Chapter 152: Beneath the Surface

The person who had stabbed Olgierd with the dagger was the daughter of the mansion owner, and her eyes were filled with hatred.

After 'killing' Olgierd, she slowly fell to the ground, crying bitterly. "You destroyed my home!"

Rience was stunned, and for the first time he doubted the person who gave him the information to unite with Olgierd. He looked back at the disappeared portal, as if he was considering whether to go back.

But Olgierd did not fall down as one would expect from a mortally wounded man. His reaction was as if he had just been bitten by a mosquito. He even tried to reach for the dagger with his right hand.

Finding that he could not reach to withdraw the dagger, he signaled to one of the Wild Ones standing beside him.

The warrior pulled out the dagger with ease and calmly watched as the wound on his leader's neck closed in a single breath.

The Wild Ones' eyes shone with even greater fervor.

"Your home no longer belongs to you." Olgierd said, after waiting a moment to make sure he could speak normally. "I saved this manor from the creditors and saved you, so the manor has long been mine."

He looked coldly at the trembling woman. "I used to think about maintaining the dignity of the owner's family, so I respected you. But now you have given up my respect by your own hand. You have committed a crime, and you must be judged."

Olgierd gestured to the eager Wild Ones. "She is yours."

Rience stared at the bizarre scene in front of him in amazement, watching the woman being dragged away with wailing.

Rience turned to Olgierd and heard him say: "Tell me your plan to defeat Lannister. I am interested."

...

In the city of Novigrad, outside the Temple Island

This time, no one came to greet Lann and his group.

The Eternal Flame clearly had reservations about them and did not provide them with accommodation on Temple Island. Nor did they give Lann preferential treatment because of his noble status.

If King Vizimir II had come in person, the Eternal Flame might have shown some respect.

As for other kings, unless they needed something from them, the Eternal Flame would not pay the slightest attention to them.

...

Lann sat in the room of his group's makeshift accommodation, deep in thought.

Olgierd's wishes were different from what Lann remembered from The Witcher Series. His first wish should not have been about The Toad Prince, but the famous Dead Man's Party.

In The Witcher Series, the Toad Prince's quest was not a wish from Olgierd, but rather a quest posted on the notice board to draw players to him.

But this is the first time Lann has met him, and it makes sense that it would be the first of Olgierd's three difficult tasks.

But Lann did not plan to kill or capture the giant toad, because he knew his true identity: Sirvat the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Ofir.

Ofir is a kingdom beyond the continent, this prince had come to the Northern Kingdoms on a tour to learn everything he could about the continent before becoming ruler, but he became Olgierd's love rival and was cursed by him, turning into a giant toad.

Lann didn't intend to kill him.

If Lann remembered correctly, Ofir had many useful goods, some of which could give him and his group a huge boost in power.

Lann had considered them in his plans before, but he did not know how to contact that region across the sea.

Now that he had such a good opportunity in front of him, how could he kill the prince and waste it?

It would be a great loss.

But Lann had to complete the Hearts of Stone quest series because the rewards were too valuable. Simply completing the quest to meet Olgierd had made him level up.

Lann estimated that Olgierd's three wishes were three main quests, each capable of leveling him up one more level. Furthermore, with the rewards from the final quest after completing the contract with the Master Mirror, he could gain up to four additional levels.

So Lann must complete this series of tasks, and Lann must satisfy Olgierd's three wishes.

But blindly going along with the enemy was not his style. Reality was not like a game. No one knew what other changes might occur.

So Lann now wants to try whether he can complete this series of tasks at the pace he wants to maximize his benefits.

Lann considered bringing Olgierd any ordinary toad or bringing back the toad prince without handing him over.

But after thinking about it carefully, he decided against it. After all, he was dealing with real people, not an AI. He didn't know if Olgierd could do anything during the process of the subsequent wishes that could cause things to get out of hand.

Finally, Lann came up with a plan and decided to test his assumptions.

He took out an ordinary mirror from his inventory and muttered softly: "Master Mirror."

"I'm here." A polite voice was heard from outside, followed by a rhythmic knock on the door.

This time, time didn't stop, but clearly no one in the room noticed this person's arrival.

Lann rubbed his brows with a headache: "Come in!"

The dusty demon merchant slowly walked into the room and found a chair for himself.

"Why didn't I see you knocking on the door at Olgierd's place before? Why are you so polite here?"

The Master Mirror responded naturally: "You are a friend, he is a debtor. You are not equal."

"So why have you come to see me so soon? Are Olgierd's wishes bothering you? Lann, I must remind you that the difficulty of your mission has increased. It seems Olgierd plans to make things difficult for you."

Lann raised an eyebrow. "Make it difficult for me?"

The Master Mirror said: "Your enemies have found him. It seems he has a special source of information."

Enemies? Lann couldn't think of anyone at the moment.

Although he has always been kind to others, there are indeed many people who want his life for various complicated reasons. Not to mention various political forces, there are also many powerful people who are plotting against Elder Blood.

The Master Mirror kindly helped Lann point out the direction. "The one you just beat recently."

Hey, Rience.

Lann rubbed his temples, remembering how persistent that little demon was. How had he discovered that he was now in conflict with Olgierd? Had he gotten the information from Vizimir II?

Could the magician behind him, Vilgefortz, really have such a vast reach? What about Dijkstra and Philippa, was it intentional or accidental?

Lann rubbed his face, adjusting his expression.

"This bad news comes at the right time." Lann said word by word. "I have had this idea for a long time: I don't want to do it anymore."

"Regarding this wish, Olgierd has hidden something from me. I believe this wish will bring me unexpected trouble. Until I fully understand the story, I plan to decline this mission."

"I'm also sick of feeling manipulated. One wish after another and me wasting my time on him every day? I have important things to do."

As he spoke, Lann stared intently into the Master Mirror's eyes, but he saw no emotion in them. All he could see was his own reflection.

"Lann, if you're upset by the secrecy, I can help you resolve your doubts."

The Master Mirror's voice was unusually calm, as if he was sure that Lann would take back what he had just said in the end.

"Olgierd once fell in love with a beautiful lady named Iris. But at the time, Olgierd's family was in decline, his business having failed several times, so Iris's parents did not consider him suitable. Instead, they favored a prince of Ofir and had arranged a marriage."

"Olgierd hated that prince. He first thought of killing him, but that didn't satisfy his thirst for revenge. So he learned black magic on his own and cursed the prince, turning him into a giant toad. I must say that he has a remarkable talent for black magic."

"Now, perhaps the prince's suffering has seemed enough to him, or he has simply grown tired of the toad, so he wants you to put an end to this dishonorable revenge."

The Master Mirror looked at Lann with a smile. "How is this story? Do the twists and turns of the plot and the twisted human nature make you feel excited and feel the beauty of the world?"

Lann shook his head. "I sincerely hope that my life won't be this exciting. If I face this toad, I'll basically be killing a foreign prince, involving an innocent person in our dispute, and gaining a powerful enemy, right?"

"No one is innocent, Lann. Giving your life for love is a worthy death, isn't it? You need to get rid of these unnecessary moral burdens." Master Mirror taught earnestly. "And how can an enemy in the distance compare to one in front of you? You have to think clearly."

Lann paused. "Are you finally threatening me?"

Master Mirror raised his hands. "No, no, I mean other people. What I mean is: you need my power to deal with them, so you have to help me collect my debts as soon as possible."

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