"Name?"
"Hops Wilder."
"gender."
"male."
"Really? Little guy, we don't discriminate against women here."
"I'm really a man!"
An orc standing in line behind laughed: "You might as well take off your pants to prove it!"
Hopps' face suddenly turned red, but he didn't dare to argue and refute, he was really embarrassed.
In the end, the clerk in charge of registration came to his rescue: "Haha, no need, then you look a bit delicate. How old are you?"
"Sixteen years old."
"You're a little younger and a little thinner. To be honest, you're really not suitable for this study. Why don't you consider studying accounting or chef?"
"… I have no money."
The half-orc scribe, who was as strong as an ox and actually had huge horns on his head, looked at the dejected Hopps and said with a smile: "Having no money is not a problem. When I first came to Void City, I didn't have a single copper. Then I was even worse off than you at that time. You still had nice clothes, but I only had a pair of torn shorts..."
He was about to continue talking when a colleague next to him coughed and interrupted him.
"Sektri, don't talk about ancient times, there are still people queuing up behind you."
The clerk smiled and continued to ask: "So, little Wilder, are you sure you want to sign up?"
"Yes." Hopps said firmly, "I want to learn technology and then support myself!"
The secretary and his colleagues looked at each other, nodded, and asked: "So, what exactly do you plan to study? There are a total of the following majors recruited this time, first of all, miners and ore dressing workers, and then smelting the smiths and smiths, and the armorers and leatherworkers, and finally the machine-workers.”
Hopps didn't expect to have so many options to choose from. He couldn't help but feel a little dazed. After thinking for a while, he asked: "Which of these jobs is more suitable for me?"
"To be honest, they are not suitable." Clerk Sektri sighed. "Even if it is relatively easy, your physique is too... Let me give you an example. Suppose you are a leather craftsman. This job mainly requires It’s careful, it doesn’t require much strength, but you must at least be able to pick up a piece of full-body armor and shake it to see the quality.”
As he spoke, he shook his head: "You're not even taller than a half-armor!"
Hopps looked frustrated when he was told this, but still refused to give up: "Isn't there any business that doesn't require much height and strength?"
"The ore sorter is pretty good," said my assistant colleague, a fat half-orc who didn't know whether he was a cat or a leopard. "As long as you are familiar with the minerals and are careful, the rest won't be a problem."
"I'm good at these!" Hopps said loudly and happily, even his previously droopy ears perked up.
Sekteri looked at him, then at the applicants behind him who were already urging "Hurry up", shrugged his shoulders, and filled in the last line of information on the registration form.
"Finally, sign your name," he said, handing the registration form and ink pen to Hopps.
Hopps took the pen and paper casually, but was suddenly stunned and whispered: "I... can't write."
"It doesn't matter if you can't write. I couldn't do it back then." Sekteri smiled and took out a box of bright red ink pad, "Then let's put a fingerprint on it, it's the same."
According to his request, Hopps dipped the five fingers of his right hand into ink pads, and then pressed the five fingerprints in sequence where the signature should be, completing the entire registration process.
After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic clerk, he walked out of the technical school and looked at the crowds of people coming and going in the big square in front of him, feeling a little confused.
There is a period of time between registration and the start of school. I am penniless, how should I find food and shelter
The accommodation problem is easy to handle. It's quite warm here in Void City, and the grass next to the street looks quite soft, enough to be used as a bed. But where to find food
Eat grass
Probably they can only eat grass.
Although my half-rabbit blood has brought me a lot of trouble over the years, thanks to it, I can at least eat grass when I'm hungry.
If he were a purebred foxman, he would probably starve to death.
Hopps smiled mockingly to himself. Seeing that it was still early, he was not in a hurry to rest and wandered around.
He walked quickly and soon arrived at the famous Sacred Tree Square in the north of Void City.
From the intersection on the south side of the square, you can clearly see the unimaginably thick trunk of the sacred tree, and its crown is like a green cloud on the horizon, which can be seen clearly from a very far away place.
Hopps curiously walked towards the sacred tree. Not long after, he found many people lying in the open space under the sacred tree, including some women wearing white clothes with a red cross painted on their shoulders or chests. He was busy, as if checking their bodies or treating their wounds.
Getting closer, he was surprised to find that the people lying down were all orcs!
To be precise, they are all a bunch of bearded pigs.
"What... what's going on?" He was a little timid and stopped immediately, not daring to get close to him. He only found a fat man nearby who seemed kinder and asked him what was going on.
The fat man didn't know, but he grabbed him and said he would take him to ask.
Hopps didn't expect the fat man to be so enthusiastic, and he suddenly panicked. He wanted to struggle, but the fat man was so incredibly strong that he couldn't get away at all.
In desperation, he had no choice but to follow the fat man to the foot of the sacred tree, next to the group of busy women and the pigs lying on the ground.
"Hi, Jane, I'm here to see you." The fat man greeted a woman in white with a smile, "What are you busy with?"
"Huh? Do you know her?" Hopps was stunned.
"How new! How come I don't know my own wife?" Fatty said with a smile, "If she hadn't been here, why would I have come here to ask? Isn't it fun to tease someone else's little girl?"
Only then did Hopps realize that he had been teased. He was a little angry, but more curious.
He really wants to know, what is going on here
"Don't mention it!" The woman named "Jane" was very beautiful and had a good figure, but her eyebrows always made Hopps feel a bit sharp. She sighed and said, "These are the batches not long ago. Follow the caravan across the desert to join our refugees."
"Refugees? Why are they mixed up like this?" Fatty asked in surprise, "Looking at how badly injured they are, they would have been left behind on the road."
This topic is a bit cruel, but it is true. The journey across the desert is very difficult. Even the caravan members will be left behind if they are seriously injured or seriously ill, let alone the refugees who go with the caravan.
When Hopps came to the Northwest Republic, he witnessed sick people being abandoned on the road. The man cried and begged, but to no avail. In the end, a guard gave him the last bit of mercy, allowing him to die without pain.
"They were in good shape when they came." Jane sighed and said, "But locally, they had a conflict with the local orcs."
"Conflict?" The fat man looked at the group of pig people, "They are quite strong, why are they beaten like this?"
"They are mean-mouthed and have offended too many people." Jane said, "It's probably a matter of faith. They think half-orcs who don't believe in the orc gods are guilty and deserve to die... You understand."
"I understand, it's time to beat them!" The fat man nodded, and all pity suddenly disappeared from his face, "Good fight! Let them learn a lesson. The Republic does not allow persecution of beliefs!"
"Three were killed on the spot, and the rest are here." Jane sighed, "The sacred tree has a strong life force, which is very beneficial to their recovery. When they fully recover, there will be subsequent punishments."
Hopps was stunned and asked: "If they have to be punished, why do they need to be treated?"
Jane looked at him in confusion, as if looking at a monster: "Punishment is to make people change, and they haven't committed any unforgivable crimes. If they don't get treatment, won't they die?"
Hopps thought for a long time before he understood what she meant.
The Northwest Republic will not let those who commit crimes go, but it will not deny them due care just because they have committed crimes.
He couldn't help but smile when he looked at the bearded pig men who were grunting and frowning, but they were all honest.
This country is better than I imagined before coming here...