Bear School Astartes

Using a sorrowful atmosphere as a backdrop for the protagonist’s final effort to turn the tide, followed by some popular amorous and suggestive interludes after the intense and serious war scenes...

It’s undeniable, Dandelion is quite unorthodox, but his business acumen matches his reputation.

Under his emotional control, the audience was captivated throughout the entire play, with no time to be distracted.

Finally, the scenes he arranged unfolded one by one, completing the comedic tone of the play.

A humorous and joyful atmosphere gradually enveloped the entire venue.

Occasionally, bursts of laughter erupted from below the stage, along with cheers of approval.

As the play neared its end, all the audience members watched with satisfaction and high spirits.

Accompanied by the melodious music representing the end and victory of the war, all actors took the stage to bow and thank the audience below.

The audience gave a warm response.

Usually, this would be the curtain call for the performance.

But today was noticeably uncommon.

Dandelion emerged from backstage and stepped to the front of the actors.

His steps were as usual, lively, confident, and slightly erratic. He raised his right hand to wave at the audience below and flashed a lovable smile towards a girl in the front row.

”Thank you all for your support, thank you!”

The Minstrel’s singing skills made his voice as resonant as any actor on stage.

”The play is over, but the emotions that art brings are always profound and lasting. At the beginning of today’s show, I heard many people questioning whether our protagonist is indeed that Ebola Riza.”

”Is it that this small troupe can’t afford such a good actor, but still wants the actor’s fame, so they let just any person perform while wearing a hooded cloak, without showing their face throughout?”

Whistles and jeers came from below the stage.

Indeed, the tall, cloaked male lead never revealed his face, and his stature was truly striking.

Though this unconventional performance style—with Dandelion’s masterful storytelling—didn’t feel out of place, it drew more attention.

Now, explaining it after the show is certainly a good idea.

Dandelion stepped aside and extended his arm, inviting the male lead who had been standing in line with the other actors to step forward.

The shadow beneath his hood unusually covered his entire face.

The male lead first surveyed his surroundings, then suddenly lifted his cloak!

A loud rustling sound as if of fabric flipping.

Just like a magic trick, the previously towering figure of around two meters and fifty or sixty suddenly emerged as the cloak was lifted.

Inside wasn’t a giant at all!

The cloak, which seemed filled by his stature, suddenly became empty and wide, held in the hand by the normally proportioned Ebola Riza.

”Wow~”

The scene like a magic spectacle made the audience below exclaim in surprise.

Originally here to watch a play, only to be treated to a magic show as well?

The children in the audience squirmed in excitement as if itchy all over.

Even the Skellige sailors brought by Geralt to maintain order couldn’t help but lean forward from their usual wall-leaning stance, finding it fresh and interesting.

The actor handed the cloak to Dandelion, and he himself stepped back again.

”This is an Alchemy Cloak, without a doubt, imbued with magic!”

Dandelion held the wide fabric with both hands, like a street vendor with a flair for showmanship, walking back and forth on stage, showcasing the product.

Dandelion’s words stirred a small wave among the audience.

This place is the headquarters and birthplace of the Eternal Flame Faction, whose teachings have become increasingly extreme over time. Though they don’t dare challenge the powerful and influential Wizard community, when it comes to the concept of magic...

Among the vast countryside and ignorant peasants, strange and terrifying rumors of magic persist, embodying resistance to magic that aids the expansion of the Eternal Fire belief.

But these ripples soon disappeared into thin air.

After all, Novigrad is undoubtedly a big city. People here may not have encountered magical items, but they should have heard of or seen them.

You couldn’t have never passed by the bank entrance even once, right?

That door is imbued with magic.

So overall, the people of Novigrad surprisingly have quite a high level of acceptance for magic.

And even if not high, it doesn’t matter.

Lann watched Dandelion on stage, deftly wielding the cloak with a genuine feeling that this guy is truly a master of persuasion.

As if to dispel the audience’s last bit of resistance, Dandelion ’whoosh’ put the Alchemy Cloak on himself.

Suddenly, the poet, who was only about one meter seventy to almost one meter eighty, entirely filled the contours of the wide fabric under the cloak.

The feet and shoes exposed beneath the cloak also enlarged proportionally.

At first glance, he really looked like a two and a half meter Little Giant.

