It was not until the sun slanted westward that Chen Cheng arrived at the inner waterway.
Although the World Sea had been sealed off by the Sea Clan, it still could not halt the growth of shipping. Along this inner waterway, ships came and went in an endless stream.
Some were passenger ships, while others were cargo vessels.
Though most travelers came from within the province, the convenience of ships still led more people to choose travel by water.
Among this host of vessels, Chen Cheng's magic ship counted as a large one. After all, it was more than ten zhang long—roughly forty to fifty meters.
On the inner waterway, only ships dedicated to hauling cargo were usually this large.
Thus, when Chen Cheng pulled in at the dock, the owners of nearby passenger ships mocked him and told him to go to the cargo docks.
Fortunately, there were also sharp-eyed people at the dock. Recognizing Chen Cheng's vessel as an Elf race magic ship, they held back those around them and told them to keep their mouths shut.
At that moment, the tax collector managing the docks shoved through the crowd and came over.
This tax collector was, in truth, just someone who collected taxes at the docks. He took a cut based on the cargo carried by freight ships, converted it into money, and levied the tax accordingly.
Naturally, there were countless shady dealings in such taxation. So when he heard that a cargo ship had come to the passenger docks rather than the cargo docks, it felt as though someone had robbed him of his money, leaving him deeply displeased.
The tax collector sized Chen Cheng up, then casually cupped his hands and said,
"Young Master, please forgive me. This is Earl Siskek's territory. No matter whose