Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 108 George and the Dragon Hunting Commission

Upon entering the Fox Tavern, there were indeed few people inside. Following Old York's directions, Wayne immediately spotted the man sitting by the back door.

He was in his forties, with short, dark brown hair, several scars on his face, and was not handsome. He had a weathered look, dressed simply, and his physique was not particularly robust.

If it weren't for the sword he carried and his conspicuous vertical pupils resembling a witcher, no one would doubt that he was just a strong farmer.

Wayne wasn't intimidated. He walked straight to the man, sat down opposite him, and called out to Melissa, who was dozing at the counter:

"Melissa, give me a few bottles of the best cherry mead on this table, along with some stewed beef and game, and put this gentleman across the table on my tab."

Melissa, who was sitting at the counter, immediately looked up when she heard the call. When she saw that it was Wayne, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

Although she had a slight limp, she moved very quickly and soon brought out the food and wine that Wayne needed from the kitchen.

The man opposite Wayne had been scrutinizing him with a critical eye ever since Wayne sat down, until Melissa placed a large amount of fine food and wine between them on the table. Only then did he meet Wayne's gaze and ask in a deep voice:

"My friend, what do you mean by this? Hmm, which school of witchers are you?"

The reason he asked this question was that Wayne was not wearing any Witcher equipment at the moment. Instead, he was wearing a high-end silk shirt, with a short sword hanging from his belt. He was well-dressed, clean-looking, and did not wear the Witcher's school badge around his neck.

Aside from his amber-colored vertical pupils, which reveal him as a witcher, he looks more like a promising young man.

Wayne didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took two glasses, poured two glasses of the finest cherry mead, then picked up one, gestured to the man opposite him, downed it in one gulp, and then smiled and said:

"I am Wayne of the Wolf School. It's nice to meet you, my friend."

"It's rare to meet someone in the same field, so I wanted to come and get to know them."

The man paused for a second or two, then picked up another glass of cherry mead, downed it in one gulp, and said in a low voice:

"Griffin School, George, it's a pleasure to meet you, Wayne of the Wolf School."

They were all witchers who were ostracized, and the Wolf School had a pretty good reputation among witchers, so George wasn't very wary of him.

Of course, there's another reason: Wayne looks too young, has a sunny and cheerful demeanor, a gentle smile, and he even offered to treat people to meals, making it hard to believe he's a bad person.

Seeing that George only had some black bread and ordinary beer in front of him, Wayne guessed that his life must be quite frugal. This was normal, as witchers of the Griffin School were generally the kind of nice guys who only accepted small payments.

So without further formalities, he pushed aside his bread with beef and wild boar meat, placed them in front of him, and said with a smile:

"Have some meat, George. Melissa's cooking is excellent; customers who have eaten here always rave about her dishes."

Melissa, who had been secretly watching Wayne, smiled happily upon hearing this.

Although somewhat surprised by Wayne's enthusiasm, George didn't stand on ceremony. He smiled and nodded in response, then picked up a large piece of beef and ate it heartily with cherry mead.

After taking a few bites, he asked with some confusion:

"By the way, Wayne, did you happen to run into me here, or did you come here specifically to find me?"

He already had the answer in his heart. Wayne came straight to him after entering, so it didn't seem like a coincidence.

Wayne saw no need to hide anything from this question and answered directly:

"I came here specifically to find you, George. It's quite a coincidence that the blacksmith shop you went to is owned by my dwarf friend."

"I overheard them talking about a witcher, and I got really curious, which is why I came here to find you."

After saying those two sentences, Wayne added a follow-up question:

"I heard your next destination is Velen? And you've taken on a mission to hunt down a green dragon?"

George glanced at Wayne with some surprise, considered for a few seconds, nodded, and explained:

"Yes, you heard it from the blacksmith in the blacksmith's shop, right?"

"Actually, I heard about a green dragon harassing local civilians in Velen two years ago, but at that time there was no accurate information and no one offered a bounty for the green dragon. Everyone thought it was just a rumor, so no one paid much attention to it."

"And as you know, we witchers generally don't hunt dragons, which possess advanced intelligence."

"Until last month, when I passed through Velen again, I found that the local baron had put up a bounty for the green dragon. Although it was only a pitiful three hundred orens, I heard that five farmers had already died at the hands of that green dragon."

"That's why I accepted that commission."

At this point, George picked up the flask, poured himself a glass of cherry mead, took a sip, and said:

"However, my silver sword was damaged in a previous battle, and in that poor place of Velen, there are no good blacksmiths who can repair our silver swords."

"I rushed to Vijma overnight, to this big city, in order to find those skilled blacksmiths."

"Unfortunately, their prices are too high. I spent all my money and it was only enough to repair the silver sword. That was only because their blacksmith was willing to give me a discount. As for the combat armor, I don't have the money to repair it."

Listening to George's somewhat rambling complaints, like those of a disillusioned middle-aged man, Wayne smiled, but inwardly he deeply agreed. The repair costs were too high, and the silver sword and armor were too delicate. Almost half of the Witcher's pay went to repairing their weapons and equipment.

This was one of the reasons why he wanted to learn forging techniques in the first place.

Moreover, according to his memory, when George of the Griffin School went to Velen to slay the dragon, he was seriously injured in the chest during a life-or-death struggle with the green dragon. In the end, when he was on the verge of death, a thief stole the potions and blueprints from his body, making his death quite miserable.

In the end, only some blueprints for the Griffin School were left for the players.

Now, listening to him talk about this commission, not only is the reward pitifully small, but the enemy is also extremely powerful. It really does have the chivalrous style of the Griffin School, which is dedicated to helping the weak and punishing the strong.

During the meal and drinks, he also chatted with George about the Witcher school and exchanged information about the current situation of their respective schools, which broadened his horizons considerably.

The Griffin School is now dwindling in numbers, with only two or three people confirmed to be alive. Moreover, their headquarters was buried in a snowstorm during an avalanche orchestrated by the warlocks, leaving it in ruins.

Therefore, the remaining members of the Griffin School did not gather once a year like the Wolf School. They have scattered all over the world, and they are not even sure if the other members are still alive.

This gave Wayne an idea; the Griffin School was skilled in using various signs and heavy armor like knight plate armor.

It is said that the magical knowledge hidden in the Griffin School's headquarters was so coveted by sorcerers that, after being repeatedly refused permission to borrow it, they cast a spell that triggered this avalanche, burying most of the Griffin School's main members and causing the school's decline.

His greatest strength lies in casting spells, and if he could acquire the magical knowledge from the Griffin School that is useful to witchers, it should enhance his abilities.

Moreover, even if one doesn't seek that knowledge at Bovis's Kel'serian fortress, the Griffin School's George before them is an excellent teacher.

The problem now is how to get George to pass on his knowledge of the Griffin School to him, a witcher from another school.

(End of this chapter)