章節 2: 2
On the way to South Port, Baz kept thinking about these things aimlessly, but he didn't forget the task of this trip.
When the stagecoach was about to enter South Port, Baz quietly jumped off the coach. Anyway, the remaining one kilometer of the road was just right for him to stretch his stiff limbs.
Baz walked towards South Port unhurriedly along the post road.
South Port was ten times larger than Lair. It was a huge city and also a newly emerging city with a short history.
Like all emerging cities, South Port was full of vitality, bustling and busy everywhere. However, precisely because of this, it seemed a bit chaotic.
Looking down from the hillside, South Port was distributed in a crescent-shaped arc along the coastline. The roads here were not as orderly as those in Lair. Compared with Luxembourg, which was famous for its meticulous planning, it was even more chaotic.
Along the curved coastline, there were more than a dozen docks of various sizes. Countless ships were quietly moored at the docks, and the workers were busy loading and unloading goods. It was a busy scene.
Close to the docks, spacious warehouses were built everywhere. Workers pushed small carts in and out, and the goods to be loaded onto the ships were scattered on the docks.
The ores and timber bound for Xibai, and the cloth and grain bound for Otto were all piled up on this crowded dock, looking quite spectacular.
And what was unloaded from those ships were the famous fine horses from Xibai, barrels of fine wine, as well as the dazzling, exquisitely beautiful silk, blankets from Otto, and all kinds of glassware. It was really dazzling.
According to what the old man said, except for the glassware, the silk and blankets were all shipped from even more distant places. The merchants from the Otto Kingdom who dealt in these goods were the richest people Baz had ever heard of. They were extremely wealthy.
Baz stared longingly at those gorgeous and luxurious things, at the silk blankets wrapped in thick linen cloth and tied into bundles, and at the glassware that the workers carefully picked up, put down, and loaded into sturdy wooden boxes. He couldn't help feeling envious, and his eyes could hardly be moved away.
The value of any one of those things was more than two or three times that of the coach he had been dreaming of. They were really too expensive.
However, Baz also knew in his heart that no matter how much he coveted these things, he must never lay his hands on them. Even a powerful figure like the boss had never thought about stealing these goods.
Because even if these things were stolen by chance, there was no way to dispose of them. No merchant would dare to buy such expensive goods of unknown origin. They didn't dare to offend the United Guild in South Port that specialized in these goods. It would definitely be a loss-making deal. Moreover, stealing these precious commodities would greatly anger the South Port United Guild. This was the only thing they couldn't tolerate. The boss didn't want to make the relationship with South Port too tense either. After all, for the Thieves' Guild, the prosperous South Port was the guarantee for them to live a better life.
Baz had to turn his eyes to those busy streets. In his opinion, that was the most attractive part of South Port.
There were a lot of wealthy people in South Port, and their purses were always bulging. They looked really tempting.
However, there's no lair of the Thieves' Guild in South Port anymore. Since the previous foreman was caught by the security team organized by the United Guild and lost his life, no one has dared to set up a lair in South Port again.
The security team in South Port is really formidable. All the team members wear plain clothes. It's said that as long as they catch a thief, they can get a reward equivalent to one-fifth of the lost items from the owner. So the members of the security team are all quite eager to send thieves to prison.
For thieves, the prison in South Port is almost directly linked to the gallows. Once they get locked up in there, the consequences would be disastrous.
The prison in South Port isn't a place for detaining thieves. Most of the people locked inside are bankrupt merchants, debtors, and illegal merchants who disrupt the trade order in South Port. Anyway, thieves, hooligans, swindlers and the like have no place to stay there.
Baz secretly warned himself that he had to be careful and mustn't make any mistakes here, or else he would be in big trouble.
When Baz walked into South Port, he found that it was completely different from Lair. South Port is an open city and doesn't have the high city walls and wide city gates like Lair.
The outermost area of South Port is the poorest region. The simple bungalows are the residences of the dock workers. The living conditions here are hardly any better than those in prison cells and slums, just a little bit better. Moreover, South Port lacks reasonably planned drainage facilities, so muddy alleys can often be seen, and there are also stinking dirty puddles beside the streets. The environment is rather poor.
After passing through the periphery of South Port and arriving at the busy streets, it's a whole different picture. Both sides of the streets are packed with all kinds of shops, and luxurious and imposing signs can be seen everywhere, making it hard to take them all in at a glance.
In Lair, even in the most upscale shops, at most they would hang an exquisite blanket at the door to decorate the facade, and that was considered a rather decent way to do it.
