Fringilla's appearance had been completely outside Chen Xu's expectations.
Why would the White Wolf be traveling with a sorceress?
After thanking Geralt for his help, Chen Xu asked what had brought him here.
It had all been ordered by Emhyr, the emperor of Nilfgaard whose body had been possessed.
He had hired the White Wolf to find his biological daughter-Geralt's adopted daughter and the main quest target, Ciri.
He had generously pardoned Fringilla, who had been charged with treason for participating in the Lodge of Sorceresses, so she could accompany Geralt as a monitor and report any information about Ciri to him at any time.
And once she found Ciri, she was to bring her back through a portal immediately, allowing absolutely no one to make contact with her beforehand.
During this time, Fringilla had the authority to mobilize any troops, manpower, and resources to assist her.
His decision had provoked discontent among the leaders of the country's various factions, shaking his already precarious rule.
He really had gone all out for the main quest.
Fortunately, the weapons he had designed, far ahead of their time, had helped him win back considerable support.
Geralt himself strongly resisted Emhyr's orders, but on the one hand, Ciri was also the man's daughter, and on the other, Fringilla was indeed a rare beauty.
He had once teased her, saying, "From Buina to the Yaruga, nobody has an ass as pretty as yours."
Just as in the original story, this sorceress-and-witcher duo had discovered traces of Ciri shortly after entering Velen.
They had obtained three leads from a Nilfgaardian spy tracking Ciri:
1. Ciri had appeared in Velen, Novigrad, and the Skellige Isles;
2. The "Bloody Baron" of Crow's Perch had crossed paths with Ciri;
3. Ciri had clashed with witches in Velen's swamps. The exact reason was unknown, but perhaps the villagers of Midcopse knew something.
Chen Xu guessed this was also why the two had come to Crow's Perch.
"I came to find someone." Geralt had believed Chen Xu's lie about exchanging forging techniques and advised him:
"Go home, Pro. Stop wandering around. Or stay here, if you like. War is merciless."
"I'll take your advice." Chen Xu smiled calmly, eager to deal with the points he had on hand.
The White Wolf nodded and entered the inner keep.
With the 200 points he had just received, plus the 50 he had saved earlier, he already had enough to buy some valuable items.
First was the panel's storage space, priced at 200 points. When he had killed Zhaotian Zhi, he had picked up the poleaxe on the ground precisely because he had no weapon at hand.
Going hungry on the road earlier and being mistaken for a witcher by the villagers-these problems could all be solved with storage space.
However, apart from grid-converted items, everything in this space would be cleared out before he left the battlefield.
Next were the various Mortal Tier attribute potions:
[Cyclops Heart Decoction] Strength +2, Reaction -1; price: 250 points [Fire Dragon Brain Extract] Spirit +1, basic fire affinity; price: 450 points [Mortal Tier Life Potion] Constitution +1; price: 150 points
For physical and soul attributes of the same tier, the corresponding enhancement potions were all recommended for one-time use only.
For example, once someone had used giant heart extract to enhance strength, they could neither take it again nor use another potion to enhance strength.
This was not only because of drug resistance. Essences taken from different living beings would conflict with one another and could not be digested.
Chen Xu had his eye on an aerosol called [Spirit of Twisting], which granted Willpower +2 and Constitution -1.
This potion was made from the purified soul of a Qi Sensing Level twister. It greatly benefited the willpower of Mortal Tier beings, but damaged the bodies of normal living beings.
It cost 250 points.
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xu decided to forgo the panel's storage space.
Compared with mere convenience, addressing his willpower deficiency was clearly more urgent.
The points he had just acquired vanished instantly, turning into a transparent glass tube with a brass base.
The tube was completely empty. If the panel had not provided the potion's details, Chen Xu would certainly have thought he had been scammed.
He held the glass tube in his mouth and pressed the brass base.
A faint breeze slipped into his mouth.
In an instant, pressure from his mind left his limbs unable to move.
From the Baihui point at his crown to the Yongquan points on his soles, every part of his body went utterly numb.
Only his heart beat beyond its limits. Like bandits, his blood plundered his entire body, nourishing only the Shenting point.
[You used [Spirit of Twisting]. Willpower +2 (current: 0), Constitution -1 (current: 10)]
After all that, his Willpower attribute seemed frozen, still unable to break past 0.
Chen Xu was in no hurry either. He poured experience into his class:
[You used EXP ×400. Current [Master Detective] Lv.3. Constitution +1, Reaction +1, free attribute points +1]
This time, after assigning the free attribute point to Willpower, he finally broke through the obstruction of his talent, broke through heaven's punishment, and reached 1 point!
