Chapter 312: The Second Prince’s Practical Experience

Under the relentless pleading of the Second Prince Lucien, Sane reluctantly gave him one month’s time to "pull" the Royal Family out of this political mud pit.

The meeting ended in the scene of Lucien having a teary, snotty face, being carried out the meeting room door smilingly by Elric, handed over to Ivy to oversee. Ivy was extremely unhappy, because her workload was very much, if taking time popularizing knowledge for this bunch, then the work would definitely be backlogged.

Elric said: "Granting you twenty silver coins as a budget, how you want to use it is up to you."

Ivy’s two eyes blinked, then bloomed a radiant smile. After going to the Accounting room receiving the twenty silver coins budget, Ivy turned around spending five silver coins hiring two kid helpers at the Department of Labor, telling them in the coming days must always follow this Second Prince closely along with his delegation.

She carefully instructed: "Explain the rules of Lyra city really carefully, if they know yet still deliberately violate then just call the Public Security squad. But if you do not speak carefully, letting them accidentally do wrong then this wage is off the table."

The two children solemnly nodded.

The boy named Jory, fourteen years old; the girl named Nan, thirteen years old. Both kids were currently both studying in the morning and acting as errand runners for the Department of Labor in the afternoon. After receiving the job Ivy assigned, they filed a leave of absence application having the Department of Labor’s seal. The school let them take three days off.

The next morning they were present at the guesthouse since the sky was still misty, each kid hugging a thick handwritten paper stack, standing waiting outside the courtyard until the Royal Capital delegation sequentially woke up.

Lucien stepped out, seeing the two children he was slightly surprised. However, remembering several children working in the City Hall, he also no longer felt surprised. Yesterday afternoon they had taken time going visiting asking, also knowing a bit about the standard to get to work in the City Hall.

Lucien finished listening once, again curiously asked for the entrance exam to try doing, ultimately he threw up his hands surrendering to death. He even could not equal a child, taking what qualification to gossip.

"Greetings to you two Sirs." Jory bowed greeting very properly: "We were dispatched by secretary Ivy to explain Lyra city’s rules for you. The secretary instructed that before you clearly understand the regulations then you cannot go out the door Sirs."

Nan held the paper stack up, adding: "Therefore please Sirs try to listen completely helping us. It’s very long Sirs."

The explaining session took place right in the middle of the courtyard, lasting more than an hour, and was truly long.

The two kids took turns reading, this kid getting tired mouth then the other kid continued. Inside the city forbidding galloping horses faster than pedestrians, violating fined two silver coins, running over people then going to court. Forbidding pouring dirty water onto the street surface, must pour into the ditch. Forbidding drawing weapons in public places unless having the Department of Public Security’s order. Buying and selling must queue, anyone pushing shoving invited to the end of the line, arguing back then invited out of the market. Going into the City Hall area must keep order during working hours.

Arriving at the final clause then Nan read completely slowly, her voice articulating clearly every single word.

"Not allowed to use racially and class-discriminatory words toward anyone. The first time detained for five days, wanting to get out early then must have a guarantor. The second time fined ten silver coins simultaneously detained for half a month. The third time then going to court and expelled from the city. This applies to everyone, including guests from afar, including the aristocratic Sirs."

The little girl looked up staring straight into the faces of the escort crowd currently standing crossing their arms behind Lucien’s back.

"Yesterday at the City Hall gate, one Sir in your delegation called secretary Ivy a dirty non-human brat. That Sir was arrested for causing disorder, currently still squatting in the Department of Public Security’s prison you know."

Ferris hearing finishing was stunned. He turned looking at Lucien, Lucien also looked back at him. Ultimately the two master and servant painfully discovered, they actually completely forgot the matter of having to go to the Department of Public Security paying bail for their person.

Lucien embarrassedly covered his face, pulled the money pouch by his waist handing it to Ferris, saying: "Just say we were busy with urgent matters, could not arrive in time taking him out."

Ferris silently received the money pouch, asked one of the two children to lead him to the Department of Public Security.

The Department of Public Security was located two streets away from the guesthouse, a two-story building built with gray stone, the main door opened wide, inside arranged several bench rows for people arriving doing business to sit waiting. At the door there was a wooden box holding number tags, anyone entering automatically drew a tag.

Ferris held the wooden tag writing number forty-one in hand, sat down on the bench, in his heart having mentally prepared ready waiting until afternoon.

Less than half an hour later, people called to his number.

The staff member sitting behind the counter was a middle-aged Dwarf clan man, hearing him finish presenting then flipped the ledger verifying, taking exactly three pieces of paper placing onto the table. The first paper was the arrest minute record. The second paper was the fine decision because of racially discriminatory words. The third paper was the bail application, having empty spots to record the name of the person stepping forward guaranteeing and committing to take responsibility.

