A heavy rain fell intermittently throughout the entire night.
The next morning, the city's residents opened their windows and were pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had stopped and the sky was clear and blue.
Sitting in the semi-enclosed carriage, listening to the sound of the wheels rolling over the water, Brother Joe, who was in charge of population registration in Muxi City, quickly glanced at Huggins sitting opposite him, and then exchanged a look with Elijah, who was in charge of civil engineering and municipal affairs, sitting next to him.
Huggins looked out the window, but spoke to the two people opposite him.
"I know you have questions you want to ask."
Compared to Elijah, who was a scholar and more composed, Joe, the old official of Twilight City, spoke more bluntly.
"Huggins, you left without saying a word. I thought His Majesty had exiled you. Where have you been all these years?"
Huggins looked at the old monk Joe somewhat awkwardly: "I thought you were going to ask about the maritime refugees."
With his gray hair, Qiao grinned and opened his mouth wide, revealing a set of rotten teeth: "Since His Majesty has made his decision, the matter of the maritime refugees is fine as it may be."
Huggins smiled helplessly: "I'm afraid the refugee issue isn't as simple as you think..."
Joe patted the car seat: "Don't change the subject. I'm asking you, what have you been doing these past few years?"
"I run an inn in Silver Ring City."
"Hmm...that's it?"
That's it, that's all.
Old Brother Joe scratched his head in dissatisfaction, about to argue with Huggins, when Elijah, sitting next to him, grabbed his sleeve.
Elijah nodded slightly to Huggins: "Anyway, it's good that you're back."
The latter nodded and smiled, "Yes, it's good that you're back."
The carriage traveled through the city center, then through the commercial streets, and then boarded a barge in the port area. By the time it finally arrived at Waiheke Island, it was already noon.
Under the blazing sun, the three of them were startled by what they saw when they got off the boat.
What was once a sparsely populated, desolate, and dilapidated island has now been transformed into a bustling and vibrant town.
Taverns, stables, carriage shops, blacksmith shops, bakeries... you name it, this place has it all.
Merchants and sailors with different accents, appearances, and clothing crowded the barge docking area on Waiheke Island.
Hundreds of huge wooden crates were stacked in the cargo area, and customs officials were inspecting and counting the goods in batches. The pulley cranes invented by Muxi University were placing them one by one into the open space of the warehouse temporarily rented by the owner.
Brother Joe rubbed his dim old eyes, then put on his glasses and said to Elijah, "Is it my imagination, or something else? This place looks even more lively than Muxi Port?"
Elijah sighed softly, "I came here last month, and I didn't expect it to have changed so much."
Huggins took out a folding cane from the carriage's storage compartment, tapped it on the stone pavement, and said, "It's still early. Let's leave the carriage here and walk over. We can use that time to survey the island."
The group walked along the road, looking around as they made their way toward the center of the island.
Along the street, the dazzling array of seafood, the bustling market, and the lively entertainment district left a deep impression on the three of them.
After traveling for about an hour, the three finally arrived at the central area of the island—a place known as the Wailing Island Trading Post.
Despite being called a trading post, this place actually looks more like a town center.
The buildings stand in neat rows, the roads are well-maintained, the military camps are stationed on the side, and the city is heavily fortified.
As the three approached the trading post, they discovered that a long queue had already formed at the gate, with people waiting to enter.
Huggins, leaning on his cane, walked past the line toward the main gate.
Someone in the line immediately voiced their dissatisfaction: "Hey, hey, hey, I'm talking to you! No cutting in line! No cutting in line! Don't think that just because you're lame I won't have the nerve to beat you up!"
Huggins pulled a dragon-shaped badge pendant from his chest, and the group fell silent instantly.
The two Crusaders in charge of checking things at the gate were a minotaur and a rat-headed man.
The rat-headed man was still diligently carrying out his inspection work, while the minotaur stood still, impatiently scratching his hooves.
The appearance of Huggins caught the minotaur's eye. The latter parted the crowd with his hands, strode to the front, and said to Huggins, "You're the one sent by the city to find those merfolk?"
Having received an affirmative answer, the minotaur kicked the rat-headed man aside and led the three of them directly into the military camp, where they found the orc Carol.
Carroll was busy preparing weapons when he saw Huggins and his group. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Where are your guards?"
“We didn’t bring any guards.” Huggins said, somewhat puzzled. “Are those maritime refugees dangerous?”
"It's not so much dangerous, but those people are quite wary and not very willing to contact us."
Huggins thought for a moment, then said to Carol, "His Majesty's decree is for me to contact Chief Salamor the Merfolk..."
Before Huggins could finish speaking, Carol said in a deep voice, "I know the mermaid you're talking about. Compared to those sea refugees, she is indeed relatively easier to communicate with. How about this, I'll call a few people to go with you."
Carol walked into the rear of the military camp, and soon came out with Aldnan and two other orcs.
And so, the small team of three kingdom officials and four Crusader soldiers headed toward the gathering place of sea refugees on the west coast of Wailing Island.
Along the way, the endless stream of convoys made Huggins secretly uneasy.
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