"Don't you need jobs?"
"Windy City is such a large city, surely you aren't worried about not being able to provide enough positions. Aren't you undermining me?"
"If the city I govern cannot even provide jobs for its citizens,"
"Isn't that a sign of utter incompetence?"
Chen Yu smiled, spreading his hands wide, gazing at the hopeful glint in their eyes as dreams of the future began to flicker to life. His smile widened.
"Jobs, I will provide!"
His resonant words echoed through the city. The moment Chen Yu raised his arms, the cavalry instantly sprang into action, posting the pre-prepared recruitment information on the public bulletin board.
"Can someone look and tell us what it says?"
Refugees farther from the bulletin board craned their necks, many among them unable to read. They hoped that someone literate would relay the news to them.
"Holy crap!"
"Is this for real?"
Someone near the front couldn't help but exclaim.
"What is it? What is it?" many refugees pressed, their voices urgent. The person who had exclaimed parted their lips, pointing at the bulletin board. "I don't recognize all of it, but I think I saw... the lowest paying job listed is thirty copper coins."
"Thirty coins?"
The refugees frowned upon hearing this.
What was this?
They were trying to bleed them dry.
In their previous cities, even those in dire straits could earn dozens of copper coins a month. Thirty coins seemed far too low.
For a moment, the refugees who heard this saw their favorable impression of the impassioned Chen Yu plummet to an all-time low.
He sounded so inspiring, but turned out to be an even more ruthless slave owner.
"What can you even do with thirty copper coins?"
"Exactly! That meager amount probably isn't enough to eat. And if they're offering such low wages, their hearts must be black. They'll probably make us work harder than slaves."
"We're refugees, not slaves!"
The refugees murmured amongst themselves. The one who had exclaimed earlier quickly waved his hands, shaking his head.
"No, no, no, that's not it, you've all misunderstood. These thirty copper coins... that's the daily wage, a day's pay, not a month's!"
"What?"
Instantly, the surrounding refugees erupted.
"A daily wage of thirty copper coins?" The refugee's eyes widened as he looked at the literate refugee. "Friend, are you sure you're not mistaken? Thirty coins for a day's work?"
"Yes!"
"How is that possible?"
A daily wage of thirty copper coins would amount to a staggering nine hundred copper coins a month, far exceeding their annual income from before.
Such a sudden, high income didn't bring joy to the refugees, but shock.
They didn't know what Chen Yu truly needed them for, that he would offer them such exorbitant wages.
"Windy City has no need for refugees."
As countless refugees stood in stunned silence, Chen Yu's powerful voice once again resounded.
"The city I govern has only citizens."
"This city has indeed faced some unbearable circumstances in the past, but from the moment I stand in this city, I can assure all of you that such a situation will never recur."
"My city will be a city of prosperity and abundance."
"The people in my city will be the happiest people in the entire Tato Kingdom, perhaps even the entire Underground." This city currently has many problems, but I have you all, and I believe you can help this city regain its former vitality!"
"The future of this city does not belong to me alone."
"It belongs to you too!"
Chen Yu spread his hands, looking at the refugees. For some reason, their hearts were stirred. Their faces, once etched with sorrow, gradually regained a spark of spirit.
"City... City Lord."
From amidst the throng of refugees near the bulletin board, a young man emerged. He pointed at the bulletin board, his bright eyes tinged with a hint of apprehension.
"I want to ask if what's written on the bulletin board is true?"
"Which part are you referring to?" Chen Yu asked with a smile, turning his head. The youth nervously flinched. "All of it. I see it says the lowest wage for general labor is thirty copper coins a day. Are you sure it's a day, not a month?"
"Certainly."
Chen Yu smiled confidently and said.
"The information on the bulletin board is entirely accurate. In our Windy City, the lowest wage is thirty copper coins per day, and this wage will change in the future. I can promise everyone here that within a year, this income will double."
Whoa.
The refugees gasped.
An income of thirty copper coins that would reportedly double in the future.
"I know some of you may not quite believe it, but you don't need to doubt. It's all real," Chen Yu said, smiling at the refugees. "I don't know if you've heard of Freedom Town. That city is one of my affiliated cities, and the people there earn this much."
"Freedom Town, I think I've heard of it."
Almost as Chen Yu finished speaking, someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"I heard that the lowest daily wage in Freedom Town is sixty copper coins. I thought it was a rumor before, but I never imagined it was the City Lord's city."
"I heard about it too, but wasn't that news false?"
"Yes, yes, I heard it before, and then some people in the city said Freedom Town didn't exist, that there was no such city in the Tato Kingdom."
Chen Yu watched the refugees whisper amongst themselves, a satisfied smile spreading across his heart.
He knew that even though Freedom Town was remote, it would surely make a name for itself. With fair taxes and extremely high income, news of Freedom Town would surely reach the ears of people in other cities.
Whether it reached the people of other cities, he couldn't be sure.
Judging by the current situation, it seemed to be leaning more towards the positive.
"City Lord, if you give us such high wages, can our city develop normally?" a refugee shouted.
Hearing this, Chen Yu's face broke into a smile.
See!
Refugees were already starting to consider the city's future development.
"You don't need to worry about that. The cities I govern will surely prosper in the future. All you need to do is use your own hands to build a home for yourselves in this city and live and work in peace," Chen Yu said with a soft laugh. "As for everything else, perhaps you need to consider how to spend the money you earn."
The refugees erupted in laughter.
If earning money was a difficult task, and they were unsure where to earn more, then spending it was certainly not something that required thought.
"This is truly unbelievable, it feels like a dream."
The refugees couldn't help but murmur. Understanding their internal lack of confidence, Chen Yu nodded and then opened his arms.
"This is a dream, but it is also a real dream!"
"Windy City is the cradle that nurtures your dreams!"