Chapter 1
The sunlight shone through the gaps between the iron bars. The morning air had managed to wash away some of the overnight mustiness in the cell a little. The damp air brought more moisture to the walls of the cell which were covered with mottled moss. Although the light wasn't particularly plentiful, the moss on the walls was growing quite nicely.
The prison cell in the morning was always filled with all kinds of sounds.
The prisoners who had slept all day were impatiently banging on the iron bars. The prison guards were already accustomed to this situation. Except for two energetic ones who would shout a few reprimands at the prisoners making the most noise in the cell and vigorously strike the iron bars twice with the long wooden poles with iron tips in their hands, the other guards were chatting among themselves.
The guards who had been on the night shift all night were waiting for the guards coming to relieve them.
They didn't have the time to haggle with those prisoners.
The prisoners in the cell who had chores were called out one by one.
The prison guards put light shackles on them and set them to work.
These prisoners had committed relatively minor crimes, were timid, and were easy to command.
Many of these prisoners with chores were still minors. They were the youngest group in the prison. If they were any younger, they wouldn't be locked up here.
In the most remote and darkest cell in the prison, Baz was the only prisoner still asleep.
He wasn't the least bit interested in the prison food that was as bad as dog food. Today was supposed to be the day he got out of prison.
Baz, with his fiery red hair, was the only juvenile delinquent in the prison who didn't need to do chores.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The prison guard knocked on the iron fence of Baz's cell, making a deafening sound.
"Kid, get up. Pack your things. You can leave," the prison guard said.
As he spoke, the prison guard took off the bunch of keys hanging from his waist and opened the cell door.
"Kid, see you around," a disheveled prisoner said.
"Next time I come in, don't take up my bed," Baz said.
"Hey, don't forget to bring me a blanket when you come in next time," another old prisoner shouted.
"Sure, but you have to give me the money for the blanket first."
"Stingy."
Seeing that Baz was still chatting with the prisoners, the prison guard became a bit impatient.
He poked Baz's shoulder with the long wooden pole wrapped with iron and said, "Hurry up. Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, you'll be back in a few months. We can talk next time."
Baz left the quilt and blanket for the other prisoners and walked out of the cell.
As he walked along, the prisoners locked in the adjacent cells greeted Baz one after another.
"See you next time."
"How soon will you be back?"
"Take a message home for me..."
"Come back soon."
...
Hearing the noise of these prisoners, the prison guard was extremely disgusted. He hated these long-term prisoners the most. These were the scum of the earth who were completely rotten.
Thinking of this, he pushed Baz again with the wooden pole with an iron head in his hand and said, "Hurry up. Hurry up."
When he arrived at the warden's office, the warden took a look at Baz. This was a guy who treated the prison as an inn and came and went frequently. There was nothing to say to him, and the warden didn't plan to waste his words. He quickly signed Baz's release certificate.
"You can go now, but I know you'll be back before long, won't you?" The warden said casually.
"Yeah, yeah. I hope the food here will be a bit better next time I come in," Baz replied with a cheeky smile.
Hearing this, the warden wasn't happy. He turned his head and ordered the prison guard, "Take him out."
Hearing the warden's order, the prison guard immediately pushed Baz out of the prison gate.
The heavy iron gate closed behind Baz with a clang.
Baz shrugged his shoulders, patted the dust off his body, and walked straight towards the city center.
Baz was extremely familiar with every street in the city, but he wasn't in a hurry to go back to his lair.
Baz wandered around the streets for a while and then casually turned into the hat and clothing store at the south entrance of the street.
There was no one else in the hat and clothing store. Baz tapped the bell in front of the counter.
Following a series of clear ringing sounds, the small door in front of the counter opened, and the store owner walked out from the low door.
When he saw Baz, he said happily, "Ah, you're out! I almost forgot that today was the day you were getting out."
"Get me a new set of clothes and tell the old man that I'm out. I'll take a stroll around the street first," Baz said.
"Oh, unfortunately, I don't have your size in stock. I only have one that's a bit too big. You can make do with it for now," the store owner said. Then he turned around and got into the low door behind him. After a while, he brought out a set of clothes that were seventy percent new.
"Not bad, not bad. It'll do," Baz nodded and said.
Baz picked up the clothes and walked into the fitting room. Soon he came out dressed neatly.
Dressed in the new outfit, Baz looked very energetic.
Walking on the streets and alleys, Baz looked at the pedestrians around him. After spending three months in prison, people had already taken off their thick winter clothes and put on light and close-fitting spring clothes.
