Whiterun, Breezehome.
After a month and a half, Guilliman's heart was filled with emotion as he returned to the small home he shared with Freya.
He was quite fond of this free-spirited yet genuine Nord girl and was happy to maintain a romantic relationship with her.
The fruit of eternal youth bestowed by the Goddess of Flowers, one of them was for Freya, a gift he brought to the Dragonborn girl.
He was unwilling to see such a beautiful and powerful girl grow old due to the passage of time.
However, upon returning to Breezehome, it was a bit regrettable that he didn't see Freya waiting for him; instead, he saw his beautiful follower, Lydia.
This mature Nord woman, wearing only hot pants and a thin vest, her ample, firm chest vaguely visible, and her voluptuous thighs exposed, was sitting by the fireplace in the hall, cooking a stew, seemingly preparing to enjoy lunch.
Upon seeing Guilliman enter the house, Lydia was momentarily stunned for a second, then stood up, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Welcome back, Baron Guilliman."
After speaking, the beautiful woman realized she was dressed too sparsely. This was her casual attire when she was alone at home, which was a bit impolite.
After a slight bow, Lydia returned to her room to put on a jacket, then came back to the living room and invited the witcher to share the stew she had cooked.
Guilliman, having enjoyed a bit of eye candy, regretfully withdrew his gaze. He reached out and took the stew Lydia offered, then put a spoonful into his mouth.
He felt the taste was a bit bland, but overall it wasn't bad, stronger than Freya's cooking. It seemed that when the two of them adventured together, Lydia must have been responsible for cooking.
Guilliman ate the stew and asked:
"Why are you back alone? Where's Freya?"
"Has she returned?"
Although Lydia was not his follower, she knew about his intimate relationship with Freya, and as the Baron of Whiterun, he was respected by this Nord warrior.
Lydia shook her head at his words, her tone a bit dejected as she said:
"Baroness Freya is still learning Dragon Shouts at High Hrothgar and won't be back for a while."
"However, my lord sent me back first, precisely because she was worried about missing the appointed time with you."
"Baroness Freya promised to return to Whiterun within half a month; she misses you very much."
Freya wasn't the type to put on airs. Although she and Lydia had a master-servant relationship, it was likely that they interacted more like friends or teammates in their daily lives, sharing many heartfelt conversations.
The Dragonborn girl was afraid of missing him, so she sent Lydia back to wait for him.
She truly was a touching girl, so sincere.
Guilliman thought to himself, then said to Lydia:
"Alright, I'll be waiting for Freya in Whiterun these days."
After speaking, Guilliman conjured several bottles of high-grade red wine from Beauclair and dwarf spirits from the Mahakam Mountains out of thin air, presenting them as gifts to Lydia.
These were gifts he brought back from his trip to Toussaint to check on Syanna's business.
Nords enjoyed drinking. This time, in addition to a large amount of gold, he also brought back plenty of fine wines and other specialties, preparing for his first inter-planar trade, hoping to bring more items from Skyrim back home.
When Freya returned, she would surely love these specialties too.
After leaving Breezehome, Guilliman found Saadia in the Whiterun marketplace.
This noblewoman from Hammerfell hadn't fled; instead, she diligently managed his business. By selling the spoils of war he and Freya had left behind, she had accumulated quite a few soul gems and various potions, as well as a good sum of money.
Seeing this, the witcher was very pleased.
If this noblewoman had absconded with the money, it would have taken some effort to find her.
After examining Saadia's ledger, he once again took out some specialties from the Witcher world, mainly luxury goods like tobacco, alcohol, and tea, as well as jewelry and ornaments made with special craftsmanship, entrusting them to the noblewoman to continue managing.
He also gave her a rather generous bonus, which made Saadia beam with joy.
Unfortunately, goods from the Witcher world were too ordinary. What could truly differentiate them were probably only some luxury items, special foods, industrial goods, or jewelry.
