The Witcher: Make the Witcher Great Again

Chapter 149: Our Troops Vanish Like Snowflakes

Lynn smiled at him. "It's such a good night, why not grab a drink?"

Clearly, the witcher's words swayed the guard a little.

But he still shook his head. "No, I have to watch these prisoners."

"It's fine. I'll take your shift."

"But..."

Lynn looked at him and said unhurriedly, "These people aren't hardened criminals. They're just a group of scavengers whose homes were destroyed, forcing them to flee to Toussaint."

"What's their crime? Destroying evidence at a crime scene, right?"

"But that crime is much lighter than petty theft, don't you think? Besides, the missing persons case has now been perfectly resolved."

"Even Captain Damien will release them after a few more days. Given that, do you think they'll wait until their sentence is up, or risk being pursued and escape? If it were you, what would you choose?"

The guard wasn't foolish.

Lynn only had to say it once for him to understand.

What he understood even more clearly was that this young witcher master had something to say to those refugees.

Although he didn't know what connection a witcher from the North could have with refugees from Nazair...

But it wasn't his business.

While Toussaint valued the Five Virtues of Knighthood, and emphasized honor and chivalry, it didn't mean Toussaintois were fools.

Understanding human nature and social graces was universal.

"I understand. Thank you, Master."

After the guard had gone, Lynn took out food and water from his runic leather pouch and handed them through the gaps in the cell bars.

But no one reached out to take them.

He had no choice but to place them on the ground.

"Eat quickly. If the guard comes back, what do you think he'll do when he sees all this untouched food and water?"

The refugees exchanged glances.

Finally, when the first person hesitantly picked up a piece of bread, the others no longer resisted.

The small amount of food Lynn had put into the cage was quickly divided and devoured.

They were truly starving.

Although the Ducal Guard wouldn't deliberately mistreat captives,

They wouldn't treat them like honored guests either.

Typically, to prevent riots, captives were kept in a state of semi-starvation.

Not starving to death, but too weak to resist the guards.

Toussaint was no exception.

Seeing them licking their fingers, still wanting more, Lynn crossed his arms and said with a smile,

"I know who you are, and you know I have ulterior motives. Since none of us are honest people, let's be frank."

"I want you to work for me."

Among the captives, someone said defiantly, "Why should we?"

Lynn wasn't offended by the challenge.

"Because I'm outside the cage, and you're on the other side."

"You're from the Nazair National Army, aren't you? Don't deny it; I've heard from others that a massive uprising erupted in Nazair recently."

"But unfortunately, your great uprising was ultimately crushed by Nilfgaard's brutal suppression."

"Your National Army has vanished like snowflakes. As of now, all resistance within Nazair has fallen silent."

"You...have completely failed."

What Lynn said was true.

Although this uprising was not mentioned in the original novels or games, it didn't stop him from frantically catching up on this unknown knowledge after arriving in Toussaint.

After all, the original novels, in theory, could also be called The White Wolf Saga.

The games, too, are primarily seen through the perspective of Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, experiencing this world.

However, beyond Geralt's sight, other parts of this world were also in motion.

Naturally, things happened that Geralt didn't know about.

Another captive couldn't help but say, "So what? As long as we keep fighting, there's still hope."

Lynn clapped his hands for him.

"Well said: 'As long as there's breath, the fight continues'... But your actions don't quite match such grand declarations, do they? Or is your idea of fighting stealing and then getting caught by the Ducal Guard and thrown in prison?"

The captives stirred, but someone quieted them down.

"What exactly do you want?"

Lynn reiterated his offer, "Come work for me."

Seeing that no one was still speaking, the witcher's smile slowly faded.

"You heard my conversation with the guard just now, didn't you? Their captain will release you in a few days, and then what?"

"What can you do in Toussaint? Labor for vineyard owners? Or beg for food in Beauclair?"

"If your very survival is difficult, how can you talk about recapturing Nazair?"

"Has the defeat of the National Army still not made you see reality? To make Nazair independent, you must first crush the Nilfgaardian Empire."

"Or do you think, with just the few of you here, you can defeat Nilfgaard?"

From the deepest part of the cell, a sullen voice emerged.

"Perhaps you're right. With just us, it's impossible to make Nazair independent. But you're just a witcher. What can you do?"

The captives moved aside.

A woman with a scar on her face stepped forward, sat down in front of the bars, and stared at Lynn without backing down.

"You're their leader?"

The woman nodded slightly.

"That's right. My name is Frances Drake. You can call me Drake."

The witcher noticed her ears. "I never knew any humans were willing to accept elven leadership."

Drake held up two fingers.

"First, I'm a half-elf. My elven father abandoned me. It was my human mother and my other human kin who accepted me, so I swore to repay their kindness a hundredfold."

"Second, you still haven't answered my question."

Lynn said calmly, "I can do many things. Including things you dare not dream of, and things you can't even imagine."

Clearly, Drake didn't believe Lynn's words. "Anyone can boast."

Lynn smiled.

"Why not come and see for yourselves? If I'm just a boastful liar, you can simply abandon me and continue your fight, wouldn't that be better?"

He tossed a coin pouch, and Drake instinctively caught it.

She then found the pouch to be surprisingly heavy.

Drake opened the pouch in confusion.

She found it filled with gold coins.

At least a hundred crowns.

"Is this enough to show my sincerity? Once you truly become my subordinates, I will give you more."

Lynn left satisfied.

Although these "refugees" were reluctant to accept it, they had to admit that Lynn's analysis was correct.

If they stayed in Toussaint, they might survive, but if they wished to return to their homeland, that would likely be a distant dream impossible to achieve in this lifetime.

So, after some deliberation, their leader, the woman named Drake, agreed to follow Lynn and witness the "things you dare not dream of, and things you can't even imagine" that the witcher spoke of.

However, what Lynn didn't expect was that these refugees were not merely soldiers of the Nazair National Army but also spies of Nazair's national intelligence organization, the Syndicate.

And Frances Drake was the leader of this organization.