"Pretty Kitty" Julia Abatemarco was a Koviri woman in her twenties. Because Kovir had been known as a mercenary nation for centuries, with its entire army composed of several large mercenary groups, becoming a mercenary was both commonplace and aspirational in that country.
Julia was a serious military talent, having graduated from a military academy. However, due to her young age and limited experience in the mercenary field, she had yet to fully develop and grow. Currently, she led a small mercenary group of fewer than thirty individuals.
After the two parties met, they exchanged brief greetings and introductions, quickly getting down to business.
Julia was moderately attractive. She was polite, and her appearance had clearly been carefully tended to. The two strong men accompanying her looked rougher, one with a shaved head, the other with short hair and some dirt on their faces.
This was normal for the medieval era. Without shampoo, long hair was prone to lice, difficult to maintain, and could lead to illness. Many men chose to shave their heads or keep their hair short to avoid these issues.
"Wayne," Julia said, getting to the point, "let's discuss the task you want us to complete. What is it, and what is the reward?"
A gentle smile appeared on Wayne's face. He looked at the two men behind Julia and said, "Julia, I would like to speak with you alone. Whether or not you share this with your group members later is up to you."
Julia frowned slightly but glanced at the two strong men behind her. They obediently left the house. It was clear the she held authority within her team.
Once they were gone, Wayne brought a pineapple honey cake from the kitchen and placed it in front of Julia. He watched as the normally stern mercenary subconsciously sniffed the cake, then suppressed a smile and said, "As I said in my letter, Miss Julia, this commission is the largest one you've ever received. It could even change your destiny."
Seeing the female mercenary's skeptical frown, Wayne continued, "Before explaining the commission, I want to know one thing. What are your thoughts on elves, dwarves, and other nonhumans? To be blunt, do you hate them, like them, or are you indifferent?"
Hearing Wayne's unusual question, Julia thought carefully. Since Wayne appeared completely human, she didn't know his stance on the matter, so she answered honestly: "I see them as equals. I don't hate them, nor do I particularly like them. However, I don't discriminate against them or treat them as aliens. In Kovir, there are elves and dwarves living among us, and they haven't faced much prejudice."
Wayne nodded in satisfaction. This answer was realistic. The Kingdom of Kovir was only briefly mentioned in the novels and games, but as a nation of mercenaries, it was likely to be more inclusive. Wayne was curious about this country and planned to visit it someday.
After hearing Julia's answer, Wayne cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, " Julia, this commission isn't a combat mission in the traditional sense, but a meaningful rescue operation."
"As a mercenary and an experienced woman, you should be well aware of the status of nonhumans in the Northern Kingdoms."
"The task I'm entrusting to you is to rescue these oppressed individuals and bring them to a safe place, where my people will then escort them away."
Julia was taken aback, looking at Wayne strangely as she asked in a low voice, "Rescue?"
Wayne's expression remained unchanged as he nodded and affirmed, "Yes, rescue."
"I won't place any restrictions on your methods. I only care about the final result."
"Whether you rescue them from thugs, buy them from prisons, or even trick them and smuggle them here, it doesn't matter."
"Regardless of age or gender, as long as you escort them to my designated safe location, I'll pay you eight crowns for each elf and five crowns for each other nonhuman."
"There's no limit to this task until I call it off. If you can bring me 10,000 elves, you'll receive 80,000 crowns."
Julia's mouth fell open in surprise upon hearing the generous remuneration. Eighty thousand crowns was an astronomical sum, beyond anything she could have imagined. It was more than the largest payment made in the Northern Kingdoms in a millennium, for hiring a vast army of tens of thousands and winning a brutal war.
Wayne was pleased with Julia's reaction. While kind-hearted people existed, even those willing to work without reward were more motivated by substantial benefits. The key to his commission was to offer a hefty reward to entice brave individuals.
"I'll pay you one hundred crowns upfront as starting capital. Once the first group of fifty people reaches the destination, I'll pay another three hundred crowns in advance."
"Of course, this mission is confidential. While I won't say it's forbidden to disclose it or that there will be any punishment for doing so,"
"But you're a smart woman, Julia . The more people who know about this, the more likely it is to face obstruction and hostility from racists. It's best to have trusted individuals handle this matter. It's up to you to figure out how to do it quickly and effectively."
