"Since that's the case, how do you plan to prepare?" Vera asked softly.
Wait, she agreed that easily?
Allen was a bit surprised; he thought he'd need to do some convincing.
However...
This was definitely better.
So, Allen pondered for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and said:
"In terms of pure strength, we're far inferior to the king and the sorcerer, so we can't confront them directly."
"But we do have an advantage..."
"Information gap!"
"What do you mean?" The sorceress was momentarily stunned.
Allen glanced at the Chief and the sorceress to confirm, then asked: "Is there any chance that Henselt could know his plot has already been exposed?"
"Impossible," the sorceress shook her head lightly.
"If he realized his plot was exposed, he wouldn't have invited Sol to the Apprentice Duel Tournament."
"In such a crowded event, Henselt and Sorcerers of Ban Ard would have no choice but to rely on discreet assassination to preserve their reputation."
"That's impossible if Sol knows the truth. It would only escalate things further by then."
"That wouldn't be in his interest."
Sol nodded slightly and added: "Not just that..."
"According to tradition, my seat will definitely be next to Henselt."
"Given his personality, if he knew his plot had been exposed, he would never dare do such a thing."
Allen nodded: "In that case, it's easy."
"With the Chief drawing attention, the tournament will proceed normally, and the only potential mishap would be in the sword duels, which I'll handle."
Allen looked toward Hughes, Bond, and Fred. The three young witchers were taken aback for a moment, exchanged glances, and then suddenly realized something, getting excited all at once.
Vesemir had no objections either. He had witnessed the sudden increase in the strength of young witchers and knew Allen seemed to have a unique training method. Seeing that no one had any objections, Allen continued: "As for the Chief's safety..."
"There's no need to worry about that; he can protect himself," the sorceress said indifferently.
"Let's skip over that part..."
"Allen, you do know where the greatest danger lies, right?"
She gave a quick glance at the Chief, who looked somewhat helpless.
The relationship between the Chief and Lady Vera was really close... Allen sighed inwardly and nodded seriously: "If the assassination of the Chief fails, Henselt, who hasn't achieved his goal, will definitely fly into a rage."
"So, the moment we leave Ban Ard, away from the crowded areas, will be when the greatest danger strikes."
"But..."
Allen looked at the sorceress.
"Lady Vera, don't we have you on our side?"
Allen grinned. It would be foolish not to use the help they had.
"However, if I recall correctly, you mentioned that during the Apprentice Duel Tournament, you seemed to have other matters to attend to..."
The sorceress sighed helplessly: "Nothing is more important than you... your lives."
"Don't worry, I will definitely be there that day."
After a pause, the sorceress showed a worried expression: "But what about you, Allen?"
"You can't pass through portals right now, so how will you escape then?"
Her concerned gaze warmed Allen's heart. He softly replied: "Don't worry, Lady Vera."
"Did you forget about my connections with the elves?"
"Ban Ard is adjacent to the Blue Mountains, and I can use my connections with the elves to pass through the Blue Mountains and head to Aedirn."
Vesemir chimed in: "I will go with Allen."
"It'll be a good opportunity to begin our trial journey!"
Allen nodded: "After leaving Aedirn, we'll head directly to the Temple of Melitele in Ellander to lift the curse of the evil god."
The Chief and the sorceress remained silent, not voicing any objections. Allen knew they didn't object, not because his plan was perfect. There were still many key points he hadn't mentioned.
For example:
How would they escape safely from Ban Ard, the city of sorcerers? Would Henselt really let them leave unharmed after his plot had failed?
Would so many sorcerers just watch them go?
After all, in the mines, they had shown their ability to block teleportation within a certain range.
Beyond that, there were many other details...
The Chief, the sorceress, and Vesemir didn't raise these issues, likely out of respect for the younger generation, to maintain Allen's dignity among the group.
Of course...
Allen hadn't revealed all of his plans either. He quietly opened the Witcher's Journal, taking a quick glance.
[Quest: Summon I (Collect Rock Troll Blood 18/20)]
[Quest Reward: Conjunction of the Spheres—Troll]
[Hunting Quest: Drowner II (Kill Drowners 463/500)]
[Hunting Quest: Foglet I (Kill Foglets 2/100)]
[Hunting Quest: Ghoul I (Kill Ghouls 14/200)]
[Hunting Quest: Wraith I (Kill Wraiths 12/50)]
He already had two drops of Rock Troll blood in his reagent pouch. The "Hunting Quest: Drowner" was only about thirty drowners short. In the next few days, with a few more hunts, he would definitely have enough before the Apprentice Duel Tournament. Although the hunting quest rewards were not clearly stated, Judging by the "Hunting Quest: Drowner I" rewards, it would most likely trigger a forced Conjunction of the Spheres once completed.
