    Chapter 53: Detective Lynn


    Istrad was at first not very certain, but now that he heard Lynn''s warning, not only did he not feel annoyed, but also felt thrilled.


    "Master, what were the traces that you saw?"


    Istrad''s juniors, who were still bending their heads and being sad, also swarmed over when they heard the conversation between Lynn and Istrad.


    Of course, they also heard Lynn''s warning to Istrad.


    Therefore, they only kept at bay and watched without drawing near.


    The witcher mutations gave him keen senses with which he was able to spot clues where normal people readily did not notice.


    While in Kaer Morhen, Lynn was taught by Vesemir how to discern and track traces.


    This mound of knotted weeds, disorderly to the naked eye, was radiant and distinct to the witcher''s heightened vision.


    "Horse hoof marks, many horse hoof marks. These horse hoof marks can approximately be classified into two kinds, one left behind by carriages of the caravan, and the other ridden by the bandits."


    Lynn''s eyes followed the hoof marks near the stable, right into the hearts of the wilderness from the avenue.


    Lynn looked at Geralt.


    The other party''s eyes also moved over.


    From Geralt''s cat eyes, Lynn saw what he saw.


    So he stood up, dodged the traces under his feet, and went to Istrad.


    "Sir, I found it."


    Istrad asked, "Found what?"


    "It''s the attackers. These men did not walk in here, but came on horses. And we also know what they did to the three people you left in the stable last night."


    Lynn spun around, gestured to the traces behind the stable, and spoke deliberately.


    "Last night, some of the attackers arrived horseback riding, disguised as tired travelers, and then the innkeeper appeared, holding two bottles of wine, for your soldiers, and the other for the attackers."


    "Maybe you guessed that the wine presented to the attackers was standard, not mixed with additives, while the wine offered to your soldiers had a lot of powder of anesthetic substance in it.


    "Anesthetic powder is addictive, it drives people out of their sense about the outside world and it makes people feel extremely happy."


    "These attackers used the anesthetic powder to act on them and slit their throats."


    "Then the attackers launched an attack at us. The rest of the attackers, when the attack turned out to be a failure, rode in haste and escaped on their horses."


    Istrad was shocked for a while.


    He blinked again and studied the ground Lynn was indicating.


    Having trouble figuring out the information Lynn said from it.


    But frustratingly, he thought he had tried hard enough.


    But he could still see nothing.


    But however, as a man who will take back Kovir and Poviss and be king one day, even if Istrad does not understand these things, it does not matter.


    He only needed to be able to "put the right people in the right places."


    "Master, can you trace these tracks and lead us to the attackers'' camp?"


    "We''ll see."


    So Lynn and Geralt led the way, and Istrad and the others followed behind far enough not to ruin the traces made by the attackers.


    Since there were no horses, the carriages could not be taken away, so Istrad left some to guard the carriages.


    Even if he had learned something from Vesemir, as a tracker, he was no match for the experienced old bird that Geralt was.


    And so, using the acquired learning zeal for acquiring knowledge as long as life remained, Geralt turned this tracking into a formal practical tutorial session.


    He taught Lynn his recon methods freely to begin with and then tried letting Lynn discover the traces for himself.


    Although it would have slowed down the search, it also allowed Lynn to get extremely valuable experience.


    A few hours passed.


    Everyone came across a small forest.


    Geralt outstretched his arm.


    Istrad and the people following him froze at once, went down on one knee, and tried to get as low as possible to reduce the likelihood of being found.


    From Lynn and Geralt''s cat-eye sight, they had already seen the guard patrolling before the small forest in the distance.


    "He hasn''t seen us yet, but."


    Cat eyes of the witcher not just appear menacing, but also allow the witcher to see farther than normal folks.


    Lynn narrowed her eyes: "I don''t count how many are in the camp within the forest."


    Geralt looked around, and finally directed his eyes towards a raised platform not too distant from all of them.


    "We need to go up there. The view there is nicer and it is easier for us to hide."


    Geralt''s suggestion was agreed upon by all.


    All began to withdraw.


    Then they moved towards the mound he had proposed.


    The mound, much higher than the ground, was enough to hide their bodies closely.


    The notion was that they all lay on the ground, not on their feet.


    Someone couldn''t help but ask: "What shall we do now, master?"


    Geralt brushed him aside to quieten down: "We''ll wait for night, and then decide."


    Time passed slowly by.


    Waiting was always painful.


    Even Istrad himself couldn''t help but get agitated.


    But he kept telling himself to remain patient.


    So, hours passed by.


    Night eventually arrived.


    Lynn came out of meditation.


    He looked at Geralt.


    The latter nodded and spoke to Istrad, "Sir, you''d better stay here."


    Istrad talked nervously.


    "Just the two of you? Do you want me to send someone along with you?"


    Geralt shook his head: "The more, the more to get in the way. It''s just reconnaissance, we''ll cope. We''ll come back to report countermeasures after we''re finished with reconnaissance."


    Lynn pulled out two bottles of cat potion from his traveling potion pouch and gave one to Geralt.


    Though the witcher''s vision is far better than ordinary folks.


    But if he drank the cat potion once more, he would see at night as during the day.


    Putting the use of the darkness to good use, the two slipped quietly down the hill and stumbled towards Geralt''s camp in the forest.


    The attackers also set up sentry posts at night, and doubled themselves.


