Yennefer and Ciri approach Gors Velen, a major port city in Temeria near the Aretuza magical academy on Thanedd Island. They see the corpses of Scoia’tael elves displayed on posts as warnings, which disgusts Yennefer. Before entering Gors Velen, she uses a floating mirror and applies glamarye to heighten her beauty. She explains that, in a city reliant on sorceresses, such displays command respect and allow her to move freely without question. In contrast, Ciri must hide her distinctive hair and remain unmemorable in hopes that no one will recognize or remember her. At the gate, guards are dazzled by Yennefer’s magical glamour and admit them immediately.

They visit the bank of Molnar Giancardi, a dwarf who owes Yennefer for saving his family during a massacre. While Ciri reads Physiologus, Giancardi outlines troubling politics: new taxes on “non-humans,” soaring gemstone prices as wealthy people prepare to flee, and covert military preparations. King Foltest is secretly purchasing boats and moving them to the Yaruga for drills, suggesting that the Northern Kingdoms are planning a preemptive strike against Nilfgaard before the harvest. Giancardi’s observations suggest that many powerful figures expect major political upheaval, though open war has not yet begun.

Giancardi mentions Geralt’s recent debt in Dorian.