In addition to the already-cooled-down "Conjunction of the Spheres—Drowner,"
At the moment,
Allen was essentially holding two confirmed Conjunctions of the Spheres and one about to be completed. If things went south, he could trigger two in Ban Ard. The violent shock and large monsters summoned by the Conjunction of the Spheres...
He didn't believe the King and the sorcerer would have the luxury of bothering them then. Of course, since this involved the Witcher's Journal, his deepest secret, Allen naturally wouldn't reveal it here.
After discussing some of the major details,
Snap
With a snap of the fingers, The red soundproof barrier dissipated. Then, The sorceress opened another portal. Sol returned to the King's entourage. Vera needed to go to the Aretuza Academy for some urgent business. However, she promised to quietly meet up with Allen and the others the day before the tournament.
--------------
After the sorceress and the Chief left, Allen answered some questions from Vesemir, Hughes, and the others. He then returned to his room, carrying a bag full of Northern Wind bomb materials.
[Name: Northern Wind]
[Type: Bomb Recipe]
[Alchemy Level Requirement: LV2]
[Recipe: Saltpeter1, Ducal water1, Powdered Pearl1, Allspice2]
[Function: Freezes enemies. Attacks on frozen enemies deal extra damage.]
[Note: Northern Wind! Northern Wind! Freeze everything!]
For Allen, whose alchemy had already reached level 4, even though it was his first time crafting this magical bomb, the process was smooth. In less than half an hour, he successfully produced a bottle of icy blue potion.
Yes.
Although "Northern Wind" was labeled as a bomb recipe, it was actually a liquid.
In fact...
If placed alongside "Killer Whale," just by looking at the color, it would be impossible to tell the two apart.
"Is this really a bomb worth at least 300 Orens?"
Allen stared at the icy blue liquid swirling inside the transparent glass bottle, and a random thought crossed his mind, reminding him of a skill from a game in his previous life:
Frost bomb.
Shaking his head to rid himself of the odd thought, he dismissed it. Due to the expensive cost, Allen only crafted one Northern Wind bomb. He had to test the effectiveness of Northern Wind before deciding whether to use up the remaining materials. If the cost-performance ratio was too low, it wouldn't be worth it!
However...
Which monster should he test it on?
Allen pondered.
--------------
An hour later.
On a riverbank a hundred meters away from the Orchard.
"Croak croak~"
Noisy sounds echoed from below the low cliff.
"This is the place!"
Hughes pointed to the group of drowners under the cliff, eagerly looking at the blue liquid in Allen's hand. This was a "bomb" worth at least 300 Orens.
It was called a "bomb," right? Hughes thought.
The four of them had left Kaer Morhen almost half a month ago. Excluding fragrant fruits and pearl dust, they had earned less than ten Orens in total. With the cost of food and lodging, none of them had even a single Oren left by now.
"Only Allen could spend money like this!" Hughes thought.
But Allen didn't see it that way. He had originally just wanted to find a few drowners to test it out on his own. He hadn't planned to bring the others along.
After all...
If he spent so much money and the results were disappointing, it would be embarrassing. However...
He wasn't familiar with the surroundings and didn't know where to find a suitable number of monsters, so he casually asked. Unexpectedly, they all came along!
"Sigh~"
With a light sigh, Feeling the intense gazes from Hughes, Bond, Fred, and Vesemir beside him. Allen realized he had clearly underestimated a witcher's curiosity.
"Is fighting drowners enough?" Vesemir asked. "Do you need to find something tougher?"
Allen shook his head. Using a 300-Orens-worth Northern Wind bomb on drowners was definitely overkill. The going rate for drowner contracts was half an Oren each. But for now, where could he find a large enough, valuable monster?
"It's just a test. Drowners will do."
"Alright, I'm starting."
Infected by Vesemir, Hughes, and the others' excitement, even Allen felt a bit nervous.
Don't let me down!
Northern Wind!
After taking a deep breath, Allen suddenly threw the blue potion bottle into the center of the drowner group.
