Walking through a true medieval city for the first time, Asa could not help but take a few extra looks at the surrounding architecture; the red-brick and white-walled buildings were rarely seen on Thanedd Island.
Influenced by elven aesthetics, Thanedd Island was filled mostly with palaces rather than a Castle.
His behavior was just like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city and was stunned by its prosperity.
The native population of Novigrad was only a little over forty thousand, while the number of travelers and businessmen who frequented the place year-round was double that figure. Outsiders looking around like him were everywhere on the streets, so it was nothing unusual.
However, some people still took the initiative to approach him and offer their services as a guide.
This was because the outfit Asa was wearing was far too eye-catching. A black, thick velvet cloak; under the cloak was a black sleeveless leather vest and a dark grey high-collared lining; on his lower body were wool trousers and knee-high leather boots, with a wide cowhide belt cinched around his waist.
This attire practically hung the words "I am very rich" on his chest, making him look like a young master who had run away from home, forming a stark contrast with the shabbiness of the surrounding farmers.
There were also quite a few unfriendly gazes fixed on Asa, but they quickly subsided upon seeing the dragon medallion on his necklace.
A sorcerer? Not someone to mess with.
The guides enthusiastically crowded around to haggle, thumping their chests and guaranteeing that as long as Asa was willing to fork over a few copper coins, they could take him to brothels with the most seductive women in the city and taverns with the strongest ale.
Asa sternly refused, emphasizing repeatedly that he was a decent person and never went to such filthy places.
However, in the end, he still shelled out a little money to have one of them lead the way to the local stables.
The stables were in the market; passing through Hierarch Square from the harbor, one would reach the market in the center of the town.
Along the way, guards of the Church of the Eternal Fire were visible everywhere. Most of them, after sweeping a glance over Asa attire, would watch him intently until his back disappeared around a corner before relaxing, as if the sorcerer would start a massacre on the street if they were the slightest bit distracted.
If mages from the Brotherhood of Sorcerers were treated with such wariness, the treatment of a Witcher went without saying.
Following the guide into the market, Asa caught sight of two bald men standing by the notice board at a glance.
Both men carried two longswords on their backs, and cat medallions hung around their necks, making their identities clear at a glance.
Witchers of the Cat School.
They were standing with their backs to Asa, looking at the notice board, seemingly searching for some work they could do.
The reason Witchers were shouted at and chased away wherever they went was largely thanks to the Witchers of the Cat School.
They used the cat as their symbol, so the Witchers they trained were as fickle as cats, with moody personalities and very low moral and political standards.
The Wolf School maintained a neutral attitude, the Griffin School had a knightly spirit, but the Cat School trained their apprentices in unstable abilities, having them take on assassination contracts alongside monster-hunting commissions.
If the employer had enough money but was unwilling to share some with the Cat School Witcher, they wouldn't mind taking an extra slash at the employer as well.
In the game, the Cat School was the only Witcher school that could serve as opponents and enemies.
Thanks to them, Witchers were branded with a reputation for being extreme and cruel, and wherever they went, the "warm welcome" of the villagers followed.
He wondered if the Cat School Witchers before him were orthodox.
They were standing with their backs to Asa, looking up at the contract notices on the board.
Asa gaze lingered on them for a second longer, and almost simultaneously, the two Witchers turned around abruptly, their gazes sharp as knives, instantly locking onto his position.
Their Witcher senses made the two Cat School Witchers feel like they were being watched, causing them to hiss in instinctual dread.
"Hey, sorcerer, don't you know it's rude to stare at people?"
The one who spoke was a bearded, bald man with a face full of flab, his tone extremely unfriendly.
Asa did not look away; he stood where he was and replied unhurriedly:
"I don't recall that glancing at someone in this city violates any laws."
"You little brat?"
The bald man sneered. Just as he took half a step forward, the red-clad guards patrolling the market surrounded them.
"What are you doing? Who's looking for trouble?"
The guards drew their steel swords one after another and stood between Asa and the Cat School Witchers.
Although they issued warnings with the same unfriendly tone to both sides, the tips of their swords were mostly pointed toward the two bald men.
It couldn't be helped; the reputation of Witchers was truly too poor, so even the invisible hand would subconsciously tilt against them.
The bald man let out a muffled grunt, grabbed his companion, and turned back to continue looking at the notice board.
Meeting the equally unfriendly gazes of the Temple guards, Asa also turned and walked deeper into the market.
Recalling the look the bald man cast at him before leaving, Asa couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Just took an extra glance, and somehow we've become enemies, with a faint trace of killing intent even? These people are truly insane."
In order not to be entangled by such baseless trouble, Asa also began to consider whether it was necessary to strike first.
In front of the notice board, the bald man named Pades scanned the bounty notice at the top of the board and suddenly froze.
He was born in the distant Kuraz Desert in the East. When he was young, his parents sold him to a passing Cat School caravan for a sip of water.
While passing through the Kingdom of Aedirn, Pades barely survived the Trial of the Grasses and became a Cat School Witcher.
In the years that followed, his skills became increasingly proficient, but the physical enhancements brought about by the mutagen potions were far inferior to those of Witchers from other schools.
This dissatisfaction had been buried in his heart for a long time. When the Cat School began taking on assassination contracts, Pades threw himself into it without hesitation. He was pleasantly surprised to find that killing people was much more profitable than killing monsters; as long as he saved enough money, he could find an Alchemist to re-prepare the mutagen potions, and he could become stronger!
Because they violated the Witcher's oath, the Cat School was notorious, often having to move to the next location immediately after finishing a job in one place.
Over the years, Pades had traveled to many places, and every time he arrived somewhere, he would receive a bounty notice with the same content:
"If you see a sorcerer with black hair and black eyes, report the information immediately to XX."
The reason for this bounty was unclear, and the bounty amount was ridiculously high—so high that he had more than once suspected it was a trap set by someone, but the magic seal on the notice was genuine.
"That sorcerer just now?"
Pades's mind buzzed.
A sorcerer with black hair and black eyes—wasn't that the one who just left?
He turned his head abruptly to search for that black cloak in the crowd, but apart from the bustling merchants and farmers, nothing remained in the market.
It didn't matter. As long as the person was still in Novigrad, this information was valuable enough.
If there were other commissions, imagine how great the reward would be.
After the small interlude with the Cat School Witchers, Asa followed the guide to the horse market in the town.
As a sorcerer, it was only reasonable to have his own mount. The journey ahead would take him from Redania all the way to Temeria, and then from Temeria through the Great Forest, straight to Cintra; how could he manage without a horse?
He selected a sturdy brown horse from the merchants and used magic to calm down the rather temperamental mare, then paid the money readily.
"Right, I should give you a name."
Patting the large horse's head, Asa thought for a moment and decided, "I'll call you Grape."
This wasn't just the name for this horse; in the future, if Grape unfortunately died in battle, all its successors would be given this name to commemorate it.
Grape let out a whinny and sneezed, seemingly quite fond of the name.
Just as Asa was bonding with Grape, the necklace around his neck twitched violently. He looked up and saw a pigeon fly away rapidly, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
A magic carrier pigeon? Someone was sending a message.
Asa narrowed his eyes. Interesting. He had just arrived in Novigrad, and these people were already unable to hold themselves back?
Was it Francesca Findabair's people?
He did not know, but judging by how eagerly these people were tipping off others, it seemed it wouldn't be long before they revealed themselves.