A fantastical journey across the heavens, beginning with the Witcher.

As a bounty hunter, Leo Penhart has multiple identities: he is a retired soldier from Nilfgaard, a rare master swordsman, and a meticulous lone wolf.

Throughout his many years as a bounty hunter, his most iconic trophies have been the two Witcher necklaces around his neck.

A cat badge and a griffin badge prove he killed at least two witchers.

Among mortals, this is undoubtedly a top-tier achievement; otherwise, Foreman would not have entrusted him with the investigation.

After a bumpy ride of most of the day, he finally arrived at the vicinity of the packhorse stronghold and exchanged a few copper coins for the exact location of the attack site.

Normally, bounty missions wouldn't warrant traveling day and night, but the mayor's payout is just too generous!

You can earn 200 crowns just for investigating the scene, and you can get an extra reward if you make a discovery.

Enough for him to ejaculate his balls in Novigrad!

So, as soon as he arrived at the scene, he began to investigate with all his might.

"Let me see... Ah, what a horrific scene."

The scene had already been explored by Niubao's scouts, and everything that needed to be taken away had been taken away. There were unprofessional footprints and hoofprints everywhere, but he still managed to reconstruct the scene based on the bloodstains.

"The attackers were limited in number, no more than three, and all of them were skilled swordsmen... They ambushed us from the middle of the road and killed half of the soldiers like chickens."

"The other half of the soldiers are elite, forming a military formation... hmm... a shield formation + a spear formation, and there's also one who uses heavy weapons. The configuration is quite comprehensive, unlike the style of the Redanian Kingdom's army, but it's quite similar to my 'old employer'."

"The attackers stormed in from here, breaking through the shield defenses... killing an elite soldier, then here, he was surrounded by other soldiers, successfully breaking out while killing two more... hiss..."

Leo took a deep breath. The more he examined the scene, the more he realized that the attacker was exceptionally skilled. This arrogant and unrestrained attitude made it seem less like an attack and more like... mockery.

Even he wouldn't dare say that after breaking through the shield formation of elite veterans head-on, he could then counterattack and break out of the encirclement.

Following the trail of blood, the subsequent investigation revealed even more chilling results.

"Three soldiers escaped, but they were caught up and dealt with one by one. The first two escaped soldiers were stabbed through the chest with a sword, which was quick and clean. The last one was nailed to a tree. He was very strong."

"And there's a trail of blood that stretches far. Is this some kind of toying with the prey? Letting it struggle and crawl in despair, then killing it with a single blow just when it thinks hope has arrived—it's too cruel!"

Leo spoke of cruelty, but a twisted smile appeared on his face.

"It's a pity the corpses have all been devoured by ghouls. I need to look for other clues. Two hundred crowns won't be enough to satisfy my manhood."

As he spoke, the bounty hunter began searching the vicinity of the scene, and with his keen senses, he actually found a clue.

It was a human head, gnawed to pieces, the jawbone and the area around the eyes ripped apart by the monster, the brain matter licked clean.

But the truly useful information was preserved—the cross-section of the cervical bone!

It's so smooth that you can even feel the neatness of the bone fragment edges when you touch it.

"A sword of unparalleled sharpness is not something a bandit, or even an ordinary bandit, could possess. Such a divine weapon is a treasure wasted in the hands of bandits; it should be hanging at my waist!"

If he was still thinking about earning crowns just now, now he's completely excited. What could possibly arouse a swordsman's interest more than a fine sword?

"I need to go back and report. Hopefully, I won't be stopped when I bring these heads into the city..."

After muttering a few words, Leo whistled to summon his horse, mounted it, and hid the head in his bag.

……

Inside the mayor's office, the mayor, who hadn't slept for a day and a night, was lost in thought.

The Orlov family was born with few children. His father married four wives and worked for thirty years before finally having three children: his older brother, himself, and the third who died young.

The two brothers inherited the family's flaws. Over the years, only the elder brother raised a child, and now, their only offspring... are gone!

The Orlov family's titles, lands, wealth, and power have all vanished!

He was already forty-one years old, and even with young women lying next to him every day, he couldn't muster any interest. This damned fate, why did it have to play such a cruel trick on his family!

