Chapter 54: Fiona’s Confession
After seeing Tara and Starius off, Hiro turned to face the remaining citizens. The mischievous atmosphere still lingered, but his expression shifted to something more formal.
"Remember," he announced, "1 contribution can be exchanged for 1 copper, but the reverse is not true. You cannot buy 1 contribution for 1 copper."
His gaze swept across the assembled citizens, making sure they understood the importance of his words. He had already touched upon this in his previous speech but felt the need to emphasize this again.
"In the future, I will sell you some important and desirable things that will be much cheaper if you use your contribution to buy it. I will also use it to make other judgments regarding assigning people to important positions. Contribution is important. Keep that in mind."
The citizens nodded in understanding. Some even looked excited at the prospect of accruing more contribution points, while others exchanged whispers about what they might be able to purchase with them.
"Give me a few minutes to prepare and then we can get started with the contribution tally for today. Until then, you're free to disperse and chat amongst yourselves."
Hiro turned toward the Worken family's tent. "Furina, Bob, I'll be using your tent for a while."
Since a proper meeting room did not exist, the pavilion style tent was Hiro's best option for holding important discussions.
Neither of them objected. Bob acknowledged Hiro's words with a nod while Furina gave a small curtsy.
"Hema, follow me," Hiro said as he walked toward the tent.
The dark-skinned herbalist followed silently. She knew why Hiro was calling her. They had already discussed this in the woods before, but Hiro had enlisted Hema's help to keep record of his citizens' contribution.