King withing the Shadows
The general reaction to his announcement was an outburst. Most civilians thought that the government was making fun of them because it was unlikely that the mysterious boss of the Orion Artisan Guild and the Onyx Association would do whatever he pleased.
Thus, most civilians started to hate the government even more than they already did before, only to be baffled upon hearing that the government made an official statement which revealed that they had nothing to do with Nial's announcement.
Most civilians were confused but they trusted the mysterious man who had helped them various times. They believed his words and didn't think about it any further. It was not possible that someone as good and generous as the mysterious man who helped them so often would do something bad.