The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Chapter 123 Uvien's Pirate Crew and Ron (4500 words)

Sunlight bathed the entire bay as three enormous ships broke through the waves, their anchors crashing into the shallows. The Whale and two modified warships anchored in the harbor of Kel'ahu.

This fortress, built as a palace, has an astonishingly large outline. The gray stone walls are built against the mountain, and the surface is covered with traces of sea wind erosion. Some towers have even collapsed halfway, but the weight and majesty of the royal city still remain.

The island was not large, and the group followed the steep path filled with pebbles and weeds upwards, soon arriving at the castle gate.

The guard crossbowman saw Uvien walking at the front, put away his crossbow, and shouted "Boss!" At the same time, the heavy gate slowly opened with the sound of the winch.

Several guards looked past Uvien, observing Ron and the well-equipped regular soldiers behind him with curiosity and vigilance.

The courtyard was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with a wide open space large enough to accommodate hundreds of people lined up in formation. The gaps in the walls on both sides had been filled with rough wooden fences, and most of the walls were still intact.

At the sword-fighting enclosure to the north, two burly men, shirtless, were fiercely battling with shields and axes. Their movements were crisp and decisive, combining shield charges with heavy axe strikes. Their swift and precise attacks were extremely lethal, and each clash was accompanied by a thunderous boom.

In the south corner, the pirates were practicing throwing axes. A tall, thin man weighed the axe in his hand, then swung it out with a bang. The axe blade flew through the air in an arc and embedded itself into the target with a thud, while the handle was still trembling slightly.

Ron stopped and sized up the group. Their muscular physiques exuded an undeniable banditry, their eyes were arrogant, and their moves were full of ruthlessness honed in real combat, but their posture always had a casual feel to it.

But thinking about it, it's normal. After all, most of them are Skelliges. Judging from their actions, they have been trained by Uvien in the way of the Nord army. These people will be the core of their own naval forces in the future, but they need to be re-disciplined.

As for the equipment, it was indeed a bit lacking, with all sorts of miscellaneous items: leather armor, chainmail, horned helmets, and cloth armor. They were clearly regular military supplies looted from the Nilfgaardians. But this problem was easily solved; equipping a hundred or so people was no problem at all for the Velen workshops at present.

When Ron and the others walked in, some were squatting on the side, while others were leaning against the wall. They shouted "Boss!" at Uvien and then went back to doing their own thing.

"Your Highness, these people were recruited in the last few months, and most of them are former pirates."

Uvien walked to Ron's side, pointed to the people on the training field, and said, "These guys have a lot of combat experience, but they lack discipline. However, they are definitely not afraid to fight, and they are very good at naval warfare and ship handling."

Ron nodded. "Good training. How many people are there now?"

"Not many, around 120 people. Kel'aihu doesn't produce food, it only relies on raiding, so it can't support too many people."

"That's enough. The northern Velen region is my territory, close to the coastline. I'm currently building up my navy. Uvien, your group has arrived just in time. As for discipline, it's not a big problem. Leave that to Karl."

Uvien's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together. "Haha! Karl's here too? That's great, looks like these guys are in for a rough time."

He turned around, took a deep breath, and roared towards the training field. The huge roar echoed in the courtyard like a bronze bell, instantly drowning out the noise in the entire courtyard.

"Everyone, get over here!"

The pirates scattered throughout the courtyard simultaneously stopped what they were doing and gathered together, forming a loose semicircle in front of Uvien.

Their gazes were fixed on Uvien, occasionally glancing at Ron with curiosity in their eyes, clearly trying to guess who this tall man was.

"From now on, this is our new leader!!"

Uvien drew his battle axe from his waist and slammed it heavily against the stone wall, sparks flying everywhere.

"Everyone, including myself, obeys the leader's orders. Anyone who dares to stab us in the back will face consequences; don't blame me for turning my axe on them without hesitation!"

The pirates below were stunned for a moment. Some exchanged glances with the people next to them, while others stared at Ron and sized him up.

Then all sorts of random and nonsensical names started popping up.

"Boss!" "Leader!" "Boss!" "Big Brother!"

Ron was speechless. He stepped forward, not deliberately raising his voice, but the heavy pressure instantly silenced the group of pirates. He stood there, taller than Uvien, and the pirates had to look up to see his face.

"I am Ron Arenicos, your new lord!"

