2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"Okay, 400 yuan, pay up."

The cashier waited for ages but didn't receive a transfer notification. When he looked up, he found a pile of unfamiliar metal coins on the counter.

"Damn, what is this thing?"

Yennefer replied, "Nilfgaardian silver coins."

"Nifergard? Never even heard of it. Night City only accepts Euros."

Geralt and Yennefer exchanged a glance, not surprised by the situation. Even the Northern Kingdoms of the same world didn't accept Nilfgaardian currency, let alone that of another world.

The two thought they would be kicked out because they had nowhere to stay, but to their surprise, the receptionist looked at their strange clothes and asked curiously, "Are you from out of town?"

“Yes, we come from…” Yennefer thought for a moment and said, “Kaer Morhen.”

"Never heard of it before, is it some small place?"

"It is indeed a small place, and there is still a war going on there."

Yennefer was talking about the war between the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire, but the receptionist clearly misunderstood.

He slapped his palm and said in a flash of realization, “Europe, right? I thought Kaer Morhen sounded like the European region. That place has been badly ravaged by the Supreme Council. It’s amazing that you managed to make it all the way to Night City. But don’t worry, General Xu Ling has personally gone there to command the battle. Victory is only a matter of time, and you will soon be able to reclaim your homeland.”

Although it was somewhat nonsensical, it still provided Geralt and Yennefer with a lot of information.

For example, there is a place in this world called Europe where a war is being fought, and there is a general named Xu Ling. Most importantly, they learn that the city they are in is called Night City.

Recalling the night view they had seen earlier, Geralt and Yennefer both felt that it was a fitting name.

They thanked him, thinking it would just be a casual chat, but to their surprise, the receptionist said directly, "You guys have it tough too. Here's what we'll do: I'll get you a room and I'll pay for it in advance. You can pay me back later if you're able to, or not if you're not. When you get back to Europe, just give our Night City a good shout-out."

As a witcher, Geralt was used to being treated coldly, and the sorceress Yennefer was much the same. Now, being helped so warmly by complete strangers, they felt somewhat uncomfortable and even suspected there might be a trap.

Geralt tentatively asked, "Is it alright? Wouldn't that be too expensive for you?"

"It's a small matter, and money is even less of a problem. President V is vigorously developing the tourism industry, and any expenses incurred in entertaining tourists from other places can be reimbursed by the government."

"Who is President V?"

"The King of Night City!" the receptionist exclaimed proudly, then added curiously, "You don't even know President V? He's the famous V who saved all of humanity!"

Saving all of humanity?!

Geralt and Yennefer were both startled, and couldn't help but imagine what a tall and majestic king he would be.

Yennefer asked curiously, "What's the deal with President V developing tourism?"

"Hehe, this is an interesting story," the receptionist said with a hint of mockery. "President V is determined to turn Night City into a tourist destination, and she's tried many methods, but she always fails for various reasons. The first time was because of war, and the most recent time was because of an AI rebellion. In short, every time Night City starts to show some promise, it's instantly brought back to square one, and the citizens have given up. But President V is still persistent. I feel like this is becoming a real worry for her. So, she's started giving out a special service subsidy out of her own pocket. Any extra expenses incurred for serving tourists can be reimbursed. So, rather than me paying for your rooms, it's more like President V is paying for you."

Geralt and Yennefer then understood, but it seemed somewhat irresponsible for a monarch to neglect so many important national affairs and blindly pursue these insignificant achievements: "What is President V trying to achieve by doing this?"

"It's all about reputation. Didn't I just ask you to help promote Night City when you go back to your hometown? Although the citizens think it's useless, President V firmly believes that as long as the reputation is established, the tourism industry can be revived."

"Since you all think it's useless, why doesn't anyone try to advise President V?"

"No need to persuade her." The receptionist said with a doting look, "President V has done so much for Night City. We ordinary people have nothing to repay her with. Since President V wants to develop tourism, let's just play along with her. As long as she's happy, that's better than anything else."

Geralt looked at Yennefer: "It seems this CEO of V is really rich." That's why he can act recklessly without regard for cost.

Yennefer glanced at Geralt: "It seems this CEO V is truly a saint." That's why the people are willing to follow her in her reckless ways.

The two checked into the secretive inn, and when they saw Geralt was injured, the receptionist even helped him contact a cyborg doctor. The cyborg doctor planned to amputate Geralt's leg and replace it with the latest model of prosthetic, but after being explicitly refused, the cyborg doctor could only bandage Geralt and prescribe medicine online with the guidance of an AI, still without charging a penny.

Although they knew the cyborg doctor's fees were reimbursable, Geralt and Yennefer were still deeply moved by this noble act. They both agreed that Night City was a kind and beautiful city, and its residents were friendly and warm-hearted, almost saintly.

“If only we were tourists,” Yennefer said, nestled in Geralt’s arms at night. “Then we could advertise Night City and let more people appreciate its beauty.”

“There will be an opportunity, Ye. After we find Ciri, we can stay here for a while.”

