The Reason of Employment
The Reason of Employment
"Quiet, my people. I am your Lord, Roland Wimbledon. Now listen to me."
The voice was loud, yet it was not a hysterical roar. It was a clear and steady narration. Vader felt as if he was talking directly into his ear, and there was an undeniable force in his words that overtook the tumult and fright of the scene.
The crowd quieted down suddenly.
"As you heard the news when you first arrived in Border Town, we'll provide you with shelter to protect you from the wind and snow as well as food that can fill your stomach. There're also plenty of well-paid jobs. I'm here to tell you that all of these are true. "
"You'll live in thick clay houses with no air gap and a charcoal stove beneath the bed. Sleeping on it will be as comfortable as lying on the grass in the summer sun. As long as the doors and windows are closed, you won't feel cold even if you only wear an unlined garment in the house."
"You'll have meat jerky and wheat porridge for meals. Digging into the porridge with a spoon, you can see the grains dripping. It'll slowly flow down into your mouth due to the consistency. You'll just need one bowl to fill up your stomach."
Hearing this, Vader suddenly felt hungry. His Royal Highness made a novel speech. Unlike most aristocrats who kept emphasizing their powers and the obligations of the subjects and claiming that all people must follow their will, he spoke from the point of view which the people were most concerned about by describing his promise with the food and clothing. Judging from the facial expression of the refugees, one could tell his words obviously had touched their hearts.
"I hope that all the people will be able to live well without any worry about food and clothing, but the enemies that are hidden in the dark don't want to see this. There's no doubt that these beasts that rushed out were sent by them. The reason is very simple—they don't want to see that I am still alive, and they don't want my people to live a better life.
"If I'm gone, will any other lords help provide you with warm shelter and delicious food? You should be very clear about this point and you'll understand looking at your previous experiences. I'm the only person that is willing to do so."
Vader found that the fright had dissipated. After the monsters that did not behave like ordinary people were regarded as common enemies, the uneasiness and fear of the refugees were gradually transformed into anger. The villains who were trying to be detrimental to His Highness and wanted to destroy their wonderful life at the same time would never be forgiven.
"In order to avoid the attack again, the inspection needs to be repeated. This time, my guards will be responsible for the body search to make sure no enemy has the opportunity to destroy it all!"
Everyone followed the will of His Highness. Those who had passed the checkpoint were brought back to the dock by the guards. None of them protested and they were even better-organized than before.
"His Highness is good indeed," Vader could not help but be filled with awe since the prince managed to put an end to the impended chaos with just a few sentences.
"I heard that you were the first one that sensed something was wrong?" Carter Lannis approached him and said, "Come with me, His Highness wants to see you."
Following the Chief Knight, he came in front of the young prince and knelt on one knee. "My respect to you."
"Tell me, how did you find that there was something wrong with him?" asked the prince.
Vader reported what happened truthfully.
"Very observant. Were you just an ordinary civilian?"
"No, Your Highness, I served the Valencia patrol team for almost six years until Valencia was attacked by large groups of pirates," he replied honestly.
"But there was no expertise stated on your resume. I asked Carter about you and he said currently you still live in the temporary residential area. In other words, you hid your identity during your registration with the City Hall at the entrance—this was absolutely unnecessary." The prince said. Why did you do that?".
Although he did not understand the meaning of the resume, it did not affect his answer to this question. Vader hesitated for a moment and told the prince about the story of Cacusim, "If it was not for this prisoner, I may have long been dead. I cannot just leave him alone in the Western Zone. "
"So you want to be a patrolman in order to help him while executing inspection missions in the future ?"
"I..." Vader panicked. Judging from the previous penalty, it was clear that His Highness was very concerned about the violation of the system, and that he would obviously be suspected of crossing the line.
"No worries. You have not done that yet, so we won't punish you for having the idea." The prince seemed to have seen through Vader's thought and said with a smile.
But these words made Vader disappointed. There was no doubt that His Royal Highness did not agree with this approach, even if he became a police successfully. Once he was found to be biased in handling disputes, he would be punished as severely as the City Hall officer was.
"Do you have a family?" The prince suddenly asked.
"... they were all killed in the robbery of Valencia."
"Does Cacusim have a family?"
"I don't think so," said Vader, although he was not sure why His Royal Highness asked the question. "If he had any family member, he wouldn't have been chosen by the Rats as a scapegoat."
"Anyone who has special skills will have the priority to rent a residential house. Besides, he can obtain the identity documents issued by the City Hall and enjoy all the power of the town's subjects. All of these, of course, can also be enjoyed by his family members." The prince grinned and said, "Do you understand what I mean?"
Startled, Vader could not help but ask in surprise, "Your Highness agree to let me have Cacusim..."
"Bring the old man to the City Hall for registration, and they will arrange it for you."
He held back the excitement and knelt down again. "Gracious, Your Highness!"
"Don't be slack, and be as vigilant as you're today." The prince nodded and said, "If you cannot pass the follow-up tests, even if he becomes your family member, you'll have to stay in the temporary area for now."
"Yes!"
The things that he cared the most was finally settled, Vader felt so much more relaxed. He was ready to be excused when he suddenly thought of the written test. Hesitating for a while, he could not help asking, "Your Highness, I was not sure about the answers to many questions in the first round of test. Why would you hire me? "
"Because there're no correct answers to them," Prince grinned and continued, "They differ from man to man. By the way, it was not the right answers that counted, but the applicants' reading and writing abilities did. You may pass the test as long as you could understand the questions and write down your own opinions."