Chapter 531: Is This Something a Human Can Even Do? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Like Song Ren, many players were deeply immersed in The Witcher: Wild Hunt.

Open-world games revolve around two key elements: openness and the world itself. It could be said that The Witcher: Wild Hunt is a standard open world with a strong background, though its gameplay isn't truly free.

However, the world-building created by the quests and story makes players feel that this world is real. All sorts of collection and side quests subtly suggest that the player's actions will have different impacts on this world.

Velen, with its medieval, impoverished architectural style, and Novigrad, with its Western European influences, all gave players a sense of realism. In the game, players truly feel as if they've become Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, but at the same time, the player is just a Witcher who can't save the world.

Coupled with quest designs incorporating the butterfly effect and trolley problem, this made the world of The Witcher: Wild Hunt feel so real and believable.

Song Ren, in the game, arrived in Novigrad, as if opening up a whole new world. White Orchard was just a small village, not particularly large. Velen, though vast, was plagued by war and suffering, and Crow's Perch resembled a refugee camp.

Novigrad, however, was different. Though located within Redania, Novigrad was not under the jurisdiction of any nation; it was a neutral, free port city. Through free trade, Novigrad amassed unimaginable wealth, making its city center very prosperous. However, due to its economic prosperity, the city's internal factions were also intricate and complex.

The headquarters of the Eternal Fire Church was located here, and with Redania's support, the city almost daily hosted barbecue feasts, though the roasted subjects were sorceresses and non-human races.

While gathering clues in Novigrad, the White Wolf also encountered another old acquaintance: Triss. Of course, she was also a sorceress. Moreover, she seemed to have had an affair with the White Wolf when he had amnesia, though Triss's attitude was now noticeably cooler.

“So, why are all your old acquaintances sorceresses, White Wolf?” Song Ren clicked his tongue, recalling that night with Keira in the small grove.

However, Triss here didn't know Ciri's whereabouts, so the White Wolf had to find others to inquire about her, such as his best friend, the flamboyant poet Dandelion. But Dandelion had also disappeared without a trace, so the White Wolf had no choice but to seek help from Novigrad's underworld factions.

Aside from the Eternal Fire Church, all trades and industries in Novigrad were controlled by four underworld bosses. It sounded incredibly impressive, but after a few quests, Song Ren was speechless. It was truly the way these underworld bosses' industries matched their image, especially their first meeting place being a huge bathhouse—that characteristic was just too distinct.

The four bigwigs were the Bathhouse Owner Dijkstra, whom the White Wolf knew, and who was also the Gwent card character the White Wolf had obtained at the Bloody Baron's table; the Beggar Kingpin, located in the slum, who had partnered with Triss; the Pimp King Whoreson Junior, who controlled all the city's brothels and casinos; and the Short Butcher, who looked quite fierce.

Facing Geralt's request, Dijkstra also put forward a condition: someone had recently emptied his private vault, and he wanted Geralt to help him figure out who did it. However, as the White Wolf investigated, he discovered that the person who robbed the vault was none other than his good friend, Dandelion.

Following the clues, the White Wolf quickly found Whoreson Junior and learned Dandelion's whereabouts from him. It turned out that when Ciri first arrived in Novigrad, she immediately sought out Dandelion, and to lift a curse from an artifact, the two enlisted Whoreson Junior's help. Robbing the vault was the condition Whoreson Junior had set.

However, the vault's money was intercepted by Witch Hunters, and Whoreson Junior turned against them, leading to Dandelion being directly thrown into jail. Facing this guy who had almost harmed Ciri, Song Ren in the game chose to immediately hack him to death.

Afterward, the White Wolf and Triss staged a ruse of self-injury to rescue Dandelion. However, to their regret, Dandelion also didn't know where Ciri had gone, as Ciri had narrowly escaped by using her power over space and time when she was captured.

Thus, the clues in Novigrad ended, leaving only one last location: the Skellige Isles.

However, compared to the main storyline, it was the sights and sounds of Novigrad that Song Ren found even more interesting. First, there were many people to play Gwent with throughout Novigrad, and there were even main quests that advanced through Gwent.

For example, a dwarf friend of Geralt's was working to obtain a very rare Gwent card. And because of this Gwent card, its owner was robbed blind, fully demonstrating the madness of people for this card game in the world of The Witcher: Wild Hunt.

Of course, in addition to that, he found that he could even borrow money from the bank in Novigrad. Although not much could be borrowed, it gave him a very realistic feeling.

However, what he found most captivating were two establishments in Novigrad. One was located in front of the large bridge leading from Novigrad port to Hierarch Square, where three women of different charms offered a 'mind-relaxing' experience for 20 Yuan.

Another was next to St. Gregory's Bridge, a more upscale entertainment venue. Not only could you play cards on the first floor, but there were also non-human races, offering the joy of elves, though the price was considerably higher, a full 40 Yuan.

“This game is unbelievable! This isn't The Witcher: Wild Hunt; it's Wild Gambling, Wild Prostitution!” Song Ren couldn't help but exclaim. Gambling on Gwent everywhere, in Velen he had intimate relations with the sorceress Keira, and now in the big city of Novigrad, the White Wolf had completely let himself go! Triss still seemed to be playing hard to get, and then this entertainment venue even offered intimate services.

“Old Zhang, have you reached Novigrad in your game yet? There's some good stuff here!” Song Ren connected to his good brother Old Zhang's voice chat, wanting to share his discovery.

“Pfft, aren't those just those two establishments? I've already visited them,” Zhang Yi's voice came through the voice channel.

“Awesome, Old Zhang, but do you have that much money? Didn't you need to craft gear and buy materials?” Song Ren asked curiously. Compared to his previous life, Chen Xu had harmonized many money-farming contents in his Witcher game.

This included the Bank of Attler in the Blood and Wine DLC, which would also be slightly harmonized, so there wouldn't be infinite grinding of minor enemies for withdrawals. Therefore, money was relatively scarce in the early game. Song Ren, who had been constantly pushing the main quests, mostly spent his money on alchemy ingredients and materials, and of course, a good amount on Gwent cards. Although the entertainment venues weren't expensive, he genuinely couldn't afford them.

“Are you stupid? The save mechanism in The Witcher: Wild Hunt is different from Bloodborne, can't you manually save?”

“Before you talk to the Women of the Night in the game, just save first, then load the save after you’re done, wouldn’t that work?” Zhang Yi’s voice came through the headphones.

Hearing Old Zhang's words, Song Ren was stunned.

“Old Zhang… is that something a human would do?!”

(End of Chapter) <>