Chapter 931: Your Name
The scuffling woke Tigerclaw. He yawned and scooched close, craning to see over Snaketooth’s shoulder.
Snaketooth pushed his face away before he could drool on the paper. “What’s wrong with you? Go back to sleep.”
“I’m hungry. I want something to eat.”
“Then boil water and cook. I want oatmeal.”
“Okay.” Tigerclaw shuffled toward the stove, then stopped. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“My identity card and an offer notice,” Snaketooth said, not looking up.
“Oh?” Tigerclaw’s eyes sharpened. He was back in an instant, one arm slung around Snaketooth’s neck, shaking him. “You finally got your ID card! This needs celebrating — none of this oatmeal. Let’s go to the market. Dried fish, mushrooms, something real.”
“I’m trying to save money.”
“I’ll lend you some.” He waved the objection away. “You’ve been waiting for this for so long. Do you remember what you said the day I got mine?”
Snaketooth did remember. He set the card down.
Tigerclaw was the kind of man foremen learned to value: broad-shouldered, consistent, quick enough that output followed him around like a shadow. The third construction team’s model worker — higher wages, a bonus, and eventually a key to a cement-walled house and his own card. That day, Snaketooth had insisted on a feast and brought his things over before the evening was out.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll go later.”
Tigerclaw beamed and rummaged through the bedside pile for something to wear. “So what’s the notice say?”
“It’s an offer from the railway construction team.” Snaketooth drew a slow breath. “I’ll be going outside Graycastle’s borders. Into the Barbarian Land.”
Tigerclaw’s hands went still. “When did you apply for that? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you would have insisted on coming, and then the house would sit empty.”
“I wouldn’t go. No — I mean, why would anyone go somewhere like that?” His voice climbed. “You know what happened recently. There are demons outside the city walls.”
The attack had unsettled everyone. First the alarms — then strange shapes falling from the sky — then the ceremony in the square that upended everything most people thought they knew. King Roland had stood before the crowd and said what no one else had said plainly: the enemy was real, it was old, and Neverwinter would march to meet it. The land beyond Graycastle’s borders had once been called the Fertile Plains, had once held cities and millions of people, before the demonic beasts and demons pushed humanity back to what was now the Four Kingdoms. The church had built its power on that terror, calling the enemies omnipotent and the witches their servants. Neverwinter’s victory — however small — cracked that story open.
The celebration drew huge crowds. The First Army served meat porridge and roasts. The cheering lasted past midnight.
In the five days after, demons were all anyone talked about. Which was stronger, demon or demonic beast? Should Neverwinter push northwest? The City Hall’s recruitment notices went up on every board, and one of them — railway construction in the Misty Forest — had caught Snaketooth’s eye on the first morning.
He had barely cared about the debate. What caught him was something else: the sudden sense that the shape of the world was larger than he had understood. He had never thought to ask where he had come from, not really. Now he knew. They had all come from the Fertile Plains, one way or another. Their grandparents’ grandparents had been pushed back, step by step, until they arrived here. The world did not end at Graycastle’s borders.
And the pay was good.
“I know what the demons can do,” Snaketooth said. “That’s why I’ve made up my mind. Thirty-five silver royals a month. Six months’ pay in advance. And I’d be eligible for a two-room suite in the residential quarter.” He spread his hands. “Chances like this don’t come twice.”
Tigerclaw’s mouth twisted. “You and that apartment.”
“It has a hot-water supply. The kitchen and the bathroom are separate. That is what a house should be.”
He had saved close to one gold royal by now — not enough. Three gold royals for the down payment on a two-room unit was a wall he kept running up against. He hadn’t told anyone, not even Tigerclaw, that the main appeal of two bedrooms was the two bedrooms: a room each, instead of two men sharing one narrow bed.
Tigerclaw was still frowning. Snaketooth cut him off before he could start again.
“I know it’s risky. But when we were Rats, we took risks every day, and most of them paid nothing. This pays. The First Army handles security. Some of the witches will go out with the construction team. They won’t put shovels in our hands and tell us to fight demons.” He shook his head. “You all say I have a quick wit, but a quick wit is useless here unless I use it. Why did we come to a foreign city in the first place, if not to build something?”