"Baz, is it you?" A voice rang out from behind.
Baz turned around and saw Jayne, the quick hand under Beta on South Street.
"Was this a three-month trip away from home?" Jayne said with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, I almost couldn't recognize the way back," Baz said. He was just wondering about the current situation.
"Oh, a new store has opened in the south of the city. I heard that the goods there are good, all silk and leather," Jayne said.
"Thanks. I'll go and have a look."
"Have a good time," Jayne said.
After getting the news, Baz immediately walked towards the south of the city. He was really familiar with this city. Just as most of the stores knew who he was, Baz also knew what each store sold, what the shopkeepers were like, how vigilant the clerks were, and what kind of customers they had.
Therefore, without Jayne's guidance, Baz quickly found out where the new store was.
The shopkeeper of the new store really didn't recognize him. However, there were two clerks who were locals.
Baz knew that he had to act quickly and find the target as soon as possible before the two clerks noticed him.
This store sold high-end goods such as perfumes and jewelry. Indeed, as Jayne had said, the customers who came in and out were all rich people wearing silk or precious furs. Their carriages were parked at the entrance of the store, and they were accompanied by servants. It was really not easy to steal something under such circumstances.
However, this couldn't stump Baz. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Baz slipped into the store, walked around, and when he came out, there were already two money bags in his pocket.
Baz was quite satisfied with such a harvest. He dodged into an alley beside the street, looked around to make sure there was no one, then took out the money bags and counted his gains for the day.
As for the two empty money bags, Baz definitely wouldn't keep them on him. He casually threw them into the alley.
Baz patted the pocket full of coins, satisfied, and walked towards his lair.
As soon as he stepped into the alley in front of his lair, someone noticed him immediately.
"Baz, it's really you."
"Welcome back."
"Jayne said you were back. I didn't believe it at first..."
"How was your luck today? Jayne said you went to the south of the city."
Hearing this, Baz slapped his pocket hard. The clear and loud sound of the coins colliding was more convincing than anything else.
"Awesome. You had a good start on the first day."
"Baz, you're really something."
Amid the noise of everyone, Baz was escorted back to his lair.
The lair was a three-story building built in a deep alley. It was no different from other three-story buildings in the city. It was simple and crude, as long as it could accommodate people.
Because the alley was too deep, there wasn't enough sunlight. The small rooms were extremely cluttered and didn't look much better than the prison cells.
However, in Baz's opinion, this was his real home.
"Is that Baz?" With an old voice of inquiry, a short and small old man came downstairs.
He was slightly bald, with sparse gray hair dangling on both sides of his cheeks. His beard was also extremely sparse. He was dressed in old black clothes and trousers, and the edges and corners were worn shiny.
"Welcome back," the old man said.
"You're still not dead," Baz said with a grin.
"If I were dead, there would be no one to hold a welcome party for you," the old man said with a smile as well.
"If you were dead, we'd have a welcome party every day," Baz said.
"Okay, stop joking. You had a good harvest today. Hand it over!" The old man stretched out his hand.
Baz grabbed a handful of coins and put them in the old man's hand.
"That's not enough. We haven't bought the wine for tonight yet," the old man shook his head and said.
"Old vampire," Baz cursed with a smile and took out all the money in his pocket. At the end, he turned his pocket inside out.
"You go take a bath first. Old Pi has already brought some suitable clothes. They're a bit old, but they look really nice," the old man said.
Baz smiled and followed the old man's arrangement.
Taking a hot bath was the only pleasure that couldn't be enjoyed in prison. For three months, Baz could only barely take a shower with water that was a little warmer than cold water. So as soon as he returned to the lair, the first thing Baz thought of was to soak in the bath properly.
This enjoyment made Baz completely forget about time. When someone came to call him, the sky had already gradually darkened.
Baz changed into new clothes. The old man was right. The clothes were a bit old but the style was really nice. It was a pity that this set of clothes was only suitable for wearing on occasions like today. It would be too conspicuous to walk on the street.
Dressed neatly, Baz walked into the hall. The hall had already been prepared. There was a large barrel on the table in the middle, emitting a burst of wine fragrance.
Baz hadn't drunk wine for three months. For him, this was the second thing on his list of things to enjoy properly.
As for the food, although it couldn't be called a luxurious feast, it was already quite sumptuous.
Roast meat, roast chicken, large fish, plus a pot of well-cooked mutton. For Baz, who had eaten prison food for three months, it was definitely a great temptation.
