As a family of giants poised to play a crucial role in future plans, Wayne wasn't about to leave them unchecked, nor would he trust them entirely to Giant General Glass. He knew he needed to appoint someone trustworthy and capable to oversee them.
Wayne had already decided on the perfect candidate: Berengar, a Witcher from the School of the Wolf. This veteran Witcher had been living quietly in Vizima City for almost a year and a half—long enough that it was time for him to get out and stretch his legs. The timing was perfect, as Berengar had recently joined the order and was now helping Vesemir train new apprentices. He could also take on the role of village chief in the Giant Village.
The job was relatively peaceful, requiring little travel or interaction with outsiders—just what Berengar wanted. Despite not being the most powerful Witcher, his decades of experience in the North made him more than capable. He was skilled in various crafts, making him more than qualified to lead the village.
Wayne also planned to bring back two beautiful dryads, Aglais and Marika, to Kaer Morhen. Both had the abilities of druids. Conveniently, Wayne still had a large bag of genetically modified corn seeds from the cyberpunk world of 2077 in his backpack. These seeds had low environmental requirements and yielded bountiful crops three times a year. While the taste might be bland for humans, it could serve as a staple food for the giants, who might even find it delicious given their coarse palates.
Once the first year's harvest was secure, a steady supply of food would be assured, and the crop could even serve other purposes.
With these two primary objectives decided, Wayne knew there wasn't much left to explore in the wizarding world. He would now focus his efforts on his main quest. Perhaps only epic treasure chests and experience rewards could boost his strength quickly and make him stronger.
Rebuilding the Witcher Order also aligned with Vesemir's vision. It would ensure that his fellow Witchers could live good lives, achieving multiple goals at once. The plan involved increasing the number of Witchers, recruiting from other schools, bringing in mages from religious orders, rebuilding the Witcher academy, and recruiting more apprentices.
As long as Wayne continued to develop in this direction, the progress of his mission would advance steadily, making it a manageable task.
However, the task of saving the elves remained unclear. The civil war hadn't broken out yet, and aside from the Kingdom of Kaedwen, tensions between humans and non-humans weren't particularly intense. Many non-humans had already settled in human cities and were reluctant to leave their homes for the remote forests of the Valley of Flowers, even for the promise of a better future.
Although Wayne wasn't a saint, he wasn't willing to provoke conflicts between humans and non-humans, leading to the senseless slaughter of innocent non-humans. At this stage, his best option was to cast a wide net and accumulate small gains to eventually achieve larger results.
...
As Wayne entered the castle hall, he noticed Triss, who had already explored the entire castle. She was sitting in a leather chair by the fire, engrossed in a book, the corners of her mouth slightly curved in a contented smile.
Wayne had no idea where old Vesemir was—probably off handling his own business.
As soon as Wayne entered the room, the red-haired sorceress flashed him a sweet smile. When he sat down beside her, she rested her head on his shoulder, speaking happily:
"Wayne, I just visited your laboratory and noticed that your experimental equipment is quite outdated. Some of it was made centuries ago."
"Our sorcerers have upgraded our equipment several times since then, with higher precision and faster efficiency. If you'd like, I can arrange to purchase a new set through special channels. What do you think?"
Wayne wrapped his arm around Triss's slender waist, his rough hand slipping under her clothes to gently caress her flat belly. He responded casually:
"You're the expert here. You can decide on these small matters yourself."
"We Witchers haven't had the assistance of sorcerers for centuries. Starting anew is always tough, but my only requirement for now is that you keep things discreet. Other than that, I trust your judgment."
Hearing his words of complete trust, Triss felt the fatigue from preparing the large-scale teleportation array over the past few days melt away, and her mood lifted.
Since Wayne had confided his secret to her and she had willingly joined the Witcher Order, their relationship had deepened. It was no longer what it used to be. Though they had always been close, always in love, there had been a barrier preventing her from fully understanding the Witcher.
But now, with a clearer understanding of his abilities and ideals, many things made sense. Triss felt much more secure, no longer plagued by uncertainty or the need to guess at his intentions.
Wayne casually pulled a delicious cream puff cake from his space bracelet and placed it in Triss's hand. As he watched the sorceress take small, delicate bites, he spoke gently:
"Optimizing the Witcher's transformation experiments is a huge undertaking. You'll need to go through all the notes we've preserved over the years. Take your time with it."
"But, I have a more immediate problem I need your help with."
Triss, savoring the puff cake with a look of pure enjoyment, asked, "What's the problem?"
Seeing the sorceress's expression, like a contented cat, Wayne couldn't help but smile as he continued:
"As you've seen, there are quite a few giants. While our magic crown can control them, it's not entirely foolproof."
"I'd like you to help me create a batch of tracking devices that can be installed on each giant. That way, we can always know their location."
"In this way, even if a few giants try to escape, we can track them down and bring them back."
"Other sorcerers have studied similar devices before. They're not difficult to make, but producing them in large quantities will be costly."
"If you need more than two hundred, it will cost at least ten thousand orens."
