Recruiting Baron Stan

"Hope Town still has too few residents."

The entire population of Hope Town is only a little over 500.

He had to find a way to increase the population in his territory.

Issuing preferential policies to attract migrants from surrounding areas to settle down is a good approach.

However, it takes too long to see results.

Chen Changhe was not going to waste any time.

"Let's unleash our cash power!"

Spend gold coins to buy slaves to expand the population.

Although it was simple and crude, he believed it was the most direct and effective way to quickly increase the population of Hope Town in a short period of time.

"However, the loyalty of slaves is a problem."

These purchased slaves do not genuinely want to stay in Hope Town, and given the opportunity, they may escape or cause unrest.

However, Chen Changhe did not intend to use them as slaves.

When they arrive in Hope Town, Chen Changhe will grant them the status of local citizens.

This approach can alleviate the slaves' resistance to some extent, giving them more hope for the future and thus reducing potential risks.

Compared to slaves, subjects had much greater freedom and were able to own their own property.

Aside from not being able to leave their territory as freely as free citizens, everything else is fine.

In this world, the vast majority of people in a territory are bound to that territory, which seems to have become a common mode of survival.

If Chen Changhe could proactively grant the slaves the status of subjects, he would surely gain their loyalty and recognition.

Today, Hope Town has a small usable area; it is just a compact and dilapidated area with only a few dozen houses.

However, besides these places, there are also a large number of abandoned houses that can be put back into use with just a little tidying up.

The owners of these houses are either dead.

Alternatively, they could immigrate to Bluetooth Town under Baron Stan's administration.

"However, since they are slaves, their physical health is a problem."

These purchased slaves were likely in poor health and posed a risk of spreading disease.

"Or we could just spend more money and buy citizens directly from other lords."

The lord's subjects were also considered his wealth and could be bought and sold.

However, most of the time, no lord would do that.

The people are the foundation of a territory; a territory cannot thrive without its people.

Without the hard work and dedication of its people, the territory can hardly achieve true prosperity.

Therefore, although buying and selling one's subjects is legally permissible, in practice very few lords would engage in such wasteful behavior.

Doing this kind of thing will make you the target of gossip and criticism from other lords.

But--

"As long as enough gold coins are offered, why worry about not finding a lord willing to join?"

Money makes the world go round.

Who doesn't love shiny gold coins?

Chen Changhe has a unique advantage: he has mastered the technology of counterfeiting gold coins, which means he can easily produce as many gold coins as he wants.

Therefore, this matter was a piece of cake for him, requiring no effort at all.

He obtained a large workforce in exchange for some inexpensive metal alloys.

The lords also received a large amount of gold coins.

Chen Changhe was very confident; he didn't believe anyone could tell that the gold coins he was giving were fake.

Since nobody knows it's fake.

That's real gold.

In this sense, those lords did not suffer any loss.

With these gold coins, you can use them for whatever you like.

Whether it's used for developing territory or not, it has many uses and benefits.

"This is a win-win situation."

As for whether anyone will question the source of Chen Changhe's gold coins...

Please, I'm a High-Rank Alchemist, so what if I have a little more gold?

Alchemists in this world, especially high-level alchemists, possess extraordinary abilities and methods.

They were able to use their superb skills and unique knowledge to create all sorts of precious items and wealth.

For them, having a large amount of gold coins seems to be perfectly normal.

Chen Changhe believed that the identity of a High-Rank Alchemist was enough to dispel any doubts or speculations about the source of his gold coins.

Next, Chen Changhe will create the identity of a disciple of an extraordinary alchemist for himself.

In fact, he had previously hinted through various means that he had a powerful master alchemist.

These gold coins were all gifts from his extraordinary alchemist master.

From now on, all he needs to do is keep publicizing this matter.

The world is divided into eight classes.

Awakening, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced; Master, Extraordinary, Legendary, Holy Spirit.

The existence of the extraordinary class has transcended the realm of humanity, becoming an unimaginably powerful force.

An extraordinary alchemist possesses enough power to easily destroy a kingdom.

Despite her deep animosity towards Doug Forbes, Countess Lindsay Monroe, his nominal Earl, was forced to return Hope Town to Chen Changhe.

This is the most important reason.

"However, if I want to trade with those lords, I need a middleman."

Chen Changhe had only recently arrived in Hope Town and didn't know most of the surrounding lords.

Even if he wanted to buy their people, he was completely clueless and didn't know where to start.

This intermediary is crucial; they must not only be familiar with the surrounding lords but also possess a certain level of credibility and interpersonal skills.

Baron Stan's face instantly flashed into Chen Changhe's mind.

Although he didn't have much contact with Baron Stan, and the two even had some minor conflicts.

However, he had to admit that Baron Stan did indeed possess extraordinary social skills.

"We'll have Ramesh Singh meet with Baron Stan in a bit."

The territory's sheriff, Ramesh Singh, and Baron Stan are cousins.

Having him personally contact Baron Stan would reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble and obstacles.

As for how to persuade Baron Stan to work for him...

Chen Changhe already had some initial ideas.

Baron Stan's situation was similar to that of Ramesh Singh.

In his youth, Baron Stan was a very powerful knight, known as the "Spider Knight".

His family's inherited Spider Battle Aura granted him immense strength and agility, making him as flexible and unpredictable as a spider in battle, and as swift and deadly as a spider hunting its prey.

At that time, he was full of vigor and became an object of admiration for everyone.

At his peak, he was Master-level Warrior.

It was through his own abilities that he successfully obtained the title of baron.

However, during a battle, his Fighting Aura dissipated, ultimately leading to his current state.

The Mechanical Arm will allow Ramesh Singh to regain his strength.

This would also allow Baron Stan to regain his power.

Chen Changhe believed that Baron Stan would definitely be tempted by this attractive offer.

After all, for the once-powerful "Spider Knight," regaining his power meant being able to reclaim his former glory and splendor.

This is not only a physical recovery, but also a psychological comfort and a reaffirmation of one's self-worth.

Chen Changhe believed that the offer he had made was enough to entice Baron Stan to work for him.