"Line up to disembark, no pushing!" A Graycastle man in black uniform shouted as he weaved through the crowd, "Check your number tags carefully, find the corresponding inspection point after disembarking, don't go in the wrong direction!"

Still unable to recover from the shock, Manfred was pushed along by the crowd and boarded the long-awaited deck.

A panoramic view of the busy port unfolded before him.

It was definitely the largest harbor he had ever seen, with a long pier extending along the coast endlessly. Unlike the usual damp and decaying impression of ports, the ground here was covered with a layer of pure white bricks, which looked neat and clean. Ships of all sizes came and went, and even the busiest seaport in the Kingdom of Dawn could not compare with it.

This should have been a very spectacular scene, as could be seen from the exclamations of surprise from the people around him, but for him, it was just another unimportant stroke in his bewildered and chaotic mind.

Manfred looked back almost every three steps in the direction the ship had come from, hoping to see the figure of the iron bird again—this was almost a bodily instinct, as if seeking evidence and comfort to show that he was not trapped in fantasy.

Unfortunately, until he stepped onto the trestle, those incredible things never appeared again.

He felt a faint sense of loss in his heart.

"Please show your number tags, compare the first three digits, and enter your respective inspection points!" Many people on the dock shouted with strange metal tubes, which seemed to have the ability to amplify sound, and their words could be heard clearly even in the noisy crowd, "Then follow the instructions of the greeters to complete the entry inspection. Welcome to the Royal Capital of Graycastle, welcome to become one of us!"

Manfred shook his head vigorously, forcibly throwing away the distracting thoughts in his mind, and focused his attention on the present.

What a strange way to welcome people—he couldn't help but think that the people here were clear that they were not actively moving to Graycastle, and everything Graycastle had done in Wolfheart also had a compulsory meaning, but now hearing what the other party said, he still felt a little relieved.

The originally towering rock wall suddenly recessed here, forming a natural checkpoint. Densely packed immigrants lined up in long queues, passing through the inspection points in several columns. The number of people gathered at the dock alone exceeded 10,000, and it was clear that the migrants did not only come from Wolfheart... Being able to mobilize so many people in a short period of time and project the ruler's will to the other three kingdoms was probably the best portrayal of Graycastle's strength.

Suddenly, the team stopped moving forward, and Manfred heard a burst of commotion from behind.

Not only the outsiders, but even the black-clothed men maintaining order showed surprise.

He turned around and found a huge, sailless seagoing ship slowly entering the port—it had a slender body and seemed to be made entirely of metal. No exposed paddle wheels could be seen on either side, and the towering and straight hull looked majestic. Such a ship was bound to be the focus of attention wherever it was. However, it was clear that what really surprised the Graycastle people was not the big ship itself, but its condition...

"Are these people crazy, actually using iron to build a ship!" Someone around him whispered, "Don't they know that iron rusts when it comes into contact with water?"

"Perhaps the King of Graycastle just wants to show off his wealth... But iron ships are indeed quite majestic. Before I saw stone ships, I didn't know that such heavy things could float on water."

"What's the use of being majestic for ten or twenty days? I used to run a lot at sea, and I've seen all kinds of situations. The corrosive power of salt water is much more serious than you can imagine. Ordinary paint can't protect it for long. Look, this is the consequence of messing around."

Indeed, the steel ship was covered with patches of brownish-black rust, and the originally bright surface was pitted and uneven, with very conspicuous damage marks, forming a sharp contrast with the white pier. The masts on the top were even broken into several sections, weakly scattered on the front deck. Coupled with its slow movements when docking, it looked like a sea beast that had entered its twilight years.

But was Roland Wimbledon's purpose in building this ship really just to show off?

Watching the group of black-clothed guards quickly clear a passage through the crowd,

allowing the ship's sailors to pass through first, Manfred vaguely felt that things might not be so simple.

The commotion quickly subsided, and the team resumed its flow.

When it was his turn, the inspector simply checked his name and number and let him pass through the checkpoint.

When about thirty people were gathered, a man came forward and said, "I am Matt, a clerk from the Winterfell Administrative Office, and I am temporarily responsible for your resettlement. I believe you must have many questions, but don't worry, I will explain everything in detail on the way to the residential area. Now, please drink the purification water placed on this table, it can cure the evil diseases on your body—if you don't have any, it is also a sweet drink."

"Do we have to follow you?" someone questioned, "We are now considered members of Graycastle, so we should be able to go wherever we want, right?"

"Only after you obtain an ID card will you be considered a true subject of His Majesty." Matt shook his head, "For ordinary people, this requires one to two years of hard work, and you must not violate the laws of Graycastle during this period. However, you are all special talents with a skill, and as long as you pass the Heart Inquiry Assessment, you can immediately become official residents of the city. But the adults in charge of the assessment don't always have time, and the number of applicants is large, so you will have to wait another two or three days."

"Heart Inquiry? Isn't it a background check?"

"You'll know when you experience it yourself," Matt smiled, "Compared to your past, the assessment focuses more on your present and future. I also became an administrative office clerk through such an assessment. Now, those who have finished drinking the water, please follow me—"

This is most likely the "assessment that can't be lied to" that the coachman mentioned, Manfred thought to himself.

Along the way, Matt did talk about the issues that the migrants were most concerned about, such as what kind of work they could do in the future, and what kind of treatment they could receive, etc.... At least from the policies announced by the King of Graycastle, there would be no difference in treatment between migrants who had obtained official status and local people.

The other party also used himself as an example, vividly telling the mental journey from initial unease to gradual adaptation, which stabilized everyone's emotions a lot.

Just as the group entered the temporary residential area in the suburbs, a burst of piercing lewd laughter suddenly attracted everyone's attention.

Manfred looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of men dressed as refugees surrounding a woman in the center and constantly approaching her. Many people around noticed this scene, but no one stepped forward to stop it. Some people were even constantly jeering, and even showed a look of eagerness to try.

Damn it, how can I encounter such things everywhere...

He originally thought that Winterfell would be different.

Manfred frowned, "Is anyone going to notify the black-clothed guards?"

From Matt's previous introduction, it was known that the black-clothed men called the police had replaced the original patrol team. Although he didn't know if they could be trusted, it seemed that there was no better way now.

However, no one moved, "I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, young man. We have to live here for a few days before moving to the inner city."

"That's right, if you are resented by this kind of scum, you will eventually suffer."

"You—" He stopped talking, and finally looked at Matt, "I'll buy some time, you quickly call the people in charge of security over!"

Unexpectedly, Matt grabbed his hand and shook his head slightly.

A sense of disappointment suddenly surged in Manfred's heart.

He shook off the other party forcefully and said word by word, "I thought you were different from the other kingdoms—I was wrong." Then he rolled up his sleeves and ran towards the crowd without looking back.