After seeing Tara and Starius off, Hiro turned to face the remaining citizens. The mischievous atmosphere still lingered, but his expression shifted to sothing more formal.
"Rember," he announced, "1 contribution can be exchanged for 1 copper, but the reverse is not true. You cannot buy 1 contribution for 1 copper."
His gaze swept across the assembled citizens, making sure they understood the importance of his words. He had already touched upon this in his previous speech but felt the need to emphasize this again.
"In the future, I will sell you so important and desirable things that will be much cheaper if you use your contribution to buy it. I will also use it to make other judgnts regarding assigning people to important positions. Contribution is important. Keep that in mind."
The citizens nodded in understanding. So even looked excited at the prospect of accruing more contribution points, while others exchanged whispers about what they might be able to purchase with them.
"Give a few minutes to prepare and then we can get started with the contribution tally for today. Until then, you're free to disperse and chat amongst yourselves."
Hiro turned toward the Worken family's tent. "Furina, Bob, I'll be using your tent for a while."
Since a proper eting room did not exist, the pavilion style tent was Hiro's best option for holding important discussions.
Neither of them objected. Bob acknowledged Hiro's words with a nod while Furina gave a small curtsy.
"Hema, follow ," Hiro said as he walked toward the tent.
The dark-skinned herbalist followed silently. She knew why Hiro was calling her. They had already discussed this in the woods before, but Hiro had enlisted Hema's help to keep record of his citizens' contribution.
There wasn't a particularly profound reason for why Hiro chose Hema. It was just that she seed to be quite smart, was well versed in writing and had an attractive figure Hiro lusted after.
Once inside, Hiro noticed that there was a lot of empty space and almost no furniture. It would be very inconvenient to record people's contributions while standing.
So, he used Ultimate Force Telekinesis to bring in various planks and logs of wood from the outside. The pieces floated through the air, arranging themselves into the rough shape of a table and chair.
Outside, gasps of surprise erupted from many citizens. Soone even scread "Wraiths!" at the sight of the floating wood.
Furina's voice could be heard calming them down. "Don't be alard. I've seen Lord Hiro use telekinesis before. It is one of his many abilities."
Upon hearing Furina's words, the expressions of the scared citizens gradually shifted from fear to mild admiration. Although so other mage classes had telekinetic abilities, it wasn't very common. Not to ntion, people holding such classes normally did not mingle with commonfolk holding profession classes.
anwhile, as Hiro continued assembling the furniture, the tent flap rustled. Fiona slipped inside, her dark purple hair catching the faint light from the Yelough mushrooms scattered on the ground.
Both Hiro and Hema imdiately noticed her arrival. The furniture wasn't assembled yet, with many pieces still hovering in the air.
"What is the matter, Fiona?" Hiro asked, not pausing in his telekinetic work.
"My Lord, I need to discuss sothing important with you before the contribution tally begins."
"Tell ," Hiro said, still engaged in his work.
"This... I would really like to discuss with you in private..." she said while her athyst eyes darted toward Hema aningfully.
Hema's brows furrowed slightly at this. She was being asked to leave the tent, but she first looked towards Hiro, awaiting his decision.
Hiro made a thoughtful noise while continuing to fit the wooden pieces together. "Hmmm."
The table and chair took shape before their eyes, floating into position. The craftsmanship lacked any artistic quality but was surprisingly precise despite the unconventional assembly thod.
"That is such an interesting skill, my lord," Fiona complinted, her dark red lips curving into a smile.
Hema didn't say anything, but her eyes followed the floating wood with a hint of admiration.
Now that his ntal resources were freed up from using his Skill, Hiro decided to deal with Fiona first.
"Okay, I'll hear you out, Fiona," he said and then turned to Hema. "You brought so ink and parchnt with you when you sought refuge, didn't you?"
Hema nodded curtly. She had ntioned this to him in passing during their casual talk in the afternoon.
"Can you go get so? We'll use it to pen down people's contributions for the day."
"As you command, My Lord," Hema said understandingly. Record keeping would be necessary for this task. She gave Fiona one last glance before departing. Fiona returned her glance with a beautiful smile, but Hema found the smile to be faintly irritating for so reason.
Once they were alone, Hiro settled into his newly constructed chair. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked with a smile.
Fiona moved closer to the center of the tent with graceful monts, her flawless skin being illuminated for Hiro to see within the light of the tent.
"I believe I can be of greater service to you, My Lord," she said, her voice lower than before.
"Is that so?" Hiro's eyes traced her figure. Her straight purple hair fell to her waist, evenly cut near the ends. She wasn't as voluptuous as Furina, but her mature charm was undeniable. Among all the won in the settlent, she possessed a unique elegance.
"Yes. Before I explain how, I'd like to reveal sothing about myself." She hesitated. "Sothing very few people know."
Hiro raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was going to say. "Go on."
