With wine and at, the group ate heartily.
While eating, Regis shared interesting anecdotes from his years as a barber-surgeon.
In return, Geralt and Massimo also talked about their respective lives.
Lynn, having only recently co down from the mountains, didn't have much to share about himself.
But if he couldn't talk about himself, couldn't he talk about others?
When it ca to storytelling, even this higher vampire who had lived for hundreds of years was no match for Lynn.
He simply recounted so of the plot points from "A Ga of Thrones," captivating the others.
And when Lynn reached the end of the first book of "A Song of Ice and Fire":
King Robert died from his wounds, Eddard Stark's coup failed due to betrayal and he was imprisoned.
Finally, persuaded by others, Eddard Stark decided to abandon his long-held honor and lower his noble head to surrender to his enemies.
But he was still executed.
The ranger-knight imdiately began to curse.
His face flushed red, his emotions agitated.
He frantically cursed using the filthiest words he could think of.
Geralt, however, remained silent.
In Eddard Stark, he seed to see a reflection of himself.
The sa seemingly inflexible adherence to principles, and the painful price paid for that adherence.
Only Regis managed to maintain his usual elegance.
However, he also sighed deeply, saying with so emotion, "I thought Eddard Stark and the Stark family were the protagonists of this story. It seems I was mistaken."
Lynn nodded in agreent.
"I felt the sa way when I first heard this story."
After a long while, Massimo's anger finally subsided.
But because the story Lynn had just told was so utterly depressing,
For a mont, silence fell within the small cabin.
"Alright, gentlen, let's call it a night. You all clearly have a mission, so perhaps you should rest early."
The barber-surgeon stood up, preparing to tidy up the place and make room for them to sleep.
"Sir Regis."
At this mont, Massimo suddenly seed to rember sothing. He said, "Sir Regis, I wonder how much you know about illnesses that cause unconsciousness? Have you encountered patients with such conditions?"
The barber-surgeon thought for a mont and asked, "Hmm, there are many kinds of conditions that can cause unconsciousness. Which specific type are you referring to?"
So Massimo told him about the Duchess's situation.
"In my humble opinion, based on your description, I don't think it's a curse. It sounds more like poisoning."
The ranger-knight was taken aback.
"But the physicians couldn't tell it was poisoning."
Regis explained, "That's quite normal. Even physicians who have practiced for decades cannot guarantee they understand all poisons. As far as I know, the elves who ruled this world before humans possessed extensive knowledge of poisons."
"Of course, this is just my unfounded speculation; you shouldn't take it too seriously."
"You are too modest." Massimo extended an invitation to the barber-surgeon. "I have a request, Sir Regis. Would you consider joining our group? If it were you, perhaps you could determine what poison the Duchess was given."
Regis agreed cheerfully without much consideration.
"Hmm, I must admit, I am indeed curious about your travels. Very well, I will travel with you."
"Thank you so much...um, you two Sirs..."
After the barber-surgeon agreed, Massimo belatedly rembered an awkward matter.
His earlier eagerness seed to imply a lack of trust in the witchers' ability to break the curse.
But before he could offer an explanation, Lynn smiled and said proactively, "With Sir Regis joining us, that's even better. Geralt and I know a little about curses, but we are helpless when it cos to detoxification. If the Duchess has indeed been poisoned, Geralt and I can only watch Sir Regis perform."
Lynn's kindness and magnanimity moved Massimo deeply.
At the sa ti, he felt utterly perplexed by the rumors about witchers circulating in the North.
Clearly, witchers were as noble as ranger-knights.
How could the North be filled with rumors portraying witchers as emotionless mutant monsters?
Indeed, northerners were all ignorant country bumpkins.
Massimo secretly made up his mind.
Regardless of the final outco of their journey, he would find so famous bards and have them compose songs about the witchers' deeds and spread them far and wide.
...
As usual, the chirping of birds echoed in the dawn mist.
It heralded the sunrise.
Regis, looking refreshed, pushed open the door of the small cabin and stepped out first.
Lynn was second.
Finally, Geralt and Massimo erged.
Their faces looked rather unwell, but it wasn't due to illness.
It was due to excessive drinking.
The barber-surgeon hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.
Lynn also didn't refill his waterskin after finishing his first cup.
Geralt and Massimo hadn't been so restrained.
The two had drunk heavily all night, so much so that when the sun rose and Lynn and Regis woke them up, they were still listless.
Fortunately, they could at least still ride horses and wouldn't fall off.
Regis didn't have a horse.
At Lynn's invitation, the two shared a horse.
The group first arrived at Dillengen, where they found a barge that carried them through the Kingdom of Sodden.
This was an ancient and long-standing country in the North, located on both banks of the Yaruga River.
It bordered Brugge and Cintra to the west, Teria and Aedirn to the north, and Lyria to the east.
However, the forr glory of this ancient kingdom had diminished as its territory gradually shrank under the pressure of its neighboring countries.
Perhaps one day, it would completely beco a vassal state of a larger power, like other small countries.
Of course, this was none of the travelers' concern.
A few days later, they disembarked in a town called Kaergen within the Kingdom of Sodden.
They replenished so supplies in the town and bought a horse for the barber-surgeon.
The group rested in the town for a night, regaining their energy, and set off again the next day, heading south towards the Ravendale Valley.
By this point, more than half of their journey was complete.
The Ravendale Valley, also known as the Valley Region or the Riverlands.
This was a fertile land with vast forests and a crisscrossing network of lakes and waterways.
It should have been a vibrant scene of flourishing life.
However, all the group had seen along the way were deserted rural areas.
"Massimo, are all southerners like this? Leaving such good land uninhabited?"
"This has nothing to do with soil quality or climate. Besides, this can't really be considered the South yet; this is still northern land." It wasn't the ranger-knight who answered Geralt's question, but the barber-surgeon.
He still had that refined deanor, explaining carefully, "The border dividing north and south is not the Yaruga River, but the foothills of the All Mountains."
Lynn also explained, "This land has at least four owners, and none of them can bring true and lasting peace to it."
"The kings of Teria, Sodden, Cintra, and Lyria all claim to be the rightful heirs to this land. They often emphasize their claims with fire and sword."
"Unfortunately, no one can truly convince anyone else."
"Not only that, but it's said that there are also elven commando units operating in the Ravendale Valley...as if the kings fighting each other wasn't bad enough."
Regis finally sighed, "The ambitions of those at the top are paid for with the lives of those at the bottom. That's politics, then, now, and forever, it never changes."
(End of this chapter)
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