Chapter 281: Triss, I'm Crying
Under the rule of Embryonia's consistently incompetent kings, the marshy soil gradually turned into overgrown wasteland. Plantable crops were few, and harvests were even smaller.
During this time, the populations of Temeria and Redania grew exponentially, and agricultural production became a matter of life and death. The marshes of Embryonia became an even more tempting prize. Thus, the two great kingdoms, with the Pontar River as their border, neatly divided Embryonia and erased its name from the map. The portion annexed by Temeria was called Pontar; the part taken by Redania was the Riverdale Province.
Pioneers were sent in to cultivate the land. Under the supervision of capable administrators, and thanks to intelligent crop rotation and drainage methods, the area, though not large, quickly became a veritable "granary" of the region.
However, disputes arose just as quickly. The more the Pontar marshes yielded, the more intense the disputes became. Many clauses in the treaty that drew the border between Temeria and Redania could be interpreted in various ways, and the accompanying maps were useless because the cartographers had done a terrible job. The river itself also caused problems—after long rainy seasons, the river would often change its course, sometimes by two or three li.
The granary became a bone of contention. Royal marriages and alliances fell apart, followed by diplomatic communiqués, tariff wars, and trade embargoes. Border clashes escalated, and bloodshed became inevitable. In fact, blood was shed, and things only got worse.
"Redania sent a bunch of looters, thugs, and bandits across the border. These scumbags destroyed border markers, set fires, robbed, and tortured and killed Temerian citizens."
"We responded by sending in the king's own army and we utterly crushed them."
"But they're not giving up. They've sent in a new group of troublesome bastards. I don't know where King Vizimir found these thugs, but they're not very numerous, yet they are much harder to deal with, especially when it comes to covering their tracks."
"King Foltest was furious about this. He chewed out several of his ministers, and he didn't give Triss or me a single kind look... I thought Triss would recommend you to King Foltest, since witchers are experts at tracking, but she never did."
Lynn remained silent. He could guess why Triss hadn't mentioned this to him. The witcher code of neutrality demanded that witchers not get involved in political conflicts, especially those between two powerful nations. Redania and Temeria were both major powers in the North. If he helped Temeria resolve the problem caused by the Redanians, King Vizimir might not be able to do anything to King Foltest, but he would have plenty of ways to deal with a mere witcher.
Triss must have thought of this, which is why she decided to bear it all alone.
"So, you're telling me this because..."
"Yes, it's just as you're thinking. This is a job only you can do. If you're willing to lend me your strength, all the payment for the job will be yours. Not only that, but you'll also have my personal gratitude." Keira licked her crimson lips, trying to be seductive.
But Lynn was unmoved. "You have to agree to one condition before I agree to help you."
Disappointed, Keira said, "Spit it out."
"Triss's worries aren't unfounded. Even if I agree to violate the code of neutrality, a witcher's status is simply too low. If people find out I've publicly gotten involved in a conflict between Temeria and Redania, I won't just be in trouble, I'll drag the entire witcher community down with me."
In reality, Lynn was wearing the Amulet of Deception that Fringilla had given him. He could activate the amulet and change his appearance at any time, so he had no reason to worry about implicating the witcher community. But very few people knew about the Amulet of Deception, and Keira certainly wouldn't. Therefore, Lynn didn't want to expose the magic item on him and instead wanted Keira to find another solution.
The sorceress let out a small laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What, is that all you're worried about?" She stood up and walked a circle around Lynn, sizing him up. "Witchers are just like humans; they don't have three heads or six arms. The only differences are those cat-like eyes and the way you carry your swords on your back like a quiver of arrows."
"So, all we have to do is change those features, right? Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I won't make things difficult for you. Can you trust me?"
Keira was a character who appeared in both the novels and games. In the original story, she showed flaws like a love for power, luxury, and pleasure. But these were common flaws among sorceresses. However, in the face of major issues, Keira knew how to choose and was willing to listen to reason. After some consideration, Lynn decided to trust Keira and went with her through a portal to Temeria.
A silver moon hung high in the night sky. Ripples spread across the dark surface of Lake Vizima, reflecting the shimmering moonlight. By the lakeside, a village cloaked in shadow had fallen silent. Suddenly, a loud bang shattered the village's peace and quiet, causing the village dogs to start barking. A portal opened on the muddy road outside the village, and two figures quickly emerged.
"Hmm, I thought a witcher's mutated senses would make them more susceptible to the side effects of portals than normal people." Keira said, looking at the witcher beside her with some surprise.
With Keira's reminder, Lynn was also surprised to realize that the intense nausea and dizziness he had always felt when passing through a portal were completely gone. It was as if he had just walked through a waterfall, not a portal.
But a possibility quickly occurred to him. Perhaps it was because his Griffin Meditation had been upgraded to Master level, and the organ for storing Chaos energy had changed to be like a sorcerer's. This meant his body was better able to accept and adapt to Chaos energy, so he no longer felt the side effects of the portal.
Of course, Lynn didn't really care about the specifics. It was better to have no side effects. Portals were a convenient technology, and only by constantly absorbing new knowledge and accepting new technologies could people continue to progress. Otherwise, they would stagnate and eventually be eliminated by society.
Keira led Lynn to the village tavern for the night.
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