"Squeak, what's this?" After a rustling sound, Tiger Claw yawned and leaned in, "A letter?"
Sheya hurriedly pushed his face away, afraid his saliva would drip onto the notice, "What, aren't you sleeping?"
"I'm hungry, I want to eat something," Tiger Claw said, rubbing his stomach.
"Then go boil water, and make me a bowl of oatmeal while you're at it."
"Okay," he responded, "You haven't answered me yet."
Sheya said helplessly, "It's proof of identity, and a job offer."
"Oh?" Tiger Claw's eyes lit up, and he squeezed back in after moving away. He hooked his arm around Sheya's neck and shook him excitedly, "The City Hall finally gave you an ID card? Haha... this is something worth celebrating! What oatmeal? Let's go to the market and buy some dried fish and mushrooms to stew!"
"I'm still saving money."
"I can lend you some first," Tiger Claw said casually, "You've been thinking about this for so long, how can you not have a good meal - besides, what did you say the day I got my ID card?"
Now Sheya knew he couldn't refuse.
Because of his large build, Tiger Claw often did the work of two people. After getting enough food, he became even more motivated and was picked out by the foreman as a model worker in the Third Engineering Team. Not only did his salary increase, but he also received a bonus, which was enough to make the down payment for a house.
And immigrants can receive proof of identity as long as they obtain a stable residence. Therefore, on the day Tiger Claw got his new house key and ID card, Sheya not only urged him to have a lavish celebratory meal, but also moved his bedding and clothes into his cement house.
"I know," he grumbled, "We can go buy it later, can't we!"
"Hey, it's settled!" Tiger Claw climbed back to the bed triumphantly and began rummaging for clothes to wear out, "By the way, what's that notice about?"
"A job offer from the Railway Engineering Team," Sheya took a deep breath, "I'm going to work in the barren lands abroad soon."
"What?" Tiger Claw's hand stopped moving, "When did you apply for this? Why didn't you tell me before?"
"What if you insisted on following me? Who would take care of this house?"
"Who wants to follow you? No... why would I go to such a dangerous place?" Tiger Claw raised his voice, "Don't you know what's been happening in the city lately! There are devils out there!"
These days, the news about the border wall being attacked by devils has been all the rage. First, alarms went off one after another, then strange monsters fell into the city, and the sudden celebration that night caused a sensation!
His Majesty Roland publicly announced the existence of foreign enemies and emphasized that the so-called barren land was not originally uninhabited! It used to be a human settlement and had a very pleasant name: Fertile Plains. However, due to the repeated harassment of evil beasts and devils, humans gradually retreated to the current area of the Four Kingdoms.
And some of those refugees formed the predecessor of the Church, who portrayed the enemy as an omnipotent existence, even linking them with witches, which was itself a ridiculous tale born of fear. Facts have proved that although devils are cunning and have a terrifying appearance, they are not invincible, as the victory of Neverwinter proves.
In order to develop new territories and protect Neverwinter from attack, His Majesty decided to march into the barren lands and reclaim this homeland belonging to mankind! These words aroused continuous cheers, and with the meat porridge and grilled meat brought in by the First Army, the atmosphere of the entire square reached its peak.
In the following five days, no matter where you went, you could hear people discussing this matter, and the engineering team was no exception. The most popular topics were which was more powerful, devils or evil beasts, and whether Neverwinter should expand to the northwest. At the same time, the City Hall announced a series of recruitment notices, one of which was to build a railway in the Misty Forest.
Sheya didn't care about the answers to these questions. He only felt enlightened after listening to His Majesty's explanation, as if his mind had been broadened. He had never considered where he came from or where he was going before.
He understood now that they had all migrated from that "barren land." Besides the Four Kingdoms, the world was vast, and the Fertile Plains alone were comparable to several Greycastle, and even that was not the border.
Another thing that attracted him was the generous treatment in the recruitment order.
"You have the most ideas among us, so I think you should be clearer than us," Tiger Claw turned around and grabbed his arm, "Devils are definitely not as easy to deal with as everyone thinks. If they were really that vulnerable, how could they have driven humans out of their original settlements? According to His Majesty, that's hundreds of cities and millions of people!"
"Of course I know, that's why I applied to join," Sheya was unmoved, "Thirty-five silver royals per month, half a year's salary in advance, and the eligibility to buy a two-room apartment - if I miss this opportunity, I don't know when the next one will come."
"Another two-room apartment..." Tiger Claw twitched the corner of his mouth, "You really care about that."
"Of course," Sheya clenched his fist, "It not only provides hot water separately, but also has a separate kitchen and toilet, that's what you call real housing!"
Although his salary was a little less than Tiger Claw's, he still had a gold royal saved up. The reason why he hadn't bought a house yet was because he had seen the two-room apartments in the inner city residential area - since he had seen what the foreman's house looked like, this idea had taken root in his mind. However, the down payment for the latter was higher, requiring a one-time payment of three gold royals.
And the most important thing that Sheya didn't say was that unlike the single room where the two of them had to squeeze to sleep, a two-room apartment would be enough for "another person" to sleep comfortably as well.
Seeing that Tiger Claw still wanted to say something, he shook his head and interrupted him, "I know this is a bit of a gamble, but when have we ever not taken risks when we were rats? The only difference is that in the past, even if we took risks, we would most likely get nothing; but at least now, the rewards are certain. You may think I have a good head, but it's not of much use in Neverwinter. If we only wanted stability, why would we have come to this strange place in the first place?"
"Anyway, I can't argue with you," Tiger Claw raised his hand in surrender, "As long as you've thought it through, that's fine."
"Don't worry, I haven't reached the point where I only think about the benefits and don't consider the costs," Sheya spread his hands, "This engineering team not only has the protection of the First Army, but I heard that some witches will also accompany us. Even if we encounter devils, we don't have to rush up with shoulder poles and shovels. Overall, it's still relatively safe."
"I hope it's like you said," Tiger Claw muttered, "I'm going to wash my face, my stomach is growling with hunger. Since you've applied for a job with an even higher salary than mine, I can't be too frugal with this meal."
Sheya rolled his eyes.
While Tiger Claw went to wash up, he unfolded the third piece of paper, and then he couldn't help but be stunned.
It was actually a transfer contract.
The general content was that no matter what happens, the City Hall would not swallow the salary and other rewards that should be issued. If an accident occurs in the overseas project, the signatory can choose one person as the object of the property transfer. When the contract takes effect, the other party will receive a notification from the City Hall.
He closed his eyes, and several figures appeared in his mind in turn... Qiao, Kui, Tiger Claw... Finally, the picture stopped on a thin and fair-skinned girl.
Sheya picked up the charcoal pencil and slowly wrote that name in the blank space of the contract.
Baizhi.
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