Chapter 181: Kingdom Meeting part 2
"Now, we lost more than eighty percent of the population, and that leaves us with about twenty thousand people spread throughout the kingdom.
And then we have the slaves and the beasts from the labyrinth. This brings us to about thirty thousand.
Now, this is relatively small for a kingdom, so we can't utilize all the land space that we have for keeping people.
So what I'd like to do is extend the capital, making it capable of easily holding fifty thousand people.
And then we will move all citizens into the capital. We don't need to be so spread out if we are so few in number.
To that end, I'll begin to talk about the innovations and remodeling we will be doing.
The capital will have a wall, at the very least twenty feet tall, heavily reinforced with magic and high-quality materials.
Those materials can be found inside the labyrinths in the kingdom, the mines, and the rest. We will prioritize the safety of everyone first, making sure that they are secure in this new capital.
The wall will be the first line of defense for the capital, but that does not mean we will abandon the rest of our lands; we will get to that soon.
But housing in the capital comes first. As of now, there is no working person in the kingdom at all. Jobs have been dissolved.
And some buildings take up more space than they are worth. Such buildings were erected by rich nobles for no good reason.
And we don't need that; they are a waste of space. I know it sounds like too much to tear down every house in the capital, but we will not be tearing all of them.
Only houses that are deemed useless and a huge consumption of space. As for those who don't have a house, they will have one built by the new government.
But these houses will not come free, as you will have to sign a labor contract. In the future, there will be jobs and occupations created by the kingdom.
All those who have taken a house and signed a labor contract must receive one job, and if there were two who signed for one house, then the two of them will take jobs.
From the wages, ten percent will be cut every time to pay for the base cost of building their house. That's besides their bills and taxes."
"Wouldn't that cause them to have little after paying the ten percent and also paying taxes?" Aaron asked.
"A good question, but you don't have to worry, as there will also be a minimum wage scheme in place that ensures a worker, regardless of the job, will get paid the minimum wage.
The minimum wage would be a calculated and well-deliberated amount that will allow a person, even with a family of three or four, to live comfortably," Silva explained.
"Then wouldn't the government go broke? We would have to generate more than we spend, and that will be hard in the starting years," Aaron pointed out.
"Indeed, but to battle that, I already talked out certain plans with Drake and Lily. For the first few years, the kingdom will be working strictly on a government-controlled market.
We will not be allowing any privately owned businesses for the beginning years. The kingdom must have a major share and control over every business.
And everybody will be working under a wage. I know this may not sit well with many who want to spread out and become tycoons, but it will only be for a while.
The reason I chose to make this setup is simple: all the money stays in circulation, and the losses are reduced. Sure, due to things like development and other factors, there might still be losses, but they are limited, and our reserve can keep us until things stabilize.
Now, there can be no one hungry since prices are kept low and subsidized for the people, and with the minimum wage, they'll be able to survive easily," Silva said.
This time Leah raised her hand and spoke. "You made mention of the fact that the minimum wage will be effective for a family of four. Then what of bigger families?" she asked.
"Well, I'd like to assume that such families have at least one or two people that are above the age of fourteen, besides the head of the house.
And so they should also be able to look for a job that fits them and earn money to help. This offer is also for men and women, as everyone is capable and there's always something anyone can work on," Silva replied.
"I understand then, but now, can you tell us about these jobs? It will be very hard to create jobs for thirty thousand people of diverse races," Leah said.
"No, it's easier than you think. The range of jobs never ends. We have teachers, caretakers, accountants, hunters, adventurers, painters, builders, magicians, knights, farmers, tamers, and a whole lot more.
Not to talk about the fact that we will be entering an age of industrialization and magic. Before you ask me what that is, I'll go ahead to explain.
Industrialization is when activities become mechanized. For example, golems—they are products of magical industrialization.
So imagine having metal golems where people can enter and carry out heavy jobs without being trained or being mages.
This mechanism will enable faster construction and better aid the security of the kingdom," Silva explained.
"Is all that even possible?" Mike asked.
"It is. It will be a new innovative age in this world. It sounds impossible, but I'm the boy that rose to the level of capturing a kingdom before he turned thirteen.
Not to brag, but if I say it's possible, then it definitely is. But to get there, you'll need labor, and that opens jobs up for people.
So on the matter of jobs, that's completely handled. Now, before we move further, are there any questions or additions?"