Ron's gaze swept over every defiant face. "From this day forward, you are no longer pirates, but soldiers of my navy. You will receive stable supplies, brand-new weapons and armor, and... military pay!"

There was a moment of silence below, but after the pirates realized what was happening, they began to boil over like water, whispering among themselves.

"Military pay? Whose subordinates are we now?"

"New equipment? I've had enough of this tattered leather armor; it's drafty everywhere."

"Did you see that group behind the boss? With that gear, if we wore it, the Nilfgaardians would be nothing. They're just bullying us because their equipment is better than ours!"

Ron raised his hand to silence the conversation in the room and continued speaking.

"Of course, your work is no different from before. You still raid the Nilfgaardian supply lines, and you still get a share of the spoils. Understand?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the reactions of the crowd changed noticeably. Those who had been hesitant and observing earlier now grinned from ear to ear. After all, it seemed like nothing had changed: an extra paycheck, new equipment, and the job was still the same—killing Nilfgaardians. A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the courtyard.

"Yes, boss!"

"I agree! Anyone who dares to oppose the leader, I'll be the first to chop him up!"

"Boss, leave it to us!"

This time, the cheers were noticeably more genuine, carrying a real sense of enthusiasm.

Ron rubbed his temples as he listened to the various strange titles, then turned to look behind him.

"Titus, you and Cassius practice with them and test their true skill level."

"Understood!" the two replied simultaneously, heading towards the training ground to draw their blunt swords and wooden shields. The pirates' eyes followed them, and some began to flex their wrists, wanting to test the skills of these two outsiders. The Skelliges only recognized the strong; if you were not skilled enough, you could not expect to gain any respect.

Ron turned and walked toward the main building, with Harma and Geralt following behind him. The hall had been transformed by Uvien in a very personal style, with a rough stone fireplace burning with firewood, huge bear skins hanging on the walls, barrels of wine piled in the corners, and old shields nailed to the walls as decorations. The air was filled with the aroma of ale and roasted meat.

As soon as Uvien led Ron to sit down at the long table, Halma couldn't wait to speak.

"Ron, tell me quickly, I've been holding this in for the whole way, what exactly happened?"

Ron glanced at Harma and smiled. "Alright, Harma, I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, not even your father. Only you can know."

"Okay, I swear, I will never tell anyone." Halma immediately stopped joking and became serious.

Ron nodded, then slowly began to speak, "Actually, I'm not from this world. I came here through the convergence of the celestial spheres. I come from a continent called Calradia, which is ruled by the Calradia Empire. That's also the origin of my mercenary group's name."

Halma's mouth opened, and after a moment of stunned silence, an expression of barely suppressed curiosity ignited on her face.

"Then why do they call you Your Highness? Are you perhaps an exiled prince? Like in the legends, your kingdom was occupied by the evil Calradic Empire, and the prince, burdened with blood feud, escaped with his loyal followers, pursued by the enemy, and eventually went into exile overseas, seeking an opportunity to restore his kingdom. He used the name of the enemy country as the name of his mercenary group, to remind himself never to forget this pain and blood feud."

Ron blinked twice, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

"Halmar... I've discovered you might have a talent for being a bard. Would you like me to introduce you to Master Dandelion? I think you two might have a lot in common."

Halma scratched his red beard. "Um... so I guessed wrong?"

"It's not that complicated, and I don't have any blood feud to avenge," Ron shook his head. "But I am indeed a prince, a prince of the Calard Empire."

Halma leaned forward again, his eyes shining even brighter. "The Calradic Empire, the one you said rules the entire continent? Were you framed by one of your brothers over a succession dispute, forced to flee overseas, and then brought here by the conjunction of the celestial spheres?"

Uvien burst into a rough laugh, which made the wine glasses on the table rattle.

"Haha, kid, your name is Halma, right? I think you must have heard too many stories about bards. First of all, His Highness has no brothers; he is the sole heir to the empire."

Secondly, even if there were any threats, they wouldn't be able to harm him, because half of the empire's territory was conquered by His Highness's troops. Even if the emperor himself had any ideas, they couldn't bypass His Highness, let alone any brothers.

Halma's expression turned somewhat strange, as if the dream of an innocent young boy had been ruthlessly shattered, and his shoulders slumped.

"Sigh, it seems the bard's stories are indeed unreliable. So, you just encountered a sea storm and came to this world? There were no stories of revenge or national ruin?"

