Lord: Starting with Biological Modification Chapter 56 - 52: Newly Town Cooperative Guild

The next day, as dawn broke.

The square in the center of Newly Town had never been so crowded.

The pioneers huddled in groups, their faces etched with wariness and numbness. They were used to their lord’s summons, which usually ant either a tax increase or a forced labor draft.

On the other side, the villagers from Gray Mist Village were far more listless. They leaned against the walls in twos and threes, indifferent to everything, as if they had only co to watch a spectacle that had nothing to do with them.

The fighting spirit ignited by the great battle a month prior had long since been eroded by the hollow emptiness of their daily lives.

Barrett led the town guard, maintaining order at the edge of the crowd. His taut face betrayed no emotion, but the occasional sidelong glance he cast toward the high platform revealed his inner astonishnt.

A high platform, temporarily constructed from raw logs, stood in the center of the square.

Velin walked onto the high platform. He carried no weapons, clad only in a simple, dark blue artisan’s uniform, making him indistinguishable from the new craftsn below.

He scanned the sea of heads below. The entire square gradually fell silent as all eyes converged on him.

"This land beneath our feet shouldn’t be just for sea salt potatoes."

Velin deliberately raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear.

"I want a future where this land has fields of wheat and orchards. A future with blacksmiths, tailors, and taverns. A future where your children can learn to read, and your winters are no longer cold."

A faint stir rippled through the crowd. Yearning flickered across the faces of a few young people, but most expressions remained mired in deep-rooted apathy.

They had heard too many nobles make grand promises, only to see those promises beco the very bread that fed the nobility.

Velin took it all in, then his tone shifted, his voice growing sharp.

"I know empty words are useless. Today, I’m not here to demand your unpaid labor. I’m here to offer an opportunity."

"An opportunity for every one of you to build a better life with your own two hands."

He paused, letting his words hang in the air and sink in.

Then, he dropped a concept powerful enough to shatter everything they knew.

"I hereby announce the formation of the Newly Town Cooperative Guild!"

’A Cooperative Guild? What is that?’ The crowd murmured among themselves. They didn’t understand the term, but they could sense the undercurrent of radical change it carried.

"Starting today, there will be no more forced labor drafts in this territory."

The words struck like a bolt of lightning, sending a jolt through the crowd and setting off a wave of frantic discussion.

’No forced labor? Then how will the lord build his castle and clear the land?’

"All work will now be issued as ’tasks.’ The output from these tasks will belong to the guild. In return for completing tasks, you will earn sothing entirely new—"

"rit Points!"

Velin heavily emphasized the last two words.

He motioned to Barrett, who, along with two guards, imdiately carried a massive wooden plank over and set it up to one side of the platform.

Rows of text were clearly written on the plank in black charcoal.

Beside the plank, a literate craftsman began to read the contents aloud.

rit Point Acquisition Rules

Reclaim one acre of saline wasteland: 10 rit Points.

Dig a three-ter irrigation channel: 2 rit Points.

Hunt one adult wild boar: 8 rit Points.

Turn in ten pounds of Styptic Herb: 5 rit Points.

...

The list went on, rule by rule, covering nearly every productive activity possible in Newly Town.

The crowd erupted into a full-blown uproar. This completely unheard-of system sent their minds reeling.

A bold settler in the crowd shouted out.

"My Lord! What good are these rit Points? Can we eat them?"

The question voiced what was on everyone’s mind.

Velin didn’t answer directly. He turned and pointed to the other side of the square.

At so point, a simple shack had been erected there. A brand-new wooden sign hung above it: Cooperative Guild Exchange.

"With rit Points, you can exchange them for anything you desire!"

Barrett strode to the front of the shack, took a deep breath, and violently tore away the thick curtain covering the entrance.

BOOM!

A collective gasp tore through the crowd, and then, in the next instant, everyone held their breath.

Behind where the curtain had been stood rows of neatly arranged shelves.

The dazzling array of goods on the shelves glittered in the morning light, exuding a fatal allure. It was like an invisible hand had reached out and seized the heart of every single person present.

On the lowest shelf were bags of snow-white refined sea salt, as fine as sand.

Beside the salt were iron sickles that glinted with a cold tallic light, and several heavy, solid steel plowshares.

The sharp blades and sturdy construction made every farr’s eyes lock onto them. ’A tool like that could cut their work in half, and they could even pass it down to their sons!’

On the shelf above were dozens of thick woolen coats, folded into perfect squares. Even from a distance, one could almost feel their thickness and warmth.

There were also bundles of pale yellow beeswax candles, giving off a faint, sweet scent of honey. They could light up a room as if it were day, a far cry from the cheap animal-fat candles that filled rooms with smoke and brought tears to the eyes.

But the most incredible sight of all, on the very top shelf, was a row of transparent glass jars, each one filled to the brim with sparkling, translucent... sugar cubes!

A wave of sharp, indrawn hisses swept through the square, one gasp following another until they blended into a single, continuous sound.

In the front row, a boy of about seven or eight had his eyes glued to the glass jar. His mouth hung open, and he was completely unaware of the trickle of drool that slid from the corner of his lips.

He didn’t know what it was called, only that it sparkled like the crystals from the old stories.

He sniffed hard. The faint, sweet sll in the air made him swallow, his dry throat bobbing convulsively.

The boy subconsciously licked his own chapped lips, tasting only the dull, salty residue of a sea salt potato.

Barrett watched the crowd’s reaction, a storm of shock raging in his own mind.

’That one jar of sugar would sell for at least five Golden Suns in a port city! And the lord... he’s just piled it all up here like so common street vendor.’

Beneath every item, the number of rit Points required to redeem it was clearly marked.

Velin’s voice rang out again, striking every heart like a demon’s whisper.

"rit Points can be freely traded and transferred. You can work alone, or you can work in teams. As long as you earn enough points..."

"Everything on these shelves can be yours!"

Barrett and old Walker stood frozen on the spot.

Just a few minutes ago, these people had been a crowd of walking corpses, with no hope for the future.

But now, the most primitive greed and desire were scrawled across every single one of their faces.

The flas of desire, long suppressed by poverty and despair, had been utterly and completely ignited!

This was more effective than any whip, more rousing than any sermon!

Velin looked down at the eyes burning with newfound fire. He knew the beast had been awakened.

He slowly raised a hand, and the square fell silent once more.

Everyone held their breath, their attention rapt. They were already looking at each other with wary, competitive eyes.

"One last rule."

Velin’s voice was laced with a srizing quality as he lit the final fuse on this frenzied feast.

"The supplies at the Cooperative Guild Exchange are restocked once a month. Quantities are limited."

"First co, first served!"