Hatred and resentment burned like wildfire in his heart, causing him to wish he could kill everyone in the city to vent his anger!

Just then, the butler entered the office through a side door, came to his side, and bowed, saying, "Master, the bounty hunter is outside the door; he seems to have brought some news."

Foreman immediately perked up: "Let him in!"

Leo carried a smelly package and walked briskly into the house, giving an awkward bow.

Forman waved his hand: "Not only are you practicing Nilfgaardian etiquette, but your movements are also not up to standard. Stop showing off your knowledge of etiquette and just tell me what you've discovered."

"Well, I thought you'd be happy to see Nilfgaard bowing," Leo said nonchalantly, shrugging. "Something was indeed found at the scene."

"Just say it."

"From what I've observed, there were at least three attackers, all highly skilled. Of the sixteen soldiers, half were incompetent and were slaughtered like chickens, while the other half were elite veterans with real skills, but they couldn't hold off the attackers for long. Three of the elites escaped but were caught and killed by the attackers. As for the last person to die... it should be your nephew."

Leo didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly shared his guesses, then bluntly touched on the mayor's sensitive spot.

"I have to say that guy was a freak. Your nephew crawled at least thirty yards before being pinned to the ground by a sword just before he was about to enter the woods."

"Damn it!"

As Forman listened, he clenched his fists, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Anything else? This information doesn't do justice to the 200 crowns!"

"The murderers were all skilled swordsmen, and their swords were very sharp, all masterpieces. I brought you a sample."

As he spoke, Leo pulled a human head out of the cloth bag and showed the traces of the broken neck bone.

"Look, the surface is as smooth as a pebble."

Forman covered his nose, forced himself to look at the head with revulsion, then waved his hand to indicate that he was done looking and told him to throw it away quickly.

The butler beside him immediately stepped forward, gently picked up the severed head, and left through the side door, as if he were handling not a bloody, mangled human body, but an ordinary tea set.

Without the sight of heads obscuring the senses, the mayor lowered his hand, fanned the polluted air, and casually voiced his suspicions.

"A master swordsman... Could the killer be a witcher?"

"Oh? There are witchers near Niu Bao?" Leo immediately became interested. He had been wearing two necklaces around his neck for several years, and it was time to get a new one.

"Yes, we even took care of the monster in the beef burger a few days ago."

"Ah, I've heard about it. I heard you even tried a werewolf girl. That monster, I also..."

Having met the bounty hunter more than once, Forman knew he absolutely couldn't go along with the conversation now, or it would inevitably veer towards women.

"Stop! Just tell me, is it possible that the Witcher did it?"

Leo scratched his head: "The swordsmanship level matches, but it's unlikely. There were at least three attackers: one liked beheading, one liked slitting throats, and the other was very strong and could pin people to trees."

"Witchers are almost extinct. Where are you going to find three witchers to form a team? Besides, not to belittle your soldiers, but witchers have signs. They can easily deal with ordinary soldiers. I didn't find any trace of signs on the scene."

Forman paused for two seconds, then asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Leo pulled out two necklaces. "If you're asking who in this world understands Witchers, it's definitely me. Excluding those without badges, I've already killed two Witchers. I know their fighting style better than anyone!"

"If we send you to deal with those attackers, are you confident you can handle it?"

The bounty hunter shook his head decisively: "I might have a chance in a one-on-one fight, but I'd be dead in a three-on-one situation. Against those experts, unless you give me an entire knightly order that can charge in full armor and crush them, I'd just be feeding them."

"But I can give it a try. Our ancestors gave us a smart brain, not so that we could fight head-on. Coincidentally, I'm very good at using underhanded tricks."

Forman tapped his fingers back and forth on the table, remaining silent for a long time, so long that Penhart, bored, began to look around at the office decor before he finally made a decision.

"Go to the butler and collect your money. Tomorrow I'll be posting a substantial bounty. If you're interested, you can choose to accept it. Don't say I'm not looking out for you; you have one night to get started."

The bounty hunter's brows furrowed: "It would be a pleasure to solve your problem, Your Excellency. I'll put their heads on your desk for you to enjoy."

After saying that, he walked excitedly toward the butler. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something else, grabbed the small door that was about to close, and asked.