Ron smiled and shook his head. "No, I was just leading a fleet to quell the rebellion in the city when we encountered that storm. When I arrived here, I only had twenty-two personal guards with me. However, later, due to some events, I took over the Velen region of the former Temeria and became the lord there. My forces grew from the initial dozens to several thousand."

Halma turned to look at Ron with surprise in his eyes, while Uvien remained calm and composed. He knew Ron's abilities very well, and although the number of people was indeed somewhat unexpected, he didn't find it strange at all.

Halma leaned back in her chair, rubbing her chin.

"Ron, I know you are Lord Velen, but the strength of your territory has truly shocked me. Most families in the archipelago cannot muster such a large force. Even the Clayt family would need a long time to prepare to build an army of this size. Moreover, the quality of your soldiers and the level of their equipment are not low, which makes it even more difficult."

Uvien turned to Ron. "Your Highness, we should have arrived here around the same time, less than a year ago, right? You've already built a legion of this size. I was so proud of my small force before."

"Uvien, our situations are a little different," Ron waved his hand.

"My area is a war zone, located between the two powerful kingdoms of Redania in the north and Nilfgaard in the south. If we don't break this deadlock soon, we'll be swallowed up sooner or later. But I'll tell you about these things later. Tell me your story first."

Uvien nodded, his expression turning serious.

"Your Highness, we were sailing in the Nord Seas at the time. My ship was not far from your flagship. When the storm hit, we were swept away together. Also on board with me were the shield maiden Alena and your archer commander, Ms. Colin. But when I woke up, I did not find them. For the past six months, I have been keeping an eye on the outstanding figures in Skellige, but I have not heard of their names. They are extremely excellent warriors, and it is impossible for them to remain unknown after coming here."

He paused, his gaze falling to the table.

"I suspect they may have been swept away by the storm to other places. I've studied the sea charts here, and apart from the northern and southern continents and Skellige, there seem to be many distant kingdoms. For example, there's Zerekhan, located east of the Blue Mountains, near Hakland, which is a mysterious kingdom. There's also the Orpheus, far overseas, and many city-states further south on the continent. These places are all possibilities."

"There will be opportunities, Uvien." Ron's gaze deepened. "As long as my name and the banner of the Empire spread throughout every corner of the North and South continents, Colin and Alena will know sooner or later. For now, let's focus on the present."

"Haha! As expected of you, Your Highness!" Uvien slammed his hand on the table. "Back when you recruited me in the tavern in Paravin, I knew you were destined for greatness! Now we will fight side by side once more, and my axe will crush any enemy who dares to stand in your way!"

Ron smiled and nodded, then turned to Halma and Geralt. "Halma, Geralt, let me reintroduce you. This is my most trusted lieutenant, Bloodaxe Uvion, one of my companions who has followed me since before the Empire was officially unified."

Halma's eyes lit up. "Haha, tavern recruitment? I know this place well! My expedition team gathered in a tavern. It seems I have a chance to become a great man." He stroked his beard with satisfaction.

Geralt leaned against the wall, mercilessly undermining him.

"You don't mean recruiting by jumping on the table and yelling, do you? The tavern owner already told me you've gathered a bunch of hot-blooded young men and are heading straight for Udvik. I usually call that kind of stupidity..."

'

"Haha! It's all the same, all the same, that's the characteristic of Skellige!" Halma laughed heartily without any hesitation.

Ron turned to Uvien, "Next, I'm heading to Great Skellige to discuss trade and alliances with Harma's father. It's not advisable to bring too many people; that would attract too much attention. I'll come to see you on my way back. In the meantime, try to increase your manpower and select suitable soldiers. I won't be staying in Skellige for very long."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Uvien immediately stood up. "However, please take the Nord Royal Guards with you. They are your personal guards, and I will feel more at ease with them by your side."

Ron thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, it just so happens that Titus and Cassius are familiar with many of them, so it wouldn't be bad for them to catch up."

.

The Giant Whale set sail again, the sun turning the sails a warm gold, and the ship's shadow stretched long across the water.

Ron stood at the stern and waved to Uvien on the shore. Uvien stood on the dock until the sails were out of sight before turning back.

Ron leaned against the ship's railing. The system flashed in the upper right corner of his vision, and the names of eight Nord Royal Guards and Uvien appeared silently on the interface.

He turned off the panel, projected the light onto the distant sea, the sails filled with wind, and the Whale sped towards Kel'Thuzad.

>