"Your Highness, please come this way."
Hearing this voice, the prisoners in the front row turned to look.
But I saw a young man walking over accompanied by the warden.
The prisoners could not help but whisper.
"Grand Duke, is that young man the Grand Duke?"
"What's wrong with his eyes? Why do they look like a cat?"
"That's the witcher."
"I know who he is. The reason why Lan Exeter's city gate fell was because of the demon hunter."
"I heard that witchers are not popular with kings and nobles. How could Istredd give a witcher the title of Grand Duke?"
The prisoners below were talking a lot, and their scalps went numb when they heard the warden's words.
You must know that this black-haired young man is now the hottest celebrity in Kovir and Poviss.
If this guy is pissed off...
The warden did not dare to think further.
"Quiet! Shut up! You scum!"
The warden carefully raised his eyes and glanced at Lynn's face.
Fortunately, this guy didn't have any big reaction.
"Your Highness, please."
"Hmm."
Lynn nodded, and then walked to the high platform that the jailers had prepared long ago.
Looking at the people in the audience, facing many eyes, Lynn talked eloquently.
"Some of you may know me, and some may not know me yet. It doesn't matter. Let me introduce myself first."
"I am Lynn·Grand Duke Augustus, and I am also the master you will serve."
The crowd was in an uproar.
The jailers couldn't help but become nervous.
Facing this rioting crowd, Lynn did not panic at all.
He was still smiling, and then...
A fan-shaped flame spurted out from his palm like an angry dragon and shot into the sky.
The air was burned and distorted, making a disturbing "sizzling" sound.
Although this flame did not burn to the crowd, everyone standing in the open space felt the terrifying high temperature.
If the demon hunter was not aiming at the sky but at them, I'm afraid there would be no other possibility for them besides being burned to ashes.
The crowd was instantly shocked and the commotion stopped.
"I don't like to be interrupted before I finish speaking. I hope you can remember this."
Lynn paused here intentionally.
Seeing that the people in the audience had no objections, he continued.
"Next, let's talk about the situation you are facing now:"
"I know that you are not ordinary criminals. You are mercenaries. You just chose the wrong side, so you are left here without anyone caring about you."
"I also know that this is not all your fault, so I will give you an offer you cannot refuse - serve me, swear allegiance to me, and fight in my name."
"Although I am strict with my subordinates, I will never be stingy. Those who are loyal, outstanding, and brave in battle will undoubtedly receive my commendation, and may even receive land and become knights."
When Lynn said this, he paused again to give the brains of the prisoners in the audience time to receive and digest the information.
This time, the crowd finally responded.
But it was much smaller than the previous riots.
"Maybe some of you think I'm writing a bad check, but you have no choice but to believe me."
"If you are not willing, then I will never force you. You can continue to stay in this prison and slowly rot."
"Now, you can make a choice."
At this time, Julia, who was standing in the crowd, suddenly raised his hand.
"Your Highness, may I ask a question?"
Lynn noticed this woman and nodded. "Tell me your name."
"Julia·Abbatmark."
The warden beside Lynn introduced in a low voice, "She is one of the four commanders of Wild Cats."
Julia·Aibatemark, Wild Cats...
With these two key pieces of information, Lynn remembered it.
In the original novel, she and the other three commanders of Wild Cats were pardoned by Istredd and then sent to Temeria to participate in the decisive battle in Second Northern War.
Being able to become a commander in a mercenary profession where strength speaks for itself can already prove that this woman is not a vase, but a rose with thorns.
"Okay, you can bring it up."
Julia bowed.
"Your Highness, I would like to know, if we fight for you, can we have the salary and status of ordinary soldiers, or will you use us as slave soldiers?"
The warden was shocked. "You bitch, what are you talking about?! Someone, drag this woman down!"
Is this woman crazy? How dare she say such things to the Grand Duke?
But Lynn raised his hand to stop the jailers' actions.
He looked into Julia's eyes and spoke to them slowly but firmly at a volume that everyone present could hear.
"You are not slaves, but you are still fighting for me as mercenaries. I will give you the highest-level treatment and salary among mercenaries."
"At the same time, as I just said, I will promote those who are most loyal and brave to me to knights and even barons... Do you understand what I say? Do you all understand?"
Julia squeezed through the crowd, walked up to Lynn, and knelt down on one knee under the nervous gazes of the jailers.
"I understand, I, Julia Abatmark, am willing to wield this sword for His Highness the Grand Duke."
Seeing that the commander was kneeling down, those who were originally Julia's subordinates also knelt down one after another.
Then everyone else followed suit and knelt down.
In the end, very few were left standing.
Lynn was very satisfied and took them out of the prison immediately.
Take them outside the city to the military camp that was built during the previous siege and has not yet been demolished.
The coat of arms on the flag planted in the military camp is a black and golden double-headed eagle that no one has ever seen before.
And this is the family crest that Lynn came up with.
Augustus is his family name, and the black gold double-headed eagle is his family crest.
Doesn't the West always like to talk about noble families?
Anyway, he also has black hair, and black hair is also a symbol of nobility in the West.
Wild Cats... the soldiers who should now be called former Wild Cats, after entering the military camp, Lynn spent a little time re-arming them.
Lynn Let them decide among themselves who will be the captain.
The commander is still Julia Aibatemak.
In fact, Wild Cats originally had four commanders, but the other three, Lynn, were not released on bail.
Because as long as Julia one woman is enough.
Lynn gave them a week to readjust back to military status.
Then, he took these three thousand soldiers, Lynn, and left Lan Exeter, heading east.
Because we know that to rule Isparaden, a mere title of Grand Duke is not enough.
So these three thousand soldiers are actually the power given by Istredd to Lynn.
