Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 146 The King of Nuocheng Bathing

After reaching an agreement, Radovid left the temple hall.

As he said, he wanted to leave Novigrad as soon as possible to get rid of his suspicion of leaking this matter.

Radovid left behind a file of information he had gathered about Philippa's plans.

Herme flipped through the information, skimmed it roughly, but didn't read it carefully, but the habit of reviewing documents for a long time allowed him to retrieve all the key information.

After closing the file and leaning back on the chair, Herme saw the city emblem.

Rubbing his temples, he began to digest the information he had collected.

To be honest, the information Radovid brought was pretty good, basically revealing most of Philippa's plan.

But the specific location, such as where Philippa's subordinates are lurking in Novigrad, is unclear, and there are only some ambiguous information.

This meant that if Herme wanted to find these people, he would probably have to search the entire city, which would be troublesome.

Counting the guards and accompanying soldiers, he has a total of 300 people, and these 300 people cannot be thrown into the city without a single splash.

The sailors are not available, they have to set off to find the plague ship at any time.

So this is a bit of a headache.

In addition, he now recalled that Philippa let herself go to Novigrad. Apart from being busy with the plague plan, she probably wanted to use the plague to kill him.

I have to say that Philippa's thinking is very meticulous, and this plot is indeed perfect.

However, there is no unparalleled road, and Herme quickly thought of a fat and tall figure, Sigismund Dijkstra.

Oh, now it should be Siggy Lewin.

Now that he has come to Novigrad to start a gangster, it is undoubtedly the most appropriate to ask him for help.

As for how to get Xiji Luwen to help, it was very simple. As a person who knew the true identity of the gang leader, Herme was full of tricks on him.

After making a decision in his heart, Herme decided to leave here.

It's just that when he stood up, Cyrus, the Archbishop of Eternal Flame who was as fat as a ball, appeared in front of him.

"It seems that you had a very good conversation with His Majesty Radovid, Lord Herme."

Smiles were written all over that plump face, and the archbishop's eyes, which he thought the pile of fat would look small, became even smaller.

"The Eternal Flame has already prepared a station for your team, just beside the bridge. It used to be the station of the Flame Rose Knights, but the Knights have left, and it happened to come to accommodate your team."

"Thank you then, Archbishop."

Hemelio said gratefully that the Eternal Flame is indeed impeccable in handling affairs, and has settled all the residences for him.

"By the way, Lord Herme, we have learned that there are believers of the Eternal Flame in Hackland, so I hereby make a request to you. Can you let our church go to Hackland? We want Organize the believers over there."

Archbishop Cyrus made his own request,

"No problem, archbishop, of course your team can go there."

Herme fully agreed. As for Hackland, Herme wished that there would be more and more forces there.

Now his focus has shifted to Aedirn. Fort Sazar used to be his most important base, but as time goes by, this connection will become weaker and weaker.

Not to mention behind yourself.

Therefore, he wants to make the fish and dragons mix there, and only when the fish and dragons mix, can he or his successor control it better.

Although it is enough for one generation to do well for one generation, Herme still wants to try not to cause trouble for future generations.

"The Eternal Flame blesses you, Master Herme. In order to thank you for your help, the Eternal Flame will donate a huge sum of money to the Aden government's account at the Vivaldi Bank in the near future."

Archbishop Cyrus was so happy that his whole jaw was shaking.

He knew the principle of reciprocating favors. It seemed that Herme had only done a small thing, but they had to be courteous.

"By the way, archbishop, I want to ask, where is the Flaming Rose Knights now? Why did they leave Novigrad?"

Herme was still very curious about the knight group led by the big boss of the wizard generation.

It's just that out of fear of Destiny's Child, Herme didn't care about this information, just like he didn't care about Ciri.

And now the Archbishop of the Eternal Flame is in front of him, there is nothing more appropriate than asking him.

"The Knights of the Flaming Rose... Well, Jaques of Aldeburgh is a good person. I originally wanted him to gain a higher status in the church, but he insisted on expanding the eternal world beyond Novigrad. The authority of the fire has not yet obtained a sum of funds from somewhere, so now he is in Vizima, Temeria, and is centering there to destroy the nearby monsters and the remaining Scoia'tael."

Naturally, the monster didn't need to say much, and the Scoia'tael, although the Second Northern War ended, the resistance of the non-human races still did not stop.

