From the actions on the side of the Leighton Clan, it's highly likely that many places in the Devourer Plane are already aware of the Wizard's affairs.

The subsequent investigation into matters concerning the Wizard will undoubtedly be more stringent; everyone and everything possibly related to the Wizard will be highly scrutinized.

What Duke can do now is not to give Hawke anything related to himself.

Even something as ordinary as a gold coin won't do, but Hawke himself didn't ask for any reward; he simply wants to work for Duke.

If it weren't for Duke, Hawke's caravan wouldn't have gotten this far and would have died under the attacks of the Gray Forest Thieves.

Hawke is also very aware that a small figure like him is unlikely to have any further interaction with Duke in the future, and he just wants to do things well for Duke's sake.

"Thank you for your hard work." Duke looked at Hawke's bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol on him, nodding.

"It's my duty, sir." Hawke seemed to have also sensed the graver aura around Duke than yesterday and didn't dare to ask more questions.

He lowered his voice and added, "The meeting location and method are a bit special; you'll need to verify it in person. Old Scar... that's the tavern owner, he will take you there. The time is midnight tonight; please be careful."

The night descended slowly over the bustling and chaotic Goose Peak Castle, like a curtain soaked in ink.

As midnight approached, the noise subsided a little. Thud, thud-thud. Three evenly spaced light knocks were heard.

Duke opened his eyes, silently slid out of bed, and opened the door.

Outside stood Old Scar, a one-eyed owner, donned in a hood. His weathered face bore scars and an empty eye socket, devoid of any expression, just nodding slightly to Duke to follow.

He didn't speak, turning to leave with footsteps as light as a cat.

Duke followed closely. The two moved like silent shadows, passing through the corridor filled with the lingering scent of alcohol and snoring, slipping out from an inconspicuous small door in the back kitchen, stepping into the alley filled with the stench of stale odors and coldness.

The icy night wind, carrying a bone-chilling cold, poured into the alley.

Old Scar skillfully navigated through the darkness, avoiding a few corners piled with garbage and windows where someone might be peeking.

Finally, he stopped in front of a foul-smelling, pitch-black sewer entrance.

This place was already at the city's edge, near the base of the tall city wall, with the faint conversation of guards on the walls audible not far away.

This location was extremely secluded, right in the guard patrol's blind spot, ensuring that no guards would come here all night.

Old Scar didn't look at Duke, just extended a rough finger, pointing towards the gaping, sewage-spewing sewer entrance.

His meaning was clear, straight into the sewer entrance.

Old Scar was the first to crouch and nimbly slipped into the foul-smelling sewer.

Duke followed closely, his strong Water Elemental Affinity allowed him to manipulate the surrounding sewage to avoid touching him while concealing his own presence to the maximum extent.

The icy, viscous sewage instantly submerged Duke's knees, the stench was nauseating.

But this was all just appearances; in reality, the sewage didn't touch Duke, who was merely observed standing in it.

In such a dark sewer, Old Scar couldn't observe such details either.

The inside of the sewer was pitch-black, you couldn't even see your own hand.

Only Old Scar's extremely faint sound of wading and rough breathing ahead served as the sole guide, the air was foul, mixed with the smell of decay and excrement, almost suffocating, with slippery mud and unknown garbage underfoot.

The two walked silently in the darkness for about half an hour, bending around several junctions during the journey.

All the while, Duke used the Eye of Darkness to observe his surroundings; they had already walked out of Goose Peak Castle's urban area, now located beneath the wilderness west of Goose Peak Castle.

Normally, the sewer system should have reached the exit by now, but unexpectedly, there was a passage leading further.

The fork ahead was very narrow, obviously not just built as part of the sewer. Judging from the traces around, these passages and the sewer system were constructed almost at the same time.

This meant that when Goose Peak Castle was built, these passages leading far were already built.

Duke speculated that this might be an escape route prepared by the Leighton Clan for themselves, just unused for many years, and few knew about it.

The two traversed through more complex and narrow passages for nearly an hour.

The air grew thinner, and the terrain seemed to rise steadily.

Finally, a faint light appeared ahead, along with the faint sound of wind.

Old Scar stopped, pointing forward to a hole covered partly by dense vines that one had to stoop to pass through, then pointing outside before signaling Duke to be silent and proceed through.

Duke nodded, crouching to exit the cave first.

The cold, grass-scented wind instantly swept away the underground foulness, opening up a broad view.

They were halfway up a steep cliff, with a deep, dark valley below.

Above was a splendid starry sky, and in the distance, Goose Peak Castle's massive silhouette loomed like a crouching giant beast, reduced to indistinct contours and scattered lights, left far behind in the night.

Here, they had already left the Leighton Clan's dominion, stepping into the border's no-man's land.

In the distant darkness, three other shadowy figures stood, each laden with baggage, seemingly awaiting something, clearly like Duke, intending to smuggle across the border.

One was a middle-aged man with a fresh scar on his face, wearing a faded mercenary leather armor, eyes fierce, with a hand constantly resting on the hilt of his belt knife, exuding an unapproachable aura.

Duke sharply sensed this man's presence; an Awakened of the first level, he possessed a decent strength.

The middle-aged mercenary also obviously sensed Duke's presence, a trace of caution flickering in his eyes.

The other two were a man and a woman, with the man appearing as an ordinary person, dressed like a merchant, clutching a parcel to his chest.

The woman, however, was somewhat special, with a sizzling figure, dressed scantily, her long legs fully displayed.

The fact that she appeared dressed like this in such a place suggested that she wasn't someone simple either.

Duke also sensed the presence of another Awakened from this woman, also of the first level.

Despite the woman's revealing attire, others didn't glance at her much, or perhaps didn't dare to invite trouble.

The scene didn't solely consist of these three. Suddenly, another figure emerged, a skinny, short man with a moustache, resembling a mouse.

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