Perhaps it was because his idea was too sudden.
Shani, Caroline, and Alvin, who were present, were all stunned.
However, Caroline, as the adoptive mother, was the first to react. Although she wasn't Alvin's biological mother, she had adopted him several years ago, and they had relied on each other, sharing deep affection.
She was unwilling to directly refuse Guilliman, so she said:
"Mr. Guilliman, do you want Alvin to become a Witcher?"
"I've heard that becoming a Witcher is very dangerous for children, and many children die because of it."
"I won't let Alvin face such danger."
Shani also nodded, looking at the Witcher and saying:
"Guilliman, I think recruiting Witcher apprentices must have the consent of both the child and their parents."
"This is a very dangerous matter and must be handled carefully; it cannot be forced."
The two women clearly misunderstood Guilliman's intentions.
He was not a traditional Witcher and had never considered the issue of Witcher succession. With a lifespan of over a thousand years, why would he force a child to become a Witcher apprentice?
The reason he wanted to take Alvin as a disciple was merely to compensate him.
Because he had decided that in about a year, he would need to use a bloodline advancement ritual to fuse the bloodline of the Elder Blood.
Within such a short time, it would certainly be impossible to obtain the Elder Blood from Ciri, the Child of Destiny.
Moreover, this protagonist has the powerful favor of the Goddess of Destiny, bearing the fate of saving the world. Anyone who harbors ill intentions towards her generally comes to a bad end, and dying without a whole corpse is just a regular occurrence.
So his only choice was Alvin, this little boy who was only six or seven years old now.
However, the bloodline advancement ritual would not completely strip Alvin of his bloodline, nor would it pose a threat to his life safety.
But it would most likely damage the concentration of his Elder Blood, weakening his abilities by more than half.
Although in the original work, this little boy would become a major villain in the future due to his ability to travel through time and his somewhat extreme personality.
But at this point in time, he truly hadn't done anything evil and still had the possibility of being saved.
Taking him as a disciple, teaching him swordsmanship, and providing him and his adoptive mother Caroline with a stable life was the compensation Guilliman wanted to give them.
Perhaps it felt a bit like a cat shedding crocodile tears, but if he did nothing, his conscience would still be a little uneasy.
"No, Madam Caroline, Shani."
"I simply want to take Alvin as a disciple, teach him swordsmanship, allow him to learn cultural knowledge, and have a stable upbringing environment. I will not force him to become a Witcher."
"Of course, once he masters his skills, if he is willing to stay and work for me, that would be even better."
"If he is unwilling, I will not force him either."
Guilliman's voice was sincere; apart from preparing to extract Alvin's Elder Blood, he wasn't lying about anything else.
"Moreover, Madam Caroline, once my academy is built to a certain extent, I will also need to recruit some workers to work for me."
"Whether it's cooks, cleaners, or housekeepers, these jobs all need to be done by someone."
"If you are willing, I hope you can come with Alvin, and you can also take care of him together."
The conditions Guilliman offered were quite generous, even making Caroline feel as if this man wanted to keep her.
In the cruel era of the Middle Ages,
For a widow and a child, an orphaned mother and her child, wanting to live safely and stably, relying on a powerful man was the best choice for them.
Caroline was quite moved, and she turned to look at Alvin, finding that the child was also very eager to learn swordsmanship, his eyes sparkling.
After witnessing various violent incidents such as the destruction of his village, attacks by the Scoia'tael, and robberies by the Salamandra gang.
Although Alvin was still a child, he was a genius with Elder Blood and could already understand many problems that other children couldn't.
Only by mastering power and becoming as strong as Uncle Guilliman in front of him could he do what he wanted to do.
Realizing the child's longing, Caroline's eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded to the Witcher, saying:
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Guilliman."
"Apart from doing some chores, we have no way to repay you."
"Since you are willing to take Alvin as a disciple, I believe he will certainly not disappoint your expectations."
...The Vizima swamps are located southwest of Vizima City, an area that had not yet been extensively developed.
However, due to the climate and geographical environment,
The vegetation here was lush, the trees were thick, herbal resources were abundant, and there was special clay very suitable for making bricks and tiles. It was the primary source of bricks and tiles for Vizima City when it was first established.
Just near the swamp port, a village called Murky Waters, where hundreds of masons gathered, was built there.
It provided accommodation, food, and information services for travelers and adventurers heading into the swamp.
After arriving at the swamp with Shani, they quickly rented a house in Murky Waters, a house with two beds.
At this time, the medical student girl was still quite shy. Although they lived together in the same house, they did not sleep together, maintaining a friendly distance.
So, every day during the day, Guilliman went out to complete his Witcher contracts, bringing back special celandine collected from the depths of the swamp.
And Shani stayed in the village, conducting experiments related to the plague.
The two spent their days together, and their feelings warmed up quickly. In just a few days, they had already become close friends who enjoyed talking to each other.
The first thing Guilliman completed was the commission from the fat merchant, Ravadan.
His group of workers was responsible for collecting herbs, felling trees, and hunting beasts from the swamp, then transporting them to Vizima City via the port for sale.
However, due to the harsh environment of the swamp, large groups of Drowners appeared in swarms, disregarding the time, even actively attacking workers at the port during the day, severely affecting Ravadan's business.
So the merchant offered a high price of four orens per Drowner, inviting the Witcher to help him clear the Drowners near the port.
Clearing Drowners was Guilliman's specialty.
It only took him about a full day to eliminate over a hundred Drowners lurking near the port, gaining nearly a hundred soul power points and Drowner ears for compensation, which he handed over to the supervising steward.
After completing this simple commission, Guilliman continued to explore the swamp, hunting various monsters while searching for traces of the Scoia'tael and more special celandine.
Suddenly, this afternoon, he passed through patches of swamp.
He found an area with exceptionally lush vegetation, the ground covered with various flowers and green leaves, and a giant sacred oak tree, dozens of meters tall, growing in the center of the woodland.
An old man, dressed only in a robe woven from leaves, with a beard and eyebrows that almost covered half of his face, looking like a wild man, stood in front of him and said in a somewhat aged voice:
"Stranger, this is the Druids' Circle."
"Outsiders are forbidden."
And behind this old man,
There was also a young woman with light green skin, completely naked and unadorned, with a delicate and beautiful appearance, a full and shapely figure, wearing a wreath, and carrying a long vine bow, looking at him with a wary expression.
At the first sight of this girl, Guilliman knew.
This was a Dryad girl, and he might soon be able to taste the flavor of a Dryad girl.