I'm not a Witcher anymore.

After those words were spoken, the room immediately fell silent.

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, and even Hill paused his fingertips as he rubbed the glass.

Valeria, however, did not respond immediately.

She fixed her gaze on Zieg, as if reviewing Ravenna's words again and comparing them to the man before her. Once she had weighed the options in her mind, she finally spoke:

"So, you're not only good with a bow."

Zieg met her gaze, his tone remaining calm.

"It's enough."

Ravenna almost burst out laughing when she heard that.

"See, I told you so. That's just how he is; when you really ask him, he always only says half the story."

Lucy took a soft breath, slowly suppressing her surprise.

She had been sitting quietly, but now she couldn't help but raise her eyes and look at Zieg, her eyes lighting up with the curiosity that had been hidden there.

"Ravenna was in such a hurry to bring her here..."

Her voice wasn't loud, and she seemed a little embarrassed halfway through her sentence, but she still carefully finished what she was saying.

"It seems we've really found the right person this time."

Valeria scrutinized Sieg for a few seconds, made her judgment, and then straightened out her leather-wrapped right hand.

"Welcome to the team, Zig."

Zieg reached out and shook her hand.

The palms felt slightly cool when they touched, but the force was steady.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Valeria withdrew her hand, took a leather map tube from the table, unfastened the strap, pulled out a neatly folded sheepskin map, and slowly spread it out on the table.

That wasn't a rough sketch used to cover the journey.

The border town, the surrounding woodlands, the mountain ranges, the water sources and roads, and even a few scattered villages are all clearly marked.

The base map itself was already detailed enough, and there were a few charcoal marks added to the corners, which were obviously added by her later.

She pressed down on the corner of the paper, and the point of contact landed on a small village marker southeast of the border town.

"This is Kawaki Village."

"The commissions we receive come from this place."

The light from the oil lamp shone on the map, a thin layer of warm light masking the old color of the parchment.

Valeria spoke calmly and clearly, indicating that she had already sorted out the whole matter before coming.

"It's a small village at the foot of the mountain, with a small population. They usually make a living by gathering mountain products and hunting. Recently, people who go into the mountains have started to have accidents one after another."

"At first, someone found footprints at the edge of the forest. Later, a hunter went missing. After that, even people who went to the stream to fetch water almost never returned."

"The village no longer dares to let anyone into the mountains, but if they don't go into the mountains, they can't survive."

She traced a section of the ridge on the map upwards and stopped closer to the mountains.

"So the village elders pooled together some money and asked the guild to send people to clear out the trouble on the mountain."

Zieg's attention remained focused on the diagram.

"What about the quantity?"

Valeria shook her head.

"The villagers dare not get too close; no one can say for sure."

"But given the frequency of incidents lately, there's bound to be more."

She looked at Zieg, her voice lowering slightly.

"At least one hundred."

Zieg's gaze did not leave.

"So, they didn't just gather here temporarily."

Valeria nodded, shifting her landing point half an inch deeper into the ridge, stopping on a shadow drawn with charcoal.

"This is not an ordinary nest."

"It is an abandoned old village."

She paused for a moment, then continued:

"That place was originally left behind by elves, but it has been abandoned for many years. The older people in the village only know that elves once lived in the mountains, but no one knows why they left later."

"However, the outline of the village is still there. The wooden walls and arrow towers still show their old appearance, and most of the old traps in the fields are still rotten."

The light flickered gently, brushing across the back of her hand.

"Now, those goblins have taken over that place."

Zieg stared at the ring of charcoal marks, his gaze momentarily fixed.

If it were just an ordinary nest in the mountains, the trouble would mostly lie in the secret passages, forks in the road, and cramped terrain; but since the other side occupied an abandoned old village, the situation was completely different.

This means there will be more.

This also means that they are no longer just scattered clusters, but have truly taken root there.

"Which way does the village gate face?"

Valeria is a little outside the mountain.

"south."

