Chapter 196: Tight as a Drum

The next day, news from the System finally reached George’s hands: “The Rogue from the independent city of Saxony in the South was hired to cause trouble in our Bolerum Territory.”

“This is really too far, but a Rogue managed to hitch a ride with a Caravan all the way north to our Bolerum Territory. It seems his disguise skills are quite good. Both the mission assignment and the payment location are in the South! Although it cannot be said to be leak-proof, investigating this would really be troublesome! Just a round trip would take about a month! And the beginning was fine, but the road ahead is really not easy to travel!” George suddenly felt like a fox trying to catch a hedgehog, not knowing where to start.

At the same time, George kept cursing in his heart: “How much benefit did those people give this guy? He is just a small-time thief, yet they sent him all the way from a thousand li to cause trouble here.”

As mentioned before, every city usually has its own Thieves’ Guild. Similarly, most Rogues only operate within a limited number of areas. Even in ancient times, thieves rarely acted far from their hometown. It is even more so in this world; once you arrive in a new place, integrating into it is not an easy task.

After all, for a Rogue, surviving in a city often means using their Golden Finger. But this requires not only having decent skills. More importantly, one must be familiar with the environment: such as the layout and foot traffic of every street and alley. One needs to understand the daily routines and bottom lines of the city’s law enforcement. Most importantly, one must find suitable targets, because some people have no oil to squeeze, while others are untouchable.

Most importantly, if an outsider Rogue steals in a city with a well-organized Thieves’ Guild, they will not be treated kindly. The local Thieves’ Guild leader might kill them, send thieves to steal their Loot, or have the Guild’s watchers warn them that they will not have a good outcome if they do not leave quickly or join the Guild immediately.

The watchers in those Guilds will strike down any solo operators planning to make a living by crime in the city. Those non-Guild thieves will lose their wealth because they did not donate to the Guild. Of course, some solo operators will also fight back cautiously, by attacking targets before the Guild thieves or resisting law enforcers who suppress everyone. Finally, thieves tend to join the Guild and accept organizational punishment because they know that going solo means living in turmoil and might even die young.

Of course, Rogues with a fixed team who spend most of the year operating in the wilderness are a different category. These guys are more like tomb raiders, proficient in geography, antique appraisal, and most importantly, traps and devices. They also have a certain combat ability. Although their ability to fight head-on might not be that strong, if they want to escape, they are as slippery as an eel. It is obviously impossible for Anason, an outsider, to catch them easily.

As for those proficient in assassination or combat, they will definitely not lose to half-hearted opponents, so those can be ruled out as well.

“Next, let’s see what reason made that poor guy in the dungeon travel a thousand li to come here and stir up trouble?” Thinking this, George picked up the report delivered by the System and continued reading: “Eh! Is it a mission signed with a Magic Contract? Twenty-five Gold Coins paid in advance, and thirty-five more Gold Coins paid after the mission is completed. Also, the Guild points earned upon success are enough for that poor guy to raise his status within the Guild by one level. No wonder that guy, who is not even at the Red Iron Rank, dares to risk his life in our Bolerum Territory. If he wins, it is no less than a Salted Fish turning over!”

“To have the Thieves’ Guild pay such a high reward, the cost for the client in the commission must be above 100 Gold Coins. Are they using so much money to hire such a small fry to cause trouble or to confuse the issue? And according to the report above, such small fries are not just one!” After thinking for a while, George made a decision: “Although I have never really liked this passive defense method, from the current situation, with the enemy hidden and me in the dark with almost no clues, acting with consistency seems the most stable approach.”

After thinking it over, George found he had no good way to take the initiative. He could only sigh and start paying attention to other related information. As for sending people to the independent city to investigate the truth? Not to mention considering the round-trip journey, perhaps by the time the great war ends and even the cleanup is done, the people sent out still haven’t returned!

The most critical point is, if the Bolerum Territory sends people to investigate something, will the other side necessarily cooperate and assist? Perhaps as soon as the sent people step into the city, their news reaches the Thieves’ Guild’s desk. Whether the other side decides to rob them with knives, pickpocket them on the street, or break into their hotel at night, they will study the targets’ actions carefully and plan how to strike. By the time they are found boneless, let alone finding the true mastermind behind the scenes based on this clue.

