What was a witcher? Signs, steel and silver swords, alchemical bombs, potions, Gwent, and sorceresses...
Ahem, ignore that last one.
Clay could already use Signs fairly proficiently. Although their low levels limited them, and he was not particularly satisfied with their actual power, at least he had them.
Silver swords were used to kill certain specific monsters and were something unique to the witcher world. If nothing as awful as a Conjunction of the Spheres happened in this world, he would have no need to consider making a silver sword to strap to his back.
As for steel swords, White Harbor's standard-issue weapons were enough for him for now. His future goal was to get a Valyrian steel sword. Although most of the famous swords already had owners, he could still find one somewhere.
For instance, Clay remembered that the renowned Dark Sister seemed to be in the hands of Duke Bloodraven, a member of the Targaryen royal family. Clay would have to plan carefully how to fleece Him. What if he succeeded, right...?
As for alchemical bombs, how should he put it? The difficulty lay not in their formulas, but in how to make the detonators themselves. If he learned how to make detonators, that would effectively give Clay gunpowder. Wouldn't he be able to do whatever he pleased in this low-magic world?
As for that utterly wicked thing called Gwent, everyone fell victim to its corrupting influence. A certain man named Geralt even stopped looking for his daughter and made everyone he met play a round with him.
As for sorceresses... forget it, he couldn't think about that. Thinking too much would make both his heads swell.
All things considered, Clay ought to spend more of this precious time working on potions.
He settled on a plan with the old man, who had always been a man of decisive action. Without any unnecessary words, the old man turned and left the training ground.
He had already committed everything Clay needed to memory. Now he needed to summon the family's procurement teams and send them south or north to gather the supplies Clay required.
As for how to select candidates from the forty-two men who had been sent away, Earl Wyman left that to Ser Marlon. He had recruited them, so naturally he knew the ins and outs.
Earl Wyman's instructions to Ser Marlon were to eliminate at least half of the forty-two men, raise all the requirements, and make absolutely certain of their loyalty. Anyone who was the only person in his household was to be rejected outright.
Only after Earl Wyman left the training ground did the guards waiting outside enter. Clay beckoned them over and, as they exchanged bewildered looks, told them to clear away the wood fragments on the ground and deal with the injured horses.
Watching their young master walk away, the thoroughly confused guards surveyed the wreckage and couldn't help muttering to themselves:
Did... the young master and the lord just have a fight here? Was it really that intense?
After hearing greetings of "Young Master Clay" all along the way, Clay returned to his room in the castle's central tower and locked the door. Only here could he avoid being disturbed.
With a thought, he opened the dark blue system interface on his retina.
-- Witcher System (Level 2) Potions (expand dropdown) Bombs (expand dropdown) Equipment (expand dropdown) Magic Pool: 120 Unlocked Signs: Quen (Level 1), Yrden (Level 1), Aard (Level 1), Igni (Level 1), Axii (Level 1) Items (expand dropdown) --
This time, his target was potions!
As one of the most important components of a witcher's combat strength, the impact of using the right potions in battle was immeasurable.
For example, although being a witcher did not give him anything like a health bar, certain potions with restorative properties could stimulate his cells, making them divide rapidly and thus quickly stopping wounds from bleeding.
Opening the potions tab, Clay saw the four unlocked potion formulas:
-- Thunderbolt potion formula: Dwarven spirit --> firewater Beggartick mushroom --> gray mushroom Endrega embryo --> black-spotted locust nymph Effect: Enhances muscular strength, increasing the damage inflicted by attacks. Side effects: Muscle fibers become more prone to tearing. Can be counteracted with a Swallow potion. Notes: Tastes like cordyceps liquor, so just pretend that's what it is. Please note: never give this to anyone else to drink unless you want them dead. -- Swallow potion formula: Dwarven spirit --> firewater Celandine ---> white rose Drowner brain ---> spider crab viscera Effect: Accelerates cell division, speeding up wound healing and stamina recovery. Side effects: None Notes: It's quite common. We recommend taking a sip whether you need it or not. Yes, just like that. -- Cat potion formula: Dwarven spirit --> firewater Berbercane fruit ---> low-growing cypress fruit Essence of water --> silver-scaled pomfret bone marrow Effect: Allows a witcher to see in total darkness to avoid ambushes by any nighttime opponents. Side effects: Slightly affects perception, but not significantly. Can be counteracted with a White Honey potion. Notes: A must-have for daredevils. Whether you want to launch a night raid on a village of widows-no, wait, whether you want to travel at night or attack your opponents, this potion is essential equipment. -- Blizzard formula Dwarven spirit --> firewater White myrtle petals ---> frostfire leaves Golem heart ---> Shadowcat heart Effect: Extends a witcher's reaction time in combat and improves agility. Side effects: Increases the strain on the body, causes fatigue, and makes muscle tissue more susceptible to damage. Notes: Like bullet time? We know you do, so down this bottle of Blizzard and brave the world! --
Ignoring those rather convoluted notes, which left him at a loss for words, Clay pondered the four potions.
Clearly, all four potions were highly practical. Clay could even drink them together, stacking multiple buffs for increased damage, physical recovery, night vision, and high-speed reactions. He could truly slay gods and Buddhas alike if they stood in his way at night, accomplishing his goal of raiding a village of wid-no, assassinating important figures.
But the drawback of this approach was equally obvious. With Clay's current toxicity resistance, the accumulated toxins in these four potions, any one of which could kill an ordinary person with a single sip, would probably knock him flat before he even left the door.
Although none of these potions was easy to make, and Clay would certainly be taking a loss judging by their effects and costs alone, the advantage was that brewing them was effectively creating a base. Each time, he would only need to add strong liquor and draw off the clear liquid on top, allowing repeated use.
With these potions and their proper use, Clay's fighting ability would rise another level. Once fully equipped, he could plant his hands on his hips without the slightest lack of confidence and roar, "I'll take on ten!"
Still, there was no hurry with these things. At the very least, their priority was far below that of the witcher potion. Besides, he had no use for them at this stage. Even if he made them, he couldn't drink them as beverages.
He planned to gather the ingredients himself and only tell his old man to mobilize the family's resources to search if he truly couldn't find them.
There were countless loose ends and many things to do, but Clay was not at all disorganized. In the coming age of chaos, strength, strength, and more strength! That word alone was the only correct solution. As long as he worked toward that goal, he would never go wrong.
His fingers tapped against the finely crafted wooden desk. No one knew what this young master of House Manderly was thinking except himself.
This chapter was agonizing to write. I had to dig up information on the original witcher potions, find a few practically useful ones, then look through the plants that existed in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire (I couldn't just make stuff up, after all), and find roughly comparable things to put together. Writing one chapter took me two hours. A real time killer.