    But to no avail.


    Firstly, the majority of people in this age had night blindness.


    That is, they were as good as useless blind individuals at night.


    Secondly, even without night blindness, people were much more confined at night than during the day.


    Even with light sources in the form of torches, the radius that torches could illuminate was much smaller than one would have imagined.


    Therefore, Lynn and Geralt stumbled comfortably to the edge of the forest camp.


    [author]


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 Chapter 54: Are You Also a Trickster?

    Chapter 54: Are You Also a  Trickster?


    Because the witchers moved almost invisible steps.


    So even though the attackers arranged many sentry posts, provided Lynn and Geralt did not make a conscious movement to the zone illuminated by the torches, those sentry posts would not be able to locate them.


    After moving close enough, Lynn began to look at the attackers'' camp.


    The entire camp was not large.


    The surrounding was constructed from wood to some chevaux de frise and fences, as primitive fortifications.


    There were dozens of tents that had been erected in the center of the camp.


    It could be seen that the head of these attackers was taking great precautions.


    Not only did he set out sentry posts at the limits of the forest, but also nearer to the fence, Lynn saw some patrols making rounds with torches.


    Apart from that, there were also some bonfires lit in the camp, and twenty to thirty men who had arms on, dressed in clothing of various patterns, were devouring food roasted over bonfires.


    Following for a while, Lynn already had done some calculation in mind.


    He nodded lightly on Geralt''s shoulder and silently pointed at Geralt.


    "Geralt, let''s go. We will come back. I''ve got an idea."


    ...


    It was now, in the largest tent in the forest camp.


    Jadd Karadin sat alone on a plank box which was used as a stool.


    The chilliness within the tent was in marked contrast to the commotion beside the bonfire outside.


    However, Jadd did not seem to feel chilly and lonely.


    He just consumed the meat soup in his hand by himself.


    Abruptly, he froze.


    Because he saw a reflection of a pair of cat eyes in the meat soup, which was as wafer-thin as water.


    The wooden bowl fell on the ground, and the soup splashed all over the floor.


    A mercenary waiting outside the tent heard the ruckus inside and ran in.


    "Boss?" He was surprised at what was inside the tent.


    "I''m fine." Jadd motioned his hand and stopped the mercenary from wanting to clean up. "I see if the people we sent were able to reach King Rad''s men?"


    "Not yet."


    "Okay, I get it. You can go outside."


    After the mercenary left, Jadd put the wooden bowl aside.


    Recollections of the past could not help but remind him:


    He was an orphan.


    Similar to thousands of orphans who were orphaned due to war, natural catastrophes, and other reasons.


    Jadd had already forgotten his recollections before he was a witcher apprentice.


    He only recalled the hellish training and the mentor''s strict expectations, which were almost abusive.


    Day and day of physical and sword training plagued Jadd almost to the point of insanity.


    And the mentor''s aggressive, violent, and capricious nature led Jadd to believe that he was living hell every day.


    Later, Jadd was able to pass the Trial of the Grasses in the Cat School, with only a 30% survival rate.


    But if because of the Trial of the Grasses, or because of his nature.


    Jadd, having become an official witcher, was becoming as aggressive, sadistic, unpredictable, and volatile as his mentor.


    so.


    He killed his mentor.


    Under a witcher contract, he could have saved him.


    But Jadd witnessed his mentor being torn apart by monsters like a rag doll.


    But at this moment, something incredible happened.


    The mentor''s blood on his hands somehow flipped on Jadd''s odd switch.


    Rather than that, he calmed down.


    Jadd did not know whether he was the lone sane one of the Cat School.


    The flesh mutations caused by the Trial of the Grasses, which killed him nearly to death, left him feeling inordinately wonderful.


    The suspicion and hyper-recklessness. these behaviors of the Cat School disappeared with the mentor''s death.


    His own head was similarly unprecedentedly lucid.


    Jadd then determined a goal.


    He did not want to spend his life discriminated against and mocked by others.


    Risking his life for that little gold coin, sometimes not even getting that little sum, only pitchforks in return.


    His whole body smelled, not to mention girls, even he himself did not like himself.


    He did not want to spend a muddle-headed life. He wanted to spend the life of a respectable person.


    So, Jadd had a plan!


    A grand plan!


    He employed a group of violent men initially and maintained his own gang.


    This was not a difficult task to accomplish.


    Living at that bloody era, there were sufficient individuals willing to sell their labor for a chance to live.


    And if eating sufficiently could make them earn some money, then selling their conscience in the process wasn''t difficult to accomplish.


    With a group, they have to work.


    Jadd turned his men into mercenaries. Well, this venture was dangerous, but it earned money in good time.


    He and his co-plotters would do anything provided they were paid.


    Relying on the physical ability of a witcher, which was superior to ordinary humans following mutation, and the excellent swordsmanship of the Cat School, Jadd had never encountered an opponent whom he could not beat nearly.


    Soon, they became famous in the mercenary business.


    With fame, more work naturally gravitated through their door.


    To Jadd''s surprise, he found that he actually had business acumen.


    He did not spend the money he made on prostitutes and booze like his men did.


    He spent it doing illegal business instead.


    Selling people, trafficking anesthetic powder, running brothels. He did not care whether the money was dirty money or whether it hurt nature, he did whatever would make him money.


    This helped him to make a lot of money in no time.


