Chapter 27: There's Still a Master
Two days later, Lynn and Geralt followed Istrad's caravan and left Aldersberg.
Istrad's caravan was extremely large, consisting of an entire dozen large carts, all packed with goods.
They said all the goods were going to be delivered to the Mahakam Mountains.
They were the day-to-day items needed by the dwarves of the Mahakam Mountains.
The caravan was not small in terms of size, so naturally the number of armed guards couldn't be small as well.
Up to thirty human guards, and a small contingent of dwarves with a small army but good equipment.
Two columns deep the guards were, protecting the wagons in the middle.
Lynn and Geralt followed behind Istrad at the vanguard.
Noticing Lynn and Geralt sharing a horse, Istrad magnanimously offered Lynn a jet-black Kovir from the group.
The group rode on without stopping at all, and the pace was very fast.
Before one could even say Aldersberg was far behind, it became a black dot and disappeared.
The journey was serene.
The robbers they encountered basically fled when they noticed a caravan with so many guards.
They would only now and then attack the caravan by the sporadic nekkers or ghouls.
But with Lynn and Geralt, two Witchers, they never gave the creatures an opportunity to approach the caravan and killed them with ease.
Time for the evening soon arrived.
Even though it was not entirely dark.
Everyone began a bonfire.
A circle was formed around the bonfire using roughly a dozen wagons.
Everyone slept close to the bonfire.
April was the month, and it was still somewhat cold in the evenings.
But the whistling cold wind was not strong enough to suppress the warmth caused by the crowd.
Nobody had the idea of sleeping early at night after dinner.
Moreover, it was impossible to sleep early.
Thus, someone suggested that since there was nothing to do in the first place, why not indulge in some activity.
But the moment this was said, it was vetoed by the others immediately.
After all, they were not housed in a safe city but in the dangerous wilderness.
And the next day, they still had to travel.
It would be too stupid to expend too much physical energy at night.
But the captain of the dwarven team had a better idea.
"Why not play a great Gwent game?"
Gwent was a dwarven-made game. Although Gwent had not yet been popularized throughout at this point, it was the most favorite entertainment game in Mahakam.
The dwarf commander's name was Yarpen Zigrin.
He took two Gwent card decks from his belt and laid them on the ground, a Northern Realms deck and a Nilfgaardian Empire deck.
"Everyone may play, but it will be expensive for the contestants, at a crown each."
Who has said dwarves know only how to hack with an axe?
Leastways this dwarf named Yarpen Zigrin turned out to be as cunning as a gnome.
He did not play himself.
Other people had to pay him money to play.
Other caravan members, excluding the dwarves, like Istrad, had never seen Gwent.
But this card game caused much excitement among everyone.
So after Yarpen and another dwarf demonstrated the gameplay and rules of Gwent, everyone's enthusiasm was ignited.
The first to hold back was Istrad.
He openly used a crown to ask Yarpen for the Northern Realms deck.
A young guard painfully removed a crown and exchanged it for the remaining deck of Nilfgaardian Empire.
The two sat down in the open space and began a duel.
Within a few minutes, the young guard was defeated.
But it was unable to discourage other people who were ready to try.
Even Geralt could not help but go up and play two rounds.
Lynn did not play on impulse.
He watched the fight for a long time.
It wasn't until he convinced himself that the two decks Yarpen pulled out contained only some simple cards that he agreed to enter the battlefield.
"Lord Zigrin, I have my own Gwent cards, so I don't need your deck."
"However, it's a little boring to play cards . How about adding some prizes?"
No one could refuse such an offer.
Lynn pulled out five crowns first and placed them before him.
Across from him sat a bald strong man.
Watching Lynn take out five crowns, the bald strong man took out an equal number of crowns and placed them.
Then the two engaged in a duel.
Gwent compared abilities and cards.
But the bald strong man used the deck which Yarpen had provided him, and it only contained simple cards, so no card advantage was present, and only abilities remained.
And apart from Yarpen and a few other dwarves, no one else had played Gwent until today.
As for skills, Lynn absolutely dominated way ahead.
So the result was as clear as day.
In an hour's time, Lynn's opponents changed one by one.
Before anyone knew that the dashing black-haired boy in front of them was a Gwent master.
The boy already won dozens of crowns honestly.
Early morning the next day, the light was white and gray, the air was moist, and the air smelled of morning fog.
The whole camp could hear the packing up.
The stomping of horses' feet, clinking of horse equipment, creaking of wooden poles, rubbing of wagon crossbars, and the noise of talking and swearing.
The captain of the guard marched down the line, giving orders as he went.
Since the route to be taken today had to pass through a forest.
Therefore, Istrad changed the position formation of the team.
This time, it was not Lynn and Geralt who followed him at the front of the team anymore.
Instead, Geralt and the captain of the guard were at the front.
Lynn was in charge of the back of the team.
Neither of the two Witchers protested this arrangement.
The convoy moved very slowly down the road in the thick forest, and the thick leaves formed a green roof above the convoy.
Sunlight filtered through openings in the leaves onto the road, creating mottled light and shadow.
The sound of horse hooves and footsteps echoed through the trees, as if they became a part of the forest.
When the horses' hooves reached, Yarpen arrived on a pony.
A smile spread across his face as he nodded to Lynn.
"Good morning, Witcher."
Lynn had always replied kindness with kindness for nice people.
"Good morning, Lord Zigrin."
"Hah, not a lord, but call me Yarpen, then," Yarpen stroked his big beard and laughed. "May I inquire how you obtained your Gwent cards? Your card game is superior to the dwarven masters who invented Gwent."
"It was a gift from a Witcher brother of mine. He also got it from a dwarven rich merchant."
"I see... Young Witcher, will you fight tonight?"
Lynn grinned and shook his head.
"The wise will not stand under a wall that is going to collapse."
Lynn won dozens of crowns the previous night. Although no one else complained, if he won tonight as well, there could be trouble.
He did not fear trouble, but he did not want to cause trouble.
The motivation for taking up this assignment was not entirely for the remuneration.
So, it was not necessary to disturb Istrad's underlings at the expense of some money.
It was intelligent to recognize what had to be done, stop in the proper moment, and grasp the best.
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
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