When Duncan and Alice went to the cemetery together, Maurice and Vanna were not idle either. They came to the "Citizen Help Center" located in the southern part of the uptown area early in the morning to complete one of the things Duncan told him -
—
Seek a stable and legal place to stay in the Frost City-State. If possible, it is best to have one or two identities that can be seen in public.
After all, they may be active in this city-state for a long time, and they cannot live in hiding like those cultists.
Considering that the informants Tirian had left in the city were no longer reliable, Maurice decided to find a way on his own.
Hanshuang's Citizen Help Center is a large domed building with two long extending side buildings around the main body. It is said to be the Citizen Help Center, but in fact this building is also used to receive visitors entering the city-state.
As well as undertaking a large number of third-party intermediary work, from house rental and sale registration, to the issuance of temporary passes, to the employment of short-time maids, gardeners, and laundry workers, almost everything can be completed here - its long wing is packed inside.
It is full of various registration windows and offices, and the huge dome building is a hall that is always noisy and full of people coming and going. This is very different from Plande.
As soon as you walked into the huge dome building, heat hit your face. Frost's unique high-pressure heating device dissipated the cold air in winter, and bright electric lights were hung high on the dome, making the entire building brightly lit.
This place has just been opened not long ago, but already many people are pouring in. Citizens seeking short-term jobs or registering for rent and sale of houses are walking through countless windows and counters, and there are airflow ducts in the middle of the bustling crowd.
There were "clicking" and "hissing" sounds from the constant startup, and Vanna was obviously a little uncomfortable with the environment here. While carefully avoiding the flow of people around her, she whispered to Maurice: "In Pulan
Germany, the human resources and housing leasing and sales counters are not placed in the same building."
"You have to consider the cost of heating a large building and the time it takes to retrofit a heat pump exchange station," Morris shook his head. "Most of the city's basic municipal facilities are leftover from the Frost Queen's era.
But that glorious era has passed. After the Great Rebellion, the Frost City State barely recovered 70% to 80% of its original strength by relying on the boiling gold industry. However, it is not a simple matter to renovate the underground pipeline system and steam power network left by the Queen from scratch.
."
"Then we just keep using it like this?" Fanna's eyes suddenly widened, "This is an antique from half a century ago!"
"Otherwise?" Morris sighed, "On the one hand, it is the decline of the city, on the other hand, it is the pressure of population, and there is also the reduction of habitable area caused by the collapse of the sea cliff... The facilities half a century ago may not be used now.
It is indeed a little cramped, but at least it is barely enough. Since it is enough, then continue to use it... In fact, this is not only a problem of Frost, but also a problem of many old industrial city-states. Only a city as energetic as Puland can
It’s a minority.”
Fanna stopped talking.
This is not an area where she is good at thinking.
While he was talking, Morris had already found the direction of the migrant registration counter on the dazzling route map above the hall. He and the tall Fanna walked through the crowd, and finally arrived.
In front of a relatively quiet counter.
The long wooden counter is placed against the wall, and is divided into several grids by an iron fence. Behind each grid is a clerk wearing a gray-blue uniform - the expressions on their faces are just like the iron bars beside them.
The fence was equally dull, and it was evident that it was intended to remain so until the work was finished.
"We need a residence permit, and we also need to find a short-term rental house," Morris came to one of the grids, sat down on a creaking iron chair, and spoke to the sallow-faced middle-aged man inside.
Said, "We just landed today."
"Which terminal?" The middle-aged clerk with a sallow face raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man opposite. When he noticed that there was a 1.9-meter-high lady standing behind the old man, he was obviously startled for a moment, but he recovered in the next second.
In a businesslike tone, he said, "Show me your dock certification documents and boat ticket."
Vanna frowned and looked down at Morris.
Morris' face remained normal, and he opened his hands calmly: "It's lost. It may have been lost when leaving the dock. The ship has also left."
The clerk in the cubicle immediately stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and said with a hint of unhappiness on his poker face: "That won't work, you must certify the documents. Let's go back to the dock to reissue them."