    This excited Jadd.


    When he got enough money, he would no longer have to live this life of licking blood from the blade of a knife.


    This also brought him one step closer to the decent life that he wanted.


    This big transaction was originally to be the final of Jadd''s pre-planned agenda.


    After this transaction, he could concentrate on carrying out his more profitable illegal trade.


    But what Jadd did not expect was.


    The attack carried out by his soldiers and the soldiers deployed by King Rad was routed.


    So, when Jadd returned to this temporary base with the remaining accomplices.


    He sent word to King Rad''s troops:


    ¡ª¡ªThe enemy is much more powerful than earlier said. I won''t take this job unless you pay a higher fee.


    Perhaps because of the witcher mutation, Jadd was not as afraid of kings and nobles as the majority of people in this world.


    According to him, nobles and kings were not of high stature because of their talent, but because they were born into noble and royal families.


    He was not afraid that the temporary price increase would upset King Rad.


    Even without requesting an increase in price, it was futile to do the task well.


    As he was nothing in the eyes of the other party.


    These upper-class people had nothing in the first place, how would they look down on lower-class people who needed to work in order to eat?


    Just then.


    A gust of cold wind swept into the tent.


    Shouts and curses rose and fell.


    Jadd was shocked at first, then grabbed his steel sword and charged out of the tent.


    The entire camp was in chaos at this point.


    [author]


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 Chapter 55: Shut up

    Chapter 55: Shut up


    Let''s rewind time a bit.


    After Lynn and Geralt finished their reconnaissance and returned to the mound where Istrad and the others were hiding, they told everyone what they had seen.


    "There are about forty armed men in the camp. Their equipment is varied, they are standard mercenaries."


    "The leader of the enemy is very cautious. He arranged many sentry posts around the camp, and there are also many patrols in the camp."


    Listening to Lynn''s report, Istrad''s face darkened.


    Earlier, when his men checked the bodies of the attackers in the inn, they reported to him that there were two groups of attackers in total:


    One group was professional soldiers, and the other group was mercenaries.


    He didn''t expect that this group of mercenaries alone would have so many people.


    Although his subordinates were loyal and brave, they were not as numerous as the other side.


    If they really fought, they might both suffer heavy losses.


    "Master, shall we leave under the cover of night?"


    Istrad asked.


    He couldn''t waste all his manpower here.


    Because there was still a group of King Rad''s men hiding somewhere.


    He had to return to Tretogor City safely to continue his unfinished business.


    As for the goods brought back from Mahakam and Novigrad...


    Although it was a pity, it seemed there was no other way now.


    "No, sir, we are going to kill them."


    Lynn gave an answer that Istrad had never expected.


    He paused and explained with a smile.


    "There are horses in their camp, quite a few, and we just need them to pull our goods."


    "Besides, since they are with another group of attackers, we can get the location and assembly point of the other group of attackers from them."


    "That way, we can go around without alarming anyone."


    Istrad thought for a moment, a look of agreement appearing on his face, but he still said: "But there are too many of them, I''m worried we might..."


    He didn''t continue his sentence.


    But Lynn already understood what he meant.


    "I already have a plan, sir. You and your men ambush in that direction, and Geralt and I will drive the enemy towards you."


    "When the time comes, you can use crossbow bolts to cook a pot of steel soup and entertain our ''guests''."


    Istrad''s eyes lit up.


    If everything really went according to what Lynn said, then they would hardly have to pay much casualties.


    "What are you planning to do?"


    "It''s simple, just use this."


    Lynn took out a Dancing Star bomb.


    He and Geralt had just happened to be in Novigrad and replenished a large amount of materials for making potions and alchemy bombs.


    As long as there were enough alchemy bombs, the two of them could cause amazing destructive power.


    Lynn briefly explained to Istrad what an alchemy bomb was.


    Istrad was overjoyed upon hearing this, and also generously stated that no matter how much the alchemy bombs they used cost, he would compensate them after arriving in Tretogor City, and would definitely not let Lynn and Geralt work for free.


    Lynn had originally planned to mention it to Istrad, but before he could make the request, Istrad took the initiative to bring it up.


    Of course, this was even better.


    So Lynn and Geralt began to prepare for the upcoming raid.


    Since they were dealing with human enemies, there was no need to apply sword oil.


    But they still had to drink potions.


    After all, they were facing a mercenary gang of more than forty people.


    Although Lynn''s plan was to use alchemy bombs to force them towards the ambush point, rather than a direct fight.


    But reality was not a game after all, and it was basic common sense to make thorough preparations.


    In addition, although the Trial of the Grasses made witchers much stronger than ordinary humans in all aspects, in fact, only witchers who had drunk potions could be considered complete.


    Let''s put it this way.


    If Geralt in the original novels had drunk potions before trying to stop the Rivia pogrom, then there would definitely not be the meme of "pitchforks are a witcher''s bane."


    ...


    The two quietly moved to the periphery of the camp again.


    Geralt mouthed to Lynn.


    "Ready?"


    "Let''s begin."


    Lynn threw a slender glass bottle filled with a light blue liquid.


    The glass bottle tumbled in the air and finally hit the tree trunk next to the sentry.


    Hearing the sound, the sentry instinctively turned his head to look around.


    But in the next moment, a chill struck.


    Terrifying cold air burst out from the shattered glass bottle.


