Chapter 302: The Conditions

The next morning, the large meeting room of the City Hall was cleaned cleanly by people since early.

The seven village chiefs were invited entering to sit, everyone wore the most intact clothes outfit that they had, hair and ears groomed neatly, hands and feet were just scrubbed with soap to the point of flushing completely red. However although having been invited by the City Hall’s people arriving to the third time, the seven people still resolutely refused to sit down onto the cushioned chairs arranged ready around the table. They just stood huddling together into a corner of the room like a flock of chicks meeting rain.

Only when Elric had to yield explaining meticulously that chairs left empty then the two Lords would also not sit, and the two Lords not sitting then the meeting could absolutely not begin, did the seven old men finally tiptoe approaching. Every single person only dared to sit perching on exactly one-third of the chair.

Sitting in the meeting room that day, besides Kaelen and Sane there was also Mayor Elric, Mr. Hollis from the Court side, kid Brian from the Accounting division, and two minute-recording staff members.

Kaelen opened the beginning with a sentence making all seven village chiefs simultaneously stunned:

"Before you give the answering reply whether wanting to merge into Lyra or not, I mandatorily must tell you to hear about the powers that you will lose."

The old man sitting at the head of the table, originally being the village chief of a village belonging to the Voss family’s land, awkwardly answered: "Lord, our villagers wear torn clothes, being dirt poor then what thing do we still have to lose."

"You do." Kaelen gently nodded: "You are holding in your hand the right to arbitrarily punish people inside your village. Merging into Lyra already then you will lose that right."

Mr. Hollis pushed his glasses frame, continuing the words with the calm tone of a person having taught law for an entire lifetime:

"Sirs, based according to the Lyra Covenant then completely no one is allowed to arbitrarily punish other people, even if it is parents toward children, or even village chiefs toward villagers. Having whatever matter happening then must bring it out to the Court, how the Court judges then must obey exactly like that. The village chief only has the right to step forward acting as a witness and making petitions helping the citizens, and completely no longer has the right to beat, the right to bind, or the right to chase anyone out of the village anymore."

A silver-haired old man sitting in the middle of the table hesitantly raised his hand up, asking softly:

"Lord, then hypothetically inside the village there is a thief guy then what must I do? Is it that catching him already, we then must release him walking back and forth brazenly inside the village, waiting a few days later for the Court’s people arriving down only then to be resolved?"

"You just keep him detained, dispatching people going reporting up to the closest checkpoint, within one day definitely there will be Court’s people arriving down resolving." Hollis slowly answered: "While if you personally use your hand beating breaking his arm, then the next day you yourself will be the person having to go out standing before the court’s defendant podium."

The old man hearing finishing then silently nodded, his facial expression half understanding half not, but also did not dare to ask another sentence more.

Kaelen continued speaking to the second condition. Children in the village from six years old to twelve years old mandatorily must go to school, any household not letting their children go to school then will be fined, the fine level will increase gradually heavily following every single violation time.

Previously the going to school matter was only encouraging, but after many times children were forced dropping out of school staying at home farming, Kaelen had placed adding the Education and Training Law code into the Lyra Constitution. Children definitely must pass through fully twelve years of mandatory education.

The salary levels for the Department of Labor’s work were also divided out following the levels from Elementary graduation diploma, Middle School graduation diploma, High School graduation diploma and University diploma. The salary level for a person just graduating Elementary was only enough to buy a blanket, Middle School was a bit better, but also only equal to half of a person graduating High School.

Therefore, wanting the children’s future having getting a high-salary job, the children’s family members mandatorily must bring them going to school.

This time then all seven people simultaneously clamored up questioning.

"Lord, then at home who watches the smaller kids for us?"

"My house only has exactly two older kids who can assist the farming work..."

"The road from my village out to the studying place is very far away, the rainy season wading in mud flooding up to exactly knee height..."

