New Gods of North America.

Chapter 603 Tourists
While Wayne was still in Tax Officer Quinn's study, trying to teach the latter the secret route to discovering the existence of the secret station,

On this side of the dock area, a cargo ship is quietly docking.

Before they could even climb the gangway, a figure jumped off the ship's side, arms outstretched: "Wow, the New World, here we come!"

By this time, a line of people had already formed on the dock to welcome the cargo ship. In addition to the busy boatmen, there were almost an equal number of people guarding the area from various distances.

The man in formal attire at the front of the line, his face expressionless, said, "Please don't be too high-profile. Not everyone in America will welcome you."

The man who jumped onto the dock first seemed a bit bored with the other man. After cheering, he lowered his arm, but he didn't back down: "I've encountered this kind of thing in the Southern Continent of the Old World. Baboons have never been happy to see lion prides invading their territory."

The man in formal attire was merely following orders tonight. His nominal mission was to receive the ship's steam-powered machinery, but what would actually be delivered were naval cannons from the Kingdom of Windsor, along with some crew members who shouldn't be on board.

Steel products are like this: with the same draft, they are often smaller in size, so ships have more space to accommodate people.

So he didn't exactly dislike these "tourists" from the Old World, but he wasn't exactly friendly either:

"Carelessness is not a good habit. The highest-ranking among you seems to be an unstable 8th-rank? Back during the War of Independence, there were actually more senior hunters in the Hunter Association with higher ranks than that. Including the Church of the Holy Spirit, Americans are not lacking in experience in dealing with a small number of high-ranking extraordinary individuals. Moreover, as far as I know, there have been quite a few 'guests' arriving in America recently, and you are just one of them."

An invisible spiritual pressure spread across the dock, and some people in the queue had already assumed a defensive and counter-attack stance.
The outsider, dressed like a sailor, stood in silent confrontation with the man in formal attire who greeted him for more than ten seconds before bursting into laughter: "Hahahaha, you've seen blood too. I like talking to guys like you."

The man in formal attire shrugged in response. Once the cargo ship had come to a stop and the gangway was in place, a coffin was carried off the ship by the crew, surrounded by nearly ten people.

He bowed slightly and said, "Welcome, Earl."

A dull thud came from inside the coffin, but the lid remained closed.

The man in formal attire didn't continue the pleasantries; he turned slightly to the side, and the line behind him immediately parted.

"The box contains some clothing for changing, weapons and ammunition, and bank notes with a total face value of $1 for your daily use. As agreed, we will put you on the train to Kansas shortly. Please keep a low profile until we reach our destination."

Some people had already walked through the queue as if they didn't care at all and began checking the items in the boxes.

The man in formal attire continued to relay the message as instructed: "Please also abide by the agreement. Once you arrive in the West, do not attack anyone from the Southern states. Moreover, you are not without adversaries in the West. There is at least one group of people who call themselves 'Overseers,' and their leader's rank is at least equivalent to that of the Earl."

"Boom!"

The coffin, laboriously carried by six boatmen, crashed to the ground. The thorny, blood-red spikes, after being shot out at high speed, had now pinned them to the ground, and were now expanding and contracting, drawing away even more blood than before they were shot out.
A slightly aged voice came from the coffin: "Is the person I asked you to investigate currently in the so-called 'Kankes State'?"

The man in the suit nodded without changing his expression. "According to the records we found, the rogue hunter named Inessa was captured by the Exorcist Guild shortly after landing. She then voluntarily accepted 'binding' and was sent to Kansas. We haven't obtained more detailed records yet. As we described to you, our relationship with the Northerners is not close."

The voice inside the coffin seemed to be getting younger: "If the information you provided is correct, then I will keep my promise."

“You can rest assured about that.” The man in the suit smiled. “At least in western America, there will definitely be a high-quality ranch that will satisfy you.”

……

The coffin was carried onto carriages by the outsiders who disembarked from the ship. However, these carriages did not follow the guide's directions and veered off course, even kicking the assigned drivers off the carriages.

The other carriages in the convoy did not stop them from leaving, nor did they chase after them to ask why. They simply silently picked up their own people and then returned to the dock.

The man in the suit, looking at the dwindling convoy, shook his head. "Looks like another pack of arrogant hyenas." "Yeah. But there are some things only they can do for us."

The man in the suit seemed unsurprised. "I've heard that the gentlemen in Congress have been deadlocked for a long time over the Kansas statehood bill. If it becomes a free state, it will completely overturn the advantage that the Southern states still hold in Congress. Leading the hyenas into the other side's territory is only the first step in the conflict—believe me, those peasant Yankees would do the same."

"Has the situation deteriorated to this point?" The deputy's information was not comprehensive enough, so he took the opportunity to probe for more inside information from the higher-ups.

The man in the suit glanced at his deputy: "The outsiders will eventually leave, just like the Frankish reinforcements who helped drive out the Windsor people. It is said that the northern bishops of the Holy Spirit Church are even willing to consider cooperating with the Holy See in order to deal with the possible Old World 'tourists' visiting America. Their ideas and plans are far more radical than ours."

"It seems that after the wars on the Old World ended, the New World is no longer a safe haven for development," the second-in-command remarked.

The man in formal attire stopped the small talk and began issuing orders: "The cargo on the ship no longer needs to be pretended to be unloaded. Instruct the crew to line up and prepare to board. Although we have friends in Virginia, some things cannot be kept secret for long. The cargo ship must leave before dawn and depart for South Carolina as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

"Apart from our own boatmen, we don't need to keep anyone else. We'll hand over the agreed-upon compensation to the local gang that manages this dock; they know how to handle accidents."

"understand!"

……

the other side,
The carriages that had successfully broken away from the convoy were now calmly speeding through Richmond's dock area, guided by the group's guide.

Inside the lead carriage, the "sailor" from before was trying on local clothing and jokingly remarking to his companion, "You Americans are really something. On the one hand, you're strictly guarding against us and preventing us from entering, while on the other hand, you're secretly clearing a path for us. We didn't even see any customs officials this time."

The other person shook their head slightly. "Not all Americans are the same."

"I knew it. The New World is such a vast land, it will eventually become like the Old World, with many countries that are evenly matched. The United States is too large and not conducive to governance."

The sailor's grin suddenly turned wary halfway through. "Stop! Why is the carriage behind us slowing down?"

My companion has already picked up his weapon. "I'll go take a look."

"Ah."

Before long, after the "sailor" quickly changed into an ordinary "American," his companions had returned.

The originally relatively loose convoy of vehicles became a long, straitened line on the otherwise empty streets at night, all behind the "guide vehicle".

His companion put the weapons away again: "It's nothing. The Count just ordered us to slow down. He said he sensed a familiar 'death' ritual aura, but it didn't seem to be directed at us. We just need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Are they those sewer rats from the Tranquility Cult? They were supposedly expelled and wiped out by the Hunter's Guild during the Great Famine of Elland after conspiring with the Kingdom of Windsor. I didn't expect them to arrive even faster than us. Didn't the Earl order a hunt for them?"

“No. Extraordinary materials can be replenished anywhere, and the west is obviously more convenient. Our most urgent task now is to find the missing part of the Count’s ‘heart’. Without enough blood and food from the battlefield, if he falls into a deep sleep again, we will all probably lose control.”

The "sailor" who had been joking earlier had lost interest in continuing and knocked on the partition of the carriage. "Let's go."

With a flick of the whip, the sound of horseshoes spurred the caravan to accelerate once more.

(End of this chapter)