    Visible frost spread in all directions.


    The first to bear the brunt was the closest sentry.


    He had just turned his head when frost covered his body.


    Turning him into a lifelike ice sculpture.


    This was the power of the Northern Wind bomb.


    "Enemy attack!"


    The shrill shouts and the sudden change made the camp a scene of chaos.


    Lynn and Geralt took the opportunity to throw out several Dancing Star bombs and Dragon''s Dream bombs.


    Soon, raging fires were burning everywhere in the camp.


    Although there were only two of them.


    The momentum they created was louder and greater than that of twenty people.


    Although the gang organized by Jadd was not an ordinary bandit gang, the scene before them was something even a regular army would be helpless against.


    First, the sudden appearance of ice turned people into ice sculptures, followed by huge explosions and raging flames.


    These mercenaries didn''t know what alchemy bombs were.


    After all, this thing was even rarer than witchers, and very few witchers could afford to waste them like Lynn and Geralt.


    With their meager knowledge, they could only think of one possibility:


    Sorcerer!


    A sorcerer was attacking them!


    Only this damn reason could explain the current situation.


    "Sorcerer! It''s a sorcerer! A sorcerer!"


    No one knew who shouted it first, but this undoubtedly greatly increased the panic in the camp.


    Sorcerers were not invincible.


    But a prepared sorcerer who was also hiding somewhere casting spells was almost equivalent to being invincible.


    Panic spread like a plague and could no longer be controlled.


    The mercenaries in the camp scrambled to escape the camp.


    At this time, they only regretted that their parents had given them two legs instead of four.


    When they finally escaped, leaving the forest and the burning camp and the noise all behind them, before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, they were interrupted by crossbow bolts piercing the night sky.


    The mercenaries hit by the crossbow bolts fell like wheat being cut down.


    ...


    Different from the scene outside the forest with angry shouts, the still burning forest camp seemed so quiet.


    When Lynn and Geralt acted separately, creating more chaos, Lynn unexpectedly encountered a big fish.


    The other party actually had a pair of cat eyes just like theirs.


    "Wolf School, when did you start taking killing jobs too?"


    Jadd, with a ferocious face and bulging veins, obviously also having drunk potions, spat on the ground.


    He only felt like ten thousand alpacas were galloping through his heart.


    If he had known that there were witchers protecting the target he was going to attack, he would never have taken this contract.


    Let alone staying in this camp after the attack failed.


    Lynn recognized Jadd.


    Although he was a bit younger than the one in his memory, he was undoubtedly the Cat School witcher who wanted to break the witcher''s law and hoped to be the first to die of old age in bed.


    Lynn shook his head: "I''m different from you. We take protection jobs."


    "Whatever you say, little wolf cub," Jadd put his sword back into its scabbard and spread his hands, "I say, we don''t have to fight to the death. There are already few witchers. If one or two more witchers die from infighting, it''s even more unworthy..."


    Before Jadd could finish speaking, his wrist suddenly flicked, and a sleeve arrow hidden under his arm shot out a cold light, flying straight towards Lynn.


    But before Jadd could show a smug look, a flash of fire suddenly lit up in his vision.


    Jadd hurriedly dodged. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to avoid the Igni sign that was aimed at his brow at the last moment.


    "Treacherous Cat School!"


    "Despicable little wolf cub!"


    Jadd didn''t expect that the other party had the same idea as him.


    What about being partners of justice?


    After dodging the flames, Jadd drew his steel sword and rushed towards Lynn.


    Lynn did not run away, he accepted the challenge.


    Steel swords swung and turned around the witchers, both dodging each other''s attacks, dancing a dance of death.


    Bright sparks flew every time the metal collided.


    Jadd''s sword was fast, but not fast enough.


    The unique mutations of the Cat School gave him faster reactions and speed, but the current him had not yet reached the level of more than ten years later. His swordsmanship was still only in the ranks of proficiency, and had not yet reached the realm of a master.


    Lynn, who was more skilled, found and seized his flaw.


    Jadd also noticed it, but it was too late.


    Lynn swiftly swung his sharp sword, splitting open his abdomen.


    Jadd screamed, dropped his steel sword, and took a few steps back. Lynn chased after him and kicked Jadd in front of the burning tent.


    The sharp sword once again drew a long arc, splitting Jadd''s torso diagonally from the collarbone.


    Blood splattered everywhere.


    Jadd screamed again and fell to his knees.


    He lowered his head and looked at his chest and abdomen.


    He stared intently at the wound, as if doing so could make it heal.


    Lynn raised the Gwyhyr sword, ready to swing down.


    At this moment, Jadd suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with hatred.


    "My career has just begun to flourish, and I haven''t even had time to pursue the woman I love. How can I die here..."


    Lynn didn''t give him a chance to finish speaking.


    A cold light flashed, and the world became quiet.


    [author]


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    [/author]

 Chapter 56: Gotta Add Money

    Chapter 56: Gotta Add Money


    As the fighting within the camp concluded, the battle outside the camp also came to an end.


    None of Jadd''s men managed to escape.


    Most were shot dead by crossbow bolts.


    Only a few were taken prisoner.


    The guard captain took some men to escort the prisoners to the other side for interrogation.


    After a while, the guard captain and his men returned.


    Their bodies were still stained with blood.