However, Baz wasn't in a hurry to start. He tasted all the dishes and then poured himself a full glass of beer. Then he sat at the door and watched the little brothers returning to the lair one after another.
The news that Baz had returned had obviously spread among this group of people. Before it was completely dark, the little brothers returned one by one.
Each of them greeted Baz, who was sitting at the door drinking beer.
The lair quickly became noisy.
The lair at night was Baz's favorite place. Although Baz was young, he was the foreman of the "gold fingers" in the lair.
The old man was called Paim. He was the head here and in charge of their group of "gold fingers".
Baz didn't know that several new little brothers had joined here in the past three months. Now, there were at least thirty or forty people in the lair. It seemed that, like two years ago, a part of them had to be separated into a new lair and go to other cities to make a living.
Baz watched the little brothers who were eager to return to the lair and thought to himself. Just now, the old man told him not to drink too much and that he had something to talk to him about later.
Was this something about asking him to lead a group of brothers and set up his own business?
Baz thought that he had known the old man since he was six years old and followed him to pick pockets on the street. From being an informer, to a pickpocket, and finally to a "gold finger", twelve years had passed in a blink of an eye. The lair had been divided and reorganized four times.
The former foremen had already branched out. Some of them were quite successful and had established a foothold outside, while some had failed.
If he was branched out, what kind of fate would be waiting for him?
Baz was thinking about it.
If they really divided the lair, who would be willing to follow him? Which place would be suitable to open up a new territory?
South Port was the best nearby dock, but the security in South Port was extremely strict. The second foreman who branched out failed there. Baz still remembered the miserable appearance when he secretly collected his body back then.
Thorsburg had the most rich people, but it was the earl's territory. It was strictly managed, not to mention that they had to be on guard against war.
Piton and Bart were too poor to support people.
Thinking about it, Baz frowned secretly. It was really not a good time to branch out now.
He could only take one step at a time.
Just when Baz was lost in thought, a little brother came over with a basin of roast meat and said, "Boss, if you don't go over there, all the good things will be snatched up."
Baz smiled. Indeed, at this time, one should enjoy the day while one could. They could talk about it when there was no way out. This was the lifestyle of a "gold finger". At worst, they could go to prison to eat and live. They wouldn't necessarily starve to death.
With an open mind, Baz joined the fight for food. After all, today was the day to celebrate his return to the lair. He was the protagonist of this banquet.
If the protagonist of the banquet didn't eat good things and went hungry, it would be really unreasonable.
Baz still remembered the old man's instructions. Although he enjoyed drinking beer, he always paid attention to moderation. However, for forty or fifty people, a barrel of wine was originally not necessarily enough. So even if Baz wanted to get drunk, there wasn't enough beer for him to drink.
Fortunately, the quantity of the dishes was enough to fill these people's stomachs.
The lair was as noisy as usual. In this place, every day was like a festival because everyone knew to enjoy today as much as possible. As for tomorrow, that was tomorrow's business.
For everyone who had successfully passed today, this thing itself was quite worthy of celebration.
Usually, there weren't so many delicious dishes. Now that there was also beer to add to the fun, everyone was making even more noise.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Baz didn't forget the old man's instructions. He walked up to the third floor and pushed open the old man's door.
The old man's bedroom was the tidiest in the lair. There were several paintings hanging on the wall.
Baz knew that behind those paintings was where the old man hid things.
There was a row of bookshelves against the west wall. Baz had never understood what the old man wanted so many books for.
Baz knew the old man's background.
The old man didn't have much learning. At most, he could recognize a few words and read the government notices smoothly.
He was not like Audrey who knew so much learning. These books were just for show.
Baz saw that there was no one in the bedroom and casually took a book from the bookshelf.
Reading was not Baz's favorite pastime. He would rather sleep with his head covered than read a book.
But he was quite interested in these books that the old man used for show.
Baz looked at the cover of the book.
"On the Relationship between Divinity and Rationality".
Baz had no idea what divinity was and what rationality was.
He opened the book and started reading, but after just a few lines, he felt dizzy.
Baz quickly threw the book back on the bookshelf. He thought that this kind of thing must be beyond the old man's understanding. This book must be like a heavenly book to the old man.
Just when he was thinking about it, the door opened and the old man came in from outside.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Baz asked directly.
"Ah, it's just a small matter," the old man turned around and closed the door. He carefully peeked out of the window.
When he was sure that there was no one on the stairs and all his subordinates were eating heartily around the dining table, the old man closed the window and drew the curtain.
