Chapter 127: A Brief Parting and the Return to Vizima

Outside the castle of Kaer Morhen.

"Ugh, time to go work in those godforsaken places again. Sometimes I wonder, can't we just take a year off? We'd be frugal, hunt and fish a bit, and we'd have enough money. Why do we have to run off every year and suffer like that?"

Riding on his mount, Lambert chewed on a withered blade of grass and rambled on:

"Everything else is fine, but I'm really going to miss the food that kid Wayne makes. Damn it, it's too delicious. Just thinking about not being able to eat it for a whole year makes me lose all my motivation."

Eskel, riding alongside him, nodded silently and said, "The others probably wouldn't care, but Vesemir definitely wouldn't agree to us staying in the castle for a whole year."

"Even though he's old, he looks healthy, but his thinking is still very conservative. He believes we witchers should be wandering in the backwoods every day, following traditions that are hundreds of years old."

Geralt looked back and saw Berengar and Wayne riding on the same horse not far behind, talking to Vesemir about something.

He whispered to Lambert:

"Hmm, when did that kid Wayne get so close to Berengar? They're actually sharing a horse. Are they planning to go to Vizima together?"

Lambert spat out the grass, twisted his mouth, and said, "Who knows? That kid is eccentric every day, and what he thinks about is completely different from us. You've spent the most time with him; can't you guess what he's up to?"

"But putting that aside, the dragon-hide gloves and boots he gave me are really nice. I heard he even gave the old man a dragon-hide undershirt. It's not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but the protection is also quite good. If I'd known dragon hide was this useful, I would've gone looking for a dragon to try my luck."

Geralt shot him a sideways glance. Although he knew Lambert was joking, he couldn't help but mock him:

"Do you think those giant lizards flying around in the sky are radishes growing in the ground? News of them is becoming increasingly scarce. You might not hear anything about dragons for the next ten years."

Having stayed in the castle for over a month, and counting the travel time, Geralt hadn't seen Yennefer for two months. The White Wolf felt an itch in his heart and couldn't wait to return to his lady's side to smell that scent of lilac and gooseberries.

He pulled on Roach's reins and said straightforwardly to Lambert and the other, "I'm heading out first. Didn't that kid Wayne agree to meet in Vizima in March?"

"We'll have a good drink then. You haven't seen the pile of fine wines in his cellar; they're probably worth thousands of Orens all together."

Lambert's eyebrows arched at the mention, his tone becoming expectant:

"Really? Why would he spend so much money on wine? Well, I'll have to have a good drink then, haha."

A mysterious smile appeared on Geralt's face as he said:

"Those wines were earned through his own hard work. I haven't even had a taste yet. Whether you get to drink them depends on your own skills, Master Lambert."

Meanwhile, the conversation between Vesemir and Wayne was also drawing to a close.

The old man looked at Berengar, who was sitting behind Wayne, with a complex expression, then said, "Alright, I won't nag anymore. You two arrange your own affairs. When we arrive in Vizima in March, we'll have a good chat."

Wayne nodded with a smile, his voice sincere:

"Teacher, take care of your health and don't overwork yourself. When you arrive in Vizima, I'll take you around the new city. It has changed a lot; you probably won't even recognize the old roads."

As he spoke, a small, furry white head poked out from the clothes on his chest. The little wolf cub, White Fang, seemed to sense the atmosphere of parting. It stuck out its tongue and let out two whimpers at the old witcher, its voice milky and quite adorable.

Seeing the little fellow, Vesemir first showed a hint of a smile, then immediately straightened his face and lectured, "This little one is to be raised as a combat partner. Don't spoil it too much and turn it into a pet."

"If its abilities aren't enough, it will only be a burden by your side." Listening to the old man's lecture, Wayne's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and nodded:

"I understand, Teacher. You should also take care of yourself while staying in the castle alone. I left a barrel of dwarven ale for you under the kitchen table, along with some cured meat and salted fish. You can use them to pass the time when you're bored."

"Alright, Teacher, Geralt and the others have already set off, so I'm leaving too. See you in Vizima."

………………

Although they arrived as two people and left as two people, the Geralt by his side had been replaced by the taciturn Berengar.

The first stop after leaving Kaer Morhen was still the underground ruins where Toruviel resided; after all, two men sharing one horse was truly inconvenient.

Upon arriving at the camp, he spent money to purchase a decent mare and bought plenty of supplies for the road. Although Toruviel indicated that he didn't need to pay, Wayne didn't want to owe a favor over such a small gesture, so he refused the elf's kindness.

After staying in the elven ruins for two or three days—or to be precise, staying in the female elf's room for two or three days—Wayne still didn't want to linger in the Kingdom of Kaedwen. He soon arrived at the ferry town where they always caught a boat, accompanied by Berengar.

However, this time, Wayne wasn't as lucky. They didn't encounter Blackbeard or any other large merchant ships, and only after waiting for two days did they find a small merchant ship heading to Cintra.

Although it was cheap, the living space was far too small. The two stayed in a cramped little cabin. Wayne spent the time teaching Berengar how to play Gwent to pass the time, eating bland food, and after a week, they finally arrived in Flotsam.

Since they weren't in a rush, and to shake off the gloomy mood from the boat, the two rested in the town of Flotsam for a day. Relying on his Gwent skills and his title as a former Flotsam champion, Wayne won over a hundred Orens from the travelers and merchants.

He then used this money to let the perpetually sullen Berengar enjoy what it meant to be the most popular man in a brothel, calling five girls for him at once, and successfully saw what a smile looked like on his face.

The journey together also allowed Berengar to clearly see Wayne's generous character and extraordinary abilities. He wasn't at all like an ordinary witcher who lived on the fringes of the world, but rather like a powerhouse who enjoyed life.

Whether in his dealings with others or his attitude toward life, he possessed a sense of ease that ordinary people lacked.

Staying in the best hotels, eating the best food, drinking the best wine, easily earning large amounts of gold from merchants, and giving away a horse without even blinking—he was truly a witcher with "money power."

This positive attitude toward life also successfully ignited Berengar's own hope for a better future.

And this hope reached its peak when he saw the luxury mansion Wayne owned in Vizima.

The two sat in Wayne's luxurious dining room, drinking fine wine that cost over a hundred Orens a bottle, eating delicacies that even nobles couldn't enjoy. In such a comfortable environment, Berengar's expression became much more vivid.

Wayne smiled and took out the disguise glasses he used, placed them on the table, and handed them to Berengar, saying with a smile:

"This is a disguise prop that can hide our witcher identity. As long as you wear it, you can hide all the characteristics of a witcher and disguise yourself as an ordinary human."

"You can stay here for the time being and adapt to life here first. If you're willing, you can even change your name, change your identity, and treat yourself as an ordinary human mercenary."

"No one here knows you, and no one will make you feel pain. You can treat this as the starting point of a new life and begin a new chapter."

"Although we witchers cannot have children, if you want, you can adopt a child as your foster child, as an heir, or as an apprentice—that's all fine."

"There is no need to be bound by those pedantic rules. As long as we keep our original intentions and protect the interests of our School of the Wolf, even doing things that are not tolerated by the world is acceptable."

(End of chapter)