The next day, the warm morning sun shone equally on everyone.
Regarding what happened last night, whether it was the outskirts of Vizima or the peaceful and tranquil Ammonite Village, everyone remained oblivious.
Apart from those directly involved, no one knew that just last night, more than a dozen thugs from the Fire Salamander Gang lost their lives, and a highly respected Eternal Fire priest became a headless corpse.
Meanwhile, the kidnapped boys and girls, guided by someone, quietly made their way to the guard's command post and were successfully rescued.
They would soon be returned to their families, reuniting with their loved ones.
However, when Guilliman appeared at the entrance of Ammonite Village, riding a tall horse with the adorable elven girl Miko in his arms, it immediately caused a small stir.
Lady Ryanna, who had been waiting there day and night, rushed forward at the first moment, embracing her missing daughter. She cried tears of joy, and after exchanging a few whispered words, their foreheads pressed together as they comforted each other.
Valessa also quickly arrived at the village entrance. Seeing this touching scene, she thought of something, and her eyes reddened slightly.
During past Elven Wars, especially for pure-blood elven families like hers, countless individuals had died in battle, and many had lost their loved ones.
Perhaps it was this regret that made her particularly moved when she saw other families reunited.
The female elf slowly walked over to Guilliman.
First, she cast a surprised glance at Berengar, who stood behind Guilliman, looking weak, his left hand heavily bandaged, and a Wolf School Witcher medallion hanging on his chest. Then, she solemnly thanked him:
"Thank you, Guilliman."
"Thank you for saving Miko. Without you, it would have been very difficult for us to find her."
Guilliman chuckled, saying in a tone that was both slightly distant yet not lacking in intimacy:
"Witchers complete contracts and receive payment; that's been the rule since ancient times."
"And given our relationship, there's no need to be so formal."
"As long as it doesn't violate my principles, I am very willing to accept your commission."
His tone was flat, not like the sweet talk used to charm a girl, but Valessa was quite moved.
She stood on her tiptoes, disregarding the gossiping gazes of the surrounding villagers, and wrapped her arms directly around the Witcher's neck, kissing him on the corner of his mouth with her sweet-scented lips.
With the girl being so proactive, Guilliman, of course, felt even less burdened. He immediately wrapped his hands around her slender and firm waist, responding to the elven beauty's passion.
About ten seconds later, a slightly flushed Valessa released the Witcher, then asked as if changing the subject:
"Who is that gentleman behind you?"
"By the way, where is Lady Ryanna's husband, Mr. Scott? Did he not come back with you?"
Guilliman licked the corner of his mouth, savoring the moment. A unique rose fragrance made him feel quite pleased.
He turned his head to look at Berengar, nodded at the Witcher, and then introduced him:
"This is my friend, Mr. Berengar."
"He participated with me in the operation to rescue Miko last night, but he was rather unlucky and was seriously injured by a sorcerer's insidious magic."
"So, I hope he can recuperate in the village for a while."
"I can guarantee that he is definitely not a bad person and will not do anything to harm the village."
Valessa nodded upon hearing this. With Guilliman's guarantee and the fact that he was injured while saving someone, she naturally wouldn't object.
"As for Mr. Scott, he seemed to have gotten drunk last night."
"The situation was urgent, and to prevent any complications, I only had the innkeeper inform him of the matter."
"I presume he should be able to return by the afternoon."
After saying this, Guilliman, no longer wanting to endure the gossiping and ambiguous gazes of the surrounding villagers, reached out and took Valessa's hand, whispering in her ear:
"Many people are watching us. Let's go home first."
"I acquired some special things during this operation."
"I plan to sell them to you. I imagine you'll find them very useful."
...Upon arriving at Valessa's residence.
Berengar was arranged to rest in a house nearby.
Guilliman didn't waste words and no longer concealed the secret of his storage space.
He directly took out a large package, weighing about twenty kilograms, from it, placing it out of thin air in the hall.
"This is all anesthetic powder, which I found when I raided the enemy's stronghold."
"Valessa, I remember you also know a lot about herbalism."
"You should be well aware that although anesthetic powder is now classified as a prohibited drug, forbidden from public sale, and considered quite harmful."
"However, they are also a good medical supply. Used in small amounts to treat severe injuries, they are not addictive."
Before, having fought with those elven warriors in the forest for so long, the secret of his storage space had actually long been exposed, but no one had ever asked him about it.
Guilliman was, of course, aware of this, and it was precisely Valessa's respectful attitude towards his secrets that made him feel very comfortable staying in this village.
While explaining the effects of the anesthetic powder, he successively took out many smuggled items from his storage space that he didn't need but were very useful to ordinary people.
These were the spoils he had obtained when he cleared out the Fire Salamander Gang's stronghold earlier.
It must be said that the secret room, guarded for a long time by a sorcerer and more than a dozen Fire Salamander Gang members armed with hand crossbows, must have been a very important stronghold.
Not only were a large number of kidnapped children, ready to be sold, imprisoned there, but it also stored a large amount of smuggled goods.
The most valuable among them were hundreds of smuggled weapons, hundreds of hand crossbows, tens of thousands of crossbow bolts, and tens of kilograms of anesthetic powder.
The weapons, hand crossbows, and crossbow bolts were too bulky. He stored them in a hidden place only a dozen minutes away from the stronghold and did not bring them back.
As for the small smuggled items, such as anesthetic powder, he packed them all into his storage space.
Just one operation last night might have allowed him to seize several months, or even longer, of the Fire Salamander Gang's accumulated wealth, with a total value of at least ten thousand orens—a true windfall.
This made Guilliman himself begin to wonder.
Perhaps the moment he arrived in this world, due to the unique nature of his system cheat, he was noticed and favored by the legendary Goddess of Destiny.
That's why he, like Geralt and Ciri, the Child of Destiny, always encountered things that ordinary people would rarely experience in a lifetime.
And in many legendary tales, the Goddess of Destiny is the most powerful deity in the Witcher world.
She is omnipresent, formless and unseen, without even a name, yet she constantly influences the destiny of the entire world, perceives the past and future, and controls the world's direction.
The famous "Law of Surprise" is a direct manifestation of the power of destiny.
Many people who can influence the world's destiny at crucial junctures are often products of the Law of Surprise.
Mortals cannot glimpse destiny.
But some powerful spellcasters, some people favored by deities, some elves who call themselves sages and possess special powers.
They can more or less perceive the traces of destiny and deeply revere this power.