Seeing the old man's actions, Baz knew in his heart that it definitely wouldn't be a small matter as the old man said.
Sure enough, even though there was no one around, the old man was still not quite at ease. He leaned close to Baz and whispered, "The boss asked us to find a new face. He should be good-looking, smart, but a bit timid and easy to control."
"A girl?" Baz asked.
"No, a boy. Two years younger than you and looks clean," the old man said.
"Another request from Audrey?" Baz immediately understood what was going on.
Such a thing had happened twice before. Audrey was going to use a new face to do a big business.
"Why doesn't Audrey go and find someone herself?" Baz asked.
"This matter can't be known by too many people. Audrey can't show up. She is the brains. We have to do the work. There are only a few people who know about this. Besides the boss, Audrey, only you and I know. You are very tight-lipped. The boss trusts you a lot. So the task of finding someone is given to you," the old man said.
"Give me a scope. It would be really funny if the person we find is recognized by the target we're going to steal from," Baz said. In fact, this concern was really necessary. There had been such a mistake a few years ago. They found a substitute who happened to be recognized by the servants of the other party. Those two unlucky guys were still locked up in prison.
"Look for someone nearby. Don't ask about anything else. Find someone with a clean background and no complications," the old man urged.
"How much time do I have?"
After thinking for a long time, the old man said, "Three days."
With a big stone falling from his heart, Baz didn't ask any more questions and left the old man's room.
Baz's bedroom was beside the corridor between the third floor and the second floor. Except for the old man's room, his bedroom was on the top floor. That had always been the place where the foreman of the "gold fingers" lived.
Baz returned to his bedroom which he hadn't been back to for three months.
He opened the door. The bedroom was fairly clean. It seemed that the old man had ordered someone to clean it.
Baz's room was no different from the places where the other "gold fingers" lived downstairs. Except for having an extra table and being less damp, it was no different from the prison cells he was used to living in.
Baz casually took off his coat and put it on the table, and then lay down on the bed.
Maybe it was because of the beer he had drunk, or maybe because he was a bit excited today. To his surprise, Baz didn't feel sleepy at all. He lay on the bed thinking about what the old man had just told him.
Baz knew that the boss must be planning a big operation. The operations personally executed by Audrey had always brought rich rewards.
Maybe in this way, there would be enough funds to maintain the current lair, and maybe the matter of dividing the lair could be postponed.
In fact, Baz could roughly guess what kind of operation Audrey was going to carry out from the person the old man asked him to find.
He had already seen this kind of thing several times in his career as a "gold finger".
Audrey must be planning to let the new face pretend to be the son of a recently deceased rich man or something like that to inherit a large sum of inheritance.
When thinking about the new guy being able to enjoy so many things that he might never be able to enjoy in his lifetime during the period of pretending to be the heir, Baz was really envious. He could only get the fun from imagining it.
However, if Baz were really asked to play such a role, he would definitely not agree.
Baz had heard of this kind of operation several times. Although those new guys ate and drank well during the days when they pretended to be the heir, when everything was over, they became useless waste, and extremely dangerous waste at that.
Although the boss didn't really like to kill people to silence them, this simplest method was still often used.
Even if those new guys could escape this fate, the boss would send them to a very far place.
The obedient new guys could get a small sum of money to make a living.
Those who couldn't be controlled were either killed to silence them or sold to foreign black market merchants as slaves.
It was said that the new guys trained by Audrey were quite rare commodities for those foreign black market merchants.
Thinking about it, Baz fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, the sun had already risen high.
When Baz put on his coat and walked downstairs, the leftover food from last night's welcome party had been piled together and cooked into a pot of stew.
This kind of thing was usually a rare delicacy for the "gold fingers".
However, Baz didn't have such a mood today.
He stuffed himself randomly and then walked out of the lair.
Baz was quite proficient in finding newbies. Many of the "gold fingers" under him were found by him from the slums.
However, according to the old man's requirements, it was hard to find such newbies in the slums.
The life of long-term hunger and thirst made the children from the slums always have a sense of fear towards life.
Just like himself, they were full of distrust towards everything.
Audrey needed a clean new guy and one who was a bit good-looking.
Finding such a person wasn't difficult for Baz.
There were many child laborers in the city. Most of them were children from families who came here from other places to make a living. The lucky ones could find a job to fill their stomachs.
There were the most such people in the south of the city.
That was because South Port was the most prosperous town nearby and also the largest dock in the south.
There were many shops and restaurants there.
