Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 340: Smuggling

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Smuggling
The room was not luxuriously adorned, very simple, yet exceptionally clean and tidy. It was evident that while no one frequently stayed here, someone was consistently responsible for its cleanliness.
In this era, finding a clean inn wasn’t easy. Other rooms were mostly inhabited by mercenaries and adventurers. You couldn’t expect them to love cleanliness, nor could you expect the inn to maintain high standards of cleanliness.
After Hawke closed the door, Duke extended his Shadow Perception, releasing an Eye of Darkness. Once he confirmed no one was secretly spying on them, he began to speak:
"I’ll be leaving Goose Peak Castle soon, heading north to the Toulouse Territory. Do you have any reliable channels?"
The Toulouse Territory bordered the Leighton Clan, a territory with considerable strength, its area larger than the Leighton Clan’s.
If Duke were to head to the Fifth Outpost, he would need to pass through the Toulouse Territory.
Due to some conflicts between Toulouse and the Leighton Clan, friction frequently occurred. So having a more reasonable identity could prevent a lot of trouble.
Duke needed to pass through the Toulouse Territory as discreetly as possible, avoiding too much trouble. Reaching the Fifth Outpost quickly was currently the most crucial goal.
"You intend to head to the Toulouse Territory, my lord? This... might be somewhat problematic," Hawke looked troubled, with clear concern in his voice.
"Go on," Duke gestured him to continue.
"Surely you’re aware, my lord," Hawke lowered his voice, as if afraid the walls might have ears, "the relationship between the Leighton Clan and the Iron Wall Lord of the Toulouse Territory... it’s really quite complicated. There’s constant friction at the border as both sides are on guard against each other."
"As a convoy registered under the Leighton Territory, trying to openly bring major goods into the Toulouse Territory involves excruciatingly complicated procedures, and checkpoint inspections are extremely strict. They almost want to check every strand of hair to see if it’s a spy. Anything slightly sensitive, like weapons or minerals, you can forget about crossing; getting confiscated is the least of the worries."
Hawke sighed, looking very helpless: "Our convoy tried the Toulouse route before. The profit was good, but those layers of extorts and hindrances... coupled with the risk of being suspected as spies, it’s really not worth it, so we basically stopped going thereafter."
He then shifted his tone: "There’s a way, but it’s truly not..."
"What way?" Duke, knowing Hawke had connections, asked eagerly.
"I wouldn’t recommend you to take this route, there’s a certain risk, which is to use the Raven’s Beak channel to cross the border." Hawke said hesitantly, seeming reluctant for Duke to head to the Toulouse Territory via this method.
"It’s alright, go ahead," Duke said with interest.
Hawke nodded and had to say: "Raven’s Beak is a well-known and relatively reputable broker organization underground at Goose Peak Castle, somewhat connected to this tavern. Raven’s Beak controls several paths that can bypass official checkpoints and directly pass through unguarded or treacherous mountain areas at the border. It’s extremely risky, facing harsh environments, vicious beasts, and potentially running into Toulouse patrols or even robberies."
"However, it can bypass Toulouse Territory’s border inspections directly, and it’s fast, no need to make long detours, just that..."
"Isn’t this smuggling..." Duke pondered silently.
Given the poor relationship between the Leighton Clan and the Toulouse Territory, an emergence of a smuggling industry was quite normal, the profits were enticing.
As long as money is to be made, people would do it, even if it meant hanging their heads on their belts for it.
"Help me make contact, then." Duke thought for a moment before speaking.
"Lord Jelot, this..." Hawke didn’t expect Duke to choose the Raven’s Beak channel so readily.
But thinking of Duke’s powerful ability, he could somewhat understand; with high skill comes great courage. With enough strength, those so-called risks are nothing to fear.
"In front of Lord Jelot, it’s uncertain who truly poses the risk," Hawke thought to himself.
"I’ll go take care of it right away, my lord. Please rest well!" Hawke respectfully gave a bow and gently and discreetly left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Duke walked to the window and opened a slit. The night view of Goose Peak Castle unfolded before him, distant lights from the main building of the majestic castle, and nearby dim street lamps and the warm glow from the tavern windows on the winding streets were seen. The cold wind carried the city’s clamor and complex scents.
...
Early the next morning, just as the dawn’s light broke, Duke slowly opened his eyes while compressing his Spiritual Power.
The night hadn’t been particularly quiet; the noise from the tavern lingered all through the night.
If it weren’t for this room being the innermost one, the noise could have been even louder. One could only imagine what sleeping in other rooms was like.
Most of the residents here were mercenaries and adventurers who usually were drunk by the time they slept, not caring about a bit of noise.
The dim light of dawn struggled to pierce the perennial fog enveloping Goose Peak Castle, painting the gray city with a cold, leaden hue.
Duke pushed open the back door of Raven Tavern and stepped into a narrow, damp alley.
The air was filled with the sour smell of night-old sewage and the chill of early morning, starkly different from the lingering noise and muddled air of the tavern.
One night of commotion didn’t affect him at all. For most of the time, he was immersed in the liquidation compression of Spiritual Power.
Duke planned to familiarize himself with this city, to understand its veins.
Hawke needed time to contact Raven’s Beak, so this period was right for observation.
All the intelligence gathered was valuable; other Wizards might not have penetrated so deeply into a city within the Devourer Plane to move freely.
He didn’t choose the main road, instead, he blended into the shadow, navigating through cobblestone alleys. The core area of Goose Peak Castle was even more crowded and complex than what he swiftly sensed at a glance last night.
Towering stone houses pressed against each other, and the narrow alleys were like a maze, with various hung clothes and illegal shelters overhead, blocking out the sky.
Early-rising vendors pushed squeaky carts, calling out to sell black bread and thin vegetable soup.
Unknowingly, he passed through the relatively chaotic civilian area, nearing the core Central Square of Goose Peak Castle.
Here, adjacent to the Leighton Clan’s main castle building, the field of view was open, paved with smooth stone slabs, a place for public announcements, holding ceremonies, or even public executions.
At present, more people than usual had congregated in the square. In the noisy crowd, suppressed discussions intermingled with an indescribable excitement.
At the center of the gathering crowd stood a temporary erected wooden platform.
Surrounding the platform were two rows of Leighton Clan elite soldiers, their armor vivid, wielding spears, standing with a stern expression.