At midnight, Calimport, bustling during the day, gradually quieted down.
Aside from the very few establishments engaged in "special services," most had already closed for the night.
Only some twenty-four-hour taverns and inns near the docks still echoed faintly with the clamor of drunken sailors.
Raymond stood at the entrance to the sewers beneath the city's southern streets, wrapped in a gray cloak with his face hidden beneath its hood, curiously observing his surroundings.
Since it was his first time going out at night, he was particularly interested in this hidden side of the city.
Unlike the daytime, when guards at least maintained Order, nighttime Calimport was entirely dominated and ruled by the Thieves' Guild.
At this hour, petty thieves turned in the coin purses and stolen goods they had pilfered during the day to their respective guilds.
The scantily dressed women soliciting customers by the roadside also handed over part of their earnings to the Rogues patrolling the streets in exchange for protection.
Whenever a muddled drunk tried to force himself on someone, skip out without paying, or caused some other dangerous situation,
the guild's people stepped in to teach such rule-breaking idiots a lesson and made them pay compensation worth at least five to ten times the price.
Smuggling boats near the docks came ashore one after another in inconspicuous corners, carrying crate after crate of goods into designated warehouses.
In short, nighttime Calimport and daytime Calimport seemed like two utterly different worlds.
The former gave off an indescribably eerie, bizarre, and mysterious feeling.
"The time is about right. Let's go down and meet this Skaven called Lanni."
With that, Aipuke slowly entered the damp, dark, foul-smelling sewer, surrounded by several bodyguards.
His magical advisor, Kulang, and the master assassin Bernice followed close behind.
Behind them came over