Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Damn it! Do you know who our lord is?"
A man dressed as a merchant shouted at the soldier.
"Sir, according to the regulations, everything passing through the checkpoint must be inspected."
"Soldier, are you new here? Let me show you again. I have the permit for these supplies."
"I see your permit clearly, sir. But our inspection is to check for any contraband items in the goods."
Soldier Jeffrey was also frustrated but didn't dare express it; the merchant seemed difficult to deal with.
This was the Watcher Fortress, and he was stationed here.
Usually, when merchants passed through, they were respectful, sometimes even giving them a little money as a tip.
But today, he had encountered a tough customer who refused to allow the inspection of the goods.
While Aldor allowed domestic merchants to trade with many external forces, including the orcs, certain goods were prohibited for export.
For example, high-quality weapons and armor.
Some goods were limited in quantity for export, such as salt, grain, and cloth, and could only be sold with a one-time or limited-duration permit.
The reason for these restrictions on internal and external trade was to prevent the orcs on the plains from becoming too powerful.
The orcs lived a nomadic life on the plains, but were severely lacking in living supplies, which also limited their population growth.
If there was no limit on the supply of goods, the orcs could grow exponentially and pose a serious threat to human civilization.
Many merchants still liked to trade on the plains, as the orcs raised livestock and various furs, which were highly sought after by humans.
With high profits, many ignored the kingdom's bans and smuggled goods needed by the orcs onto the plains.
Therefore, inspecting passing merchant caravans at key checkpoints like Watcher Fortress was necessary.
But Jeffrey had run into a hard case.
The lead merchant of the caravan was dressed extravagantly, implying a noble background.
His attitude was rude, refusing to let the soldier inspect the goods, disregarding the soldier entirely.
Just as the standoff continued, the captain's voice came from behind Jeffrey.
"Let them pass."
"Huh?"
Jeffrey was startled and turned around to see the captain, who had just returned from a quick break.
"This is the Bradley family's caravan. They can pass directly."
The captain spoke indifferently, as if this was a common occurrence.
No wonder, Jeffrey thought. The Bradley family was a noble family in the kingdom's northeastern region, holding a duke title.
"Hmph!" The leader of the caravan gave Jeffrey a haughty look, as if saying, "I remember you."
Jeffrey silently stepped aside and allowed the caravan to pass.
Soon after, the caravan was moving away from the fortress.
Just as Jeffrey thought the incident was over, urgent hoofbeats sounded from the fortress gates.
A group of knights rode swiftly toward Jeffrey and the others.
"Greetings, Knight Arthur!"
The captain and Jeffrey bowed to the leader.
Arthur asked, "Was that the Bradley family's caravan that passed through just now?"
"Yes, my lord," the captain replied.
"From now on, the Bradley family's caravan must be inspected!" Knight Arthur ordered sternly.
"Uh... Yes, my lord."
The captain was uneasy. Had something changed at the higher levels?
Other knights asked, "Should we catch up to them?"
Arthur looked at the dust rising in the distance and shook his head, "Let them go this time."
---
"Very interesting, my mentor. Look what I found!"
Derson joyfully held up a wooden box and showed it to his mentor.
Odanel smiled.
"A lead on Bennett?"
"Yes, Teacher Odanel, this is something Master Bennett left behind."
Derson said excitedly, "In recent days, I've searched almost every inn in this port city. It wasn't a wasted effort."
Odanel and Derson had arrived at the Northwestern Bay a month ago, along with Marianna and Andy.
After meeting with Nathan and Edward, who had already been there, they began searching for clues about Bennett.
"I came to the last inn I hadn't visited yet. Feeling like I had nothing to lose, I described Bennett's appearance to the owner. After visiting so many places, I was nearly giving up. But to my surprise, it was the last inn that had a lead."
"The owner was quite old, and said their family had been running the inn in Frand Port for many years. He vaguely remembered someone who had stayed at his inn and left a wooden box, asking the owner to pass it along if any companions came looking for him."
Odanel frowned. "That bastard Bennett, why didn't he follow the usual methods?"
The Arcane Order used an unusual system to leave messages in places, usually in the third inn by name in the area.
Of course, this was time-sensitive, as inns opened and closed, so they had to search a little earlier or later.
This method was used for leaving less important, auxiliary information, like leaving traces to let companions find someone.
"I know why," Derson said. "At the time, Frand Port was a poor place, with only two inns. Master Bennett probably never imagined the port city would develop so rapidly, with inns springing up everywhere."
"The owner actually planned to throw Bennett's things away as trash if no one came to claim them within a year. We were lucky to have arrived in time."
"Alright, let's see if Bennett left any message about what he planned to do."
Odanel eagerly waited.
Derson carefully opened the wooden box, revealing a piece of paper inside.
"He must have written this letter a long time ago, using parchment. At that time, Aldor's paper wasn't widespread yet," Derson remarked as he carefully unfolded the paper.
Odanel took out a vial of potion and sprinkled the liquid on the paper.
A large block of text appeared.
They both read the message left by Bennett.
"Paul Grayman? Isn't he a local lord? He was the one who defeated Bennett's agent, Earl Kent."
"So, Bennett went to settle scores with this Earl?"
The two understood what Bennett had planned to do.
The Arcane Order knew Bennett's plan in the Northwestern Bay, supporting the Kent family to indirectly control Aldor's northwest region.
After all, Andy, who came with them, had been involved in Bennett's actions, using brainworms to control the previous Duke of the Northwest.
But after Bennett disappeared, the Arcane Order stopped paying much attention to the area.
"Is this Bennett's final action?" Derson asked.
"Maybe we should investigate this Lord Grayman," Odanel suggested.
(End of the Chapter)
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