Forward Thinking

"Firstly, I need to register everyone in the city. I need to know the exact population of Yale City.

"For one month, the city hall will distribute grains for free. During this period, I need you guys to work and of course, I will pay wages for your effort. After one month, you can use the work income to buy grains."

After Wang Lun finished speaking, he squinted and swept a glance at the crowd, smiling faintly.

"No problem. It's the right thing for us to do. We agree!" The refugees quickly responded, and all of them agreed with the terms.

Wang Lun nodded and continued, "First, I need a group of men who are capable of building houses. We have to build houses on the vacant lots around the city and make sure everyone has a place to live in."

"I'll sign up. I've built houses before…"

"I used to be a carpenter…"

Upon hearing the passionate responses from the crowd, Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction and added: "In addition, I need a group of strong, young men to serve as guards for the city hall…

"The city hall also needs to recruit literates to assist me in running Yale City…

"As for the rest of you, I will assign you some land and seeds, and you will be responsible for growing crops. As soon as the crops mature, you'll need to send a small portion over to the city hall. You can keep the rest of them."

After Wang Lun finished speaking, the refugees became even more thrilled.

They could see that Wang Lun was sincere in developing Yale City, and that he wanted to give them a good life.

In an instant, countless people signed up, and the smile on Wang Lun's face turned wider. He instructed Bran to check the background and skills of these people, and those who met the conditions were hired on the spot.

All of a sudden, a young, blond lady with a pale complexion and clad in ragged clothes carefully walked toward Wang Lun, knelt on the ground, and asked in a soft voice: "My lord, I am literate and wish to join the city hall. Do you think I'm qualified enough?"

Wang Lun looked at the young lady, whose face was covered in filthy dirt, in surprise. But despite that, she had a great figure.

And her pair of azure eyes were also mesmerizing.

This young lady, in particular, had a kind of aura that was clearly different from the other refugees, which aroused Wang Lun's curiosity.

"Get up first. Tell me about your background."

The blond young lady slowly got up to her feet, but didn't dare look directly at Wang Lun. She trembled and spoke in a whisper: "My name is Lucy. I used to be the princess of a small kingdom. But the war happened and our kingdom was destroyed, which was how I ended up here."

Wang Lun wasn't surprised. In this era of war and chaos, there should be quite a number of exiled princesses like her.

He smiled and said, "Yes, since you used to be a princess, you should be more knowledgeable than the rest. In that case, stay close to me from now on."

Upon hearing his words, Lucy was elated. She nodded repeatedly, grateful to Wang Lun for taking her in.

At the same time, near the city hall stood several brightly-dressed merchants, former nobles of Yale City. Although their families had fallen from grace, their names still had a bit of legacy left. They continued living in Yale City under the protection of their respective guards.

They looked at Wang Lun in disdain, curled their lips, and criticized, "This new baron is interesting. But he is too indulged in his fantasy."

"With so many untouchables in Yale City, he will go bankrupt by just feeding them. And yet, he still tries to develop the city and grow crops. How naive of him."

"Let's make a bet. I think he's somewhat capable, so I'll give him a maximum of one month before he flees in disgrace. If he wants to get into the mess that is Yale City, he'll have to do his homework first."

"Haha, my friend, you think too highly of him. I think half a month is enough to take a toll on him."

"We shall see then. Whoever loses, hand over 30 slaves and 10 maids, how about that?"

The several merchants habitually started a wager, all ready to watch as the new baron took responsibility for his ignorance.

Wang Lun turned to Hallmark beside him and said, "Hallmark, you are my only knight. You will be in charge of training them. I want a competent army of guards."

Hallmark nodded, placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly, saying, "I will not disappoint you, my lord."

"All right. Go to the side and register those who are interested in becoming guards!"

Wang Lun patted Hallmark's shoulder.

Hallmark immediately lifted and waved that strong arm of his, yelling, "Those who want to join the guards come over here."

Some of the stronger men in the crowd followed his lead and moved into position.

"Bran," Wang Lun called out.

"My lord!"

"Since you're familiar with Yale City, you'll be in charge of all the general affairs. But right now, you need to finish registering the construction workers first!"

"Yes, my lord."

Wang Lung turned around and nodded, "Lucy, although you were once a princess…"

At that moment, his words were interrupted.

"I understand, my lord! I will obey everything you say!"

Lucy was so afraid that Wang Lun would go back on his word that she immediately responded.

Wang Lun replied, "Good. I shall give you a position as my personal assistant."

Since he had promised to keep her around, it was necessary to give her an official position.

Wang Lun put his hand on his hip, took a deep breath, and scanned the surroundings. Then, his gaze stopped on a few merchants who were laughing and chatting away.

Just by looking at their appearances, Wang Lun could already guess their identities. He nodded subconsciously.

One of the merchants pointed in Wang Lun's direction, turned toward him, and nodded in response.

Their eyes 'wished' him good luck in a satirical manner.

Hallmark quickly returned to Wang Lun's side.

"My lord, the guards have all been registered."

Wang Lun turned around with his brows furrowed. "That's fast."

"Yes."

Hallmark handed Wang Lun a piece of parchment, on which was apparently a list of future guards' names.

"100?" Wang Lun was puzzled, "There are only 100 of them in the whole city?"

"Most of the able-bodied men have been enslaved."

Hallmark explained.

I'm afraid 100 guards will be insufficient to even patrol the entire city…

The corners of Wang Lun's lips revealed a hint of self-mockery.

"Hey! Bran, how's the situation?"

"My Lord, the construction workers are here."

Bran stretched out his arm and drew a circle at the crowd behind him.

"We're not in a hurry, anyway," Wang Lun whispered to reassure himself.

"Listen up, everyone! What I am about to announce is regarding everyone's monthly allowance."

Wang Lun's words instantly stirred up a wave of voices.

"Allowance?"

"Oh my God, did you hear that?"

"I can't believe this."

These people who had difficulty affording grains couldn't believe that this was real. Not only were they just provided with meals, but they would also be receiving allowance?

Is this man sent by God to save us?

"Each of you will receive a minimum of 50 bronze coins a month. Of course, you will still receive a separate wage for your jobs."

"Quiet, quiet!" The uproar in the crowd gave Wang Lun a massive headache. "I have another point to make, and that is the proportion of currencies."

In an instant, the crowd returned to a state of calm silence, waiting for the baron in front of them to continue his announcements.

Wang Lun exhaled and added, "Now, one gold coin equals 100 silver coins. One silver coin can be exchanged for 100 copper coins. And five copper coins can afford you one pound of grain."

"This means that I can buy 10 pounds of grain in one month, God!"

"We will also be paid for our jobs, and the wages will definitely be worth much more!"

While everyone jumped for joy, Bran sized Wang Lun up in amazement.

Wang Lun's management ability had far exceeded his imagination. After being fed by Wang Lun, everyone was willing to work for him. This fact alone couldn't help but leave Bran lingering in fear.