The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Chapter 72 The Griffin and Erwin's Abnormality

Ron had walked along the courtyard for less than fifteen minutes when a soldier ran up, his leather boots slapping the ground. "Sir," he said, "Ms. Kayla requests your presence in the laboratory. She says the griffin egg you brought back has shown signs of life."

When Ron pushed open the lab door, Kayla was leaning forward, her hands on the table.

The griffin egg in front of me was emitting a faint white glow, and I could vaguely see something moving inside. The patterns on the eggshell seemed to come alive, breathing with light and shadow.

"Isn't it supposed to never hatch?" Ron walked over and looked at the glowing egg.

"Yes," Kayla said without turning her head, her eyes fixed on the griffin egg.

"My development had been stagnant for so long, I thought it was hopeless, but after I tried to reactivate it using several catalytic materials, it turned out like this."

As soon as she finished speaking, a piece of eggshell burst open from the top, bounced on the table with a crisp sound, and a white claw stretched out from the gap, scratched in the air twice, and then retracted.

Then a larger fragment broke open, and a white, wet thing emerged from the eggshell, rolled half a circle on the platform, and landed on its back.

Four short, thick legs were futilely kicking in the air. Two small wings extended from its back, the wing membranes at the ends not yet fully unfolded. It rolled over, braced itself on the table with its front paws, and raised its head.

Its head is rounder than that of a normal griffin, with a ring of white down around the edge, and its eyes are dark blue.

Kayla's voice held a rare hint of uncertainty. "A normal griffin's forelimbs and wings are fused together, but its wings are separate, and I've never heard of a white griffin."

She paused, then nudged the strange little creature with her fingertip. "This isn't a griffin, at least not the kind I know."

Ron reached out his hand, and the little white creature immediately stopped struggling, got up, wobbled a couple of steps, then nestled into his palm, rubbed its head against his fingers, and let out a soft hiss.

Just as Ron was about to speak, the panel in the upper right corner of his vision flashed silently, the companion interface automatically expanded, and a new line was added at the bottom. There was no name, and the right side was labeled with only one word: "Griffin".

Ron froze for a few seconds, then looked at the system interface again to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Kayla picked up her teacup from the side, took a sip, and said, "Ah, this little guy seems to think of you as his mother. The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is you. If you leave now, he'll probably cry."

She gently touched the little beast with her fingertips, and the little guy shook its wings in dissatisfaction, burying its face even deeper into Ron's palm.

"However, Ron, I must remind you of something: griffins—and I'm talking about normal griffins—to my knowledge, there is absolutely no record of them being domesticated."

They are natural predators with a strong sense of self-determination. Although this one doesn't look like a standard griffin, it was hatched from a griffin egg.

Don't be fooled by its current affection; as it grows up, will it be able to control its hunting instincts, and distinguish between enemies and friends? These questions remain unanswered.

Therefore, it's best not to have too high expectations for it, otherwise the disappointment will be even greater if the training fails.

Ron looked down at the small white beast that was still rubbing against his palm and trying to reach his wrist. He pulled his hand out from under it.

The little guy immediately grabbed his wrist with his two front paws, dangled in mid-air and swayed a few times, his wings flapping instinctively.

Ron gently put it down. "Let's not name it yet, and observe it for a while before deciding."

"I'll arrange for someone to feed it. Kayla, please help me record its living habits, eating habits, activity cycle, and reactions to magical materials. Notify me immediately if there are any abnormalities."

Kayla nodded, pulled a notebook from the drawer, and wrote a few words on it: White Griffin Juvenile Observation Log.

After Kayla finished writing, she put the notebook aside, reached out and gently touched the little beast. The little beast turned its head to look at her, then turned its head back towards Ron.

"This little thing is quite cute, much cuter than a normal griffin."

Ron stepped out of the laboratory. A soldier was waiting at the door, standing ramrod straight. "Sir, Steward Erwin requests your presence in the underground finance office. Commander Karl is also there."

Ron glanced at him; Erwin usually came directly to him when he needed something. "Why doesn't he come himself?"

"I don't know, but the steward seemed very nervous. I've never seen him like that before. He summoned Commander Karl and had his personal guards stand watch at the entrance."

Ron was completely confused, but he still headed toward the underground vault, which was blocked off by guards.

Two rows of fully armed knights stood on either side, their silent eyes visible only through their visors.

As they saw Ron approach, they simultaneously clenched their fists and pounded their chests, the armor plates clanging rhythmically. The lead guard stepped aside to make way, whispering, "Your Highness, the steward and Commander Karl are waiting for you inside."

The vault door was a single, thick iron plate embedded in the wall, towering much higher than Ron. It was designed by Erwin himself and built with Brom's assistance.

The metal gate has a keyhole on each side, and can only be opened when Karl and Erwin are both present, except for the master key held by Ron.

Erwin was crouching at the back of the vault, huddled in a corner, with a whiteboard next to him and a stack of documents tucked inside, but he didn't look at them.

He was holding a wooden box in his arms, his hands pressed tightly against it, as if he was afraid that it would be snatched away if he was distracted for even a moment.

A large pile of bread rings lay scattered nearby, their surfaces baked to a golden brown and still emitting faint steam, filling the cold cellar with the aroma of freshly baked wheat.

Karl stood guard beside Elwin, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He saw Ron walk in, nodded, and then stepped back to stand by the door.

Ron took two steps closer, his gaze sweeping over the pile of steaming bread rings before returning to Erwin's face, where Erwin's expression held a tense tension, as if he were barely maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Erwin, what's wrong? This is the first time I've ever seen you so nervous."

Erwin looked up, placed the wooden box on the ground, and opened it. Inside lay a horn, its surface gleaming faintly as if the light emanated from within. He took the horn out of the box, held it in both hands, and handed it to Ron, his hands trembling slightly.

"Geralt just came by with this item. He came in a hurry, and when he heard you were in the lab, he gave it to me. It's this."

It also came with a note explaining its purpose. After reading it, I immediately called Karl and hid in the vault. We had guards stationed at the door, and no one except us knew what it was.”

His voice was muffled, as if he had silently recited each word before speaking it.

Geralt said this was a reward for helping someone fulfill a contract, and he thought it might be helpful to you.

Ron, Geralt is a witcher, he can hardly realize the true value of this thing. It's a magical item called the Horn of Abundance, and its function is...”