Why it never ends

Chapter 1217 The Aschia Free Front
"No matter how you came to this farm, no matter what you were told you would spend the rest of your life as," Hester's gaze swept across the faces in the audience again, "every friend who came in response to my 'prophetic dream,' from this day forward, you are free."

Let me elaborate on the meaning of freedom.

"First of all, you are now truly free people according to government documents, which means that the citizenship of everyone here has been re-registered—including those sisters who are still receiving treatment in the hospital and have not yet returned to us."

"Therefore, legally speaking, your freedom means that from today onwards, you can move, choose your profession, and be free from violence, threats, and intimidation as you wish."

"You are free, which means that from today onwards, no one has the right to buy or sell you, beat you, or humiliate you. You are subject to the same laws and protected by the same laws as all citizens on and off this farm, regardless of your birth or wealth."

Hersta paused briefly.

"This is a gift, and I did not ask for your consent beforehand, so I am not forcing everyone to accept it—in fact, most of you are not yet able to enjoy this freedom."

"Because you haven't mastered the official language of District Twelve, you can't write, and you can't even understand what I'm saying without a translator. This means you can't handle any of your own paperwork, and even if you get your identity documents, they're useless to you."

"So, what exactly is the use of such a document?"
"Specifically, with it, you can legally enter and leave towns without being imprisoned as a runaway slave or vagrant; you can claim your wages and appeal if you are owed wages or mistreated; your children can be enrolled in school; you can enjoy the medical and educational benefits of citizens of the Twelfth District; and all the property you earn, anything—even a piece of wasteland—can be officially registered in your name."

“I know that some of you are eager to leave here and return to your homeland, while others want to go out and try their luck, to find some work that can earn money… You can start planning all of this now. Because from the moment you have your identities, you are no longer nobodys.”

In the silence, Boheng frowned. He clearly had a completely different opinion on what kind of person was considered "anonymous" and what means people should use to escape being "anonymous".

"Your documents are currently in the city, held on your behalf by the AHgAs's Kossy office near King's Square. Retrieval requires your personal presence and signature. Therefore, she will receive this gift only when one of you can travel there alone by public transport and handle all the formalities independently."

“Until then, ‘the farm of many women’ will continue to provide you with shelter…this is the first thing.”

Hershta glanced down at his outline, then crossed out the first line.

“The second thing is that even the grandest gatherings must eventually come to an end,” Hester said. “Starting next month, I will no longer be permanently stationed at the farm, and some of the children and teachers will leave with me. But the farm's school will continue to operate, and as I said before, its educational and medical services will always be open to you all—”

When the translator relayed the sentence, a sudden uproar erupted from the audience.

Hester stopped his speech: "Is there a problem?"

Six or seven hands shot up in a flash. Hester pointed to the young girl who had raised her hand first: "You speak." "You—you can't leave us like this," the girl said, "that dream—we haven't yet fulfilled what that dream foretold—"

“That’s not important,” Hersta said.

“But no matter what…” the girl’s voice became a little hoarse, “no matter what… this farm cannot… we cannot live without you, and also—”

“Let’s put this issue out in the open.” Hersta gestured for the girl to sit down. “First of all, I’m not really managing this farm right now. All the big and small matters are mainly handled by Lailin. She manages everything in an orderly manner, and all the tasks are progressing smoothly. I have faith in her abilities.”

"Secondly, I'm not completely leaving here. I haven't even really left Emmanuela. If there's any emergency, I can come back with just one phone call from Lailin."

"Finally, and most importantly, I want to remind you that when you decided to use that dream to escape your old lives, you had already made a choice. You took a risk and gambled your future on me, and I responsibly congratulate you all. You made the right bet, and for most of you, I should be a stepping stone."

"Do you remember the theme of our gathering? We were going to come together to discuss its internal rules—which means that everyone should take responsibility as a member of the farm. We have to think about what we are afraid of, what we hope for, what we want to avoid and what we want to protect, and how these should be reflected in the rules—it's not a very profound thing."

"Do you all really not need me? If any of you here truly feel that way, then please recall that prophetic dream again, and think about how you decided to come to me when you knew nothing about me—to be honest, I am not a prophet. I believe that destiny can be controlled by people, especially by the brave."

Does anyone else have any questions about this?

No one raised their hand again. Heshta picked up his pen again and crossed out the second line of the outline.

“Then, the third thing.” Hester glanced in the direction where the mercury needles were seated. “Last year, AHgAs withdrew its main body from District 12, leaving only a few workstations for daily liaison with the United Government.”

"Over the past six months, we have come to realize the inconvenience of this approach. It has caused a lot of chaos, the most serious of which is that Mercury Needles, who are still active in District Twelve, are unable to communicate with each other in a timely and accurate manner due to the loss of their organizational structure."

"Therefore, I recently submitted an application to Office 5 to reorganize our remaining staff in District 12 and begin operations in a way that is truly compatible with the coalition government."

"With the special permission of His Majesty the Emperor, who respects constitutionalism and upholds justice, our application to form a new party, which we submitted to the Central Election Commission last week, has been officially approved today through a temporary channel opened by the Cabinet. From now on, Mercury Needle will participate in the public decision-making and oversight of the twelve districts in a new way."

"I hereby declare that the Askia Freedom Front—the first local political organization founded by Mercury Needle—is officially established today."