"A total of eleven silver coins Sir." The staff member said: "Five coins fine money, six coins bail money. If from now until leaving the city that Sir does not re-offend then the six bail coins will be refunded, remember to keep the receipt Sir."

Ferris counted money, received the receipt, then was led down to the prison area in the back to pick up the person.

The prison area was much cleaner than he imagined, every room having high windows, having squarely folded blankets. The knight who yesterday was still aggressively drawing his sword now sat huddled in the corner, before his face was a paper stack and a pencil.

"Generally anyone violating regulations then must copy back the city’s regulations ten times." The staff member explained: "However that Sir copied wrongly too much so had to recopy from the beginning two times already. Perhaps you must wait adding a while more."

The knight looking up seeing Ferris his eyes turned red, almost bursting into tears.

Exiting the Department of Public Security, Ferris held the receipt stack in hand while his heart was a mess. His whole life doing the valet official profession, he was accustomed to shoving gold into people’s hands to get people out, this time people counted money in front of his face, wrote a receipt, even instructed him to keep carefully to demand back later.

In the afternoon, Jory and Nan led the delegation going making temporary residency papers.

According to Lyra’s regulations, guests staying inside the city over five days then must register temporary residency, clearly recording age name, living place, reason for staying. Lucien hearing finishing asked whether could dispatch people going making on behalf, Jory shook his head, saying whoever registered then that person must personally arrive, because the staff member still had to look at the face then finally record into the ledger.

Thus the Second Prince of the Valcourt Royal Family queued up.

He stood between a fabric selling woman and a carpenter coming up from the village, his hand holding the wooden number tag, his hood pulled swooping down to his eyebrows. The fabric selling woman standing in front seeing him just standing dead silent then turned around striking up a conversation, asking him coming up from which village, coming up selling what, the house having how many kids.

Lucien stammeringly answered he lived very far away, coming up here having a bit of business.

"Paperwork matters then you just rest assured." She patted his shoulder once: "Here it is very fast, a jiffy and it is done. Previously I went up to the district over there making a land selling paper, waiting three days, losing two silver coins tea and water money yet still not done you know."

Twenty minutes later, it was his turn.

The staff member asked name, asked age, asked living place, asked reason for staying inside the city. Lucien declared truthfully, declaring to the reason part he hesitated losing a few seconds then answered he arrived to discuss business with the City Hall. That person recorded into the ledger, stamped the seal, then handed the certificate paper having the red stamp to him, instructing keeping on his person, anyone asking then present it out.

That entire matter took less than a quarter of an hour, and completely no one collected a single coin from him.

Holding the temporary residency paper in hand, Lucien stood blankly in the middle of the City Hall lobby.

He remembered the Petition Manor in the Royal Capital, where people sat tightly packing over ten bench rows from morning to night, where a widow could sit crying all day while completely no one came out asking inquiringly, where wanting to submit a petition letter one must copy into three copies and pay three types of fees.

He also remembered his very own royal father, there was a time sitting inside the Royal Palace whining that the royal court’s apparatus was heavy as an old ox, pushing however still refused to budge.

Turned out right from the beginning the thing refusing to budge was not the ox.

The subsequent days, the two kids led the delegation going everywhere.

Lucien and his delegation looked at this place peered at that place, looking bewildered like country bumpkins coming up to the province. After finishing seeing completely one round of the constructions, Lucien expressed the intention wanting to go seeing the market session that he kept obsessing about since before entering the city.

He took off his formal suit, temporarily borrowed a rough cloth coat of the servant, walking mixed in the human stream out outside the city boundary. Ferris intervened advising to the point his throat was hoarse, like His Highness cannot dress like that, like what if there are villains, he only waved his hand saying the entire Royal Capital could not even keep the hair on his head then fearing what a few pickpockets at a country market.

The market was more crowded than he imagined very much, goods displaying squares drawn forming neat rows, white painted numbers on pole heads, goods displayed fully from fabric, needles and thread, farming tools down to forest honey, dried mushrooms, animal skins, woven bamboo baskets.

In the middle of the market there was a small wooden watchtower placing the scale set and ruler set of the City Hall, beside it was a long table having a clerk staff member sitting on duty. Lucien stood watching there for nearly a whole hour watch, witnessing people judging three cases. The first case was an animal skin piece eaten by moths, the selling side had to refund half the money.

