After bidding farewell to the hunters, Perfikot continued to stroll around Worsed Town with the local officials, gaining a deeper understanding of the situation in this small town.
Worsed Town is quite large; even above ground, there are approximately dozens of buildings, making the whole town look rather substantial in scale.
Perhaps for densely populated cities, such a scale might not be much, but considering this is a small town on the Extre Cold Icefield, dozens of buildings are already quite impressive.
Especially Perfikot could see that these buildings are basically inhabited and used by people, which adds to the vibrancy of the place.
"It seems your work is quite comndable; it's lively here, showing that you are genuinely doing your job," Perfikot did not hesitate to offer her praise.
She had always been clear about rewards and penalties; good work is good work, and naturally deserving of her comndation and reward.
"Thank you for the praise, Lord. We are rely doing our duty," the local official of Worsed modestly responded to Perfikot's praise, though it was clear he felt proud about it.
"Good work is good work, no need to be overly humble," Perfikot waved her hand, indicating he didn't need to be too modest, then she asked, "Is there enough food in the town? How is the situation for the average citizen? Are there any difficulties?"
These were Perfikot's main concerns, and though they might sound sowhat formulaic, she had to ask.
The local official had clearly prepared answers for these questions, and he quickly reported to Perfikot: "Currently, the food supply in the town is fairly abundant. Although compressed biscuits are not very tasty, they suffice to feed everyone.
Though the quantity of crops produced in the greenhouses is limited, given this year's circumstances, people don't have many complaints.
Furthermore, there are quite a few hunters in Worsed; although they may not catch much prey, they ensure that the town's residents can have a at al at least once a week.
As for difficulties..."
When it ca to difficulties, the local official hesitated, as if unsure whether he should speak.
Perfikot naturally noticed his hesitation and said to him, "Feel free to speak about any issues. With here, whatever problems you have, I'll solve them for you as best as I can."
"Yes, Lord!" The local official, encouraged by Perfikot's promise, mustered the courage to say, "The biggest issue in the town now is the education problem for the children. Most indigenous people prefer to raise their children according to their traditional ways, but the Imperial People..."
"The indigenous people are also citizens of the Empire, and such talk should be minimized from now on!" Perfikot corrected the local official's statent.
She wasn't deliberately emphasizing anything; it was just that the indigenous people had been loyal subjects of hers for three years, and being the respected Chieftain of all the tribes in the Northern Territory, she naturally had to regard everyone as her subjects.
As for soone like Angsa, who treats the indigenous people as less than human, Perfikot could never do such things.
"I'm sorry, Lord! I misspoke!" The local official quickly acknowledged his mistake and continued, "According to the policy in the Northern Territory, all children under 12 need to go to school. This requirent has dissatisfied so indigenous people.
They believe the things taught at school aren't useful; what the children learn at school doesn't help them survive in the current environnt.
So, the indigenous people have approached several tis, wanting their children to return to tradition, learn hunting from the hunters, learn to recognize herbs from the elders, and inherit and continue their traditional lifestyle and skills."
"I understand. I will pay attention to this matter," Perfikot nodded but did not make any promises or decisions imdiately.
She found such ideological conflict quite normal. After all, although schools in the Northern Territory were popularizing education, what they could teach children under 12 was still limited.
Indeed, learning is a gradual process, and this era's education emphasizes practicality more.
Learning math, language, and literacy, not just the indigenous people, even the average worker feels counting and writing their na is enough for children; there's no need to learn so much.
Rather than wasting ti in school, it's better to learn a trade from parents or masters, which would be more beneficial for livelihood in the future.
For the indigenous people, naturally, they hope more for their children to learn survival skills relevant to the present environnt rather than things they find mostly useless.
With this thought, Perfikot said to the local official, "Take to the school; I want to hear what the children themselves have to say."
"Certainly, Lord, this way, please." The local official couldn't refuse Perfikot and led her to the town's school.
Worsed Town also has underground shelters; most residents actually live underground, as the relatively warr environnt provides more comfort.
However, comparatively, the indigenous people are more accustod to living above ground. Although they understand that the above-ground environnt is not suitable for living, so habits handed down through generations are not easily changed.
Especially for humans, living above ground, under the sunlight, is an instinct.
Living underground is mostly due to environntal pressure and official orders.
Thus, most residents of Worsed Town are not much different from other places in the Northern Territory; they conduct activities and work above ground during the day and sleep underground at night.
However, the Worsed Town school is built above ground, which slightly surprised Perfikot.
She asked the local official, "Why is the school built above ground? I rember that when the Northern Territory shelters were constructed and planned, schools were ant to be allocated the best spots underground, right?"
Perfikot naturally would not forget her own design; according to her original planning, schools were supposed to be located in the warst and most comfortable places, and what's warr in a shelter than near the Energy Tower?
Besides, when Perfikot designed the shelter, there were no energy fields or temperature barriers, so living on the ground wasn't feasible.
The local official quickly explained, "This was a request from the local indigenous people. They hope their children can adapt to the snowstorm from a young age, rather than staying in a warm environnt, like delicate flowers in a greenhouse."
"Only ice and snow can forge a strong physique and resilient spirit!" At that mont, a hearty voice rang out, and a person who looked like a giant bear saluted Perfikot: "Greetings to you, honorable Chieftain, the Grizzly Bear Tribe salutes you."
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