Wayne nodded, realizing that at around 40 to 50 orens per giant, monitoring their whereabouts was far cheaper than he had expected.
He nodded to Triss, agreeing to the plan, and said:
"Go ahead, money is no object."
"I'll be bringing a few helpers soon to share the workload, but for the next few days, I'd like you to keep an eye on these giants and ensure they don't cause any trouble."
"Also, could you send me back to Toussaint first? Some of my friends are still there. Once I've taken care of things, I'll head to Vizima, and I'll ask Keira to get in touch with you."
…
Soon after, Wayne was back in Beauclair, thanks to Triss's portal.
This time, his main purpose was to take Syanna, Letho, and the others back north. These were talents he had painstakingly recruited, and he couldn't afford to let them waste their time here. He had to make good use of them.
For Wayne, the fairy-tale land of Toussaint no longer held much appeal. The next time he visited would likely be years from now.
Upon returning to the shop in Beauclair, he announced his decision to Syanna, Letho, and the others.
Syanna looked a bit reluctant but quickly agreed. Though she was hesitant to leave the place she'd called home for over a decade, she understood her situation and status. At the same time, a new kind of ambition began to stir within her.
Youth and longevity—things many human kings sought but couldn't attain—were now within her grasp. She even started to imagine how, when her sister and parents had grown old and gray, she would still appear radiant and youthful, maintaining the look of someone in their twenties. The reactions of those around her would be fascinating when she returned home looking unchanged.
As for Letho and the others, they were eager to leave, having been enticed by some of Wayne's promises. They didn't hesitate at all and even urged Wayne to depart sooner.
Gaetan of the Cat School was openly appointed by Wayne as the acting manager of the tobacco shop, but secretly, he was tasked with guarding this stronghold, gathering intelligence from the southern countries, and serving as a hidden operative in Toussaint.
As a reward, Gaetan would have free use of the already famous shop and the mansion behind it. He'd also receive a generous monthly salary from the shop's income—a far more comfortable life than the one he'd led, risking his life at every turn.
Gaetan was clearly pleased with this arrangement. He seemed to have forgotten his earlier coercion, now fully impressed by Wayne's knack for making money and becoming a loyal, if unscrupulous, ally.
The only regret was that he hadn't yet moved the experimental equipment from Professor Moreau's underground lab. His limited knowledge of the experiments left him cautious, fearing that any mishap could damage the equipment and jeopardize the secondary mutation experiments—a loss he could ill afford.
Wayne planned to wait until Triss had thoroughly studied the witcher transformation information left by Azul. Once she had made some significant progress in this area, he would then bring her to address the issues in the laboratory together. This approach would be the safest and most effective solution.
After all, it wasn't practical for cult members to travel all the way to Toussaint every time they underwent a secondary mutation.
With affairs in Toussaint concluded, Wayne and his companions prepared to return to the North.
Unlike Letho and the others, who anticipated that the long journey would take a month or more, Wayne wasted no time contacting the elven sorceress Francesca.
He requested that this powerful sorceress open a long-distance portal for him and his group, with the destination being Wayne's home in Vizima City.
Though it might seem somewhat disrespectful to use the world's most powerful elven sorceress as a mere tool, Wayne saw it differently. Trusting her with such a task was a testament to the closeness of their relationship, as it revealed his network to her.
Francesca, to Wayne's relief, was in a good mood and didn't seem bothered by the request. She maintained a noble and elegant demeanor throughout the process, her stunning beauty and regal presence leaving Letho, the other Witchers, and even the somewhat haughty Syanna momentarily speechless.
Even Wayne, who had been exposed to countless digital beauties in the information age, couldn't help but be impressed by the elven sorceress's appearance. It was no surprise that others were left in awe.
The portal was indeed incredibly efficient. In just a few minutes, the entire group was transported from the southern Kingdom of Toussaint to Vizima, the capital of the Kingdom of Temeria.
For Letho, the others, and Syanna, this was their first time in this country.
After introducing them to his mansion and presenting Berengar to them, Wayne was pulled aside by Francesca. Once they were alone in the study, the elven sorceress shared some important news with Wayne.
It concerned the Kingdom of Kaedwen, which had suffered several setbacks and was now preparing to take action.
"Last time, when Dante killed the Count in front of everyone at the banquet, it caused quite a stir," Francesca began. "Though it made other nobles more cautious in their dealings with non-human races, the Warlock Brotherhood has now sent two warlocks to Kaedwen to investigate this human mercenary, Dante."
Francesca's brow furrowed slightly as she looked directly into Wayne's eyes.
"I've also received word that Henselt, in his usual boar-headed manner, plans to hold a public trial and execution of non-human prisoners near Ben'ad to support the warlocks' investigation."
"But you and I both know that most of those prisoners are innocent. They're just being used as bait to draw Dante out."
Biting her lower lip slightly, Francesca added with some frustration:
"How you choose to handle this situation, Wayne, is entirely up to you."
"No matter what you decide, I'll stand by your side."