"Maddox, it's been a while."
"Oh, I see. It's hard to see you because you're coming out more and more, but you seem to be doing well."
"Of course. How are you, Maddox?
"Of course not. I can't go to war anymore, but I'm always busy working in Vulcania. It's too soon to feel old."
"That's good. Somehow, Mr. Maddock's workload was getting bigger. I was worried that I hadn't seen you much."
That's right. Initially as a judge in a city called Vulcania, then as a merchant, it was a job to see the ratings of merchants, but there will be more of them. If you ask me, I can't refuse. "
After talking to Grandpa and the others in Vulcania, I was face-to-face with Maddok, whom I met less often.
Mr Maddok, who was originally a woodcutter.
I've known my friends since childhood as a sourcing partner for magical mushroom logs, and they came to the battlefield to help me during the Balkan unrest.
However, I hope that Maddok can no longer go to battle. I started working in Vulcania, whereas I live in the city of Fontana.
That's why I didn't see him very often.
Mr. Maddock is a good judge and so on.
Vulcania has no major problems, as Dad keeps the peace and Maddok keeps trials such as troubles as low as possible.
In addition, Mr. Maddok has been asked for his opinion in other villages in the Knight Barca realm, and is essentially in a position like a presiding judge in the Knight Barca realm.
Without this man, I might not have been able to use Fontana as a base of operations.
"So, what happened this time? Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about when you came all this way to see me?
"It's true that I wanted to see Maddok's face. But I'm sure there was something I wanted to talk to you about. There's something I'm curious about."
"You think it's something that bothers you? Is that about Balka or Fontana territory? Is that what I know?
"That's right... Not in Balka, but in Fontana territory. It's time to melt the snow. Then people might move a lot."
"... people move. Could it be the impact of the earthquake that happened earlier?
"Yeah, that's right. The earthquake that struck this winter seems to have shaken quite widely. It did a lot of damage in Fontana territory, but it seems to have done the same in other noble territories. There's been a lot of deaths."
"Hmm, that hurts. But what happened to it? Fontana territory, I think, was a story of how you moved around to reduce the damage. The people of Barca were generally grateful for your actions."
"That's right. The Fontana territory was damaged by the earthquake, but it's still better. But there are still people who have lost their place in life. Many people escaped to the shelter, but they couldn't get back to work. It seems likely that such a person will be traveling in search of work."
"People come together looking for work. It's like that time."
"Oh, it was really hard."
Mr. Maddock immediately realized that there was a reason why I came to see him.
So I'll tell you what I'm a little concerned about right now.
If it's true, it's also a matter of Fontana territory, so rather than talking to Maddok, I might want to go back to Fontana and talk to the people who are practicing.
But still, I wanted to talk to Mr. Maddock.
That's because me and Maddok once faced problems similar to this one.
The impact of the earthquake that struck Fontana territory directly.
We only managed to reduce the life-threatening winter cold by rescuing those affected.
However, it is unlikely that those who have lost their homes will be able to fully return to their original lives.
When rebuilding a broken house, there are quite a few people who want to leave the house and look for work in the new heavens and earth.
Especially those below the second son of a farmer tend to do so.
But it's not so easy to find a job for someone from an out-of-school farm.
He leaves the neighborhood, takes on daily work, lives every day, and dies the next winter without saving up.
Such a flow was more obvious than seeing fire.
However, it may not be.
What if you can get in without special skills and you have jobs that guarantee food, clothing, and shelter?
Who can blame you for wanting to jump if you know something like that?
The one who jumps out of the house due to the earthquake is heading there.
It is undoubtedly an organization called the newly created Fontana Army last year.
When you enter the army, you will be provided with a place to live, daily meals, and even clothes.
Naturally, more than joining an army, you risk losing your life by throwing yourself into battle.
However, it was expected that many would come without much worry.
Because I am at the top of the Fontana army and I have come here without losing so far, and I have a track record of low army wear and tear rates.
In other words, it is likely that people will gather in the city of Fontana after winter.
Start by going out to the city and looking for a job.
So long as you have a job and can live a stable life.
Otherwise, join the army.
That way, there are a certain number of people who think they can eat for the time being.
But it could turn out to be quite a troubling problem.
One is that the Fontana army is not recruiting soldiers for nothing.
Well, we've already gathered the numbers we think we need by introducing conscription.
With more troops than ever before, the amount of money needed for the army will only increase, forcing them to squeeze their finances.
Well, if Fontana's city can accommodate the influx of people, that's not true.
Because the current city of Fontana is a hub of distribution and merchants are working to keep the horses out of sight.
There may not be so many jobs out of the village where unskilled people can work satisfactorily.
What happens then?
People gathered in the city can't get a job and start hanging out in the city.
In other words, you can only live in a place like a ghetto, and the next thing you do is commit a crime.
There are people who get involved in the criminal act of stealing and killing.
A similar thing happened to Vulca before.
After I was recognized by Carlos as Lord of the Knights of Barca and gained territory.
Initially the village was two small territories, and then several more villages were added, but still a small knighthood with only a few villages.
There was a crowd.
Same thing happened back then.
I heard that I used my magic to enrich my crops, and a crowd of eaters came from all over the place.
I still remember when the village gathered thousands of people in several territories.
Especially not long after Vulcania, there were only about as many Vulcans as there were residents.
More and more strangers gather there.
Flowers who are not particularly capable of doing anything, and who do not own land.
They were accepted at first, but a conflict of opinion began gradually between the original inhabitants and streamers from elsewhere.
As a matter of fact, at that time, the operation of the Territory was in a major crisis.
Immigrants who came when they still had room to accept people shortly after Vulcania was created, and those who came to hear about Vulcania's activities afterwards, etc., collided, and Maddok, who was a judge, must have been in trouble.
Ultimately, streamers with no money or skills were forced into the Vulcan army and managed to overcome the rules.
"But is this going to happen again? Unlike Barca at the time, the current employer has influence over the entire Fontana territory, so should we allocate people appropriately?"
"That's right. If it's only in Fontana, it might still be fine. But this time, there may also be immigrants from other noble territories. The impact of the earthquake was huge."
"I see. There will be others like interlocutors who think it is from other noble territories. It's going to be a lot of trouble."
"That's right. When people gathered in Fontana's city beyond their limit, I thought I'd send them to the Arbarest district, where the number had dropped last year, but I heard about the underdog and he seemed a little reluctant to talk about Vargas. I wonder what's going on, and now I'm going to have a headache problem."
"Fogh ho, you're still struggling, my lord. Well, do your best. Why don't we build a new city and put together immigrants there again? That way, at least we won't be rubbing with the existing residents."
"... I see, you're going to build a new city. Maybe that's good."
If there are too many strangers in trouble, how about creating a city full of strangers?
It would be too compelling to say so.
But there's nodding to the Maddok's opinion.
That's true of work, but when land gets involved, people really start to get into trouble with each other.
With Maddok's advice, I started thinking about building a new city.