I've picked off a few, in the wee hours of morning. It's that quiet time, when nobody is quite awake enough to open the city, so a tree gets polished, or a blacksmith motivated.
I wouldn't say it had gone 24 hrs without being aided - but it had gone just long enough for me to slip in and out like the fog, on little cat feet. And suddenly, the protection expires, and I quickly pounce on my prize, before helping hands can restore said polivation.
And at my current level, every little reward helps - and p--ses of somebody