The betrayal of the Southern Empire did not extinguish the flames of resistance of the non-human races, and there were still Scoia'tael activities everywhere.

It's just that, compared to the Scoia'tael of the past, which could threaten cities, today's Scoia'tael can basically only trouble small villages.

And in today's Scoia'tael, people are leaving the team and returning to their lives all the time.

However, if a Scoia'tael group in a certain country was assembled, led by a certain Scoia'tael leader with high prestige, it could still threaten the city.

It's just that everyone now thinks that's basically impossible.

"Thank you, Archbishop, then goodbye."

"Goodbye, Master Herme, I will ask Chape to take you out."

Walking out of the magnificent hall of the Eternal Flame, Herme saw the holy brazier of the Eternal Fire again. When she saw the flame, Herme's messy thoughts disappeared immediately, and her whole head felt a lot clearer.

He wanted to get the "eternal flame" more and more, if he could take it away and place it in his own country.

Just not to mention its effect, just knowing how many pilgrims it will attract that day is enough to make Herme a fortune.

Presumably, the Eternal Flame has probably made countless money from the pilgrims relying on this flame.

Now in the square is a group of fire-swearers, but they are much weirder than ordinary fire-swearers.

These people only have a white shawl on their upper body, masks on their faces, and white hoods.

Among these people, some people wear shackles on themselves, even if they have to bend their bodies because of it, some people keep whipping their backs with whips, making their flesh and blood fly, and more people kneel on the ground to face the eternity. fire prayer.

"ascetic."

Chapei revealed the identities of this group of people, and when he looked at them with indifferent eyes, there was a bit of disgust, but Herme felt that this was still a disguise.

"When the devout ones among the fire oaths commit crimes and want to atone for their sins, they will dress themselves up like this, and then go to Novigrad together under the organization of the priest who leads the way of asceticism, and come before the eternal fire Pray. The extremists of these people keep hurting themselves, like the guys who keep beating themselves. They always make a mess of the square, so I have a separate prayer time for them."

Indeed, as Chape said, these ascetics are indeed very bad. They are constantly emitting strange smells, their bodies are also full of dirt, and they keep beating themselves so that their flesh is flying everywhere. There is garbage everywhere on the ground.

When the nearby temple guards saw these people, they took the initiative to put on their masks. On the one hand, it was to cover up their contemptuous expressions, and on the other hand, they could smell less of the stench.

"So, please go this way."

Then Chape led Herme to another road, where Herme's team was also waiting.

Next, the team embarked on the road to the former station of the Flaming Rose Knights. They didn't walk for long and arrived soon.

The base of the Flaming Rose Knights was a barracks in Novigrad, but it was called a barracks, and this all-stone barracks looked more like a fortress.

The Eternal Flame has maintained this place very well, at least what Herme greeted him when he opened the gate was not dust blowing in his face.

Chapei, who had finished his work, exchanged a few words with Herme and left after saying some scenes.

As the captain of the temple guards and the actual manager of the city, he is very busy every day.

Next to the resident is the bridge leading to the upper city.

In Novigrad, where every inch of land is expensive, the bridge is naturally full of vendors and shops, and it is also convenient for them to buy everything they need.

The goods here are supplied to the upper city, so the quality is basically the best.

And the one next to it was the big brothel that Herme had been very concerned about before. It was the best brothel in Novigrad, and Herme was "familiar" with it.

If necessary, you can also go there to play.

I have to say that the resident of Eternal Flame is well arranged, everything has been considered.

I think the head of the Flaming Rose Knights took people away because he couldn't bear the comfort of the Knights.

After settling down his subordinates, Herme went to find someone, and that person was our Nuocheng Bathing King.

Seeing something like a gang leader, it is natural not to be too ostentatious, so Herme brought two guards, one was Marondo, and the other was Layla.

They all wore cloaks and pulled up their hoods to avoid being recognized.

It took some time, and Herme soon arrived at the largest bathhouse in Novigrad.

Speaking of which, Herme also experienced an interesting incident on the road.

He came across a sermon by a priest of the Eternal Flame, and heard the following words:

"...Therefore, the long night is dark and dangerous everywhere, and only the eternal fire can warm everyone..."

This made Hemei's eyes go dark. Isn't this the words in his manuscript?

Why did you use the Eternal Flame? It's really a super stitching monster, right?

