It was a checkpoint that all smugglers who wanted to reach the port of Cobicus in Tierheim had to pass through.
"Name?"
The customs officer in a blue and black uniform sized up the six burly men in front of him. Evidently, he judged that they were another group of smugglers who wanted to purchase goods from the autonomous region.
"My name is Gerua Ferdi, and they are my companions. He is called Modanni Gialasuo, and he is called …" The burly man in the lead introduced his and his companions' names to the customs officer in front of him with a smile.
However, the customs officer was not interested in their self-introduction. He lowered his head and recorded the names of the leading man on a form. He then asked, "Where are you from?
What's the name of your ship? "
"We're from Krusua. We came here on the Silver Cod," the leading man answered.
Krusua was the abbreviation of the colony of Lesnia, a country in the southern part of the Freia Continent, on Nubissia. The colony of Krusua was one of the first to be developed among the colonies on the west coast. It was about three to four times the size of Tierheim and was home to nearly three million Lesnians. It produced high-quality wool and ostrich hides, and was rich in wood and minerals.
When the customs officer heard that the six burly men came from Krusua and came here on the Silver Cod, he was even more certain that they were smugglers.
He stopped asking questions and quickly recorded the leading man's answers on a form. He then handed the completed form to a colleague next to him.
The colleague copied the contents of the form onto another sheet of paper and stamped the names on both forms with the customs officer's stamp. He then handed the copied form back to the first customs officer.
After checking that the copied form matched his own, the first customs officer signed his name on it and stamped it with his stamp.
He then handed the form to the leading man in front of him.
"The customs fee is one riyas per person. Keep this form well. You can use it to prove your identity when the patrol officers interrogate you.
Also, this form is valid for three months. If you haven't completed your task by then, you'll need to apply for an extension from the local patrol department and civil administration.
But at that time, the procedures will be more complicated and the fees will be higher … "
The leader took out a silver coin from his pocket and respectfully placed it on the table. "Thank you, keep the change."
"Wait …" The customs officer checked the silver coins and had his colleague next to him make a receipt. He opened the drawer and put the silver coins inside. He then took out four notes and put them on the table. "This is your change, take it back.
We're customs officers of the Dominion, not waiters in a tavern. We don't need your tips. Tipping us is an insult to our status! "
"Yes, yes, yes. I'm sorry.
Thank you again. "
The leader of the group nodded to express his apologies. He picked up the notes on the table and looked at them curiously.
There were two clocks in total, three dark silver notes with one riyas written on them.
The bronze note was marked five sunars, and there was only one of them.
"The low-denomination notes issued by the overseas autonomous region can be used as metal currency.
If you meet a merchant in any of the autonomous regions who refuses to accept your notes, congratulations, you'll be rich immediately.
As long as there's evidence that he refuses to use the autonomous region's notes for transactions, you'll be able to sue him and obtain a tenth of the merchant's assets.
Unfortunately, the autonomous region hasn't found such a foolish merchant yet … "
The customs officer teased the man in front of him. He had seen many smugglers who hesitated when they saw the notes for the first time.
However, most of the smugglers who kept the notes in their pockets thought that they could keep them as souvenirs if they couldn't use them. After all, they were beautifully printed and not expensive.
However, after the autonomous regions discovered the convenience of using the notes, these smugglers would purposely go to the overseas Minsheng Bank to exchange some notes and keep them with them. They were unwilling to exchange them back when they returned.
It was said that these notes were also used in the colonies on the west coast. The colonies there also lacked low-denomination metal currency.
The leader of the group stuffed the four notes back into his pocket and nodded at the customs officer. He then turned around and prepared to leave with his colleague.
Perhaps his politeness moved the customs officer. He shouted at the man's back, "I'll give you a piece of advice. Leave your weapons in the hotel and don't carry them with you.
The overseas autonomous region is very safe and orderly.
If you carry weapons on the streets, you'll easily attract the attention of the patrolling police … "
The leader of the group hurriedly turned around and thanked the customs officer again before leaving with his colleague.
"Not carrying weapons?
Are you kidding me? If we encounter the enemy or that lowly woman, we'll be like toothless hounds. What can we use to deal with the enemy and that woman?! "A sturdy man beside the leader of the group grumbled in a low voice.
"You talk too much!"
The leader of the group glared angrily at the sturdy man. "The customs officer is right. If the order here is good, we'll be more conspicuous if we carry weapons on the streets.
Don't forget the tragic fate of the third squad.
They were treated as bandits by the local garrison in Raziod. A fierce gunfight broke out, and they were all sacrificed on the streets because they ran out of ammunition. Isn't that lesson deep enough?
Our top priority now is to find the whereabouts of that lowly woman. She's been out of sight for almost half a month now.