But in South Port, blankets and silk door curtains are everywhere. Most of the signs are hollowed-out and gilded copper plaques or exquisite and elegant lacquer archways, showing off great luxury. Even in front of several of the most luxurious shops, there are two large vases as tall as a person placed there. They are artworks shipped from Otto and produced in distant places and are quite valuable. As for those shop facades decorated with peacock tail feathers and pheasant tail feathers that Baz has never seen before, they are regarded as rather shabby here. From this, one can clearly see the prosperity of South Port.
Walking on these dazzling and extremely prosperous streets, Baz felt as if he had become a wealthy person himself, and he was quite pleased with himself. As he walked, he paid attention to the passers-by coming and going.
After all, South Port is a prosperous city. Most of the people walking on the streets are dressed brightly. Baz's set of clothes didn't look so conspicuous in this place and blended in quite naturally. The streets were bustling with people coming and going. Gorgeous silk and precious animal furs were not rare items here at all and could be seen everywhere. On the contrary, those foreigners wearing strange clothes became the most conspicuous group among the crowd and attracted a lot of attention.
There's no water accumulation on the docks and busy commercial streets in South Port. However, carriages are not welcomed here because they might bring water from other places and affect environmental hygiene and street tidiness.
In the most prosperous areas of South Port, public carriages dragging a long string of open vehicles and moving slowly can be seen everywhere. What's more, these public carriages are free to ride. Baz still remembered that when he first came to South Port and saw this new thing, he was really surprised and thought it was quite interesting.
Now that Baz is no longer as inexperienced as before, he nimbly jumped onto a slowly moving public carriage, sat comfortably on it, and leisurely enjoyed the scenery on both sides of the road. It was really pleasant.
Besides the shops selling goods with ridiculously high prices on both sides of the prosperous streets in South Port, there are also many restaurants with luxurious decoration and elegant layout.
Baz got off the carriage at the busiest commercial center and then began to wander around.
One characteristic of the shops in South Port is that, unless the customers take the initiative to ask, the shop assistants usually won't come forward to greet them. Moreover, even if people just visit the shops casually without buying anything, it won't make the shop assistants unhappy. So, going from one shop to another, this kind of "window shopping" behavior is quite common in South Port.
Baz also joined the crowd of "window shopping" for the time being. Every time he entered a shop, he would take a good look around inside.
Most of the shops in South Port were decorated quite luxuriously, and the shop assistants they hired were also excellent. In Baz's opinion, each of these shop assistants seemed to meet the external conditions for the new recruit. They were quite suitable to play the role of the new recruit. After all, to gain a firm foothold in the most prosperous shops in South Port, one had to be smart and know how to cater to the preferences of customers. This was the most basic requirement, and having a clean and good-looking appearance was also essential.
However, Baz wasn't sure about their personalities. He didn't know whether they were the type that was easy to control, whether they had enough courage to take on the role of the new recruit, and whether they would not betray. He couldn't judge these crucial internal factors all at once.
Also, those who had worked in such places for a long time were not quite suitable. Although the old man had instructed to look for someone nearby and it should be fine, in case someone around the role to be played had visited South Port before, the possibility of making mistakes would be quite high. So Baz had always been rather cautious and didn't dare to make a decision easily.
Just when Baz was looking around here and there and hadn't come across anyone who satisfied him particularly, suddenly he heard a scolding sound from behind: "You're being lazy again. I've told you several times, but you just won't listen. Be careful or I'll kick you out!"
Baz curiously turned around to look. He saw a middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back standing behind him, his face full of anger, scolding a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid harshly.
The frightened look on the kid's face caught Baz's attention. On his innocent face was a look of panic and fear. His body unconsciously shrank back as if he wanted to hide in the dark corner behind him. His two hands were tightly clasped in front of his chest, wriggling uneasily. He lowered his head and kept his eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to look directly at the middle-aged man's eyes. He looked really pitiful.
"What's going on?" At this time, a bald fat man walked out from behind the counter. This fat man was dressed extremely neatly and appropriately. Although his clothes couldn't be said to be extremely luxurious, they didn't look cheap either. Obviously, he was a man who paid attention to his appearance.
"I just asked him to move those porcelain items into the display window. They're a new batch of goods that arrived this month. This kid has been dawdling and hasn't made a move for a long time," the middle-aged man quickly said to the fat man in a respectful tone, with a hint of flattery in his voice.
"There's no need to shout like that. What if you scare the customers?" The fat man frowned and said, with a bit of dissatisfaction in his tone. Obviously, he thought the middle-aged man's behavior was inappropriate.
