When the elder said "precious sword," a thought flashed into Lynn's mind like lightning.
He could not help drawing a sharp breath. "Could it be..."
Brovar was very pleased with the expression on Lynn's face.
As members of another ancient race, dwarves did not share humans' prejudices toward witchers.
Quite the opposite: as monster slayers, witchers were generally respected by dwarves.
Being able to elicit such a reaction even from a witcher naturally did wonders for Brovar's pride.
"Indeed. As everyone knows, whether in the south or the north, the finest metallurgy and forging techniques come from dwarves and gnomes."
"Not to mention that Mahakam is the only place in the known world that produces adamantine."
"You two masters may not know this, but adamantine is harder than ordinary steel. Any weapon with even a little adamantine mixed into it is sturdier and harder to use than an ordinary weapon."
"And a precious sword made from pure adamantine, by the hands of gnomes with the finest forging skills, is a Gwyhyr."
"What I intend to give you two is precisely such a Gwyhyr Sword."
Gwyhyr?
Even Lynn's heart gave a violent jolt when he heard the name Gwyhyr.
Only the sharpest gnomish swords could be called Gwyhyr Swords.
Any sword of the type known as Gwyhyr could cleave a linen headscarf tossed into the air, or split an old crab's shell in half with ease, all without breaking a sweat.
Zireael, the sword wielded by Geralt's future adopted daughter Ciri, the Lion Cub of Cintra and Child of the Elder Blood, was a Gwyhyr Sword.
Brovar was even more pleased with Lynn's reaction.
He stroked the thick beard hanging over his chest and said somewhat smugly,
"Indeed, Master Witcher. It seems you've heard of the Gwyhyr Sword's fame too. Good. Out in the world, you'll hear plenty of smiths and merchants tell you, all mysterious-like, that they have a Gwyhyr Sword."
"But I can tell you with absolute certainty that they're all frauds, because barely any Gwyhyr Swords have ever left Mahakam."
Anyone who made a living fighting was bound to regard swords and armor as a second life.
The value of a Gwyhyr Sword could not be measured in money. However wealthy someone might be, buying one would still be harder than ascending to heaven.
After taking his leave of the elder and leaving the magnificent throne hall, Lynn wasted no time and went straight to Geralt.
He told Geralt what the elder had offered.
Geralt's eyelid twitched.
"Four thousand orens and a Gwyhyr Sword. It seems His Excellency the Elder really is paying through the nose this time."
"Still, however precious a Gwyhyr Sword might be elsewhere, this is Mahakam, after all."
"Given the choice between restoring a mine's income and giving away a Gwyhyr Sword, anyone would choose the former without hesitation."
"So, did you agree?"
To Geralt's surprise, Lynn shook his head.
"No. I told Brovar I'd have to examine the sick miners first and discuss it with my companion before making a decision... Geralt, what's that look on your face?"
Even faced with the temptation of such an enormous reward, Lynn had held firm without losing his head.
That had indeed surprised Geralt, and it also made him proud of Lynn.
In fact, the reason Geralt had tried to let Lynn handle the negotiations himself throughout this journey
was to make it easier to observe him.
For a witcher making his way through the world, being good in a fight was not enough.
Learning how to deal with people was important too.
Fortunately, Lynn's performance so far had far exceeded Geralt's expectations.
It also led Geralt to decide that once this escort job was over, he could let Lynn travel alone without worrying.
Since Lynn had already discussed things with Elder Brovar, Geralt could not sit idle either and said,
"Then let's split up. After breakfast, go and examine those patients Brovar mentioned."
"What about you?" Lynn asked in return.
Geralt wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll head to that abandoned mine and see if I can find anything."
The two went their separate ways.
Lynn found Thor and explained what he intended to do.
Thor readily assigned a dwarf to Lynn.
He was to take Lynn to the quarantine area.
Some time later...
"Master Witcher, this is where they're keeping the sick miners. Um... I won't be going in. I'll wait here for you."
The dwarf guiding Lynn spoke with an ingratiating smile.
Lynn nodded in understanding.
Judging by Brovar's description, contact with the sick miners could very well spread the infection.
It was only reasonable for others to be afraid.
As for Lynn himself,
he was a witcher. Like sorceresses, he did not get sick.
Lynn now stood before a temporary wooden fence.
Several meters high, the wooden fence separated the sick miners' quarters from the other areas.
The entrance gate had also been wrapped in layer upon layer of iron chains.
Once his dwarven guide had undone the chains, Lynn went through the gate.
The area beyond was small, containing only a few stone buildings.
He headed toward one of the stone houses.
Before he even got close, while he was still some distance away, he could already smell a powerful, indescribable stench drifting from inside.
His brow furrowed slightly, but he still stepped forward, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The house was very dark.
Thick layers of boards had been nailed over the windows.
There were no candles, torches, or other lights either.
The sick miners lay strewn across the floor like corpses.
Their entire bodies were wrapped in bandages.
Seeing someone open the door and enter, rather than push food through the gap beneath it, they all began struggling in agitation.
"Save us!"
"I don't want to die!"
"Don't leave us here!"
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"I'm not sick, hahaha! Let me out! I'm not sick!"
Many of the sick miners were too weak even to stand.
They could only wriggle toward Lynn like grubs.
To be honest, the scene looked rather horrifying.
Even knowing that these dwarven miners would not actually hurt him, that they only wanted to escape this hellish place.
Seeing the situation slipping out of control, Lynn had no choice but to use the Axii Sign to calm them all down.
Under the Axii Sign's influence, the miners finally calmed down and obediently lay back down.
"Now, I have a few questions for you."