The morning sun was just born, and the morning breeze blowing across the street was still a little cold.
Roy walked through the surging crowd and came to the east of Elland, outside the red-brick and green-tiled bakery. The door was open, and old Huck sat straight on the bench in the yard, staring at the sky in a daze.
In the past night, the old man's dry and sparse hair was dyed a large amount of gray.
It wasn't until the boy stood in front of him that his cloudy eyes regained focus.
"You're here, Master Roy..." His voice was weak like a terminally ill patient. "Wait a moment, and I'll go and get you a reward."
"Don't worry..." Roy followed Old Huck into the kitchen, and then he noticed that there was a sign of closure at the door, but it had not been hung up, and the stove that used to bake bread from morning to night in the past was extinguished The flames were extinguished, and various tools were neatly arranged on both sides, giving a sense of desertedness that was about to "close the door".
"Has everything been done with Basher? Do you need any help?"
"Excuse me, but I have cleaned up his body for him, registered with the sheriff's office, explained the cause and process of the whole accident, and waited for the burial." Old Huck said weakly, slowly He took down a bulging purse from the shelf next to him, "This is the agreed reward, please accept it."
The teenager grabbed the purse and weighed it, which seemed to be a little more than the agreed 150 crowns.
But he didn't count it, he put it into his pocket and looked at the face of the baker's owner. The old man's eyes were bloodshot, and the skin on his face was loose and greasy.
"When will you be buried?"
"Tomorrow... I bought someone from the morgue and wanted to keep that kid at home for one more night... look at him more."
The young man nodded,
"What are your plans in the future, will the bakery continue to open?"
"I..." Old Huck choked suddenly, covering his face out of control.
Seeing this, Roy shook his head, and he remembered what he had not said yesterday. It was time to tell the other party and give him a reason to live.
"I didn't have time to tell you something. When I checked the body yesterday, I found a wound on Basher's right abdomen caused by a sharp weapon. According to my experience, it was a stab wound from a steel sword... but it didn't hurt him. Visceral vitals."
Otherwise, even if there were cobwebs to seal the wound, Basher would have died of internal bleeding.
The baker's shoulders trembled when he heard this, and his face was shocked - why does his son who was tortured to death by a deformed spider have a sword wound on his body
The teenager noticed his expression and asked, "When your son was dying, he mentioned two strange words in a state of extreme pain, remember?"
"Emily, White Rose... Emily doesn't know who it is, but White Rose—" Old Huck murmured again, suddenly raised his head and his lips trembled, "You mean, the White Rose Knights stabbed My child? But they have nothing to do with each other."
"The specific reason is unclear." Roy paused, "Further investigation is required."
"In any case, your son died because of the transfiguration." The young man was a little worried that the old man would rush to the death fight with the Knights, and according to his violent temper yesterday, he did not rule out this possibility, "Don't act impulsively! I think... even if Basher goes to another country, I hope you can live well."
"Thank you for your concern, old Huck has lived in Elland for more than 20 years and understands the deep-rooted power of the Knights of the White Rose. I will not foolishly send them to the door to touch their bad heads... The child is gone, the old man will not be like I was so impulsive yesterday." Old Huck took a deep breath and clenched his fists, "But as his father, I have the responsibility to find out the origin of the wound, get justice for him, and use my method."
Because of his anger, there was a blazing fire in his eyes, and his old face finally became a little more alive.
"let me help you."
Old Huck shook his head, resolutely rejecting the witcher's good intentions, "Yesterday, because of my rashness and recklessness, I almost killed the master. This time let my old bones fight in person!"
"What are you going to do?" Roy breathed a sigh of relief while disappointed, but didn't insist.
This matter involves the Knights of the White Rose, which is of great importance and is difficult to resolve in a short period of time, and his current primary goal is to pass the green grass trial.
As an official witcher, he is qualified to wrestle with the knights.
"Now that Basher is gone, what's the use of the savings I've saved from running a bakery for decades? And in the city of Errand, there are very few people who are not greedy for money..."
"Even if the Knight of the White Rose, who advertises that honor and virtue is life, will degenerate into a common man in front of Krone and Oren."
Does money make the way? Roy suddenly,
"Safety first, old Huck, you must do what you can! In two days, I will be going to the Temple of Meritelli for a while. If you run into trouble with your investigation or have any progress, remember to contact me."
"I will. If you need expert help, I will definitely contact you as soon as possible."
…
The boy slowly left the bakery.
Thinking about the Knights, I wandered on the street for a while, and unknowingly came to the square in the center of Ellander, next to the fountain where the statue of the woman stood.
Crowded.
Hundreds of men, women and children formed a circle, and the loud drumming could be heard in the midst of the crowd.
With agile skills, Roy squeezed through the crowd and came to the innermost.
Then the eyes lit up, surrounded by the crowd, a few familiar faces that had not been seen for a week were performing the show diligently—
A sleeveless leather jacket, revealing the strong muscles on his chest and arms, Corinthian, waving the torch lit by his right hand around the onlookers, took a deep breath, his chest and cheeks bulged, and he breathed out towards the burning flame— Gorgeous flames swept through the air, like a long sword burning straight, and remained in the space for a full ten seconds.
Immediately afterwards, Collins exhaled instead of inhaling, as if an invisible big hand was holding the hilt of the flaming sword and shoved it into his mouth, and the flaming sword was swallowed up in one breath.
Still not satisfied, he licked his lips greedily, raising his arms and shouting.
He opened his mouth, and a mushroom cloud-like orange flame spewed out of his mouth again.