The biggest problem in this case is that the transaction location between the buyer and seller is in the independent city of Saxony, where even the influence of the Duchy of Nohan is somewhat overreaching. This makes the act of tracing the vine to find the melon almost impossible.

This is like a shooting case happening in a certain state in America. After confirming it was a hired hit, the police prepare to find the client through transaction clues. However, based on the testimony provided by the executor, their transaction was facilitated by Mexican gangs or drug trafficking organizations. The two parties never met and did not use banking networks or other payment channels.

One could say this situation is truly a headache for the police. The other side is so powerful in their homeland that even the local government cannot handle it, or they are colluding with them. Under the circumstance where foreign interference is not possible directly, it is like an unsolvable puzzle.

Especially the independent city of Saxony. In its struggle to gain autonomy in the past, it relied heavily on the power of the local Thieves’ Guild. At first, their leaders might have had the idea of cutting down the bridge after crossing the river, wanting to purge their former allies after gaining autonomy rights, at least to keep them under the control of the city government.

But based on the intelligence obtained now, their initial behavior of seeking a deal with the tiger did not proceed as smoothly as they imagined. Later, during the internal struggles that occurred after the external environment slightly eased, those so-called leaders, mostly composed of merchants, could not compete with a traditional Thieves’ Guild that was tightly organized and spread throughout every aspect of the city.

More importantly, the original mercenary leader was also seeking his own political status at this time, which made the merchants lose their most important armed force. Although it did not mean they were completely disarmed, simply defending their buildings and hiring bodyguards was not enough to gain an advantage in the subsequent struggle with the Saxony Thieves’ Guild.

This is like the relationship between a certain “Empty Space” transport captain and the so-called “Financial Tycoons” on the Shanghai Bund in the Republic of China era. The latter viewed the former as their employees, but the former was not willing to be satisfied with such a status. The struggle between the two lasted for a long time, and under the pressure of external enemies, there would be brief periods of cooperation and a honeymoon phase.

After holding the line for decades, through mutual infiltration between the two, such as sending spies for the needs of the struggle, bribing key figures from multiple sides, or the mutual admiration generated in the struggle against a common enemy, a unique political structure where you are in me and I am in you slowly formed.

For example, among the 10 members of the Upper Council who decide major city events, two are high-ranking members of the Saxony Thieves’ Guild. Among the 111 members of the Lower Council, nearly one-third of the deputies have intricate ties with the Saxony Thieves’ Guild. There, the Saxony Thieves’ Guild has its base. If people are sent there to investigate, the result depends on the other side’s attitude. Thieves’ Guilds like the Saxony Thieves’ Guild are generally known as Infiltrator Guilds on the Western Continent.

Such Guilds usually become very powerful. Its members bribe those in power, then begin to infiltrate and control the entire power structure. Those Guild leaders who control the Mayor’s office, some deputies, or the City Guard often find themselves standing on the line between crime and law-abiding citizens.

Initially, the organization and tradition of such Infiltrator Guilds were the same as traditional Thieves’ Guilds. However, eventually, when the assigned small group successfully infiltrated a specific power structure, it brought major changes to them within the Guild and other organizations.

Suppose the Thieves’ Guild uses bribery to get one of its members elected as Mayor. This thief suddenly gains huge power within the Guild. Because every competitor has to consider the consequences of being enemies with someone who can control the City Guard.

Additionally, the Guild’s support makes it easy for him to take the office of Mayor. With a word from the Guild leader, the Mayor can completely eliminate crime in a specific area or let crime thrive until business has to stop. Also, the Guild’s espionage can gather enough information to drive the Mayor’s political enemies into a dead end.

Although the general members of such Guilds follow the same rules as traditional Thieves’ Guilds, those members who have infiltrated the power structure usually have special missions and considerable rewards.

Missions like this, which are executed outside and are not related to administration but can also greatly improve one’s status within the Guild, are as rare as phoenix feathers in the Saxony Thieves’ Guild. No wonder that guy was like he had seen a treasure, snatching it up and immediately setting off for Bolerum Territory.

Because for those ambitious Guild members, infiltrating the power structure is more attractive than the leadership of the Guild itself. To be promoted from a ordinary member to an infiltration position, one must not only be deemed suitable by the Guild’s upper management but also by those who have already infiltrated.

Unless you show considerable talent in administration and have good affinity. Otherwise, you need not only to have an impressive status within the Guild but also to make a significant contribution of resources.