On the way, Herme passed a market, which was full of life.

At that time Herme's sleeves and trouser legs were being pulled at all times: children waiting for their mothers to drag their fathers out of the tavern, spies of the eternal flame, traveling traders selling invisibility caps, aphrodisiacs and erotic pictures carved on cedar trees, everywhere, Herme had to push her way through the crowd.

His bag was touched several times during the period, but each time he knocked over the hands reaching for his wallet.

This made Herme fully feel the hospitality of Novigrad. There was an endless stream of thieves, most of whom came to pick up the bags after confirming their identity as outsiders.

With an indescribable feeling, Herme stood in front of the bathhouse.

This bathhouse is very lively, people are constantly coming in and out, there is still steam wafting out of it, and the guys are constantly calling guests to come in.

"My guest, what do you need?"

A clerk stood in front of Herme with a face full of enthusiasm, asking what he needed.

"We need to see the steward."

Marondo flicked a Novigrad gold coin into the man's hand, and the smile on the man's face became even wider,
"Okay, I'll go right away."

After a while, a person came out, and he brought the three of Herme to a small room in the bathhouse.

The man was bald, with an unnatural pallor on his face, and the skin didn't look like a man's.

As for the sound, it was shrill,

"Hello, distinguished guest. I am Haji, the manager. May I ask what you can do for me?"

"I wanted to see Siggy Lewin, and I told him, 'Here comes the man who told him to pay attention to Fee'."

Since it was unclear whether the person in front of him knew about Dijkstra's affairs, Herme chose a more cryptic statement.

"Okay, I'll report right away."

Haji was stunned for a moment, seeing his expression, Herme knew that this man was Dijkstra's confidant, and he knew something, so he agreed without hesitation.

Hemei and the others waited for a while. The Duke Protector had nothing to do, and looked at the scene of the bathhouse through the hollowed-out screens.

He saw many men soaking in the pool, and some people were sitting by the pool, rubbing their backs with the help of the bathhouse clerk, and poured a basin of hot water on their backs after rubbing.

And there is also a sauna room here, and people keep walking into the room where the steam is constantly gushing out, and then the skin is steamed red.

This made Herme want to go to the sauna, take a bath, and then poke her back, ah, this day is really good.

"Everyone, just wait, Master Xiji invites you to go over."

At this moment, the manager arrived, and he bowed respectfully to the three of them, as if apologizing for his negligence before.

When they came to Xiji Luwen's room, two of Herme's guards were stopped. They wanted to attack, but the Lord Protector raised his hand to stop them.

Since you are going to someone else, follow other people's rules.

What came into Herme's eyes was a huge bookshelf, and a tall and fat giant was rummaging through it.

Herme didn't speak until the door behind her was closed,
"Master Dijkstra, how did you become like this? You went to Novigrad and bought all the bathhouses in the area to become a king of back scrubbing."

"I once thought that when I returned to Novigrad, who would visit me first, but I never thought that the first person to come would be the Lord Protector of Aedirn."

Sigir Leuven, or rather Sigismund Dijkstra, had no surprises at Homer's arrival, and after hearing that word from Haji, he knew who was coming next.

"However, I don't think you came here to laugh at me, Lord Protector, please tell me, what are you planning to do?"

"I need your help, and what I said is related to the fate of the entire Novigrad."

After Herme finished speaking, she placed a document on Dijkstra's desk, and the fat giant picked it up.

As he flipped, the expression on Dijkstra's face kept changing and distorted several times, and finally all of them became horrible.

"Stupid! How could Fei be so stupid! What's the point of having a plague city? Does she really think she can control the plague?"

The former spy scolded angrily, his tone full of anger towards Philipa, but the next moment he changed the topic.

"How did you get these?"

"Thanks to the efforts of Aden's intelligence personnel."

Hemei didn't sell the little bald head like this, and pushed everything to the Aden intelligence department.

But the eyes of the opposite person are full of disbelief. Doesn't he know the level of Aden's intelligence department?Even if he had been away for a while, it was impossible for their level to rise.

But since Herme said that, he can't say anything, let alone his status is no longer what it used to be.

"I will mobilize my subordinates to find it. The above information is not good for others, but it is enough for the gangsters in Novigrad... However, I need help."

Herme didn't speak, but nodded, letting Dijkstra continue.

