The City Lord's Mansion.
Kler stood in the front hall of the City Lord's Mansion, his eyes wide as saucers, holding the manuscript in disbelief.
"City Lord, are you serious?"
"Why so surprised?" Chen Yu looked at Kler, shrugging. "Didn't you investigate the free towns under my command? Then you should have a concept of the living standards in those free towns."
"I..."
Kler, his lips quivering, was speechless for a long time.
It was true that he had investigated the free towns, and he had a corresponding understanding of the salary system and living conditions of the people in the towns.
But—
He hadn't investigated them thoroughly.
After all, it was just a town. The people Kler sent could only get a general idea of the situation within the town; that was the limit of what he could do. He couldn't see the core data within the town.
Even if the salaries and living conditions of that town had stunned him.
Who knew the specific situation of the town?
The people of the Batu Free Federation earned more, but that was built on the foundation of the federation possessing several high-purity ore veins, which could be mined to refine currency.
Kler thought that the free towns might be the same.
"City Lord, your town cannot be compared to our Windrise City." Kler, holding the manuscript, frowned. "Our Windrise City has a vast territory, and within its territory, there are several ore veins. The problem is, the ownership of the ore veins is not yet in our hands, and we have not begun mining. If you directly raise the salaries to this extent, Windrise City's funds will not be able to sustain for long."
Unbelievable!
The salary in the former Hurricane City was generally between 80-200 copper coins per month for normal income. The daily salary minimum standard in the manuscript Chen Yu gave him was 50 copper coins.
This was for the lowest-level laborers with no technical skills. Those with special skills who could play other roles in the city had incomes ranging from 60 to 500, depending on the job.
Daily income, all daily income!
Kler had never witnessed such outrageous income in the entire Tatu Kingdom.
"You should be aware of our city's economic situation." Kler frowned so deeply that it seemed like a mosquito could get caught in the wrinkles. "Didn't I give you all the city's data last night? If you do this, will our city have any way to survive?"
"There will be no problem."
Seeing the worry on Kler's face, Chen Yu smiled and said.
"The salary system of the Tatu Kingdom has inherent problems, and the exploitation of the bottom-level citizens is too severe. I have calculated it, and my salary system can ensure the operation of the city."
Too dark.
This was Chen Yu's evaluation of the Tatu Kingdom.
Looking at the entire underground, only the Tatu Kingdom could be so outrageously dark. Earning dozens of copper coins a month? Was that allowing people to live?
Chen Yu remembered what Black Bean had said to him when he obtained the gold coins from the chest.
The annual income of the underground citizens was about 1 gold coin.
1 gold coin was equivalent to 10,000 copper coins. The annual income of the citizens here in the Tatu Kingdom was less than 2,000 copper coins, which was far from the average.
Others might think that the economic conditions of the Tatu Kingdom did not allow for it.
Chen Yu, owning a city, had made a judgment based on the operation of that city. The salary system he had formulated could satisfy the city's benign development and even have a surplus. It could be imagined how much the nobles of the Tatu Kingdom were able to bleed the people dry.
Even if the free town was prosperous only because Chen Yu was there.
That was his advantage, so why shouldn't he leverage it?
As long as the citizens were well-fed and clothed, and the city's productivity increased, he would not worry about the city not making money for him. One had to look at the long term. What kind of capability was it to exploit the common people?
"City Lord, the initial investment is an astronomical figure."
Kler still wanted to remind Chen Yu of the city's situation. The current situation of Windrise City was incomparable to the free town. Everything was in ruins, and the money within the city had almost all been taken away by those nobles. The treasury had very little reserve funds, and the city could not sustain such consumption.
"Alright, alright, cut it in half."
Chen Yu was too lazy to waste any more words with Kler.
"Cutting it in half should be acceptable. If you ask for less, my conscience won't allow it. I have my considerations for doing this, so please don't try to persuade me anymore."
During wilderness exploration, the resource points obtained were in the thousands.
The copper coins were in the hundreds.
The daily salary of 60 copper coins offered by Chen Yu was already relatively low.
Moreover, he had his considerations for doing this. He was not familiar with the salary systems of other kingdoms, but in the Tatu Kingdom, he was definitely unique.
The city he managed had high income.
Those who knew about his city's salary, when they went to other towns and cities and learned about the meager salaries there, would definitely curse and abandon their work.
Over time, his city would have more and more talented people.
This was also a way to attract talent.
Cities outside the underground also used similar tactics to attract talent, which was the difference in income that led to more and more talented people in wealthy cities, and their development momentum grew faster and faster. Those that were relatively economically backward could only fall into a vicious cycle and eventually be eliminated.
It could not be denied that there were people with ideals and aspirations who were willing to build their hometowns.
But such people were ultimately a minority.
Chen Yu believed that this method would not have any problems when applied to the underground.
"City Lord..."
"Hush!"
Seeing that Kler still wanted to persuade him, Chen Yu directly interrupted him.
"Cutting it in half is the limit I can accept. Moreover, even cutting it in half is for the initial stage. Once the city's development is relatively stable, the income will be raised to the normal standard. As for the treasury funds, you don't need to worry. I will supplement the missing money, and I have many ways to make money."
"Are you planning to open mines?"
Seeing Chen Yu's confidence, Kler asked suspiciously.
"With your strength, you can indeed clear out the monsters in those mining areas. The problem is that it takes time to convert mining into funds."
"Tch..."
Unexpectedly, the moment Kler finished speaking, Chen Yu and the little demon both let out a scoff.
"Who expects to make money from mining? Didn't I ask you to mark all the camps around our city last night?" Chen Yu smiled slightly. Kler, as if realizing something, exclaimed in surprise, "You... you are planning to..."
"If you want to make money fast, where can it be faster than by robbing?"
Chen Yu and the little demon exchanged glances and grinned. Kler was so shocked his mouth could fit an egg.
"City Lord, the kingdom does not allow it..."
"This is my city, my territory, and I have the final say!" Chen Yu glared. "Within the scope of my territory, did I allow the existence of camps? The camps formed by wandering bandits, why should they be protected by law? Honestly, I really don't understand the Tatu royal family's brains. How could they enact such laws? From today onwards, camps are not allowed to exist within the territory of Windrise City. I said so!"
"City Lord!"
"Stop shouting and go issue the decree!"