The first thing Barrett did when he entered Winterspring was to ride his horse and turn the town around. As a qualified warrior, even if he has previously received a full set of information from the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce. But it was still necessary for him to know where his group would work next.

Combined, Barrett also had a first impression of the small town in front of him. It's a typical northern port town, but unlike the big ports, the hydrological conditions aren't strong enough for large ships like the three-masted schooners.

The six wooden wharves on the humble harbour to the southwest are only capable of berthing double-digit ships, and even brigs that want to trade need to be connected by small boats - which greatly reduces efficiency and abandons large cargoes. If it weren't for that, the town would be much larger than it is today.

But look at the rocking barges, laden with layers of goods, going back and forth between the docks and the sailboats in the distance. Barrett suddenly had this thought in his mind: 'This feels a bit like a smuggling port!' The church sent us here, could it be that they were doing something in private during this time? ’

For the vast majority of governments, smuggling is a crime that cannot be completely eradicated. Merchants take risks for the sake of profit, and they always find loopholes in their oversight. The oscillation between individual and collective interests by the bureaucrats in charge of anti-smuggling has further fueled the arrogance of smuggling activities.

In general, smuggling activities are relatively low in areas where government control is strong. The bureaucrats in charge of anti-smuggling have to find a balance between their personal interests and collective interests for the sake of their own positions. Otherwise, let alone being caught and brought to justice, even if they lose their black hats, the original filial piety will immediately be far away from them - their strength comes from the system, and the smugglers enrich their benefits because they are afraid of the power of the system behind them. Without the system, they are nothing.

And in areas where government control is weak. Unmonitored bureaucrats even dare to openly engage in smuggling. There are even times when it's the anti-smuggling team or the smuggling team. Because they don't have to worry about someone coming back and picking off the skin on their body. Naturally, there are no scruples when doing things.

And the situation in the current Winter Spring Town should be relatively close to the latter. After all, the territory under the Seven Cities Alliance, except for those big cities, is in a situation similar to 'the imperial power does not go to the countryside'. Fortunately, the other two regimes in the Northland have done even worse in this regard. So the Seven Cities Alliance won't lose too many points on this kind of issue.

Of course, more importantly, even if smuggling is here, the limited throughput does not have a major impact on the overall price of goods within the Seven Cities Alliance - and the gateway to nearby cities also serves as a different kind of oversight. As a result, local smuggling is rampant, but not so blatant. In addition, some contraband cannot be transported through official roads. So having to go over mountains and mountains greatly increases the cost.

While Barrett was gathering the information he had gotten, the remaining players who had already arrived outside the temple all turned over and dismounted. As the temple of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce, the building in front of it stands out from the crowd in Wintersprings.

The smooth marble walls alone are no longer on the same level as everything around them. Not to mention the carved textures and the statue of the goddess on top. It can be said that if there were really rogues attacking Winterspring Town, such an eye-catching building would definitely become their first target. Of course, whether their raids will ultimately succeed is another matter.

Claudia tapped her waist, which was sore from riding a horse, and said, "I heard that the clear spring in Winter Springs Town will not be frozen even in the winter when it is snowing with goose feathers!" Are you guys planning to see it? ”

"It's very famous, yes! But it would have been nice if it had been a hot spring, and we just went to take a bath. But it's just a spring, so I think it's better to forget it! Rielly said and stretched, "Now I want to find a place to lie down and rest." ”

As the name suggests, Dongquan Town, this town has something to do with springs. The reason why it became a place for intelligent creatures in the first place. The perennial water of the spring is indispensable. What's even more amazing is that the spring water gushes out there is cool in summer and warm in winter. Even in the dry season, there is no sign of drying up. After so many years of development, it has become one of the landmarks of the town.

Clematis, on the other hand, held his emblem and began to negotiate with the personnel stationed in the temple. When they learned that these were reinforcements sent by Walkerson City, the expression on their faces was like a blooming chrysanthemum: "I knew, I knew the church wouldn't give up here." Please, please hurry inside. ”

While his companions were enjoying the hospitality of the local shrine, Barrett smelled a unique scent. He walked in the direction of the smell, and immediately found a room with green smoke constantly rising from the chimney above. Barrett, who sniffled, touched his chin and said, "This should smell like smoked fish!" ”

Except for some trade. One of the main incomes of the residents of Winter Springs is fishing. Small fishing boats were able to move freely through the modest waterways, bringing food and goods for the town's inhabitants. Except, of course, being served to the townspeople's tables. After all, the fish that you want to sell to the outside world has undergone a certain amount of processing to ensure that it can be easily preserved.

Among the processing methods, the easiest is to marinate salted fish. After that, it is a good product whether it is dried or not, and the by-products can also be made into delicious fish sauce. However, this requires the consumption of a large amount of table salt. The Northland has always been a relatively salt-scarce area, and it imports a large amount of salt every year, and the snow-white condiments are expensive. If you rely solely on pickled seafood. The price-performance ratio will become extremely low.

In this case, further processing of seafood is inevitable. Among them, fish floss and smoked fish fillet are common, and Dongquan Town chose the latter, which has relatively less labor cost. So Barrett was in front of a family workshop that smoked fish in a shopping mall, and he touched his nose when he was seduced by the unique smell of apple wood: "Do you want to bring some snacks back to Lalu?" ”

Now that he had an idea, Barrett immediately acted on it, and when he went around the front door of the workshop, he quickly had an extra canvas pocket in his hand. On this kind of small money, he didn't want to be entangled with the store in front of him for long. Having accomplished his intended purpose, Barrett immediately rushed to the temple to meet his teammates.

