As Caroline's words fell, a brief silence descended both inside and outside Flower Hall.
This silence lasted less than three breaths before the crowd absolutely erupted.
"Twice the salary of the Royal Capital? For real?"
"Paid out every month? Not just at the end of the year?"
"My wife works at the dyehouse. Does Grey Marsh Territory need people like her too?"
"My kids… can my kids really go to school? For free literacy lessons?"
The crowd went into an uproar. Countless questions, all tinged with disbelief, surged from all directions.
The cacophony converged into a single wave of sound, crashing against the clay-tiled roof of Flower Hall as if to tear it right off.
Caroline had long since anticipated this scene.
She clapped her hands, and a dozen or so managers in Golden Sail Commerce Association uniforms filed in through the side doors of the hall.
They quickly took their seats behind the long tables and brought out ink, quill pens, and thick registration ledgers.
