From April to May, Free City's population swelled from six thousand to fifty thousand in just one month.
Free City was still little more than a slightly larger Town, and far too many people had been crammed into it... much as Annan had felt standing before Lady Deepwinter.
The cost of that population surge was a sudden shortage of food that had once been plentiful. Figuring out how to distribute it to the hungry became a new challenge. With the houses already full, people slept in the streets, and the streets inevitably grew filthy.
Olmedo ordered the Third Squad Musketeers to maintain order. Since the Civilians had no money, they could earn wages through work—Free City had no shortage of jobs.
Most important, though, was getting them to clean up their own waste... Otherwise, Free City would soon become another Montreal Mountain.
Decisive action kept Free City free of crime apart from theft and robbery.
The others then met at the City Lord's Mansion to discuss the situation. Annan wanted to take the newcomers in. If there weren't enough rooms, they could build more. Too much flour? Add water. Too much water? Add flour. Olmedo argued that they had taken in several times their original population in Displaced People over a short period. These people had never received Free City's education, and if they caused trouble, they could prove more dangerous than an attack by the Mad Dog Duke.
"Then we'll give them an education."
Idelia suggested simply asking the newcomers what they wanted.
After running around all day, Ingrid returned with news she couldn't tell was good or bad: many of the Civilians brought here by force wanted to go home.
Apart from the Serfs and Displaced People, many were Freemen the Mad Dog Duke had driven out of