"My class," Fiona said, eting his gaze directly. "I am a Psionic Mage. It is of Elite rarity."
That was the sa rarity as Barbara's class – the Feral Spellfist.
This declaration from Fiona definitely caught Hiro off guard. Since he possessed the [Citizen Appraisal] Skill, he had naturally known about Fiona's class since the mont he laid eyes upon her. That's why, he wasn't surprised when he saw her managing to resist the effects of the Hypnotic Mist through Tara's eyes during the previous raid.
What actually caught him off guard was her willingness to reveal her Class of her own volition like this.
Seeing Hiro's silence, Fiona continued her explanation.
"The Skills of my Class allow to use subtle mind manipulation." Fiona's voice grew softer. "Its effectiveness is limited when dealing with people who have high STATS, but it is quite effective against non-combat class individuals. I can influence public opinion, manage morale... make people more anable to certain ideas."
The corners of Hiro's lips curved slightly as he heard Fiona's words. 'Quite an interesting developnt...' he thought.
"Because of my abilities, I can easily assist you with administrative tasks," Fiona continued. "I can ensure the citizens remain content despite our challenging circumstances, help organize labor for things nobody wants to do, perhaps even assist with the contribution system you're implenting."
She took another small step forward. "I'm offering my services to you, My Lord."
Hiro examined her from head to toe once more, this ti more brazenly. Her slender figure, the confident way she held herself, and those alluring athyst eyes combined to create an undeniably attractive package. The thought of working closely with her was certainly appealing, and on multiple levels.
A faint blush colored Fiona's cheeks under his scrutiny, but she didn't look away.
"You have a combat class and are quite strong," Hiro noted instead of accepting her request right away. "I thought you would be more interested in exploration, fighting, and leveling up."
Fiona was above Level 30, just like Targon and Vasquen. Only Barbara could match her in the rarity of her Class. She was quite likely one of the strongest fighters in his Realm right now. And yet, she wanted to spend her ti handling administrative work?
Fiona shook her head. "To be honest, I don't enjoy fighting, My Lord. I only leveled up out of necessity, because my husband and brother took along on their adventures. I believe an administrative role would suit far better."
It was a matter of personal preference then. People who thought like Fiona were uncommon, but she definitely wasn't the only one of her kind.
Hiro tapped his fingers on the newly assembled table, considering her offer. There were several advantages to accepting. She was a relatively strong combat class individual, so she could easily handle any troublemakers. Her ntal manipulation abilities could be genuinely useful for raising morale in the depressing Desolate Lands.
And, of course, the image of Fiona as a sort of sexy secretary was quite appealing by itself. He foresaw so interesting opportunities for his sensual escapades in the future.
Fiona waited nervously for his decision, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her dress.
After a few monts of deliberation, Hiro nodded. "Very well. I accept your offer."
Surprise flickered across Fiona's face. "Just like that?"
"Why are you so surprised? You made a solid case for yourself."
Fiona brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "People with ntal manipulation powers are usually despised and shunned, My Lord. That's why I was nervous about revealing this to you." She offered him a grateful smile. "I felt you would be open-minded enough to understand."
Hiro naturally hadn't known about this stereotype. Being a transmigrator, common sense about this world wasn't his forte.
"Well..." Hiro smoothly covered his ignorance with a confident smile. "My opinions are certainly not the sa as the common rabble."
"That's what makes you such an exceptional ruler," Fiona said, her voice warm with admiration. "Most people fear what they don't understand, but you see the value in unique abilities."
Hiro nodded, accepting the very obvious flattery with grace. "You can join Hema and for the contribution tally tonight. I won't be personally doing this every single day. In the future, the responsibilities can be split between you, Hema, and others. In ti, this can grow into a proper administrative organization for the Realm."
Just then, Hiro sensed Hema's return. His Perception Field passive skill alerted him to her presence outside the tent.
"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Hiro asked Fiona.
"No, this was all, My Lord."
Since their conversation was over, Hiro decided to call Hema in and get started with his main agenda.
"Co in, Hema," he called out.
The herbalist entered, carrying ink, quills, and several sheets of parchnt. With Hiro's permission, she placed them on the table.
She noticed that Fiona did not look like she was going to leave the tent. She looked at Hiro with an expression of inquiry, but Hiro spoke before she could express her doubts.
"Perfect timing, Hema. I will quickly create two more chairs for the both of you. Fiona will be assisting us with administrative tasks from now on."
Hema gave a small nod of acknowledgnt, though her eyes lingered on the serene Fiona for a mont longer than necessary.
The amount of ti it took for Hiro to make the two new chairs combined was less than the ti it took him to make his first chair. After thanking him, the two ladies sat on either side of Hiro.
"Shall we begin with the Worken family, My Lord?" Fiona suggested.
"Yes, let's start with them," Hiro agreed.
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