"Yes, yes, yes. But this kid is lazy all day long. I think we should find someone else to do the job," the middle-aged man hurriedly replied, still insisting on replacing this kid.
"We'll talk about it later. Except for sometimes being in a daze, this kid is quite diligent on the whole," the fat man casually replied to the middle-aged man. Then he turned around, put on a serious face towards the kid, and said sternly, "It's your good fortune to be able to work here. The old boss took you in because he felt sorry for you. You should work hard and repay the old boss's kindness. You have to find a way to get rid of the bad habit of being in a daze when working. If something goes wrong because of this, then I'll have to fire you. You should know that once you leave here, you'll have nowhere to go. Do you understand? Alright, go back to work."
After saying these words, the fat man turned around again and said to the middle-aged man, "From now on, no matter what happens, don't shout like that again. Don't you understand that harmony brings wealth? You've been working here for over ten years. Don't you even understand this simple truth?"
With that, the fat man ignored them and turned around to continue with his own business behind the counter.
"Go back to work!" The middle-aged man snapped at the kid unkindly. Hearing this, the kid's body trembled slightly, and he quickly walked into the shop to continue the work he hadn't finished before.
Baz had witnessed the whole incident and thought to himself that this kid seemed to be a rather suitable candidate. All aspects of his conditions seemed to meet the requirements.
However, Baz wasn't in a hurry to make a decision. He turned around and walked out of the store. First, he carefully memorized the sign of this shop, and then slowly walked around on the street. Anyway, he had three days, so Baz thought there was no need to rush to handle this matter. It would be better to observe more before making a final decision.
It was rare for him to come to South Port, so Baz planned to give himself a holiday and relax. He left the commercial street and wandered around in the two adjacent side streets for a few rounds.
These two side streets were full of puddles and the road conditions were rather bad, so there weren't many pedestrians, and not many wealthy people showed up here either. However, after searching for a long time here, Baz still got something.
When he came out of the side streets, his pockets were already full of coins. He had a fruitful harvest. Baz was quite satisfied with such a result. However, he didn't plan to continue. After all, it was better to stop while he was ahead. Moreover, he wasn't too worried about being found out. If someone lost their money bag on these side streets full of puddles, most people would first think of looking for it on this street, which would take a lot of time. Besides, Baz knew very well that generally, plainclothes security personnel didn't patrol such places very often, so it was relatively safe.
The only thing he needed to do now was to change his clothes, which wasn't difficult for Baz. He casually picked a suitable set of clothes on the street and changed into them. Now he didn't have to worry about the two money bags in his pockets anymore. Even if someone saw them, it wouldn't easily arouse suspicion.
After changing his clothes, Baz wandered around on the street. He didn't stop until late at night when most of the shops were closed.
Taking advantage of the shops being closed, Baz returned to the front of the shop he had remembered before. Sure enough, he saw that the kid was alone, painstakingly tidying up the signs, decorations and the like in front of the shop. After everything was tidied up properly, he struggled to close the heavy iron gate and was ready to go home.
Baz quietly followed behind the kid and followed him to the place where civilians lived on the edge of the south of the city.
It was a damp and muddy alley, and there was a sour vinegar smell in the air. Baz thought to himself that this place should be where leather was processed in South Port, which was why there was such a smell.
Baz didn't want to expose his whereabouts too early. Fortunately, the footprints left on the muddy road were very clear. He just needed to follow the kid's footprints on the ground. He didn't have to follow too closely, which was quite convenient.
Following like this, Baz came to a small courtyard.
There were three bungalows in the courtyard. A wisp of cooking smoke was floating from the chimney of the bungalow on the west side, and there were also voices talking inside the room.
Baz curiously went closer to listen. Sure enough, it was the kid talking. He was excitedly shouting, "Aunt Jenny, do you know? There were so many porcelain items arriving at the shop today. Those porcelain items were really exquisite. They were as white as milk, and their surfaces were as smooth and bright as the moon. There were also particularly beautiful patterns painted on the bottom of the porcelain. The fish in the paintings were just like real ones, and there were strange and beautiful aquatic plants that I had never seen before. I heard that such plants can often be seen in artworks from the East, but we don't have them here. The plants have round, broad leaves, long, straight stems, and bright, large flowers. They are really beautiful!"
"You were scolded by the second shopkeeper again today," said an old woman's voice slowly, as if she had already known that the kid would be scolded.
"How did you guess that?" The kid asked in surprise, never expecting that Aunt Jenny could guess that he had been scolded so easily.