    From the mouths of the prisoners, the group obtained very valuable information:


    As Istrad and the others had previously guessed, the mastermind behind the attack was indeed King Rad of Poviss.


    King Rad had hired Jadd''s mercenary group, along with his own soldiers, to try to ambush Istrad and his party.


    After the attack failed, Jadd led his men back to this temporary camp.


    And sent a person to the place where King Rad''s men were stationed.


    In other words, as long as they stayed here and waited, catching the person Jadd sent out, there was a high probability of obtaining the enemy''s next ambush plan.


    So, the group began to make arrangements.


    First, they extinguished the fire in the camp to prevent black smoke from being discovered.


    Then they dragged away the bodies of the mercenaries outside the forest.


    Finally, everyone hid in the forest and lay in ambush.


    During the waiting period, Lynn found Istrad.


    "Sir, the ones who attacked us weren''t ordinary bandits, were they? They seemed to have come specifically for this caravan."


    As an "unknowing" outsider, it was normal for him to raise questions at this time. It would have been abnormal not to.


    After all, he knew Istrad''s true identity, but Istrad didn''t know that he knew.


    Sure enough, after Lynn raised the question, Istrad breathed a sigh of relief.


    Obviously, in his opinion, Lynn should have asked this question long ago.


    "Master Lynn, you are right, they were indeed after me."


    "But I didn''t intentionally hide it at the time. There were really reasons why I couldn''t be frank. I can assure you that once we arrive in Tretogor City, I will tell you everything."


    ...


    Rocky rode his horse, on his way back to the camp.


    When he set off, he only took a piece of cold, hard black bread. Not only did it not fill his stomach, but it almost broke his teeth.


    After conveying the boss''s meaning to King Rad''s men, he wanted to beg for some food, but was kicked out.


    In the eyes of King Rad''s men, Jadd''s gang, nominally mercenaries, were no different from robbers and bandits in reality.


    The high and mighty knight lord, condescending to cooperate with these guys they usually looked down on, was already reluctant enough.


    And they dared to ask them for food?


    Wasn''t that asking for a beating!


    Therefore, Rocky had to set off again with a tired body.


    After spending several hours on horseback, Rocky was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted.


    But fortunately, he finally made it through.


    The small forest where his companions'' temporary camp was located appeared in his sight.


    Thinking that the destination was right in front of him, Rocky couldn''t help but cheer up.


    But soon he realized that something was wrong.


    Where were the sentries outside the forest?


    The entire forest was eerily quiet, but this was impossible.


    With so many people in the camp, even if they tried to be quiet, it wouldn''t be this deathly silent.


    Just as the thought "not good" popped into his mind, a crossbow bolt shot out from the forest, hitting the eye of the horse he was riding right between the eyes.


    The crossbow bolt shot into the horse''s eye and went straight into its brain.


    The poor nag didn''t even let out a whimper before falling to the side.


    The rider didn''t have time to react and was crushed underneath the fallen nag.


    A series of footsteps sounded from all around.


    A large group of people surrounded him.


    But obviously they weren''t his companions.


    "I advise you not to move, friend."


    ...


    In the camp, the guard captain walked towards Istrad.


    "My lord, please take a look."


    Istrad took the parchment handed over by the guard captain, looked at it carefully, and then handed it to Lynn.


    "Witcher Master."


    Lynn was not polite and took it.


    The content of this parchment was a hand-drawn map of the Duchy of Tretogor.


    Many clear marks were made on it.


    After he finished reading it, he handed it to Geralt next to him.


    "My lord, Witcher Master," the guard captain stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, "According to that man''s confession, King Rad''s men agreed to Jadd''s request for more money."


    "The marks on this map are the rendezvous point agreed upon by King Rad''s men and Jadd, and the place where they will ambush us again."


    "King Rad''s men don''t know what happened here. If we go directly to the rendezvous point, we might still be able to catch them off guard."


    Istrad was silent. After a long while, he asked.


    "Witcher Masters, I would like to hear your opinions."


    Geralt thought for a moment and said, "The enemy doesn''t know that their plan has fallen into our hands. This is our advantage. We can completely avoid them according to this map."


    Lynn also agreed: "I think so too. There are enough horses in Jadd''s camp for our use."


    The guard captain was taken aback: "What about King Rad''s men?"


    Lynn said, "Forget about them. Our most important thing now is not to kill them, but to safely reach Tretogor City."


    The previous attack on Jadd''s camp was to obtain the needed horses and the enemy''s plan.


    Now that the horses had been obtained and the enemy''s plan was known.


    There was no need for another fight.


    Of course, there was actually an even more important reason.


    That was that the alchemy bombs Lynn and Geralt had used earlier were almost completely used up.


    Without the effect of alchemy bombs to frighten the enemy, going into a head-on fight would definitely be fine for Lynn and Geralt, but Istrad''s subordinates might suffer casualties.


    There was no need for that.


    Istrad nodded.


    "The two masters think the same as me. Guard Captain, go tell the others that we are going back to the inn now."


    ...


    On the way back to the inn, Istrad suddenly came to Lynn''s side and asked in a low voice.


    "Master Lynn, forgive my boldness, but there is a question that has been on my mind for a long time."


    Lynn looked at Istrad in confusion: "Sir, please speak your mind."


    "Would a witcher mind becoming a vassal of a king?"


    Lynn knew it.


