242. Departure.
The next morning.
The entire floatsam port was already awake.
No matter what had happened yesterday, the work that needed to be done today had to continue, and the money that needed to be earned today still had to be earned.
The commodity trading market had been blown up.
The merchants and their assistants simply started shouting out their deals directly at the docks, making the floating port even more lively.
In this world, it seemed that nothing was truly indispensable.
"Mom, where's Dad?"
The voice of the little girl jolted Flora Dooley out of her trance as she stared at the ice cluster. She looked down at her daughter's round face, which bore a strong resemblance to her husband's. She remained silent for a few seconds, gently stroked her daughter's head, and forced a smile as she said: "Little Aisha, things were badly damaged here. Your father has gone back to Vizima to report. He'll be back in a few months."
Hearing this, the girl immediately drooped her head, looking somewhat unhappy.
Flora Dooley sighed when she saw this, but since her daughter didn't throw a tantrum, she said nothing more. She lifted her head and continued to watch the ice cluster slowly melt, taking a deep breath.
The cold air was biting.
Yet it seemed filled with the scent of her husband, the last trace of him in this world.
In truth...
Flora Dooley knew in her heart that it wasn't really the scent of her beloved. With the help of the witchers and dwarves, her husband had been dug out of the ice cluster yesterday. To prevent him from turning into a wraith, he had been reduced to ashes in the searing flames. But she still felt that as long as the ice hadn't fully melted, his soul was still trapped inside.
"What a tragedy!"
John Kramer, the black-bearded dwarf, stood behind the bar.
Watching this scene, even though he prided himself on having a heart as hard as steel, he found it difficult to bear.
At the same time, the scholar from Oxenfurt was dipping his white bread into tomato stew, enjoying his breakfast with relish.
"Bang!"
A large mug of beer was slammed in front of Ernest, splashing his face with beer. Taken by surprise, he immediately looked up, bewildered, at the dwarf.
"For you!" the black-bearded dwarf grumbled, "The sooner you finish drinking, the sooner you can get to Nilfgaard to find that whatever Snake School Grandmaster!"
Ernest followed the dwarf's gaze toward the door and sighed.
The Wild Hunt did this, why are you taking it out on me?
But a free drink is a free drink, so why not?
"It's not just any school," Ernest corrected after taking a sip of beer. "I'm going to visit Ivar Evil-Eye, the Grandmaster of the Viper School..."
"Whatever, just hurry up and go," the black-bearded dwarf waved impatiently.
Ernest sighed, finishing off the last bit of bread by wiping his bowl clean and popping it into his mouth. Then, a letter was handed to him.
"This is the letter for Grandmaster Ivar Evil-Eye. Check if there's anything you want to add," Vesemir said, arms crossed.
The food in front of the two witchers had long since been devoured, and even Mary, who ate less, had finished her breakfast.
"Shh..."
Ernest unfolded the letter and read it carefully.
The letter was divided into two parts.
One part confirmed Ernest's identity and purpose. The other part described the events leading up to and following the appearance of the Wild Hunt and invited the Viper School to join the hunt for them. At the end were the date and Vesemir's signature.
"Didn't expect Vesemir's cursive to be so good..." Ernest praised.
Vesemir's lips curled up slightly. That compliment hit him right in the heart. He was one of the few witchers in the Wolf School who enjoyed reading. And except for the Grandmaster, none of the other Wolf School witchers had handwriting as good as his.
"The content is fine," Ernest nodded, tapping the signature with his forefinger. "But..."
"If possible, it would be best if Master Allen could also sign his name at the bottom."
"Me? Sign it?" Allen was momentarily taken aback.
"Indeed, two masters are certainly more valued than one."
The dwarf, with his simple worldview, agreed with Ernest's idea. Then, casting a mischievous glance at Vesemir, he teased: "The youngest witcher Grandmaster of the past can't compare to the youngest witcher Grandmaster of today, right?"
Vesemir rolled his eyes and ignored him. He patted Allen on the shoulder and handed him the pen and paper.
Allen shrugged indifferently and signed his name at the bottom of the letter.
"Alright," the black-bearded dwarf slammed the table, "Now that we've eaten and packed, let's get moving."
Ernest, feeling full, grabbed his satchel, stood up, and sighed: "This is the first time I've been kicked out of an inn by the owner..."
The black-bearded dwarf glared at him, his black eyes as big as copper bells staring directly at the scholar from Oxenfurt: "What's the matter? You got a problem, freeloader?"
