Shang Zetao was undoubtedly a hardcore fan of “The Witcher 3.” This particular entry had come across as a pleasant surprise. The Lord God was most kind indeed. When he heard the captain asking him questions about the lore, faction, and premise of the world, he got started on a particularly extensive speech.

“The Witcher” franchise was actually the game adaptation of a novel series. Even so, this game adaptation actually outshone its source material. The third entry of the trilogy took the cake. It was a groundbreaking, trendsetting icon among Western fantasy RPGs. Those who have played it have nothing to offer but praise. After all, a single DLC of the game, “Blood and Wine” had already won “Game of the year.”

“Someone once mentioned that “The Witcher 3″ is overrated. Now, I’m going to quote another guy’s perfect comeback for that ——

I’ve seen the slow, gentle snowfall of Kaer Morhen. I’ve experienced the howling wind of Skellige Isles. I’ve walked through the fires of Novigrad. I was born anew in the Kingdom of Toussaint. I slogged from morning till dusk on Velen Continent, No Man’s Land. I was reunited with my old friend at a particularly noisy tavern in Oxenfurt. I once held Triss’s hand on the lighthouse of Redania. I’ve embraced Yennefer on the broken walls of a ruin atop the snow mountain of an isolated island. I loved, I hated, I went to the bottom line, I found the unbreakable will buried deep in my heart. I’ve seen the various ugly faces of the human world, the fear of human relationship, yet stubbornly held firmly to my blind faith in humanity. I’m just a tiny, insignificant witcher. I just want to protect the most important people in my heart.”

” The “I” in this situation is referring to Geralt, the protagonist.”

“I found that answer particularly touching. Back as I played the game, my love towards it was a gradually deepening process. Almost every character within the game had a life of its own. Every single sidequest got you deep into rhetorics about existentialism…”

As Shang Zetao droned on about the game, his companions managed to piece together his fragmented key points. So, the few major human factions within the game were the Nilfgaardian Empire, the Northern realm, the Skellige Isles, and the Wild Hunt who came from another world. They were here to capture Cirilla.

In short, be it the forces or the characters, they had to be somewhat capable, if they could show up in Gwent decks.

“Our first step now is to determine where we stand in the plot, and how far it has gone. Whether Geralt has found his adopted daughter, whether Ereden, the king of Wild Hunt has already invaded the world.”

“As for which ally to take, the Nilfgaardian Empire should be a safe choice. The great Emperor Emhyr may be infamously known for dancing on a recently deceased rival’s grave, but he’s amazingly talented and a true visionary. He makes all the wise decisions in the name of the greater good, not one to let emotions cloud his judgment. He’s a far better choice compared to the “Powerful Bald-head” of Redania who has been massacring the citizens of other nations, burning sorceresses, wielding his “Heart of Stone” about.

“We certainly need to make friends with Geralt, the protagonist. He is the titular protagonist across several of their games. He may not be a knight, but he has the heart of one. Of course, we could expect to see the iconic protagonist aura coming from him. I am a little miffed about how he dies from falls that should be peanuts for a witcher…”

“All in all, we’ve come to this world, well-equipped with knowledge and foresight of its various possible futures, so let’s make the best of it. Make friends with everyone you see whenever possible. It’s not a particularly high-powered world, but we’re not all-powerful ourselves, we’ve only harvested the power from about two to three worlds. Captain may be the strongest among us all, but he won’t be able to take on their armies alone. On the other hand, we won’t have to expect any outrageously strong boss appearing from their side. Still, let’s be friends with the bosses of this world, and it would be smooth sailing from there.”

Shang Zetao was not wise, but neither did he pretend to be one. Yang Yunfei appreciated such honesty. You won’t get that overinflated sense of pretentiousness outside a novel.

They had turned up on the plains of Velen. According to Shang Zetao, the seignior of Velen was some bloody baron. A mainline within “The Witcher 3” was actually related to him. According to the different choices by the protagonist, the baron might end up dead. Or he might live, and then appear in Kaer Morhen as the protagonist struggled against the Wild Hunt.

The Bloody baron had even offered Cirilla his aid, as he admired her heroic spirit. She had even fought alongside him. They had grown rather fond of each other.

Unfortunately, due to Olivia’s appearance, Cirilla no longer had a need to come to such a poor and backward place like Velen. Therefore, it was now impossible for her to make friends with the bloody baron.

After Olivia became the empress, the first place she reformed and developed with full force were still rich and prosperous, to begin with. As for places off the path like Velen, she only encouraged those with the stomach for it to go on an adventure. Her adventurer’s union strongly encouraged humans to slay demons, and further expand the lands of man.

Yang Yunfei, Shang Zetao and the bunch of people pretended to be indigenes. They had even altered their appearance into that of typical Westerners. After that, they traveled to places such as taverns to inquire for more information.

War had not yet spread to Velen. It had not even spread to the novice village within the game —— White Orchard. The fame empress Olivia was to be blamed for it. She had made short work of everything that even had the potential of standing in her way. Most of the small kingdoms and seigniors of the Northern realm had surrendered at the mere rumor of her coming. There was nothing to lose in surrendering to the supreme ruler Olivia who had been touched by the gods. Either way, they still remained the rulers of their own lands.

It did not take them long to realize that it had been a grave mistake. Olivia was not even keen on the practice of enfeoffment. She fought for complete centrelization. This meant that her touch had spread even to the grassroots. In the future, the titles of nobilities would end up as nothing more than honorifics…

Such a thorough level of centralization gave Empress Olivia a ridiculous level of authority. She could command millions of men at will. The Wild Hunt was nothing before such a unified force.

Obviously, she did not even need the numbers, to begin with. The elite, professional army, equipped with otherworldly technology that she had started off with was more than enough.

So. She had money, power, and the hearts of people. Nothing could ever threaten her position. That’s right. Her great union and centralization of authority was not a mere reformation, but a thorough revolution. She did not intend to settle as a nominal empress, but an actual autocratic empress.

This might also be why Zhao Youyue was pressing down upon her Student Council with a similarly extreme level of centralization. She did not care about how the others perceived and spoke of her. She could do anything she wanted. Was that not enough?

“Why don’t we play one round of Gwent first? Although I wouldn’t expect to find an actual Gwent player in this tavern,” Shang Zetao said excitedly.