"The number of Otherworldly warriors currently fighting in Transia is 617. Add the 300 who'll receive helmets in three days and the 200 independent recruitment slots in the hands of the students, and by next weekend our warriors will finally break the thousand mark.
"Over the next month or so, I'll hand out all the remaining slots until the player population reaches capacity again. Meanwhile, the number of residents under Transia's administration has already passed 220,000. That means 2,200 players."
In Governor Mirian's office, Murphy was "going over the figures" with her, while Triss stood by the window, gazing out at the gloomy sky.
His Grace thought a second snowfall might arrive in Transia in a few days.
This time, it would be heavier than the last. Such weather would once have been unbearable at this time of year, but the first snowfall had already proved that, at least near Scarlet Castle, the cold alone was no longer deadly.
Faced with Murphy's estimate, Scarlet Governor Mirian shook her head. She opened her work journal to the page tracking population changes and said:
"The actual number will be higher than you expect. Serfs from the Kafhoka region are being sent into Transia. At first, it was only a private arrangement between old Ho from Treasure Bay and the northern merchants, but that first snowfall did us a huge favor.
"Winter is drawing closer, and displaced farmers with nowhere else to go are moving to Transia of their own accord.
"Just yesterday, two shiploads of farmers arrived at a dock in the Andmar Hills. They've been sent to Rapids Fort, where they're undergoing quarantine and registration.
"I thought it was entirely a spontaneous effort to save themselves, but last night a Rapids Knight brought us word that the farmers had been lured