Chapter 368: Steam, Everything Can Be Steamed
Serrit asked, "Witchers in the South? Are you referring to the other Viper School witchers?"
"No," Lynn shook his head. "I mean all active witchers in the South: the Cat School, the Bear School, and, of course, the other Viper School witchers."
"As for Eskel and Lambert," Lynn looked at his Wolf School brothers, "your mission is to accompany them. It's better for all of you to watch each other's backs; I'll only feel secure if you travel together."
"What about me?" asked Gede, the Bear School witcher who was least like his brethren. Seeing everyone else assigned a task but himself, he quickly pounded on his breastplate as if afraid Lynn had forgotten him.
Lynn said, "Of course I wouldn't forget you. You'll go with them. When they've completed their mission in the South, I need you to lead them to Haern Caduch—the Bear School stronghold—as they pass the Amell Mountains on their return trip. Bring back everything you deem valuable from inside."
The Viper School consisted of more than just Letho and his two companions. Besides the founder, Master Ivar Evil-Eye, Lynn knew that Coën (Kogrim in the Chinese text, though Coën is the most likely candidate given the context of a southern-active witcher who dies tragically) was still active in the South at this time, having died miserably in the White Orchard cemetery just before The Witcher 3 timeline.
From a timeline perspective, this was when Coën would be active in the South. Besides the Viper School, the Cat School and Bear School also primarily operated in the South. Therefore, Lynn hoped his brothers could round up all active witchers in that region on this trip.
While the Cat School was notorious, Lynn knew a small number of normal individuals existed, such as Aiden, the good friend Lambert would make in another timeline. Cat School witchers were born assassins and swordsmen. Once Tissaia corrected the defects in their Trial of the Grasses decoction, they could be put to great use.
The Bear School was even more indispensable to the future witcher battalions. As the only school that typically wore heavy armor, Gede, a member of the Bear School, also underwent the Second Mutation during his stay at Kaer Morhen this winter. Post-mutation, his Strength, Constitution, and Endurance were greatly enhanced; his Poison Resistance received a moderate boost; and his Agility, Reflexes, Sign Intensity, Magic Capacity, and Recovery Speed were all minorly enhanced.
The post-mutation Gede had physical strength that far surpassed human limits, moving him out of the human category. A Bear School witcher like this, equipped with a greatsword and plate armor, would be a terrifying force, capable of relentlessly crushing opponents on the battlefield.
The Bear School's flaws were less troublesome than the Cat School's. The Cat School was known for being radical, extreme, and even deranged. The Bear School was merely emotionally stunted and indifferent. Setting aside the fact that Tissaia could also refine the Bear School's decoction to mitigate their flaws upon their return, the Bear School was easy to appease: no grand visions, just talk money. Straightforward payment would be enough to mollify them.
Of course, besides collecting the legacies of the Viper, Cat, and Bear Schools, Lynn had another objective. He didn't want to see witchers captured by Nilfgaardian emperors or nobles and used as lab rats. Over the past few centuries, rulers in neither the North nor the South had considered consciously training a witcher army. But once he was involved in King Esterad's recovery of the Kovir throne, even the most foolish, bastard-spawning rulers would belatedly realize that training witchers was low-cost with a very high return. Lynn did not want to see that outcome.
Lambert crossed his arms. "Looks like we're not just babysitting brats; we're babysitting you guys."
Serrit shot back, "It's not certain who's babysitting who. If it wasn't for Lynn, I wouldn't want the baggage."
The two had similar temperaments and had been bickering for a long time. At first, everyone tried to stop them. But over time, they realized that while Lambert and Serrit argued, they never got truly angry. Gradually, everyone just let them be.
Eskel ignored the two troublemakers and mused, "The Viper School and the Bear School are one thing, but do we really need to bring the Cat School onto our bandwagon?"
Having been influenced by Vesemir, Eskel still felt apprehensive about the Cat School. While he assumed Lynn knew what he was doing, he genuinely worried that the massacres of the past might repeat themselves in the castle.
"Relax, Eskel. I know my limits."
Eskel nodded. If Lynn had said so, he had nothing to worry about.
"We will do our best to accomplish this for you, but..." Oakes hesitated. "Eskel, Lambert, and Gede are fine, but Serrit and I are on the Nilfgaardian Empire's blacklist. There are wanted posters of us everywhere in the empire..." He didn't need to say more.
Lynn understood his meaning. Of course, he was prepared.
"I anticipated this."
Lynn pulled out five Disguise Amulets and five Sorcerous Pouches from his runic leather pouch. These were the magical items he had specially purchased from Tissaia.
The Disguise Amulets were less effective than Lynn's own Amulet of Deception; they couldn't change the wearer's entire appearance, only the hair and eye color, but that was enough. A witcher's main distinguishing features were their cat-like eyes, the two swords carried on their back, and the witcher medallion on their chest. Remove those, and a witcher was virtually indistinguishable from an ordinary man.
The Sorcerous Pouches, as the name implied, were pouches enchanted with an Extension Spell. The interior had enough space to hold a yurt, which would certainly be enough for them. With these ten magical items, their journey to the South would be much easier.
"Holy shit, these are the real deal," the witchers' eyes lit up. They picked up the Sorcerous Pouches, examining them with adoration. The Disguise Amulets were fine, but who wouldn't want a spatial item whose interior was much larger than its exterior?
"Right, one more thing. Whether you're setting off for the South or returning, remember to detour through Toussaint. Do not take the path through the Mahakam Valley."
The Mahakam Valley, located between Cintra and the Nilfgaardian province of Nazair, was the essential route connecting North and South. At this point in time, while the major war between North and South hadn't fully begun, Cintra was on the front lines, and virtually everyone there, from royalty and nobility down to the common folk, was feverishly anti-Nilfgaardian.
Crossing Cintra into the Nilfgaardian Empire could cause unnecessary trouble locally. It was safer to take a detour through the neutral nation of Toussaint.
"When you return, remember to stop by the Casteldaccia Vineyard in Toussaint again. If all goes as planned, Manticore School witchers will be meeting you there. Bring them back with you."
"The Manticore School?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances. They hadn't expected Lynn could even contact this school, which was virtually unknown to most Northerners. Eskel and Oakes nodded solemnly, confirming they had noted the instructions.
Finally, Lynn spoke earnestly, just as Vesemir had advised him before his first journey down the mountain, imploring them to be careful. The South was a worse place than the North. While Northern kings and nobles might despise witchers, they hadn't organized planned hunts against them in a long time. But the South was different.
The supposedly respectable people of the South would pay high prices to bounty hunters to eliminate witchers who were doing no harm simply because they couldn't stand the sight of a witcher breathing and enjoying the sun freely on their streets.
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