Chapter 381: Velen, I'm Taking It
After listening to Triss's report, Foltest looked at Lynn with expectation.
"So, is that the end of it? I won't be troubled by that unspeakable being anymore?"
"Yes and no," Lynn said, nodding and then shaking his head. "You are on Its list, and as long as It exists, you can't be said to be truly safe." He then spread his hands. "Of course, if you are willing to remain inland, far from any major body of water, then yes, the Elder God Dagon will be unable to exert power over you again."
Foltest was startled. "I can't return to Vizima?"
Vizima was the capital of Temeria; Maribor was not. Even during the striga incident, Foltest had never considered moving the capital.
"You cannot," Lynn answered decisively.
Are you serious? Dagon's projection lay at the bottom of Lake Vizima, right outside the city. Returning to Vizima would be walking straight into a trap.
Foltest slumped. "Is there truly no other way?"
There was a way, of course. Since the root of all this was the Elder God Dagon, eliminating Dagon would solve all problems once and for all.
But Lynn wasn't about to agree to that easily. Lynn locating and killing Yourcast, the Elder God's minion, was already worth the ten thousand orens. Even if Foltest offered another ten thousand orens, it wouldn't be enough to buy Dagon's head. A king's head was worth more than ten thousand orens, let alone an Elder God's.
The experience summarized by the ancestors of the Wolf School, coupled with Lynn's own lessons from a past life, all told him that now was the time to adopt a troubled, contemplative expression. This task was genuinely difficult, so he couldn't just promise to handle it all. Otherwise, he'd end up doing all the dirty work and still not earn much coin in the end.
After a long pause, Lynn finally said, "It's an almost impossible task."
"Almost impossible," not "absolutely impossible." This meant the negotiation could continue.
Foltest fell silent. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"Are you familiar with Velen?"
Lynn certainly was. If he had to name one of the places he was most familiar with, after Raccoon City, it was Velen. The region felt like a second home.
But as a witcher, he "shouldn't know." At least, not intimately.
"I've passed through a few times, but only in transit. It's more... sparse than other regions I've seen. I barely found any work there," Lynn replied. "Even though I saw frequent monster activity, no one hires me, and no one pays me just to kill monsters."
Foltest didn't deny Lynn's assessment. "Velen is one of Temeria's provinces. It has a considerable landmass, but it is the most barren, and its people are the most ignorant and uneducated, without exception."
"Velen has seen many lords, but not one has managed to develop it into a better place. The current acting lord, Baron Vissarad, is perhaps the worst of them all."
Foltest stopped there. "Witcher, do you understand what I mean?"
To be honest, Lynn hadn't fully grasped it, so he probed cautiously.
"Your Majesty, are you suggesting that once I finish here, there will be plenty of commissions waiting for me in Velen?"
Foltest smiled. "I am suggesting that I believe Velen needs a new master."
Foltest's generosity did not exceed Lynn's expectations. In this world, the opportunity for commoners to transcend class and become nobility was rare, but it wasn't unheard of. For instance, in the books, Geralt was knighted by Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia for his bravery. A knight was the lowest noble rank, but it was still nobility. Crossing that threshold meant you had a chance to climb higher.
But faced with Foltest's offer, Lynn hesitated.
"May I say something, Your Majesty?"
"Of course."
"I hope the land you just mentioned can be conferred upon Triss instead."
His feelings for Triss were now beyond words. Conferring it upon Triss was, essentially, conferring it upon himself. Besides, his future base of operations should remain in the far North. That region was the edge of the known world, where he could develop without drawing too much attention. A country like Temeria, located in the center of the continent, was too prone to attracting notice.
But transferring the title to Triss was different. She was a sorceress. While there were no precedents for sorceresses owning land in the past, there were precedents for magical academies and knightly orders receiving land grants. Ban Ard Academy, Aretuza, and the Order of the White Rose all controlled land gifted to them by kings. If Triss received a fief from Foltest, it would greatly minimize external hostility.
Moreover, the province of Velen bordered Novigrad and the island of Thanedd, where Aretuza was located. This would allow him to look after Triss's holding easily, and Aretuza wouldn't remain aloof. After all, if Velen was affected, it meant the enemy was at their doorstep, and Marguerite wouldn't stand idle for the sake of the Academy.
However, as a veteran player, Lynn knew that in The Witcher 3, Velen was the worst map Geralt could visit in every conceivable way. Yet, Velen possessed rich natural resources. If developed properly and fully utilized, it could be built into a high-quality holding.
As for labor, that wasn't a concern either. Novigrad had plenty of people yearning for a piece of land to call their own. Lynn just needed the Eternal Fire to issue a decree stating, "Any citizen of Novigrad who pays a symbolic tax may claim a certain area of land, and after continuously cultivating this land for five years, the claimed land shall become theirs." Who would refuse?
Furthermore, he had already commissioned Rustbelt Trading to bring non-humans out of Kaedwen. If those non-humans were willing, he could offer them the same terms to settle in Velen.
Of course, before the settlers arrived, he would have to thoroughly sweep Velen from corner to corner to ensure not a single wretch remained.
Foltest was not fully aware of the relationship between Lynn and Triss. But since Lynn had specifically requested it, Foltest considered it and agreed. All that mattered was that this damned curse, or whatever it was, got resolved.
.............
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