Chapter 230: Unexpected Events Are About to Happen
The witcher clinked his cup against Three Jackdaws'.
He drained the last bit of drink from his cup.
Borch called out.
The tavern girl immediately came over with a pitcher, refilling both their cups.
Afterward, she served them a generous plate of crawfish.
Ten minutes later, empty crawfish shells were scattered on the table.
"Are you full, Sir Lynn? If not, we can order more. Please don't worry about my wallet. I know that those in your profession are often in a bit of... a predicament."
"Of course, I mean no offense..."
"I understand, and I don't feel offended." Lynn took out a cloth and wiped his mouth. "Thank you for your hospitality, Sir Borch. In fact, I usually don't eat this much."
"For those in our line of work, we need to always keep a clear head. If we eat too much, blood flows to the stomach for digestion, reducing the blood supply to the brain."
Borch laughed heartily.
"Sir Lynn, you truly are an interesting person. How wonderful it would have been to meet you earlier."
"It's not too late now," the witcher smiled.
"Well said, Sir Lynn. Do you have any other business to attend to here?"
"No."
"Then would you be willing to accept a contract? A escort mission?"
"I'd like to hear the details first."
"Of course. For certain reasons, I need to travel to Holopole. Do you know where Holopole is?"
Lynn nodded.
Holopole was on the western side of the Kaedwenian Mountains.
The eastern side of the Kaedwenian Mountains was Kaedwen itself.
This city, along with Maribor, Creyden, and Caingorn, once belonged to Kovir.
However, during the "Poviss Split," the city, like other regions, broke away.
It was now a free city-state, protected by its local militia.
As for Three Jackdaws wanting him to escort him to Holopole, it was naturally related to the dragon from the original story.
This was also why Borch deliberately brought up topics related to dragons, to gauge Lynn's attitude and interest in dragon slaying.
Of course, due to the immense distance between Novigrad and Holopole, coupled with intentional information suppression...
No one in Novigrad currently knew about the dragon sightings near Holopole.
Lynn knew Borch's purpose.
The dragon in Holopole was in danger, which was why it had summoned Borch for help.
However, since Borch hadn't stated it explicitly, Lynn temporarily pretended to be unaware.
Lynn thought carefully.
He truly had nothing that needed his immediate attention in Novigrad.
Everything was progressing positively.
So, it wouldn't hurt to accompany the other party.
The journey from Novigrad to Holopole was long, and the fastest way was by ship.
From the port, one would first sail to the Duchy of Arcane Shores, disembark, and then travel upstream along the River Braa to reach Holopole.
After resting for a night at the tavern, Lynn and the others arrived at Novigrad's port the next day. The wealthy Three Jackdaws directly chartered an entire merchant ship.
Upon learning that Lynn possessed a storage item like a runic leather satchel, Three Jackdaws purchased large quantities of food and drink before they boarded, all packed into Lynn's runic leather satchel.
During the journey to the Duchy of Arcane Shores, Borch not only had the purchased food and drink enjoyed by his own party but also shared them with the sailors.
Since the entire merchant ship was chartered, the captain generously offered three cabins to Lynn's party:
One cabin each for Lynn and Borch, and the two Zerrikanian girls shared a cabin.
During the day, the four of them would come out onto the deck to get some fresh air.
Borch recounted his experiences and observations while traveling the Continent as a nobleman, and Lynn shared his own adventurous tales since becoming a witcher.
If nothing unexpected happened, this journey should have passed uneventfully.
And then, unexpectedly, something did happen.
On the merchant ship's deck.
Lynn, Borch, Tea, Vea, and the captain gathered at the stern.
Lynn raised his spyglass, seeing a blurry ship silhouette on the distant sea.
He lowered the spyglass, handing it to a curious Borch.
The latter, however, didn't use it himself but casually placed it in Vea's hand.
The two Zerrikanian girls, like children just arriving at Universal Studios, eagerly took turns looking through it.
Borch asked: "How can you be sure it's a pirate ship? I don't see a pirate flag."
As a golden dragon, he didn't need a spyglass to clearly see the distant ship.
The captain replied: "They've been following us for five hours, sir. I can't think of any other reason besides them being pirates."
A sailor said: "Could it be that they're just heading in the same direction as us?"
"That's not impossible, but it's better not to risk... Can't we shake them off, Captain?"
Facing Borch's suggestion, the captain regretfully shook his head.
"No, their ship is better than ours. There's no way we can shake them off before we get close to land."
Three Jackdaws then turned his gaze to the witcher.
"Hmm... Sir Lynn, what do you think?"
Lynn thought for a moment and said: "I suggest we best treat her as a pirate ship, just in case."
"Sir Lynn's thoughts align perfectly with mine. Excellent, Captain, I suggest you have your sailors prepare. My companions and I will also be at your disposal when the time comes."
The captain was overjoyed at this.
In fact, the moment he spotted that suspicious ship silhouette, he immediately sent someone to call the four of them up for this very reason.
Zerrikanians were natural warriors, trained in combat from a young age, and it was hard to find better guards.
As for witchers, these monster slayers knew even better how to spill entrails onto the ground.
With their willingness to help, this was a sure victory.
The captain bowed deeply, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
"Immensely grateful. Now, please excuse me."
After repeated thanks, the captain hurried away.
The others could hear him loudly issuing commands to his subordinates.
The salty sea breeze caressed Borch's face like a lover's hand.
Yet, there was no expression of alarm on the golden dragon's face, usually seen in unexpected situations. Instead, he was full of eager anticipation.
"Pirates, huh... Sir Lynn, have you encountered pirates before?"
"Yes, I have," the witcher nodded. "Sir Borch, since we have a fight ahead of us, we'd best get some rest."
"That makes sense. See you later then."
....
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