Lann rubbed his face, trying to control his expression. "You repeatedly mentioned your great plan, but you didn't say what your great plan is. How can I determine my position and prove myself?"
Ignoring the slight aggression in Lann's tone, Philippa replied with great indulgence: "You don't need to know the entire plan for now. We all have our roles, including you. Perhaps by a guide of fate, you have been fulfilling your task perfectly without realizing it."
Lann leaned forward, showing genuine interest. "Task?"
Philippa nodded and said: "You have taken control of Cintra. This gives us a unique opportunity. You may not know it, but you are a Source. To support your actions, I will try to convince King Vizimir II to continue supporting Cintra."
Lanen felt a chill. Knowing Philippa's political intelligence and how she would end up in the end, he did not dare accept her good will.
He considered his words for a while and said: "Vizimir II has already decided to ally with me. I believe that maintaining the current relationship is sufficient. If you truly wish to help me, you could provide me with more diverse support."
Seeing Philippa's surprised expression, who had not expected his rejection, Lanen said tactfully: "For example, have Count Reuven communicate with me more. We get along quite well, and it seems like you and he are quite close as well."
Lann pointed to his shoulder, hinting at the occasion when Philippa, in the form of an owl, had visited him with Dijkstra. In politics, he trusted Dijkstra more than Philippa.
Then he said: "I also greatly appreciate the help of mages. I heard that you are a member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. Could you help me get more support in the field of magic?"
'Do you need a mage's help?' Philippa felt like everything was back under control.
"Your idea of diversified assistance is interesting. If you wish, I can help you contact the Brotherhood. But do not trust too much in mages who come alone to find you, as some of them might have malicious intentions towards your bloodline. If they find you, they might not be as peaceful as I am in approaching you."
Old manipulation tactics, this woman almost directly tells Lann not to approach mages who are not introduced by her.
Lann raised his eyebrows. "I have my own judgment."
Within the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, although Lann had the support of Yennefer and Triss, Triss was a young sorceress without much decision-making power, and Yennefer, although a little more experienced, always acted independently and without support within the Brotherhood.
In contrast, Philippa had already reached the highest levels of the Brotherhood, with access to many more channels to tap into. Though to Lann, she was a mix of ally and enemy, tapping into her channels to grow before directly confronting her was a good strategy.
Tricking an arrogant sorceress like her was much easier than dealing with those kings...
With the system and his future knowledge, Lann was confident that he would grow rapidly, surprising all who tried to control him.
...
After their conversation, they both decided not to mention the previous incident.
With all the cards Lann had in his hand, he could finish off Philippa, but that would cost him too much.
Although he would inevitably have to fight his enemies, deciding when, how, and to what extent to fight should be his decision, not his enemies'.
Philippa's machinations infuriated him, but his goal was not just to vent his anger. With his advantages, he had many possibilities. Killing his enemies was only a matter of time. He wanted to completely strip them of all their value before eliminating them.
Vilgefortz, Philippa and other present and future political enemies...
Lannister, debts must be paid.
...
Because his subordinates had been ambushed, Lann decided to stay longer in Oxenfurt to rest and allow everyone to reflect and adjust their status, including himself.
During this time, the soldiers felt guilty for not having detected the ambush, feeling that they had failed to protect their earl. This self-criticism created an atmosphere of tension, something that Lann, however, considered useful.
The incident with Philippa was a wake-up call. Some people don't follow the rules, and in The Witcher Series, many people died because they trusted the unspoken rules of the people in power too much.
This also gave Lann another sense of urgency. He needed to increase his strength as soon as possible and form a stronger guard.
He had been unwittingly dragged into this situation, when he should have been the one turning the tables.
During those days of rest, Lann had frequent conversations with Dandelion, Shani and Rusty, to define their future plans.
Dandelion would remain in Oxenfurt, enjoying life there and not daring to wander as long as Rience was alive. Shani would also remain there for the time being, as medicine requires a great deal of knowledge and Oxenfurt offered the right environment for her learning.
Rusty has agreed to go to Cintra after finishing this semester's courses. Lann gave him the Lannister family's coat of arms and agreed to send soldiers to escort him at that time.
The physical concepts that Lann asked Rusty to convey caught the attention of many academics, who began organizing experiments to test them, although they had not yet met Lann.
Lann wasn't worried. Investigators tend to keep their distance from powerful people, which was understandable. Besides, Lann, being just an earl on the verge of losing his kingdom, didn't have enough power to attract them.
This was a seed he had planted, and it would surely grow into a towering tree. He did not fear having his credit stolen, as Milo and other scholars could testify, and he had more derivative formulas to attract scholars.
After settling these things, Lann said goodbye to Vizimir II and headed towards Novigrad.
Although Novigrad was located in Redania and nominally ruled by Vizimir II, it was actually a free city.
This free city was close to Oxenfurt. In fact, it could be considered part of the same region. The journey by horse took only two days. Approaching the city, Lann observed its elven-style buildings, similar to those in Cintra, and felt nostalgic.
It was the largest city in the north, the main port, and was often called the northern capital.
People of different professions and races gather in this city. The city's amazing wealth, influence and strategic importance make Vizimir II himself afraid. Therefore, Olgierd von Everec and his Redanian Free Company could operate here without fear of real repression.
When it was still several miles away from Novigrad, prosperous villages had already begun to appear around it. At that time, there were still many Redanian soldiers patrolling. After Lann showed the documents given by Vizimir, he was able to pass through unimpeded.
Arriving at the gates of Novigrad, the soldiers no longer wore the emblem of the Redanian eagle, but simple white tunics with red patterns on the outside of their armor.
These were the armed forces of the Eternal Flame cult, the main religion of the north. In Novigrad, the cult's control exceeded even that of Vizimir II.
Of course, in addition to the Eternal Fire, Novigrad has other more complex political components, which will be discussed in detail later.
Aside from these intricate forces, Novigrad itself is an immense treasure trove. Many master craftsmen are hiding here, there are also people of great importance from The Witcher Series who have not yet emerged, and some mages have established secret laboratories in this city. All of this was information that Lann had brought back from his memories of the game in his past life.
'Which of these resources could I try to take advantage of now?' Lann was deep in thought.
Their arrival had already attracted the attention of the Eternal Fire guards guarding the city. The guards shouted loudly for Lann and his party to dismount for inspection. Perhaps because they saw the eye-catching noble emblem, the guards were quite polite.
The leading soldier took the document from Lann, stared at Lann's dark golden lion eyes for two seconds, then looked at Zoltan and others in the team, and asked: "Did the king send you?"
Lann nodded. "We are here to visit Mr. Chappelle of the Eternal Fire at the king's request. The king has some information for me to convey."
"Mr. Chappelle..." The soldier showed respect on his face. After confirming Lann's identity and documents, the soldier assigned two of his men to guide the group.
Along the way, Zoltan became separated from the group, as he had to attend to his business affairs, which no longer coincided with Lann's.
"Cintra should be in great need of supplies, so make a list for me. I'll lead the team there and give you a good price!" Zoltan told Lann before leaving.
Lann had no objections and bid the group of dwarves farewell before the Eternal Flame soldiers led them to the order's headquarters.
Novigrad, being a port city, was full of canals. The seat of the Eternal Flame, even more impressive, was located on a small peninsula extending from the center of Novigrad, known as Temple Island.
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