"Alice, what announcement does Lord Rayshui have today?"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell us quickly."

"Is Lord Rayshui going to raise taxes?"

"It doesn't matter if he raises it a little, right? He already lowered taxes by so much."

The crowd gathered outside the Baron's mansion was buzzing with discussion.

"Ahem, in order to better protect East Tower City, Lord Rayshui has decided to conscript 100 soldiers. The requirements are 16 years and above, but below 40 years old. The compensation is 250 copper coins per month for non-literate individuals and 300 copper coins for literate individuals," Alice proudly announced.

Because she was by Lord Rayshui's side, she was referred to as "Lady".

Indeed, Lord Rayshui was very popular among the people.

As soon as Alice finished speaking, the crowd below erupted.

"Oh my god! Am I hearing this right? 250 copper coins! 300 copper coins for literate individuals!"

"When Auton was conscripting soldiers, they only received 10 pounds of grain per month! Sometimes they even deducted it!"

"I want to join!"

"I want to sign up too! Hehehe, I can read! I can get an extra 50 copper coins!"

"Sigh... If only I were born 20 years later, then I could participate in this conscription."

Both the young and the old were enticed by the compensation offered in this conscription.

"Lord Rayshui also said that there will be various tasks in the future that require your help. When the selection is made, literate individuals will be given priority and the compensation will not be worse than this," Alice added.

This was Lord Rayshui's plan.

To highlight the difference between literate and non-literate individuals.

And the best way to differentiate was through money, as it was the most tangible.

If they learned to read, they could earn an extra 50 copper coins, and many people would be willing, right?

Compared to forcing them to learn to read unwillingly, this method could better motivate their enthusiasm.

Moreover, it didn't require much money initially, as the money was still in Lord Rayshui's pockets, because learning to read was a long process.

"Can someone tell me where I can learn to read? I want to learn!"

"Take me with you!"

"Yes, yes! I also want to work by Lord Rayshui's side in the future!"

The enthusiasm of the crowd continued to rise. Even the old man who said he was born 20 years too early joined the queue to learn how to read.

"You can learn at the Barlow School... It's just that the price is a bit high... it costs 100 copper coins."

"Gasp..."

"That's really expensive."

"We need to think about learning to read... It seems expensive."

Their high spirits calmed down.

It wasn't that they didn't want to learn, but 100 copper coins was too expensive for them.

For the people in the crowd, it would take them a month, or even two months of income to afford it.

The key was that even if they paid, it didn't guarantee that they would be recruited.

That was very uncertain.

After all, no one knew if they would be accepted, and no one knew how many people Lord Rayshui would recruit.

"Please rest assured, Lord Rayshui has reached an agreement with the Barlow School. Now, learning to read only costs 1 copper coin! You heard it right, only 1 copper coin. And children under 16 can learn for free!" Alice spoke up, watching the enthusiasm of the people below cool down slightly.

Indeed, Lord Rayshui was always one step ahead. Things were going exactly as he had predicted.

Alice's eyes sparkled with admiration as she recalled the scene of Lord Rayshui's conversation with Mr. Barlow last night.

"Is it true! Learning to read only costs 1 copper coin!"

"Hail Lord Rayshui! I want to learn to read, right now!"

"Great, my children at home have nothing to do... I'll send them to the school to learn, and in the future, they can work for Lord Rayshui! If they can become Lord Rayshui's vassals, that would be even better."

Becoming a lord's vassal was a prestigious thing, as it meant that their life would be taken care of by the lord, including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation."You guys think... will Lord Rayshui lose money?" A rare voice came from the crowd.

"Yeah, yeah... if we go to school, it's only 1 copper coin, which means Lord Rayshui has to pay 99 copper coins. Ten people would have to pay 990 copper coins, and a hundred people would have to..."

"Why don't we donate some money to Lord Rayshui? If Lord Rayshui can't become a lord, those vampire nobles will come!"

"Yes! I'll give 50 copper coins!"

"Oh my god, Carl, that's your monthly income!"

"Compared to Lord Rayshui's contributions to us, what does it matter!"

"That's right! I'll give 30 copper coins!"

"I don't have money at home, but I'll give 10 copper coins."

"Everyone, there's no need to do this!" Faced with the sudden situation, Alice felt confused.

It was supposed to be an announcement for recruitment, so why would the people of East Tower City donate money to Lord Rayshui?

"Alice, please accept the money on behalf of Lord Rayshui. He must really need this amount."

"Yeah, yeah, consider it our token of appreciation."

"..."

Watching the people continuously offering money, Alice was speechless.

Lord Rayshui was truly amazing.

Other nobles would try every means to squeeze money out of the people.

But Lord Rayshui had the people voluntarily giving him money.

Hehehe, I've updated again~ Do you have any rewards for me? (*^▽^*)