Tigerclaw raised his hands. “I can’t argue with you. I never could. As long as you’ve thought it through.”
“I have.”
“Fine.” He turned toward the washbasin. “I’m going to clean up. Stomach’s growling. Since your pay is about to improve, I’m making the most of this meal.”
Snaketooth rolled his eyes.
While Tigerclaw washed, Snaketooth unfolded the third sheet of paper.
A transfer contract. He read it twice.
In short: whatever happened, the City Hall would not renege on salaries or rewards. A worker could designate anyone to receive their property in case of a major accident. That person would be notified as soon as the contract was registered.
He closed his eyes. Faces moved through the dark: Joe. Sunflower. Tigerclaw. Then the image settled — a girl, thin, with fair skin, a face he hadn’t seen in years.
He picked up the charcoal and wrote the name carefully in the blank space.
“Paper.”
Chapter 931: Your Name
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
The scuffling noises woke Tigerclaw up, and he yawned and scooched next to Snaketooth. “What’s this? A letter?”
Snaketooth immediately pushed Tigerclaw’s face away, afraid that he would drool on the letter. “What’s wrong? Why don’t you get back to sleep?”
“I’m hungry. I want something to eat,” Tigerclaw said as he rubbed his belly.
“Then go boil some water and cook. I want oatmeal, by the way.”
“Okay,” Tigerclaw replied and then remembered something. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“It’s my identity card and an offer notice,” Snaketooth said impatiently.
“Oh?” Tigerclaw’s eyes brightened and leaned in again. He threw one arm round Snaketooth’s neck and shook him excitedly. “You finally got your ID card! Haha… This is worth celebrating! We need to have something better than oatmeal. Let’s go to the market and buy some dried fish and mushrooms.”
“I’m still trying to save money.”
“I can lend you some,” Tigerclaw said unconcernedly. “You’ve been waiting for your ID card for so long. How could we just let this moment pass without a nice meal for celebration? Did you forget what you said the day I got my ID card?”
Snaketooth knew he couldn’t reject Tigerclaw kind intentions.
Tigerclaw was a tall and sturdy man. He worked hard and was often much more efficient than other workers, especially when he had enough food. His foreman was aware of this and started to value him more and later even chose him to be the model worker of the third construction team. He earned a higher wage and also got a bonus, so he actually had enough money to pay for the down payment of a house.
Any migrants would get their ID cards if they gained permanent abode. The day Tigerclaw got the key to his new house and his ID card, Snaketooth egged him on holding a feast for celebration and even moved his belongings into the new cement house.
“Okay, okay. I got it.” Snaketooth said helplessly. “Let’s go later.”
“Well, that’s settled then!” Tigerclaw was satisfied and returned to his bedside and rummaged for something to wear for shopping. “By the way, what’s in that notification?”
“It’s an offer from the railway construction team.” Snaketooth drew a deep breath and said, “It won’t be soon before I go to work in the Barbarian Land outside Graycastle’s borders.”
“What?” Tigerclaw hands stopped abruptly. “When did you apply for that? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What if you insist on going with me? This house will then be left unattended.”
“I wouldn’t go with you. No… I mean, why would I go to such a dangerous place?” Tigerclaw’s voice raised. “You know what happened recently. There are demons outside the city!”
The demons’ recent attack on the city wall had stirred up major unrest amongst the citizens. At first, the alarm went off again and again, then, there were weird monsters dropping into the city, and then the ceremony held at that night was just mind-boggling to everyone.
King Roland announced publically that they were the enemies humanity will have to face sooner or later. He also stressed that the so-called Barbarian Land was not deserted at the beginning but instead a place that was once had a nicer name: “Fertile Plains.” That was where humans used to live. It was not until demonic beasts and demons started to harass them did people began to retreat to where the Four Kingdoms are now.
Some of the people who fled from the Fertile Plains established the church. They lied about the enemies, describing them as being omnipotent, and falsely accused the witches of being related to the demons, out of fear for their magic powers. But the victory Neverwinter had achieved this time proved that even though the demons were cunning and frightening, they were not invincible.