Those who were good-looking and smart enough could easily find a job as a waiter in a restaurant in South Port or get a position in front of a counter in a shop.
Working in a restaurant, filling one's stomach was the least one could expect. If one did a good job, one could sometimes get tips.
As for working in a shop, that was even luckier.
A skilled shop assistant was only a short distance away from the position of the shopkeeper.
After working for about ten years, one could probably be promoted to the position of the second shopkeeper.
Therefore, these people were the lucky ones among the poor children. They had beautiful dreams and yearnings for life. It should be possible to find the new guy Audrey wanted among these people.
Thinking of this, Baz decided to set off for South Port.
Although South Port was near Lair, it was still seventy kilometers away from Lair. For ordinary people, traveling from South Port to Lair was considered a long trip. It was necessary to prepare luggage and bring enough money.
However, for a top "gold finger" like Baz, it was completely unnecessary.
Baz walked out of the city gate and strolled slowly along the road to South Port. He was waiting for the stagecoach to South Port.
South Port was a big dock, and there were countless stagecoaches going there every day.
2
As long as one was quick and climbed onto the luggage rack at the back of the stagecoach when no one was paying attention, the luggage rack full of luggage would block the coachman's view completely, and one wouldn't be discovered at all.
In this way, one could easily hitch a ride to South Port.
The route from Lair to South Port was indeed a busy one.
Before long, Baz heard the sounds of wheels rolling on the road and the rhythmic hoofbeats coming from a distance behind him.
Baz quickly hid behind a big tree by the roadside. Stagecoach drivers didn't like minors like them who wandered alone on the road, because every driver knew that nine out of ten of these kids were likely trying to hitch a ride. So, they would surely pay extra attention to such people.
Baz knew the trick. He hid behind the tree and waited for the coach to pass by. When the coach passed beside the tree, Baz swiftly jumped onto it.
Baz then comfortably enjoyed the coach galloping along. The trees on both sides quickly flashed by backwards, a strong wind blew towards him, and there were occasional bumps due to the uneven road. To be honest, if it weren't for the fear of being noticed by the driver, Baz really wanted to shout out a couple of times.
Baz had once thought that he would get a stagecoach for himself in the future. If he took the route from Thorsburg to South Port, which was a lucrative one, he could probably earn four or five silver coins a day after deducting the expenses. That would amount to 1,800 silver coins a year, which was equal to 180 gold coins. In five or six years, he could earn back the money for the coach. And if it was well maintained, a coach could be used for around ten years. Just thinking about being able to earn nearly 200 gold coins a year made Baz excited.
However, Baz knew that it was just wishful thinking. A stagecoach cost seven or eight hundred gold coins, which was far beyond what he could afford.
Baz had never considered getting the money from his stolen goods. That would be really stupid. He knew that the old man was fully aware of every theft that happened on the street and even knew exactly how much the owners had lost. It might be okay to pocket one or two gold coins, but taking more than that was out of the question.
Baz had witnessed several times how the old man dealt with those "gold fingers" who didn't follow the rules. The least punishment was to cut off their fingers. As for those who dared to resist or even run away, the bottom of the big river to the east of Lair was their final destination.
No one could hide anything from the old man, and no one could escape the pursuit order issued by the boss.
There was a terrifying figure under the boss's command. Even a bold guy like Baz couldn't help but shudder when he thought of Herbert. That Herbert could be said to be the strongest assassin in the entire Kingdom of France. No one could escape his pursuit.
This was also the reason why the boss had been able to sit firmly in his position for thirty years. It was also the reason why the United Guild in South Port and the lord of Thorsburg, even though they knew that the lair of the Thieves' Guild, which covered a large part of the southern region, was in Lair, this southern town that was neither the largest nor the smallest, had never launched a large-scale suppression operation. They didn't want to lose their lives for no reason while sleeping.
Moreover, no foreign Thieves' Guild had ever been able to gain a foothold in the south, and this was also thanks to Herbert.
Therefore, any act of deceiving the boss or the old man was extremely stupid.
Perhaps the only way to raise such a sum of money without breaking the rules was to break away and become independent after the lair was divided. However, there would be many other difficulties waiting for him after the division, and perhaps his situation would be even more difficult than it was now.
All the way to South Port, Baz was lost in random thoughts. Nevertheless, he didn't forget his task.
When the stagecoach was about to enter South Port, Baz quietly jumped off the coach. The next kilometer of the road was just right for him to stretch his stiff limbs.
Baz walked towards South Port along the stagecoach road.
