Inside the washroom.
Guilliman's eyes were closed, his body trembling slightly, and large beads of cold sweat streamed down his forehead and along his cheeks.
Although upgrading the Sign-type skills didn't inflict the same physical torment as upgrading the Swordsmanship-type skills, the mental stimulation was still considerable.
Especially since the [Aard Sign] primarily enhanced the host's mental strength; attributes related to this typically involved the host's brain activity and resistance to mental control skills.
At LV3, he had already gained 1.2 times the mental capacity of an average person, coupled with his magic attribute of over seven points.
In terms of casting ability alone, he was already on par with elite sorcerer apprentices who had trained for over a decade in magic academies.
And of the five main Signs mastered by Witchers, he had almost all reached the level of a seasoned Witcher or higher, no longer having any obvious weaknesses.
Guilliman reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then washed his face in the washroom before returning to Reuvaden's wine table.
During the time he was gone,
Blackbeard Zord had probably already argued with Reuvaden about buying the ship.
Evidently, the straightforward Skellige man hadn't won against the Nilfgaardian schemer; he now sat with a dark expression, arms crossed, glaring angrily at the stout man beside him.
It was likely that if not for the five or six of Reuvaden's guards standing nearby, the hot-tempered Skellige man would have stood up and given the schemer a good beating.
Seeing Guilliman emerge from the washroom, Reuvaden's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile again, showing no sign of having just argued with Captain Blackbeard.
Before he could even speak, the Witcher, tired of this hypocritical probing, no longer wanted to play this commercial game.
He subtly formed the Aard Sign with his left hand behind his back, and with his right hand, drew a circle towards Reuvaden.
An invisible surge of magic penetrated Reuvaden's brain.
After a second of stunned, the stout merchant's expression became dazed, as if sleepwalking, seemingly having forgotten what he was about to do.
Guilliman stopped Blackbeard, who had noticed the anomaly, with a look, then sat down opposite Reuvaden with a natural expression and asked softly:
"Mr. Reuvaden, what is your true intention in trying so hard to curry favor with me?"
Hearing his question, Reuvaden's eyelids twitched, and a struggling expression appeared on his face.
In a normal state, he would probably be full of lies, unwilling to reveal the truth.
However, under hypnosis, untrained ordinary people find it very difficult to lie; instead, they tend to regard the questioner as a trustworthy person.
Sure enough, even the head of Nilfgaardian intelligence quickly succumbed under the control of a LV3 Aard Sign.
"I know you are currently treating Princess Adda's curse and are trusted by Foltest and Princess Adda."
"Therefore, I wish to leverage your connections to align myself with Princess Adda, becoming her patron and providing her with funding."
"If you can help me achieve this goal, I am willing to sell Blackbeard's ship to you at an 80% discount."
So that was his intention.
After hearing the hypnotized Reuvaden's answer, Guilliman suddenly understood.
This spy master apparently wanted to use him as a conduit to connect with Princess Adda, then become a major financier behind the princess.
Ultimately, by showering her with money, he would control Princess Adda, thereby influencing the politics of all Temeria and weakening Temeria's power.
It truly was a typical merchant's tactic.
He probably still thought that the feudal aristocratic society of the Northern Kingdoms would value credit and adhere to contracts like the Nilfgaardian Empire.
Unfortunately, he hadn't yet realized that this commercial approach was very difficult to implement in the medieval era, filled with foolish nobles and barbaric commoners.
Guilliman scoffed inwardly, then snapped his fingers at Reuvaden, releasing him from the hypnotic state.
Then, he spoke in a calm tone:
"Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Reuvaden."
"However, your price is too low."
"To meet Princess Adda through me, you must sell that merchant ship to me at a 50% discount, which is one thousand Orens."
"Otherwise, not only will I not facilitate your connection, but I will also speak ill of you to the princess, telling her that you are a schemer and an untrustworthy person."
"Thank me, and be glad I am not so greedy as to make you give me the merchant ship for free."
The now-conscious Reuvaden first shook his head in confusion, then realized he had just been influenced by magic, and his face showed a mix of anger and fear.