To expand the territory and protect Neverwinter from the enemies’ attack, the King decided to march on the Barbarian Land as soon as possible to reclaim the land that had once belonged to humans! The King’s declaration during the celebration inspired countless cheers, and as the First Army served meat porridge and roasts to the audiences, the atmosphere at the square reached its peak.
In the next five days, you could hear people discussing about the demons everywhere you went. Snaketooth’s colleagues in the construction team were no different They were the most interested in the topics like “demon and demonic beast, which one is stronger?” “Should Neverwinter expand to the northwest?”. Meanwhile, the City Hall issued a series of recruitment announcements, one of which was the job of building the railway in the Misty Forest.
Snaketooth barely cared about the answers to these question, yet he felt what His Majesty had said somehow enlightened his mind. Suddenly his mind became clear. He had never thought about where he had come from and where he would go. Now he finally understood that all of them had migrated from the “Barbarian Land.” The world was much larger than the Four Kingdoms, and its boundaries stretched far beyond the Fertile Plains, which by itself was several times larger than Graycastle.
Also, he was tempted by the good pay.
Tigerclaw turned around and grabbed Snaketooth by his arm, and said, “You were always the insightful one, so I think you should understand this clearer than me. The demons are not as easy to deal with as everyone thinks they are. How could the demons drive humanity to the brink of extinction if they were weak? His Majesty said there used to be hundreds of city and millions of people living on the Fertile Plains.”
“Of course I know that. That’s why I have made up my mind.” Snaketooth remained unmoved. “The pay is 35 silver royals per month, and they will even pay me the first six months’ salary before I start work. Furthermore, I’ll be eligible to buy a suite of two rooms. Chances like these are hard to come by.”
“A suite of two rooms…” Tigerclaw twisted his mouth. “You are really obsessed with that aren’t you.”
“Of course.” Snaketooth made a fist. “It’s got a hot water supply system, and the kitchen and bathroom are separated. That’s what a house should be like.”
Although he did not get paid as much as Tigerclaw, he had saved up about one gold royal by now. Ever since he had seen their foreman’s home, he had decided to buy a suite of two rooms of his own in the residential area in the inner city. But because down payment would cost him three gold royals, which was much higher than normal houses, he hadn’t been able to do so.
Most importantly, although Snaketooth did not tell others, two bedrooms would be more comfortable for the both of them, unlike the single room where they had to share a small bed.
Seeing that Tigerclaw was still trying to discourage him from taking on the job, Snaketooth shook his head to stop him and said, “I know this is a little risky, but when we were Rats, we took risks almost every day. The only difference was that most of the risks we took at that time ended up being in vain, while now we could at least ensure that our effort will pay off. You all think I have a quick wit, but that’s scarcely useful in Neverwinter. If we wanted to have a safe and settled life, why did we move to a foreign city to begin with?”
“You know that I can never win an argument with you.” Tigerclaw raised his hands in surrender. “I have no objection as long as you have thought things through.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not so reckless as to care only about profit.” Snaketooth said as he spread his palm. “The First Army will be responsible for the security, and it’s said that some witches will set out with the construction team. Even if we were to run into demons, they wouldn’t make us fight the enemies with our poles and shovels. Relatively, it’s a safe job.”
“I hope that’s true,” Tigerclaw muttered. “I’m going wash up. My stomach is growling. Now that you got a job with a better pay, I will make the most out of this meal.”
Snaketooth rolled his eyes at that.
As Tigerclaw was washing, Snaketooth unfolded the third piece of paper and he was a little shocked by the content.
It was a transfer contract.
In short, it said that no matter what happened, the City Hall would not go back on anyone’s salaries and rewards. The workers could choose any person to whom he or she would sign over their property in case of major accidents. That person would receive the notification from the City Hall as soon as the transfer contract is valid.
Snaketooth closed his eyes, some figures flashing through his mind: Joe, Sunflower, Tigerclaw… At last, the frame froze at a skinny, fair-skinned girl.
Snaketooth picked up the charcoal and wrote the name carefully in the blank space provided in the contract.
“Paper.”