Searching for Manpower and News from the City of Apprentices

"Ah, more people are needed, but that's easy to solve... literate people, that's enough..."

White Flower City, in the lord's castle, Finley greeted Fran with a beaming smile.

Ever since Fran handed him the Territory Token, he has been sleeping soundly. After all, once he becomes a true lord, these current problems will eventually cease to be problems.

So although Fran's request for help was somewhat difficult, and it was rather complicated, it wasn't actually that hard for him to do it if he wanted to.

Since it was Fran who came to him, he had to fulfill her request.

What if Fran takes back the Territory Token he has?

Finley had learned from Count Ian that the mage before him was a second-tier mage, and that the new mage Lucy, with whom they had a good working relationship, might not be able to defeat her.

Therefore, Finley tried his best to meet Fran's requests.

Unlike before, when he had to agree to Fran's demands to grasp at a straw, this time his actions could be said to come from the heart.

But when he heard Fran's specific requirements, he was taken aback.

"Lai Ray, you want this literate person..."

He seemed somewhat embarrassed, prompting Fran to ask:

"What, are there not many people in White Flower City?"

"No, on the contrary, there are actually quite a few people like this in White Flower City. The nobles in the city have many children, and these people have all received literacy education, so they should be able to meet your requirements."

"It's just that these people might not be so willing to follow you, Mage Lai."

Fran raised an eyebrow, inquiring about the specific reason, while Finley slowly replied:

"That's right. Those people are, after all, nobles. According to the laws that Antir has had since its founding, all nobles are entitled to refuse the lord's summons."

"Of course, this rule does not apply during times of war or emergencies."

"But it doesn't fall into either of those two situations right now, and those nobles value this right of theirs very much."

"I cannot force a nobleman to help you and become your subordinate. Those people will unite to resist this, and I am worried that they will hinder your experimental progress."

Fran raised an eyebrow. She wasn't actually worried about such things; compared to the difference in Order, these were insignificant.

What Fran needs now is someone who can get started immediately and help her begin literacy education. She doesn't need too many people, just two or three will do.

However, dealing with these nobles first, regardless of the method used, will take some time, and Fran will also need to select some people willing to cooperate from among them.

At this moment, Fran raised her head and looked at Finley, noticing that he seemed hesitant to speak. She immediately spoke up.

"Just tell me what's on your mind."

Finley swallowed hard before speaking:

"Actually, there are many literate people in White Flower City. I believe they would work for you if you paid them some money, but..."

Finley paused for a moment.

"Their identities are somewhat special; they are nobles who have committed crimes or behaved unusually and have been ostracized... Or perhaps, they have already been stripped of their lordship by the nobles within the city."

"So all you have to do is hire them and pay them, right?"

"That's right, but they all have some quirks. I hope you can understand, Master Lai. I will select the more normal ones for you."

Fran raised an eyebrow, knowing that although these people could be hired as long as they were paid, they could help her solve a major problem first.

However, she knew that these people probably had some special circumstances.

After all, in a place like White Flower City, the fact that a nobleman would give up his noble status and be ostracized from the noble circle speaks volumes.

Fran didn't care, as long as she could find people willing to teach the workers and believers, especially since she had solved the problem so quickly.

Fran composed herself and slowly said:

"Then I'll leave it to you. And what about the labor force I need?"

Finley thought for a moment, then said:

"Most of the remaining residents in the territory now have jobs; those from last time were the last ones left in the city..."

Finley was telling the truth. The hundred people Fran had asked for last time would be considered a very valuable working population, no matter where they were placed.

"There are still quite a few farmers waiting to be recruited in my subordinate farms. If you need them, Master, I can send someone to bring some over, but it will take some time, since these farms are all quite remote."

"Approximately how long?"

About half a month.

Fran frowned. Half a month was a bit long for her. If she went down now, she could probably prepare a large number of positions within ten days.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Are there any other faster methods?"

Fran did not reject Finley's suggestion, but at the same time, she also wanted to see if there was a faster way.

Finley thought for a moment, then looked up.