South Port was a city ten times larger than Lair. At the same time, it was a newly emerging city with a short history. Like all emerging cities, South Port was full of vitality but also unavoidably a bit chaotic.
Looking down from the hillside, South Port formed a crescent-shaped arc along the coastline. The branches of the roads were far less orderly than those in Lair, let alone compared with Thorsburg, which was famous for its rigor.
There were more than a dozen docks, big and small, arranged along the curved coastline. Countless ships were moored at the docks waiting to load and unload goods. Countless workers were busy on the docks.
Near the docks, spacious warehouses were built everywhere. Workers pushed small carts in and out, and the goods that were about to be loaded onto the ships were scattered and piled up on the docks.
The ores and timber bound for Sibai, the cloth and grain bound for Yilei were all piled up on the crowded docks. And what was unloaded from those ships were the famous horses from Sibai, barrels of fine wine, as well as the dazzlingly beautiful silk, blankets, and various glassware shipped from Yilei.
According to the old man, except for the glassware, the silk and blankets were shipped from even more distant places. The merchants from the Kingdom of Yilei who dealt in these goods were the richest people he had heard of.
Baz looked at those gorgeous and luxurious things enviously, looking at the silk blankets wrapped in thick linen cloth and tied into bundles, looking at the glassware carefully picked up and put down by the workers in the sturdy wooden boxes. Baz was extremely envious.
Each of those things was worth more than two or three times the carriage he had been dreaming of. However, although he was salivating over them, Baz knew that he couldn't touch them.
Even a powerful figure like the boss had never thought about getting these things. Even if these things were successfully stolen, there would be no way to dispose of them. No merchant would be willing 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 be a loss-making deal.
And stealing these precious commodities would also greatly anger the United Guild in South Port. This was the only thing they couldn't tolerate. The boss didn't want to have such a bad relationship with South Port.
For the Thieves' Guild, the prosperous South Port was the guarantee for them to live a better life.
Baz turned his eyes to the prosperous streets. That was the place that attracted him the most in South Port.
There were a lot of rich people in South Port, and their purses were always full.
There was no lair in South Port. Since the foreman was captured by the security team organized by the United Guild and lost his life, no one had established a lair in South Port anymore.
The security team in South Port was quite powerful. All of them wore plain clothes. It was said that if they caught a thief, they could get a reward equivalent to one-fifth of the lost items from the owner. Therefore, the members of the security team in South Port were quite willing to send thieves to prison.
For thieves, the prison in South Port was directly connected to the gallows. The prison in South Port was not used to detain thieves. The people living in it were bankrupt merchants, debtors, and illegal merchants who disrupted the trade in South Port. There was no place for thieves, hooligans, or swindlers.
Baz secretly warned himself to be careful.
When he walked into South Port, he found that it was different from Lair. South Port was an open city and didn't have the high city walls and wide city gates like Lair.
The outskirts of South Port were the poorest areas. The simple bungalows were where the dock workers lived. This place was really just a bit better than cells and slums.
South Port didn't have planned drainage facilities, so muddy alleys and stinking puddles could often be seen here.
After passing through the outskirts of South Port and coming to the prosperous streets, it was a completely different world. The streets were crowded with all kinds of shops on both sides, and luxurious signs could be seen everywhere.
In Lair, even the most high-end shops would at most hang a delicate blanket at the door to decorate the facade, which was already quite decent. However, in South Port, silk and blanket door curtains could be seen everywhere. The signs were mostly hollowed-out and gilded copper plaques or elegant lacquer archways.
Even in front of a few of the most luxurious shops, there were two one-meter-high large vases placed there. They were artworks shipped from Yilei and produced in distant places.
As for the shop facades decorated with peacock tail feathers and pheasant feathers that Baz had never seen before, they were considered rather shabby in this place.
Walking on these dazzling and prosperous streets, Baz felt as if he had become a rich person.
He watched the pedestrians coming and going. South Port was a prosperous city, and most people walking on the streets were dressed brightly. The clothes Baz was wearing didn't seem so conspicuous in this place.
People were coming and going on the streets. Silk and precious animal furs were nothing special here.
Those foreigners wearing strange clothes were the most conspicuous group.
The docks and prosperous commercial streets in South Port had no puddles, but South Port didn't welcome carriages because carriages would bring puddles from other places to these areas.
On the most prosperous parts of South Port, public carriages with a long string of open carriages slowly moving forward could be seen everywhere. They were free.
