The crowd burst into cheers when they heard what he said. Even the standard ten copper coins was a lot for a day's job; their hearts were already racing, they wanted to get to it.
Elaine arrived at the town square with the contracts. Raze took one and lifted it into the air.
"This is the contract that you'll be signing. I'll explain what it has so that you all know what you are getting into before you start.
I have already told you of the pay you stand to get from this job, and that stands as the first part of it. But there is one aspect of the pay I must tell you." He looked at them, his eyes going cold, and an evil smile formed on his face as he looked at them.
"Only those that work will be able to get their pay. I will be watching like a hawk and making sure that every single last one of you is giving a hundred and ten percent, because I will not be paying anyone that isn't working.
So if you want to make your pay, then make sure you do the best you can when working. There might even be bonuses for those that stand out the most," he said, grinning from ear to ear.
He managed to make them scared of not working and eager to work—the power of incentive and punishment.
"That's basically all you need to know about the payment. Second, all of you that work will be entitled to one full day of rest in two weeks, a paid day off.
What that means is that twice in a month, you can decide to rest for a full day and still receive your pay for the day.
The construction of the roads will eat late into nights and also push the body to the max, so you can have that day all to yourself and still get paid."
When they heard that, it sounded all too good to be true. They were about to start cheering, but Raze spoke.
"So I want you to know that you better work your asses off, because if I watch you work and discover that you haven't worked well enough, I'll cut your day off and have you work that day," he said. Everyone's faces changed.
They just realized something about their boss, the young master. He gave a lot of benefits when it came to work, but he always demanded that they gave their all to be able to get it.
Some people who just wanted to slack and get paid were already groaning, but even in all that groaning, they couldn't say anything negative about the young master, because he was basically giving them a good opportunity to work here. They could take it or leave it.
"Feeding will also be handled by me while you are on site—food and water, and occasionally wine. You'll eat to your heart's content, but I also expect you to put in the good worth of work.
Because if you don't, your food will also be cut, and you'll work on an empty stomach," he said.
Yup, everyone now knew who Raze was. He gave a lot of benefits, but with them came a whip at their back. But they couldn't argue, as everything that he offered was immensely great and could help them a lot, and all they had to do was man up and work.
"Oh, and I should add that this job opportunity isn't limited to just men. Women of the allowed age group are all allowed.
Here, we prioritize a good level of equality, and if a lady wants to work, let her work. But then again, she isn't allowed to slack off at all. I want to see her working her ass off, grunting like the men and putting in a hundred and ten, that's what it takes," he said.
He looked around and saw the faces of some women, and to his surprise, they looked eager to sign. So with that, a table was brought for him and the stack of contracts placed there.
He looked at the first person in the extremely long line, a tall dude with lean muscle. He handed him the contract.
"If you have any questions that require reading and you are unable to do so yourself, then talk to Elaine and Ella and have them read it for you," Raze said.
"Wait, young master, how did you know that I can—"
"You left a note in my food." He cut her short. She was a bit surprised and also pissed by her own slip-up.
"And why am I suddenly getting put in this?" Ella asked.
"I need all the hands I can get, and you are a very educated person, so I need your help," he said with a smile, trying to get her to do it.
"Tsk, you owe me that perfume," she said.
"Deal." Raze answered, and immediately the signing started. A stack of signed contracts filled the table, and they were finally done after a while.
Everyone that was meant to work gathered their tools and headed to the mountain, while Raze returned to the manor. He needed to do some filing.
He arrived at his father's office, knocked, and went in. His father saw the stack of papers in his hands and began wondering what they were for.
"I am carrying out a road development, and these are the contracts all the people have signed. I need them filed," he said, placing it on the table.
His father picked one up and read it.
"What!" he exclaimed.