"But I have something else," Morris said as he dug around in his arms and took out a folded document and a small book with a dark red cover and handed it over, "It should be able to serve as legal identification.
.”
The clerk waved his hands subconsciously: "It won't work without the dock certification document, and other things..."
He saw the mark on the small notebook and stopped talking. Then he reached out and opened the folded document and scanned it with his eyes.
His poker-like expression changed instantly.
"The holder of the academic pass issued by the Academy of Truth and the Infinite Sea Navigation Council can stay and visit in all city-states protected by the Righteous God. During the stay, the local city-state university under the Academy of Truth will automatically serve as a guarantee unit," Morris said
, and pointed to the small red book, "This is my ID, a dual certificate of degree and theology from the Institute of Truth, and the rank is professor."
The middle-aged clerk with a sallow face was stunned for a while, and finally raised his head slowly, looking a little at a loss: "Well... Good morning, Professor Morris... I'm glad to see you. Of course your identity is legal..."
Morris had a relaxed expression on his face.
But the clerk then paused, as if he was very troubled, and said firmly: "But... I at least need to know which ship you are on. This is... a rule."
Morris' expression looked a little embarrassed when he just relaxed, while Vanna on the side touched the tip of her nose and turned her head calmly.
Morris sighed and looked at the middle-aged clerk in front of him who was obviously a little nervous but still looked directly at him.
"You already know which ship I'm on," he sighed and said, with a glimmer of light in his eyes, "Let's prove it."
The clerk was startled for a moment, as if a trance flashed through his eyes. Then he lowered his head, began to operate the clicking punching machine, and put the punching card into the pressure pipe container next to the counter.
A moment later, with hisses and clicks in the pipes, the card from an approval office deep in the building was returned to the counter.
The clerk inserted the punched card into the small reading machine, confirmed the receipt number and anti-counterfeiting password, and then began to fill in the required content of the certification document. At the same time, he said without raising his head: "I can only issue certificates here.
Documents - You need to bring supporting documents to the west wing and look for window A-12, where there should be short-term rental housing that meets your requirements."
"Thank you," Morris took the opened document, paused and muttered softly, "Sorry."
After saying that, he and Fanna quickly left the counter and walked towards the next window.
"This is the first time I have done something like this," the old man couldn't help but lower his voice not long after he walked away, "I originally planned to rely on the normal document process to get this done..."
"We arrived on a ghost ship that is not allowed to exist in the world. You know, normal procedures can never solve this problem," Fanna also whispered, with a smile in her tone. "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."
.”
"...How likely do you think it is that Mr. Duncan will issue a legal ship registration certificate for the Lost Home?"
"what do you think?"
"...Okay," Morris sighed, looking at the certification documents in his hand, "Heidi shouldn't know about this - next time I encounter this situation, I would rather create a fake ticket first.
"
Vanna looked at Morris who was sighing with a half-smile. It was the first time since she was a child that she saw such a worried expression on the face of this old scholar who always "study rigorously and abide by the rules". It seemed...
Quite interesting.
…
At the same time, Agatha, who had just finished the on-site investigation and had not had time to return to the cathedral, received urgent information from her subordinates from Cemetery No. 3 on the way.
Sitting in the steam car, Agatha looked at the letter that had just been delivered to her, her eyes gradually becoming dull.
A letter of report - from the nameless visitor.
As soon as I walked away, the letter was delivered to the cemetery.
Should we lament this unexpected mistake, or should we lament the strange behavior of the "visitor"?
She put away the letter and thought quickly in her mind.
Uneasiness spread in my heart, and one thing suddenly seemed urgent.
"Turn around and go to Donggang."
The subordinate driving in front was a little surprised: "Don't we go to the cathedral first?"
"Change of plan, go to Donggang first," Agatha said decisively, "I have a bad feeling... something may want to take advantage of the opportunity to land."
The subordinate who was driving was confused, but his instinct to obey orders quickly suppressed his doubts.
The dark steam car slowed down at the next intersection, turned, and then sped towards the port area in the eastern part of the city-state.