Baz remembered that the first time he came to South Port, he was quite surprised by this new thing. However, now Baz wasn't as inexperienced as before. He jumped onto a slowly moving public carriage.
As the carriage moved slowly, Baz comfortably enjoyed the scenery on both sides.
On both sides of the prosperous streets in South Port, besides shops selling extremely expensive goods, there were also numerous restaurants decorated luxuriously and elegantly.
Baz got off the carriage at the most prosperous commercial center and started wandering around.
In the shops in South Port, the clerks wouldn't take the initiative to greet customers unless the customers spoke first. It was quite common to visit shops casually without buying anything and wouldn't arouse the dissatisfaction of the clerks.
Therefore, going from one shop to another was quite common in South Port, and this was called "window shopping" in South Port.
Baz temporarily joined the crowd of "window shopping". Every time he came to a shop, he would go in and have a good look around.
Most of the shops in South Port were decorated quite luxuriously, and the clerks they hired were also quite excellent. In Baz's eyes, each of them seemed suitable to play the role of the new guy.
To be able to hold a position in the most prosperous shops in South Port, being smart and knowing how to cater to customers were the minimum requirements. A neat appearance was also indispensable.
However, Baz didn't know what their personalities were like. Whether they were easy to control, whether they had enough courage to play the role of the new guy and not dare to betray.
At the same time, those who had worked in such places for a long time were also not suitable. Although the old man said that looking for someone nearby should be okay, but in case the people around the role to be played had been to South Port, then the possibility of making mistakes would be quite high.
Just when Baz had been looking around but hadn't been particularly satisfied with anyone.
Suddenly, he heard someone shouting behind him, "You're slacking off again. I've told you several times, but you just won't listen. Be careful or I'll kick you out."
Baz turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back standing behind him, harshly scolding a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid.
The kid's frightened look caught Baz's attention.
The kid's innocent face showed a look of panic and fear. His body shrank back as if he wanted to hide in the darkness behind him. His two hands were tightly clasped in front of his chest, wringing uneasily. He lowered his head and stared at the ground, avoiding the middle-aged man's gaze.
"What's going on?" A bald fat man came out from behind the counter. The fat man was dressed very neatly. Although it couldn't be said to be luxurious, it wasn't cheap either.
"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 for a long time," the middle-aged man said respectfully.
"There's no need to shout like that. What if you scare the customers?" the fat man said.
"Yes, yes, yes. But this kid is lazy all day long. I think we should find another one," the middle-aged man said.
"We'll talk about it later. Except for sometimes being in a daze, this kid is quite diligent," the fat man casually replied to the middle-aged man. Then he turned around and said to the kid with a stern face, "It's your good fortune to work here for you. The old boss took pity on you and took you in. You should be careful with your work and repay the old boss. You have to find a way to get rid of the old problem of being in a daze when you work. If something really goes wrong, I'll have to let you go. You should know that if you leave here, you won't have anywhere to go. Do you understand? Go back to work."
After saying that, the fat man turned around and said to the middle-aged man, "From now on, no matter what happens, don't shout like that. Harmony brings wealth. Do you understand? Harmony brings wealth. You've been working here for more than ten years. Don't you even understand this truth?"
As he said that, the fat man went back behind the counter to do his own things.
"Go back to work!" the middle-aged man shouted at the kid.
Baz watched the whole thing and thought that this kid was quite a suitable candidate.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to make a decision. He turned around and walked out of the store, clearly remembering the store's sign in his heart, and then went to wander around on the street again.
Anyway, he had three days, so Baz wasn't in a hurry to get things done.
It was rare for Baz to come to South Port, so he gave himself a holiday. He left the commercial street and wandered around in the two small streets beside it.
There was water everywhere in the small streets, so there weren't many pedestrians and not many rich people either. However, after searching for a while, he always got some gains.
When Baz came out of the small streets, his pockets were already full of coins.
Baz was quite satisfied with such gains. He didn't plan to continue stealing, but he wasn't worried about being discovered either.
If people lost their money bags in those small streets full of water, most of them would first go to that street to look for them, which would take a lot of time.
Moreover, Baz was quite sure that there wouldn't be many plainclothes policemen in such places.
The only thing he needed to do now was to change his clothes, and this was quite easy.
After randomly choosing a set of clothes on the street, Baz didn't need to worry about the two money bags anymore. He wandered on the street until late at night when most of the shops were closed.
Taking advantage of the closing time, Baz went back to the shop he had remembered again.
Sure enough, he saw that the kid was alone, working hard to put away the sign and decorations in front of the shop and then close the heavy iron grille door.
