Chapter Six Recruitment

  "That's right, no matter where, as long as you're there, it's dazzling. "Harold said with a flattering face. Unexpectedly, this unlearned and unskilled guy was quite elegant when fawning over women.

  Unfortunately, Charlotte didn't intend to pay attention to this guy at all. She didn't even glance at Harlotte: "Sorry, you came too suddenly, so there's no preparation. Please ask everyone to bear with it for the time being, and I'll find someone to clean up as soon as possible."

  As she spoke, she and Morini were about to take their leave. At this moment, Rickett walked up to Raymond and whispered: "Sir, if you don't mind, I think for the long run it would be better..."

  Having heard Ricket's suggestion, Raymond couldn't help but think that he was indeed worthy of being the assistant to the lord of Plaza City, as his consideration was thorough. He nodded: "Let's do it your way."

  "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," said Rickett with a nod, and followed Charlotte as she walked away, striking up a conversation with her.

  Rickett's suggestion to Raymond was that they would offer Charlotte a proposal, where she would pay a certain amount of rent to live there. They would also pay people who came to clean the premises and possibly employ some on a long-term basis to do cleaning, cooking and other odd jobs to maintain the whole place.

  In short, during the time they stayed, everything such as food, clothing, use and housing would be paid with corresponding money. This approach seems a bit cumbersome, but its benefits are obvious.

  Firstly, there is a justifiable reason to stay in Haddington without being accused of freeloading and avoid causing trouble; on the other hand, for Raymond's side, it doesn't cost much money but can gain Charlotte's favor who is worried about money and employment, which is quite a bargain.

  Among all the people, only Rigette thought of this point. The administrative ability that Plazza cultivated allowed him to handle these things with ease, saving Raymond a lot of trouble.

  As expected, after chatting with Lycoris for a while, Charlotte showed her first smile. Her cold expression had always been like a flower in bloom, and everyone felt the charm in it, Harlotte was even drooling.

  After discussing some matters of rent with Ricket, Charlotte and Morini bid farewell and left. Thus, after a series of twists and turns, Raymond and others finally settled down in Headington.

  At night, Charlotte had people send over food and some bedding. The gang of thieves, who were extremely hungry, ate with gusto and soon fell into a deep sleep.

  On the second floor of the dormitory, Raymond had not yet slept. He and Ricky, Freddy, and Rutz stood on the balcony, gazing out at the sparse lights of Haidington under the night sky.

  "Hey, what do you think of this place?" Raymond asked, turning back after a moment.

  Ricket sighed: "Compared to Prazza, it's far worse... uh, I mean, compared to any town, it's terrible. But the location is great, with a lot of business potential, if it can be redeveloped..."

  "Although it's a very good commercial town, it's terrible in military terms. Located on the plain, it is difficult to defend against land-based attacks, and although there is a good port, it lacks protection and is easily attacked from the sea."

  "Compared to these, I'm more concerned about what made this town turn into such a ghostly place. Unfortunately, there's too little intelligence available for analysis, making it hard to even make an educated guess."

  From the answers of the three people, we can clearly see their respective characteristics and areas of expertise.

  Raymond shook his head and smiled wryly: "Yes, although Reed had reminded me, I didn't think the situation here would be so bad."

  "Merchants are all of a kind," growled Freddy. "Even that celebrated Reed is no exception."

  He knew that this guy didn't get along with anyone, and Raymond didn't mind either. He said, "As for the specific situation, I'm afraid we can only wait for Charlotte to tell us."

  "Everything has to wait until someone tells you, this is what I hate most."

  It's no wonder that he's good at secret work. This answer really has a professional characteristic. Since they had an argument on the ship, Rickett and Freddy haven't gotten along well. He teased: "Unfortunately, you're not the high-ranking intelligence officer of 'Hidden Thunder' anymore, so hurry up and adapt."