"When I mentioned swordsmen, the mayor's first thought was the Witcher, and he's always had some grudge against you. Coincidentally, I'm quite interested in that Witcher. I wonder if killing him would have any impact on the mayor?"

For the first time in two days, Forman smiled and said, "Not only will it have no impact, you'll also get an extra crown."

……

Li De, who had quietly accomplished a major feat, was unaware that he had been targeted by a bounty hunter.

Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

He has now officially checked into the inn at the crossroads and started chatting with the well-informed tavern owner, subtly trying to gather information.

"Boss, I'd like a beer, and I also want to ask you something."

Li De put down two crowns, and the sound of the coins hitting the wooden board was particularly noticeable.

The tavern in the countryside was struggling to operate, and most of the villagers who came to drink and eat there did so on credit, and even when they did pay, it was only in small, thin coins.

Upon suddenly seeing a generous customer, the boss's eyes lit up. He eagerly accepted the crowns, then took out a clean wooden cup and poured a full glass of beer.

"Then you've come to the right person. No one in the entire packhorse territory is more well-informed than me."

"Are there any decent demon-hunting jobs nearby?"

"Demon hunting commissions... there really aren't any. Monsters have gotten smarter these days. They rarely attack villages on their own initiative. They usually target lone travelers. The few victimized families can't afford to put up a bounty."

The boss shrugged and then changed the subject.

"However, we are currently dealing with bandits. If you are capable, you can try to take a bandit's head to the lord and exchange it for a reward."

Li De feigned curiosity: "We passed through several villages on the way here, but we didn't find any signs of banditry."

"Hey, you don't know this, do you? This gang of bandits doesn't attack villages, they specifically target the lords."

The boss glanced around as if wary of eavesdroppers, then quietly lowered his head, leaned close to the Witcher, and whispered.

"My nephew's childhood friend works as a groom for the lord. I heard that bandits stormed the manor a few days ago! They looted the granary and treasury, and killed quite a few guards!"

"That's unusual. Bandits always bully the weak and fear the strong. Could it be an enemy of your lord in disguise?"

"Won't."

The boss shook his head decisively. "If they really are enemies of the lord, there's no need to mess with Niubao. They even killed the reinforcements sent by Niubao! I heard that dozens of soldiers died. Niubao's army was terrified of being killed. They pretended to send people to investigate and even went to the village to ask questions, but they didn't give a definite answer before returning to Niubao."

"They live carefree inside the city walls, but we country folk can only wait to die. We've lost most of our customers these past few days. If you really manage to take down the bandits, you'll have done a good deed. Others may not know, but I'll definitely thank you."

Li De smiled and nodded, downed the beer in his glass, turned and went back to his room. He knelt on his straw bed and began to meditate, his interest in the bandits growing.

As mentioned before, bandits are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. They are as arrogant and cruel as they are when robbing villages, but as cowardly and timid as they are when facing regular troops.

Attacking a lord's manor is no longer the act of ordinary bandits; it can be defined as "rebellion."

Yet this band of bandits, capable of storming manor castles and looting treasuries and granaries, seemed completely unconcerned about the surrounding area. Could they be a Robin Hood-style band of bandits?

Thinking of this, he shook his head slightly. The tavern owner's words could not be entirely trusted; information is always unconsciously exaggerated when it is spread.

Just like the Niubao squad he slaughtered, it was only a dozen or so people. The city guards didn't care about such a loss, but in the boss's mouth, it had become dozens of people killed, Niubao was seriously injured and dared not provoke the bandits.

If the rumors continue for a few more days, news will likely spread that Niubao has fallen and bandits have stormed into the city.

Perhaps the same was true of the local lord's manor; the bandits only made a feigned attack and did not cause much damage at all. In order to attract the attention of the Bull Fortress, the lord deliberately exaggerated the size of the bandits.

Further investigation is needed to determine the specific details; he will not show excessive enthusiasm until he sees the bounty.

Who knows if that suspicious and petty mayor will target me because of some suspicious point?

Lily's example is still fresh in our minds!

Although he dared to break into the city hall at night, kill people, and set it on fire, he would no longer be able to live in Redania.