Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 115 Church

Fafnir put down his pen, turned the paper around, and handed it to the old man with both hands. The old man looked down at the few lines of text, examined them carefully, then looked up, his gaze moving across Fafnir's face. After sighing, the old man folded the paper and put it aside. He opened a drawer, took out a form, filled in a few columns, and then picked up the stamp on the table.

"name?"

"Fafner".

The old man filled in a few strokes, stamped the form, and handed it over.

"Take it."

As darkness fell completely, Fafnir felt he had reached the heart of the city. The shops along the street lit up, their gleaming gas lamps illuminating the bustling shop windows and signs. "If I go a little further out, to a more secluded spot, I should be able to buy some cheap food," Fafnir thought.

He walked a few more blocks and found a secluded but popular tavern. He easily got a full meal for two copper coins and also learned about accommodation. There was a church nearby where children could stay for free.

"Hello, may I ask if I can stay here for the night?"

Fafnir found the ornately decorated church, which worshipped the "God of Draco." Upon entering, a young male priest, after hearing his purpose, led him to a middle-aged priest. "Who told you you could stay here?"

"The information I got from a nearby tavern."

"Tsk," the priest clicked his tongue. "How old are you? Where did you come from?"

"Hello, I'm twelve years old, and I came from the Cellar City."

"Skaven from the Cellar City? Ha, what are they doing in Iron Territory? The Church doesn't allow people of unknown origin to live here."

"I came here looking for a job, and I found one at the mine factory this morning."

"Looking for a job — do you have a guarantee certificate?"

"Yes," Fafnir said, handing the certificate of guarantee, which was tucked inside his coat, to the priest, who glanced at it and returned it to him.

"Okay, follow him to the back dormitory later, and leave your signature in this book so I can ask the city hall for subsidies."

Also, tonight is free, but if you want to stay again in the future, you'll have to pay. If you don't have money, you can do something, like copying Draco's Hadith, cleaning, laundry, cooking, or serving the believers.

After the priest finished giving his instructions, Fafnir followed the young priest to the back room. The entire back room was filled with beds, which Fafnir observed. They were just wooden planks covered with some dry grass; no blankets were provided.

The air was thick with the stench of sweat, mostly emanating from men and women around his age. It was tolerable, after all, it was free. He was only staying one night; he'd be going to the factory tomorrow, Fafnir thought—

"Hello, this is my guarantee certificate."

Fafnir left the church before dawn and walked for more than three hours before he saw the mine factory.

"Oh? It's you," the man at the recruitment office recognized the rat-man who had given him a handful of coins yesterday. He carefully examined Fafner's guarantee certificate: "Okay—go ahead. Now go to the machine tool workshop, No. 1, in the second factory. Also, here's the guarantee. Sign it."

Fafner accepted a thin sheet of paper with the heading "Guarantee" on it. "I voluntarily agree to work in the mine factory, obey management, not be late or leave early, not be absent without leave, not steal, and not damage the machinery. If I violate these rules, the factory will deduct my salary or dismiss me."

sign:"

Fafnir casually signed his name: "Sir, why is there no clause about wages? Wasn't it stated that the salary for the first six months would be one hundred copper coins per month, and one silver coin per month thereafter?"

"Why would the guarantee say such things? As for wages? You'll get them when the time comes."

By the way, where's your work badge? Is it ready? There might not be enough workstations in Machine Tool Workshop 1.

"Employee badge?"

"You'll see when you get to the workshop. Alright, go on now, and stop bothering me."

It was incredibly noisy; the roar of machines filled the air. Fafnir followed the signs at the workshop entrance, searching for the so-called Machine Tool Workshop 1. But what exactly was the Machine Tool Workshop? Fafnir was puzzled, but he knew he would find it soon.

"Machinery Workshop 1"

Fafner saw the sign at the entrance.

The workshop door was open, and the closer Fafner got, the more his ears felt jarred from the vibrations. The heat and the strong metallic smell assaulted his senses. Fafner finally saw the so-called "machine machine": its drill bit reciprocated, cutting through pieces of steel, large and small. On the machine's worktable, the drill bit carved out various grooves. Workers constantly cranked the machine's lever, carefully aligning it with different parts of each piece of steel. Several gears of varying sizes were exposed on the side of the machine, their teeth meshing together, producing a continuous, audible noise with each rotation.

The machine made a "click-clack" sound. The gears had no covers, and dark, greasy oil clung to their surfaces. A short shaft extended from the top of the "machine machine," with a pulley fitted onto it. Wide belts hung from the ceiling, draped tightly in the pulley's grooves. With each movement of the belts, the entire machine came to life.

As for what powers them, Fafnir couldn't figure it out. These "machine machines" must be planers, Fafnir thought. He knew very little about them, so he decided to ask someone else for advice first.

"Hello," Fafnir said, noticing a worker cleaning metal shavings from a machine tool. "Excuse me, I'm a new apprentice. Where do I get my work badge, and how do I operate the machine?"

The man casually pointed: "Go to the foundry foreman's office over there."

"Hello, I'm Fafnir, the new apprentice."

"Apprentice? Your name is Fafnir, right? I'll check your name later."

"Excuse me, is this where I pick up my employee ID card?"

"Heh, you're really lucky," the foundry foreman said. "We have enough workstations in our workshop. Here, take this bronze plaque."

"We have to wear this every time we go to work, and we have to come back here after work. If we don't have the work badge, we can't work."

Seeing Fafnir's somewhat confused expression, the foundry foreman continued, "For example, in our factory, there are many porters or loaders who go to work. Often, some people can't get a work badge every day. Without a badge, they have to go home, don't earn any money, and it's considered absenteeism, which will result in a deduction from their wages. The bronze badge is temporary and needs to be returned every day after work. Do you understand?"

"I understand, thank you. How do I operate the 'mechanical machine'?"

"Hehe—this really puts me in a difficult position. A skilled worker teaching an apprentice like you will affect their work efficiency." The foundry foreman looked at Fafnir with a smile.