This is like a gangster trying to go legitimate. It requires not only a solid and vast network of relationships but also consumes a lot of resources. It is definitely not a goal that can be achieved simply. Especially for someone like this guy who has no background and whose talent lies only in his Golden Finger and infiltration skills. If he does not fight for his life, he will never have a chance in his life.

At the same time, once one goes legitimate and enters the administrative agency, what benefits the individual and the Guild can gain from this infiltration arrangement depend on which power organ they infiltrate. Thieves who infiltrate the army can know the army’s action plans and even enter the city’s arsenal. If they infiltrate the judicial system, they can ensure Guild members are not punished after committing crimes and can lock up competitors in prison. If they infiltrate the Merchant Guild, they can find out what to steal, how to steal it, and how to frame others.

Of course, this is just the most basic stage. If they go further, they can naturally start using legal means to bring themselves huge benefits. The easiest is material enjoyment, and at the same time, social status will be greatly improved with the change of position. For example, turning from a despised Golden Finger into a respected official, this contrast is a fatal temptation for those who have long lived at the bottom of society.

Because even in a place like the independent city of Saxony where the Thieves’ Guild is powerful, people, out of fear on the surface, will not speak ill of those Golden Fingers. But behind the scenes, it is still full of resentment and contempt. This is a bit like the hot pot city before the crackdown, where the common people dare to be angry but dare not speak.

After interpreting dozens of relevant documents transmitted through his own intelligence agency, George confirmed one thing: opening a breakthrough from the unfortunate person just caught is basically impossible. After a period of hesitation, George decided to put this matter aside for now and start handling the daily affairs of the Territory.

However, he did not have to endure this unhappy day for long. Not long after George’s dinner, the adventuring party that had not contacted him since their first meeting visited again.

It was still in the previous reception hall, but this time George was not standing at the door like last time; instead, he sat in the main seat. After everyone was seated, George dismissed most of the Squires, leaving only two to serve tea and water.

George felt that for such matters, it was better to speak first to take the initiative: “So, over these past few days, has your group made a decision? I hope the lively celebration did not take up too much of your time.”

“That was indeed a rare celebration. Few residents in a Territory can devote themselves so wholeheartedly to the celebration. Their smiles, coming from the bottom of their hearts, are truly the most beautiful treasures in this world.” Alamil, the Paladin of the Holy Army, responded with affirmation. Although it was hard to say how much of this was sincere and how much was flattery.

“Yes! Ensuring that the Commoners under one’s rule can eat their fill, not freeze, have care in old age, and support in youth. At the same time, protecting them from threats to their lives and property, is this not the responsibility that a Lord should shoulder?” George made a face of natural rightness and continued along Alamil’s line of thought.

This habit of seizing every opportunity seemed to be for improving the other party’s impression. If it were a game, it would be called farming goodwill or reputation. Of course, what was said was not all heartfelt, but it was George’s own cognition, so he was not afraid of Divine Arts like Lie Detection to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Alamil stood up from his seat and gave George a definite answer directly: “Indeed! Keeping those ignorant Commoners away from the threat of Evil forces is the common goal of any professional who dedicates themselves to a righteous cause. So even if the possible enemies are far beyond our ability to handle, we are still ready to accept your commission and stay to fight alongside you.”

George was truly satisfied with this result, but he did not show it directly: “So, based on your experience, where is the best place to start? I will not hide it from you; someone has already started indiscriminate killing in the Territory two days ago. Although our law enforcement successfully stopped it, the threat is still everywhere!”

“Did you not get any useful intelligence from this?” Lino Ebertz asked first.

George had to give the adventurers a preliminary explanation of the general situation.

“This is really a big trouble. I did not expect those guys to have improved so much now. Even the strategies formulated by the followers of the Lord of Conspiracy in the past could not be so perfect. It seems that our future struggles with those evil people will be even more difficult.” Priest Mario sighed as he spoke these words.

“In a city like Shallow Water City, the sewers are likely to be the hiding place of those guys. But the sewers here do not look like they can fit a person…” Stone Marx thought for a moment and voiced his opinion.

“So, that means they are most likely mixed in with the foreign artists. In that case, it is really not easy to handle!” Alamil’s thought was somewhat similar to George’s earlier one.

Seeing that the scene fell into silence for a moment, George chose to break the deadlock: “As the landlord, I have an idea, but I do not know how feasible it is?”