Two days later Arkiv went back to an inn inside the town where the smuggler wanted him to meet. After that both of them went to a deeper region of the forest. No one else is moving towards that direction and it was actually quite dangerous. After walked for an hour, the smuggler took out a large glass container with some sort of slimy liquid inside.
"Apply this all over your body. Don’t leave even an inch of your body open. You even have to rub this on your crotch."
With that he started applying the smelly slimy liquid.
Arkiv couldn’t stop grumbling as he did what he was told.
This area of the forest is actually quite dangerous with a special beast residing in there. No one would normally come to this place. At least they never knew of anyone coming to this place and returning alive.
After a few minutes, the slimy liquid started drying and Arkiv felt an itch on his shoulders, he just rubbed it off, but then suddenly he felt an itch on his chest and before he knew it, he was scratching all over and the worst itch was on his groin.
When he looked at the smuggler he saw him trying so hard to discreetly laugh.
"What did you do to me?"
"I have done nothing. It is the liquid that made things like this, don’t worry too much."
"Then why are you not scratching. How can you not be itchy?"
"Experience kid, I have been doing this for years. The beast here is quite fond of human meat, but this slime is the only thing that could save us from it. Don’t scratch too much, if even a single porting of your skin is exposed you are dead meat, don’t expect me to save you."
As they walked slowly, Arkiv is having the hardest time of life trying his best to not scratch. Only after they reached a flowing stream and the smuggler said that they are safe, he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Now, the advance payment." The smuggler extended his hands and Arkiv took out a spatial ring and gave it to him. Inside there is fifty million spirit stones and Arkiv felt a pinch when he gave away that amount.
Before coming here, he has brought the maximum amount of money he could get and has some decent savings. But they are being depleted faster than he wanted them to.
"Anyway, what do you even smuggle around, everyone has spatial rings, they could carry anything with them can’t they?"
"Of course, they can, but some things cannot be taken in a spatial ring or a beach pouch just like you."
"Do you mean, you smuggle people?"
"Sometimes, I smuggle the stolen goods, my expertise is not sneaking the items, rather find the most unconventional ways to transport people."
"Then why are you charging me so high?"
"Because you are a special case boy. You want me to smuggle you from rubrum to the Mov empire and I have to take you out of the fugitive town. Most of my dealings wouldn’t be like that and not in such long distances. And I am doing a special solo transport for you, I wouldn’t do so normally. I will transport a bunch of people at the same time."
"Okay then, what should we do next?"
"Wash up in the stream, anymore of the liquid your skin will blister."
Arkiv felt delighted and jumped into the stream and started washing himself. After he was done, the smuggler gave some other liquid that could remove the remaining itchy feeling on his body.
He felt cold and relieved when applied this liquid.
After that, the smuggled took a small raft from his spatial ring and said.
"We are going down the stream, you can swim all the way if you want to." He said jokingly, but Arkiv actually swam for half the distance, he really liked the feeling of the stream over his body after he applied the second liquid.
The water and the liquid complemented and it is a pleasurable feeling. After half the way, he came on the raft and both of them followed the stream and soon the stream threw them into a small water fall leading them into a cave.
There is a large pool of water inside the cave and there is very little landmass.
"Swim forward. We have to swim for another two hours." Arkiv noticed something else in the cave, the water is salty here and the stream has freshwater. He figured that they are nearing the sea.
After two hours, they reached an edge of the cliff where the ship is docked. The ship is small and only has a few workers on it. Inside there are a lot of wooden crates on.
He opened one of them and stuffed Arkiv inside, then he poured a green liquid in along with some type of fish.
"There is a hole on top, so you can breathe, don’t kill the fish. They are the only things that can provide the cover for you."
Arkiv cringed at the live fish. These things can only transported like this, because normal beast pouches can only store one animal and each fish would be considered a single animal, this would make it hard for them to check it.
After they travelled some distance on the sea, they were halted for some inspections by the navy.
The border crossing is an extremely strict thing in this planet. The Mov empire and the rubrum empire only has a few places that they could cross borders and most of them have to go through so many procedures.
Even though, the technology the realm had is not that advanced the Visa procedures are strict, at least between the hostile nations. These points also has full database of wanted men, not letting them escape at all.
When they came to check, after seeing a few boxes and the extremely stinky fish, they lost interest and let them go.
After another day of travel, there was another inspection and this was from the officers of the Mov Empire.
That night, Arkiv has finally arrived at the Mirage city.
He was finally able to breathe again.
"Where would you go now?" The smuggler asked Arkiv.
"I have to find a friend of mine in this place. I don’t know where he is, but he was extremely high profile and I think I can find him fast enough as soon as I can enter the imperial capital."
"You don’t have an identity. You cannot enter the imperial capital." The smuggler just poured the cold water on his plans.
Arkiv looked at the man and asked.
"What? Do you have a plan to sneak me in?"
"Of course, I can. But it would take a lot of money. You know, this time I didn’t think of doing any smuggling rather I had to take you here from the rubrum. My main task is to take people from here. If you really want me to help, then I can introduce some people."
"Please do then."
"But before that, you have to pay the balance."
Arkiv grudgingly paid and the smuggler said.
"I have to go to the industrial street to look for some boat parts, you can come with me there. The person I am going to introduce you to, might be there as well."
When they went to the industrial street though, Arkiv was shocked, because he saw a familiar logo and name.
’The Dusk organization.’
He knew that clearly well and he immediately ran into the factory.
The smuggler was stunned and ran after him.
Sam who is teaching about how to repair the steam engine to his subordinates stopped in his tracks, when he saw Arkiv. He didn’t expect to see him here.
Arkiv ran to him and leaped towards him for a hug, but Sam dodged and let him crash into the large steam engine beside him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked.
"It is a long story, can we discuss it later. I would like some food. Normal food. Do you have any?" Arkiv asked immediately as he dusted himself. He was too excited and even he felt embarrassed.
After all, this is the first known person he saw in a long time.
"We will continue this later." Sam dismissed his subordinates and took Arkiv to the meeting room along with the smuggler.
"So, why are you here?"
"For Palace of inheritance of course...." Arkiv went on and said the whole story.
"So, you are here to use my influence and get into the Palace of inheritance?"
"Yes, is it possible?"
"I would say that it is a better option to get into the competition for the token. From what I know, the competitions here already reached the Imperial capital and I can at most use my influence to get into the competition pool as a candidate from the Imperial capital.
As for directly entering the Palace, I think I would need to pay a price. Let me ask my friend first, he has some pull in this empire. So don’t worry too much."
Sam didn’t make things difficult for him. After all, it is hard for everyone to be in this faraway world. There is no need to make things difficult for him.
"But, you owe me big time."
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