  "I'd rather congratulate you, no need to run errands for the lord of Plaza anymore." Freddy retorted immediately.

  "You..." is more sarcastic than Ricky, who has received a good aristocratic education, would be Freddie's opponent.

  The two of them were about to quarrel again, and Raymond waved his hand: "I say, it's only the first day you've arrived, so let's calm down a bit. In any case, we've finally found a place to settle down, as for whether we'll stay or leave in the future, let's wait until we understand the situation clearly before deciding."

  Raymond spoke up and Ricky and Freddy had no choice but to stop arguing. The two of them took their leave one after the other.

  After they left, Rudes said to Raymond: "Young master, there is one more thing that I am worried about."

  "Are you referring to those robbers?"

  Rudolph was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "So you've thought of that too. Those guys are undisciplined and uncontrollable. When we escaped from Mojina, they were somewhat restrained because they had something to worry about. Now that they're settled in and have arrived at a completely unfamiliar place, it's likely that their old habits will resurface."

  "So, please hand them over to me. If they can't be made to understand discipline, these people are completely useless."

  Raymond nodded: "I understand what you mean, those guys are the first batch of subordinates we have, and they must be fully grasped. I believe that if you train them, they will definitely obey obediently. But that's just on the surface, what I want is their thorough obedience from the bottom of their hearts."

  "What do you want to do?"

  Raymond patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, I have my own plan. With those guys' temper, they will soon come to us themselves. Now, I need to go see another person."

  "Who is it?"

  Raymond pointed to the side, and on the other balcony, Captain Dreya of the Cyan Cloud was leaning against the railing with his head raised to the sky, staring blankly.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  Dreya heard this and turned around to glance at Raymond: "I was thinking, what should I use to pay my sailors' wages next month."

  "Come now, don't be so gloomy," said Raymond, "your ship isn't gone yet."

  Dreya sighed: "Actually, except for still owning the Cangyun, I'm basically bankrupt."

  "Isn't it? The situation is so bad?"

  Dreya let out a bitter laugh: "I've always been an unlucky captain, from several years ago, business has been bad, sometimes good, sometimes bad, basically didn't make any money. So not long ago, I used up all my capital to buy a batch of goods, planning to take advantage of the pirate's rampage, and risk transporting them to the Veronica continent for one last try. Who knew that before even leaving the port, I was hijacked by Kure's subordinates, not only were the goods thrown away, but my life was also almost lost."

  "To be honest, the fact that I was able to safely deliver you all to Haidington this time is still thanks to the supplies from the pirate ship. Now, apart from an empty ship, I am truly penniless."

  Dreya's situation, from some subtle signs before, Raymond had more or less expected, just didn't think it would be so bad. With only one merchant ship, it ended up like this, except for being extremely unlucky, there was no better explanation.

  "So, want to join me?" Raymond said.

  Dreya was taken aback: "Follow you?"

  He hesitated for a moment, with an expression as if he wanted to say something but was reluctant to speak: "But I..."

  Raimon understood his concerns, Dreya may be exhausted, but at least he was the captain of a merchant ship. As for Raimon and his group, they seemed to have many people, but their origins were unknown, and even Hayden had reluctantly accepted them. To put it bluntly, it was uncertain whether they could stay here in a few days, and currently, there didn't seem to be any place worth joining.

  It's just that because Raymond saved Dreya's life, he can't say it clearly.

  Currently lacking the corresponding strength, of course, there is no way to recruit talent. Raymond didn't mind about this. He smiled and said: "I mean, I plan to hire you."

  "Oh?"

  Raymond walked up to him, looking down and said: "You also saw that we plan to take this town as our base, and in the future, we will inevitably use its port for business. Moreover, we need to keep in touch with Reed, which requires a good ship. So I want to hire you to do things for me, as for the commission, I can guarantee a generous number."

  Upon hearing this, Dreya let out a sigh of relief and nodded without hesitation: "If that's the case, then of course it's no problem."