However, after hearing Guilliman's trade demands, in just over ten seconds, the stout merchant, with his excellent psychological fortitude, once again smiled and flattered Guilliman, saying:
"Master Guilliman's magic is truly astonishing; I never imagined a Witcher master like you would be so proficient in magic."
"Alright, I accept your terms."
"One thousand Orens, and that ship is yours. It's docked at the harbor."
"This Saturday, I will host a grand banquet at my mansion, and I will invite Master Guilliman and Her Royal Highness to honor us with their presence."
"I hope you can persuade Her Royal Highness to accept this invitation then."
Looking at the smiling Reuvaden, Guilliman calmly nodded, agreeing to the proposal.
He didn't dislike the merchant; in fact, he rather admired Reuvaden's shrewdness and magnanimity.
It was a pity that if this were a world without supernatural powers, this merchant might have truly shone, but in this world where power reigns supreme, relying solely on commercial means would ultimately lead to becoming fodder for the strong... After the negotiation and transaction concluded.
Guilliman handed over the various miscellaneous tasks of recruiting crew, preparing supplies, and repairing the ship to the old captain, Blackbeard.
He himself returned to Shani's house.
After resting for a day or two, he planned to continue his major purchases in the city, making more bombs to prepare for the upcoming war with the fishemen.
However, before bidding farewell, he also entrusted Blackbeard Zord with one matter.
That was to write to his Witcher uncle, informing him that he was recruiting Witchers for work.
He asked the Bear School Witcher to bring as many companions as possible to Vizima, promising to cover travel expenses and offer generous Witcher rewards.
Blackbeard readily agreed to his new boss's request without a second thought, even suggesting whether to recruit a mercenary company from the Skellige Isles as well.
The men of the Isles were all brave and skilled in combat; as long as they were paid enough, they would truly fight to the death for their employer.
His suggestion was also adopted by Guilliman.
According to the hints from the Lady of the Lake, Viviane, the bottom of Lake Vizima was an important stronghold for the evil god Dagon in the North, and the number of fishemen there could even exceed ten thousand.
To defeat them, recruiting some companions was indeed a very good suggestion.
Anyway, the Witcher had money now, and even if it ran out later, he could still seek reimbursement from the generous goddess, so there was no need to be too stingy.
Guilliman was even considering whether to report this matter to King Foltest.
After all, so many fishemen lurking around Vizima threatened the safety of all humans on land, and eliminating them wasn't solely his responsibility as a Witcher.
Even if Foltest was unwilling to commit men, he should at least reimburse some of the costs.
If push came to shove, even sending a Royal Sorceress advisor to help would be acceptable.
While thinking this, as Guilliman arrived at Shani's doorstep, he suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure.
It was a petite, beautiful woman, dressed in a light-colored long dress, with long golden hair, resembling a doll.
What was most captivating about her were her clear blue eyes, like lake water.
It was the beautiful vampire, nicknamed Blue Eyes, whose real name was Anne, with whom he had had intimate contact at the House of the Night before.
As he saw the beautiful vampire, she also saw him.
What Guilliman didn't expect was that after Anne saw him, she reacted like a hunting dog spotting a delicious chicken leg, or a tiger discovering a roasted lamb.
Her eyes practically lit up, and she pounced on him, licking her lips, wrapping her arms around his waist, and rising on her tiptoes, trying to kiss his neck.
If Anne hadn't been too short, even on tiptoes, she couldn't reach his shoulder.
Otherwise, this greedy vampire beauty might have bitten his neck right on the street and savored his blood.
Guilliman sighed.
He held Anne in one arm like a kitten, then pushed open Shani's door, and pressed the restless little cat, whose soft body kept wriggling against him, into a chair, saying:
"Alright, Miss Anne, stop messing around."
"May I ask what you need from me?"
Hearing his slightly scolding tone, Anne finally calmed down a bit, then pulled a letter from her pocket and handed it to the Witcher, saying somewhat aggrievedly:
"This is a letter from the Queen of the Night, inviting you to the House of the Night."
"Mr. Guilliman, you are too heartless."
"Even though our three sisters like you so much, you left for two weeks and haven't returned to see us."
"Why don't you come to the House of the Night tonight? The three of us will prepare the best food and wine to serve you well."
"And we won't charge a single penny."
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