Ch'en turned back to look at the small group of Sarkaz and asked Flandre once more for her input on whether taking them in was truly feasible.
Before Flandre could answer, Hong Meiling raised her arm, pointing toward the rolling horizon beyond the valley. "Sister Ch'en, if Lungmen is concerned about security risks, why not settle them right here in the nearby basin?"
Not far off stood a fortified Lungmen Guard Department frontier outpost.
"The outpost can monitor the area while providing them with a safety net," Meiling explained, leaning slightly against her broad posture. "There's a river, ample greenery, and fertile soil—farming and livestock won't be an issue. As for the younger Sarkaz, they can be enrolled in the technical vocational schools in Lungmen's outer civilian districts, granting them a day of leave each week to return home and visit their families."
She turned toward Ch'en with an earnest expression. "If they perform well and complete their studies, we could even recommend them to Rhodes Island for advanced medical or technical training. Of course, given the general wariness surrounding the Sarkaz, these terms must be laid out clearly in an official agreement. They must strictly obey school rules and the laws of Great Yan."
Meiling paused, her voice taking on a firmer edge. "Lungmen should enforce a higher standard for them. If the rate of misconduct among these children exceeds a set threshold—say, a third or half of them getting expelled for breaking the law—Lungmen reclaims the land and revokes their residency immediately."
Ch'en stood quietly, mulling over the proposal.
Meiling's suggestion was remarkably pragmatic. It offered the refugees a life-saving sanctuary while placing clear, enforceable bounds upon them. Whether adult or child, as long as they sincerely wanted to lay down roots here, the strict conditions would compel them to learn and respect the laws of Great Yan.
Ch'en summoned several nearby Guard Department officers, laid out Meiling's framework alongside her own preliminary ideas, and quickly drafted a temporary administrative measure on her tablet.
Because the Sarkaz refugees were largely illiterate, Ch'en walked through the terms clause by clause, explaining everything in plain language.
To her surprise, the Sarkaz didn't look sullen or disgruntled upon hearing the strict conditions; their hollow, weary eyes actually lit up with genuine gratitude.
The logic was simple. If Lungmen had bothered to draft such a detailed, structured arrangement, it meant they actually intended to integrate them. They weren't going to be dumped into some barren, radioactive wilderness to die, which was what usually happened when other territories claimed to "accept" Sarkaz refugees.
Furthermore, they could hardly believe their ears—Lungmen was offering their children a chance to attend formal schools and learn how to read! Literacy was a luxury most lower-class Sarkaz could never dream of acquiring in their entire lives.
In that single moment, every adult Sarkaz in the camp shared the exact same sentiment: unwavering, profound loyalty.
As for the strict rules and threats of collective eviction? That meant nothing to them. If any reckless brat dared to misbehave and jeopardize this precious future, the parents wouldn't even wait for Lungmen guards to step in—they would thrash the kid within an inch of his life themselves. Before such a life-altering opportunity, individual mischief was an unforgivable betrayal.
The basic terms of the resettlement pact were settled in short order.
However, a practical obstacle immediately presented itself. Most of these refugees were so destitute and uneducated that they lacked actual formal surnames—or even proper given names. Most only went by crude, monosyllabic epithets or situational codenames, making official registration in Lungmen's household ledger nearly impossible.
While the administrative officer frowned over the blank registry forms, Flandre looked out at the surrounding landscape. Seeing the towering peak behind the outpost and the clear stream winding through the basin, a spark of inspiration flashed in her scarlet eyes.
"I have an idea!" Flandre raised her hand high into the air.
"Oh?" Ch'en chuckled softly, not expecting a revolutionary administrative insight from the little vampire, but unwilling to dampen her spirits. "What's on your mind, Sister Flandre?"
Flandre pointed toward the flowing water and the rugged slopes. "All the male Sarkaz can take the surname 'Mountain,' and all the female Sarkaz can take the surname 'Water'! Then we can just attach their existing codenames as their given names. Wouldn't that work?"
The household registration officer standing nearby froze, then gasped as his eyes lit up. "That's actually brilliant! Simple, distinct, and completely logical! It instantly categorizes their gender on paper without forcing them to abandon the names they've used their whole lives. Plus, a two-character structure fits Lungmen's standard naming conventions perfectly!"
Ch'en stared at Flandre in surprise before reaching out and affectionately ruffling her blonde hair. "Well, look at you! Your little head works pretty fast. How did you come up with a system like that?"
Flandre puffed out her chest, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. "I read about it in a book! A long time ago, ordinary people in Higashi didn't have surnames either. When the government did a big registry reform, everyone was ordered to pick a family name. Since normal folks didn't know fancy words, they just named themselves after whatever physical landmark was near their house!"
Ch'en clapped her hands together, a warm grin breaking across her face. "That is historical fact. But pulling that out of your memory at a moment like this—Sister Flandre, you really are impressive!"
Flandre let out a proud, cheerful giggle.
When the Guard Department explained the naming convention to the refugees, the Sarkaz were stunned for a moment, then eagerly nodded in agreement. Taking on a geographic surname wasn't a burden at all; if anything, having a proper, formal name made them feel like actual civilized citizens for the first time in their lives.
With the naming standard established, the registration officer pulled out his stylus and began inputting their data line by line. Ch'en stood off to the side, her eyes scanning the ragged group in silent contemplation.
After a few moments of thought, she signaled one of her subordinates to fetch the sentry squad captain from the hilltop outpost.
When the captain arrived, Ch'en laid out the entire resettlement plan and asked for his tactical perspective.
The sentry captain looked over the terrain, then glanced up toward the heavily fortified ridge where his men were stationed. "Topographically, it's feasible. This basin has been uninhabited buffer land for years. Letting these Sarkaz settle here isn't an issue for us."
He turned back to Ch'en, his voice hardening slightly. "However, you must make one thing absolute clear to them: the mountain peak where our outpost sits is a strict military zone. If any of them cross the perimeter, my guards are authorized to fire without warning under border defense protocols."
"How about establishing a five-hundred-meter buffer zone?" Ch'en suggested, pointing to the terrain. "We mark a boundary line starting two hundred meters from the base of the ridge leading out toward this valley. Anything beyond that line is off-limits."
"That works," the captain nodded.
The basin sat in a natural depression. From the high vantage point of the outpost, the entire settlement would be under direct, line-of-sight surveillance twenty-four hours a day. Any suspicious gathering or sudden movement would be spotted instantly.
After considering the setup, the captain looked at Ch'en with a complex expression. "The outpost side can handle this; it's already our patrol zone, so we'll just step up watch duty. But are you truly certain it's wise to let Sarkaz settle so close to Lungmen's threshold?"
Ch'en stared down at her leather gloves, silent for a brief moment, before looking up with steady determination. "I can't say for certain if it's the right choice. But precisely because no one knows, shouldn't we try? Neither Lungmen's charter nor Yan's laws explicitly forbid taking in Sarkaz refugees. If this small step can help ease the long-standing friction between our city and Kazdel, isn't it worth the risk?"
The sentry captain studied her face for a long second, letting out a quiet sigh. "That is a long, treacherous road you're choosing to walk, Superintendent."
"Maybe," Ch'en replied, a faint, resolute smile touching her lips. "But someone has to take the first step, don't they?"
While Ch'en was finalizing the administrative details with the garrison, Flandre and Sister Meiling strolled slowly through the bustling camp, weaving through the ragged crowd of Sarkaz as the registration process got underway.