Thus, Lynn's own idea was to have these elves become his subordinates.

These elves had just narrowly escaped death, and their gratitude towards him was immense.

The continent was vast, but in truth, they had nowhere to go.

This era was quite xenophobic.

Aside from major cities like Novigrad, most towns and villages would not casually accept outsiders settling in.

Even other elven settlements within Kaedwen might not be able to accommodate them.

And these homeless individuals, with a little cultivation, would undoubtedly be fiercely loyal.

Not just loyalty, Lynn also valued their potential for development.

Elves, dwarves, and gnomes were all long-lived races.

It's often said that diligence can compensate for clumsiness, and practice makes perfect.

If a lesson isn't understood after one listen, then after ten or eight listens, there will surely be some progress.

Elves lived three times longer than humans, so theoretically, when elves still ruled the continent, they should have been able to field massive standing armies with ease.

After all, even following human militia training methods—farming during peacetime and undergoing military training during off-seasons—training for decades or even a century would be equivalent to producing a large number of professional soldiers who didn't engage in production, wouldn't it?

Yet, the number of elven standing soldiers was far lower than humans imagined, and they couldn't unleash the mobilization capability of "squeezing them dry."

Ultimately, the elves, who had dominated the continent for nearly twenty centuries, were defeated by humans, and their remnants were forced to integrate into human society.

Aside from the well-known fact that humans reproduced prolifically and defeated elves through sheer numbers, there was another lesser-known factor: the elven Varna system.

This was the most typical and rigid caste system. Its initial purpose was to ensure a certain number of individuals for each profession within elven nations.

However, as time went on, it became fixed and rigid, serving the needs of the rulers and evolving into a strict hierarchical system.

Although elves had long lifespans, their fertile age was very brief, resulting in much weaker reproductive capabilities than humans.

Furthermore, due to the Varna system, only children born to "warriors" could become warriors; children born to "serfs" remained serfs.

And if a serf's child was discovered secretly practicing swordplay, they would face extremely severe punishment.

Even after humans landed on the continent, and even when elven nations were at war with humans, they still rigidly clung to the belief that ancestral laws could not be changed.

It wasn't until the late stages of the war that enlightened elven sages finally felt the Varna system should be abandoned in favor of a universal conscription policy, where every elven commoner would take up arms to defend their homeland.

Alas, by then, it was too late.

Lynn was currently in dire need of manpower.

He had entrusted his funds to Dudu, and in just a few months, Dudu had already multiplied those funds several times over.

If Dudu continued this, he would undoubtedly grow his business to immense proportions and achieve new heights of glory.

But with greater business comes greater risks.

In Lynn's home world, even with sound laws and excellent public security, there were frequent news reports of wealthy individuals being kidnapped, let alone in this world.

Currently, Dudu was only in the initial stages. In time, people would certainly start targeting his business.

The Syndicate and Roche could secretly protect Dudu, but Lynn felt that Dudu should also be allocated some dedicated private guards.

And these elven commoners, he believed, were the best candidates.

The rest of the journey was smooth, with no further incidents.

After traveling northeast for over half a month, a rushing river, carving out a deep bed, came into view.

This was the River of White Stone.

It originated in the central valley of the Blue Mountains, where it was merely a wide, shallow stream in its upper reaches.

But once it entered the Kingdom of Kaedwen, its middle reaches, the River of White Stone became the impassable chasm it now was.

And reaching the River of White Stone meant they were not far from the depths of the Blue Mountains, where Kaer Morhen was located.

In fact, before reaching the River of White Stone, they had already spotted the towering, snow-capped blue mountain range.

Next, the group continued their journey along the River of White Stone.

Heading towards the Blue Mountains, after several days, they passed through valleys and forests, climbing a semicircular slope. Finally, they saw a magnificent castle nestled against a steep rock face.

"Is that Kaer Morhen?"

Berengar rubbed his eyes, his face etched with disbelief.

The reactions of the others were similar to Berengar's.

And Letho's trio, along with George of the School of the Griffin, were even more incredulous.

One group's school stronghold had been conquered by the Nilfgaardian army, leaving them homeless and forced into exile;

The other's stronghold had been buried by an avalanche magically triggered by greedy sorcerers, leaving the School of the Griffin's castle a ruin.

Before coming to Kaer Morhen, they had heard of the Kaer Morhen massacre, which had occurred many years ago. Although the attackers abandoned the castle shortly after taking it, they still believed the School of the Wolf was merely guarding a ruin.

Who would have thought it was still such an imposing fortress?

Of the entire group, only Lynn smiled, showing no surprise.

"Looks like Yarpen and Zoltan did good work."

Needless to say, the castle's current state was certainly thanks to the dwarves he'd found in Novigrad last year.

Despite their short stature, dwarves were sturdy and powerful, possessing greater strength than humans, and were more skilled in stonework and construction. Thus, the efficiency of one dwarven worker was often several times that of an ordinary human worker.

And then there was Vesemir, the elder who had lived since the time of the old Order, who had personally watched Kaer Morhen being built brick by brick.

With him in command, the dwarves' construction efficiency was naturally even higher.

"Come on, let's go inside."

Lynn nudged his horse forward, leading the way, and was the first to cross the newly planked drawbridge and enter the castle.

Vesemir was in the stable, feeding the horses.

"Master Vesemir."

"Vesemir."

Lynn and Geralt spoke simultaneously.

Both dismounted and ran over.

"Lynn, Geralt."

The old witcher smiled as he saw the two at the front of the group.

He brushed the hay from his hands and came to meet them.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Lynn noticed several horses in the stable.

He couldn't help but ask, "Master, have Eskel and Lambert returned already?"

.....

For advanced chapters:

Get early access to 120 advanced chapters before anyone else!

Join now: Patreon com/Chaos_God