Chapter 279: Our Venture Is Thriving
The day of departure arrived quickly.
As planned, Tissaia, Yennefer, the witchers, the apprentices, and the elven commoners who had sought refuge with Lynn all remained at the castle. The sorceresses continued their work optimizing the second mutation. The witchers, meanwhile, were dedicated to teaching the apprentices.
There was one exception: Letho.
Novigrad was Lynn's power base. Not to mention the fact that Tencel and Dudu were also there. Although the Eternal Fire's Shani, the Syndicate's Drek, and Roche's Blue Stripes were present, Lynn felt it would be better to have another witcher to hold down the fort.
The witcher he had in mind was Letho.
In the original story, Letho was a cunning individual. He played the Lodge of Sorceresses and the Scoia'tael against each other, using the support provided by the Lodge to achieve his own goals while deceiving the busty, arrogant women quite effectively. Having Letho stationed in Novigrad would be an extra layer of security. Lynn was completely at ease.
The elven commoners also remained at the castle, both for their protection and to continue honing their archery skills.
While the number of people in the castle had grown, Lynn had left the majority of his stored food from his runed leather pouch behind in the Kaer Morhen cellars. In the past, when the castle still had a resident sorcerer, a magical ward had been placed on this cellar. No matter how hot it got outside, the cellar remained cold and dry. Storing food here kept it fresh for as long as possible, preventing it from spoiling.
Of course, even a large stockpile of food would eventually run out. But there was no need to worry. After all, Tissaia, a high-level sorceress, was there.
While other sorcerers' portals were unstable, short-ranged, and could only transport a single person, Tissaia was different. She could take others through the portal with her, and even transport large amounts of supplies. Sorry, but being close to a legend gives you certain privileges.
And so, only Lynn, Vesemir, and Letho embarked on the journey away from Kaer Morhen.
After a long and tedious journey, the group finally arrived in Novigrad.
Lynn first took them to a tavern, where they bathed, ate, and rested for a day. Then, he brought Vesemir to Tencel's smithy to pick up a set of Grandmaster Ursine armor, a Grandmaster steel sword, and a Grandmaster silver sword that Tencel had forged, so the old man could wear them.
Clothes make the man, a truth that never goes out of style. Witchers were often disliked, and besides the well-known reasons, they themselves bore some responsibility. They were unkempt and slovenly. Even the White Wolf in the original novels, when he had money, would only buy things for Yennefer, who didn't lack a thing, without ever thinking of sprucing himself up. That's why he was called a vagrant everywhere he went.
Lynn didn't want his master to face such a fate. So he took great care to dress the old man up. He even hired a barber to style his hair and beard.
Although the old man repeatedly insisted it wasn't necessary, Lynn knew when to listen to his elders and when to be stubborn. It's like how some people bring gifts back home every year, even though their parents say, "It's enough that you're back, don't waste your money." But secretly, the parents are delighted and will show off the gifts to their friends while doing their plaza dancing. Besides, Lynn could see that despite what Vesemir was saying, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
Once Vesemir's new look was complete, Lynn was very satisfied and gave the barber an extra crown as a tip. He held up a mirror for Vesemir to see himself. Now, he looked every bit the elegant old gentleman. The English-style gentleman, with a certain air of sophistication. It was a shame the current era wouldn't allow it, otherwise, dressing the old man in a crisp suit, polished leather shoes, and a Swaine Adeney Brigg Solid umbrella would have made him look like a gentleman straight out of a movie.
Next, as was his custom, Lynn sent a letter of visit to Countess Mignole. She sent her butler back that night with a reply, setting up a meeting at the same high-end club where Lynn had met her before.
Upon hearing he was to meet Countess Mignole, Vesemir, who had hunted countless monsters, became nervous. This time, it was Lynn who had to constantly reassure his master. In the evening, the two of them went to the high-end club, and as expected, Vesemir met the Countess he had been longing for in a private room. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lynn politely excused himself, leaving the two of them alone.
Vesemir did not return that night.
Back at the villa, Lynn called Drek and Roche over. He first introduced them to Letho so they could get acquainted. Then, he listened to their reports of what had happened during his absence:
Thanks to Dudu's growing business, the Syndicate, with more funds injected into it, had recruited almost all the beggars in the city to act as Lynn's spies. Thanks to these beggars, they were receiving a flood of information every day, which in turn fed Dudu's business, allowing him to navigate risks and seize opportunities.
Furthermore, the results of Lynn's previous purge of the Eternal Fire's internal opposition were clear. Shani had promoted a group of people who shared her vision to replace the opposition, and the Eternal Fire was slowly changing. Meanwhile, Roche's special unit, the "Blue Stripes," was taking shape. This force would be completely loyal to Roche and Lynn, a dagger in the shadows. (Incidentally, Lynn named the "Blue Stripes" after the original lore, just as he did with the "Eternal Fire" and "Syndicate.")
The development of Lynn's factions was going well, and nothing had gone wrong with his other affairs. Tencel's smithy, though expensive, produced high-quality goods, so Shani had used her authority as the head of the city guard to procure a batch of weapons for the Temple Guards from Tencel.
Working as an apprentice for a master blacksmith like Tencel, Berengar's smithing skills were steadily improving. He already had a passion for smithing and a natural talent for it. Tencel, despite being an elf, held nothing back from his apprentice. As a witcher and a master blacksmith himself, Berengar often came up with good ideas, which made Tencel appreciate him even more.
Dettlaff had also found a purpose for himself in Novigrad. He had been like an idle guest in the city, doing nothing. In Toussaint, he at least had a toy shop, even if it only had a few customers a year. But in Novigrad, he had nothing to do. However, while Lynn and the others were at Kaer Morhen, Dettlaff had inadvertently discovered that a few toys he had brought back from Toussaint were very popular with the children at the Novigrad orphanage.
Since then, Dettlaff would occasionally bring his handmade toys to the orphanage. Over time, he somehow became a substitute teacher at the orphanage. Although it was an unpaid job, Dettlaff found a sense of purpose and emotional fulfillment in being needed by the children. And the children loved their stoic, black-clad teacher.
............
AN: Check out my P@treon For +120 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
Join now: Patreon com/Chaos_God