The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

The next day, Ron and Erwin walked past Raven's Nest. There were several more market stalls than when the Baron was there, and the sounds of vendors and patrolling soldiers haggling could be heard all the way to the base of the castle walls.

Several children were playing a knight game by the roadside, arguing about who should be the knight. Several old women were sitting by a low wall mending clothes. One of them looked up at Ron, then lowered her head and continued working.

It wasn't fear, nor vigilance, but a long-lost sense of security. The lord had changed, but life hadn't gotten worse. Patrols still passed by every day, trade was booming, and no one dared to plunder under the sergeant's nose. That was enough.

The fire in the blacksmith's shop by the roadside was still burning; the shop itself was small.

The dwarf Fergus Gram was standing in front of the shop. When he saw Ron approaching, he immediately stood up, wiped his hands on his apron, and put on a smile.

"Sergeant Major! What would you like to see? I'm not bragging, but I've been in this line of work for almost twenty years, and my skills are among the best in Velen."

Ron ignored his boasting and went straight to the stall. "Erwin, I'll pick out a sword for you." The latter pushed up his glasses and did not refuse.

The female assistant next to him, who was tidying up the shelves, looked up at Fergus upon hearing this, snorted, and muttered something under her breath.

Fergus, without batting an eye, smoothed things over: "She hasn't been feeling well lately, her nose is always whining, you don't need to worry about it."

Ron picked up a sword, ran his fingers down the spine, and turned it over to examine the blade. The spine was crooked, and there were a few minor flaws on the edge.

He didn't rush to comment. He simply raised the sword above his head and swung it to the side. The sword made a piercing screech during the swing, and the guard broke off. Half of the sword was embedded in the mud, with only a finger-length section sticking out.

Ron put the broken sword back on the stall and looked down at Fergus. "This is the good sword you were talking about?"

Fergus's smile froze on his face. "This...this...there's a problem with this batch of steel..." Sweat streamed down his forehead, and he wiped his hands back and forth on his apron, unable to speak for a long time.

The assistant stood up from behind the shelf and walked to the front. She looked to be in her early twenties, with her hair tied back with a leather strap. Her gaze lingered on Ron for a moment before she spoke.

"Sergeant Major," her voice was clear and crisp, carrying a defiant spirit, "would you like to see the sword I forged?"

Erwin glanced at her unexpectedly; female blacksmiths were indeed rare in Velen. Ron didn't pay any attention and simply nodded.

She pulled a Skellige longsword from under the stall. The blade was slightly wide, the guard was slightly upturned at both ends, and the counterweight was engraved with a rope pattern.

Ron took the sword and weighed it in his hand. The blade was rather heavy, but the center of gravity was well distributed. He swung his wrist half a circle, and the blade made a low whistling sound. Then he handed the sword to Erwin.

Erwin took it and examined it carefully for a while, then nodded to Ron. This sword was almost comparable to Brom's work.

"Where did you learn your craft?"

"My grandfather learned blacksmithing from the Todalock family on Udvik Island when he was young. They are the most skilled family in the archipelago at forging armor and weapons."

She paused, "However... I heard that giants have been causing trouble on the island since last year. The islanders have either died or fled, and the Todalock family's forge has been destroyed. If I could get my hands on that forge, I could forge even better works."

Do you understand the art of lamellar armor?

"Of course, that was my grandfather's specialty, and I inherited it all."

"From today onwards, you are the head blacksmith of Raven's Den. Recruit your own apprentices, and if you need more space, ask Erwin." He tilted his head slightly in Fergus's direction. "His fate is up to you."

Yuna glanced at Fergus, who was still covered in sweat beside her. "He may be a braggart, but he's not a bad person to me. I'd like to keep him as my assistant."

Ron nodded. "Okay. Also, I need a group of skilled armorers. You'll be in charge of training them. There's a true dwarf master at the manor named Brom. You can go to the manor and talk to him when you have time."

Yuna nodded vigorously. "Sergeant Major, please rest assured, I will not let you down."

Main building lobby.

Erwin spread a floor plan of Raven's Nest on the table, marking several areas that should be prioritized for renovation.

"Crow's Nest is positioned as a military outpost and trading center. Its proximity to Novigrad and Beef Castle makes it a better location for commercial development than Calard Manor."

The surrounding area only had scattered farmland, unlike the manor which had large tracts of arable wasteland. Food supplies depended on the manor and trade routes.

Ron's hand hovered over the map: "Prioritize the repair, compaction, and paving of roads in the central courtyard and commercial area, as these are facilities that affect daily use."

Subsequently, the restoration of the inner fortress, the reconstruction of the stables, and the repair of the city walls will proceed gradually, according to the established order and available funds.

"I'm considering building an outer fortress outside the civilian area to expand the coverage area, and then placing the commercial area on the outskirts. However, we don't have enough funds at the moment, so we can only carry out basic repairs first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Novigrad, the Merchants' Guild headquarters, a few people sat around a long table, one of them placing a Velen briefing on the table. The briefing indicated that the agent was missing and the supply chain was disrupted.

The Crow's Nest did not enter a period of chaos after the change of lords; on the contrary, the trade routes were smoother than before. The discussion did not last long, and the spies sent out had not yet returned with news. Until more information was obtained, all options were blind bets.

The decision after discussion was simple: wait for reports from our informants, and then decide whether to make further contact—whether to bribe or suppress.

Unbeknownst to them, the informants they had sent out had been transferred to the Crossroads Inn, where they spent their days unloading goods, polishing nail clippers, and chatting with passing merchants at the inn's entrance.

Every letter he wrote was opened and examined, and the whereabouts of every person he spoke with were recorded.

When Ron returned to the manor, it was already evening. He had just sat down at the low table in the courtyard when a series of short footsteps came from the direction of the herb garden.

Gretka ran up to him, her hands outstretched in front of her chest, a leaf in her palm.

She tiptoed, and the leaf swayed gently in her palm before slowly floating up. After a few breaths, it fell back into her palm.

"Look, look! I made it fly! I can make it fly even higher!"

Ron reached out and ruffled her hair, without saying "good" or "amazing," but lingered on her head a little longer than usual.

Gretka tilted her head back, her eyes curving into two arcs, when someone grabbed her from behind by the back of her collar.

"How many times have I told you? Don't you dare cast spells out of my sight! It's dangerous!"

Kayla picked the leaf from Gretka's palm, glanced at it, tossed it back into the herb garden, and then grabbed her by the back of the collar and headed toward the laboratory.

"Copy 'Introduction to Warlocks and Spellcasting Rules' five times. You are not allowed to leave the laboratory until you have finished copying it."

"Ah! Teacher, I was wrong!!! Can I copy it one less time?"

Six times

Gretka's short legs kicked a few times in the air, and her wails gradually faded away at the end of the road.

In the laboratory, through the half-open window, you could see Kayla slamming a thick book, thick enough to be used as a shield, down in front of her.

Gretka stole a glance at Kayla and found Kayla standing behind her, staring at the tip of her pen. She quickly lowered her head, her braid swaying gently behind her head.