Witcher's Atelier

When Victor approached Sylvester, he just completed a deal and turned to face the boy with satisfaction.

"Hello, sir, is there anything I can do for you?" As the businessman was talking, Victor found that his belt looked pretty good. "

He took out the reward list and waved it, "Let me ask about this case. Do you really have a little devil causing trouble? Couldn't the notice be written by a little devil?"

Sylvester looked Victor up and down. Today he was wearing a Van Helsing suit inlaid with armor pieces. He looked domineering and free-spirited. His hair was slightly arranged and tied into a ponytail. He wore sunglasses on his face. Four scars were clearly visible, plus the ones on his back. Carrying two swords.

His eyes confirmed that he is a reliable person.

He nodded in greeting, "Don't be kidding, Master Demon Hunter. Of course I know that little devils only exist in fairy tales, but I saw it stealing things from my stall with my own eyes!"

"What did the little devil steal from you?" - Try to keep your questions short.

"The first time it was bread, and then he stole fish and apples. They were all small things, but cumulatively they cost me a lot of money! And it wasn't just me, he stole things from every stall in the square!"

“Okay, what does this little devil look like?”—in a sophisticated tone.

"It looks like a very fierce and fat cat, very big, about as high as my waist, and he only walks on his hind legs!

How about it? Are you willing to teach him a lesson with your silver sword? "

"If you pay enough, of course I will help you, but you have to know that the number of witchers is getting smaller and smaller, and the demand is high and the supply is low. I have to choose before I take the case now." - Show that you care. The look of money.

Sylvester was a man of few ruthless words. He made a fist with his left hand and his right hand. This gesture meant two hundred kronor, which could be converted into four hundred oren or six hundred ducats. As expected of Novigrad, the starting price was Extraordinary.

The expressionless Victor gestured with his left hand for three and his right for five, and immediately counter-offered three hundred and fifty kronor. Prosperous places provide high-quality services, and high-quality services require high-end prices.

"So high? You are kidding, sir. There is no way I would pay this price for the little devil." The businessman couldn't help but complain.

Raising his eyebrows, Victor made a fist with his left hand and his right hand.

The businessman shook his head and rejected it again, "It's a bit too high, but we are almost at an agreement."

Frowning, Victor made a firm three sign with his left hand and kept a fist with his right hand. The businessman's belt was inlaid with silver. He believed that three hundred crowns would not break his muscles and bones. Besides, he was not alone. There were others in the market. Vendors will definitely give subsidies.

What Novigrad residents are good at is not the shameless tricks of Lindenville villagers. They have their own way of bargaining that belongs to big city residents.

Sylvester's face darkened and he said displeasedly: "Time is money, Master Demon Hunter. You are simply wasting time and squandering money! Accept the price I offer - two hundred and fifty crowns, or I will go Hire someone else!”

Looking at the proud look of the businessman, Victor shook off the reward in his hand and said, "It's a bit old. I believe this notice has been posted for a while. I wish you the best. I hope someone with low fees will appear soon, and the price difference will be enough to make up for your time." Loss."

After speaking, Victor turned and left.

"Master, please wait a moment." The moment he spoke, the businessman admitted that he had lost, and the other party saw through his bluff.

Now even if the price is too high, you can only let the other party blackmail you, but that's what negotiation is all about, you lose and you win.

Sylvester's tone changed from arrogant to humble, "We have reached an agreement on three hundred crowns. Your negotiation skills are really amazing. I hope your 'silver sword' is as sharp as your tongue."

"Three hundred and fifty crowns, you'll see."

"I thought you just said three hundred."

"Time is money." Victor spread his hands and showed an indifferent smile.

"It's a deal, but you have to resolve this matter once and for all."

"Relax, I'll help you, as the old saying goes...Small businesses are the cornerstone of economic growth."

"Thank you, Master Demon Hunter. I don't know if it's useful to talk about this, but the last time I saw the little devil, he jumped over the wall and ran into the passage on the right... He also had several items of my goods in his hand. ”

In the world of demon hunting, "promises" are not absolute, but few people will deliberately break them. There are also religious factors involved, especially in areas where the influence of "Eternal Fire" radiates, and the principle of trust prevails in the hearts of most people. .

After reaching an agreement, Victor climbed over the fence, landed and inspected carefully. The businessman was right. The footprints really looked like a cat, but they couldn't be so huge, and they only walked on two feet.

Although most areas of the city are paved with stone slabs, there are still many alleys made of dirt. Among the messy footprints, the witcher apprentice was lucky enough to identify those belonging to the little devil.

Following the traces along the way, Victor soon... completely lost the pursuit...

After all, he is not a real witcher, he does not have extraordinary five senses, and he has not received professional training.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter if you can't track it. The waist-high upright fat cat does not exist in any monster illustrations, but there is a creature that can transform into a little devil - a shapeshifter.

…

"A shapeshifter is a creature that can change its appearance at will." As he spoke, Victor continued to stir the cauldron.

"Humans have many different names for 'morphlings'. Demon hunters tend to call them mimics, while ordinary people will call them shapechangers, doppelgangers, mimics, etc. Most shapeshifters hate these names. That’s what they call themselves.”

Angouleme held a glass of Redania beer: "I thought shapeshifters were a legend, only in the eyes of drunk people on the street, or in the eyes of fools who smoked too much weed powder in dark alleys."

"No, they are real. It's just that humans have carried out large-scale hunting of shapeshifters, resulting in a sharp decline in their numbers. In fact, they are not monsters, but humanoid creatures with good nature, and rarely harm others maliciously."

"Then why do the stories say that they will secretly kill people and replace the original owners and sneak into the city life?"

"If humanoids had a choice, they would certainly want to live in the city instead of living in the wild and drinking blood. Their mistake is that their transformation talents are too powerful, and they can be mistaken for real ones.

When the degree of mimicry threatens individual uniqueness and identity, humans naturally hate shape-shifters and use various excuses to explain the necessity of destroying them. "

At this point, the seven-colored light from the completed alchemy shone, and Victor took out the newly completed "Metamorph Detection Set" from the cauldron.

Angoulin stared at the suit suspiciously, "According to what you said, if the shapeshifter's 'mimic' is so powerful, we won't be able to catch him at all. Is this suit really enough?"

Victor said with a smile: "If I were a witcher, I could chase him to the ends of the earth with my extraordinary five senses, but unfortunately I am not. I couldn't tell the difference even before I knocked him out of his original shape with a silver rod.

But we, the Phantom Troupe, have our own unique methods. "

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