"Bang~"
The moment the glass bottle shattered, The clueless drowners still had no idea what was happening. The next second,
"Whoosh~"
A gust of wind howled.
A biting cold stream instantly swept up the sand and dust from the riverbank.
"Clink~ Clink~"
Snow-white frost abruptly appeared at the point where the Northern Wind landed, rapidly spreading outward. The drowners didn't even have time to react before the expanding frost caught up to them. In the blink of an eye, All eight drowners were frozen solid, without exception.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
-----------
All the frozen drowners, having lost their balance, fell to the ground, Instantly shattering into pieces of blue, red, and purple. Under the spring sunlight, the fragments scattered in colorful hues. It was quite a sight to behold.
On the cliff,
The witchers, including Allen, were collectively speechless as they witnessed the scene.
Until...
The biting cold wind surged up from below the cliff. The icy breeze against their faces finally brought them back to reality.
"No wonder it costs 300 Orens..."
Vesemir couldn't hide the shock on his face. Even his favorite wide-brimmed black hat had been blown off by the wind, but he didn't even notice. Although these were just a few drowners, easily killed by anyone, The sight of such creatures being instantly frozen and shattered into pieces before their eyes Left an indelible impression.
Moreover...
Vesemir glanced, dumbfounded, at Allen, who was equally shocked, his mouth slightly open. This was something done by a boy who had only become a witcher a few days ago.
"Allen... Allen..."
Fred pointed to the shattered drowners below the cliff, slapping Bond's arm repeatedly, unable to form a complete sentence. To anyone unaware, it might have seemed like Allen had fallen off the cliff. Bond, having just recovered from an injury a few days ago, couldn't tolerate such rough treatment.
With a swift dodge, he avoided Fred's hand.
Hooking his right foot, Fred fell onto the ground. Then, tilting his head, Bont gazed at Allen with admiration, just as speechless as Fred.
"No need for clean-up?"
A strange thought popped into Allen's mind. Originally, he thought that after freezing the drowners, he'd still need to go down and kill them himself. After all, in the game, that was how it worked. Even the highest-tier Northern Wind couldn't kill monsters outright. It only froze them longer, and attacks on frozen creatures dealt more damage.
"But this makes more sense!"
"How could they be frozen solid and not lose any blood?"
Allen thought.
Listening to the stunned praises from the young witchers and Vesemir beside him, he looked down again at the shattered drowner pieces. Though it wasn't clear how much the Northern Wind's effectiveness would decrease against higher-level monsters. Since even magic-infused drowners couldn't withstand it, creatures with weaker constitutions than many humans would surely fare worse.
Wait!
Allen's eyes suddenly lit up.
Perhaps...
Without magical protection and without the game's artificial balancing...
Humans were the real targets for Northern Wind!
Suddenly inspired,
Allen mentally opened the Witcher's Journal.
[Hunting Quest: Drowner II (Kill Drowners 471/500)]
The Northern Wind didn't even affect the quest count!
These 300 Orens were well spent!
"Vesemir, let's head back!"
Allen bent down, picked up the black wide-brimmed hat, and patted it off.
"To create such an impressive and mature alchemical work..."
"Allen recovered so quickly..."
"Is he really just a fourteen-year-old child?"
Vesemir marveled internally.
On the outside, though, he remained composed as he took back his hat and put it on.
"Alright, let's go!"
"By the way, could you make a few more for me? I can gather the materials myself..."
Seeming a bit shy, Vesemir added, "Uh, I heard alchemists charge extra commission for making items. Allen..."
"Vesemir!" Allen suddenly interrupted, looking serious. "I won't make Northern Wind for you!"
Vesemir's spirits plummeted instantly, and just as he was about to change the topic, he heard Allen continue: "I'm not an alchemist..."
"So, Vesemir, I won't make Northern Wind for you..."
"But..."
"I will teach you how to make Northern Wind!"
Teach me?
Such a precious recipe?
Vesemir froze for a moment. "But..."
"This isn't just for you," Allen said suddenly. "Kaer Morhen is our home as well. Defending it is something we all should do."
That's exactly what I said to him when I gave him the materials...
A warm feeling surged in Vesemir's chest. "Allen..."
At that moment,
The cold expression on Allen's face melted away, and he smiled: "Vesemir, I am a witcher of the School of the Wolf as well!"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
193. The Apprentice Tournament is Here!
194. Ban Ard Academy.
195. Alzur Tower.
196. The Cat School is Here!
197. Sword and Sword.