( The common people of Crest-Hill Barony )
The common people of Crest-Hill Barony went into complete shock after they met their new Baron in-person for the first time ever.
Usually, it was easy to determine whether or not they liked an individual, however, Leo made everyone feel conflicting emotions across the Barony with his introductory speech.
He was not like the other nobles who dressed up in regal robes and had a distinctly noble accent while speaking.
However, the commoners were not sure whether or not that was a bad thing, especially because none of those silver-spooned nobles ever gave a damn about the people of Crest-Hill Barony.
His way of addressing the crowd was authoritative.
He made it clear that he was going to transform the Barony to one that suited his vision, with or without the help of the people, and this rough language made many feel conflicting emotions regarding Leo.
On one hand, they did not like his firm attitude which undermined their role in this process of change. However, on the other hand, they also understood the necessity for a leader to be headstrong, especially when taking charge of a region like the Crest-Hill Barony that was impossible to be run by weaklings.
As a result, they could not fault Leo, however, they weren't endeared to him either, which left them in a weird limbo of feeling uncertain about what to make of the New Baron.
However, while they could not make up their minds on whether or not they liked the new Baron, if there was one message that everyone understood loud and clear, it was the fact that Leo was not here to play games.
Everyone who heard him speak live felt his energy and passion and realized that the new Baron was serious about reforming this region and to try and improve the living conditions of everyone living here.
If nothing else, every single citizen could feel their hearts align behind this goal, as once Leo left, everyone walked up to the central pole and checked out the notice that he had posted there with keen interest.
"So basically the Baron has posted three different types of job openings.
An administrative job, A manufacturing job and A military job.
Every job has different qualification requirements and different starting bonuses and pay.
To be fair, this is genius!
It provides salaries that are far more generous than the current household average, however, it will cost the Baron hundreds of thousands of gold coins a month to actually fund such a generous scheme"
"This is it! I'm enrolling as a factory worker.
I'm tired of not being able to afford a meal for my family.
If the new Baron is going to pay me a silver coin a day, I'll manufacture anything that he wants me to"
"I'm signing up tomorrow itself for the new military job.
I long wanted to secure our Barony, to rid it of the bandit groups. However I was too much of a coward to do it back then.
However, with the new Baron around, I'm willing to take that job and make sure that the power vacuum left behind by these criminal groups is not replaced by a new one"
"I have completed my primary education in Doraville City.
If not for the poor health of my parents, I would currently be working in the capital city of StrongHaven, however, with a new administration job opening right here, I can perhaps explore my options to work in my birth town".
Leo's hiring notice attracted the attention of a lot of citizens, as the high signing bonus and promise of high salary, prompted many to sign up for the cause.
Since the current job market in the town was already abysmal, with neither farming nor crafting providing citizens with a stable source of income, the promise of a stable job was enough for many to sign-up.
Currently there were many who still doubted the administration's ability to pay the promised salaries, as there were a lot of instances of Baron's in the past who did not pay worker salaries for months. However, with Leo's selfless act of promising to pay off the previous administration debt with his own money, there were many who were hopeful regarding his moral character.
"The new Baron is not like those old scammers …. He said it himself, he's a warrior and not a politician!
Warriors are noble and just. And I believe that he is too" A commoner complimented, as he seemed to be completely sold on the idea of a new beginning.
"Yeah, he may be a 'just' and 'noble' warrior, however, look at the rules he posted…. They are not 'just', but simply tyrannical!
How is peeing on the side of the street or dumping household waste in a nearby food dump a 'grave crime' ?
What will a man do if he wants to take a piss urgently? Run home every time?" Another commoner complained, as he could not believe his eyes, that the punishment for compromising public hygiene was a fine of 500 gold coins, or one year in prison.
"If you have to pee urgently, then do it at your workplace or at home.
Men like you are the reason our streets smell like piss and we don't allow our kids to play in the open.
I fully support the new Baron and his rules…. I won't live in a shit-dumpster any longer" A third commoner said passionately, as he refused to accept sub-par hygiene standards, now that things were finally changing for the better.
Overall, Leo's announcement sparked a lot of heated debate and excitement amongst the commoners, as while many were skeptical and many were hopeful regarding the Barony's future, Leo managed to successfully accomplish his mission of sending the whole Barony into a state of shock and to ignite the flames of hope in even the most skeptical hearts that maybe, just maybe, this new Baron who did not look like a noble, could perhaps change their destiny.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the GT Target, good job everyone! ///