"The back of the mountain village is against a steep slope, with forests on both sides. The front is the easiest to walk through, but also the easiest to be exposed. The villagers have only dared to look at it from a distance a few times. They say that on a clear day, they can still vaguely see the wooden walls and the half-collapsed watchtower from the foot of the mountain."

Zig looked at the map and asked, "Is there a water source?"

"have."

This time, it was Hill who answered.

The elven woman finally put down her wine glass and tapped the edge of the map.

"There is a spring behind the mountain. In the old days, most of the spirits built a water channel to bring fresh water into the village."

She paused, then traced a half-inch down the mountainside with her fingertip.

"However, those old canals made of wood and stone have been abandoned for so many years, they must have collapsed long ago. If there is still water in the village, it will most likely be stored in the old reservoirs."

Then, Zieg asked a few more questions.

When was the last time someone was attacked? Were any villagers dragged away? How many paths lead into the mountains? Do the villagers know which one is closest to the old village?

Valeria answered quickly, clearly having already considered the request thoroughly.

After the map on the table and everything that needed to be said had been said, the private room fell silent. Zieg didn't ask any further questions, his meaning was clear—he had no further doubts.

Valeria pulled out a clean parchment from the side, took out a quill pen, and began to write.

She wrote very quickly.

The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a fine, crisp rustling sound. When she put down her pen, a list had already been drawn up.

Ravenna took the paper, glanced at it, and hissed.

Zieg glanced at it as well.

Ropes, torches, rations, grappling hooks, insect repellent, hemostatic medicine, spare arrows, tinder, and several items specifically designed to deal with wooden walls and barricades... line after line, almost everything imaginable was included.

This list is not short.

It didn't look like the kind of preparation one would expect for a typical clearing operation.

Zieg glanced at the pages, said nothing, but paused briefly on the few items that were marked separately.

Ravenna looked up and immediately understood.

She grinned, lowered her voice, and spoke with an air of mystery, as if she were talking about something everyone knew but didn't need to say outright.

"Don't worry about the captain's wallet."

"She comes from a very wealthy family."

Upon hearing this, Lucy lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she wanted to laugh but was holding it in.

Hill picked up his glass, and his lips twitched slightly.

Valeria's brow twitched.

"Ravenna."

Her voice was not loud.

Ravenna was prepared; she took a half-step back while holding the list, her smile undiminished.

"I'm just telling you the truth—"

Before the last word had even finished, Valeria had already grabbed a silver spoon from the table and thrown it at her.

Ravenna tilted her shoulder, her movement so nimble it seemed she had been waiting for this. The silver spoon grazed her sleeve, clattered against the doorframe, rolled to the floor, and spun halfway before coming to a stop.

"Stop talking nonsense. Go and get everything on the list done."

Valeria's tone became more somber.

Ravenna, however, was not intimidated at all. Holding the list, she smiled and agreed, then turned and ran out.

She yanked open the door to the private room, and her figure disappeared inside in the blink of an eye. The noise from outside the tavern rushed in through the crack in the door, only to be gradually blocked back in as the door closed again.

Valeria got up and walked over, bent down to pick up the silver spoon, put it back in its place, and then returned to the table to sit down again, smoothing out the protruding corner of the map.

"Meet at the east gate of town at daybreak tomorrow morning."

"Ravenna will take care of the wagons, rations, and other miscellaneous tasks along the way. You all check your equipment tonight, so you don't find anything missing when you get to the foot of the mountain."

Her gaze swept over the people at the table, and her tone became more composed.

"This isn't about wiping out a bunch of ordinary cave goblins."

"Once we enter Hemu Village, no one should rush to make any judgments before we have a clear understanding of the situation."

Hill responded with a low murmur.

Lucy instinctively sat up straighter and replied softly, "Understood."

Zig mentally reviewed her earlier words.

Riverwood Village, an abandoned old village, home to more than a hundred goblins.

In addition, there are wooden walls, arrow towers, and old traps that may not have been completely destroyed.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply got up and nodded slightly to Valeria.

"See you tomorrow morning then."

Valeria nodded in agreement.

See you tomorrow morning.

The moment the door to the private room was pushed open, the noise from outside rushed in.