How could a man's path forward hold only laughter; how could the road he resolved to walk be free of storms?

Lynn is not worried that Istredd will use the witcher as a pawn.

Because Istredd is one of the few truly virtuous kings among the kings in the north.

Moreover, he does not object to becoming a vassal to Istredd.

Why? Because a man is born between heaven and earth, how can he live in depression for a long time...

Okay, just kidding.

In fact, becoming a vassal of Istredd is only the first step.

After all, no matter what you do, the first pot of gold is the most difficult to accumulate.

After he has this first pot of gold, and with his foresight of the future, he will definitely be able to conquer a large territory and establish a country where the five races of demon hunters, humans, dwarfs, dwarves, and elves are one family, with republican equality, common development, and common prosperity.

Of course, Lynn also knew that the other northern kings and warlocks would definitely not see the demon hunter getting better.

If they were to know that a mere witcher actually wanted to get involved in the Iron Throne, they would form an unprecedented encirclement network and jointly kill the witcher.

But it doesn't matter.

It won't be long before they have no time to worry about the witcher.

Like Lynn said before.

This is a time of great change unseen in a century. This is both the best of times and the worst of times.

However, it is too early to say this now.

Lynn estimates that Istredd will have to wait at least several more years before launching War to Reclaim the Throne.

After all, fighting is not a treat.

The war does not start when the armies of the two sides enter the battlefield, but it starts long, long ago.

The recruitment of soldiers, the collection of money and food...

How many swords, battle axes, maces, hammers, spears, halberds, bows, crossbows, arrows... are needed for an army?

Within the sphere of influence controlled by the enemy, how much of our intelligence network has been established? Can we grasp the enemy's troop deployment, mobilization routes, and armament status...

How many allies do we have, and how many potential supporters do the enemy have to win over...

Lynn estimates that by the time Istredd is ready, he will also be ready - referring to upgrading through the attribute panel - and his body will be strong enough to participate in a war.

Suddenly, a vicissitudes of voice interrupted his thinking.

"What are you thinking about, Master Witcher?"

The middle-aged captain, who is muscular and has a thick beard like a dwarf, is leaning on the railing of the barge deck.

As his thoughts were interrupted, Lynn was pulled back to reality.

The sound of the oars gliding through the water and the commotion of the passengers on the deck all rushed into his ears.

Lynn seemed to be unable to bear it, so he picked his ears.

"Yeah, what's going on? What happened? Did anyone notice something?"

"No, nothing," the captain said, wiping his hands on his leather jacket. "The water is calm, but the surroundings are foggy, and pirates may emerge from the fog at any time."

Lynn said with a smile.

"That's a ghost ship you're talking about, Captain. Pirates are indeed elusive, but not so elusive as this."

"The fog has no less impact on them than us. Don't worry, I'm watching and not distracted."

The captain left the railing and walked towards the stern of the ship. "Just what you said, when we arrive at Novigrad safely, I will buy you a drink."

He stepped over the luggage and packages piled everywhere by the passengers.

The horses crowded in the middle of the barge snorted, and their hooves thumped on the deck.

The ship's hull was shrouded in thick fog, and the barge's bow parted the water, creating waves.

At this time, a week has passed since Istredd paid off the reward.

Geralt found a job as a mine guard near Talgar City.

The mine is haunted, so the mine owner needs a witcher to find out what's going on.

Lynn is not with him.

Instead, he left Talgar City, rode the dark horse given to him by Istredd and named it Nidhogg, followed the way he came, returned to the shore dock of Principality of Talgar, and found a barge to Novigrad.

As the pearl of the north, Novigrad will definitely have a lot of commissions waiting for him to solve.

Regarding Lynn's decision, Geralt did not stop it.

After more than half a year of joint adventures, Geralt has realized that he no longer has to worry about Lynn's safety.

In fact, compared with other demon hunters in School of the Wolf, Lynn has received too much special attention.

You must know that back then, whether it was him or Vesemir, or Eskel, Lambert and Berengar, they all went down the mountain alone after completing all the demon hunter trials.

Demon hunters are not Jedi Knights, and there is no tradition that a master must take an apprentice out for training.

Lynn knows this very well, so he is naturally grateful for Geralt's extra care.

Half an hour later, the captain of the barge came over again.

Lynn sighed, "What's wrong, Captain?"

The captain leaned against Lynn.

"Thank God, there were no accidents. It seems like it will be a safe voyage this time. We are about to arrive at Novigrad. Pirates will not appear in the waters near the mainland."

Lynn asked doubtfully, "Isn't this a good thing?"

The captain smiled bitterly and said, "It's a good thing, but to be honest, I really envy you, Master Demon Hunter."

Lynn raised his eyebrows and asked.

"How to say?"

There was a hint of envy and jealousy in the captain's words.

"No matter whether there is an accident on the road or not, you can get your share of the reward, right?"

The reason for co-writing is that I can get the money too easily.

Lynn spread his hands speechlessly.

"Is there a possibility, and I mean possibility, that not having an accident is better than having an accident?"

"You hired me to accompany you just in case. The passengers are willing to board your ship because there is a witcher on this ship."

"Even though some people say they dislike demon hunters, they are still very honest."

The captain laughed.

"That makes sense, Master Demon Hunter. Are you interested in taking a long-term job? Although the reward may not be as good as the bounty you get from hunting monsters, at least there are not as many risks, what do you think?"

Lynn waved his hand. "If there is a next time, I will take your boat, but forget about long-term work, this is not suitable for me."

After rejecting the captain's proposal, the captain never bothered Lynn again.

In this way, the barge arrived at Novigrad safely, and nothing happened during the period.

Looking at the bustling crowd on the pier and the ships parked in the port, Lynn couldn't help but reveal a wry smile.

He didn't go anywhere, but something happened wherever he went. He was indeed not the protagonist in the knight's storybook.

Regarding the specific time of Istredd's restoration, the original novel did not mention it clearly, but the time of its restoration was moved back a little in this book to facilitate the development of the plot of the book.

In addition, in this book, Istredd is a virtuous king, so there will be no plot in the future where "Istredd is worried that the protagonist's great achievements will shock the master" and then what happens.