Chapter 286: Preparing the Perfect Trap

An afternoon passed quietly. When the sun sank west and dusk began closing in, the young Witcher left the gate of Academy Island and returned to the temporary lodging outside it, where he met up with Letho, Linus Pitt, and the others.

“What did you do this afternoon?” Roy’s nose twitched. A thick smell of liquor and cheap perfume from women drifted off the three Lethos. “Weren’t you supposed to be gathering information?”

“Enough noise. Business first,” Letho barked, cutting the two off, then gave Orin a look. “Now tell us what you found this afternoon.”

Orin grinned and shot Roy a glare before slowly speaking. “Just after we left the Philosopher’s Gate this afternoon, we noticed someone following us.” Orin could not help snorting. “I guarantee those three fellows knew nothing about Witchers. Their clumsy work was like a few rats trying to stalk a cat. So we played along...”

...

From Orin’s account, the group roughly pieced together the whole matter. A local Oxenfurt gang led by Vlodimir von Everec, the little thug organization known as the Redanian Wild Boar Army, had kidnapped Whistleshaw, who often carried out large purchases at the Oxenfurt Academy market. They tortured information out of him about the Menagerie of Rare Beasts inside Oxenfurt Academy, then turned their eyes toward those rare animals.

In addition, the Redanian Wild Boar Army had reached an understanding with some great personage in Novigrad. During this time, they had been secretly plotting, preparing boats, drugs, weapons, and equipment. According to Orin’s analysis, the drugs should be anesthetics meant for dealing with those animals.

Tomorrow night, they would sneak into Oxenfurt Academy, steal the rare animals, and transport them to Novigrad to deliver the goods.

“I was kept in the dark all this time?” Linus Pitt’s face went pale as he listened, cold sweat rising all over him. He could not imagine how much pain he would feel if he lost this batch of treasures he treated as a creed. “Fortunately, those bandits underestimated your abilities. Masters...” The Oxenfurt Academy scholar turned to the Witchers with a face full of pleading.

“Mr. Linus, no need to say more.” Orin showed a savage smile, clasped his hands together, and cracked his knuckles. “A contract needs a beginning and an end. We will help you settle this trouble for good. Since they have decided to gather in that house tomorrow morning, why not take them all in one net?”