Watching Geralt leave with the two young men, Wayne actually felt a rare relief.
It has been almost two years since he entered this world, and he consistently finds himself surrounded by people. Consequently, he is always compelled to conceal his abilities.
This is the first time I feel free.
He turned to look at Toruviel beside him and, with some familiarity, said, "It's getting late now, Toruviel. Let's head to the place where you live and discuss about the commission."
"I'm still a little curious about how you lived in the cave."
The female elf frowned upon hearing the words. Wayne's sudden familiarity left her somewhat puzzled. However, given the commission that needed to be handed over to the witcher, she didn't dwell too much on it.
After issuing a few instructions to the elf archers positioned in the trees, she directed them to maintain their concealment. Upon securing the entrance of the cave, she signaled Wayne to follow her, guiding them both into the cave.
This cave resembles a stalactite cave, adorned with numerous conical stalactites hanging from its ceiling. Although the entrance is not sizable, the interior space proves to be quite expansive.
Wayne followed Toruviel, and the female elf held a torch in her hand, which she had taken down near the cave entrance. With light seemingly emanating from nowhere, she turned around along the way, navigating a complex route like a maze.
Finally, they reached a building akin to the underground ruins of elves, following an underground river that was more than one meter wide and passing through a massive, exquisite arch.
The space here is expansive, and the structure resembles a banquet hall in a palace. Four massive stone pillars connect the floor and ceiling, supporting a vast area.
"This is where we live temporarily."
Toruviel pointed to a direction in the hall where several bonfires were burning. Beside the bonfires, a dozen tents of various sizes had been erected.
Some elves and dwarves were seated by the bonfire, taking a moment to rest, converse, and engage in various activities. Among them were men and women of different ages, encompassing both the old and the young. Clad in simple attire and bearing weary expressions, they appeared to be ordinary civilians.
Wayne even noticed a few short halflings standing by an iron pot next to the campfire, diligently stirring a large spoon while preparing food.
They are all people who have been persecuted by humans, having lost their relatives and been deprived of their property, rendering them unable to survive in the town."
There was no expression on Toruveil's face, just a calm narrative.
"We took them in, taught them to fight, taught them how to survive in the forest."
"But the king's soldiers are still hunting us down and trying to kill us all."
"We can't do anything but fight back."
Listening to the female elf's narration, Wayne fell into a moment of silence. In the world of witchers, elves, dwarves, halflings, and other non-human races have consistently been the targets of persecution.
Thousands of years ago, the elves graciously welcomed human refugees who found themselves in this world due to the convergence. However, accompanying this race, there were successive cleansings and massacres.
They were forcibly reduced from a dominant race that ruled the continent for thousands of years in the past to a minority race now, facing systematic persecution.
For the time being, Wayne lacked the ability and had no leisure to intervene in the affairs of non-human races. He bypassed this topic and, while observing the surrounding ruins, posed a question
"This ruin appears to be vast, but you all reside in this hall. You entrusted us; do you wish for our assistance in clearing up this ruin?"
Toruwell nodded, with her palm on the iron sword at her waist, without concealing it, but said
directly
"Yes, witcher. We stumbled upon this elf ruin by chance. Despite its dark, underground environment making it inconvenient to live in, it offers sufficient concealment and a sheltered space for us."
"However, this place has been abandoned for too long, and numerous monsters have taken residence in the ruins. Some of my fighters have been injured by these monsters."
"As a witcher and expert in dealing with such creatures, I wish to entrust you with the task of helping us clear out the monsters here."
Wayne nodded, did not immediately agree, but began to observe the situation of the ruins.
The history of this ruin is evidently quite long, with many areas having suffered damage and destruction over time. However, amidst the remnants, such as the exquisite murals and beautiful statues scattered here and there, one can still discern the former grandeur of the elf civilization.
Through dark vision, Wayne discovered that there were four gates connecting to other places in the hall where Toruviel and others lived.
In addition to the massive archway through which they entered, there is another stone gate in this area that has been sealed with stones and mud. The remaining two gates are being guarded by dwarves and elves armed with weapons and torches, evidently standing watch against potential monster intrusions.
However, Wayne has already undertaken Misha's mission of finding people today, and even if he were to accept the mission of clearing the elves' ruins again, he would not receive an additional reward.
Therefore, he just observed casually in the hall and said to Toruviel
"I can help you clean up this ruin, Toruviel."
"However, it's quite late now. We witchers must make sufficient preparations before engaging in monster battles."
So, please assist me in finding a quieter place where I can get ready for the upcoming battle. Tomorrow, after my companion and I reunite, we will address the matter of compensation, and we will commence with your commission."