"So, Ciri, don't you want to learn how to cook and make some dishes that they've never had at Ker Morhan?"
Su Ming fanned the flames enthusiastically, using various temptations to persuade Ciri.
She was indeed a bit tempted. Everyone had always been so good to her, yet she only brought them threats and trouble. If she could make some new dishes to make everyone happy, that would be nice too.
"Hmm..."
"Your ability is very convenient. You can study there during the day and come back to see Geralt at night. I'll handle the Wild Hunt." Su Ming said this while looking around for a target.
"Geralt?" Ciri looked at the White Wolf with an inquiring gaze. She wanted to go but needed Geralt's opinion.
The Demon Hunter just looked straight ahead, firmly seated on the horse's back: "You could make your own decisions long ago, and it's the same now... But if you want to go, you'll at least need Yennefer and the others to confirm that Slade is fine. This deal seems too good to be true."
"If there was a way to take you, I could certainly take you to see it. But there's just no way." Su Ming spread his hands, with no ill-intent: "Alright then, see if there are any large monsters around, I'll demonstrate how to use the rifle."
...........
Unfortunately, you can't always run into large prey. In the following days, no creatures like the griffin appeared at all.
Using Divine Gold Bullets on a corpse ghost? That would be too wasteful, and besides, Ciri started to like guns, and she consumed quite a few of Su Ming's pistol bullets.
She was indeed very talented, but on the way, the sound of gunfire scared off a lot of prey. Su Ming had to give her a silencer.
To attract the young girl, Su Ming also demonstrated the effects of various grenades, which were smaller but more powerful than their alchemy bombs.
To show off the superiority of his armor, he stood still in the middle of a group of corpse ghosts, letting them scratch and bite for three minutes.
Anyway, according to him, these things were very basic. Ciri could completely learn more useful things and get better equipment.
Along with everyone at Ker Morhan, they all could benefit.
This made Ciri also full of longing for that world, often urging Geralt to move faster.
But Geralt was the same as always: killing monsters, making money, and when he was really dirty, he'd visit a brothel to bathe and relax a bit.
He even wanted to take Su Ming along, but Su Ming said bathing was fine, but he'd pass on what came afterward. Whether the prostitutes in the village and town were good-looking was one thing; the lack of toothpaste in this era was just too unhygienic.
That's how they made their way to Yangtela Village near Novigrad.
"Look at the thick smoke coming from those chimneys, we're about to reach Novigrad."
Geralt pointed to the black shadow in the distance on the horizon.
There are many big chimneys in Novigrad city. To the uninformed, they might think they're blacksmith shops, but in fact, they're money sinks.
Within the entire city, there are 13 bathhouses and 35 inns, or in other words, brothels with baths; naturally, in this bustling city, there are many means of spending money.
"Ah, we finally arrived." Jian also showed a relieved smile.
"But before we face the Bloodthirsty Beldam, there's one last issue." Geralt led the group into Yangtela Village.
He skillfully came to a red-roofed house and knocked hard on the door.
A middle-aged woman came out.
"Tajalelin County Governor, as agreed, I've brought him."
"Huh?" The middle-aged woman looked over the group, but didn't see what she was looking for.
At that moment, Geralt grabbed Jian's arm.
Jian had a look of surprise on her face: "Geralt? What do you mean?"
Geralt held her with one hand and drew his silver sword with the other: "Did you think two Demon Hunters wouldn't recognize a shapeshifter? Change back, or I'll bleed you out."
The black-haired woman Jian, or rather, the monster disguised as Jian, knew it had been exposed and immediately transformed into a Water Ghost-like appearance, using its slippery skin to break free from Geralt's hand and lunging at Ciri.
But Geralt just lightly slashed its arm with the silver sword, and as the silver took effect, the shapeshifter lost its transformation ability.
It changed from a beautiful woman into a Water Ghost, and now back to its original form.
A very emaciated, haggard-looking long-haired man.
Of course, Ciri wouldn't be caught, she flashed to Su Ming's side, watching Geralt grab hold of the man who had reverted to his original form again.
"So it's just a cross-dresser, I was wondering why the scent was off." Su Ming removed his helmet, stroking his beard.
"You can tell people apart by smell? And what does cross-dresser mean?" Ciri was already used to hearing all kinds of bizarre terms from Slade.
Su Ming shrugged: "Everyone smells different, but all monsters smell the same. Because monsters don't live, they just survive, that's the answer. As for cross-dresser, if Geralt put on a dress, he'd also be a cross-dresser."
"Pfft." Ciri imagined what Geralt would look like with a full beard wearing Yennefer's clothes, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Geralt was engaged in a serious conversation over there.
