Her voice has never been loud, yet it carries a kind of chill that leaves no room for distraction.
"First item, case filing status." She opened the ledger, and the clerks imdiately picked up their pens. "A total of seventy-one cases were filed by the Inspection Departnt this year."
Soone on the tiered seats took a gentle breath; this number ant that a case was uncovered almost every four days.
Erin continued: "The cases verified and executed for punishnt are as follows..."
She read them out one by one: "Embezzlent of disaster relief grain, thirty-one cases; withholding of spring planting seeds, twenty-two cases; unauthorized tax setups, covertly collecting reconstruction fees, twelve cases; harboring Evil God worship, six cases, including five altars."
When "Evil God worship" was ntioned, the entire hall noticeably grew colder, as if the chill seeped into their skin.
Most of the people present had experienced the insect disaster, sothing that could not be lightly ntioned.
Erin closed the first half of the ledger and continued: "Second item, punishnt thods. Imdiate dismissal of sixty-three people; public shackling for nineteen individuals; legal execution of nineteen people."
She paused, then opened the last page: "Among them, the most egregious case involves a Red Tide official responsible for aid supplies.
Having accepted a bribe from the local Lord, he embezzled grain distribution for two whole months, forcing disaster victims to sell their children for food, and was promptly executed by the Inspection Departnt."
"Third item, ledger implentation status. This year marks the first ti in the Northern Territory that ledger formatting has been unified, open, and transparent."
Erin turned the pages and continued the report: "Fifty-four territories fully integrated into the Red Tide system, execution in place. Thirty semi-cooperative territories executed only half, with massive data inconsistencies.
Territories refusing to cooperate have decreased from sixteen to eight, but all eight have no ledgers or have directly falsified them."
A small commotion erged from the tiered seats. Clearly, these eight territories were stubborn thorns in the Red Tide system.
Erin lifted her gaze and looked at Louis: "The Inspection Departnt suggests that starting from spring, we implent comprehensive ledger control over the eight non-cooperating territories and replace their leaders and town officials.
As for the eight non-cooperating Lords, freeze their personal lord dividends, revoke Red Tide-granted warehouse rights and mining rights, and prohibit them from leaving the country until ledger integration is complete.
Additionally, we suggest halting all disaster relief and spring planting aid, listing them on the Red Tide blacklist, and no longer allowing them to enjoy priority rights for grain, trade routes, and mining within the Red Tide system.
For the thirty semi-cooperative territories, the Inspection Departnt suggests halving their dividends and suspending their priority trade routes and priority warehouse rights until ledger execution ets standards."
She paused again and supplented: "All these punishnts are within the scope permitted by the contract."
Once these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall seed to lower another degree.
The officials present could all understand that this was a severe blow to the Lord themselves.
Louis listened, not hesitating: "Granted."
Everyone present understood that once this order was given, the eight territories had no retreat, and the thirty semi-cooperative territories had no room for ambiguity.
While the atmosphere lingered in the aftermath of the punishnt decision, Education Director Lanna stood up from the tiered seats.
Holding the education booklet embossed with feather pen patterns, she walked to the long table, saluted, then raised her head.
"Lord, the Education Departnt’s cultural integration and infrastructure achievents for this year are presented as follows."
Her voice was not as cold as Erin’s nor as steady as Bradley’s, but with a clarity and softness unique to educators.
Yet at this mont, no one regarded her as a kind teacher.
After all, Louis had said that the roots of Red Tide must be planted in the children, and the weight of this departnt is no lighter than granaries or mines.
"First item, establishnt of town schools." She opened the first page, and the feather pens almost simultaneously dropped beside the clerks.
"This year, a total of seventeen town schools were established. Distributed across the Desolate Mist Plain, new mining zones, Snowfield Northern line, and Harbor Southern line."
She paused: "School curricula are unified into four categories, literacy lessons using Red Tide simplified characters, arithtic lessons, tailored vocational training, and the early simplified edition of ’Red Tide Story.’"
Upon hearing "Red Tide Story," soone raised their eyebrows slightly.
Lanna explained: "Also, a formal edition of ’The Great Lord Louis,’ currently narrated as a fable to illustrate the early deeds of Red Tide, helping children understand order and mutual assistance."
She supplented: "Feedback from multiple local schools shows that children are accepting far faster than expected.
Most Northern Territory children in the past were not even fluent in speaking, but now the first batch of students can use Red Tide simplified characters to write the village’s grain ledger."
A very light whisper erged among the tiered seats, an irrepressible sense of surprise and relief.
Lanna turned to the next page: "Second item, standardization of relief ceremonies.
The porridge-serving days have all adopted Red Tide Sun patterns. Each porridge-serving site must recite one sentence, ’Red Tide and you all endure the cold winter together.’"
She lifted her head and looked at everyone: "The people have already started to associate the Red Tide flag with survival. This is the most crucial first step in cultural integration."
Lanna turned the page again: "Third item, planning for the coming year. The Education Departnt plans to, in the next year, increase territory under Red Tide system control and establish a touring teacher system, teaching literacy and basic arithtic to territories not yet integrated.
If the outco is ideal, within two years, the literacy rate of children over nine years old in Northern Territory can be raised to thirty percent, and over sixty percent in areas within the Red Tide system."
She finally closed the booklet, bowed slightly: "Above is the completion of the Education Departnt’s report."
Craftsn Director Mike stood up from his seat, his voice carrying the roughness unique to craftsn: "Lord, the Craftsn Departnt’s major achievents for this year, have exceeded the original plan.
First, forty-two bridges were newly built in the Northern Territory; old roads were repaired, totaling two hundred and thirty miles.
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