Not only people, Istredd also provided Lynn with a huge amount of financial and material assistance.
It is enough to ensure that Lynn will not have to worry about the salaries and rations of these three thousand people in the next three years.
This also made Lynn couldn't help but praise the boss for his magnanimity.
No wonder the nobles of Kovir and Poviss have different style of painting from the nobles of other countries.
With a boss like this, it's hard not to make progress.
With the assistance of Istredd, Lynn has no worries.
Three thousand troops passed directly through Principality of Talgar.
But on the night when the army stayed at the border of Principality of Talgar, an owl flew into the tent where Lynn was.
"Philippa Erhart, what a rare visitor."
"How did you know it would be me?"
There was a flash of white light, and the owl transformed into the shape of a sorceress.
'Of course I don't know, I just said that casually, it's really you.'
In the original plot, Philippa likes to turn into an owl and fly around when he has nothing to do, so Lynn blurted out subconsciously when he saw the owl flying into his tent.
What he didn't expect was that this owl turned out to be Philippa.
Lynn's face was calm, but he was secretly wary in his heart.
If there was any sorceress in the world of witchers that he stayed away from the most, it was the one who appeared in front of him now.
If the transaction between Francesca and Nilfgaardian Empire was for Dol Blathanna, at least it can be explained by "this is a necessary sacrifice"...
Then Philippa Erhart is really a typical example of someone who will never die unless he seeks death.
During the Thanedd Island incident after the end of First Northern War, she ordered an elf assassin to assassinate King Vizimir.
Then, when Redania's intelligence chief, Dijkstra, grasped clues about King Vizimir's assassination and planned to investigate further, she assigned an assassin to assassinate Dijkstra (of course, the latter escaped).
After Brotherhood of Sorcerers fell apart, she founded Lodge of Sorceresses in an attempt to establish a nation ruled by warlocks.
As a result, the two northern kings were killed, and the balance between the north and the south was broken. A series of northern countries such as Temeria and its vassal states, Lyria, Rivia, and Aedirn were occupied by the Nilfgaardian Empire.
This directly led to the most dangerous time in the north...
And Philippa itself is not much better.
Lodge of Sorceresses was infamous for her role in assassinating the northern kings. She was also captured by Vizimir's son's men and had her eyes gouged out.
After going through a series of encounters, when the Witcher 3 arrived, Philippa actually wanted to replace Yennefer's position in Nilfgaard's court and become Emhyr Enris's royal advisor.
Just tell me what this woman's brain is like.
Any normal person would have guessed that Emperor Nilfgaard would not allow such an ambitious woman to stay in his palace, okay?
Faced with Philippa's inquiry, Lynn gave an unexpected answer and asked, "Ms. Philippa, it's so late, what can I do?"
"It's nothing serious. I just want to see what the first demon hunter in history who violated the precepts of his ancestors looks like."
Philippa said with sarcasm, "I'm really curious, if your ancestors as demon hunters knew that one of their descendants would openly disobey Witcher's Code, I wonder what they would think."
This woman is indeed not a good person.
Lynn didn't even raise his eyelids and pushed it back.
"Witcher's Code was written by humans. Since it can be established, it can naturally be broken. How to do it depends on different circumstances and different judgments."
"Only stupid people can be conservative, old-fashioned and pedantic."
Philippa is not angry either.
"Since the creation of the witcher, there has never been a witcher who has become a guest of a noble, let alone an equal with the nobles. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty Istredd or his vassals will be wary of you?"
Lynn's pupils shrank slightly.
This woman definitely went to Istredd first to sow discord.
After it was over, I found that I couldn't keep up the pace, so I came over to myself to continue to instigate.
"Ms. Philippa, if I were you, I wouldn't make enemies everywhere."
Philippa smiled.
"Thank you for your advice, but I don't think I have fallen to the point where I regard the witcher as my enemy."
The implication is that she doesn't care about Lynn's revenge at all.
Lynn also laughed.
"Really? Then who do you regard as your enemy? It can't be King Vizimir, right?"
Philippa was horrified.
Suddenly I had a bad premonition.
"Did you drink the potion and destroy your brain, Demon Hunter? I am Redania's palace advisor, and King Vizimir is my loyal lord. How can I be detrimental to him?"
"Don't you want to go further? Redania is the power with the largest comprehensive national power in Northern Kingdoms. Don't you want to become the queen of this country?"
Philippa's eyes gradually became dangerous. "You... it seems that I can only kill you."
"If you can do it, you can try it."
Lynn folded his hands on his chest, with a relaxed look on his face.
But in Philippa's eyes, this look seemed like he was mocking her.
'I will make you pay for your arrogance.'
Just when Philippa decided to release an instant spell, she suddenly discovered that the connection between herself and the magic power of chaos had been cut off at some point.
At this moment, she couldn't sense any chaotic magic power at all, and naturally she could no longer perform the magic she usually had so well.
At this time, Philippa looked at Lynn again, his eyes full of shock.
"What did you do to me? Did you place a large number of Dimeritium in the tent?"
The sorceress's eyes began to wander.
But the furnishings in the tent were very simple, and there was no place to hide anything.
And if it was Dimeritium, then when she entered the tent, she should have felt that the chaotic magic was blocked and difficult to mobilize.
In other words, the demon hunter in front of me has mastered some kind of... er, magic that prohibits magic.
But the question is, is there such a magic? Even if it is, how do demon hunters master it?
Philippa's expression changed several times, and finally he did not dare to underestimate Lynn, and his attitude became correct.
"It seems that I have underestimated you, Demon Hunter. Since you and I have our own leverage, in addition to killing each other, we may also try other options... such as cooperation."