Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 725 A Job

"Name, age?"

"Wood, thirty-six... uh, this child is called Jacob, just turned fourteen."

Where is your hometown? Do you have any other relatives?

"Steel Rock City, my family is... there's no one left. They all fled south and unfortunately ran into a small group of wandering alien monsters... they..."

Wood's voice grew softer and softer, and he choked up at the end, quickly raising his hand to wipe his nose with his dirty sleeve.

The young official's expression softened slightly. After giving a nod, he continued to inquire, "What kind of work did you do in the past?"

"My brother and I run a carriage company in Steel Rock City. Well... it's not very big, with only three horse-drawn carriages. We mainly transport goods between Steel Rock and Sangmu Fort. It's just a small business."

The clerk looked up with some surprise and sized up Wood again. No wonder the man looked so ragged and miserable, yet his mannerisms were quite impressive and his speech was clear and articulate... He hadn't expected him to be a small businessman.

He pulled out an extra registration form and tentatively asked, "Can you read and write? Can you drive skillfully?"

"Yes...yes." Wood nodded repeatedly, knowing full well that the higher the value he demonstrated, the greater the chance that the uncle and nephew would pass the review smoothly.

Unexpectedly, the official nodded in satisfaction, and then raised his hand to beckon a middle-aged man dressed as an officer... From his dark, rough face and ferocious appearance with protruding fangs, he was clearly a half-orc alien!

The clerk and the half-orc officer whispered to each other for a moment, then turned to Wood and said, "Logically speaking... you and this child should be assigned to Greenpool County, near the border, to become workers on a state-run farm, making a living by tending the fields..."

He paused, then changed the subject, "However... there is an extra job available for you to choose from right now. If you are willing, you and this child can go directly to the capital city of Xinghuo City. Your status will change from a commoner to a semi-government employee, and this child can also smoothly enter a public academy and learn knowledge from full-time teachers."

Entering the academy and learning from teachers... it seemed like a privilege only the children of noble families could enjoy. The rudimentary literacy skills that the Wood brothers had learned in the past were acquired by doing volunteer work and auditing classes at church schools every day when they were young, which was already extremely difficult compared to others.

Such generous and tempting conditions indicate that this job is bound to be anything but simple, and may even involve life-threatening risks.

Wood hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "If I die... this child, living alone in a foreign land, I'm afraid..."

The orc officer chuckled and waved his hand, explaining, "No, I'm not trying to trick you into going to your death. It's just a driving job, and you'll be traveling with the army the whole time. I can only assure you that your safety will not be threatened until all the soldiers have been killed in action!"

Just... driving?
Wood suddenly realized and quickly said, "I can do that, sir! I even brought my own draft horses and wheelbarrow, which can be put to use immediately!"

The clerk picked up the two passes from the table, stamped them with the seal, and handed them to Wood with a smile. "Don't rush," he said. "Your carriage won't be needed. After it's registered as private property, it will pass through with your nephew. As for you... I'm afraid you'll need some time to learn how to drive our new wheeled vehicles." Learn how to drive new wheeled vehicles?

Wood paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered those strange wheeled vehicles he had seen pass by in Wolf Fang Ridge City. They were not pulled by oxen or horses, yet they could drive smoothly on their own and even carry a lot of people.

"Let me...let me learn to control those wizard lords' magical creations? Is...is this really allowed?"

The orc officer noticed the sun emblem tattooed on his wrist from the orc's rolled-up sleeve, and his face darkened. His tone turned icy as he said, "What? You resist the alchemical creations of a spellcaster? You consider it a heretical act of blasphemy?"

Wood was startled by the officer's expression. Following his unfriendly gaze, he looked down at his arm and realized the problem. He quickly explained, his face flushed, "No, that's not it! Sir, please let me explain... I have no prejudice against witches... I will behave myself from now on and will never believe in the church again!"

As he spoke, he rolled up Jacob's sleeve, revealing the boy's thin, pale wrist, and said urgently, "Look! This child has not been baptized. My family is not entirely devout, and we will not be as foolish as those fanatics. Please do not refuse because of this. I am willing to follow all arrangements!"

The clerk leaned close to the half-orc officer's ear and whispered, "When this guy came to be checked and registered, he honestly confessed his identity as a believer without hiding anything... The child also didn't have any baptismal insignia, and his background was very clean."

The officer nodded and handed the pass to Wood.

"Alright... Take your pass and this recruitment registration form. After you get through, someone will take care of the arrangements. There should be quite a few people who will choose this job just like you."

Before leaving, Wood finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned to ask cautiously, "Sir...where do you need me to go with the army to transport goods?"

"It's not about transporting goods... it's about rescuing people. You need to follow the army back to Eisengard and rescue those innocent compatriots stranded in areas ravaged by alien races."

……

"Return to north-central Eisengard... to cover those fleeing south?" Baron Peyton sat in his chair, looking at Senior Superintendent Max Anton and Director Dave of the Population Management Department with a somewhat doubtful expression.

Dave nodded, pointing to the map spread out on the table. "That's right. His Majesty's idea is that we establish a defensive outpost in Highland City, where most of the population has already been evacuated, and then use that as a starting point to advance northwards, receiving refugees fleeing south along the way, and also clearing out small groups of alien races that have infiltrated the area. In this way... we can greatly reduce civilian casualties, preventing them from becoming needless victims of those monsters' blades."

Baron Peyton swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry and hoarse. "How many troops does Your Majesty intend to send into the country? Northern Eisengard has completely fallen, and the number of alien races invading through the Great Rift of the Gods is enormous. I fear that dividing our forces to rescue the people along the way might make us outnumbered and vulnerable to their encirclement and harassment..."

Max glanced at the Baron with some surprise. He hadn't expected that this minor nobleman who had voluntarily surrendered would be so knowledgeable in military strategy. He was now completely treating himself as a Saint Valen, actively worrying about and planning for them... However, he seemed somewhat indifferent to the lives of his own compatriots and hadn't completely shed his selfish noble ways.

"Don't worry about anything else. His Majesty has dispatched air forces that can quickly travel to and from various places to provide support. Dealing with the small groups of aliens that have wandered into central Eisengard is no problem at all... You just need to cooperate with us to develop a plan, gather as much intelligence as possible from the refugees, and confirm their main escape routes to the south."

(End of this chapter)