CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 212 NIX AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT

The old coachman happened to be an Illyrian, so there was not much communication barrier. Out of concern for these people who were about to become reserve tribe members, he explained seriously, "Initially, according to the tribe’s decree, punishment was meted out to those involved in brawls, usually in the form of public caning.

However, this decree didn’t have much effect. The hatred between both sides was too deep, and the fights did not decrease. Later, the leader specifically formulated a law for them: those who initiated conflicts would have their food supply reduced, leaving them hungry, and they would also have to complete more work. Most importantly, their time to become official tribe members would be extended...

I remember once there was a severe conflict, which seemed to result in one death and five or six serious injuries, shocking the whole tribe. In anger, the leader ordered the Legal Department to capture the main offenders and publicly sentence them to beheading. After this, the brawls decreased but still occurred...

It wasn’t until the leader invented the olive ball game and stipulated that if anyone from these two tribes caused trouble, their entire ten-man team would be banned from playing olive ball forever. This finally kept the Pannonians and Skodisqi people from causing more trouble..."

"Excuse me, what is this olive ball?!" Not only Gowes, but other Skodisqi in the carriage were also very curious: "This olive ball can actually suppress the hatred in tribespeople’s hearts!"

"Haha, you’ll find out after dinner... Although it’s said that the leader invented this olive ball game specifically for your two tribes, all of us in the Nix Tribe love it too!" The mention of the olive ball brought an obsessed look to the coachman’s face.

............

After constant jolting, the group finally arrived at Snowdonia.

Gowes had previously come here with the Segestica Army and was surprised to find that the place had completely changed in just a few months: the wooden walls were gone, more houses had been built, and the entire residential area had expanded considerably...

Emmerich led the tribespeople through a patrol’s inspection and into the village, turning a few streets until they arrived at a courtyard.

Above the courtyard gate hung a wooden plaque with a few words carved on it, but unfortunately, Gowes and the others were illiterate.

"This is the Agricultural Department of the Nix Tribe, responsible for managing the reserve tribe members." Emmerich explained briefly, then gestured for everyone to follow.

The courtyard was already crowded with people, and it was noisy.

"Hey, don’t come in, there are already too many people in here, wait outside—" someone came over, blocking their way, but changed their tune immediately: "Oh, it’s you, Emmerich! Here to help your tribespeople register again?"

"Yes." Emmerich replied with a smile, then pointed at those standing in the courtyard and curiously asked, "Why are there so many Aldeans today?"

"You don’t know? For the past few days, more and more Aldeans have been coming here every day. Rumor has it that our tribe plans to hire them for work, and this news has spread in some Aldean tribes. They’ve also heard from the Aldean people already working here that our attitude towards them is very friendly, and the food is better than theirs, so—" the person shrugged: "I guess there will be even more Aldeans coming here, we’ll be really busy!" Although it seemed like a complaint, the tone revealed excitement.

"I’ll try to expedite the registration for my tribespeople to avoid the courtyard getting too crowded, disturbing your work." Emmerich said.

"No need to rush, isn’t the courtyard being crowded a sign that our Agricultural Department is the busiest department in the tribe?" Amid the jokes, Emmerich led the tribespeople through the courtyard with difficulty and knocked on the door of a building.

"Come in!"

Emmerich pushed open the door, took two steps inside, and stopped, because wooden railings had been built in front and on both sides, making it impossible to go further.

The room was not small, but it was filled with two-person tall wooden shelves, with a large number of papyrus and wooden boards sorted and arranged on them, some even piled on the ground...

Only a little space remained behind the wooden railing at the entrance, where stood a wooden table, and behind it sat a person named Cseni. He was of Celtic descent but grew up as a slave in a wealthy merchant’s family in Pompeii, so he learned to write before joining Maximus’ rebellion army and now became a subordinate in the Nix Tribe’s Agricultural Department.

He had been resting his eyes when he heard the door open, saw who had come, and immediately perked up: "Emmerich, haven’t seen you for a few days, are you here for registrations again today?!"

"Yes."

"Great! You wouldn’t believe how bored I’ve been the past few days." Cseni bent down, took out something from beneath the wooden table, and gently placed it on top, then asked, "Are the people you brought this time all your Skodisqi tribespeople again? How many are there?"

