Chapter 213: Geralt's Back in Jail
"Who are you?"
"Careful, he's a witcher too."
"He's going to curse us!"
The guards all pointed their halberds at Lynn.
Lynn spread his hands, indicating he wasn't reaching for a weapon.
"I am indeed a witcher, but I don't know any evil curses. I'm a witcher, not a hunched-back, toothless old crone."
"So, kind sirs, could someone tell me what my companion here has done?"
Lynn's actions slightly lowered the guards' vigilance. His handsome face and friendly smile also made the guards instinctively choose to believe his words.
The halberds were lowered, but the guards still circled the two witchers.
"He hurt someone, beat that poor soul like a punching bag. He violated Novigrad's laws, so he must be punished."
"Who? When did this happen?"
"Just a few days ago. The person who was beaten is named Alfred. That poor fellow still can't get out of bed."
Lynn frowned.
"A few days ago? You must be mistaken. We were in Toussaint for several months. This is our first visit to Novigrad this year."
The guard snorted: "Witcher, do you think I'm a fool? Old John's bakery owner and his daughter, and at least ten other people, can immediately testify that your companion bought bread from Old John's bakery every day before the incident."
Lynn joked, "Geralt, so you can perform shadow clones?"
Geralt said with a dark face, "Don't joke, Lynn, this isn't the time for it."
Lynn gestured to him.
"Alright, guardsmen, suppose... and mind you, I said suppose... suppose these things were truly done by Geralt, how would you deal with him?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Lynn's tone, it seemed he intended to cooperate.
The guards' tense nerves relaxed slightly.
"Novigrad is a civilized city. Assault is certainly wrong. If your companion is willing to admit guilt, then he only needs to spend a month in jail and pay a fine of one hundred crowns."
"One hundred crowns? That expensive?"
A dockworker's monthly salary was roughly only ten crowns.
A hundred-crown fine was essentially ten months' worth of wages.
"Of course. If the punishment isn't severe, wouldn't that be indirectly encouraging street violence?"
"So, what's your answer? Will you accept the punishment honestly, or resist arrest with force?"
"A friendly warning: if you resist arrest by force, we have the right to kill any resister."
As a free city, Novigrad's armed forces were staffed by citizens who provided their own equipment, making Novigrad's city guards better than most town guards in the North.
However, their combat effectiveness was debatable, as they spent most of their time on guard duty and had little time for training.
Moreover, they mostly dealt with petty thieves and rogues, and rarely confronted truly vicious bandits, let alone enemy armies.
Thus, these city guards, despite appearing well-equipped, were not particularly strong in combat.
If Lynn and Geralt needed to fight their way out of these guards, it wouldn't take much effort.
But doing so would mean they'd be permanently banned from Novigrad.
Reality isn't a game.
In games, you can pay to clear bounties; in reality, you can't.
Furthermore, this entire incident was riddled with doubts.
Geralt and Lynn had been on their way to Novigrad for the past while. How could Geralt have assaulted someone in Novigrad? And gone to a bakery every day to buy bread?
So, there was no doubt; that "Geralt" must have been an impostor.
And to impersonate someone identically could only be achieved through magic or some other means.
But that made it even less likely.
Sorcerers who understood illusion magic would have no reason to impersonate witchers, whom they held in contempt.
Even if Geralt was a well-known figure among witchers, in the eyes of sorcerers, witchers were mere ants. Even Geralt was just the strongest ant among them.
If it wasn't a sorcerer, then only one possibility remained.
And Lynn just so happened to know that in the city of Novigrad, this possibility was the most likely.
At this moment, Lynn suddenly felt a large hand on his shoulder.
"No need to fight. I'll go with you."
"Geralt?"
"Lynn, I trust you'll make the right judgment."
Geralt was certain he was being framed.
And he was even more certain that he had always been law-abiding in Novigrad and had never offended any powerful, wealthy individuals.
Therefore, once the full story was investigated, he'd be out soon.
Given that, why escalate the conflict?
Even if it came to the worst, at most, he'd spend a few months in jail.
After all, witchers lived long lives; a few months would pass quickly.
As for the one-hundred-crown fine, it was indeed a lot, but it was still a smaller price than fighting the guards and escaping.
Seeing Geralt actually take off the two swords from his back and throw them to one of the guards, the other guards all exchanged bewildered glances.
"A witcher, a monster slayer who takes money, actually willing to surrender, as obedient as a schoolboy."
"I'd bet he'd even hand over his halberd if we ordered him to."
"Then order him! Tell him to whip it out."
"Let's see if a witcher's 'halberd' is any different from a normal man's, if it's two, as rumored."
At this moment, a booming voice exploded like thunder on flat ground.
"Enough! That's enough! You fools!"
A female guard captain with a mohawk walked over.
She wasn't as tall as her subordinates, but her muscles were exceptionally solid, thick as hams.
"Geralt of Rivia, you violated the regulations set by the City Hall, so we are arresting you according to those regulations. But since you are willing to cooperate with our work, everything can be settled amicably."
"Once your companion pays the fine at City Hall, you'll meet again in ten months."
"As for you, you may now enter the city. Welcome to Novigrad, provided you don't cause trouble while you're here."
Just like that, Geralt was led away by several guards, while Lynn, after paying the entry fee, entered Novigrad.
"I was planning to get some good rest after returning, but I didn't expect to run into trouble right away."
"Now, let's re-organize the clues:"
"'Geralt' assaulted a citizen named Alfred. Before that, he had also gone to a place called Old John's bakery to buy bread for many consecutive days."
"It seems Old John's bakery is a must-visit."
.....
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