Lin Mo took the list and read a few lines, his eyebrows rising.
The first entries still listed ages, workshops, and specialties, but farther down, the handwriting grew noticeably sloppier. Someone had even drawn a hammer beside their name, as though afraid of being left out.
"They didn't come along, did they?"
"No. I told them to wait for word."
As Thorin spoke, he leaned forward a little.
"Once we become citizens, could you immediately arrange for a group of us to study your machinery, metallurgy, and energy technology?"
"If there isn't enough room in the classrooms, we'll bring our own stools. We don't need fancy accommodations either. We're easy to provide for."
"Sounds like you're planning to bring your hammers into the classroom too?"
"If we need to, we can!"
His unhesitating answer made Lin Mo laugh. Then Lin Mo spread the list flat on the table.
"We can start preparing ahead of time, but we can't arrange everything solely by the order people sign up. We need to establish their literacy, education, abilities, and practical skills before assigning classes."
Thorin froze. "There's a test too?"
"It's not that anyone who fails won't be allowed to study. We need to see where to start teaching."
Lin Mo picked up a pen and wrote a few items beside the list.
"Some people have been forging for a hundred years but have never worked with our blueprints."
"Others are young and have studied Great Xia Script, but lack hands-on experience."
"If we put them all in one class, what do you think the teacher should cover first?"
Thorin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"That makes sense. When you teach an apprentice, you have to see how much he already knows."
Zhao Gang spoke up.
"There's no rush on these things.