Bear School Astartes

Veltrest was bleeding money.

This fund was certainly not approved easily, but he never mentioned it during his meetings with Lann.

This is the way of smart people.

He also understood Lann’s personality.

Lann looked at the ledger in his hand and smiled.

”It seems, the Knight Order’s treasury should still have a surplus of about fifty thousand Oren Coins now.”

Lann’s fingers lightly tapped on the ledger.

Not only was Veltrest injecting funds into the Knight Order, but Airetusa had also always provided support.

All of this together amounted to a significant sum.

Even after deducting the operational and maintenance costs of the Knight Order, it would still be easy to spare fifty thousand Oren Coins.

”I now need to allocate thirty-two thousand Oren Coins from the surplus, would it affect the Knight Order?”

Lann looked up to inquire Lincoln and Stuart.

With Lann having traversed the Autumn Convergence crevice once again, Lincoln had grown quite a bit and now had a hint of soft, immature mustache on his lip.

It seemed he wanted to appear more mature at his not yet eighteen years.

Thinking for a moment, he confidently and decisively responded.

”Sir, no problem at all. It’s just that the nearby projects will need an extension of the timeline. My brothers and I have long stopped pursuing material pleasures, so there is ample surplus. If you need it, these resources rightfully belong to you.”

”Thank you, Lincoln.” Lann first scratched his chin a bit awkwardly, then spoke solemnly.

”And thank you to all the brothers in the Knight Order. But it is just a loan, I’ll repay the funds as soon as the situation is stable.”

”I established ’Embers’, but will never use it to exploit anyone.”

”All of us firmly believe in you, Sir.”

Lincoln bowed slightly to Lann with both hands behind his back.

Subsequently, Lann handed over his bank account to Lincoln for him to deposit the funds.

Thus, the potential risk of the industries facing a broken financial chain was objectively addressed for Lann.

The reason it’s said to be ’objectively’ is because subjectively, Lann never viewed the Knight Order’s operational funds as his own property.

He promised to repay, and he certainly would.

Only repaying the Knight Order’s funds was not as urgent as a broken financial chain.

”Alright, that was the easy discussion.”

Once the arrangement for the huge sum of thirty-two thousand Oren was finished, Lann’s expression suddenly turned serious.

Before this, despite some awkwardness, the overall atmosphere was still mainly relaxed.

Geralt, who was leaning against the wall nearby, looked at Lann unexpectedly.

Before coming here, he hadn’t mentioned there was anything else.

However, Lincoln and Stuart seemed to have anticipated this, their expressions remained unchanged and calm.

The plush ball sitting on a small chair beside Lann also let out a puzzled ’meow’, then its gaze flickered between the two people opposite and its boss.

”You all...” Lann’s eyes squinted slightly, ”haven’t given up the idea of undergoing the Grass Trial, have you?”

Upon hearing the familiar and chilling term, Geralt’s body instinctively straightened, his relaxed stance against the wall turned upright.

The old Demon Hunter’s feline eyes glanced at the two Knights in front.

The disbelief in his gaze was abundantly clear.

Why would anyone wish to undergo the Grass Trial? Isn’t slitting your own throat more straightforward?

But the reaction from the two opposite told Geralt: yes, they yearned for what even Demon Hunters avoided—the ’torture’.

Lincoln pressed his lips, the soft, immature mustache on them also quivering.

Stuart remained as cold and determined as ever, like the steel part on the notch of his jawline.

As always, the Embers Knight Order was the first armed force Lann built with his own hands.

Although in [Memory Deep Dive], Lann directed the war of Extinct Star from his perspective, with unrivaled interstellar battleships and thousands of Superman Warriors.

But those were memories of an observer, nothing more.

The ’Embers’ were the first team he personally organized and directed. He felt proud of these Sintra men for reaching this point.

Nonetheless, while they venerated him like a deity, this sense of autonomy also made him feel vexed.

Evidently, even though Lann repeatedly decreed ’the Grass Trial is a dangerous and unethical operation,’ these knights still wanted to risk it to enhance themselves and keep up with Lann.

They even desired to undergo the ’trial.’

Lann’s power, as of today, had reached an indefinable extent.

But during the Northern War, merely the glint in his eyes after a battle on the battlefield was enough to terrify Niflgaard’s veteran soldiers.

Even just passing by those Niflgaard troops could trigger their ’Superman Phobia.’

Limb weakness, mental confusion...

Yet now, he looked seriously at the mere two Knights opposite.

Those Knights unwaveringly met his gaze, sweat beading on their foreheads yet their bodies remained still.

Stubborn as rocks.

