Chapter 586 - 306: Firearms
On the 72nd day since the Doomsday Game began, which was also the 12th day since Hope Village opened its doors,
Hope Village had already become renowned far and wide, attracting more and more mercenary teams and territory mercenaries to visit for both leisure and to conduct business.
The former pleased their hearts, while the latter filled their pockets.
The word-of-mouth among mercenaries bolstered Hope Village’s reputation even further, and its income climbed steadily.
At the same time, the arrival of parks, swimming halls, sports arenas, and amusement parks improved the visitors’ perception of Hope Village and the novelty of the buildings made them reluctant to leave.
Hope Village was also experiencing a population boom.
Now, in every respect, Hope Village was on the rise, and many believed it would become a place of emerging power.
With such a halo effect, more and more people were eager to invest in Hope Village just as it began to flourish.
These days, Zhou Bai, the village chief, had received numerous overtures from various family clans wishing to send their scions to serve as officials in Hope Village.
"Bringing someone into the Lord Mansion can earn you 10,000 Gold Coins, with some offering as much as 50,000, hoping to enter the Commercial Management Office," Bayer said, sizing up the situation with a hint of scrutiny in his expression.
The amount of money being offered was staggeringly high.
It was enough to tempt even him.
Simply by accepting someone, he could receive a sizeable sum of money—essentially, money for nothing.
If he controlled the numbers, it wouldn’t affect the overall operation of the territory in the slightest; he figured it might be worth doing!
However, he only thought it, without actually saying so. The main decision lay in the hands of the Lord.
Zhou Bai was somewhat surprised to hear it. Such high prices!
Then, Zhou Bai directly asked, "Is this kind of thing common in other territories?"
Bayer paused, then nodded. "Very common. Virtually every territory has it. After all, a territory’s development requires funds from all quarters. Sometimes, a territory might need quick cash due to liquidity issues, and even without such issues, who wouldn’t want free money! But..."
"But what?"
"But there was a territory that collapsed because it sold various job positions. The lord there, desperate for sufficient money, marked a price for every position in the territory for anyone to buy. Due to excessive demand, the prices were driven up. In the end, it all sold out, and that lord made millions of Gold Coins. Yet, because those buyers spent so much money, they started to use every means to extort money from the territory and its residents. In just a few months, a Town-level Territory was overrun during a Beast Tide, followed by a defeat in the ensuing Territory War, relegating it to history. That example was later used as a cautionary tale for other territories," Bayer explained briefly.
Hearing this, Zhou Bai couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Indeed, no matter the world, the development of history always had its parallels.
After a moment to collect himself, Zhou Bai crisply commanded Bayer, "Reject them all! The development of Hope Village thus far is the result of the hard work of all staff members. It is that collective effort that should be rewarded, not picked at by others. However, you can inform those who want to buy positions that if they want a position, they can come and take the exam. Not to mention, there are a lot of teaching aids in the territory now, and I remember there’s a training institution."
Bayer noted Zhou Bai’s firm stance and nodded, "I understand what you mean, Lord."
Indeed, this was the Lord he knew.
"If they pass the exam for the required position and comply with the territory’s ethical guidelines, whatever benefits they and their families gain, I won’t interfere," Zhou Bai added.
With family backing, these individuals could benefit Hope Village if they became staff members.
Now that Hope Village had reached this stage of development, investment from outside was crucial, apart from ensuring its own staff’s effectiveness. However, he wanted to attract integrity, not corrupt practices, so it was essential to have rules.
Bayer, understanding Zhou Bai’s intent, assured, "I’ll handle it well."
"Then I leave it in your hands," said Zhou Bai.
"Hmm," Bayer acknowledged.
It was then that a knock sounded at the office door.
"Village chief, Lord Bayer, the Blacksmith Shop has requested your presence," said the newcomer, Su Xuejia, Bayer’s newly recruited assistant.