At that moment, Chen Xu actually felt a sense of spiritual wholeness. Without that terrifying 80% reduction, his Willpower would now have reached a full 5 points, a height ordinary people could practically only look up to.
He picked up the poleaxe from the ground and swung it a little:
[You comprehended proficiency [Poleaxe]: beginner!]
He invested another skill point in the max-level [Sneak Attack].
[You comprehended skill [Assassination: Weakness Insight]!]
His talent was unsealed, and the world instantly opened up!
Once the discomfort from experience and knowledge being imprinted into his mind subsided, he carefully examined his newly acquired skill.
It was still the overarching framework for assassination skills, but its effects were completely different from Sethis's: hits from stealth and backstab attacks were guaranteed critical hits, with critical damage +50%!
[Weakness Insight], the fundamental application of Assassination. You knew the life structures of all the world's races by heart:
Critical hit! Finisher! Instant death! The essence of assassination!
Just as he had thought, Sethis's [Assassination] clearly incorporated other talent skills that, like Zhaotian Zhi's berserk state, could not be uncovered through [Detection].
He had been too greedy after all.
With his available resources more or less allocated, the captain of the baron's guards, who called himself the sergeant, approached and invited him to meet the baron.
Earlier, because of the Nilfgaardian's obstruction, the sergeant had not dared object even though he knew Chen Xu had information about the baron's wife.
Now that he had to shamelessly come and invite him, he felt quite embarrassed.
To his surprise, Chen Xu merely smiled it off, making him feel much better.
The Chosen Ones did not dare stir up more trouble, nor did they intend to avenge their teammate.
Of course, they had no intention of letting Chen Xu off for good either. Another Chosen One, now the highest-level among them, took the opportunity to take charge, and the four sat in a circle to discuss their next move.
Under their gloomy gazes, Chen Xu swaggered into the inner keep, scanning his surroundings out of the corner of his eye. He saw no sign of Uma.
Too early.
"My lord, this commoner has information about Lady Anna." The sergeant led Chen Xu into the luxurious reception room on the tower's first floor.
An old man built like a grizzly bear fattened up for autumn lay in a broad armchair.
"My Anna... where is she?"
He raised his head drunkenly. Fringilla stood beside him, looking displeased.
Earlier, he had not responded no matter how she called him, yet the moment Chen Xu arrived, he woke up.
Was the empire's dignity worth so little?
She spread her five fingers, and a ring of bright portal light opened at the bottom of Crow's Perch's moat, pouring foul-smelling river water down over his head.
Chen Xu and Geralt had sensed trouble early. One clung to the fireplace, while the other jumped onto a table.
"What are you doing here?" Geralt asked after gentlemanly reaching out and helping Fringilla onto the table.
"The baron invited me." Chen Xu clung to the fireplace chimney with one hand and hauled the greasy sergeant up with the other.
He looked with great envy at the White Wolf, who held a beauty in his arms.
"Cough, cough!"
The baron choked on several mouthfuls of water and tried to stand, but his body collapsed limply from the alcohol. He had clearly drunk himself senseless.
Seeing his wretched state, the sorceress lost most of her anger and finally waved the portal shut.
"Let's talk once he's sober." The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the foul stench of riverbed sludge assaulted his nose. Chen Xu frowned. "He can't do anything right now."
"Bullshit! Urgh-"
The baron shook his head, propped himself up, and raised his fists in challenge. "I can beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"
Chen Xu glanced at the sergeant and saw that he looked thoroughly accustomed to this.
Sighing, he jumped down onto the flooded floor and rolled his wrists, preparing to subdue the man.
He had used Detection on the baron while he was drunk. His total level was only Lv.7. Though he had an added drunken berserk state, he was so wasted that Chen Xu would not have feared him even with only one hand.
The baron had no intention of testing the waters. He launched straight into broad, sweeping military fighting moves.
After Chen Xu easily dodged several straight punches, the baron immediately flew into a rage and swung his arm in a wide arc, trying to settle the fight with one blow.
Yet Chen Xu merely dodged, drawing him toward the bookcases, tables, and chairs in the hall.
For a time, all manner of valuable furniture and porcelain ornaments shattered into pieces.
Finally, after the drunkard accidentally smashed his fist into the hard fireplace, he clamped his hand between his legs, doubled over, and howled in pain:
"Argh! My fucking hand-can you do anything but dodge, you coward?"