CHAPTER 372: CHAPTER 259: CONNECTED PAST_3

The Nun appeared somewhat embarrassed. "I will replenish supplies at the Church in town."

"Alright, I won’t bother you any longer." Geralt had fulfilled his duty, and their relationship wasn’t exactly cordial.

After leaving the inn, Geralt observed the town. Despite the eerie and ominous scenes outside, the atmosphere in the town showed no sign of gloom. On the contrary, it was sunny and upbeat, evident from the numerous construction projects that indicated the town’s prosperity.

Was all this brought about by that Lord?

But for him, this was not good news. As a Witcher, he could only thrive when there were monsters to be hunted.

His initial pursuit was motivated by the high reward, but now that the Wizard was dead, claiming it was out of the question.

Yet the materials consumed by constant battling, the maintenance of his weapons and armor, not to mention the precious Potions, all cost money. He desperately needed to take on some missions to replenish his depleted purse.

In such a peaceful environment, there seemed to be no threat from monsters, meaning no bounty missions, and hence no money. Small wonder he felt helpless.

Geralt’s attire still attracted some attention, as it had been a long time since any mercenaries had been seen in town. In the past, ordinary people were reluctant to get too involved with the unruly and mad mercenaries, as most of them were of all sorts and conditions. But now, there was only curiosity and no fear.

This was a kind of confidence!

After asking around a bit, Geralt headed directly for the Lord’s Mansion, planning to pay a visit before leaving. This place offered him no room to subsist.

Having frequented the castles of Nobility and palaces of kings, the ordinary nature of this place didn’t seem to match the Lord’s formidable power. He couldn’t help but grow curious about this place, about this Lord.

"You’re leaving?" Lance looked at the Witcher before him. "Aren’t your wounds still healing? Or is there something about Hamlet that makes you uncomfortable?"

Geralt could only express his situation with a sense of resignation—he needed bounty money, but it was evident there were no suitable missions for his skills here. Surely he wasn’t expected to do menial labor?

Hearing this, a faint smile played across Lance’s face as he understood.

As a ruler, he had never had much affection for mercenaries.

What are mercenaries? Put simply, they are the belligerent riffraff of the streets, motivated by profit, often engaging in illegal acts thanks to their brute strength. Of course, one shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush. Among them could be characters with a grain of decency, but at the very least, they were no good for the security of Hamlet. Firstly, the mere existence of mercenaries is due to a dereliction of duty by the rulers, necessitating their presence to fill the void. On a larger scale, the Empire requires the Church to control the countryside, with its own authority only extending to the cities. On a smaller scale, within the cities, the municipal powers can only maintain surface control, and street areas still require the assistance of Gangs. The logic is the same. And the solution is simple. If rulers can fulfill their basic responsibilities and establish a stable environment governed by laws, then the so-called Church, Gangs, and mercenaries, lacking a breeding ground, will naturally disappear. It’s like a clean place where cockroaches cannot survive because there are no food scraps to feed on. If they do not disappear, they are not ordinary cockroaches and must be dealt with harshly! The current situation in Hamlet has already proven this. Without mercenaries, the Church, or Gangs, the town still operates just fine.

But Lance had no intention of completely eradicating the industry. Instead, he aimed to weed out the trash and retain those with real capabilities.

Their existence is still reasonable, after all. There are always some matters not suitable for me to handle personally.

"Actually, I do have a bounty to offer; I’m just not sure if you’re interested," Lance said, a meaningful smile on his face as he looked at Geralt.

"What is it?"

"There’s an evil cult organization called the Ascension Sect that’s active around Hamlet. Not long ago, I led troops to eradicate one of their camps, but we discovered there are several more camps within the wilderness. Your tracking skills are quite good. If you can locate the exact positions of these camps, you don’t need to engage them, just guide us there. For each camp you find, I’ll give you ten Gold Coins."

Lance himself didn’t know how many camps there really were or their exact locations. Moreover, he couldn’t afford to waste time on this, as Hamlet needed his management, and he couldn’t be out gallivanting every day. So, someone was needed to find and confirm the locations of these camps, after which he would lead troops to eradicate them.

And Geralt was a very suitable candidate—great tracking ability, extraordinary power, specialized in dealing with monsters, and capable of surviving in the wilderness.

"If you take the job, I will give you the information and details. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Geralt was somewhat tempted. His past missions had mainly involved slaying monsters and selling their materials. Bounties were usually just an extra, especially in smaller towns and villages that offered even less reward; for him, they were more like clues to monsters’ whereabouts. However, battling monsters required much effort, and sometimes he might come away from an adventure with nothing to show for it, just like this time.

But this time, he could earn ten Gold Coins just for finding the camps. If he were lucky, it might not even involve combat, which would mean no losses and no maintenance costs.