Though Stuart was older than Lann, Lann felt—

They resembled him.

That determined to stubborn gaze, he must have worn the same expression when Terry advised him in Vizima not to cause trouble.

Thought of it, decided on it, then carry it out relentlessly.

Lann held his serious gaze on them for nearly a minute, and the beads of sweat had gathered at their chins.

But in the end, no one conceded.

”You... go outside first.”

In the end, Lann shook his head and told them.

The two Ember Knights breathed a big sigh of relief and then walked out.

”This is the headache I’m facing, Geralt.”

Sitting on the large chair, Lann propped his chin and said.

”They are fixated on the trial of grasses to keep up with my combat intensity.”

”Alas, the battle of Sodden Mountain stimulated them.”

”But the knowledge of Demon Hunter transformation cannot be passed on.” Geralt stood by the wall and reminded Lann calmly.

”This is the message you brought to Ker Morhan, remember?”

”I certainly remember. I don’t covet to make my Knight Order a group of Demon Hunters, you’re well aware.”

Lann responded to Geralt’s questioning with a helpless voice.

Geralt nodded silently.

He himself was a Demon Hunter, so he knew better how abnormal Lann’s performance was at the time, even for the Demon Hunter community.

His combat intensity was not within the normal range at all.

So whether out of trust or something else, Geralt did not believe Lann would spread the trial of grasses within his Knight Order.

”But... Stuart.”

Yet, Geralt then struggled to utter a name.

Stuart Lynne, son of Hacksaw Lyn.

The torture and pain he suffered in the war, his persistence and toughness, were well-known among them.

And more importantly... whether it was Geralt, Lann, or even all the people who survived in the original refugee group.

Dandelion, Ged, Ciri, they all felt that they owed Hacksaw a debt.

A huge debt paid with many lives.

Stuart himself never spoke of these things, but his silence didn’t mean Lann and the others felt they could forget.

”Only him...” Lann pinched his forehead in distress, ”I just can’t refuse his request.”

”He will still insist on fighting, but that body is just a step away from being disabled, entering the battlefield is asking for death. Unless...”

Unless he becomes a Demon Hunter, and the body altered after the transformation is not only stronger, but can also undergo more surgeries to correct the disabled body through crystal cultivation technology.

Geralt opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.

”The trial of grasses is too dangerous, not just the success rate, but also the waves caused after succeeding. You understand, Lann.”

In the end, he only said these words.

”You have the same old problem, Geralt.” Lann shook his head and smiled quietly, ”When faced with a dilemma, you first think of not choosing, trying to have it both ways. As if in the end, you can really not choose.”

Geralt kept his head down and remained silent.

Yennefer had split up and reconciled with him many times because of this trait.

But this hesitance and entanglement between choices in difficult situations also stemmed from his inherently kind nature.

”I will try to improve the trial of grasses.”

In the end, Lann had to make the decision himself.

”Then, what about those watching you and your Knight Order? When they see this path does work, then...”

Geralt said with a frown.

But when he looked up, what he saw were Lann’s eyes.

Eyes without any hesitation.

”And then?” The young Demon Hunter’s lips slightly curled up, but there was no smile in his eyes.

”By that time, I think whether it’s the situation or my strength and influence, it should be enough to handle these matters.”

Seeing this, Geralt relaxed a lot, ”Well, that would be even better.”

-----------------

They didn’t stay too long at High Hill Castle.

Lann came mainly to transfer the urgently needed thirty-two thousand Oren Coins to the account.

And took the chance to take a look at the castle that now belonged to him, a place he was visiting for the first time since Veltrest had given it away.

After all, he had a lot to deal with.

After descending from the mountain, he had to head north from southern Velen, toward the border of Redania and Temeria.

The two countries divided north and south with the naturally directional flow of the Ponta River.

Novigrad was located at the border of the two countries, on the side near Redania, at the delta of the Ponta River’s estuary.

It was nominally the freedom city belonging to Redania.

Northern people often said ’Novigrad is the capital of the world.’

The city possessed astonishing wealth, influence, and strategic position.

Thus, in the north, if business hasn’t reached Novigrad, no one would think you’re doing big trade.

Nor would anyone consider you a successful merchant.

So when Geralt said that the shapeshifter named Dudu had businesses in Novigrad, suitable to become Lann’s asset manager, Lann found it reasonable.

However, the city’s prosperity was ultimately limited to its vicinity, and the journey from Velen to Novigrad was still filled with poor mountains and bad waters.

So even with a Demon Hunter, plus an ’big guy’ whose odd frame was noticeable even with the hood on, trouble still came knocking.