Chapter 52: 52 Demographic Structure

Chapter 52. Population Structure

Many of the freemen in Hillwood Town trace their origins back to the coalition forces of the Black Mountain territory that once suppressed the noble resistance army.

For instance, Tom, who surrendered, had a father who was a professional knight, killed during the Hillwood Town battle;

Then there's the manservant Gallen, whose father served as a logistics soldier and also perished in the war;

Although Magistrate Wilson had no connection to the coalition forces, he was once a household servant of the previous baron, somewhat similar to Chahar before becoming steward. That explains his literacy and logical approach to handling affairs.

At the moment, Wilson sat upright on a chair in the dining hall. Before him lay a bowl of thick meat broth, and in his hand he held a white loaf of bread.

"How many years has it been!"

Wilson's heart trembled slightly. He hadn't tasted such fine white bread nor savored such rich meat broth for many years.

"Praise the lord!"

He praised with each bite he took.

Receiving the lord's personal instruction to the kitchen to prepare dinner for him, Wilson, weary from a day's labor, felt instantly revitalized.

"Praise the benevolent lord!"

Having drifted through Hillwood Town for half his life without finding satisfactory work—even his attempt to serve Prynster was flatly rejected, since Prynster himself was the magistrate and needed no assistant—Wilson now felt fortunate to serve as Rooney's magistrate and, moreover, to be esteemed by the lord. He believed any effort expended for the lord was worthwhile.

Soon, Gallen arrived in the dining hall. "Mr. Wilson, the master is now available to meet you. If you're ready, you may accompany me."

"Good, I'll come right away!"

Wilson swallowed the last piece of bread, finished the remaining broth, and briskly stood up, following Gallen.

In the study, the magistrate met Rooney and offered a heartfelt greeting upfront.

Rooney gestured for him to sit on a nearby chair. "Coming to find me so late, perhaps the census matter is already completed?"

"Yes, sir. Apart from you and those who came with you from Black Mountain Fort, all residents of Hillwood Town have been registered!"

Wilson said, pulling a large scroll of parchment from his chest and respectfully placing it on the desk.

Rooney took the parchment. It clearly recorded, by household, each person's name, gender, age, and profession in great detail.

He flipped through several pages, noting Wilson's handwriting was exceptionally clear and neat, avoiding any sense of disorder.

"To complete the census in less than two days—your efficiency impresses me!"

His gaze turned to Wilson. "Choosing you as my magistrate indeed proved a correct decision."

Faced with such praise, Wilson remained modest. "Thank you for your trust, sir!"

Rooney clapped his hands, applauding for him, then redirected the topic back to the parchment scroll.

Although detailed, these were merely raw data. To extract useful value from them required further processing.

This data processing task naturally fell to the magistrate; Rooney wouldn't spend time on it himself—why hire people otherwise?

"Registering this information is just the first step. Next, I need you to organize this data."

Rooney stated, "For example, segment by age groups and count the numbers in each; categorize by profession and tally them separately; calculate the number of unmarried men and women of suitable age, etc."

These categorizations were meaningful.

For instance, regarding "unmarried men and women of suitable age"—if the gender ratio was severely unbalanced, leaving many suitable men unmarried, Rooney, as lord, would need to consider sourcing suitable women to address the singles issue among residents.

Wilson noted all these requirements as subsequent tasks. He also felt somewhat proud, having performed preliminary screening after registration.

"Sir, please look at the last page."

"Oh?"

Noticing the magistrate's expression hinting "please praise me," Rooney curiously retrieved the last page of parchment:

【Total Population】：1993 persons

【Number of Households】：543

【14 years and younger】：410 persons

【14~20 years】：416 persons

【20~30 years】：505 persons

【30~40 years】：346 persons

【40~50 years】：243 persons

【50 years and older】：73 persons

【Serfs】：1356

【Free Tenants】：609

【Other Professionals】：28

Thus, Wilson had already segmented the population by age groups.

Rooney looked at the magistrate, his eyes naturally filled with praise. "Anticipating my thoughts, Wilson—you've done excellently!"

"Sir, you flatter me!"

Wilson smiled humbly in response. "I only considered part of what you thought, missing many aspects."

"Don't be modest. The completion of this task exceeded my expectations!"

Rooney believed in punishing poor performance and praising good work. "I believe magistrate is just your starting point. Work diligently; there will be opportunities to become my advisor later."

In this world, official ranks weren't precisely delineated into grades like first, second, or third tier, but Rooney planned to design a system.

For instance, regarding territory administrators, he currently envisioned three levels: clerk, magistrate, and xx advisor.

Clerk equated to magistrate's assistant;

Levels comparable to magistrate included tax officer, defense officer, etc.;

At the advisor level, similar distinctions would exist.

For Wilson and others, the most direct perception was advancement, leading to increased salary.

This way, they'd have hope and motivation to climb upward.

Indeed, upon hearing Rooney mention "advisor," Wilson's eyes brightened.

Although unsure what an advisor entailed, it sounded higher than magistrate, surely with substantial benefits.

"Sir, I will strive!"

"I look forward to it!"

Rooney gestured for him to sit while he meticulously examined the data.

First, the population count greatly satisfied him.

Totaling 1993 persons, plus the guards, Macken, and Elron he brought, the population reached 2025.

The achievement 【Population Prosperity】 required registered territory population to reach three thousand. Though still short by over nine hundred, it wasn't too distant.

In addition, Ronin observed the age distribution. If those aged 15 to 40 were considered the prime working population, there were 1,267 individuals, accounting for 63% of the total population.

This was a very favorable proportion!

Furthermore, there were 410 children, comprising 20%, which was also quite satisfactory.

The only thing that surprised Ronin was the number of people over fifty, which had plummeted dramatically.

That age could indeed be considered elderly.

After all, there was no saying here like "an elder in the household is like a treasure," and the elderly had no benefits to rely on.

Those over fifty experienced a rapid decline in physical strength and health due to the hardships endured in youth, yet pressured by survival, they still had to engage in heavy labor.

As a result, the increase in mortality among the elderly was expected.

Though harsh, this was reality.

Even as the lord, Ronin could not change this situation in the short term.

"This statistical report is good."

Ronin praised it once more, "Tomorrow, take some time to delve deeper into these data based on the categories I mentioned earlier."

Data delving?

Wilson had never heard such a term, but understanding it from context, he memorized this concept invented by the lord, thinking he could boast about it to those who didn't understand later.

"Additionally, I will go to Horsemaster City in two days."

Ronin neatly arranged the parchment, "Before I return, there is one more task I need you to handle."

(End of chapter)