The feast in the temple was unusually rich. It can also be seen from this that the local clergy welcomed Barrett and his party. It also makes players understand how much pressure the natives who are laughing and talking to themselves have been under until then.

When they were full, Barrett began to ask them for specific information: "Pastor Gatsby, this is our first time in Wintersprings. So for the situation here, it can be said that it is a blind eye. As a long-time landowner, can you tell us who needs to be aware of here? ”

"What needs attention? Mainly the porters on the docks and the sailors on the merchant ships. These guys sometimes make trouble in the town. Pastor Gatsby said with a look of resentment. To add insult to injury, the sheriffs here don't want to manage those guys at all. But fortunately, half of them didn't dare to be presumptuous near the temple, of course, if someone gathered at the door, then please bother. ”

The Pastor Gatsby in front of him was just a 2-ring magic caster, and judging by his fat head, big ears and oily face, he didn't seem to be the type who was good at fighting. He was not a central figure in the temple of Winterspring Town in the past, there were a few priests above him who could suppress the scene, and the armed forces in the temple were enough to make all the peeps endure the thoughts in An's heart. At that time, as a slick businessman, he could really be said to be like a fish in water.

Even when most of the forces in this temple were mobilized to participate in the Snow Mountain Operation. With the prestige of the past and the resounding name of the Church of the 'Goddess of Wealth and Commerce'. He didn't feel anything for a moment. But when the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce suffered a setback in its snowy mountain operation, it lost a large number of living forces. This guy found that he was now a little embarrassed.

As Barrett had previously believed, Winterspring is an area where smuggling is rampant. And the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce is tempted to get involved in any profitable business, even illegal smuggling. Therefore, this Dongquan Town is not large in area, but the degree of mixing of fish and dragons is not inferior. The outcasts gathered made the town also lurking with a considerable number of outlaws.

If it was in the past, the 'Goddess of Wealth and Commerce' Temple, which was the second force in Winterspring Town, would naturally be able to hold the scene. But now, relying only on the two or three kittens left in the temple, they are even trembling when they go out to ask for dividends from the smuggling team they partner with. I'm afraid that the original partner will suddenly have a black brain.

Of course, real smugglers are relatively safe. After all, they have cooperated with the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce church in many places. It is obviously impossible to give up a long-term and continuous stream of cash flow for the sake of temporary profits.

But the thugs hired by the smugglers on a temporary basis. And the outlaws who came to Winterspring to try their luck were different. Among those guys are many of the circulating perpetrators who change places with one shot, and if they had organized them, they might have rushed in to loot the property while the temple's defenses were weak.

Therefore, during this time, the priests and ministers in the temple did not dare to go out alone, for fear of being accidentally beaten somewhere. But even with the sturdy iron doors, the members of the church who were huddled in the temple could not sleep soundly. I'm afraid that when I wake up, I'll be tied up and thrown on the ground.

Originally, in a city with good rule and good security conditions, such as the church of the 'Goddess of Wealth and Commerce', was a large taxpayer. Naturally, you can ask the local government for help. Unfortunately, Winterspring was in the rear during the previous Northland Wars, with Walkerson in front of it, and it had not been harassed by the Mammoth Dynasty and the Noble Council for a long time. Therefore, the relaxation of armaments has become inevitable.

Needless to say, eating empty salaries is a thing that is difficult to prohibit on the mainland, and the limited armed forces are mostly crooked and cracked - because the real good guys in the town, whether they go out to sea to fish or transport goods. Earn more than the vigilantes. It is no wonder that the sheriff who led the armed man did not dare to care much about the sailors' troubles.

Seriously, if it weren't for the previous 'Goddess of Wealth and Commerce' church, the church here was well armed. Moreover, the total economic volume of Dongquan Town is too small, and it is too difficult to enter the port. With its slack armament, it had already become an ATM for pirates to come at any time.

However, as the news of the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce suffering losses on the snowy mountains spreads within the Seven Cities Alliance. The outlaws who had suppressed their greed here also had some thoughts in their hearts. If it weren't for the fact that he really didn't understand the weapons and traps in the temple, the other party might have started to take action.

It was because he was keenly aware of the change in the atmosphere around him that Pastor Gatsby was secretly worried. However, Barrett and his party also gave him a placebo. At least when the enemy attacked, a few more people were sure to escape for their lives.

"If you assemble at the gate, does that mean that the other side is likely to attack? I didn't expect the situation here to be so bad. Klaimatis frowned.

Barrett immediately nodded: "Reverend Gatsby, are you sure that those smugglers in the harbor will not be involved?" More importantly, whether any of them will hook up with pirates. In that case, the matter is not something that a few of us can solve. ”

Some of the world's smugglers are pirates' conduits. They are often inextricably linked to the villains who fly the skull flag. So some of them really took a fancy to the wealth accumulated in this temple, and they didn't have to do it themselves. In the past, the pirates could be relied upon to achieve their goals - after all, the goods would eventually be sold through them. (To be continued.) )

PS: Modify the wording. Thanks to "ppython", "dark cross", "reading without writing", "broken clouds" and "picking flowers and robbing colors" and other 5 people who voted for the monthly ticket.