Kaelen patiently let everyone speak completely, then he gently answered every single matter one by one. The class will be opened right inside the village and not forcing the children having to walk going anywhere far away, the teacher is directly dispatched down by the Department of Education.

The class will be divided into two sessions, the morning session reserved for older kids, the afternoon session reserved for smaller kids, any household needing their children assisting work then just flexibly choose the session. While whichever kid having to watch their younger sibling then just carry their younger sibling entirely arriving to class, the City Hall has arranged ready a class corner reserved exclusively for the babies sitting playing.

Hearing to the part being allowed to carry younger siblings arriving to class, the old men looked at each other, ultimately someone could not suppress bursting into chuckling laughs.

The third condition is tax.

Brian stood up, pulled the pen tucked behind his ear down, flipped the thick ledger open then began reading fluently Lyra’s collection levels. The boy read clearly every single number one by one, finishing reading then turned out explaining meticulously that in Lyra there is absolutely no amount called off-ledger fees. Whoever dares to collect adding from the citizens one copper coin without recording a receipt then that person determines going to prison, regardless of whether that person is a City Hall staff member or a village chief.

An old man timidly raised his voice asking: "Boy, then what about the bribery part for the superior officials then we must pay separately right?"

Brian was stunned: "Which superior officials?"

"Well... those superior officials." The old man awkwardly explained: "At our place, paying to the lord is one part, paying to the lord’s butler is one part, then arriving at the turn of the Church’s people arriving down checking must also have a part offered up..."

"Yes, in Lyra there is only exactly one single part." Brian answered: "The citizens pay straight into the City Hall, having proper receipts, at the end of the year will paste a board publicly announcing how much was collected and what matters that money amount was spent into."

The seven village chiefs cast their eyes looking at each other, in the bottom of everyone’s eyes clearly showing a suspicious look. A money matter important like that yet bringing pasting onto the wall for the entire world to see together, hearing it felt somewhat fake.

Arriving at the fourth condition then the atmosphere in the meeting room changed entirely.

"Anyone granted a residency paper by the City Hall all have the right to arrive living inside your villages." Kaelen spoke slowly, his eyes looking straight into every single person:

"Human clan, Dwarf, Elf, Beastman, Goblin, everyone has the equal right as each other. They have the right to buy land, erect houses, open stores, let their children go to school studying in the same class with your children and grandchildren. Anyone causing trouble with them only because of the race issue, that person will have to go out standing before the court."

The seven people stiffened completely.

A really long time later finally a dry old man raised his voice, his tone having lost entirely the cowering appearance from earlier: "Lord, I ask permission to speak truthfully. My villagers an entire lifetime have never seen Elves in real life ever. People only entirely hear recounting back that they specialize going sucking children’s blood while sleeping."

"Then have you seen the little girl standing translating at the court session the other day yet?" Kaelen cross-examined asking back.

The old man froze, tongue-tied unable to answer.

"That little girl’s name is Ivy. The year she turned six years old, her house was set on fire burning by people, her entire family died completely leaving only her surviving. She personally crawled reaching the Shrine then was almost only panting exactly one breath left." Kaelen continued speaking: "Now the little girl works in the file storage room of the City Hall, writing letters even more beautifully than me. You just go asking around seeing, has the little girl sucked anyone’s blood ever."

The old man lowered his face down, his two hands wringing the torn hat brim.

Sane from earlier until now still sat crossing his legs at the head of the table, lazily looking out the window, at this moment finally coldly raised his voice, his freezing tone carrying absolutely no emotion:

"This is not a condition for you people to bring out bargaining. Whichever village feels unable to swallow smoothly these law clauses then just stand outside. Lyra city does not force anyone at all."

That sentence was exactly identical to a freezing cold water dipper splashed straight into the middle of the meeting room.

The village chief of the village belonging to the Church’s land sitting silently trembling throughout from the beginning of the session, at this moment finally awkwardly stood up. He was the skinniest person among the seven people, his two cheekbones sunken in, on his neck wearing a wooden cross already worn smooth.