The second case was the honey selling woman accused of mixing water, brought into the watchtower weighing again then it was indeed missing, having to compensate double then sitting crying bitterly. The third case was two small kids fighting each other for the cricket selling sitting spot, the clerk judged giving each kid half a square then drew exactly a chalk line in the middle.

All three cases added up not even taking a whole morning, finishing judging recording the minute record right on the spot, no one had to go anywhere, no one had to bribe anyone.

Lucien stood looking at the chalk line dividing the cricket selling square into halves, in his heart surging up a kind of feeling very difficult to name. In the Royal Capital, a fence wall lawsuit between two aristocratic families could last three years, passing through four boards, consuming from each side exactly nearly a hundred gold coins tea and water money, while the winning part usually leaned toward whoever had relatives sitting higher.

He once heard that story recounted in a banquet party, finishing recounting then the whole table laughed easily then raised glasses, considering it as a natural course of heaven and earth.

On the way back, he bought a few items, some fragrant soap, some cotton fabric, some needles and thread, some forest honey, buying even an extra pattern-carved wooden comb because seeing it beautiful, finishing buying then suddenly remembered he was currently bald.

He hugged the goods pile in his arms, suddenly feeling he resembled a traveling merchant more than a prince.

Also in those few days, the Royal Capital delegation paid adding three more fine amounts.

One knight galloped a horse faster than pedestrians on Dyer street, fined two silver coins. Another person poured a washbasin water straight onto the street surface, fined one silver coin, even had to personally go get a broom sweeping cleanly the spot he just poured.

The third person pushed the line at the one-price store, invited out standing at the end, argued a few sentences so invited straight out the door, standing outside waiting the whole session.

Every time Jory and Nan also ran arriving first, clearly reading the clauses, clearly reading the fine levels, then finally called the Department of Public Security’s people. The two children looked at the delegation’s escort guys with a gaze hating iron not becoming steel. Just because of these guys that their several exhausting days were considered useless effort.

Lucien guiltily compensated them five silver coins, then turned around glaring at his servant crowd. He said with a cold voice:

"Whoever does not want to stay here anymore then scram returning to the Royal Capital for me!"

Of course no guy wanted to return. In Lyra city everything was available, food and wine were good, there was even a broadcasting station telling interesting stories and a drama theater opening every weekend. Currently living in a fairyland place, who still wanted to return to the Royal Capital suffering hardship?

Lucien finishing compensating the two kids, asked them again:

"You doing the errand runner job like this then every month gets how much?"

"I do not have a diploma yet so calculated by session." The boy answered: "Every afternoon gets eight copper coins. Next year I finish taking the Elementary exam then get to sign an official contract, monthly salary calculated according to diploma."

"Then after that?"

"After that I continue studying up to Middle School, salary doubles." Jory said, his eyes brightening up: "And if I finish studying High School then I get to take the exam entering the Planning Division. Brother Brian said over there is currently lacking people."

Nan standing beside cut in: "I think you better stop dreaming. Until now calculating within the scope of one hundred still mistaken up mistaken down, Middle School even not sure passing the exam let alone finishing studying High School."

Jory unresigned, squawked back. The two kids argued a bout right in the middle of the large courtyard, arguing until remembering beside them having guests then finally hurriedly apologized. Lucien did not blame them, only stood still looking at those two kids feeling inside his chest something heavy.

He was born in the Royal Palace, never having to think seeing tomorrow what he will do, because his entire life had been arranged ready into a few seats that he was not allowed to choose.

While the two kids in this distant city, one fourteen one thirteen, actually talked about the day taking the exam entering the Planning Division with the firm voice of a person knowing clearly the road before their face leading to where.

In the Royal Capital, a child like Jory will grow up working as a porter, his child also works as a porter, his grandchild also like that, until the end of life.

The two kids holding money left, Lucien also no longer had the mood to go strolling. He returned to the guest room allocated for himself, sat before the desk for a very long time then wrote a very long letter sending back to the Royal Capital.

The content inside the letter was what he saw, heard and realized since stepping foot into Lyra territory.

At the end of the letter, he expressed his viewpoint earnestly:

[Royal father, the thing refusing to go has never been the ox but the person holding the plow. If he does not use the whip whipping, the ox will still forever stand at the spot licking the young grass by its feet. Instead of throwing away the ox, running following the Church finding another ox, then why don’t we use our whip to force our home’s ox to pull the plow.

Royal father, those two people in Lyra city, whether they are Gods or Demons, they are also not things that our Valcourt Royal Family can touch. Them only taking from us exactly a head of hair is already an extremely great tolerance toward us.

If they want then only needing a finger snap, this Cathalan Kingdom will no longer belong to the Valcourt family clan anymore.]