Seeing the King of Beggars accept his proposal, Lann turned to Cleaver.
The dwarf was already anxious after seeing the large bag of diamonds.
Seeing Lann reach into his coat again, Cleaver expected him to pull out more money. But instead, he pulled out… a bunch of papers?
Cleaver took them with a disappointed expression, but as he examined the drawings on the plans, his expression slowly changed.
"Is this a Mahakam steel sword? No, it's more complex... A Mahakam piercing rune sword? Not that..."
Although Cleaver was not a professional blacksmith, his dwarven blood and the influence of his surroundings had given him a solid foundation in the art of forging. The more he looked at the plans Lann had given him, the more amazed he became.
"No, no, no... this style of forging... resembles the designs from before the Landing of the Exiles... this is something that was thought to be lost..."
"And it's not just a sword... there's also armor, greaves... it's a complete set!"
Cleaver's head snapped up, his face flushed with excitement. Even from a merchant's perspective, he knew how valuable what he had in his hands was; if it reached the hands of a blacksmith, it would be even more priceless.
"Lannister... Lord Lannister, what do you want me to do by giving these things to me?"
Lann smiled internally, silently thanking the Master Mirror. Although he hadn't thought much about it before, but now it genuinely arose from the depths of his heart. Sometimes, only when someone is completely gone, he feels truly grateful.
"I hope to be friends with Mahakam." Lann whispered. "You can think of these drawings as a gift, and I have more in my hands."
Cleaver laughed. "Do you want to meet Elder Hogg?"
Mahakam is the home of the dwarves, and Elder Hogg is their de facto leader. As in many fantasy novels, the dwarves are the main weapons manufacturers on the continent.
In this world, Mahakam dwarves are also known to be the best heavy infantry.
Lann wanted to try to gain their support and gain more military power.
That was why he had made the current decision. "I want these plans to mark the beginning of the friendship between Cintra and Mahakam. I only ask to meet with Elder Hogg. Whatever comes next, we will discuss calmly."
Cleaver scratched his beard. "I can't go back to Mahakam, both Zoltan and I are in the same situation. But I know a lot more people than he does, so I can help you get the message across to our comrades still in Mahakam."
Cleaver's words were not an excuse. Mahakam is an extremely closed and conservative place, but young dwarves yearn for freedom. That is why there is a custom that, upon reaching the age of fifty, a dwarf can leave Mahakam and spend a year experiencing life among humans. However, if he does not return before the 365 days are up, he will be removed from his clan's register forever.
Now, Cleaver, Zoltan, and Yarpen are all dwarves who have been banished from their clans. But though the rules are inflexible, the emotional bonds endure; they can still reach out to family and friends to act as go-betweens for Lann.
Though dwarves do not typically welcome human visitors, the lost forging technique Lann possessed, a gift from the Master Mirror, should be valuable enough to open the doors for him.
Cleaver put away these equipment drawings as if they were treasures.
"So..." Lann pulled out a bottle of Toussaint red wine. "I think it's a good time for a toast."
Naturally, the two gang leaders, happy with what they had obtained, had no objections.
Although dwarves are not very fond of wine, the King of Beggars did like it.
"Speaking of which." The King of Beggars said, patting the bag of diamonds he carried on his chest. "Eternal Fire Hierarch Hemmelfart once mentioned the idea of forming an alliance between Eternal Fire and all of Novigrad's underground forces. He even outlined a general framework. I wonder how it stands now."
"He's dead, along with Caleb Menge." Chappelle said coldly: "And we will not be an alliance; we will only help each other according to our needs. The only reason I allow them to exist is because they do not interfere with the lives of citizens, and even effectively help those most in need."
Despite Chappelle's harsh tone, the King of Beggars was not offended. On the contrary, he removed his hood and smiled. "You have indeed changed a lot."
With that, the King of Beggars and Cleaver bade Lann farewell without further ceremony and departed.
Chappelle also left shortly after. His visit was mainly for the purpose of coordination, as he still had to patrol the city and calm the population. Recently, the spread of the faith was being surprisingly effective.
Soon there were only Lann and his people in this underground meeting room.
"Anything else?" Kiyan suddenly saw Lann turn his head towards him and asked curiously.
Lann nodded.
Today, after making all arrangements with the criminal gangs, he had finished his business in Novigrad. The next step was to take the prince of Ofir to his fortress in Oxenfurt and, in the process, deliver the task that Vizimir II had entrusted him with.
After finishing in Oxenfurt, your next destination would be Hagge Castle.
But Novigrad was big, and there were still things that Lann wanted to obtain. That's why he wanted to take the opportunity to give Kiyan some important pointers.
"There are many strange races and people with special abilities in this city that I would like to recruit. These include those who can perform divination in dreams, dopplers like Chappelle, and even gnomes and succubi."
Lann adopted a serious tone: "If you encounter them and they haven't harmed anyone, I want you to offer them my friendship rather than kill them for a reward. In my opinion, their value is far greater than a few crowns."
Kiyan looked a little tangled, but still agreed. "You are very different from the princes and nobles I have seen before. You seem to like these messy things... But the nobles have some strange habits. I understand what you mean, don't worry."
Lann shook his head. "Kiyan, you know my plan for the Order of Witchers; my aspirations go far beyond this. If we are to establish a base for witchers in Cintra, it is essential to clean up the tarnished reputation they have. I am already working on it."
"And Novigrad is the largest city in the North; news from here spreads throughout the continent. I want the witchers in this city to rebuild their image and change public opinion, even if only a little."
Hearing Lann's words, Kiyan's face was slightly unnatural. "Actually, most of the witchers' bad reputation is the fault of our own Cat School."
Lann smiled and said: "Of course I know, so I hope to let the world see a different cat."
Kiyan thought about it, and although he accepted the idea of being lenient towards non-human races, the expectation of improving the image of the witchers was daunting.
"It will be difficult, Lann. The reputation of the witchers is not only due to our own mistakes; the sorcerers, the nobles and the politicians have also contributed to worsening it. If it were not so, you, the Griffins, would not be in such a situation."
Lann nodded, knowing the truth in Kiyan's words. "So this time I asked the Eternal Fire to help. With them, your actions will be much smoother. Moreover, I have another helper..."
Kiyan showed a curious look when he heard this.
...
In the south of Novigrad, at the Butcher's Yard theatre, actors were feverishly rehearsing a new play. The troupe had almost disbanded after a great disaster, and although they had received donations from Eternal Fire, it was not enough to restore them to their former glory.
The money was barely enough to cover their basic needs and keep them from being left homeless but reviving the theatre's splendor required much more.
Some veterans of the group suggested merging with other theatres, but the theatre's star, Irina Renarde, was staunchly opposed and fought to keep the group together.
Furthermore, due to her brave intervention during the recent riots, Irina was appointed leader of the group.
When Lann and Kiyan arrived here, the troupe was training new interns. Not far away, everyone could be seen rehearsing new plays.
Almost half of the actors were dressed as knights, wearing theatrical armor with lion emblems, waving wooden swords and chanting lines loudly. Not far away, a group of children were playing, and their leader, a blond boy, proudly proclaimed: "I have been thrown by the Lion!"
This sentence made him envied and supported by all the children in the troupe.
Kiyan just happened to hear this sentence and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Irina's eyes lit up immediately when she saw Lann standing out from the crowd. She casually told the people around her a few words and then ran over.
Looking at the group of actors who looked like a cartoon version of himself, Lann couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Miss Irina, although it is true that I supported you with the intention of having you help me create some plays, what I see here…" Lann pointed at the actors rehearsing. "Has left me, let's say, 'surprised'."
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