Chapter 38: Quickly Take Out That Sharp and Peerless Sword
When only Lynn and Brouver were left in the empty throne hall, Brouver said: "Now, you can speak, Master Witcher."
Lynn first used his Witcher senses to explore the surroundings.
He nodded only after confirming that no one else was nearby.
Then he told Brouver what he had overheard last night about a force within Mahakam trying to rebel against Brouver.
Of course, in order to avoid Brouver's resentment, Lynn concealed the fact that he and Geralt had used the Axii sign.
Instead, he changed the information obtained by using the sign to hypnotize them to what he had overheard.
"Well, so that's what happened."
As Lynn expected, Brouver knew that there were people in Mahakam who opposed him.
The elder did not react with any surprise.
His previous look of vigilance had eased a lot.
"Master Witcher, thank you for your frankness. However, I already know about this, so you don't have to worry about it. You just need to complete the commission I prepared for you."
Seeing Brouver's confident look, Lynn stopped talking about it.
Although this was not enough to sell a favor to the elder, bringing the words was at least enough to prove that he was a friend of Mahakam, not an enemy.
This also achieved his goal.
"I understand, but Elder, since we're talking about the commission, why don't we talk about what you want us to do now?"
Lynn spread his hands: "Anyway, I'm here, so there's no harm in listening."
"Okay, Master Witcher, if you insist..."
He cleared his throat and began to tell the story.
"About a month ago, miners discovered an abandoned mine in the mountains."
"Although I don't know why it was abandoned, these miners discovered that the abandoned mine was full of orichalcum ore."
Lynn nodded slightly.
Hearing this, he could probably guess what would happen next.
"So, even though you felt something was wrong, you still ordered the miners to enter the abandoned mine to work."
Brouver did not avoid it, but admitted it generously.
"Yes, although Mahakam has many mines, no one will think there are not enough mines, and neither do dwarves."
"Especially orichalcum, which is a metal that is much harder than ordinary steel. Weapons forged from orichalcum can be used for at least several centuries."
"Even if it wasn't me, anyone else who became the elder would make the same decision as me."
"I originally planned to implement a rotation system for the miners to ensure that each miner would not stay inside for too long. But I didn't expect that every miner who went in would suddenly start to get sick, with red rashes and blisters all over their bodies."
"So I ordered the miners to withdraw and closed the abandoned mine again."
After a pause, Brouver looked at Lynn expectantly: "The things in that mine are the purpose of my invitation to you. Master Witcher, can you solve it?"
Lynn supported his right elbow with his left hand, clenched his right hand into a fist, and gently tapped his cheek with his fist, pretending to be thinking.
"Monsters that make people sick usually refer to plague maidens."
"But plague maidens usually appear with plagues," thinking of this, Lynn asked, "Elder, has Mahakam ever had a large-scale plague?"
Brouver thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, at least since I took office, Mahakam has not had a large plague."
Brouver's answer did not match the knowledge recorded in the books of Kaer Morhen.
The ancestors of the Wolf School could not lie.
Then the truth was only...
Seeing Lynn's solemn expression, Brouver's heart sank.
"Master Witcher, is this monster called a plague maiden difficult to deal with?"
"As long as it's an evil spirit, it's not easy to deal with. It's difficult to deal with on the one hand, and on the other hand, to truly kill them, unlike killing ordinary monsters, where you only need to destroy their bodies."
In fact, there was one more thing Lynn didn't say.
A mine that could produce very precious orichalcum ore but was still abandoned, and a plague evil spirit in the mine that made people sick...
All of the above was enough to prove that Mahakam must have had a plague before.
He didn't know if Brouver was not telling the truth or if he really didn't know.
"Elder, where are those sick miners? I want to see their condition first and then decide whether to take this commission."
Although Witchers make a living by hunting monsters.
But they can also refuse commissions that are too dangerous.
For example, a few years ago, when King Foltest's daughter needed a Witcher to help lift the curse of the Striga...
Before Geralt, several Witchers had actually been to Vizima.
But because they thought that the king's request not to kill the Striga, but only to lift the curse, was too harsh, this job was left for Geralt to do.
The reason for those Witchers' refusal was also very simple. No matter how good the money was, you had to have a life to spend it.
Brouver expressed understanding.
"Of course, I understand. But I want to say that my reward will definitely not disappoint you and your companion."
"How about this, Master Witcher? In order to increase your enthusiasm for work, I can tell you in advance what kind of reward you will get if you complete my commission."
"First of all, gold. I know that you Witchers sometimes ask for strange Laws of Surprise as rewards, but most of the time, you still ask for gold. After all, money can make the world go round."
"So, I will give you four thousand shiny orens, and I can assure you that they are complete and have not been cut at the edges."
In this world, some poor people will cut off a part of the edges of coins.
On the one hand, these cut parts can also be used as money.
On the other hand, the cut coins are paid to the Witchers as complete coins.
There was no way, in this world, the situation of Witchers was not much better than that of non-humans.
Being glared at and spat on was almost commonplace.
Naturally, there would also be guys who thought they were smart and took advantage of the Witchers.
However, with the personal guarantee of Elder Brouver, Lynn and Geralt would at least not have to worry about this on this commission.
And the elder had not finished speaking.
"In addition to gold, I will also generously give you two sharp swords that can cut iron like mud."
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