Cecil Territory, in the lord's study.
The recent population migration report was sent to Gawain's desk. Gawain looked at every number on it carefully, with a particularly engaged expression.
The situation was not much different from what he expected - after the advent of the Recovery Moon, a new wave of immigrants began, and this time, the number of refugees who moved into Cecil Territory far exceeded The number of serfs and slaves purchased.
The news that Cecil led the refugees has spread throughout the autumn and winter, and now it has spread to every corner of the southern border. Even the most ill-informed common people know that the area next to them is The pioneering territory of the Dark Mountains is absorbing foreign populations almost unconditionally, and anyone on that land has the opportunity to obtain land, housing and free citizen status. During the entire Frost Moon stage last year, Gawain spared no effort to promote this matter. At this moment Finally saw the effect.
Byron Knight used his own mercenary channels to publish a large number of employment news in the southern border, and actually fulfilled every transaction. As a result, those businessmen who operated ships and fleets tasted the sweetness in the process, and also Enough trust was established in the Cecil Territory, and the work of bringing in the refugees entered a virtuous cycle.
Nowadays, there is no need for Byron Knights to actively send people around. There are fixed "immigration caravans" running between various territories and doing this "emerging business". Those who are brave and careful , caravan owners who have good relationships with mercenaries can find displaced people in various places or seekers who want to go to Cecil Territory for various reasons. These merchants hold permission documents issued by Duke Cecil and bring these people for free. Transported to Cecil Territory, and then receive payment from the Government Affairs Office based on the number of people transported. Even some mercenaries put down their swords, bought several caravans and started a similar business - collecting refugees and immigrants and sending them to Cecil led this, this has become a business...
In the process, Gao Wen took action to rectify several daring behaviors that did not abide by the law, and punished those who attempted to traffic in people or abuse immigrants. The lawless elements executed a group of them together, which set the rules for this "business" and imprinted the concept of Cecil's strict laws into the minds of those merchants and mercenaries.
Compared with the increase in the number of immigrants, what makes Gawain even more happy is the optimization of the occupational structure of new immigrants - last year, those who moved into Cecil territory were basically slaves without any skills. Under normal circumstances, people like craftsmen and scholars would not be homeless or sold into slavery. Therefore, this type of technical talents are all "poached" at a high price, but Among the recent batches of immigrants, there have been skilled craftsmen who voluntarily moved into the territory. The appearance of these people means one thing: the attraction of Cecil Territory is increasing.
People have stubborn suspicions and prejudices against this land at the foot of the Dark Mountains. This is difficult to change in a short time, but the Cecil Territory has indeed established a foothold here. andThere are particularly generous treatment for technical talents here. Driven by sufficient interests, people's suspicions and prejudices will give way.
At the end of winter, Cecil Lord City had a population of more than 14,000. For this era, this is already a population sufficient to be called a "medium-sized city" , but for the Cecil Territory, which is rapidly building magic industrialization, these people still have a lot of loopholes in establishing an industrial system. Now, with the increasing number of immigrants and the continuous optimization of the immigration structure , the population problem that has always troubled Gawain finally began to gradually ease.
Putting down the report document in his hand, Gawain exhaled with relief, then stood up and prepared to move his body, but when he was about to stand up, the window of the study room suddenly opened automatically, and a cold wind blew out Then it blows into the room.
Gawain raised his hand and knocked in the air: "Can't you come in through the door once in a while?"
Amber's figure emerged as his mind collapsed. , the half-elf lady covered her head and looked at Gawain with dissatisfaction: "Why do you people in the Cecil family like to knock people on the head? I made a joke to Rebecca two days ago and she wanted to do it too Hit me on the head with a stick - can't you leave some good ancestral lessons for future generations?"
"Knocking people on the head is not the ancestral lesson I left behind. Knights are better than mages," Gawain glanced at this guy and said, "Tell me, what's going on - you should be wandering around the city fishing at this hour."
"I was patrolling the territory for you!" Amber glared. He retorted with his eyes, and then raised his hand to point in the direction of the dock area, "A new ship came to the dock, and it brought a group of people who wanted to settle here... But the situation is a bit complicated, and the people at the registration office couldn't make up their minds. , I'm coming to find you."
"Immigration ship?" Gao Wen frowned, not knowing what to report about this kind of thing, "As long as it is not a malignant infectious disease, several categories of people are prohibited. Isn’t it enough that the criminals admitted and the people trafficked here are directly registered and sent to the buffer camp? And even for the three situations I just mentioned, there should be corresponding regulations."
"New. The situation," Amber spread his hands, "is a heretic persecuted by religion..."
Gawain: "...Huh?"
Soon, he arrived with Amber. In the dock area in the north of the city, on the brand new cement-paved dock space, he saw soldiers maintaining order, ship owners who were explaining the situation to the soldiers, and new immigrants who looked sad and haggard.