    In fact, as early as when he was still in Eddsberg, when he recognized Istrad''s true identity and plotted against him, wasn''t the other party also plotting against him?


    It was a mutual attraction.

 Chapter 57: Our Cause is Just

    Chapter 57: Our Cause is Just


    Lynn carefully considered his answer.


    "Your Excellency, if I were to give you the standard answer according to the code, then I would reply: Witchers usually try their best to avoid getting involved in politics, as this could potentially make the witcher''s situation even more difficult."


    Istrad''s eyes lit up: "You said ''if''?"


    "Yes, if."


    "Good, then let us assume such a situation: if I were to allow... I mean, if a king exiled to another country with a strong claim were to promise a witcher that if this witcher could help him return to his homeland and regain the throne, he would be ennobled. Would this witcher agree?"


    This was almost a blatant hint.


    Since everyone had laid their cards on the table, Lynn wouldn''t pretend anymore.


    "Your Excellency, the professional habit of witchers is to negotiate a suitable price before accepting a contract. Therefore, I think that witcher might first ask that king what price he intends to offer?"


    "I imagine that king would not be stingy with an earl''s title, and the land that comes with it, and of course, possibly more."


    "In that case, then I think that witcher would be very happy to help a king with legitimate rights return to his loyal country."


    ...


    The group returned to the inn and used the nags they had brought back from Jadd''s mercenaries to pull the carriages.


    Although the quality of these nags was not as good as the horses the caravan had used before, having them was better than nothing.


    With these horses, the group could continue their journey without having to abandon the carriages.


    Having learned from their previous experience, everyone preferred to camp in the wild rather than stay in rural inns again.


    And so, they traveled for several more days.


    The group finally arrived at Tretogor City.


    Tretogor City was located at the foot of the Dragon Mountains, surrounded by high walls, and the city''s buildings were mostly topped with spires.


    A man-made moat surrounded the high walls, wide and deep, and only a bridge that could be raised at any time allowed entry into the city.


    Gallows stood on the plains outside the city, indeed the iconic structure of Tretogor, as rumored.


    The line waiting to enter the city on the bridge was very long.


    It was not easy to get to Lynn''s group. Just as the guards were about to inspect them, Istrad stopped them and showed the ring he wore on his finger.


    The guards immediately recognized it as the signet ring of the Tyssen family.


    "Please forgive us, my lord, we didn''t recognize you."


    Istrad said coldly, "Can you let us pass now?"


    The guards immediately made way.


    "Of course, please come in."


    Upon entering Tretogor City, Istrad handed over the caravan to the guard captain and left in a hurry with only a few people.


    It was likely because of King Rad''s assassination attempt on the road that he was anxious to see the ruler of Tretogor¡ªLady Benica.


    Before parting, Istrad told Lynn and Geralt that he would come to see them after he was done with his business, to settle the payment and everything else.


    After arriving in Tretogor City, Lynn and Geralt had completed their escort work, so they no longer needed to travel with the caravan.


    The two went directly to the city''s inn, rented two rooms, and settled down.


    They took a comfortable hot bath, washing away the fatigue of the journey.


    In the evening, Istrad came to visit as promised.


    Istrad had changed into a magnificent outfit.


    Previously, when he was still with the caravan, he was dressed as a wealthy merchant.


    But now, he no longer concealed it and wore noble attire.


    He didn''t beat around the bush. After sitting down, he went straight to the point.


    "I know the two Witcher Masters have many questions, and I also promised to reveal everything. Now, I believe the time has come."


    He paused, his hands clasped tightly on his knees, as if gathering courage, and said.


    "Actually, my full name is Istrad Thyssen."


    "Are you a descendant of Baldwin Thyssen, who once ruled Kovir?"


    Geralt frowned beside him.


    He hadn''t expected his luck to be so good.


    A long-term escort mission he had taken casually.


    Its leader was actually a descendant of a long-dispossessed royal family.


    If there was anything that annoyed Geralt more than encountering troublesome commoners, it was working for royalty and nobles.


    Geralt couldn''t remember how many times he had accepted what was clearly a witcher contract, only to be inexplicably drawn into courtly intrigue.


    But the problem was that as a low-ranking witcher, many times he couldn''t refuse even if he wanted to.


    More often than not, the more he tried to stay out of it, the deeper he got involved.


    But fortunately, those past events would not be repeated... at least not this time.


    Because their escort mission was now over.


    They could take the opportunity to withdraw.


    "Lord Istrad, forgive me for being impolite. If we were discourteous in any way during the journey, please forgive us."


    Having dealt with royalty and nobles many times, Geralt had more or less figured out a way to deal with them.


    Simply put, it was to praise them as high as possible, the higher the better.


    No one disliked hearing good words, and royalty and nobles were even more so.


    Say a few nice words, appease them, then take the money and leave, never to be seen again.


    That was Geralt''s idea.


    But this time, his approach didn''t work on Istrad.


    "Master Geralt, what are you talking about? We don''t need to say such things between us."


    "But you guessed correctly, Baldwin Thyssen was indeed my father."


    "When the thrones of Kovir and Poviss passed from my grandfather to my father, it wasn''t long before the Poviss secession occurred."


    The Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss was a kingdom composed of Kovir, Poviss, Tretogor, Crayden, Malleore, Holopole, Camarthen, the Coast of Ys, and other city-states.