“By the way, Ciri. She must be safe in such a kind city. We can also ask Thomas for help.”

Thomas was the name of the receptionist. The next day, he was shocked to hear that Geralt and Yennefer's daughter had gone missing. He immediately drove the two of them to the police station to report the case.

"Don't worry, Night City is a completely different place now. There are no Cleaners or Vortex Gangs. The NCPD will definitely find your daughter in three days at most."

Geralt and Yennefer both nodded. The professionalism displayed by the officers had impressed them and given them ample confidence. However, this was the first time Geralt had encountered a situation where he didn't have to search for clues himself, and he found it quite novel.

Since they were already there, Thomas took the two of them for a stroll around Night City and even had lunch. While in the Kabuki District's circular market, Geralt was drawn by a series of "bangs," so Thomas led them to "Mann's Heart Gun Shop" to investigate.

"Welcome! You have to buy a gun as a souvenir when you come to Night City. Feel free to try it out if you're interested; the shooting range is right behind us." The tall, thin owner, Mann, warmly greeted the two.

The witchers and sorceresses, seeing modern firearms for the first time, were fascinated and lingered at the firing range for over two hours. Geralt admired the power of these weapons, but immediately gave up when he heard that they required matching ammunition, since his world couldn't produce such exquisite little things.

However, Yennefer chose the Arasaka Kyouka LX gun. Unlike other guns, its exquisite gun body and paint job made it look like a work of art, which the sorceress loved.

Geralt kindly reminded her about the bullets, but Yennefer said that she didn't have many direct combat experiences, and in the few close-quarters battles she did have, incense sticks were much more useful than fireballs.

Unable to dissuade him, Geralt had no choice but to give up. In the end, Yennefer still managed to get the Arasaka Incense stick for free. She hung it around the waist of her black silk dress, twirled around, and exuded unparalleled elegance, captivating the Witcher's gaze.

The tour began spontaneously and ended with great enjoyment.

When Geralt and Yennefer returned to the Secret Inn, they discovered an even bigger surprise awaiting them.

"Yennefer!" A lively call made the two turn around, and a young girl ran over happily and hugged Yennefer tightly.

“Ciri!” Yennefer let out a scream like a little girl, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked closely at the girl in front of her, touching her hair, cheeks, and hands, and said in an excited, trembling voice, “My God, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”

"But you haven't changed at all; you're exactly the same as I remember you."

The two embraced tightly again, and when Ciri looked up, she saw her adoptive father standing not far away.

She released Yennefer. Although she had imagined the scene of reuniting with her adoptive father more than once during her escape, when they actually met, she suddenly found that she had a thousand words to say, but did not know where to begin.

Taking a deep breath, Ciri tried to calm herself and smiled as she gave a very ordinary greeting: "Hi, Geralt."

Gerald nodded and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I am very healthy."

"That's good." The usually stern witcher smiled. "Everyone missed you."

"I miss everyone very much."

"Then go back."

“No, no, not now.” Ciri said, regaining her composure, “The Wild Hunt King will lead his army to attack this world next full moon. I must stay and fight alongside the people of this world!”

"what?!"

Geralt and Yennefer were shocked: "The King of the Wild Hunt is going to attack this world?"

"Yes, V protected me, so I can't leave."

"V? The CEO of V?"

"Yes, you've heard of her name too?"

“I’ve heard so much about him.” Geralt thought for a moment and said, “If the king of this city can send troops, we are not without a chance of winning. Ciri, could you take me to meet this President V?”

"Of course, I'm here to take you to see her. You're so smart to know to find someone through the NCPD!"

Geralt remarked, "We didn't expect it to be so fast, just one afternoon... Anyway, we have to thank Mr. Thomas for this."

"Don't call me 'sir,' I'm just an ordinary citizen," Thomas said with a grin. "Let's go, don't keep President V waiting. Although I don't know what the King of the Wild Hunt is, with President V involved, victory is assured. Geralt, Yennefer, you can just sit back and wait to win!"

Geralt asked curiously, "What does 'winning by doing nothing' mean?"

"Haha, we'll talk about that later, let's get in the car first."

Ciri quickly gave them a perfunctory answer, then led Geralt and Yennefer into the car. She expertly announced their destination, and the car activated its autopilot, heading towards Arasaka Tower.

The three of them climbed all the way to the top, where V was already waiting for them in the CEO's office at the top of the Arasaka Tower.

Upon seeing Geralt and Yennefer, she stood up to greet them.

"Welcome to Night City, Mr. Geralt, Ms. Triss."

Geralt stiffened, and Ciri looked embarrassed, but Yennefer smiled and asked, "May I ask how you know the name Triss?"

“Ciri told me.” V blinked his innocent eyes. “She said Triss is Mr. Geralt’s lover. Am I mistaken?”

Yennefer glanced at Ciri, then at Geralt, and laughed loudly, "No mistake, absolutely no mistake, Triss is Geralt's lover, everyone knows that!"