"Hahaha, wouldn't dare!" Ernest laughed heartily.
In fact, not only had Ernest's food and lodging been covered, but so had Allen's, Vesemir's, and Mary's.
The black-bearded dwarf's reason was that after such chaos, the inn wouldn't get any customers anyway. Though in truth, many travelers had come by, only to be turned away by the dwarf, who claimed the tables and chairs weren't ready yet.
After a few more jokes and laughs, the group prepared to leave.
Ernest, Allen, Vesemir, and Mary were all headed on the same ship. However, the witchers and the sorceress would disembark at Bayer Most.
Ernest would continue sailing to Novigrad, where he would board a sea vessel to sail the merchant routes to Nilfgaard.
Vesemir and Ernest chatted as they walked out of the inn. As they passed Flora Dooley, they instinctively stopped talking.
"Mr. Ernest, I leave everything in your hands."
Flora Dooley, hearing the footsteps, turned and bowed deeply to the scholar from Oxenfurt. Ernest quickly stepped aside and solemnly replied: "Don't worry. I'll do my best to bring the witchers of the Viper School."
Flora Dooley gave Ernest a grateful look and nodded. Then she bowed to Allen as well, constantly repeating: "Thank you, thank you..."
And then the tears came.
Her daughter began to cry loudly as well.
Vesemir sighed, patted Flora Dooley on the shoulder, and advised earnestly: "We'll find a way to avenge the dead. Though it will take time..."
"But the living are more important..."
"Live well, live your life..."
Vesemir glanced at the melting ice cluster: "I think that's his greatest wish, isn't it?"
Flora Dooley covered her face with her hands, weeping uncontrollably, bowing all the while. Large drops of tears seeped through her fingers, mixing with the dust on the ground, and rolled toward the ice cluster.
Vesemir shook his head and sighed once more. This time, he said nothing further. Nodding to Allen, he led Yennefer and Royse to fetch the horses from the stable and followed Ernest toward the dock.
Mary was the last to pass by Flora Dooley. She bit her lip, glanced at her, but said nothing, hurrying away.
----------------------
The port.
Ernest led Allen and the others to a large, elegantly decorated merchant ship.
A skinny, middle-aged man dressed in dark red finery was standing in front of the merchant ship, directing the dockworkers to load cargo onto the vessel.
Before they could approach, the middle-aged man seemed to notice the group. He gestured to a man standing nearby, who appeared to be his servant, instructing him to oversee the dockworkers. Then, laughing heartily, he walked over to them.
"Ernest, this must be the Master Vesemir you mentioned, right?"
Ernest smiled and nodded, introducing both sides: "Master Vesemir, Master Allen, Lady Margarita…"
"This is Radu Kuhn, the eldest son of the Kuhn family. The Kuhn family is one of the founding families of the Free City of Novigrad, with a long and storied history…"
The middle-aged man, Radu Kuhn, waved his hand, interrupting him.
"You flatter me, you flatter me…"
"The Free City has only been around for a little over thirty years. In front of a Witcher Master, it's hardly a long history…"
Ernest shook his head helplessly and said: "Don't listen to his nonsense…"
"The Kuhn family had already gained fame in Redania and Temeria long before Novigrad became a Free City."
"During the Seven Years' War, they were able to sell goods to the courts of both enemy nations…"
"The Kuhn family's strength should not be underestimated."
The middle-aged man sighed, shaking his head in apparent helplessness. However, the faint smile on his face showed that he was quite pleased with Ernest's praise of his family.
Allen noticed as well.
Although Radu Kuhn had modestly brushed aside the compliments, he didn't deny the Kuhn family's status as one of the founding families of the Free City.
"Mr. Radu," Ernest continued, "this is Master Vesemir, whom I mentioned to you earlier. I'm sure you've heard his name before, so I won't go into more detail."
Radu Kuhn smiled warmly and slightly bowed to Vesemir: "Though I'm far away in Novigrad, I've long heard of Master Vesemir's great reputation."
"For a century now, the youngest Witcher Master, who has slain so many monsters that they could form a mountain…"
"Hahaha," Ernest stepped up beside Allen and laughed.
"For once, your information is outdated…"
"This here is now the youngest Witcher Master, likely the youngest in history…"
"Master Allen of the School of the Wolf. Although he only passed the Witcher Trials this year, he's already killed six large monsters, two of which he defeated entirely on his own…"
So young and already a Witcher Master?
Radu Kuhn looked at Allen's face, which clearly showed he wasn't even sixteen yet, and couldn't hide the shock on his own face.