    At its peak, the territory of Kovir and Poviss was comparable to that of Redania.


    And the beginning of the so-called "Poviss secession" was actually a rebellion launched by a noble from Poviss.


    This noble, named Rad, declared Poviss''s secession from the kingdom and proclaimed himself king.


    After Poviss became independent, Tretogor, Crayden, Malleore, Holopole, Camarthen, the Coast of Ys, and other city-states also followed suit and declared independence.


    This was the "Poviss secession."


    "The independence of Poviss also triggered rebellions within Kovir."


    "A great vassal named Duke Idi seized the throne from my father during the chaos."


    "The Thyssen family lost power from then on and had to flee Kovir, going into exile in the Duchy of Tretogor, which had also become independent due to the Poviss secession."


    "During the escape, my father suddenly fell seriously ill and died. The Thyssen family reached its most dangerous moment."


    "But fortunately, Lady Benica, who ruled the Duchy of Tretogor, took us in. At the same time, there were still many branches of the Thyssen family in the Duchy of Tretogor, and they also provided me with a lot of help."


    The more Geralt listened, the more uneasy he felt, and he quickly made a gesture to stop him: "Please wait a moment, Your Excellency."


    "I think I understand roughly what you want us to do, but please don''t continue, otherwise we won''t be able to withdraw."


    As royalty, being interrupted while speaking would probably cause other nobles to fly into a rage.


    But Istrad was not angry.


    "Master Geralt, if you are worried about the issue of payment, I can swear to you in the name of the Thyssen family that we will absolutely not mistreat the two of you. I wonder if this can dispel your doubts."


    Geralt shook his head.


    "No, it''s not a matter of payment."


    A look of confusion appeared on Istrad''s face: "Then what is the problem?"


    Geralt said firmly, "The witcher''s code is to remain neutral, Lord Istrad. We do not participate in political struggles."


    Istrad had actually heard of the witcher''s code.


    But...


    Istrad''s gaze turned to Lynn beside him.


    At Lynn''s prompting glance, he did not continue this topic.


    He took out two large bags and a disc slightly larger than his palm, as well as a delicately crafted signet ring, and placed them on the table.


    "There are five hundred crowns in each of these bags... Master Geralt, I know what you are going to say, please hear me out first."


    "I am not someone who likes to force others. Since you have mentioned the witcher''s principle of neutrality, I naturally will not continue to make things difficult for the two masters."


    "I know that the payment we agreed upon earlier was two hundred crowns each, but the two masters saved my life and the lives of my men on the road, and more than once."


    "Moreover, I also said that my gratitude would not just be empty words."


    "So, please accept these."


    "As for this Eye of Nehaleni, it is a magical item that can dispel illusions. Masters, you face more dangers than I do, please don''t refuse. I would be very happy if it could be of use to you."


    "Finally, this signet ring, the pattern on it is the silver hand emblem of my Thyssen family. If the two of you encounter any trouble, you can go to the headquarters of the ''Rustwater Syndicate'' in Novigrad and show this signet ring."


    "But please be sure to keep it carefully and do not lose it. If it falls into the hands of irrelevant people, it will cause me a lot of trouble."


    The "Rustwater Syndicate" was the largest multinational trading company in Kovir. Nominally, it was just a civilian merchant organization, but in fact, the Thyssen family often used commercial activities as a cover to send secret agents and spies to other countries and regions.


    After the Thyssen family lost power, the Rustwater Syndicate sided with King Idi, who had seized power.


    But now it seemed that the Rustwater Syndicate only outwardly showed loyalty to King Idi.


    In reality, it was still firmly controlled by the Thyssen family.


    Lynn''s face showed no emotion, but his heart was already churning.


    Istrad was really willing to spend a lot to win over allies.


    The Eye of Nehaleni was one thing.


    No matter how precious this magical item was, for a member of the royal family, it was still something they could part with.


    The most valuable item was the signet ring.


    It should be known that what Istrad was doing now was a capital offense.


    This signet ring was probably only secretly given to Istrad''s most trusted people.


    It was equivalent to a tool for identifying friend or foe.


    Therefore, once this signet ring fell into the hands of irrelevant people, it would cause a great disaster.


    From this, it could be imagined that Istrad had almost laid bare his heart in order to win over Lynn.


    Geralt took the two bags full of gold coins without hesitation.


    But the Eye of Nehaleni and the signet ring were too valuable.


    He couldn''t take them.


    Especially if he took the signet ring, it would be equivalent to taking sides.


    Geralt had been careful enough to avoid the political vortex for decades, as if avoiding the plague, how could he ruin his reputation at this time.


    However, just as he thought this, Lynn actually reached out and took both the Eye of Nehaleni and the signet ring.


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 Chapter 58: Oh, I Say Fate

    Chapter 58: Oh, I Say Fate"Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency."


    "Lynn?"


    Geralt was caught off guard.


    He wanted to add something, but Istrad was already standing and leaving the room.


    "Then I ought to be going with him as well. If the two Masters agree, you might as well stay in Tretogor City for a little while longer. There just so happen to be contracts here that require your services, and while you''re staying in Tretogor City, all will be at my expense."


    The instant that Istrad left, Geralt was complaining to Lynn in discontent.


    "Lynn, what''s on your mind? We shouldn''t be injecting politics here. Have you forgotten what Vesemir told you? Witchers have to be impartial."


