Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 416 Yami
Yami cautiously peeked out and looked at the line ahead.

He had been queuing here for a long time. There seemed to be fewer people in front of him, but there seemed to be none. Often, soldiers carrying guns would grab people who cut in line, drag them to the back of the line, but the line still seemed endless.

Why does it feel like everyone from Blood Harbor has come out?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Those Castel people must have gone mad to open a literacy class, and the key thing is that they actually gave free meals to those who went there—good heavens, you can learn to read and eat at the same time?

Yami didn't know what use literacy was, nor was he interested in it; he only intended to go through the motions. But that meal was different—it was free!
Blood Harbor is now a ruin; it's a miracle to even be alive. Hearing that there was free food, almost everyone who could move rushed over.

This might just be a whim of some nobleman; it might be gone in a couple of days.

Yami was getting dizzy from standing in line, and just as he was about to doze off, he suddenly heard a woman's voice from in front of him:
"Name?"

Yami looked up in confusion, only to find that there was no one in front of her anymore. In front of her was a long table with a missing corner, and a brown-haired girl was impatiently tapping the table with a pen.

"Name?"

"Yami!" He jolted awake, becoming more alert. "Sir, is it true?"

"The literacy class runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, two meals are provided, and there is no age limit. How many people do you want to sign up?"

"How many people?" Yami scratched his head, looking a little confused, then suddenly widened his eyes: "No, no age limit?"

"Yes, everyone who comes will be fed."

Yami's hands trembled, and he whispered, "Could my neighbor, Grandma Penny, do it too? She... she might not be able to do any work."

"Okay, who else?"

She also has a granddaughter.

After saying that, Yami felt his face burning. He was ashamed of his actions, but if he had this free meal, perhaps Grandma Penny's family could have survived.
Grandma Penny originally had two sons and several grandchildren, but they all died in the rebellion. Now, she and her granddaughter have moved into the slums, which is basically just a wait for them to die.

Yami had no ability to help others; he struggled even to eat. All he could do was help the two of them register for a literacy class.

They didn't know how many days they could eat this free food, but every extra day they ate meant one more day of life for the two of them, which was a wonderful thing for Yami.

Therefore, even though his face felt hot, he still signed up the two of them.

The registration lady didn't say anything, just wrote down both of their names. Yami thanked her and fled as if he were running away, barely hearing what she said afterward—he was somewhat intimidated by the kind lady.

After registering in such a muddled way, Yami returned home.

It was called a home, but it was just a makeshift shack that hadn't collapsed yet.

Yami assumed everyone would attend literacy classes, since it's rare to find someone who gets a free meal. But after asking around, she learned that quite a few people had been called to work.

The work not only provided meals but also earned some Leo, but it required physical strength. Yami was a little hesitant because he was too thin and weak, so he wanted to get a few meals first before starting work.

Is it really that easy to find a job these days? Yami remembers how difficult it used to be to find work. Every time someone was hiring, everyone would rush to take the job. But now, someone will take the job as soon as they see an opening.

It's strange, Blood Harbor is different from before.

Rebellions have occurred many times, but noblemen remain noblemen and poor boys remain poor boys; it's just that many familiar faces are no longer seen.

But this time, it seems different from before.

Yami didn't quite understand, and he lived his life in a daze. After talking to Grandma Penny, he came back with a salted fish—which Grandma Penny had forced on him.

On the way, Yami encountered a kitten. After hesitating for a moment, she broke off a fish tail and handed it to it, scratching its chin.

the next day.

Yami got up very early, intending to go there early—who knew how much food there would be for such a good thing, and it would be terrible if there was nothing left if he was late.

He did arrive very early, and when he got to the hastily built "school," there were hardly any people there yet.

Yami saw the lady who had registered him yesterday. He greeted her and tried to slip away, but she called out to him. "You! What's your name again? Mia?"

"It's Yami."

"Okay, Yami, you've come at the right time. Help me organize my lesson plans."

Yami scratched his head and walked up hesitantly.

"Can you read?"

"I don't know."

Can you do arithmetic?

"will not."

The girl glanced at Yami, whose face looked completely innocent.

Zoe sighed. "Fine, I can count, right? How many can I count to?"

"a lot of."

"At least you can count on your fingers. Could you send me the lesson plan later? It only contains some very simple arithmetic. If you can't figure it out, just count on your fingers."

Yami nodded; he was still confident in his ability to count. Probably.

"There are 1,232 people in total. Each person will have a literacy booklet. They will be divided into groups of five, and ten groups will make a class. Each class needs at least two Bibles. Ami, you can put a booklet on each table later. I'll go get the Bibles first. There are eight Bibles in a box. Let me calculate."

Zoe scratched her head in frustration. She didn't have any paper on hand, so she had to do the calculations in her head.

"Five times ten is fifty, one thousand two hundred and thirty-two divided by fifty is two hundred and forty. No, it's twenty-four. What are you doing?"

Yami had already placed several boxes in front of Zoe and was now standing obediently to one side.

"We need seven boxes in total."

Zoe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly widened her eyes: "How did you figure that out?"

"Just count them."

What is 35 times 24?

"do not know"

There are 35 coyotes, and each coyote has 24 ears. How many ears do all the coyotes have?

"Eight hundred and forty."

Zoe gasped. She wanted to check her calculations and tried to do mental arithmetic, but her mind was in a turmoil and she couldn't figure it out.

After a while, she gave up in frustration and stared directly into Yami's eyes, asking, "How exactly did you figure that out?"

"Just count." Yami took a step back, somewhat timidly. Why was she suddenly so agitated? It was just counting.

"Tell me in detail how you counted. You have a technique, right?"

Yami nodded quickly.

"As expected. Tell me about the techniques."

"First count from one to thirty-five, then repeat the count twenty-four times, and you'll be able to count it."

(End of this chapter)