Applicants must be steady of hand, light of step, and thick of skin. Spring has reached its noisy height; labor is plentiful and occasionally alive.
1. Bee Path Surveyor
Chart the daily routes of honeybees between hives and flowers. Stings are considered “field feedback.”
Apply: Ministry of Agriculture & Garden Ethics, Hive Office, bring sketchbook and ointment.
2. Riverboat Polisher
Scrub and shine the hulls of ceremonial boats before launch. Must not daydream near edges.
Apply: Harbor Works Office, Dock 7, bell eight.
3. Town Bell Timekeeper (Apprentice)
Verify the accuracy of every bell in the capital. Requires punctuality bordering on obsession.
Apply: Bureau of Civic Chronometry, Clock Tower Entrance, east stair.
4. Public Shade Inspector
Ensure that trees and awnings provide fair and adequate shade to citizens of all stations.
Apply: Office of Environmental Comfort, Courtyard 3, midday appointments only.
5. Garden Bird Moderator
Discourage disputes among nesting birds in palace gardens. Must speak softly and tolerate gossip.
Apply: Palace Aviary Gate, bring small seed offering.
6. Lantern Polisher (Festival Season)
Polish, hang, and light paper lanterns for the coming night festivals. Singe insurance not included.
Apply: Bureau of Illumination, Lantern Yard, Booth 2.
7. Rain Ditch Monitor
Patrol the city’s water channels to ensure flow and discourage frog uprisings.
Apply: Department of Public Drainage, North Tunnel Office.
8. Traveling Book Repairer
Repair books damaged by spring damp in outlying villages. Must be literate and fond of boots.
Apply: Royal Library Dispatch Desk, request satchel and seal.
9. Garden Maze Guide
Escort visitors lost within the royal hedge maze. Must resist giving misleading directions for amusement.
Apply: Palace Grounds Office, Maze Pavilion.
10. Assistant Keeper of the Public Ducks
Feed, count, and separate ducks of questionable allegiance.
Apply: Office of Civic Fauna, Pond District Gatehouse.
11. Cloud Shape Recorder
Describe daily clouds for poetic record. Accuracy optional; imagination essential.
Apply: Bureau of Celestial Studies, Tower Roof, bring quill and lunch.
12. Apprentice Street Cobbler
Repair citizens’ footwear while they wait. Efficiency admired; judgment of odor discouraged.
Apply: Guild of Cobblers, Stall 12, Market Row.
13. Itinerant Map Corrector
Amend outdated maps by adding newly discovered potholes, taverns, and opinions.
Apply: Cartographers’ Guild, Upper Hall, Desk “Revision.”
14. Bridge Lute Player
Perform gentle airs to soothe travelers crossing the river. Fear of applause or pigeons disqualifying.
Apply: Guild of Minstrels, Table 4, before noon.
15. Deputy Inspector of Picnic Etiquette
Oversee the growing number of public picnics. Duties include verifying blanket placement and enforcing sandwich order.
Apply: Ministry of Manners & Modesty, Park Pavilion, bell ten.