There was a burst of cheers from the crowd!
The clown Froze then appeared, his face was painted with funny and grotesque colors, and he made all kinds of grimace with winking eyes, holding a yellow copper plate in his left hand, and throwing a few marbles in his right hand extremely flexible, his movements were too fast , dizzying, fingers and colored marbles almost connected into afterimages, forming a wonderful circle in mid-air.
He suddenly walked up to a girl with braids and a blushing face. He stopped moving his right hand, put his finger on the tip of his nose, opened one eye and closed the other, with one eyebrow straight and the other curved like a Caterpillar, made a pig nose grimace at the girl and stuck out her tongue mischievously.
The little girl exclaimed "Ah", and the clown's tongue suddenly rolled out a thumb-sized wooden carving of a pig's head, which landed on the palm of her unconsciously stretched out.
Then she laughed "giggling", and the stout man next to him picked up the little girl, smiled heartily, and threw a few copper coins into the clown's plate...
"Ding dong ding dong..." More and more people donate generously...
In the center of the open space, on a string connected by two wooden stakes, a figure suddenly jumped up.
Elf Lady Evelyn wears a close-fitting red and light coat, showing a raised and slender figure. She transforms into a smart dancer with a sweet and moving smile. Hanging upside down, kicking with one foot in the sky, showing superhuman flexibility and balance, making a dizzying series of movements on the ten-high string...
A Moss, a Quent performer in a white robe, with an eagle nose and deep eyes, folded his wrists and turned his palms like a lotus. Make a circle of Gwent whirlwinds - because each Gwent card has a different pattern, the color layers of the whirlwinds are particularly rich and gorgeous.
Like a spinning rainbow.
The audience exclaimed for a while, and when they looked at it carefully, Amos suddenly waved his white robe and put all Quint into the large robe.
Then she smiled mysteriously, her hands like butterflies through flowers, one by one, she bounced the cards towards the fairy lady on the string—
She twisted her neck, shoulders, wrists, and waist staggeringly, flexibly changing positions and orientations,
Looking from a distance, I saw her spinning a few times, her ten fingers fluttering like falling petals, and a card not touching the ground caught the incoming card.
The flirtatious red lips parted lightly, and between her teeth opened and closed, she accurately bit the last piece of Quint.
Then he stretched his arms like a swan, bent his knees and squatted down, making a beautiful finishing move.
The cheers from the crowd peaked—
Another quarter of an hour later, the performance of the Sea Scorpion Acrobatic Troupe came to an end. The enthusiastic audience in Ellander Square was still reluctant to disperse.
The acrobatic troupe received a full copper plate of reward money, although most of them were copper coins, but very few crowns.
"It's the first time I've officially enjoyed an acrobatic performance, it's an eye-opener!" Roy praised the sweaty Elf lady, and then waved to the clown who greeted him.
The ruddy-faced Ai Fulin gathered up her black-red hair and smiled tenderly, "It's just a matter of life."
"No, this can already be considered art," said the young man sincerely, "without ten years of hard work, it is impossible to present a wonderful performance. In contrast, the so-called bards who are touted as such are too lazy and rely solely on talent."
"Stop! Did you smear honey on your mouth? I'll think I'm a master of art if you praise me!" Aveline couldn't hide her smile, and held the boy's hand affectionately, "Seriously, Leto Well, why didn't I come with you today?"
"He's busy refining potions..." Roy teased, "I'm acting alone now, by the way, how are Ali and Ade?"
"In the Temple of Meritelli, looked after by Cantila, the lovely priestesses are also helping the two children adjust to the environment."
Roy couldn't help but smile, he could imagine that the straight-tempered Zerican swordsman girl must be tortured with a bitter look on her face. "Everything is on the right track for the acrobatic troupe. What's your plan next? How long are you going to stay in Ellander?"
"More than a month, earn some travel expenses and accompany the two children by the way." Evelyn winked playfully again, and sent an invitation again, "Seriously, Roy, don't you think about going with the sea scorpion? Go to Vigie Ma has seen the grand fireworks of the May Festival..." She paused, frowned slightly, and said worriedly,
"Accompanying the acrobatic troupe all over the place for so many years, I have met many witchers, who are very skilled and solitary, but the end is very bleak... You can choose another way, you don't have to bear so much pressure. "
"Everyone has their own way of living, just as you like acrobatics, and I am destined to deal with monsters."
"Alright then, I don't know when Ellander will see you again." Aveline said rather regretfully.
"There's always a chance. Elves and witchers are living longer. Maybe bye bye. You've become the most famous acrobat in the North!"
"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words."
After a while, Roy went to chat with the clown for a while, then said goodbye and left.
Lesso still needs to self-isolate for two days. He has to hurry up and do something serious. In order to survive the dangerous and unpredictable trial without fail, he needs to accumulate enough first-level experience to make a full recovery.
The young man left the city of Elland, and once again burrowed into the vast wilderness, lurking behind the bushes and grasses, while practicing his crossbow shooting skills and getting familiar with the enhanced Gabriel, while trying his hunting and harvesting experience.
The experience value of animals in the woods ranges from 1 to 10. It took him two days to hunt down two rabbits and a team of five wild dogs...
One was shot dead in a sneak attack, three were shot to death before they had time to run to the front, and the last one was taken away with a sword after being frightened. Get a total of 60 experience points, witcher LV4 (990/2000).
On the morning of the third day, the boy returned to his humble residence. The door to the alchemy room was open. The witcher was sorting out a pile of materials by the alchemy platform. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, "Let's go, go to the temple!"