Chapter 126 The Return of the King of the Wild Hunt

Yennefer pulled Geralt aside.

Ciri also pulled V aside.

"You've got the wrong person! This is Yennefer, not Triss!" Ciri was sweating profusely.

"No way, didn't you say that the one with your adoptive father was either Yennefer or Triss? How could I be wrong with a 50% chance?" V pretended to be confused when he knew the truth.

Ciri was so angry she jumped up and down: "You only listen to half of what people say, huh? I still said there was a high chance it was Yennefer, and you're just deliberately causing trouble!"

V is right. Who told Ciri to keep pissing her off in the hospital those few days? She was just getting her revenge.

Of course, she was just making a good-natured joke and meant no harm: "It's nothing, just one or two close female friends, it's normal!"

Ciri retorted irritably, "Easy for you to say. If Sasha finds out you have someone else on the side, let's see if you're scared!"

V puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Just kidding, I'm the famous V. Don't tell me I don't have women outside, even if Sasha found out I did, I wouldn't be afraid!"

Ciri looked at him with utter contempt.

Geralt and Yennefer then finished their "communication" and came over. Ciri introduced them to each other, and V warmly welcomed them before preparing a banquet.

Yennefer, a seasoned politician, now serves as the chief advisor to the King of Nilfgaard. She is impeccably courteous and handles all situations with ease and grace. Geralt, though merely an ordinary witcher, possesses exceptional professional skills and has taken on numerous royal commissions. Having been exposed to this environment, he too is reserved, composed, and remarkably dignified.

During the meal, they first thanked V for taking care of Ciri, and then praised the prosperity and beauty of Night City. When talking about the friendliness of Night City and the enthusiasm of its people, V was overjoyed and seemed to enjoy it very much, while Ciri choked on her drink and coughed repeatedly.

She knew better than anyone what Night City used to be like. Although Night City was quite nice now, Geralt and Yennefer's words still made her feel a little ridiculous.

V glared at Ciri with displeasure, and Ciri glared back without backing down.

Geralt and Yennefer were surprised to find that Ciri and V seemed to have a pretty good relationship, not like a king and a commoner, but more like like-minded friends.

Geralt, who had been tricked by the powerful countless times, had never had a good impression of important people, and he kept his distance from the king. He wanted to remind Ciri to observe etiquette and keep her distance from "V President", but Yennefer quietly stopped him.

In stark contrast to Geralt, Yennefer firmly believed that power was the most powerful force in the world, even more powerful than magic. She was very satisfied with Ciri and V's relationship and did not want Geralt to interfere and ruin this excellent situation.

This difference is one of the reasons why Geralt and Yennefer are always on and off. When they spend a lot of time together, they have a big fight and go their separate ways; but when they are apart for a long time, they miss each other. It is truly a classic example of a torturous and deeply moving love story.

Considering that this was another world, the support of the local ruler was extremely important. Geralt could only sigh inwardly, accept Yennefer's hint, and remain silent, focusing on eating.

In this way, Yennefer became the main person in charge of communicating with V.

That's perfect, V's invitation to this meal was mainly for Yennefer, or rather, for Yennefer's identity as a sorceress.

Yennefer was astonished to hear that Night City possessed a reagent that, when injected, could grant ordinary people the abilities of a full-fledged mage.

When Yennefer heard that V wanted her to create a set of rules to regulate these "quick-fix mages," she felt challenged but also very interested.

She said she needed to see the specific situation before making an accurate judgment. V appreciated this caution and professionalism and immediately decided to go after dinner.

Seeing that the two were straying further and further from the main topic, Geralt could only cough to interrupt and remind them, "What we should be doing right now is dealing with the Wild Hunt."

In short, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became heavy.

“How much do you know about the Wild Hunt?” V asked.

“Very evil, and very powerful.” Geralt said succinctly, then asked, “How many troops can you deploy?”

“We have just gone through a disaster and are still at war. Most of our forces are being used to defend against rebels around the world.”

Geralt and Yennefer nodded; they already understood.

"Therefore, Night City has only gathered more than 20,000 troops, all of whom are veterans and fully armed. Their combat effectiveness is definitely not a problem."

"Twenty thousand fully armored soldiers? That's a bit few." Geralt continued, "Are there any cavalry?"

"You mean vehicles?" V nodded repeatedly: "Of course I have them." She had some, whether it was tanks, aircraft carriers, or fighter jets.

But in Geralt's mind, vehicles were a general term that included livestock and pack animals, which was obviously not as good as warhorses.

Well, 20,000 warhorses is indeed a bit of an exaggeration, but livestock and pack animals are better than nothing.

Geralt asked, "How many people can these vehicles carry?"

"All."

"All of them?!" Geralt was taken aback. He hadn't expected Night City to have so many livestock. He hadn't seen a single one in the city, so they were probably being raised in the countryside.

But this was still good news. Geralt had a bit more confidence for the upcoming battle. No matter what kind of cavalry they were riding, as long as the cavalry could charge, then the battle would be fought.