She's been dealing with us for two to three years in Freia and the West Coast Colony.
We swore a blood oath to kill her and avenge His Majesty. Unless all of us die, we'll find her even if we have to go to the ends of the earth and kill her … "
The leader of the group's face turned sinister as he spoke. He would never forget that bloody night.
They thought that the honorable His Majesty wanted to have a night of pleasure with that beautiful woman, and in order to avoid arousing suspicion, he deliberately loosened the guards around him and put some distance between them. As a result, that despicable woman found an opportunity to assassinate the Emperor.
It was only then that the guards realised that the woman was actually a magus who had hidden herself very well. She easily killed her way out of the encirclement and escaped without a trace.
This was the greatest negligence of the guards from the kingdom's Special Department. No one would forgive them for their mistakes.
They were part of the Special Department tasked with dealing with magi, but it was their negligence that led to His Majesty's death.
Many of the angry officers said to the guards kneeling before His Majesty's coffin, "Why are you pieces of trash still alive? If I were you, I would've killed myself in shame!"
It was not that they did not want to commit suicide, but they wanted to find the despicable woman and the conspirator who had ordered her to assassinate His Majesty. They wanted to bring her head and their heads back to His Majesty's tomb and then commit suicide.
It was just that the woman was too cunning. They spent two to three years and fought with the woman several times, but they never got what they wanted.
On the other hand, more than half of the forty men who had been chasing her had died due to various accidents. Now, there were only about twenty of them left.
"Boss, don't get too worked up."
The round-faced man next to the leader tried to calm him down. "That lowly woman couldn't hide on Freia any longer and was chased all the way to the west coast of Nubissia. While we've suffered quite a few losses in the past two years, we've forced her to flee to the colonies. This should be the last place she can hide.
Once we find her, she won't have anywhere else to run to. We'll definitely catch her and find out the mastermind behind His Majesty's assassination. "
The leader took a deep breath and slowly calmed himself down. His expression became calm once more. "Thank you, Egor. It's my fault.
You know, every time I think about that night and the fact that His Majesty's body was right in front of me, I can't control my emotions … Now, let's go find a place to stay. You go and make a mark for our companions behind us.
By the way, Egor, I remember there were spies from the Special Department in the colonies. I wonder if they're still around. Take two people with you and see if you can get in touch with them.
I wonder if they've been recalled by the kingdom's Special Department.
If we can get in touch with them, they might be able to help us a lot. "
The round-faced man nodded. "Alright. I'll go check it out once we find a place to stay.
Boss, look at those patrolmen over there. They're staring at us. If we weren't standing at the customs gate, they would've come looking for us already. Let's find a place to settle down first. "
"It's fine. Watch me."
The leader had already regained his shrewdness. He smiled as he walked towards the patrolmen on the other side of the street. In his hand was the form the customs officer had given him.
When he arrived in front of the patrolmen, he first bowed, then handed the form in his hand to the patrolmen. After saying a few words with a grin, he waved goodbye to the patrolmen.
"Huh? Boss, how did you do it? Those patrolmen are ignoring us," the round-faced man asked in surprise.
The leader sighed. "This place is just as the customs officer said. It's really safe.
Those patrolmen are paying attention to us because of the large backpacks we're carrying on our backs. They can see the shape of weapons at a glance.
I just showed them this form and said that it's our first time here. They didn't think much of it.
They just warned us not to carry long-range or heavy weapons in the city. This is to avoid being accidentally injured by the patrolmen when they arrive. "
"So it's okay to carry short weapons?" The round-faced man asked.
The leader nodded. "Swords and knives are fine. But don't carry guns and crossbows with you.
Look, we're registered as smugglers on this form. No one will care if we carry guns and crossbows on the ship. But if we carry these weapons in the city, it'll be easy to be misunderstood.
Just remember this when you go out. Bring a sword to protect yourself. There's no need to bring your special guns. "
"We understand." The five men beside him nodded.
"Alright. Call a carriage."
The leader said, "Just now, two patrolmen recommended the Red Stone Flower Tavern in the South City. They said the food there is delicious. The waitresses are cute and considerate. The service is good and the price is good.
Let's go to the Red Stone Flower Tavern and wait for our companions to arrive there … "
The round-faced man and his two companions left the Red Stone Flower Tavern. They called a carriage and drove toward the city gate. When they arrived near the city gate, they got off the carriage and paid the fare. They began to circle around the houses in the area.
Half an hour later, they finally found two crossed triangles on the bluestone foundation of a shop along the street.
The image was drawn by a mischievous child on the surface of the stone. But upon closer inspection, it was carved on the bluestone.
"Let's go to the shop and see if it's the contact we're looking for."
