"The commission is paid, the transaction is complete." Duke's voice was calm and flat, "No additional reward is necessary."

He could see that this caravan didn't have much wealth, and the reward offered wasn't meaningful to him.

"This..." Hawke still felt a bit uneasy about it.

Duke shifted the conversation: "However, after entering Goose Peak Castle, there might be some matters I need your assistance with."

"Yes, yes, sir, just instruct us, and we'll definitely do it!" Upon hearing Duke might require their help, Hawke immediately agreed without even asking what it was.

Finally, the caravan arrived at the gigantic, rivet-studded oak gates of Goose Peak Castle.

It was already dusk, and soon the gates would close, with soldiers guarding the entrance.

A team of guards wearing gray-brown studded leather armor and holding spears blocked them. The team leader was stout, with a grim scar on his face, and eyes sharp like an eagle's, scrutinizing the travel-worn group.

"Halt! Name of the caravan, merchant proof!" Captain Scar's voice was gruff, filled with the unique vigilance and impatience of a border soldier.

His gaze swept over the caravan's carts and the startled staff, carefully observing every detail.

At this moment, Duke sat in the middle carriage, keeping a low profile to avoid trouble. Hawke would handle the entry into the city, as he was already quite experienced.

However, this time, entering the city was much stricter than before. The soldiers inspected every person and every carriage, checking for suspicious individuals.

Naturally, Hawke didn't dare to resist; the more he resisted, the more suspicion he would arouse. He could only hope not to be deliberately harassed.

When it was Duke's carriage's turn, his distinctive demeanor quickly caught the team leader's attention, making him keenly aware that the person before him was not ordinary.

The team leader was also an Apprentice Awakened and had been stationed here for years, seeing all sorts of people.

"Who is this? Doesn't seem like someone from the caravan." The team leader's hand appeared casually resting on the knife at his waist, his gaze full of scrutiny and pressure.

Duke finally looked the Captain Scar in the eye. His gaze calmly met the other's scrutinizing and warning eyes, with no intent to evade or explain.

Just as the Captain Scar felt a bit unnerved by this overly calm gaze and prepared to further question, an invisible, cold, and heavy pressure descended abruptly.

The Captain Scar felt as if he had been thrown into a ten-thousand-meter-deep sea, the air around him becoming incredibly viscous, each breath an immense effort.

A primal fear, innate to creatures facing a top predator, surged without warning from his spine to his crown.

His hand on the knife hilt instantly stiffened, cold sweat soaking his inner lining.

The soldiers behind him, though less intensely affected, also felt a sense of inexplicable palpitation and unease, unconsciously stepping back half a step.

This pressure lasted only a fleeting moment, vanishing like an illusion.

Duke still sat in the carriage, speaking lightly, his voice not loud but clearly reaching Captain Scar's ears: "Jelot, a Wandering Awakened, currently a caravan guard."

Captain Scar gasped, his back soaked with cold sweat.

He looked at Duke with doubt and bewilderment; the suffocating pressure just now was no illusion.

When he looked at Duke again, the scrutiny and warning in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only deep apprehension and a trace of barely perceptible fear.

To make a battle-hardened veteran like him feel like he had fallen into an ice cave solely through presence, he was clearly aware that this young man before him was a powerful First-Level Awakened.

Facing a First-Level Awakened requires utmost caution and caution, avoiding any offense. Otherwise, if Duke were to kill him, the Leighton Clan would likely prefer to foster a good relationship rather than continue animosity.

For a low-level figure like the team leader, he was insignificant compared to the value of a First-Level Awakened. It was obvious how the Leighton Clan would act.

Wandering Awakened were quite common, and there were many in Goose Peak Castle, making a living by taking on various commissions.

For the Leighton Clan, these Wandering Awakened were also a force in their hands, who could be hired just with money, with no need for cultivation.

Of course, the prerequisite for this was that the Leighton Clan had enough strength not to fear backlash.

There was a reason the Leighton Clan could remain steadfast in this territory; they themselves were an Awakened family, with Second-Level Awakened among them.

Without such power to hold the fort, they couldn't have lasted so many years in this territory.

Knowing Duke's strength, Captain Scar no longer dared to meet Duke's gaze, unconsciously lowering his voice: "Lord Jelot, it's just a routine check as part of my duty, please understand."

He waved to signal his subordinates to let them pass, noticeably speeding up his movements.

The heavy gates slowly opened with the creaking sound of the winch, revealing the brightly lit, heavily guarded interior of Goose Peak Castle.

Beyond the gate was a broad but heavily guarded passageway, towering stone walls casting deep shadows. At intervals stood burning resin torches, the flickering flames illuminating the metal inlays on the guards' armor, adding to the tense atmosphere.

This fortress was part of the gate defense area of Goose Peak Castle, so aside from the Leighton Clan's guard force, there weren't many other idle people lingering here.

The caravan trickled in, the wheels grinding on the rough cobblestone ground, producing a monotonous echo that was particularly clear in the empty passageway.

Duke still sat in the carriage, his gaze calmly scanning the surroundings.

This was Goose Peak Castle's purely military defense area. Apart from fully armed, vigilant Leighton Clan soldiers and a few warehouses storing siege equipment, there were almost no civilians in sight. The air was filled with an aura of tension, warning outsiders to keep away.

Hawke and the caravan members instinctively shrank their necks, treading carefully in this cold military fortress area, fearing to attract unnecessary trouble.

They only wished to swiftly pass through here and reach the relatively safe city block.

The passageway wasn't very long, ending in another gate, slightly smaller but equally sturdy.

The guards had evidently received signals from the front, merely giving the caravan a cursory glance before opening the gate silently.

As the gate opened, the view unfolded dramatically.

The last rays of sunset lovingly brushed the two giant peaks, resembling swan necks, steep and precipitous, coloring them in magnificent gold and red hues.

And in the hollow embraced by these two Goose Peaks, a vast, bustling city full of smoke and vigor lay sprawling like a colossal beast, presented before everyone's eyes.

This was the real Goose Peak Castle, a gigantic city, vibrant with chaos and desires, protected by iron bastions.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.