Chapter 108: Geralt and the Dragon-Hunting Contract

After entering the Fox Tavern, there were indeed few people inside. Following Old York's tip, Wayne spotted the man sitting at a table near the back door at a single glance.

He was in his forties, with short, dark brown hair and several scars on his face. His appearance wasn't handsome; he looked weary, dressed in simple clothing, and his build didn't seem particularly robust.

If not for the sword on his back and those conspicuous Witcher cat-like pupils, perhaps no one would doubt it if someone told them he was just a slightly stronger-than-average farmer.

Wayne didn't feel stage fright; he walked straight to the seat opposite the man and shouted to Melissa, who was dozing at the counter: "Melissa, bring a few bottles of the best cherry mead in the house to this table, along with some beef stew and game, and put the tab for this gentleman opposite me on my bill."

Melissa, who had been sitting on the counter, immediately lifted her head upon hearing the call. Seeing that the visitor was Wayne, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

Although she had a slight limp, her movements were very nimble, and she soon brought the food and fine wine Wayne had requested from the kitchen.

As for the man opposite Wayne, ever since Wayne sat down, he had been observing him with a scrutinizing gaze. It wasn't until Melissa placed the abundance of good wine and food between them that he met Wayne's eyes and asked in a deep voice: "My friend, what is the meaning of this? Hmm, which Witcher school are you from?"

The reason he asked this was because, at this moment, Wayne wasn't wearing any Witcher gear. Instead, he was dressed in a high-end silk shirt, with a short sword hanging from his belt. He was well-dressed, clean-shaven, and wore no Witcher medallion of any school around his neck.

Apart from being able to tell he was a Witcher from his amber cat-like pupils, he looked more like a promising young man overall.

Wayne didn't answer immediately. He took two wine glasses, poured two glasses of the best cherry mead, picked one up, gestured to the man opposite him, and after downing it in one gulp, smiled and said: "I am Wayne of the Wolf School. It's a pleasure to meet you, friend."

"It's rare to run into a fellow traveler, so I wanted to come over and get to know you."

The man was silent for a second or two, then picked up the other glass of cherry mead, downed it in one gulp, and said in a low voice: "Griffin School, George. It's a pleasure to meet you, Wayne of the Wolf School."

Everyone was a Witcher ostracized by others, and the Wolf School had a fairly good reputation among Witchers, so George didn't have much wariness toward him.

Of course, there was another reason: Wayne looked too young, his temperament was sunny and cheerful, his smile was gentle, and he had taken the initiative to treat him to a meal, making it hard to believe he was a bad person.

Looking at the black bread and ordinary beer sitting in front of George, Wayne guessed that his life must be quite tight. This was normal; Griffin School Witchers were generally the kind of good-natured people who only accepted small rewards.

So, without further pleasantries, he pushed his bread aside with the beef and wild boar meat, placed it in front of him, and said with a smile: "Eat some meat, George. Melissa's cooking is excellent; guests who have eaten here always find her craft unforgettable."

Melissa, who had been secretly keeping an eye on Wayne from the side, also showed a happy smile on her face upon hearing this.

Although somewhat surprised by Wayne's enthusiasm, George wasn't overly polite. He nodded in response with a smile, then picked up a large piece of beef and ate heartily, accompanied by the cherry mead.

After eating a few bites, he asked with some confusion:

"By the way, Wayne, did you happen to run into me here, or did you come specifically looking for me?"

In his heart, he actually already had the answer; Wayne had headed straight for him after entering, so it didn't seem like a chance encounter.

Regarding this question, Wayne saw no need to hide it and answered directly:

"I came specifically looking for you, George. As it happens, the blacksmith shop you went to is owned by a dwarf friend of mine."

"I heard them talking about news of a Witcher, and I was very curious, which is why I came here to find you."

After saying these two sentences, Wayne added a follow-up question:

"I heard your next destination is Velen? And that you've accepted a contract to slay a green dragon?" George looked at Wayne with some surprise, considered it for a few seconds, nodded, and explained:

"Yes, you must have heard that from the blacksmith in the shop."

"Actually, two years ago, I heard that there was a green dragon in Velen harassing the local civilians. But at that time, there was no accurate information, and no one had put a bounty on this green dragon, so everyone thought it was just a rumor and didn't pay it much mind."

"And you know, we Witchers generally don't go hunting these dragons that possess high intelligence."

"It wasn't until last month, when I was passing through Velen again, that I discovered the local Baron had put up a bounty for that green dragon. Although it was a pitiful three hundred Orens, I heard that five farmers had already died at the hands of that green dragon."

"That is why I accepted the contract."

Speaking of this, George picked up the wine flagon, poured himself a glass of cherry mead, took a sip, and said:

"However, my silver sword was damaged in a previous battle, and that poor place, Velen, doesn't have any good blacksmiths capable of repairing our silver swords."

"I rushed to Wyzima overnight, arriving in the big city, just to find those highly skilled blacksmiths."

"Unfortunately, their prices are too high. All the money I have is only enough to repair the silver sword, and that's only because their master blacksmith was willing to give me a discount. As for the armor used in battle, I have no money left to repair it."

Listening to George's slightly rambling complaints, like a middle-aged man down on his luck, Wayne gave a wry smile, though in his heart, he deeply agreed. Repair costs were too high, and silver swords and armor were too delicate; almost most Witchers had to spend half their earnings on repairing their weapons and equipment.

This was also one of the reasons why he had wanted to learn blacksmithing techniques in the first place.

And according to his memory, when this George of the Griffin School went to Velen to slay the dragon, it was because he fought the green dragon to the death, was severely wounded in the chest, and in the end, while on the verge of death, he was robbed of his potions and diagrams by a thief, dying quite miserably.

In the end, he only left behind some Griffin School diagrams for the players.

Now, hearing him talk about this contract, not only was the reward pitifully small, but the enemy was also extremely powerful. It really did have some of the Griffin School's style of helping the weak and upholding chivalry.

Taking advantage of the meal and drinks, he also chatted with George about knowledge regarding the Witcher schools and exchanged information on the recent status of their respective schools, which was quite an eye-opener.

Nowadays, the Griffin School's talent had withered; it seemed there were only two or three people confirmed to be alive, and their headquarters had been buried by snow in an avalanche orchestrated by sorcerers, becoming a ruin.

So these remnants of the Griffin School didn't gather once a year like the Wolf School; they had scattered to all corners of the world, and they weren't even sure if other members were still alive.

This gave Wayne an idea. The Griffin School was adept at using various Signs and heavy armor like knightly plate armor.

It was said that it was precisely because the magic knowledge hidden in the Griffin School's headquarters was coveted even by sorcerers that, after repeated requests to borrow it were refused, they cast spells to trigger that avalanche, directly burying most of the Griffin School's main members and causing the school's decline.

And his own greatest strength was also in casting Signs. If he could have the opportunity to obtain the magic knowledge useful to Witchers from the Griffin School, it should be able to improve his strength.

And even if he didn't go to the Kael Seren fortress in Poviss to find that knowledge, this George of the Griffin School in front of him was also a very good teacher.

The problem now was how to get George to pass on the Griffin School knowledge he possessed to him, a Witcher of another school.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 109 =====