Outside the western city wall, the escapees, under the guidance of the soldiers of the First Army, underwent an unprecedented identity check. 〔
Barov naturally knew that population was the most important wealth for His Royal Highness Roland. In order to bring these people back to Border Town, His Highness spent a lot of golden dragons, and even sent the first army to expedition to the capital. When the bill from the Margery Chamber of Commerce was presented to Barov, he nearly dropped his jaw.
For half a month, the caravan's rental fee, transportation fee, food supply fee, etc. added up, and it actually cost more than 2,000 golden dragons, which is equivalent to the price of four steam engines. Had it not been for the retrofit deposits received for the two sailboats last month, the financial statements would have been in the red this time.
After the fugitives came back, the tedious and huge statistical work fell on him. Almost all the city hall officials and apprentices were dispatched, and wooden sheds and passages were erected at the foot of the city wall, and these people were classified and counted and entered into the archives. Looking at the escapees slowly passing through the checkpoint in more than a dozen lines, Barov seemed to see a group of moving coins.
Compared with the long queues of ordinary civilian registration offices, the professional talent channel he is personally responsible for is much deserted. So far, only fifty or sixty people have passed.
"I'm... a carpenter," a middle-aged man approached cautiously at this time, "I heard that any craftsman can get a place to live?"
"That's right," Seni Daly asked. "What's your name? Can you read?"
This knight who originally ran to the wolf family did a good job in the Ministry of Agriculture, at least so far, he has not made any mistakes. Barov is very satisfied with his eyesight. This time, although it was a demographic survey, there were only so many literate people in the city hall, so I had to bring in people from other departments.
"Uh... Back to your lord, my name is Mather." The other party paused, "I don't know how to read."
"Can't read or write?"
"Yes." The middle-aged man lowered his head and said.
"Okay, carpenter's word..." Seni rummaged through a stack of questionnaires for a form marked with the word carpenter. "Ah, found it. Let me ask you a few questions."
This set of preliminary examination methods was conceived by His Royal Highness. He gathered craftsmen from various industries, asked them about their professional knowledge and corresponding treatment methods, and recorded the answers to form a set of inquiry forms. That way, by asking a few questions against the form during review, you'll instantly know if someone is lying. When he saw this polygraph method for the first time, Barov couldn't help but want to applaud the devil's careful thinking. If he didn't engage in the industry, most civilians would not understand these things. If a person wanted to impersonate If so, just two or three questions can be choked and speechless.
"What is the tool used to flatten the surface of wood?"
"Yes... flat pusher, my lord."
"What are the commonly used saws?"
"Frame saws and pull saws, and occasionally a handsaw when cutting small pieces."
After a few questions were asked, Marcel could almost answer them, and his tone gradually became smoother.
"Well, it seems that you are indeed a carpenter," Barov stopped Sene when he was about to write down the person's name on the identity registration form.
"grown ups?"
"Don't judge so quickly, look at his hands first." He looked at Marcel, "Put out your hands."
Marcel was stunned when he heard these words, and spread his hands in confusion. The skin in the palms was extremely rough, the cracked lines were mixed with many particles of soil, and there were thick calluses under each finger. Weathered up.
"If he is a carpenter, the palm should not be so rough, especially the two pads below the palm, which will become smooth and hard when it is often rubbed with wood. In addition, carpenters often need to use black paint to draw outlines, so the palm It will be black with a lot of hard-to-wash black ink, not yellow." Barov said calmly, "The other thing is that he always looks away first when answering - many people recall the past. Those infrequent memories will inadvertently show similar expressions, if he is a carpenter, his answer should be very natural."
"Is... so," Sene's eyes widened.
Barov looked at Mather, who was surprised, and said solemnly, "You should have heard the warning from the soldiers of the First Army when they called you. Any impersonation, deception and refusal to register will be severely punished. Mine, or expel them from the West, now, do you still think you are a carpenter?"
"No, my lord, I was wrong!" Marcel couldn't help but fell to his knees. "The carpenter is my neighbor, and I just watch him work all the time!"
"Let's line up over there."
Seeing the other party fleeing, Sene stuttered, "Sir, how did you know these things?"
"During the month of the devil, I once did a census for His Highness. I dealt with every carpenter in the town, and I wrote it down by the way," Barov replied casually. Seeing the expression of shock and admiration on the knight's face, he felt a sense of pride in his heart.
Although the devil's method is ingenious, he will eventually be deceived by some people, and only someone like himself can make up the space for His Highness.
Moreover, under the influence of His Highness, the way he handles problems has changed recently... Barov couldn't help but sigh to himself that civilians like this must be punished with thunder before they can deter those who are just around the corner. Now let him go directly, probably because he wants to save some golden dragons for His Royal Highness - after all, every fugitive is worth a lot of money. Shipping costs.
When the next fugitive passed a professional inquiry, Seni did not register immediately, but turned his attention to Barov.
He looked at the person under trial, nodded and said, "You record it, I will take him to His Highness to see."
Passing through the opening of the city wall, on the other side is the shed set up by Roland Wimbledon, which is also the last check level.
Here, they will be personally questioned by His Highness. If it is confirmed that there is no problem, they will be able to obtain a "resident identity card" and become official residents of Border Town. At present, there is a shortage of housing in the town, and the craftsmen can only be given priority to live in. As for the escapees without any skills, they have to wait two or three months outside the city walls.
Barov also had an ID card—a piece of colored cardboard, about the size of a palm, with his head painted on the upper left corner, looking like a real person, with his name, address and Numbering. On the back of the paper is the emblem of Greycastle's twin spears, as well as the signature seal of His Royal Highness. Whether it is the paper itself or the film wrapped around it, the material is very strange. Whether it is soaked in water or baked on a fire, it cannot damage the ID card in the slightest.
There is no doubt that this thing must have been made by the witch named Soraya. It seems that His Royal Highness Roland intends to extend the ID card to the whole town. In the future, whether it is to buy food or pay salaries, the certificate must be obtained.
After awarding the medal to the eldest Miss of the Pine family at the award ceremony, His Royal Highness obviously no longer intends to hide the existence of the witch, and Barov no longer wants to care about who is right and who is wrong between the devil and the church, and even... He began to faint in his heart. I hope that His Royal Highness Roland can defeat the Church and completely unify Graycastle.
There is no doubt that the higher the position of His Highness, the more rewarding he can get.
Of course, there is still a long way to go before this step, which can be considered later. Now that the population of the town has exceeded the Changge Fortress, His Royal Highness also revealed to him the city building plan for the coming year - once the fortress is connected, most of the western border will become a whole, and its scale will undoubtedly exceed the capital of the king and become the most magnificent city in Greycastle. , and what kind of promotion will he get when he is the chief of the city hall
Barov is looking forward to the future. .