16 Going Down the Mountain

Just when Wayne was thinking about whether to absorb this circle of elements.

The badge of the Wolf School on the stone table has been charged with magic. It looks the same as before, but if you look closely, you will find that the surface of this badge has been covered with a layer of strange luster that is faintly visible to the naked eye.

Geralt extended his hand towards the badge resting on the stone table, studying it intently before offering it to Wayne. Displaying a sense of relief, he descended from the altar and said, "Here, take it".

"Let's go, it's time to go back to the castle. I encountered a lot of things today, and there was a battle, which left me reeking of monster stench."

Wayne nodded, looked back at the circle of elements with nostalgia, and sighed quietly in his heart.

He put the badge on his chest, followed Geralt's pace a few steps, and said, "In my fishing trap, there should be a harvest. Let's gather some mushrooms from the forest and check if we can catch a few rabbits or deer."

"However, the wine supply in the warehouse is running low. With over a month remaining until spring, we can no longer indulge in unrestricted drinking as we did before."

.........

As winter transitioned into spring, Wayne, in the midst of preparing to descend the mountain, found himself on the verge of the spring of 1250.

Kaer Morhen is located in the Blue Mountains, situated in the northeast of the Northern Kingdom and belonging to the Kingdom of Kaedwen. Despite the fact that the snow hasn't fully melted, the current weather remains bitterly cold.

However, the witchers, who have spent the entire winter within the castle, now must embark on a new journey, running for their lives.

Eskel and Lambert have already set off a few days earlier. They are going to the free city of Novigrad in the north this year to see if they can find a commission.

Now only Vesemir, Wayne, and Geralt were left in the castle.

Today, Wayne and Geralt are making preparations to depart from Kaer Morhen, embarking on a journey towards the northern kingdoms. As Wayne readies himself for departure, the elder witcher Vesemir, though silent, bears the demeanor of an old man watching his child venture far away.

In a gesture of care, Vesemir not only equipped Wayne with a new set of wolf-style witcher armor but also ensured he had a high-quality steel sword at his side.

According to the old man, this is a steel sword he replaced when he was young. It is mixed with a lot of precious metals, and it is a good weapon.

It's just a memento now, it might as well be handed over to Wayne for use.

As for the silver sword and horse, these two things were too expensive. Even if Vesemir had some savings, his financial resources were insufficient. He had to work hard to prepare one for Wayne in advance.

At the castle gate, Geralt led a gray mare, observing Wayne and Vesemir engaged in conversation with keen interest.

The old witcher patted Wayne on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Wayne, once you descend the mountain, you must act cautiously and avoid entanglement in the conspiracies among nobles or nations."

"We witchers must uphold the principle of neutrality, and we must not favor any one force."

"I have confidence in your talent and strength, but you are still young, you have to remember that sometimes, a human heart is more sinister than a ghost, and a villain is more vicious than a monster."

"Don't trust outsiders easily, be careful of the knife coming from behind.

Listening to Vesemir's instructive advice, Wayne couldn't help but feel a warm current in his heart. Throughout the two years he spent at Kaer Morhen with Vesemir, he sensed the old man's sincere care and wholehearted teachings, making Vesemir almost the closest person to him in this world.

Although there is no blood relationship between them, the old witcher played the role of an elder, loving and protecting his younger generation. Wayne stepped forward, embracing Vesemir gently, and expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Please rest assured, teacher, I will learn from Geralt and become an excellent witcher.

Unexpectedly, after hearing what Wayne said, Vesemir said with a straight face, "You just need to learn how to deal with all kinds of monsters. Gambling, whoring, spending money, and other bad habits will harm you instead."

Upon hearing the old witcher's words, Wayne couldn't help but burst into laughter. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of Geralt wearing a bitter expression, and said, 

"I understand, teacher. It's getting late, we need to start early. Otherwise, we might end up spending the night in the forest."

Vesemir patted Wayne's shoulder with some reluctance and said goodbye.

"Alright. Remember my words—don't trust others easily."

Wayne nodded seriously again and then set off with Geralt under the watchful eyes of the old witcher.

The destination of this journey has not been determined yet, but the witchers' goal is to take on commissions and earn gold coins. Their initial plan is to visit nearby villages, checking for any monsters that need to be dealt with while gathering war information along the way.

Based on past experience, whenever there's been a war with casualties, those corpses tend to attract a large number of monsters. This poses a threat to nearby humans, drawing danger towards them.

In the absence of a war, the witchers plan to head to the major cities in the north to explore opportunities. The abundance of wealthy individuals and intricate relationships makes it easier for them to find jobs in such places.

However, as a newly minted witcher, Wayne recognized the need to save more money for purchasing essential equipment like a mount and a silver sword. These are crucial tools for a witcher, and they don't come cheap. It might take a considerable amount of time to accumulate the necessary funds.

Of course, this was Geralt's idea, but he didn't know that Wayne was richer than he imagined.

Over the course of these two years, Wayne's system has accumulated a professional-level treasure chest and more than 500 ordinary-level treasure chests that remain untouched. Each treasure chest holds a quantity of coins, and the combined total is likely to be quite considerable.

Nevertheless, Wayne was aware that the money essentially appeared out of thin air. If Geralt had been by his side throughout, explaining the sudden acquisition of such a huge sum would prove challenging.

Therefore, he had to find an opportunity to distract Geralt for a while and find an excuse for his gains.

However, this is something to think about after leaving Kaer Morhen.

Under the watchful gaze of the old witcher, Wayne trailed behind Geralt, guiding the mare laden with luggage, swiftly vanishing into the depths of the forest.

...

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