In this era, each Witcher school had its own designated hunting grounds. Novigrad, located between Redania and Temeria, was theoretically the domain of the School of the Griffin. Of course, these territorial divisions were just unwritten rules to avoid conflicts between the schools and prevent internal strife among Witchers.
Generally speaking, most Witchers would return to their school's stronghold during the harsh winters, so their hunting ranges were relatively fixed. Thus, although Radu Kuhn knew several Witchers from the School of the Griffin, he knew very little about the School of the Wolf, only that they were the largest Witcher school at the moment.
So when he saw Allen's youthful face, he briefly wondered if the School of the Wolf had lower standards for becoming a Master compared to the School of the Griffin.
After all, the youngest Witcher Master in the School of the Griffin was already in his seventies or eighties. But when he heard the latter part—"killed six large monsters" and "defeated two on his own"—he could only click his tongue in admiration.
"Master Allen is truly remarkable!"
"Mr. Radu, I haven't even finished the introduction yet!" Ernest chuckled.
Radu Kuhn looked surprised.
"The news I told you last night, about the war between Kaedwen and Aedirn, actually came from Master Allen…"
"He killed a archgriffin terrorizing Vengerberg on behalf of Aedirn and learned the news as a reward from the nobles of Aedirn…"
Allen blinked reflexively upon hearing this.
What Ernest said wasn't wrong in essence, but he was clearly downplaying Vesemir's role while elevating Allen. That archgriffin wasn't just killed by him alone—Vesemir and Mary had also contributed. Moreover, while the griffin hunt was linked to learning about the war, it was actually Mary's identity and Lady Vera's potions that had played the pivotal role.
Ernest had conveniently left all that out. Yet, during their conversation the previous night, the entire story had been shared in full detail.
There was no way Ernest didn't know this.
So…
Allen glanced at Vesemir.
At that moment, Vesemir was also looking at him. His lips moved slightly, whispering in a voice only Allen could hear: "Don't refute it!"
Allen's heart warmed, realizing that Vesemir was once again paving the way for him.
A Witcher Master, unlike ordinary Witchers, usually received commissions from major clients in advance, so they weren't bound by the territorial divisions. Of course, this also meant their relationships and reputations played a larger role.
And in this era, without someone to spread the word, no matter how strong you were, no one would know, and you wouldn't get commissioned.
The wealthy founding family of Novigrad, the Kuhns…
Without a doubt, they were genuine big clients.
Radu Kuhn's eyes sparkled after hearing Ernest's introduction.
"A archgriffin!" He stepped forward and grasped Allen's hands.
"Incredible, incredible!"
"Master Allen is a benefactor to our Kuhn Merchant Company. Without your information, this trip to Aedirn would have been dangerous, at the very least resulting in heavy losses…"
"The Kuhn Merchant Company always repays its debts…"
"Once we're aboard, please allow me to offer you a few toasts. After the feast, there will also be additional compensation…"
Allen deftly made small talk. Despite his young age, he showed no sign of the awkwardness one might expect in such social interactions. This further amazed Radu Kuhn. He continued to chat with the young Witcher Master for quite some time, exchanging pleasantries and compliments.
It wasn't until Ernest cleared his throat and subtly signaled toward the young girl in their group that Radu Kuhn reluctantly let go.
Ernest's introduction of Mary was brief: "This is Lady Margarita, an apprentice of the Scarlet Fox, Lady Vera…"
Before he could finish, Radu Kuhn burst into even greater enthusiasm. However, neither Vesemir nor Ernest was worried that this might affect Allen's future collaborations with Radu Kuhn. After all, Allen and Mary served different roles.
---------------------
After an engaging, though somewhat dull, round of socializing, Radu Kuhn personally led them aboard and arranged for the group to stay in the best guest cabins on the ship. Then, Ernest pulled Vesemir aside to join Radu Kuhn for further discussions, seemingly about business matters, leaving Allen and Mary in the cabin.
Inside the cabin, Yennefer was nearby with Clay, counting on her fingers. Feeling bored, Allen and Mary began chatting about potion-making techniques and the future development of the Witcher Corps. However, after a short while, Allen noticed that Mary seemed unusually distracted, completely unlike her usual self.
"What's wrong, Mary?" Allen asked.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
....…
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243. Don't Do That, Yennefer and Clay Are Still Here!
244. The Sword of Heroes, Balmur.
245. The Girl I Once Met.
246. Are You Really Not Planning to Tell Him About His Origins?
247. The Temptation of Immortality.