On the other hand, weapons and equipment from the Lands Between would certainly be very popular here. Guilliman took out ten sets of Godrick Soldier equipment and gave them to Saadia to sell.
He hoped these finely crafted pieces of equipment, made from special materials, would fetch a high price here.
Subsequently, Guilliman went to the Companions' headquarters and found Eorlund Gray-Mane, the legendary blacksmith of the Skyforge. He took out the golden armor from the Tree Sentinel and presented it to the legendary blacksmith for appraisal.
Eorlund was the most skilled blacksmith he knew, even more technically proficient than Valessa from the elven village.
His ability to craft high-level equipment like the Evil Dragon Armor demonstrated his exceptional skill.
If anyone could modify this Tree Sentinel equipment, he was probably the most likely candidate.
Indeed, when he produced the half-ton golden armor and the magnificent golden halberd,
Eorlund's eyes widened, and with an excited expression, he reached out and ran his fingers over the golden armor, exclaiming with emotion:
"Baron, where did you get this equipment? It's absolutely incredible."
"Gold isn't usually suitable for making equipment, but your golden armor, though it appears to be gold, has actually undergone special treatment, imbued with a unique energy."
"If I'm not mistaken, it should have very strong resistance to magic."
Eorlund indeed had a keen eye. The Tree Sentinel's ability to withstand two of his Exploding Fireballs without serious injury was testament to the excellence of the armor he wore.
In terms of defense alone, it was even superior to the Evil Dragon Armor he wore, though it was heavier and required immense strength from its wearer.
Eorlund stroked his beard and asked, somewhat troubled:
"How do you plan to modify it, Baron?"
"To be honest, I've never seen this material before; it's somewhat similar to Daedric ebony."
"If your requirements are too high, I'm not very confident."
Hearing the old blacksmith say this, Guilliman reassured him:
"My demands aren't high. I just need you to shrink this armor, shrink it to a size I can use."
"As for the excess material, I hope you can help me sell it. Many people should need this rare material."
Melting down all of the Tree Sentinel's armor into gold to sell would indeed be a bit wasteful.
Regardless of its practicality, the golden armor's sheer prestige and appearance were already quite attractive, and Guilliman also liked it.
If it could be scaled down for him to use, he wouldn't mind keeping it.
The golden halberd, however, he would pass on. He didn't like using such a cumbersome weapon; if someone was willing to buy it whole, he would sell it.
On the other hand, the Golden Shield, with its special skill [Golden Retaliation] that could reflect magic attacks, was quite an excellent weapon.
He intended to keep it for himself.
Although it couldn't be a primary weapon, in case of special circumstances, he could instantly pull the Golden Shield from his inventory and use [Golden Retaliation] to reflect enemy magic.
While he was talking with Eorlund, Kodlak Whitemane, the Harbinger of the Companions, came looking for him, accompanied by Avulstein, the steward of the Jarl of Whiterun.
After meeting, Kodlak and Avulstein wasted no time and spoke directly:
"Baron Guilliman, we've come to you today with a mission."
"A few days ago, our patrolling soldiers and farmhands were attacked by a group of vampires."
"Several people are also missing; they must have been taken by the vampires."
"We hired a group of mercenaries to investigate, but they suffered heavy losses, with many dead and injured."
"However, they did bring back news of the vampires."
"A group of vampires, whose origin is unknown, has made a home in a cave not far from Whiterun."
"Many ordinary people have already been victimized."
"Now that Baroness Freya is not in the city, the Jarl hopes to entrust you with the task of eradicating these vampires."
"To protect the safety of Whiterun."
After hearing Kodlak and Avulstein's request, Guilliman did not refuse but readily agreed, while also falling into thought.
When talking about vampires in The Elder Scrolls, one couldn't help but think of the Dawnguard questline.
Could this questline have already begun?
Speaking of himself, this highly compatible perfect witcher, if he were to follow the vampire route, would he also gain vampire bloodline?
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