"Tajalelin, I've brought you the man who murdered your daughter and countless other travelers."
"Is it truly him? A shapeshifter who runs an inn and murders all the passersby?" The village chief immediately went to ring the bell at the gate, calling all the villagers out for revenge, as many of the villagers had lost loved ones at the hands of this shapeshifter.
Geralt pushed the shapeshifter aside, and naturally, countless villagers holding grass forks surrounded him.
"As I promised, bringing him here alive to face justice, you can use the law of Novigrad or your own customs to..."
"Pfft..." Ciri's laughter came from not far away.
Geralt stuttered for a moment, the serious mood completely lost, and Ciri had been laughing more in the past few days than ever before, she seemed genuinely happy.
Perhaps sending her to school was the right decision.
Geralt sheathed his silver sword and touched the scar on his face, "As for his trial... I won't be attending, where's my reward?"
The village chief brought out a cloth pouch filled with money collected by the victims' families to hire the Demon Hunter; it was a full thousand Aurum.
After all, there were no leads, yet they needed to find a murderer across an entire continent, only the White Wolf could accomplish that.
Taking the money bag, Geralt turned and mounted his horse. The previously spare white horse was handed over to Su Ming, and the three of them left, continuing toward Novigrad.
"Geralt? Ciri? Slade? Aren't we friends?" the shapeshifter shouted frantically from behind.
But Geralt didn't look back.
Meanwhile, countless villagers and outsiders surrounded the shapeshifter.
"Monster, we've been waiting for you. This is Arnos, a blacksmith; this is Yanu, a soldier; this is Rion, Sterling's cousin..."
The village chief spoke while signaling for people to tie up the shapeshifter:
"You murdered our family members, our husbands, our wives or children, numbering in dozens. We are gathered here today to execute justice, prepare to face your punishment..."
Several bald strong men pounced and seized the monster who had lost its abilities, carrying the shapeshifter into the village hall, and everyone followed inside.
Soon, the tall wooden door closed with a dull thud, shut forcefully by someone.
...........
"Without Jian's company, the journey seems so much quicker." Riding on horseback, Ciri wore a girlish expression, feeling much more relaxed now, "Hard to imagine she, or he, was such a lunatic, most shapeshifters are good people."
"But that doesn't mean they won't do evil." Geralt rode on Carrot at the front, eyeing the buildings by the road in the distance, where smoke rose from the chimneys, "Nor does it mean they can escape the consequences of their crimes."
Su Ming rode alongside Ciri, benefiting from acquiring a white horse, "Looks like you all intend to get a bath?"
"We'd better. After hearing all that from you, I feel like I reek of a murderer's stench." Ciri wrinkled her nose.
Geralt thought the same, recalling a technician named Melissa offered good service, "The bathhouses outside the city have fewer people and the water is cleaner."
However, upon knocking and entering the combined tavern, inn, bathhouse, and brothel, Su Ming found it wasn't any less crowded.
"Welcome, two Demon Hunters and a mighty knight into my bathhouse, what an honor, please come in."
The owner, a goat-bearded old man, greeted them with a broad smile, with the pinkish lighting in the hall creating an ample intimate atmosphere.
This place looked much like an ordinary bar, with quite a few people drinking with women who resembled village wives.
The air was filled with the dampness of the bathhouse, mingling with the scents of various perfumes and alcohol, and the odor of vomit.
Su Ming turned his neck, and behind him stood a few burly men with arms crossed against the walls, eyeing the three with scrutinizing gazes, apparently the bouncers of the place.
"I want a private room and Melissa, they just need the bath." Geralt rummaged a few Aurum from his pocket and placed them in the old man's hand.
The old man turned his head and shouted upstairs, and immediately a beauty in a silk long dress, with a neckline nearly slit down to her navel, came out and led Geralt away.
"Speaking of which, he brings his daughter along and doesn't even shy away from visiting a prostitute?" Su Ming turned to ask Ciri, who was about to head to the women's bath.
"That's just the life of a Demon Hunter; death can come at any moment, by poison, by monsters, by the Wild Hunt, so why not enjoy while you can."
"I heard Geralt slept with a Female Night Demon and a Vampire Witch, even a Water Fairy. Have you seen that?"
"Sometimes when people can't pay, they'll offer a young virgin as collateral, and if that's not possible, he'll often find a way with monsters, it's no big deal."
Ciri shrugged and walked away, finding it just another ordinary occurrence.
Su Ming shook his head and proceeded toward the men's bath. Monsters couldn't be eaten, but they could be slept with? This world probably isn't for all ages.