After the banker left, Countess Mignole said to House: "I have heard rumors that Earl Lannister is a witcher. I wonder if this news is true?"
House neither confirmed nor denied anything, he was not sure what the intention of the woman in front of him was. "I'm sorry, as a servant, speaking about the Earl's private matters is contrary to my honor."
Countess Mignole laughed softly. "So, does that mean the rumors are true?"
House was puzzled for a moment.
"So, honorable servant, please tell me, has your Lord ever seen a witcher wearing a medallion with a wolf's head?"
House was silent for three breaths, organizing his words, and was about to speak...
But he was interrupted by Lady Mignole again: "Looks like he's met one."
House opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"So, honorable servant, could you take a message to your Lord? I would like to meet with him."
The old woman was satisfied with the information she had obtained. "I hope this meeting can be held as soon as possible. It may be a bit rude... However, if Earl Lannister is sending his men all the way here, he must surely be interested in something in this auction."
"So, why did you come here?"
The development of things soon exceeded House's expectations.
Without needing to wait for the end of the first round of auctions, Countess Mignole led the three servants straight inside, amid the bows of the guards in the place, until they found Horst Borsodi.
"Mrs. Mignole, you are our most distinguished guest. You have almost never missed our auctions for decades. Even if you want to reserve a certain auction item privately, we have nothing to say. Distinguished guests deserve distinguished treatment."
Horst Borsodi was deliberately polite when he spoke. He did not look at House and others for even a second, as if he could not see them.
"But what you're asking for now is Maximilian Borsodi's house, a relic my father left to me and my brother! Especially after my brother disappeared, it's the only thing that can carry the past of me and my family."
Horst spoke in a tone full of regret: "In itself, it is not something especially valuable, and I cannot imagine what you would want it for. But I am very sorry, I cannot give up this relic that represents my family memories."
Mrs. Mignole seemed to have anticipated this situation a long time ago. She said slowly: "I am deeply saddened by the story behind this treasure. Your father and I are close friends, and I miss him all the time. I think he will be relieved to see that you have managed the auction house to its current scale."
"But now I need this treasure to find my own. So, name a price, considering our friendship of two generations."
"It's not a matter of money." Horst shook his head. "It's not that I'm short of money."
Mrs. Mignole revealed the nature of the businessman: "But you can't refuse to get more money, this is the nature of your family."
Horst continued to shake his head. "Please listen to my explanation, Madam..."
"3000 crowns. If you need it, I can also help you change it into equivalent marks, orens or florins."
Mrs. Mignole's offer stunned everyone. For a model with no practical utility and no collection value, this price is too high.
"Madam, this is not a matter of money..."
"5000 crowns."
"Madam, that is my father's relic..."
"10,000 crowns."
...
After listening to the three servants' stories, Lann rubbed his brows with a headache.
He knew who this Countess was. This duchess possessed astonishing wealth.
She was also a character from The Witcher Series, and Lann understood her motives well. He knew she would do anything to achieve her goal, but he didn't expect her to go to such extremes.
After all, Cintra is now in ruins, and Lann's personal financial situation can no longer be as free as before. This is one of the few times he was defeated by someone else's money since his debut.
"In other words, Maximilian Borsodi's house is now in the hands of Countess Mignole?"
House nodded uneasily. "She said she wanted to give this as a gift to you-after you visit her and discuss things with her."
"Send a cover letter. I'm going to change my clothes." Lann nodded and said: "Countess Mignole gave you her address, right?"
House nodded firmly. "Yes, I will guide you."
After roaming the sewers for half the night and hunting down a giant toad, he went to explore a wizard's secret laboratory, killed a golem, and then dove into the deep pool with the drowners. Lann's state of hygiene can be imagined now. He really isn't in any condition to be able to participate in a formal meeting.
Even Triss kept her distance from him.
The hot water was quickly prepared.
Lann drove away Milva, who wanted to join in the fun with a brush and lay comfortably in the bathtub.
Then his mind turned to the system panel.
Before leaving, he needed to assign the rewards from his last mission.
He decided to save one of the ability points just in case. After all, he had the follower feature now, he might need it at any time.
The other two points were invested without hesitation in the Signs branch.
Add point - branch [Sign], subcategory [Yrden Sign] - [Sustained Glyphs]
[Sustained Glyphs]: Increases Sign duration by 10 seconds. Number of traps: 2. Increases stamina regeneration in combat. (2/2)
With the support of Magic Tide, the skill reached its maximum level immediately.
By the time Lann unlocked the Sustained Glyphs ability, the ability points invested in the first tier sign category reached 8 (with the +4 Magic Tide bonus).
The entire [Sign] branch page shook.
The block on tier two abilities from the Sign branch was completely released, and they could now be upgraded. This was a crucial evolution for Sign abilities as they were an Alternate Sign Mode!
This would allow the Aard Sign to become an omnidirectional shockwave, becoming the witcher version of Shinra Tensei.
The Sign Igni would become a continuous, more controlled stream of flames.
The Quen Sign transforms into a mage-like protective shield, which would also regenerate health after being attacked.
The Yrden Sign would transform into something similar to an automatic magic turret that attacks all enemies, this ability could be considered the main ability of the Griffin School.
The Axii Sign would advance beyond hypnosis, allowing enemies to become allies and fight for the witcher.
At this moment, all of these abilities were presented to Lann. He greatly desired to upgrade them all at once, but he did not have enough ability points. After deliberation, he finally made a decision.
His attack methods were falling short as the enemies became stronger. The Yrden Sign's magic trap, with its form of pure magic energy, would effectively complement his current attack methods.
Add point - [Sign] branch, [Yrden Sign] subcategory - [Magic Trap]
[Magic Trap] Alternate Sign Mode: Damages and slows enemies within the sign's radius. Destroys projectiles passing through this area. Increases stamina regeneration in combat. (2/3)
Having acquired new skills, Lann could not wait to get out of the tub and slap the ground with his left hand.
At this moment, a purple magic circle with a much larger range and brighter light than before appeared around Lann.
Lann suddenly saw a purple hourglass appear floating in his field of vision. This hourglass did not interfere with his vision, and he felt that he could control it.
With a thought, he tried to place the hourglass into the bathtub behind him. The purple magic circle suddenly flashed, releasing a bright purple beam that shattered the bathtub.
The power of the lightning made Lann's eyes light up, but that wasn't enough. In theory, this should be a fully automatic magic turret.
Lann thought about it, and, for the purpose of experimenting, he released control of the violet hourglass mark from his sight, then lifted a piece of shard from the tub and threw it vertically over him.
According to the principle of free fall, the fragment should fall directly on his head.
But the purple magic circle flashed again, releasing a magical beam that pulverized the fragment in the air, turning it into a shower of splinters.
Lann now understood the Yrden Sign's attack mechanism.
As Lann experimented with his new ability, he forgot that all the noise from the explosions was pretty loud.
"My Lord!" Milva, who had been waiting outside, rushed in upon hearing the noise.
In front of her was Lann, who had just jumped out of the bathtub, eager to experience his new ability.
Looking at Milva with bright eyes and listening to the footsteps and shouts of the guards coming from the stairs, Lann rubbed his temples with a headache.
"Tell them I'm fine, there was no fight or attack, I was just trying out a new sign. Then bring me some clothes. I have to visit the Countess."
Milva swallowed involuntarily and looked away with some reluctance.
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