Falsifying history is good business

Chapter 90: Encounter in Manada Valley
About two days later, Lin You and his party abandoned their ship and crossed the heartland of the Kingdom of Cintra and arrived at the Manada Valley. The east and south sides of the valley are surrounded by the towering Amer Mountains, and the overall terrain gradually decreases from southeast to northwest, so this area is also called the Manada Steps.

Because the Manada River flows through it, the valley road is relatively flat. It is also the only way to cross the Amer Mountains to the north and south, and it is also the most suitable road for large military operations.

About a year later, the Nilfgaardian army would win its first major victory since the outbreak of the Northern War in the Manada Valley; not only would it annihilate the main force of the Cintra Kingdom's army, but it would also kill Cintra's King Ister Tursek.

It can be said that the destiny of the Kingdom of Cintra ended in the Battle of Manada; the subsequent loss of the capital and the destruction of the entire territory were just a finale to the Battle of Manada.

It was after this battle that Geralt and Ciri each entered their already destined destiny.

Now, the writer who is determined to break his fate has arrived at the starting point of this turning point of fate first; there is no smoke of war in front of him, only a lively market and bustling crowds.

The so-called must-pass place often means that it is also a prosperous place for commerce; now that the shadow of war has not yet appeared, the trade route between the north and the south is also operating normally. At the junction of the valley and the mountainous area, a commercial town naturally formed.

Whether they are preparing to go south and cross the mountains, or have just come out of the mountains after a difficult journey, most travelers traveling from the south to the north will stop here to rest.

Under a big tree at the intersection, a bard was playing the piano and singing, seemingly telling the romantic love story of a nobleman.

“My dear, if you will stay with me;

My heart will ask your white hands if you will hold it;
Can I help my wandering heart find direction?

My dear, if you are willing to stay with me;
I will be gentle with you first, then ask if you want to have a good meal;
Cut me open?
We will sing with satisfaction;
My heart will ask your white hands if you will hold it;

Disembowel me?"

The poet's voice is delicate, and he sings the love of a passionate man for his lover in a gentle and deep way; the sound of the lute in his hand is melodious, and a long solo after the lyrics ends, like a timeless blank space, arousing reverie.

The outstanding performance won the audience's applause and also brought great benefits to the singer.

"Such an excellent singing voice and such beautiful poems are enough to be performed at any noble banquet." This is the evaluation of Gaunter O'Dimm.

As for Lin You, the more he looked at this bard, the more familiar he looked. The coquettish mustache under his lips, the flamboyant clothes that could not be concealed even by the dust, and the flirtatious eyes that kept flying towards the young women within his sight...

The more he looked at her, the more she resembled a well-known playboy - especially when her eyes suddenly lit up when she saw the tall, agile and capable Milva, which further dispelled the writer's doubts.

"Are you Mr. Dandelion? The most outstanding poet recognized by the northern kingdoms?" Lin You asked tentatively when the other party walked up to him.

The bard paused while collecting the money, then smiled and said, "Oh, young sir, you must have recognized the wrong person. Mr. Dandelion is an outstanding poet and excellent scholar. He is the idol of many bards, and of course my idol. But I am not him - although I really hope to be as outstanding as him."

Hearing the other party praising Dandelion so exaggeratedly, the writer knew that he had guessed right.

Just as Geralt and Zoltan, his old friends, would complain in the future: Dandelion loves himself the most. Only such an incurable narcissist would not forget to flatter himself even when he lies.

"It seems that I made a mistake." Lin You deliberately said something hurtful, "But I heard that Duke Raymond of Toussaint vowed to capture the famous poet some time ago, but he searched for several months but found nothing. I was thinking that if I met Dandelion, I would use him to exchange for a reward...Are you really not Mr. Dandelion?"

"Of course not!" The poet's voice became shrill due to nervousness, and there was no trace of the delicate and mellow voice he had when he was singing before. "I mean, I've been delayed for too long, and I should leave." "You're just going to abandon the little weasel in Toussaint and run back to the north alone?"

The poet trembled all over, and his voice was not only shrill, but also stuttered: "I... I don't know... Oh, what are you talking about... Little weasel... Is this a popular joke somewhere?"

He picked up his lute and prepared to leave the crowd.

As a result, two strong men wearing khaki hoods and soft leather armor suddenly stood out from the crowd and blocked the bard from the front and the back.

"Who are you...and what do you want to do?" the poet trembled.

"Like the kid said, we want to go to Toussaint to collect the reward." One of the hooded men said in a hoarse voice.

"I told you, he got the wrong guy. Don't listen to that kid's nonsense."

The poet was so frightened that he almost jumped up, but the other party stretched out his big hand and placed it on his shoulder, pressing him firmly in place without much effort.

"You can fool children, but you can't fool us." The voice of another hooded man was a little sharp. "In fact, you may not even have fooled children."

At this time, the three of them were very close, and the poet was able to see the hidden faces of the two hooded men and their unique pupils.

"You are demon hunters!" Even a voice that can sing beautiful poetry is not much better than others when screaming.

The crowd watching the excitement held their breath almost at the same time.

"Hey, I used to know a demon hunter, and we were very good friends. Really, I'm happy to be friends with a demon hunter." Dandelion, whose identity had been exposed, begged bitterly, playing the emotional card, "I know that demon hunters are heroes who slay demons and monsters. Why do you want to embarrass me? I'm not a monster!"

"First of all, demon hunters are not heroes, and no one in the world would consider demon hunters heroes." The hooded man with a sharp voice sneered, "Secondly, I don't know about other demon hunters, but my brothers and I, in addition to killing monsters, don't mind making some extra money."

Dandelion was about to cry. "Alas, I think you may have misunderstood something. Taking me to Toussaint won't bring much reward."

"No, you can't fool us. We just came from the south, so we know what the child said is true. We even know why the Duke wants to arrest you."

The hooded man with a hoarse voice was teasing the poet, and suddenly called out to the other side: "Hey, brother Reso, guess who we found? Maybe we can make a lot of money this time."

In the direction he was looking, a sturdy man with a bald head, thick neck, broad back and strong arms walked towards him; on his chest hung a pendant that was exactly the same as the one on the two hooded men.

"Viper School." The moment he saw the burly man appear, Lin You remembered the identities of these three people.

　This counts as the third update on the 1st, so I can brag to others that I update words a day, hahahahaha…

　　Old book friends who have been following since the last flopped book must know that every time I say that I will update later at night, I mean after two or three in the morning or even later. The implication is - don’t wait, read it when you get up tomorrow morning!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)