The round-faced man entered the shop with his two companions. They came out ten minutes later. Clearly, neither the owner of the shop nor the staff were the contact they were looking for.
"Let's ask around here. We'll say we've taken a liking to this shop and want to know where the owner lives."
The only thing they learned was that the shop was rented. The owner did not live here and seemed to have another residence in the city.
In the evening, the round-faced man and his two companions appeared in an alley in the West City. They looked at a small door inside and knocked on it.
"Who is it?" A voice came from inside.
"May I ask if Mr. Mybrom lives here?" the round-faced man asked.
The voice inside went silent. After a while, there was the sound of hurried footsteps. The small door opened and an old man in his fifties came out. He sized up the round-faced man and his companions suspiciously. "Mr. Mybrom doesn't live here, but his cousin, Mr. Dumbilius, and his family live here."
The round-faced man laughed. "Then does Mr. Dumbilius have a younger brother named Kenriak who is the butler of Viscount Murillo?"
The old man heaved a sigh of relief. "Yes, he lives in the baron's White Autumn Mountain Castle.
You're here to deliver a letter to him, right … Then come in and we'll talk. "
The round-faced man and his companions entered through the small door. Inside was a large courtyard and a two-story, three-room bluestone brick building.
The old man closed the door and turned to look at the round-faced man and his companions. "You're from the capital?
Has the special department been reestablished? "
The round-faced man shook his head with difficulty. The old man immediately became wary. "Then who are you? How do you know about this secret contact order from ten years ago?"
"We … We haven't been back to the capital for a few years. We don't know what's going on in the capital."
The round-faced man took out a black metal plate and handed it to the old man. "This is our proof of identity. The two of them have it too. We're members of the Special Task Force …"
The old man knew his stuff. He knew where the three of them came from the moment he saw the metal plate. "You're just reserve members of the Special Task Force. The official Special Task Force members all have silver plates.
What happened that even the reserve members of the Special Task Force have to be mobilized? "
"Let's talk inside the house. We've been looking for you all afternoon. We're exhausted. Get us some water."
The round-faced man was a little tired and asked curiously, "Why can a spy like you leave the contact point and move here? Is the Magician you're monitoring dead?"
The old man sighed as he led the three into the house. "I don't know if he's dead or not. The problem is that I don't know where the Magician I was supposed to monitor went.
A few years ago, there was an incident in the Colonies where the Grey Tower Magician of Higros Island came to assassinate several generals in the war zone. Then, the war zone conducted a large-scale investigation in all the colonies and arrested all the Magicians living in seclusion.
The Magician I was ordered to monitor was no exception. He never returned.
I even reported him missing to the patrol team as a neighbor. In the end, I was reprimanded, saying that it was a war zone secret and that I shouldn't pry.
If I continued to investigate, I was worried that I would be arrested.
So I wrote a report and sent it back to the royal capital, but there was no reply from the royal capital.
Then came the outbreak of the kingdom's civil war. The kingdom's mainland and the colonies were cut off. Now, a few years have passed and even the colonies have declared their autonomy.
My house next to the city gate was targeted. They have money and power, so I had no choice but to rent it to them as a shop.
You're the first batch of people to contact me with the Special Task Force's secret contact order from ten years ago. I thought you came from the royal capital and wanted to arrange for spies to come here again … "
The round-faced man seemed a little lost. "Back then, when the eldest prince Hansbach escaped from the royal capital, more than half of the Special Task Force chose to follow the eldest prince.
Later, the eldest prince launched a surprise attack on the royal capital from the sea and regained control of the royal capital. Only then did we realize that the Special Task Force of the kingdom was almost non-existent. The remaining people were either bodyguards for the nobles or homeless.
The warehouse was ransacked, and we don't know who did it.
During the civil war, there were many casualties. We lost many people protecting the eldest prince from assassination.
Later, the eldest prince ascended the throne in the royal capital and there were less than sixty of us in the Special Task Force.
After His Majesty's defeat, he retreated from Whitestag and returned to the newly conquered territories.
Then, he was assassinated.
Since then, there have only been twenty or so of them left. "
"Then why are you looking for me this time?
Don't tell me you want to assassinate the generals of the autonomous region?
That's not something you can do. I don't want to be involved in something like that … "The old man said warily.
"No …" The round-faced man shook his head and took out a small portrait from his bosom. "Although these generals of the colonies betrayed His Majesty, we have no intention of finding trouble with them.
We're here to find the woman in the portrait. She should have arrived here half a month ago, but we don't know where she's gone.
She's the one who tried to assassinate His Majesty. We've been looking for her for three years.
She's been running from us all the way from the west coast to the colonies.
We must find her and kill her to avenge His Majesty.
Oh, she has a black puppy with her … "