"You, you always get distracted when you see these nice things. Besides, that hunchback has been eager to drive you out for a long time so that he can get his nephew in," the woman paused for a moment and then continued, "Hey, I've told you so many times. Those things are not for you to pay attention to. Those porcelain items must be very expensive. With your situation, you can never afford to buy one in your whole life. Even your head shopkeeper, who is quite wealthy, can only look at those porcelain items.
"Even your boss, although he can afford such nice things, he is reluctant to use them himself. Those are all things for noble families to collect. You should work hard, first establish a firm foothold in the shop, make it impossible for that hunchback to drive you away, and then work hard for seven or eight years. Read more books in your spare time and master the skills of accounting. Try to be promoted to the position of purchaser or accountant. By that time, that smelly hunchback won't be able to do anything to you."
"I know, Aunt Jenny. But why don't you let me follow Uncle to work on the ship? I really want to be a sailor. I can go to Xibai, Otto, and even farther to the East. How interesting that would be," the kid said with a hint of longing.
"Forget it. You're still young and don't know the risks involved. I've been worried all day long following your uncle. As long as he can come back safely, I'll be happier than anything else. Working on a ship is really dangerous. Go to the dock and have a look. Every day, you can hear the news of ships sinking.
"Moreover, besides the danger of shipwrecks, go and have a look at those sailors on the dock. Which of them can still be in good health after working for more than ten years? Sailors are prone to getting sick, and once they get sick, there's no way to cure them. Your uncle is now covered with injuries and illnesses. He's just hoping that in a few years, the ship owner can transfer him to the warehouse on the dock to manage the goods in and out, so that he can have a stable life."
"Aunt Jenny, but I still want to go to sea and see the world," the kid was still reluctant to give up, and his tone was full of yearning.
"Then you can talk to your boss about it. After you've worked in the shop for seven or eight years, maybe the boss will let you follow him to do overseas business. That's much better than just being a sailor. It's all for your own good. Your parents are already gone. Your uncle and I don't have children. We've watched you grow up and already regarded you as our own child. Your uncle and I don't want you to follow the same path as your uncle. He knows the sailor profession very well. It's a profession that's tough, dangerous, and has no good prospects."
"I know you're both doing this for my good. I understand..." The kid said in a low voice.
Baz, who was eavesdropping by the wall, heard these words clearly and roughly understood the kid's life story from them.
For finding a new recruit, such a life story was just perfect. The kid had lost his parents and only had two relatives who weren't really close relatives. Moreover, one of them was traveling on the sea all year round and didn't have much time to take care of him. In this case, it would be much easier to take him away without being easily blocked or traced.
Baz made up his mind and thought that this kid was the one he was looking for. Then he went back to the street contentedly.
As South Port was a place where merchants from all over gathered, inns were naturally a very prosperous business here. There were all kinds of inns. For Baz, who could even live comfortably in a prison cell, he wouldn't care about how simple the inn room was. As long as there was a place to rest his feet, it was okay.
Before it was completely dark, Baz found an inexpensive inn with single rooms in the suburbs of South Port. This inn mainly served small merchants and small shop owners with limited capital.
To Baz's surprise, such a simple inn could actually provide hot baths. It was really a pleasant surprise. Baz would never miss an opportunity to enjoy something like this, so he immediately went to take a comfortable bath.
While soaking comfortably in the big pool, Baz was thinking about everything he had seen and heard that day. He thought that the kid was indeed a very good candidate. Next, he had to carefully consider how to act and how to get this matter done properly.
However, for Baz, it was rare to come to South Port, so he really wanted to have a good time. Especially now that his pockets were full of money, he was even more eager to enjoy himself. So, how to make the best use of the next day to have a great time became the question that was on Baz's mind the most at the moment.
South Port was really an interesting place. Here, you could spend a lot of money and fully enjoy the fun brought by various consumptions. Meanwhile, even if you didn't spend a penny, you could still have a quite pleasant time.
After getting out of the pool, Baz felt relaxed all over. He walked to the inn's counter, spent a silver coin to buy a large glass of beer, took a few sips slowly, and then went back to his room to rest.
When it was just dawn the next morning, Baz forced himself to get out of bed. You know, Baz wasn't a person who liked to get up early. In fact, no "golden finger" liked to get up early, because the morning wasn't a good time to get a bountiful harvest. Generally, there wasn't much "prey" to be found.
But this time in South Port was different. Baz didn't want to waste every hour here. He wanted to make full use of the time and enjoy this rare holiday to the fullest.
Baz stretched himself comfortably, put on his coat, and walked out of the inn's door in high spirits, ready to start this pleasant day.
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