Witcher: Master Kiliman’s Grand Ambitions-Chapter 62: Out in the World, Identity Is What You Make of It

Looking at the dwarf heavy warriors and human lumberjacks surrounding him, Kiriman could actually understand their reaction.
In such a monster-infested, dangerous swamp area, when a fully armed person suddenly approaches, it's rarely good news.
Remaining vigilant was perfectly normal behavior.
He didn't get angry either, instead crossing his arms without drawing any weapons, speaking calmly:
"Don't be nervous, everyone. I'm a witcher."
"I have some matters I'd like to discuss with you. Please have your person in charge come speak with me."
The leading dwarf had a massive beard that hung down to his chest. Though his entire body was muscular, his face still showed wrinkles, indicating considerable age and extensive experience.
He raised his hand to stop the lumberjacks behind him from continuing their encirclement.
Picking up his battle axe, he approached Kiriman a few steps, clearly seeing the witcher's distinctive beast-like vertical pupils before nodding and saying:
"Indeed a witcher. I've seen your kind before."
"Alright, witcher. I'm the foreman of these lumberjacks. They all call me Iron Axe Black."
"What business do you have with us?"
The foreman was the leader of these lumberjacks.
For a dwarf lumberjack to become foreman over a group of human lumberjacks, this dwarf obviously had some capabilities.
When traveling abroad, you create your own identity.
A noble status might not mean much to monsters or those reclusive masters detached from society, but it carried significant weight with ordinary commoners.
Kiriman understood this perfectly well, so he spoke up:
"Mr. Iron Axe Black, greetings."
"I am currently a witcher serving the Temerian royal family - Kiriman Germann."
"Currently entrusted by His Majesty King Foltest with treating Princess Adda's curse."
"The area where you're logging now belongs to that Grand Druid you met earlier, Mr. Samoyeg."
"He is an extremely powerful spellcaster."
"The princess's curse requires assistance from this Grand Druid."
"Therefore, I hope you'll withdraw from this area and log elsewhere. This is the condition set by that old druid."
At this point, Kiriman's expression turned serious, and his aura of power, enhanced by his claimed identity as a royal witcher, became quite intimidating.
Proper lumberjacks differed from wilderness bandits and outlaws - most were commoners with families, wives, children, and elderly parents living near Vizima city, essentially decent folk.
Hearing Kiriman mention "king," "princess," "royal family" and such, though they didn't fully understand, they were greatly impressed.
In feudal society, royal matters were paramount, and commoners dared not provoke such trouble.
The matter of Princess Adda's curse was indeed real - any Temerian knew exactly how much King Foltest adored his daughter.
No one doubted that anyone daring to obstruct the king from saving his princess would find soldiers dragging them to the gallows the next day.
Some lumberjacks were frightened into confusion, looking around nervously, while others trembled in fear while trying to appear composed.
They were just workers - if encountering wild beasts or bandits, they might still dare to pick up weapons and resist for their families and livelihood.
But if this was truly the king's command, they obviously wouldn't dare offer any resistance.
However, Foreman Iron Axe Black wasn't so easily fooled. This world had many fraudsters, including those who deceived using the king's name.
Moreover, dwarves held less respect and fear for so-called human kings and princesses. These dwarves from the Mahakam mountains had lived in human society for many years, and what they valued most was money.
Iron Axe Black looked at the witcher with suspicious eyes, saying in a muffled voice:
"Hah!"
"I've heard witchers always maintain neutrality, never participating in any political actions."
"Why should I believe you, Mr. Kiriman Germann?"
"I have a logging permit issued by the city council, allowing logging anywhere in this forest."
"We all need to earn money to support our families. We've worked hard to develop this logging site - we can't just leave because of your baseless reasons."
Seeing this situation, Kiriman felt somewhat troubled.
The lumberjacks opposite him hadn't really done anything wrong - cutting forests for survival was something every race would do.
He couldn't possibly kill over a dozen lumberjacks over such a minor matter. They had children too, and doing that would make him no different from so-called demonic evil gods.
However, this commission absolutely had to be completed.
Kiriman decided to use monetary persuasion and social leverage, effectively giving them an opportunity.
If this approach failed, then only force remained - driving them away by force.
He reached into his storage space and pulled out a money bag containing one hundred Orens, enough for these lumberjacks' half-month wages.
Under the dwarf's astonished gaze, Kiriman tossed the money bag to him, then said:
"Dwarf friend, don't make this difficult for me. Consider this money compensation for your losses."
"Actually, I'm good friends with Zoltan and Alpan."
"Just last month, I hunted two massive wyverns with their dragon-hunting team, earning quite a profit."
"Do me this favor - log somewhere else. When we return to the city, I'll treat you all to drinks."
"King Foltest granted me an island - Black Tern Island. You probably know where it is."
"Before long, I'll be hiring a large group of stonemasons, carpenters, and blacksmiths to build me a castle."
"When that time comes, I'll definitely patronize your business."
The world wasn't all about fighting and killing - it operated on social connections and relationships.
This carrot-and-stick approach, combining benefits with threats, immediately made the dwarf foreman hesitate.
After a few seconds, he sighed and said:
"So you're that witcher!"
"Last month when Alpan and the others passed through Vizima and treated us to drinks, they did mention this matter."
"They all said you're truly a powerful witcher - you personally killed both wyverns, severing their heads with single sword strokes each."
"Alright then. Since you're friends with Zoltan and Alpan, that makes you a friend of Iron Axe Black too."
"Tomorrow I'll take my logging team to find another logging site. We won't stay in this area anymore."
The dwarf population in human society wasn't particularly large. Beyond those unknown dwarf commoners, most outstanding dwarves knew each other and maintained good relationships.
When Kiriman invoked Zoltan and Alpan's reputations, the other side wisely compromised.
This outcome also satisfied the witcher considerably.
He'd only lost one hundred Orens - what he gained from the Grand Druid far exceeded that value.
Besides, dwarves were excellent craftsmen. When undertaking major construction on Black Tern Island later, having more dwarf connections would prove helpful.
After resolving the matter, Iron Axe Black enthusiastically invited him into the lumberjack camp, bringing out his dwarf spirits for Kiriman to drink freely.
However, within the lumberjack camp, Kiriman saw something that greatly surprised him.
Three fully mobile ballistae and over a dozen crossbows were positioned right in the camp's center.
This was probably why the lumberjacks dared venture deep into the swamp, unafraid of those monsters.