The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 32 My hometown is in this village

Francesca is the daughter of the elven sage Himlais.

Unlike the elven sages who advocate peace, Francesca participated in the Aeririon uprising two centuries ago.

Although the uprising ultimately ended in failure, Francesca never gave up her desire to retake the elven territory, the Valley of Flowers.

Because of this, some people say that Francesca is connected to the non-human race rebellions that have occurred one after another in the northern countries.

Of course, Francesca herself never admitted it, but if you think about it, it is impossible for her to admit such a thing.

But Lynn knew better than Istrade.

The rumors are true.

Francesca did have connections to the elven rebels later known as the Scoia'tael.

Although it cannot be said that Francesca is behind all the rebellions of non-human races.

But what is certain is that some of the Scoia'tael commandos were directly or indirectly influenced by her.

Furthermore, the agreement Francesca reached with the Emperor of Nilfgaard to retake the Valley of Flowers would scare even her father.

Although Isterad did not know this, due to his innate political sense, he would rather not accept the bounty offered by Aedirn than be targeted by supporters of the non-human rebellion.

Especially since he is a senior core member of the Warlock Brotherhood.

Lin En thought for a moment and added, "Sir, we promise we will never tell anyone, but it's not us you need to worry about, it's the other people in the caravan."

In response to Lynn's advice, Istrade smiled and shook his head.

"Master Lin En, you're actually worrying too much. The guards in the caravan are all my trusted confidants and can absolutely be trusted."

"As for Yarpan and the others... I will give him a bag of gold large enough to silence Yarpan and the other dwarves."

"If you ask which race in this world has the most trustworthy reputation, dwarves are definitely one of them. At least I've never seen a dwarf break a promise."

At this point, Istrade suddenly laughed at himself. "In this regard, we humans are the typical example of saying one thing in front of others and another behind their backs."

……

The first stop of the Istrad caravan was Mahakam, the homeland of the dwarves.

The Mahakam Mountains lie between the kingdoms of Temeria and Aedirn.

Legally a vassal state of Temeria.

But it enjoys a high degree of autonomy.

Although Mahakam is known as the home of dwarves, the Mahakam Mountains were originally inhabited by dwarves.

It was about thirty or forty centuries ago that the dwarves arrived in the Mahakam Mountains.

Due to their similar lifestyles, they began to share the mountains.

The Mahakam Mountains are extremely rich in mineral resources, and the quality of iron ore produced here is considered to be the best in the world.

In addition to iron ore, this place is also home to the largest and highest quality arsenal in the north.

This is also the reason why Istrade's caravan chose Mahakam as its first stop.

On the one hand, it is to bring necessities of life to the dwarves and gnomes in the mountains, and on the other hand, it is to purchase high-quality dwarven weapons from Mahakam.

……

Since the encounter with the elven commandos in the jungle a few days ago, the caravan has not encountered any other dangers.

When the caravan arrived at the village at the foot of the Mahakam Mountains, Yarpan and the other dwarves approached Istrad and expressed their desire to stay in the village and rejoin the caravan after it descended from the mountains.

Anyway, the caravan will not be in danger in Mahakam, so it doesn't matter whether they are there or not.

Although Yarpen did not explain the reason, Istrade agreed to their request.

In this way, the caravan rested in the village for one night.

When they went up the mountain the next day, Yarpan and other dwarves did not leave with the caravan, but watched them go up the mountain.

Walking up the mountain, Lynn and the two human guards beside Geralt couldn't help but talk in low voices.

"Isn't Mahakam the homeland of the dwarves? Why don't Yarpan and the others want to go home and visit?"

"Who knows? Maybe there's something he can't tell you." Geralt suddenly said after hearing their conversation.

"No, it's not that they don't want to go back, but they can't go back."

Upon hearing this, the two guards immediately asked respectfully.

"Master, you know this too? Tell us about it."

Istrade's men all came from the Principality of Targo.

The Targos are culturally close to the Kovirs.

After all, before the Povis split, the two were once one country.

Istrade's men had no problem with the witchers.

At most, I was curious about the rumors about the witcher.

After Lynn and Geralt demonstrated their skills, they quickly won the respect of everyone in the caravan.

Even when they were resting and camping in the wild every day, the two of them didn't need to do anything themselves, as someone would take the initiative to help them do everything.

Geralt continued.

“Mahakan is a conservative and xenophobic land.”

"The dwarves living in Mahakam are bound by various traditions. If they cannot stand it and leave the mountains, they will be regarded as traitors."

"That's why Yarpan and the others have to stay in the village at the foot of the mountain. If they go up the mountain with us, they might cause us trouble."

……

When the mountain road narrowed to a size that could barely accommodate a large cart, a sturdy fortress appeared in front.

And this is not all of Mahakam's outer defenses.

Lynn raised his head and looked upwards.

The two watchtowers are clinging to the steep rock walls on both sides, and are connected by a weathered gray stone arch bridge in the middle.

Silent faces watched them from arrow slits, battlements, and bridges.

"Stranger, this is Mahakam, tell us why you are here!" A rough voice came from the city wall.

Istrade rode his horse, struggling to squeeze through the gaps between the large workshops and came to the front of the team.

He pulled a badge from his clothes and held it high.

The badge gleamed in the sunlight.

"I have the permission of Great Elder Brovar Hogg."

The dwarf captain on the battlement narrowed his eyes, carefully identifying the authenticity of the badge.

"Well, this is indeed the insignia of Mahakam. Lads, stand down."

Soon, the city gate opened.

More than twenty dwarves stood on both sides.

The leading dwarf nodded at Istrade.

"Outsiders, you may pass."

Istrade thanked him.

Then he shouted to the team behind him.

"Captain of the guard, go and take down a barrel of Mahakam liquor from the second-to-last carriage."

The leading dwarf quickly waved his hand: "Stop, we don't accept bribes."

Istrade said with a smile.

"This isn't a bribe, but a token of my appreciation. You've all been working hard on duty here, and there's nothing wrong with having a drink when you have some free time."

"I believe that even if Great Elder Broval knew, he would understand you all."

(End of this chapter)