Chapter 6: News of the Viper School Witcher
White Orchard is located in the central region of the Kingdom of Temeria, about a two-day journey east of the capital, Vizima. It's merely a baronetcy, not a particularly famous territory.
The area is named White Orchard because, at its heart, lies White Orchard Village, with a population of three to four hundred people.
The scenery is beautiful, producing various fruits and high-quality timber. Additionally, due to its proximity to the kingdom's capital, Vizima, commercial trade is also well-developed, making it a relatively peaceful and prosperous village among the Northern Realms.
Even a few years later, when the Nilfgaardian Empire occupied the Kingdom of Temeria, it remained quite peaceful.
The reason Guiliman is familiar with this place is because it was the starting village in the famous game 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' in his previous life.
For tens of millions of Witcher 3 players, White Orchard is one of the most familiar areas in the Witcher world.
For example, their first death in the game, their first slaying of a 'scoundrel', their first completion of a monster-hunting contract, and their first pot of gold earned in the game.
They had all, more or less, completed the Witcher contracts that appeared here many times, making them quite familiar with it.
However, the current timeline is early 1269, about three years before the official start of The Witcher 3 game's storyline.
Even from the time the amnesiac Witcher Geralt descended from Kaer Morhen, the Wolf School's stronghold, in The Witcher 1 game, about a year had passed.
Considering the plot, Geralt should currently still be held captive by the Wild Hunt army, used as a hostage to lure Ciri, and forced to travel across various worlds in pursuit of the legendary Child of Destiny.
And the sorceress Yennefer, also suffering from amnesia due to the Wild Hunt's torment, was recuperating somewhere.
While contemplating these matters, Guiliman had already passed through the not-so-spacious village lanes, avoided the bustling crowds, and arrived at White Orchard Village.
He was composed, ignoring the villagers' gazes of fear, curiosity, or disdain, and walked directly towards the largest building in the village.
That was what Judith had told him: White Orchard Village's largest and only inn.
Yes, an inn without a name, but one very familiar to players.
He pushed open the inn door. The somewhat noisy room fell silent for a moment, and several scrutinizing gazes from inside projected over, then quickly retracted.
Guiliman's expression was calm as he surveyed the inn, noting that apart from the proprietress behind the counter, there weren't many guests, fewer than ten people in total.
Half of them were local farmers, shabbily dressed, patched, and reeking of alcohol.
The other half were a more diverse group: a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, burly men dressed as mercenaries, merchants dressed as wealthy traders, and even a flamboyantly dressed woman, with much of her chest exposed, like a 'technician' ready for business.
After a brief glance at the patrons, Guiliman's gaze didn't linger but went straight to the proprietress behind the counter.
Although her appearance differed greatly from the game, he was fairly certain that this proprietress was the one in the game who almost repaid kindness with enmity, nearly driving Geralt and Vesemir out of the inn.
However, at this time, perhaps being a few years younger and not having experienced the subsequent war, the proprietress still looked quite young, without the haggard fatigue seen in the game.
When she saw the Witcher Guiliman walking directly towards her, the inn proprietress's face unconsciously showed a look of surprise.
"Proprietress, please get me a bottle of sweet cherry mead, a piece of smoked meat, and also prepare a few slices of white bread and a portion of roasted beef."
Although he was already somewhat tired of being treated as an outsider and a monster, Guiliman maintained his calm, expressionless face. After ordering a costly lunch, he continued, "May I ask you something, proprietress?"
Having run an inn for so many years, the proprietress was well-versed in such inquiries. Moreover, the guest had ordered an expensive lunch, which would earn her a good profit, so there was no reason to refuse.
She pursed her lips, her gaze falling on Guiliman's metal armor, which bore many battle scars, and his unusually striking amber beast-like vertical pupils. After a few seconds, she quietly asked, "Are you a Witcher, guest?"
"White Orchard is a safe place, and nothing major has happened recently."
"If I know anything about what you want to inquire about, I will tell you truthfully."
Guiliman nodded. To her question, he neither gave an affirmative answer nor denied it, but continued, "A Witcher I know, there are rumors that he was arrested by the local lord not long ago, apparently to be put on trial."
"Do you know when that happened?"
The incident he referred to was actually about the Witcher in the noble's cemetery in The Witcher 3 game, who had already been reduced to bones, having died tragically at the hands of a ghost.
As a veteran Witcher player, he remembered very clearly.
This unfortunate fellow was a Viper School Witcher from the south named Kolgrim, who was entrusted by the Viper School Grandmaster Ivar Evil-Eye to come north to find lost School weapon schematics.
In the third game, Geralt's Viper silver sword and steel sword were forged using the weapon schematics he found.
The exact time of this unlucky Witcher's death was uncertain. When Geralt found his body in the noble's cemetery, Kolgrim had already turned into a pile of bones, having been dead for an unknown period.
However, Guiliman speculated that Kolgrim's death likely occurred around 1269, which is the current time period. If he was lucky, he might even be able to save this Witcher from those 'scoundrels'.
Therefore, he asked the proprietress this question.
Unfortunately, upon hearing the question, the proprietress hesitated for a few seconds, secretly glanced at the handsome Guiliman, and said, "There was indeed similar news, guest."
"But the news I heard was that about a month ago, a Witcher kidnapped a beekeeper's son."
"When people tried to capture him and send him to the lord for trial, that Witcher fiercely resisted, killed a villager, and was then jointly killed by other villagers, even having his head cut off."
"However, according to the lord's subsequent investigation, the beekeeper's son was killed by a Drowner, and this Witcher was innocent."
"As for where the Witcher's body was buried, I don't know."
Guiliman sighed upon hearing this. It seemed he was still a step too late and couldn't save that unfortunate soul.
As for the villagers' account, it was merely a rumor that had gradually evolved through word of mouth.
However, the person carried the Viper steel sword schematic, and even for the sake of this weapon schematic, he had to go to the noble's crypt.