"The most well-informed person in Novigrad is the Beggar King, but it takes a lot of money to get him to help me. Just to gain a firm foothold in Novigrad now, I basically spent all my money from Hakland. The money I brought. Then the Treading Gang has been looking for trouble for me, my goods have been stopped by that woman, and the machetes of the Black Gold Club don’t like me, and the food supplied to me is twice as expensive as others. That guy Hawthorne detained the prostitute who was working in the bathhouse and caused me trouble. So, Lord Protector, can you help me solve this problem?"

"No problem, I will let Leila lead her subordinates to help you solve the information problem."

Hearing that Hemei sent Leila to go there, the gang leader couldn't hide the joy on his face.

As one of the major special forces in the north, Heilei has long been known in the north, but most of them are notorious. After all, Heleira has never shown mercy to the Scoia'tael.

As a former secret agent, Dijkstra is more concerned about Herilera's combat effectiveness. He is very clear about this. Letting this person and her join the gang war in Novigrad is to reduce dimensionality. .

"As for the money, are these enough?"

Herme took down a bulging bag from her waist, opened it, and threw it on the table.

Following the actions of Duke Protector, the gold coins inside made a colliding sound, and some coins also poured out from the opened pocket.

Here is the new mark of Aedirn, the richest coin in the North, not even the crown.

On one side of the coin is a portrait of King Baldwin cradled by a nurse, with the inscription "Gods behold Aedirn", and on the other side is a portrait of Herme, with the inscription "Ardirn Belongs to the North".

Herme knew that Novigrad has everything, but if you want these, you have to spend money.

So he prepared the money, and it came in handy without seeing it.

The gang leader weighed the coins, "It's enough."

"Speaking of which, Lord Dijkstra, tell me about your experience, I know you went to Hackland, how did you make a fortune in Hackland, and then returned to Novigrad to become a gang leader? "

Dijkstra took out a bottle of Toussaint wine and two glasses from the cabinet under the table, and as he pried open the cork, the smell of the wine flowed out.

Herme's eyes lit up immediately, he would never forget this taste, it was the Sangerie of Toussaint.

"Ha, I didn't expect you to have such a good thing."

"One has to hide something good for oneself, doesn't one?"

Dijkstra filled the Lord Protector, then filled himself.

Herme took a sip of the wine, and her face was filled with joy immediately. This is Sangerie.

"My experience is not a secret. In fact, you can find a knowledgeable person outside. I made my fortune in Hackland by appraising trophies for others, and through this job, I can also get some very valuable things for myself. Things. However, what really made me rich was a treasure map I found, which recorded the tomb of a Haklan Khan, and the one who robbed him all his life was also buried with him .”

Dijkstra's face was full of memories, and there was still a trace of fear. It seems that the experience of tomb robbery was not all smooth sailing.
"After confirming the authenticity of the treasure map, I mobilized the connections accumulated in Fort Sazar, assembled a treasure hunting team of 30 people, and found a manticore demon hunter named Eben as our pawn. Bodyguard, it turns out that if it wasn't for this witcher, I might have died in it. We just entered that cemetery and found a bunch of demon spirits. Damn it, God knows how many people Khan used to be buried with him. There are so many demon spirits coming out."

Dijkstra took a big sip of wine at this point, recalling the scene of demons dancing wildly, he is now afraid,
"If it weren't for the witcher, we would all have died in it. I had a leg pain, damn it, but even so, a dozen people died. Then we went through the test of various traps, pouring water and It's backstabbing, damn it, may that damn Khan be covered in pustules before he dies. However, what he gets in the end is still worth it, even if one-third of the wealth is distributed to others, the rest is enough I go to Novigrad to gain my footing."

"Then there was nothing more to say. I hired a group of Harklan outlaws to escort me back to Novigrad. I fought my way out with swords and money. In the underground world of Novigrad, there are a place."

"Your experience is really rich enough."

Herme sighed, Dijkstra said very briefly, but the Lord Protector knew that the level of danger in the content he omitted was really high.

"If you don't risk your life, how can you achieve the position of the thing? Didn't you come here in the same way back then?"

"Yes, Dijkstra."

Herme drank the wine glass in one gulp,

"However, that's all for today, let's talk about it in a few days, Lord Dijkstra, remember to take care of those things."

"of course."

(End of this chapter)