"The lord is coming! The lord is coming!"
Soon someone noticed Gawain's figure (the two-meter-tall figure is indeed eye-catching wherever he rests), and gathered to watch The crowd immediately bowed and retreated. Gawain walked to the center of the incident. He first took a quick look at the "heretic immigrants" who were obviously in a state of uneasiness.
There were more than twenty of them, including men, women, and several children. They were dressed in different styles, and some were wearing ordinary burlap.Some people wore cloth clothes, but some people wore woolen jackets that were quite high-end in this era, but generally speaking, the clothes of these people should be considered to be among the civilians with average or upper-level conditions.
And these people who are supposed to live a carefree life have obviously gone through a long and uncomfortable journey. Their faces are pale, their faces are haggard, their hair is messy and greasy, their cheeks are sunken and they are rustling in the cold wind. Trembling, they looked around with frightened eyes, especially when they saw Gawain. This was a sign of long-term mental stress and constant worry about life and death.
Seeing the situation of these people, and thinking of what Amber told him on the road, Gawain guessed what happened to these people. At the same time, these "refugees" were also determined. After the noble status, they all knelt down and saluted. The ship boss with a big beard in a brown coat also knelt down and said: "Lord, I just sent these people here——"
Gawain raised his hand and stopped the ship boss's excuses and deception: "Everybody stand up first. Where do these people come from?"
The refugees stood up, and the ship boss was also nervous. He stood up and bowed in front of Gawain: "Sir, I came from the Holy Spirit Plain."
"It's really a short road..." Gawain frowned, "The so-called What's going on with the 'exiled heretics'?"
"That's too serious, Lord Lord," the ship boss said hurriedly, "These people are doing this because of someone in their local church. They were afraid of being implicated and did not dare to stay in their hometown, so they ran out..."
Gawain nodded, looked at the trembling people, and pointed at one of them: "You come here Tell me what happened."
"I...we didn't do anything, but the priests said that we were the followers of the cultists, and took over our house...and even took it away. We rushed out..." The person chosen by Gawain was a strong man who looked very honest and honest. He stuttered when he spoke. He didn't know whether he was nervous when facing big nobles or was born with this. "We are everywhere. Arrest people, burn... burn people, it's too... too..."
"Hey, stop talking, you stammer, it's dirtying the lord's ears!" Next to this man! A woman interrupted him, with a nervous look on her face, and she bowed to Gawain repeatedly, "Master, we are all honest and dutiful civilians, farming or doing small business at home..."
"Who concluded that you are the followers of the cultists?" Gawain directly interrupted these people who could not even describe their own situation clearly, and asked a straightforward question, "Which church's pastors? What makes them judge?"
"It's...the priests of the Holy Light Church," a man wearing a woolen coat said, "Last winter, several families in the city were kidnapped by cultists, and the bodies were recovered a few days later. It was discovered that the priests and knights of the Holy Light Church later found the cultists hiding in the city. After burning the cultists to death, they began to search the entire city...…They say that only the Holy Light can identify cultists hidden among ordinary people, so everyone believes what they say. "
Gawain slowly frowned while listening.
Amber came to his side, stood on tiptoes and whispered: "Hey, I'll follow you. Tell me, I'm afraid there will be trouble if you bring these people in..."
Gawain said expressionlessly: "Trouble? "
"The priests of the Holy Light Sect are very difficult to deal with," Amber muttered, "and their noses are sharper than dogs, and they like to associate everything with 'evil' and 'heresy' categories are linked together. If you bring in these people who have been expelled by the Holy Light Sect, they might take advantage of it. "
"This kind of trouble doesn't matter," Gawain said casually, "The Holy Light Church has their review, and I have my review. In Cecil Territory, we must follow Cecil's rules." Examine these people according to the prescribed procedures and call Pittman here to see if they really have any magical reactions. If there is no problem, just send them to the buffer camp. ”
Gawain does not believe in the “heretical judgments” made by the Holy Light Church, especially after hearing the experiences of these people, but he will not doubt the Holy Light Church because of his doubts about it. And blindly trusting these refugees, he will confirm their identities before letting them into the city. Pittman can identify the breath of the fallen druid's magic. So far, the little old man's judgment is still very accurate. It can be confirmed whether these people are followers of the Society for the Death of All Things, and if they are the Eternal Sleepers...
That would be easier. Gawain can just go back to the Internet and see if there are any strange IPs around him.
p>
As for the Sons of the Storm... Gawain thinks there is no need to worry. Those guys have completely withdrawn from the land and are now in full swing with the salty fish spirits in the deep sea.
And if it weren't for the above three. Members of the Great Dark Sect, the remaining cult members are basically invisible to the cross-examination and observation procedures in the buffer camp.