    Lynn shook his head: "I haven''t forgotten."


    "Why did you steal his things, then?"


    Here, Geralt was so anxious that he did not even get his words together.


    But Lynn understood what Geralt was saying.


    The White Wolf was accusing him of stealing the signet ring that Istrad had given him.


    If there was one person in the Wolf School whose thoughts were closest to the witcher''s code,


    That person would definitely be Geralt.


    Of course, being the hero of the "story," even if Geralt himself did not wish to cause trouble, trouble would always accompany him.


    Or, as they say in this world:


    This is fate.


    Though Lynn could hear Geralt''s thoughts, times had changed.


    "Geralt, here, men, elves, dwarves, and gnomes can all play the game of power. Why can''t we witchers?"


    Geralt replied offhand, "Because it is dangerous and will make our position as witchers that much more difficult."


    Lynn spread his hands.


    "But if we keep our noses out, won''t the political whirlpool suck us in anyway?"


    Geralt was silent.


    He had to admit, Lynn had made a valid point.


    Even when witchers would attempt to remain neutral, they would still get drawn in somehow.


    Or, more accurately, principled neutrality would most frequently lead to ill things.


    Geralt himself had been through that kind of thing several times.


    Being neutral, in the eyes of others, was a posture of indifference.


    Sometimes it would even be interpreted maliciously as being a turncoat or a fence-sitter.


    In any given world, no one likes fence-sitters, right?


    Geralt muttered sullenly, "At least, we should do our best to prevent it."


    Geralt likely was not aware that Lynn knew him better than he knew himself.


    Lynn knew full well that Geralt was a noble individual, nigh saintly.


    He was nearer to the ideal of a saint than any cleric.


    But regrettably, nobility was not enough to keep the individuals around him safe.


    In the original novels and game stories, if Geralt had been a little more "flexible," it would not have been so difficult for him to escape his roving fate and let Vesemir, Eskel, and Lambert live good lives.


    Once he had come to this world, what he had to do was obviously to change the direction of the "story" and not let the world line go towards that pitiful end.


    Anyway, there were no bronze dragons in this world to protect history from change.


    So, he needed Geralt to listen to him.


    Not the opposite.


    "Geralt, I know you''re doing this out of good intentions, but please believe me. I am doing this for the witchers too, not just for the Wolf School, but for all the witcher schools."


    "If we don''t act, we witchers. could really become extinct."


    Then, silence in the room.


    Finally, after all this time, Geralt slowly spoke in a manner as if giving in, "Alright, Lynn, I can''t convince you."


    "Clearly, you''ve thought this through a lot, much more than I have."


    "You''ve talked many times before, and to be honest, I didn''t catch all of them."


    "But I can tell that you have a plan, and it''s not one that you came up with in a moment of forgetfulness."


    "I won''t stop you, but I hope you''re aware of what you''re doing."


    Lynn also let out a heavy breath.


    He had expected it to be more difficult to persuade Geralt originally.


    And the current situation was definitely the best.


    Lynn could empathize with Geralt''s sentiments.


    The neutrality clause in the witcher code was also originally the intention when the witcher orders were founded.


    But now, things were changing, and civilization was progressing.


    The new laws no longer worked for this world.


    Lynn, being the visionary, well understood what was to occur.


    He would not and could not just wait around for disaster to strike him.


    Since things were going to occur anyway.


    Why not do a good preparation and take matters into one''s hands?


    Lynn therefore had to make this choice against ancient teachings.


    Because the rule of the Thyssen dynasty in Kovir and Poviss was overthrown and they had to flee abroad, Istrad had been scheming secretly his restoration to the throne.


    He always sought followers.


    Until the time was right, he sternly started the war to reclaim the throne.


    King Rad and King Idi, the usurpers, of course would not remain idle and watch Istrad''s restoration, and each one of them prepared separately.


    But the war to reclaim the throne finally ended in Istrad''s favor.


    King Rad and King Idi and their families were all murdered by Istrad on the evening now known as the "Night of Torches."


    And Lynn agreed to participate in Istrad''s coup in the future simply because he knew the outcome of the war to reclaim the throne.


    Of course, he was not foolish enough to think that going to war was danger-free.


    But the catch was that witchers'' daily lives also had huge risks.


    At least compared to risking his life to get paid half a crown for a drowners'' head for infiltrating a group of drowners, the reward of going after Istrad was much greater.


    Also, ennobleing a witcher as a vassal was a two-way win for Istrad.


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    Then, to allow witchers to be lords in his country was to have the country view witchers favorably first, and thus that would make existing few witchers in the world flock to Kovir.


    And witchers would ward off monsters which damaged the rural areas, thereby allowing farmers to till the lands peacefully and those soldiers who were waging battles abroad would no longer need to worry about their wives and offspring.


    Secondly, the special witcher senses generated by the witches'' mutations may also serve city guards and enable them to deal with murder more efficiently, capture murderers more effectively, and safeguard the lives and property of citizens.


    Finally, when foreign countries invaded, there would also be witchers brandishing swords to defend this land.


    Earlier, Lynn had exhibited all these benefits in front of Istrad, which had finally made up Istrad''s mind and decided to carry out the vow of "giving Lynn an earl''s title and land."


    Well, of course, where this place was and whether he would desire to acquire more would surely hinge on future efforts.