"Seventy-three, all from Segestica," Emmerich said, then suddenly noted something unusual on the table and immediately moved closer to take a closer look.

"From Segestica?!" Cseni was a bit surprised: "Ever since we ceased hostilities with the Segestica people, the Skodisqi people who voluntarily fled to join us have always been coming from Brochi, and this is the first time they’ve come from Segestica, and with so many. Did something happen over there? ... Emmerich... Emmerich!"

Emmerich didn’t respond, entirely focused on the object on the table: it was a thick register book used for recording new tribe members.

Having frequently brought tribespeople for registration, Emmerich was well-acquainted with the process. Initially, the Agricultural Department used registers made from papyrus, but when the papyrus ran out, they switched to thin wooden boards, which were used for several months. Now they had suddenly switched to this ’paper.’

The paper was quite different from papyrus; it didn’t have crisscrossing lines from being pressed together, nor did it have the natural yellow-green tint from being plant-based. Instead, it was grayish-white in color, each sheet appearing naturally whole, without signs of artificial assembly. While the paper had some speckles and holes, making it feel a bit uneven to the touch, it had good tensile strength and thickness. Pulling it lightly, it seemed quite sturdy...

"Hey, hey, be gentle, don’t tear it!" Cseni quickly cautioned.

"This is paper made by the Paper Making Workshop, right?" Emmerich asked excitedly, touching the register.

"That’s right." Cseni quickly took the register back from Emmerich’s hands: "Two days ago, the Public Works Department sent us some paper, saying it was freshly made by the Paper Making Workshop. They wanted us to try it out for a while and give feedback so that the workshop could further improve and produce better paper."

"How did you find it after using it?" Emmerich eagerly inquired.

"It’s excellent! Writing is smooth, the ink is clear, and the paper absorbs ink quickly without smudging onto your hands. Most importantly, we no longer need to worry about running out of paper. I hear the materials for making it are easy to obtain..." He couldn’t stop praising it, his eyes filled with anticipation: "I think this paper is already great, but the Public Works Department doesn’t seem satisfied yet. I can’t imagine what paper that satisfies them will look like!"

Emmerich, enticed by the description, reached out: "These days, I’ve been experimenting with some herbs following the leader’s suggestions. I need paper to record results and study closely what effects each herb specifically has on patients. Cseni, you must lend me a few sheets now, and I’ll return them later after requesting paper from the leader."

Cseni, having a good relationship with Emmerich, and especially since Emmerich had mentioned the leader, couldn’t refuse. Reluctantly, he pulled out a few sheets of paper from beneath the table. After having Emmerich write a note for borrowing, he handed them over.

After being delayed by the matter of the paper, Cseni then hastened to register Gowes and the others.

Cseni had handled these affairs while following Volenus in the rebellion army and naturally became a subordinate in the Agricultural Department, where, because he was Celtic and spoke native language, the Skodisqi people could understand him, he was responsible for reserve tribe matters. Over time, he had become quick in handling registrations.

Emmerich called the tribespeople in one by one, while Cseni asked for their names, ages, genders, races, original places of residence, previous occupations, other skills...

Emmerich assisted on the side, and Cseni briefly recorded the information gathered. After reaffirming that each person sincerely wished to join the Nix Tribe and was willing to abide by all its decrees, he had them press their handprints on the registration paper, then gave each one a small wooden tag with an Arabic number engraved on it — this was their identification number as a Nix Tribe reserve tribe member.

Once everyone had finished registering, Emmerich led the tribespeople out of the Agricultural Department. Seeing someone tossing a wooden tag up and down playfully, he quickly reminded, "This wooden tag is your proof of identity as reserve tribe members of the Nix Tribe. You’ll need it to receive food and supplies; make sure to keep it safe! If it gets damaged or lost, it’ll take time to get a replacement, and going without food for a day or two will be quite uncomfortable for you."

Gowes looked at the wooden tag and said dismissively, "Sage, you’ve made this wooden piece out to be so important, but it looks quite simple in its making. Even if it gets damaged, I could make another one myself."