Chapter 25: Exploration

Because Toruviel helped them solve the weapon and blacksmith problems.

After discussing the relevant matters of exploring the ruins, Wayne went to the forest with Geralt to collect the materials needed for potions.

On this matter, he was still a novice. Most of what he had come into contact with so far were some herbs and monsters around Kaer Morhen. As for the others, he still needed Geralt, this experienced Witcher, to teach him by precept and example.

Although, in those two years at Kaer Morhen, he had learned a lot of knowledge about monsters and herbs from books, it was not that simple to actually apply it.

The two collected herbs while searching for the traces of those monsters in various terrains.

And Toruviel, having nothing to do, also took the initiative to act as their guide, pointing out the way for them in the forest.

It had to be said that the elven race was very suitable for fighting in the forest. They were naturally agile and had keen senses. As long as they received certain training, they could become qualified archers.

And Toruviel could become the leader of this group of non-humans, and her combat power was also the strongest among them. This female elf was not only an excellent swordsman but also a sharpshooter who never missed.

The three moved forward all the way in the forest and soon completed the planned collection task.

And Toruviel's outstanding performance also made Wayne see the combat potential of non-human races.

He had the confidence to deal with a dozen bandits holding weapons at once, but he had no confidence in facing the same number of elves in the forest.

Arrows hidden in the dark were far more threatening than bright swords and guns.

After returning to the camp, Wayne was in high spirits, so he cooked himself, turning the game they hunted during the task into a large pot of vegetable stew and various hard dishes, and invited everyone in the camp to taste it.

Undoubtedly, possessing LV6 cooking skills, plus the cooking philosophy of the Great Foodie Empire that far exceeded the Middle Ages.

His cooking successfully conquered everyone's appetite, and even the female elf leader, who had never cared much about the taste of food, ate a bowl more than usual.

And taking advantage of this pleasant atmosphere, Toruviel simply let everyone hold a small campfire party.

Men and women, old and young, various non-human races gathered together, laughing and talking, eating delicious food, drinking fine wine, and chatting about expectations for the future, which raised the morale and cohesion of the entire camp by a large margin.

And after the short joy, time soon came to the next day, and the contract to clear the ruins officially began.

The team exploring the ruins this time had five people. Apart from the two Witchers, Wayne and Geralt, Toruviel also brought a male elven sharpshooter and a dwarf warrior wearing full heavy armor.

Of course, according to the consultation between the two sides, the work of dealing with monsters was not suitable for ordinary people. Toruviel and the two best warriors under her did not need to participate directly in the battle.

They were only responsible for following behind Wayne and Geralt, dealing with the corpses of monsters, and preventing uncontrollable accidents. The main force for clearing the ruins was still Geralt and Wayne.

And before officially entering the ruins, they also had to carry out a necessary preparation measure exclusive to Witchers.

Geralt and Wayne sat cross-legged at the gate of the ruins, with five types of glass bottles in front of them, totaling more than a dozen, which were Witcher potions of different colors and shapes.

"Cat potion, Thunderbolt potion, Swallow potion, Tawny Owl, and Maribor Forest."

The White Wolf said the names while pointing his fingers at those potions, saying to Wayne:

"Our existing materials can only produce these five types of potions, and in the next battle, we must rely on potions to strengthen ourselves."

"You should remember their effects very clearly. As for which ones to drink, Wayne, you choose for yourself."

"However, pay attention to your own limits. I don't want to have to bury your corpse, poisoned to death by potions, before the battle even starts."

After speaking, Geralt took one bottle of each of the five types of potions and, like drinking alcohol, poured a bottle into his mouth every half minute, then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

He had been a Witcher for more than 70 years, and among all the Wolf School Witchers, his mutation degree was the deepest, his physical talent was the best, and the toxicity he could withstand was also the strongest.

Drinking five bottles of potions at the same time was not even his limit.

However, Wayne, who was sitting opposite him, was different. He knew very well in his heart that without the blessing of the system, his mutation degree was likely the shallowest among the existing Wolf School Witchers. The original owner even died directly during the mutation process.

And in the past two years, he had drunk at most one bottle of potion each time, and he had self-knowledge about his toxicity limit. Three bottles of potions were his limit, and they couldn't even be those highly toxic potions.

After thinking about it, Wayne reached out and took the Cat potion, Swallow potion, and Tawny Owl.

These three potions could strengthen his dark vision, recovery ability, and the recovery speed of Chaos Magic in his body, respectively.

In the dim environment of the underground ruins, the Cat potion was a must, and the other two could just strengthen his Sign strength.

Considering his situation, Wayne didn't hesitate anymore, picked up the three potions, and poured them into his stomach while meditating.

The taste of the potions was quite terrible, most of them contained monster body tissues, and the taste could only be described as indescribable.

But dealing with monsters was too dangerous. A slight carelessness could lead to death. In order to increase the survival rate, Witchers had to drink these terrible things.

More than ten minutes later, Geralt and Wayne both completed their meditation. The Witcher potions had been completely digested by their bodies and began to strengthen their physical functions.

This kind of strengthening made both of their faces turn pale, black veins protruded in various positions on their faces, and even their originally amber pupils all turned black and filled the entire eyeball, looking quite weird and terrifying.

This terrifying change startled Toruviel and her two subordinates who had been waiting on the side.

However, all three were long-lived races and had heard of the deeds of Witchers, so their surprise soon returned to calm, unlike many human unruly folk who made a fuss.

After everything was ready, no more communication was needed. Wayne and Geralt held silver swords, cast a Quen Shield on themselves, and walked into the gate guarded by warriors with a cautious mindset, side by side.

Behind the gate was a corridor, also in elven style. The walls and ceiling were carved with exquisite patterns, but because of the long years, obvious weathering traces appeared on many sculptures, looking quite historical and vicissitudinous.

However, Wayne and Geralt's attention was not on these sculptures. After walking for forty or fifty meters in the corridor, some relatively new footprints appeared in their dark vision.

Seeing these footprints, Geralt first observed the ceiling and surroundings cautiously, and after confirming there was no danger, he squatted down and observed carefully.

These elven ruins should not have been visited by guests for a long time. Thick dust had accumulated in the corridor. It was precisely because of this reason that those somewhat messy footprints were clearly printed on the ground.

Geralt observed for about a minute, then stood up and said to Wayne:

"They are the tracks of Drowners, and Foglets."

"Get ready. There are quite a few of them. Perhaps we will encounter them at the end of this corridor."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 26 =====