"Lords..." He bowed folding his body down, his voice choking up because of fear: "Please forgive me. I... I ask permission to withdraw this petition letter back."

The entire room simultaneously turned looking at him.

"It is not because of these conditions. Anything I can also endure completely." He stammered, his two hands trembling violently hooking the quarter-folded petition letter inside his shirt chest out placing it onto the table: "But my village lies on the Church’s land. Just last week recently there were the Church’s people arriving down, they stood right in the middle of the chapel courtyard proudly saying that whichever village dares to follow Lyra then that entire village will have their communion sacrament withdrawn. The old people in my village hearing finishing, that night there was an old woman scared to the point of fainting. I... I truly do not dare Lords."

He placed the petition letter onto the tabletop, then stepped back a few steps, bowing his head not daring to look straight into anyone’s eyes.

Elric cast a glance looking at Kaelen, his face extremely miserable. He had always anticipated this matter somehow would also happen, but completely did not expect it to happen right in the first meeting session like this.

Kaelen reached his hand picking the petition letter up, opened it reading it over once, then carefully folded it properly. He personally stood up walking detouring past the table edge, handing returning the paper directly into the old man’s hands.

"You just take it back." He said, his tone extremely gentle: "Lyra city does not blame you at all. You return telling the villagers that this door has never locked. Whenever you feel at peace then come up here again, another year, or another two years is also fine."

The old man looked up at him, his two eye rims already red.

"And this too." Kaelen turned telling the minute-recording staff member copying out a copy of the just read conditions, then handed it to the old man: "You bring this piece of paper returning hanging it somewhere for the villagers to know together. Your villagers have the right to know what they just refused, while the matter deciding refusing or not is their business."

The old man with his two hands trembling received the paper, bowed folding his body down greeting once then silently retreated outside.

The six remaining people still sat dead silent as wooden statues.

The meeting lasted adding nearly another hour. The six village chiefs competed asking all kinds of trivial matters in the world. Like whichever household was currently owing rent to the lord then entering Lyra already would they be demanded by people anymore. Like land currently borrowing cultivating from other people then recorded into the land ledger how. Like whoever had regrettably sold their child going to act as a slave already then could they demand them back.

That final sentence was asked by an old man with a weak whispering voice almost not forming sound. Mr. Hollis had to fall silent for a really long time before being able to answer, that the Court would receive complaint petitions, would dispatch people going checking files, but he absolutely did not dare to promise anything beforehand.

Arriving near noon, Kaelen stood up concluding the meeting.

"You have fifteen days to think. Everyone just return asking your villagers really carefully again, do not arbitrarily decide on their behalf." He instructed: "The City Hall will dispatch people down all the way to every single village reading all these conditions over for everyone to hear together, reading publicly before the face of the entire village and not reading privately for the village chief. Anyone not agreeing then just boldly speak straight out, we do not record names holding grudges against anyone at all."

The six village chiefs awkwardly stood up bowing greeting. Walking a few steps out to the door, the old village chief of Oakhurst suddenly turned his head back, hesitantly asking one more sentence:

"Lord, what about the speaker... that broadcasting speaker out in the square. My children keep asking inquiringly all day."

Sane sitting at the head of the table, not bothering raising his head up, dropped a casual sentence:

"The copper wire is only allowed to be pulled within the scope of Lyra’s land."

The old man exclaimed "oh" once, nodded his head then hurriedly walked out, his demeanor looking as if having just heard an extremely weighty reason.

That afternoon, Toby asked to rest one session working as a porter at the warehouse to run walking back to the village. The boy asked to be the person going reading the conditions for the Millbrook villagers to hear.

Dale asked if he could read the letters fluently, he patted his chest confidently saying that the few words in this piece of paper he read even faster than the teacher.

Finishing speaking he tightly hugged the paper piece running straight out to the South gate, running fast to the point dropping even his cloth hat also not bothering to pick it back up..