boyutpedia Chapter 69 Reardon Manor and the Kingfisher Tavern
Chapter 69 Reardon Manor and the Kingfisher Tavern
The following day, at Carradine Estate.
Erwin pulled a piece of cardboard from the documents and placed it in front of Ron. It was a charcoal sketch of a kingfisher carrying a small fish in its beak, the lines simple yet vivid.
Erwin pushed the sketch forward at the "Kingfisher Tavern".
Located on the east side of the Pilgrim Square, in the most bustling central area of Novigrad, the tavern owner is named Olivier.
Unlike other cheap taverns, Kingfisher's main clientele are nobles and wealthy citizens. The interior is tastefully decorated, making it a respectable place for business discussions.
Erwin turned to the next page of the notepad, which contained brief notes.
"Next to it is the stake of eternal fire; for every person burned to death in the square, the kingfisher gains a few more customers."
People always like to observe fear from a safe place, so nobles, wealthy merchants, church members, and municipal officials all like to come here for entertainment.
The blackberry mead's positioning is a perfect match for the customers here; their spending power is unmatched by budget pubs. We need a window into this market.
Ron picked up the sketch and glanced at it. "Hmm, the boss is willing to sell?"
"He is willing to sell. The atmosphere in Novigrad is very tense right now, with people being burned and witch hunters everywhere. Many shops are considering selling."
However, Olivier insisted on meeting the real buyer, as he didn't want his years of hard work to be wasted by someone who didn't know the business.
“You handle this, I’ll go as a bodyguard. The buyer behind this is a history professor at Orsonford University, that should be enough to convince him to put his worries aside,” Ron said.
"Okay, you can take a look at the actual condition of the port warehouses while you're at it."
Ron nodded and put the sketch back on the table. "Add it to the next itinerary."
Erwin wrote this down.
"Next, Reardon Estate near Lyndenville, abandoned for many years, but with walls and the main building structure, and surrounding land available for cultivation."
The Reardon family was once a renowned wealthy family, but their fortunes declined. Now, the estate is managed by the owner's sister, who has chosen to retire back at the estate after her husband's death.
He paused, "This old lady previously hired a witcher to clear the monsters from the manor, and the manor is now safe, but she is still afraid living alone in the abandoned manor."
She's heard the lord plans to garrison troops nearby and is interested in selling, but she has several conditions.
"explain"
"She wants to be allowed to retire on the estate. She is educated and can assist with the estate's daily operations, handling paperwork, accounts, and dealing with nearby villages—all of which she is capable of."
Most importantly, the price was reasonable. An abandoned estate in a place like Velen wasn't worth a high price to begin with; she only wanted a safe place to retire.
Ron was silent for a moment, glanced at the sketch and location of the manor, and slowly said, "It's about half a day's walk from Raven's Nest, and even faster on horseback. This place is suitable as an outpost for expanding our control."
From Raven's Nest to Reardon, and then to Calard Manor, a perfect triangle is formed, allowing for the rapid deployment of garrisons to any area of Velen.
"Erwin, arrange for someone to make contact and finalize the details."
Erwin jotted this down in his memo. "Understood, I'll arrange for the agreement to be drafted immediately."
Some time later, when the guard came to report, Ron and Erwin were checking the purchase agreement for the manor. The soldier stopped at the door and said that a white-haired witcher had come to visit. Ron put down his pen, glanced at Erwin, and nodded to the soldier.
Geralt entered, leaned his sword against the table, and sat down opposite Ron. Ron didn't say anything, but simply pushed the earthenware pot towards him. Geralt poured himself a glass of water, gulped down half of it in one go, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and began to tell the story from the beginning.
He accepted a Witcher commission to clean the giant toad from the Cowburg sewers. Geralt killed it, only to discover that it wasn't a toad at all, but the cursed Prince Orpheus, cursed by Olgierd Ifrec.
The Ophir, who were sent to lift the curse, witnessed this scene, captured him in the sewers, tied him to a ship, and prepared to transport him to Ophir to be handed over to the king for punishment.
While in the ship's cell, a strange fellow asked Geralt if he needed help. Geralt, of course, didn't refuse, or rather, he had no choice. Then, the ship encountered a sudden storm at sea, lightning struck the mast, and waves lifted the entire ship high into the air.
In the storm, he saw a figure walking from the deck. The seawater parted automatically at his feet, the wind swerved in front of him, and his boots stomped on the wet deck as if he were strolling in his own corridor. The man called himself the Master of Mirrors.
"So that monster really is the prince of Orpheus?" Ron said.
"Yes, I thought it was just some naive young girls taking their dreams seriously. You know, this kind of thing is quite common."
Geralt twirled the cup in his palm twice. "Ogild already knew. When he hired me, he only said it was a monster from the sewers, without mentioning a curse or a prince."
"The prince is dead, the witcher takes the blame, and he's cleaned himself up perfectly."
Geralt didn't answer, but simply put down his cup and continued, explaining that the Master of Mirrors had saved his life, and in exchange, asked him to act as his agent and grant three wishes to someone named Olgierd Ifrec.
Olgierd's first wish was to allow his deceased brother Frodimir to experience the pleasures of the mortal world once more.
Geralt summoned Frodimir through a ritual, allowing him to possess his body and attend Shani's friend's wedding. After the mission, Frodimir refused to leave, and in the end, the Master of Mirrors appeared and sent him away.
"And then there's Borzodi's house," Geralt said. "You and I went through that together."
Ron nodded; Geralt didn't need to repeat this. "Ogild wants this document to completely bankrupt the Borsodi Auction House. The Borsodi family came knocking on his door demanding repayment when he fell on hard times."
"My last wish, Olgierd asked me to retrieve the purple rose he had given to his wife. I went to Ifrec Manor and entered a strange world within a painting."
"I saw all of his memories with Alice, and I also learned how he obtained his immortality," Geralt paused for a moment, then continued.
"Ogildes made a wish to the Master of Mirrors, in exchange for wealth and immortality at the cost of his beloved Phrodimir, but from then on, his emotions began to irreversibly slip away."
He killed Alice's father, abandoned his wife, and left the manor alone. Alice's soul wandered alone in the painting after he left. Only after I took the rose did she finally break free from the world.
"He didn't pay you either," Ron said.
"He and his men seized a manor, his men killed the manor owner, and then set the manor on fire."
Before leaving, he said that if there was anything left unburnt, he would consider it my reward. Geralt pursed his lips and said expressionlessly.
Ron leaned back in his chair, looking at Geralt. "Geralt, you seem more like a philanthropist than a witcher to me."
Geralt snorted and changed the subject to the identity of the Master of Mirrors.
"I was a little concerned about this, so I asked Shani to investigate. Shani took me to Professor Premesin of the academy. This professor had studied the scriptures about the Master of Mirrors."
But my understanding is still limited. I recall what you said when you mentioned the mark, so that's why I came."
Ron didn't pick up on the topic of the Master of Mirrors. Instead, he pushed the pottery pot toward Geralt and then spoke, his voice heavier than usual.