After listening to Wayne's commission, Julia fell into deep thought. She didn't care about Wayne's motives – that wasn't something a mercenary needed to understand. She was considering whether the difficulty of the commission justified the rewards, whether it was worth her effort.
As for morality and principles, she would consider those later.
After a few minutes of contemplation, Julia nodded to Wayne, extended her hand, and said, " Wayne, after careful consideration, we accept your commission."
"However, for safety reasons, we must sign a contract. This matter concerns the future of the entire group, and we must ensure nothing goes wrong."
Wayne had no objections to this request. After discussing some details, Julia took her leave.
However, before leaving, she blushed and asked in a low voice, " Wayne, can I take this cake?"
Her adorable greed almost made Wayne laugh out loud.
After Julia left, Francesca, who had been sitting by Wayne's wine cabinet, eavesdropping on the conversation and admiring the fine wines, slowly revealed herself.
She looked at Wayne with admiration and said, "What a brilliant idea, Wayne. Using a human mercenary group won't attract too much attention and will better achieve the goal."
"Perhaps I should also find trustworthy mercenary groups to help us rescue our people."
Then, in a gentle voice with a hint of warning, she added, "However, many humans are not trustworthy. You must be careful. It's best not to let them connect you to Dante's identity."
"And don't appear before them in that form."
"Otherwise, it could bring you a lot of trouble in your current position."
Wayne assured Francesca he would heed her advice, and they continued discussing the elves, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, and how to rescue more elves in the future before concluding their meeting.
Although both parties now shared a common goal, trust still needed time to develop. Some topics and actions couldn't be broached without a certain level of mutual trust.
Before Francesca left, the sorceress shared some interesting news. In the Toussaint, several witchers were on a hunt. They seemed to be tracking a manticore, and some were injured. These witchers were from the south and not members of the Wolf School.
Upon hearing this, Wayne asked the sorceress playfully, "Madam, you are truly well-informed. Toussaint is so far from here, yet you have this information. I'm quite flattered that you care so much about my interests."
Francesca covered her mouth and smiled, her beautiful face radiant. "Thanks to your inspiration, Wayne," she said humbly. "I've begun recruiting informants in discreet places to deliver special messages to me."
"As you said, humans are easily swayed by money. As long as you pay enough, someone will do your bidding."
"However, the person who informed me about Toussaint was one of my fellow sorceresses, Fringilla Vigo. She is currently residing in Toussaint."
"If you wish to go there, I can provide a letter of introduction and ask her to assist you in any way you need."
Wayne didn't hesitate and immediately said, "Thank you for your help, ma'am, if it's not too much trouble."
.....
Over the next few days, Wayne and Julia meticulously discussed the contract's details, finally signing a legally binding agreement on the third day.
After receiving Wayne's initial payment, the highly motivated mercenary left Vizima without delay, taking her two subordinates with her. She planned to rejoin her team and begin this grand endeavor.
As Wayne had said, completing this commission could change the fate of her entire mercenary group. No ambitious person would miss such an opportunity.
According to Wayne and Julia's plan, they would not start with Kaedwen, the kingdom harshest on nonhumans. Instead, they would begin in other countries, gathering resources and recruiting nonhumans who wished to emigrate.
Only after the mercenaries had grown in strength and numbers would they tackle the more difficult targets.
Their first stop was the Kingdom of Temeria. Julia planned to start in the slums of Vizima, where nearly a thousand nonhumans lived in squalor.
Every beginning is challenging. Once they established an effective process, future operations would become easier and more efficient.
After settling the contract with the mercenaries, Wayne returned to Middle Earth and transported a warehouse full of pipes back to the Witcher world.
Fortunately, pipe tobacco was like fine wine: as long as it was within its shelf life, the longer it aged, the more fragrant and mellow it became. For now, Wayne didn't have to worry about storage issues.
Having dealt with matters on Middle Earth and in Vizima, Wayne, with Francesca's help, used a portal to instantly arrive in Toussaint.
In this land, not only were there fellow witchers, but also many things worth exploring, awaiting his arrival.