  Now Dreya Mountain is in a tight spot, urgently needing to make some money to maintain the merchant ship's expenses. If not, he won't have enough money to buy supplies and can't even set sail. So as long as it's not getting on a "pirate ship", Raymond's proposal, he naturally has no reason to refuse.

  And what about Raymond? In fact, he had already made up his mind not to let Dreya go easily when he arrived at Haidington. Because whether from the current situation or long-term consideration, having a ship that can be mobilized at any time can make many things convenient, but with their current situation, even if they have money, it's unlikely they'll find a merchant fleet to cooperate with, so this live candidate must be grasped firmly.

  Moreover, compared to those unruly pirates, the sailors of Drea's fleet showed good discipline. Even when they encountered successive difficulties, no one complained, and a person who could make his subordinates so loyal was certainly not someone to be let off easily.

  Although it's just an employment relationship for now, as for the future... heh heh, with Raymond's cunning and cleverness, won't Dreya be dragged down by him?

  Thus, both sides solved their own pressing matters, and the atmosphere was joyful. Dreya said somewhat urgently: "So, regarding the terms of the employment contract, when can..."

  "Tomorrow I'll have Rickett come and talk to you," said Raymond curtly.

  Dreya finally felt at ease, and he gratefully said: "You've saved me again, I'm truly grateful. Please be assured that from now on, any task you entrust to me, I will do my best to complete."

  He had no idea that this "good-hearted" Raymond was casting a long line to catch this big fish.

  "Hehe, don't say that, I believe we will have more cooperation in the future." Raymond said with a double-meaning smile as he shook Dreya's hand.

  The next day, Charlotte came again with some residents of Haddington and began a thorough cleaning of the houses in this area. As Raymond had promised to pay rent and might hire people for long-term work, everyone was enthusiastic and worked very hard.

  While the residents were sweeping the halls, Ramon and Freddie, Rutz and a few other leaders were invited by Charlotte to the town hall of Haiding. As for Ricky, he was sent by Ramon to negotiate with Dreya about employment matters.

  Compared with yesterday, Charlotte has made some changes in both spirit and attitude. Obviously, the arrival of Raymond and others has given her a glimmer of hope.

  The town hall is located on the north side of the town, a two-story small building with a beautiful lawn at the entrance. Although Haidington has declined, it is well maintained here. It can be seen that Charlotte, as the mayor, has not given up her determination to rebuild the town.

  Charlotte led the three men to the door of the reception room, and before opening it, she turned around and said: "Sorry, although I have tried my best to persuade them, the other committee members still do not trust you, so they are unwilling to let you intervene in Haidington's affairs. Today, inviting you here is hoping that you can persuade them."

  He recalled the men arguing with Charlotte on the beach yesterday and Raymond nodded in understanding. "I see, I'll do my best."

  Charlotte's eyes flashed with gratitude, and then she led the three into the reception room. There were already people waiting inside, in addition to Morini, there were several other men, apparently those committee members she mentioned.

  "This is Mr. Devereux, this is Mr. Lambert, and this is Mr. Van Ness." Charlotte introduced the three men one by one.

  DePero is a stout, middle-aged man who runs more than half of the town's food shops; Lambert is the oldest of the three and was also an assistant to the former mayor of Haddington, enjoying high prestige in Haddington; Vanning is a lean, bronze-skinned man who controls Haddington's fishing industry.

  They formed a committee with Morpeth and jointly managed Headington with Charlotte.

  Yesterday, after Charlotte made the decision that would make Raymond and his party leave, these three people left on their own, apparently they did not welcome this group of outsiders.

  It was still the case at this time, except that Morini had a more friendly attitude. When Charlotte introduced herself to the other three, they just nodded slightly and took it as a greeting.

  After the introduction, the servant presented tea and snacks, then closed the door and left. The whole reception room fell silent, with both sides sitting opposite each other, neither speaking for a while.