He put it on and took it off several times, and the audience’s initial resistance was numbed and desensitized by the frequent changes in his appearance.

Only then did Dandelion continue speaking.

His impeccable timing control was comparable to that of a modern-day e-commerce livestream host.

Even though it was his first time selling goods, Dandelion effortlessly exuded an air of confidence.

Talent is truly beyond reasoning.

”It’s just a little trick, an illusion to fool the eyes.”

Dandelion smiled, patting the cloak that was once again taken off, and displayed it to the crowd.

”But friends, do you want to stand out in a sea of people?”

”Do you want the heroic stature of a giant, allowing you to dwarf others in both height and demeanor?”

”Outstanding! Muscular and mighty! Mystical and profound!”

Dandelion’s voice grew louder with each sentence, stirring the interest of the audience below.

”Just by wearing it, you’ll instantaneously transform into a figure so tall and strong that you can face any challenge with excellence!”

”Then!” someone hastily shouted from the audience below, ”Where can such an amazing item be purchased?”

Seated obediently below, Lann turned around in surprise, sharing the same expression as Geralt.

It wasn’t their planted shill who asked the crucial question, but rather one of the sailors from the Skellige Islands that Geralt had brought from the dock.

The sailor spoke with a distinctive island accent — cold, assertive, yet filled with a strong desire to shop.

From a merchant’s perspective, as long as there is that final bit of buying intent, the previous tone is a nonissue.

”Buy? Not so fast! Sir, please come up here, and let me give you a free trial!”

The Skellige sailor, not hesitating in the slightest, quickly leaped onto the stage and donned the cloak.

The fabric instantly puffed out, defining the sailor’s imposing silhouette.

But this sailor, after putting it on, occasionally stretched out his legs and bounced around.

”Oh? Quite a quick thinker,”

Lann watched the Skellige sailor’s actions with interest and commented.

Ordinary people might buy this cloak to bolster their courage, to appear formidable, or just to look cool after hearing Lann’s tales.

But the sailor’s movements were clearly preparatory offensive maneuvers.

”Indeed,” Geralt nodded in agreement beside him, ”His brain works rather quickly.”

Although the Alchemy Cloak doesn’t actually enlarge the wearer’s body, it does project a simple illusion.

In combat, correctly judging an opponent’s stature and distance is a crucial factor.

Lann enjoyed flaunting his skills when facing less formidable foes, a mix of showing off and habit.

The way he showed off was often by narrowly dodging at the edge of an opponent’s attack range.

Lann admitted it was a mischievous pleasure.

But it brought him joy.

When confronting seasoned warriors, they would realize after seeing Lann’s dodge that his spatial awareness in battle was such that no matter how tirelessly they swung, they wouldn’t be able to touch him.

Like teasing a child.

But mastering such spatial awareness in battle is beyond ordinary people’s dreams.

Yet with this cloak that possesses a simple magic illusion... I may struggle to measure my enemy’s distance and form, but I can certainly make it harder for the enemy to measure mine!

Wouldn’t that make me stronger relative to my adversary?!

Others aimed for aesthetic appeal, but this Skellige sailor pursued combat advantages.

Ships and sailors from the Skellige Islands might turn pirate at any moment on the high seas, making combat needs synonymous with survival needs, naturally intensifying their buying urgency.

”What’s the price for this thing?”

Behaving within the city’s decorum, the Skellige sailor handed back the cloak but tugged at one corner and asked Dandelion.

”No rush, brave warrior of Skellige!”

Dandelion confidently handled the situation.

He pulled the cloak toward the Skellige sailor, letting him join in facing the audience.

”Not fifty-seven crowns! Not thirty-seven crowns! Not even twenty-seven crowns!”

”Just seventeen crowns! Seventeen crowns for a ready-made cloak! If you have your own cloak that you are satisfied with, you can purchase the Alchemy Potion, just soak the cloak at home, and you’re good to go!”

”The address is over at the old Fountain Square in the Novigrad Biz District, at that iconic tailoring shop! Only three hundred items in the first batch, first come, first served!”

The audience buzzed with excitement, their murmurs buzzing like swarming mosquitoes.

But to Dandelion, the sound was music to his ears because... like every broadcast seller, Lann was giving him a commission!

The buzzing murmurs underneath were all money!