Ten minutes later, Geralt was smiling, holding two fist-sized pieces of gold in his hand, his heart was full of joy.
Although the monster bird's nest was full of carrion, bird droppings and bones, and the smell was worse than the sewer, but after the white wolf rummaged skillfully, in addition to gold and some coins, he also found two natural gemstones.
Wayne made a choice not to take the gold that were wrapped in the unappealing excrement from the harpy birds' nests. Instead, he opted for the two shiny gemstones.
This made Geralt look at him more favourabily. As an old fritter who eats, drinks, prostitutes, and gambles, he earns a lot more than ordinary people, but when it comes to spending money, it is not comparable to ordinary people.
The life of a witcher is undoubtedly challenging, filled with dirty and perilous tasks, as well as discrimination from many individuals. Added to these challenges, witchers are mutants, which can lead to a significant psychological burden. To cope up with this pressure, many witchers resort to visiting pubs, brothels, and casinos.
These provides them as a means of relief and escape from the demanding and often grim aspects of their profession, offering a way to unwind and find solace in the midst of their challenging lives. This coping mechanism is common among witchers, and it helps them manage the psychological toll of their work.
As a result, many witchers find themselves living in poverty, despite the substantial earnings they receive from their work. The transient and often reckless spending habits of witchers contribute to their financial challenges, which can be a source of frustration and hardship in their lives.
Wayne appears to have a flexible moral code when it comes to money. He is not overly concerned about accumulating wealth and is willing to engage in a variety of activities to earn money, regardless of the ethical implications. Whether it's helping the less fortunate by taking from the wealthy or engaging in more questionable ventures, Wayne seems open to various avenues of earning income.
His willingness to explore different money-making opportunities suggests that he may not be as financially constrained as other witchers, and he anticipates that his earnings in the future will far surpass what he could make as a witcher.
"Wayne, in the cave ahead, there is a cyclops. Many apprentice witchers died at the hands of this monster."
"This is part of the final trial. Apprentices participating in the trial must find a way to pass through this cave guarded by cyclops. Actually, cyclops are stronger than trolls, and they are also clumsy in action. They usually spend most of their sleeping in the caves. As long as the apprentices are quiet enough not to make a sound, they can pass through that cave safely."
Wayne nodded, thought for a while and said
"Then let's kill this cyclops this time"
Geralt paused, looked up at Wayne for a few seconds, and said:
"Wayne, since we will form a team to complete the task in the future, we should get to know each other better. I believe that any being with a certain level of intelligence, regardless of whether they were humans or creatures like trolls, deserved consideration. As long as a monster with intelligence does not pose a direct threat to others, I will not take the initiative to harm. In this regard, I hope you will agree with me."
Seeing the white wolf talking so openly, Wayne also showed a sincere smile and said, "You know Geralt, I'm a half-elf, a non-human race, and now I'm a monster in the eyes of others, a witcher. Don't worry, I'm more receptive to other intelligent creatures than you think."
Hearing this Geralt took a deep look and nodded towards Wayne indicating his appreciation for Wayne's understanding and willingness to embrace other intelligent creatures.
Geralt took out two bottles of witcher potion from his pocket and handed of of them to wayne and said, "This is a cat potion that can enhance our dark vision and allow us to see things in the dark. Follow me, be careful, don't make any noise, let's sneak out of the cave quietly, let's not wake up the trolls.
Wayne nodded. His agility was already higher than that of ordinary witcher, and such a stealth mission would not trouble him. Soon, after drinking the cat potion, the two walked into the cave one after the other.
As Geralt and Wayne advanced through the dark cave, Geralt's familiarity with the route was evident. He led Wayne cautiously along the cave wall. For five or six minutes, they moved quietly, trying not to make a sound. Along the way, the snoring sound they had been hearing continued to grow louder.
Despite the mysterious and potentially unsettling nature of the snoring noises, Geralt remained focused on their mission and didn't investigate the source of the sound. Instead, he pressed forward, guiding Wayne along the cave wall for another five minutes until they finally reached the exit.
Curiosity got the better of Wayne as they prepared to leave the cave, prompting him to turn his head and take a look at the source of the snoring.
He saw an ugly giant four to five meters long with a huge wooden tree trunk, lying on a flat ground, wearing only crude animal skins, with one hand covering his navel and the other stuffed into his trouser pocket, snoring comfortably and sleeping sound;+.
After watching for a few seconds, Wayne followed Geralt out of the cave, and when his eyes adjusted to the sunlight outside, a strange scene appeared before his eyes.
On a flat ground tens of meters away from them, five tall, strange creatures made of boulders were sitting around a cauldron, playing while eating food, and even heard some strange singing, as if they were holding a celebration.
They were ugly in appearance, and their movements were a little slow, each of them looked like a big fat man who was drunk. Although the words he spoke were stuttering and hard to hear clearly, they could be sure to be human language.
Geralt, who was walking in front, turned his head and made a gesture at him, and said in a low voice,
"This is a tribe of trolls. They belong to monsters that can barely communicate, and they are regarded as intelligent races."
"Let me negotiate with them."
"This group of trolls have lived here for hundreds of years, and they are quite familiar with us, the witchers. Let's try not to conflict."
"There are a lot of them. If we fight, we might be injured.