"There are still some..."

"Fifteen miles southeast of White Flower City, there is a new settlement with several hundred people."

"And this place doesn't belong to any territory, because there isn't a single official from any territory stationed here."

Fran raised an eyebrow, as if she had realized something. She lowered her head slightly and listened carefully to Finley's explanation.

"This place was established by refugees who fled during the previous wars..."

Upon hearing this, Fran understood; this was precisely the result of what Duke Theodore had done.

Although Duke Theodore's goal was merely to seize control of Antir, in a world where territory is of paramount importance, anyone who harbors such ambitions must find a way to occupy the entire region.

That's exactly what Duke Theodore did. Fran knew without even guessing that most of the refugees gathered in that area were those who didn't submit to Duke Theodore's control.

In a world where the people can somewhat represent the territory and thus gain recognition for knights, this is simply the most fatal problem.

Of course, if Duke Theodore can't solve the problem, can't he at least deal with the person who raised it?

He simply drove this group of people out of their original territory, leaving the land deserted, or finding another group of people to fill the void.

The deserted villages that Fran saw when she first arrived in Antir were probably the result of this policy.

"Those people might not be very obedient, and we need troops to take over, but Duke Theodore is currently unavailable, so the refugees will have to occupy the area for now."

As for why they didn't just send a First Order knight to directly crush those refugees, it's similar to the situation Fran encountered.

Even if you crush all the resistance from these people, it won't work, because you don't have enough power to tame these people and make them obey you.

If violence is used directly, they might deliberately damage production tools and cause losses. Without the assistance of soldiers, it is almost impossible to get these unruly people involved in production.

We can't expect that First Order knight to handle this alone, can we? The noble Knight Master has no intention of doing that.

Fran lowered her head, thought for a moment, then raised her head and said:

"This won't work. I need someone more obedient. Let's stick to the previous method."

Finley nodded. In fact, he could send men to help Fran conquer that area and ensure that half of the people could be brought back. Some would run away on the way or be executed to establish authority.

Fran refused because she knew that although several hundred people sounded intimidating, they could solve her manpower problem for a long time.

However, she also knew that these people would likely start sabotaging the machinery she had painstakingly built on their first day at her Base Camp, slowing down the entire Base Camp's development.

Of course, that would be the case if hundreds of people flooded into her Base Camp.

Fran thought of Anna, who was getting bored to death moving stones in the mine; it was time to find her some work to do.

She planned to have Anna lead another squad, this time relying on her to handcraft a batch of muskets first.

Fran wasn't a rigid person. Those believers who had become Profession were still managing the mines, and the people there weren't so easy to control, so they weren't very active anymore.

But Anna asked me to bring back a few people, so I need to arrange for someone to go with her.

Are you suggesting Anna carry all those people back herself?

If we want to send some people along, then we need to strengthen their combat capabilities.

Now, after believers come here, their missionary work is not very effective, and no one has become Profession here.

Therefore, she could only temporarily manufacture a batch of muskets to slightly improve the combat effectiveness of these people.

Having made up their minds, Fran and Finley took their leave and turned to walk out of the castle.

As she walked out of the castle, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.

It was a figure riding a black horse, with a prominent the Alliance symbol painted on the other's clothes.

"This is a messenger from the Alliance," Fran said, raising an eyebrow as she went to greet him.

"Greetings, sir. I am looking for a mage named Lai. The lord should know her."

The messenger recognized Fran's identity as a mage by the Mental Power that emanates from a mage in the air—a skill honed over a decade in the profession.

"I am Lai, give me the letter."

Fran took the letter and detected Harbos's mental fluctuations on it.

She casually used her Mental Power to remove the restrictions, allowing the messenger who witnessed this to relax.

Fran slightly raised her head and, before the messenger could speak, said directly:

"I need to mail a letter back to Loderis, the City of Apprentices, wait a moment."

"Yes, Your Excellency, it is my duty."

Fran immediately opened the letter. She had already revealed her presence here to Harbos, which was why Harbos was able to deliver the letter to her.