"The bureau has an office here in Reyl," my father says. "My contact will come to get you shortly."

I bow to my father, "Thank you for this opportunity."

He touches my shoulder, "Adam, my son, you are ready. This is your time."

I feel some emotion stir in me.

Father sits down while I nervously think about what I'll have to do in this new line of work.

Time passes achingly slowly. But, eventually, the man arrives.

He is a tall man with black robes and a significant tan.

"Lord Kedro," the man bows.

As he rises he looks at me, "And, I presume, young lord Adam."

"It is good to see you Gilead."

My father motions to me, "This is indeed my son, Adam."

I bow.

Gilead measures me, "I hear that you are not only an acclaimed scholar but also an expert with a sword."

My father beams with pride as I say, "I have practiced almost my entire life."

The bureaucrat smiles, "That is good to know."

His eyes find the seal bound to my neck.

"You have all the credentials necessary. So, I ask you, do you want to serve the Census Bureau?"

I bow again, "It would be my honor."

"Well then," he says. "Let's not stand on ceremony. I commission you as my secretary."

I'm startled by the suddenness of his declaration.

"Lord Kedro," he bows a final time to my father before turning to the door.

I look on, confused.

My father smiles and motions for me to follow the man.

As we exit the estate, it occurs to me that I don't know when I will return.

Gilead walks on through Reyl's streets with me silently following.

I wonder where I'm being led as he navigates his way to the Southeast.

"The number of citizens in the South lands is difficult to measure," he says. "Getting the necessary information has been difficult with the insurrection."

I feel some anxiety to be traveling to the region.

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If I should become tangled up in the revolution...

I put such thoughts out of my mind.

Gilead carries on, "Not every recruit gets sent out here on their first assignment. But, in you, I see someone who stands apart."

I keep my silence.

Day passes into the night as we walk.

I can't help but be impressed by this man's fortitude.

I augment my body with chi to carry on for long hours. But, I don't catch a wisp of spiritual energy from the man.

Our lodging for the night is the dirt at our feet.

This is not the typical civil service job.

On and on we walk the following day until we reach a small village.

My senior counts the buildings and has me tally the number on a scroll.

As we navigate the village, one house is better maintained than the rest.

We come up to the door and knock.

A grizzled old man opens the door and looks out.

"Excuse us, sir," Gilead says. "We were hoping to meet the chief of this village."

The old man scratches his chin through his beard.

"That would be me."

Gilead bows, "Sir, we are with the census bureau of the Karas kingdom. We would like to inquire about the population of your village."

The old man nods.

"Come on in. Would you like some tea?"

Gilead smiles, "We would, sir. Thank you."

Tea is poured for us and we sit on the floor.

The old man pulls out a tome and sifts through it.

"Here it is," he says. "455."

He closes the book and settles on the floor across from us.

"And, when was your number last updated?"

"Ah, it's up to date, young man. Just added a baby to the roster last year.

Gilead smiles as he has me write down the number on a scroll.

"Can you also tell me the number of families here?"

The old man sighs and takes up the book again, "113."

This questioning continues for some time, and I catch the old man's growing impatience.

"Thank you for your assistance."

The old man looks relieved as Gilead stands.

He wastes no time in leading us to the door.

The door slams shut behind us.

My mentor smiles, "That went well."

I chuckle as I look over the statistics we received.

I had no idea that there was so much data that the government recorded.

We leave the village and carry on with our journey.

Not every village that we pass is so easy to gather information from.

One such village requires us to go door to door.

About half of the residences open up to us.

I notice several resentful eyes watching us as we move around.

This far South, there is heavy distrust, and anger, at the Karas government.

In one village, we laboriously go from door to door.

I feel them as they approach.

20 or so peasants with farm tools in hand corner us at a house.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. How can I help you?"

I admire Gilead's composure at a time like this.

"You're dogs of the Jal, aren't you?" one gruff-looking man asks.

Gilead nods, "We serve the ruling government of Karas.

A bereaved woman comes forward. "Your masters took my daughter as a slave!"

Several voices echo the experience.

"My fellow countrymen. My associate and I hold nothing but goodwill towards you.

"Our service is for the good of all."

"You lying mongrel!"

Gilead sighs.

"Very well, we will leave your village in peace."

The mob is uncertain for a moment.

"Like hell, you will. You'll die here and now!"

The masses are on fire as they charge Gilead and me.

My mentor weaves his way around pitchforks and scythes. His palms slam into the back of heads and kicks sweep the feet out from under the peasants.

One man charges me with a hand sickle.

I catch him by the wrist and shove him back into the mass of people.

Time and again, someone breaks ranks to attack us.

But, gradually, fear begins to show on the faces of the men and women.

At our feet lie those brave souls who had rushed to the front line.

Gilead straightens his robes in the long moment of tension.

"We will leave your village now."

The peasants make a hole for us as we move through them.

I put the battle behind me. No one died.

As we pass from the village, Gilead says, "I did not realize you were skilled in the unarmed arts."

He looks at me warmly, "This is good."

"Swords make conflict more dangerous and may make the citizens hold greater animosity toward us. We must be restrained in our treatment of them."

I nod my understanding.