22  At The City Speaker's House, they sat down for a good meal.  There was good music, and the local girls and boys put on a dance play that was quite good. It was a representation of The Dove's story, and The Voice enjoyed it thoroughly.
    23  As the engineer of the project was sitting by him, The Voice asked him many questions, casually mentioning the number of foreign workers.
    24  "It's a pity," explained the engineer, "I sent letters to all the cities, telling them I would need workers, and what positions needed to be filled, that the salary for common labor would be twenty-five coppers a week, plus food and shelter, the food being two good meals a day; lunch and dinner.  But I did not get half the laborers I needed, so I had to hire foreigners.
    25  You know how it is....everybody complains about lack of work, but when a chance comes along for some good labor, suddenly they have weak backs, or, bad legs, and would prefer to live off the Church."
    26  The Voice nodded in agreement, but in his heart was doubt. In the morning The Voice rose early, wrote three letters- one to Gray Deer, one to Gentle Bear, and one to Bold Fox, asking them about the engineer's request for workers, telling them what he had been told.  Then he took the letters to Gray Boar.
    27  "I have a couple of favors to ask of you," he requested, "one, will you send these letters for me under official status?  I need immediate replies."
    28  Gray Boar took the letters.  "They'll leave within the hour!"  he assured.  "What else do you need?"
    29  "I need to have the foreign workers on the project asked some questions discreetly," The Voice continued.
    30  Gray Boar pulled a cord hanging on the wall. The Voice noticed there were several.  Somewhere in the distance he heard a bell ring, and in a moment Swift Goat appeared in the door.
    31  "Take The Voice to your office," instructed Gray Boar. "I think he's got some work for Yellow Blossom."
    32  The Warlock nodded, and as they proceeded down the hall The Voice told him what he wanted.
    33  "No sense stopping in my office," said The Warlock. They made their way down a corridor into a passageway and down another corridor.
    34  Stopping at a door Swift Goat knocked.  A young woman in a peasant dress of the mountain people opened the door. She did not salute, but Swift Goat saluted her.
    35  "This is Yellow Blossom Toad," introduced Swift Goat.  "She's the head of my field agents. She can arrange what you want. Yellow Blossom, this is The Voice.  He wants some questions asked of the foreign workers discreetly.  He wants to know how much they're making.  Report DIRECTLY to him!"
    36  "You know I'm right in the middle of this Serpent Clan thing," the woman argued.  "This is going to take agents and time. Can I have a couple of more days on that?"
    37  Swift Goat smiled. "No!" he snapped, turned, and left the room.  The woman went back to her desk, sat down, took out some parchment and began to write.
    38  "That man's impossible," she moaned, "he asks the impossible!  I've only got six agents for this whole damned district.  We're about to pull the biggest drug raid in history, and we've got to stop and ask workers about wages?"
    39  The Voice noticed the woman's uniform hanging neatly on the wall. "You're going out without a uniform?" he asked.
    40  "Of course!" the woman told him.  "NO field agent wears a uniform on duty.  How would we infiltrate The Hoods or other gangs wearing our uniforms?  Didn't they tell you I'm Secret Service?"
    41  The Voice had heard of this new branch of the Army, but he had never met an operative. "Your Guardian works much like us," she said, "only THEY'RE CIVILIANS and NOT LEGAL!"  She emphasized the 'not legal' and gave him a dirty look.  "O.k.," she said, "you want to know how much they're making...do you want to know how they're being housed and fed, too?"
    42  "Yes," agreed the Voice, "I didn't think of that, but it's a good idea!"
    43  "You know, it's funny," Yellow Blossom commented, "I've been thinking about asking permission to go into this. Some of my people heard some rumors and complaints, but with all the other things going on I haven't had time!  This should only take a couple of days. I'll bring the information to you as soon as I have it."
    44  The Voice thanked her and left.  He returned to his normal duties. He found the work in the city in good order.  The people were obedient to The Law.  There was a small temple of Tr in the city, a few Oners, but they had no temple.  The rest of the city followed the Lords.

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