N-A-A 54: Only wealth that can circulate has value.
54: Only wealth that can circulate has value.
The sky gradually cleared up.
The bloodstains on the execution platform had not yet completely dried, and the headless body of Basil the Broken Bones had been dragged away, leaving only that dark brown stain.
"Auro, here you go!"
Lingling carried two heavy wooden crates on each shoulder and easily leaped onto the execution platform, then slammed the crates down.
The dull thud of the wooden crate hitting the countertop drew people's attention.
Oro nodded slightly, and Lingling understood. She grinned, lifted the lid of the box with both hands, grabbed the bottom of the box, and dumped it over with force!
"Splash—"
In an instant, a dazzling golden torrent poured out!
Those are countless Beli coins!
They tumble, collide, and pile up in the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing melody.
In an instant, all the numb, fearful, and bewildered eyes in the square changed.
Greed, desire, disbelief... countless complex emotions ignited in the crowd, converging into a burning gaze, firmly fixed on the mountain of gold on the execution platform.
Even the pirates who had just been implanted with golden threads were swallowing hard.
This is exactly the effect Oro wanted.
He stepped forward, his boots making a crisp sound as they stomped on the scattered gold coins.
"Look carefully!"
Oro's voice carried clearly throughout the entire square:
"This is not an illusion; this is the future you can earn through your labor!"
He opened his arms as if to embrace the crowd below the stage.
"From today onwards, on Gaya Island, every drop of sweat will bring real wealth!"
"I need a place to live! I need a place to work! I need a place to train! I need a bigger port!"
"So I need workers, lots of workers! To move bricks and stones, to level the land, to quarry stone, to cut down timber!"
I want carpenters, shipwrights, bricklayers... all those who know a craft!
"I want anyone willing to put in the effort for a reward!"
He then announced the incredibly detailed compensation standards:
Basic labor: 1000 Berries per day! Skilled craftsmen: 2000 to 2000 Berries per day!
"All work completed on the same day will be settled on the same day, with no delays!"
The crowd erupted in chaos!
"How much? A thousand Berries a day? And paid daily?"
"I can fish! Does that count as a skill?"
"A carpenter! I'm a carpenter! Two thousand Berries a day? Is that for real?!"
Exclamations, doubts, and shouts of ecstasy mingled together in the air above the square.
In the town of Mogu, where pirates congregate, what other way of acquiring wealth could they have heard of besides robbery?
Robbery requires risking your life and luck, but here, all you need to do is... move bricks?
"Quiet!"
Auro's voice cut through the commotion as he dropped another bombshell:
"In addition, we have established a 'Work Attendance Award'! The top ten people who work the hardest and most efficiently each day will receive an extra reward of Baileys!"
"Anyone who works 15 consecutive days without slacking off will receive an additional Bailey as a reward!"
It's boiling over! It's completely boiling over!
What is Basil the Bone Crusher, what is a pirate crew? In the face of the real Beli, everything seems insignificant.
They just wanted to know immediately where to sign up and where to start working!
"Those who want to work, stay."
Oro pointed to the audience: "Registration complete. Assign tasks immediately. You can start work today. Collect your first day's pay here at sunset!"
The once lifeless square was instantly transformed into a bustling job market.
......
Oro's promise came true at sunset.
When the first group of workers who had finished cleaning the dock area walked nervously to the makeshift pay distribution point, covered in sweat and mud, they arrived.
They actually managed to get the jingling Beli from Gale and several mermaid girls who had been temporarily assigned!
"Really... really gave it to me..."
An old fisherman, his face weathered by the elements, held the peggaries he had earned from a day's work, his hands trembling, and murky tears dripped onto the gold coins.
"Hahaha! Ten thousand Berries in ten days! Thirty thousand in a month! Hahaha! I can earn that much money too!"
A former pirate henchman, now a basic laborer, roared excitedly, stuffing the money bag into his pocket, feeling more secure than if he had stolen a chest of treasure.
After all, the stolen treasure had to be handed over, while the salary he was receiving was his own.
Gaya Island is only so big, and the Berries that Oro paid out didn't go far.
Not far from the pay distribution point, several wooden houses that the workers had just built that afternoon already had a brand-new sign hanging on them – “Golden Ship Supply and Marketing Cooperative”.
The store was filled with a dazzling array of goods.
Fresh bread, fragrant roasted meat, jams with all sorts of unique flavors, and even nutritious cakes that can quickly restore energy.
There were also large quantities of brand-new clothing, sturdy tools, and daily necessities that the Gold Cruises purchased on their way to Gaya Island...
The quality of all the goods far surpasses any other goods that could be found in Magic Valley Town before, yet the prices are set at an extremely "affordable" level.
Especially the food! It's like it's free, just like the stones on the roadside!
The workers, who had just received their wages, rushed into the store almost without hesitation.
They traded Pele, still warm from their bodies, for white bread and meat that they could never have imagined before, bought a few feet of new cloth for their families, and acquired a more handy tool for themselves.
"Boss, another one of those...that shortbread! My son had a bit of a cough yesterday!"
"This axe is great! Much better than my old, beat-up thing! I'll buy it!"
"Bring me a jug of this wine! I'm exhausted today, I need something good to drink!"
The jingling Baileys quickly flowed from the workers' pockets into the store's cash register, eventually gathering into boxes before being sent back to the Golden Dawn.
Furthermore, the provisional Gaya Constitution, promulgated by Oro, clearly stipulated a simple tax policy, thus forming a closed primary economic cycle on Gaya Island.
People work hard to earn more baileys and pursue higher daily wages and bonuses so they can afford better goods in stores.
Unstable robbery and plunder quickly lost their appeal in the face of more stable and secure interests.
As night fell, the sea breeze brought a chill, but the central area of Magic Valley Town was still bustling with activity.
The Broken Bones Tavern, now owned by the Golden Fleet, was filled with people who had just finished a day's work.
Two unassuming male residents sat in the corner and clinked their wooden cups together.
One of them smacked his lips, looked at the amber-colored liquid in his glass, and sighed:
"This new boss... Lord Oro, seems really different. He gives us money, gives us work to do, and keeps his word!"
"...Ha! This wine has power! We could never have gotten such good wine before!"
He patted the purse at his waist, which was now deflated but had once been full of Pele:
"I actually got the money today, and I bought my little girl a new outfit. She was smiling... hey."
Another, slightly older man nodded, his gaze complex as he looked out the window at the construction site that was being planned.
"Yes, and the rules he set, although I don't understand them, at least now, I don't have to worry about being robbed on the street, or about pirates finding all sorts of reasons to collect protection money."
"Just for that, he's better than that bastard Basil who only knows how to smash bones!"