Quietly following the kid, Baz came to the place where the common people lived on the edge of the south of the city.
It was a damp and muddy alley, and the air was filled with a sour vinegar smell. Baz thought to himself that this place should be where leather was processed in South Port.
Baz didn't want to expose his target too early. The muddy road made it unnecessary for him to follow closely.
He closely followed the footprints on the ground and came to a small courtyard.
There were three bungalows in the courtyard. Smoke was rising from the chimney of the house on the west side, and there were voices coming from inside.
Baz 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 so exquisite, as white as milk, as bright and smooth as the moon. There were beautiful patterns painted on the bottom of the porcelain. The fish looked as if they were alive, and there were strange and beautiful aquatic plants that I had never seen before. Such plants often appear in artworks from the East, but we don't have them here. They have round and wide leaves, long and straight stems, and bright and big flowers. They're so beautiful."
"You were scolded by the second shopkeeper again today," an old woman's voice said.
"How did you guess?" the kid asked.
"You always get distracted when you see these things. Besides, that hunchback can't wait to drive you out so that he can get his nephew in," the woman paused for a moment and then said, "Hey, I've told you many times. Those things are not what you should pay attention to. Those porcelain items must be very expensive. You can never afford one in your lifetime. Even your head shopkeeper, who is a rich man, can only look at those things for him."
"Even your boss, although he can afford such good things, he just passes them on. It's not that he can't afford them, but he's reluctant to use them himself. Those things are for the noble families to collect. You should work hard, first establish a firm foothold so that the hunchback can't drive you away. Then work hard for seven or eight years, read some books in your spare time, learn how to do accounts well, and get promoted to the position of purchaser or accountant. Then 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 and go to Sibai, to Yilei, or even to the farther East."
"Forget it. You're too young to know the danger. I'm always worried when following your uncle. As long as he comes back safely, I'll be happier than anything else. Working on a ship is very dangerous. Every day at the dock, you can hear the news that ships have sunk.
"Besides shipwrecks, go to the dock and have a look. Which sailor who has worked for more than ten years still has a good body? Sailors are prone to getting sick, and once they get sick, there's no way to treat them. Your uncle is full of injuries and illnesses. He's just waiting for a few years for the ship owner to transfer him to the warehouse at the dock to manage the goods in and out so that he can have a peaceful meal."
"I still want to go to sea and see the world,"
"Then you can talk to your boss. After you've worked hard for seven or eight years, maybe your boss will let you follow him to do business in the open sea. That's much better than being a sailor. It's for your own good. Your parents have passed away. Your uncle and I don't have children. We've watched you grow up and we regard you as our own child. Your uncle and I don't want you to follow the path your uncle has taken. Your uncle knows the sailor profession very well. It's a tough, dangerous and hopeless profession."
"I know you're doing this for my good. I know..."
Baz, who was eavesdropping by the wall, roughly learned about the kid's background from this conversation.
For being a new guy, such a background was perfect. He had no parents and only two relatives who weren't really close relatives. One of them was always traveling on the sea route all year round.
Baz made up his mind and went back to the street contentedly.
South Port was a place where merchants from all over gathered, so inns were naturally a very prosperous business here.
All kinds of inns could be found here. For Baz, who could even live comfortably in a prison cell, he wouldn't care about how simple the inn room was.
Before it was completely dark, Baz found a cheap inn with single rooms on the outskirts of South Port. This inn served small merchants and small shop owners with limited capital.
Surprisingly, such a simple inn could provide hot baths.
Baz would never miss this kind of enjoyment.
While comfortably soaking in the big pool, Baz was thinking about everything he had seen and heard today. That kid was a really good candidate. The next thing was to figure out how to act.
However, for Baz, South Port, which he rarely visited, was a place where he needed to have a good time. Especially when his pockets were full of money, how to have a good time on the next day became the top concern in Baz's mind.
South Port was a place where it was quite easy to spend money, but it was also a place where you could have a great time without spending a penny.
Baz felt relaxed all over after getting out of the pool. He spent a silver coin to buy a big glass of beer at the counter and then went back to his room to rest.
When the next morning came and it was just dawn, Baz forced himself to get out of bed.
Baz wasn't a person who liked to get up early. No "gold finger" liked to get up early.
Morning was definitely not a good time to reap rich rewards.
However, since he was in South Port, Baz definitely didn't want to waste every hour.
The pleasant holiday began. Baz stretched comfortably, put on his coat and walked out of the inn's door.