Although Karl was surprised when he first met Triss,
to avoid being too impolite, he averted his gaze from her chest and looked into her eyes instead.
He hadn't expected to meet Triss here; given the time Philip and his daughter had spent leaving and his own wandering, Triss should have already left the market.
However, it seemed Triss had been temporarily delayed for some reason.
"Madam, do you need Drowner Brain? What is your offer?" Karl asked calmly, his tone natural, without any deliberate flattery.
Because he deeply understood that a woman's favor is never gained by fawning, but by one's own excellence.
Especially for wealthy sorceresses, no matter how rich an ordinary person is, could they possibly be richer than those who serve as royal advisors?
Therefore, most sorceresses do not value material wealth much; instead, power and status are more attractive to them.
"Hmph, that depends on how many you have. I'll buy each Drowner Brain for two oren, and I can add more if you have a large quantity." Triss smiled, her eyes twinkling, and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her light green eyes didn't even glance at Karl's package, but lingered on his entire body, clearly indicating a good impression of him.
"Alright, Madam, please take a look and see what you need."
Karl picked up the package, took two steps to the counter, and untied it.
Immediately, a pile of bottles and jars appeared before them, emitting a faint clinking sound.
Inside the package, many air-dried Drowner Brains were neatly arranged, and the jars naturally contained mutations submerged in liquid.
"Oh? So many? This is..." Triss's lips parted slightly, and she glanced at Karl in surprise.
She approached the counter, completely disregarding the strong, peculiar smell emanating from the Drowner Brains, and elegantly picked up one, examining it carefully.
"Hmm... it's almost half again as large as a regular Drowner Brain, and the texture is more numerous and clear. It is indeed a Drowning Undead Brain."
"You are truly surprising. With so many Drowner Brains, do you have an elite mercenary team working for you?"
As she asked, Triss unconsciously moved a little closer, smiling and staring at Karl.
At Triss's sudden suggestive gesture, Karl quickly averted his gaze and subtly stepped back half a pace.
Seeing Karl's reaction, Triss's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of amusement and surprise appearing in them, as if she had discovered something.
She thought to herself, "Heh, how interesting, he's shy?"
"He doesn't look old, probably in his early twenties. Could it be that he's never been intimate with a woman?"
"Ahem, Madam, you don't need to speculate. All the alchemical ingredients here are my spoils of war alone."
"Also, we're getting off-topic. Are you buying or not? If not, I'll find other buyers." Karl gathered the cloth around the package, immediately making as if to leave.
"Wait a moment, I'll take all these alchemical ingredients..." Before she finished speaking, Triss reached out and pressed her hand onto Karl's.
"Mmm-hmm... Ah." Triss let out a soft moan, her body trembled violently, her cheeks quickly flushed, and she collapsed weakly to one side.
Seeing her about to hit the sharp edge of the counter, Karl quickly reached out and supported her back, preventing Triss from falling and getting hurt.
But when his hand touched her fair back, it caused Triss to tremble and groan again.
"Madam, are you alright? Do you need help?"
"No... please don't touch me again. Just put me on the chair."
At this moment, Triss's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and her cheeks were incredibly flushed.
If he hadn't been so close, Karl wouldn't have even been able to hear what she said.
Her head rested on Karl's chest, feeling his strong masculine scent, and her body felt as if tiny electric currents were coursing through her.
The strange sensation caused lust to gradually appear on her face, and she turned her head away, not daring to look at Karl.
Although Karl was puzzled as to why Triss had such a strong reaction from just a touch of his hand, he still followed her instructions and helped her sit back in the chair.
Triss closed her eyes, biting her lip gently, and turned her head to compose herself for a while before slowly opening her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble..." Her eyes darted around; she dared not look into Karl's eyes at this moment.
"Let's discuss the price of the Drowner Brains. Fourteen Drowner Brains, plus one Drowning Undead Brain, and three mutations."
"Regular Drowner Brains are two oren and five silver coins, a Drowning Undead Brain is five oren, and mutations are one oren. That's a total of forty-three oren."
She tremblingly took a coin purse from her waist, her hand slipped, and she almost dropped it to the ground.
She gritted her teeth, a hint of urgency appearing on her face, enduring the weakness and pleasure in her body as she finished counting the amount.
"Here, this is the money for your goods..." Triss extended her fingertip, pointing to the coins on the small table.
At this moment, Karl's expression was thoughtful, his eyes flickering. He vaguely thought of something regarding Triss's sudden abnormality.
It seemed that Triss was not only allergic to chaotic magic, but also had a particularly sensitive physical reaction when coming into contact with individuals like Witchers.
However, a question arose: he was not a Witcher, so why did Triss still react abnormally when she touched him?
"Alright, Madam, are you really alright? Do you need me to take you to a doctor?"
Karl gathered the oren from the table, and before leaving, he turned around and asked again.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern." Triss turned her head, her cheeks still slightly flushed, feeling a little annoyed.
She responded softly, her gaze still not daring to meet Karl's.
She thought to herself that she was a sorceress; a slight "minor accident" like this wouldn't affect her spellcasting at all.
If, by chance, someone with ill intentions had any ideas about her,
unless they had dimeritium and approached her while she was completely unprepared, her fireball spell could be cast instantly.
Karl nodded, then pushed open the shop door, preparing to leave.
"Hey... Sir, may I know your name?" Triss's eyes held a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of lingering affection.
"Karl." Karl paused for a moment, then left the shop without looking back.
On his way back, the setting sun's glow fell upon Karl.
Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to deliver his mother's letter to Keira at the palace tomorrow morning.
He had met Philip today and then Triss; his luck was good.
A faint smile played on his face as he whistled, heading towards the inn.
The next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Karl woke up feeling incredibly refreshed.
After a quick wash, he emerged from one of the best rooms on the third floor of the inn.
Fortunately, they hadn't arrived too late; there were still two of the best private rooms left in the inn, the others having mostly been rented out.
However, not all nobles, like Karl, stayed in inns.
Some nobles participating in the Martial Arts Tournament had properties in Vizima, so they didn't need to stay in an inn.