-Crang, Crang, Crang, Crang. Listening to the constant sliding, grinding and rolling of the wooden tires against the roughened but yet grounds, Adam hastily massaged his elbows with a deep look in his hazy eyes. It's been over 3 years now that he has been hearing of this grand place called Baymard. As a simple villager, he never knew his life would change so much in such a short time. It happened like magic. Adam came from the little village of Sheylia. Well, although he called it little, it has since grown 3 times in size since the emergence of Baymard was made known to them. The village that was engulfed in poverty and death, now bloomed and blossomed since the emergence of Baymard and their new Monarch, his majesty William Barn. Oh yes~... Now, Lords were given particular tax ranches that they couldn't exceed, or else it would be them who pays the ultimate price.
To make things easier, all regions belonging to different lords were grouped in various sections, and overseen by particular people approved by the Monarch. In short, each grouped area was called a Province/Prefecture/state.
Each prefecture or state had its own tax rates everyone was then subjected to. Now, the rules were all clear in black and white. So no more tyranny, no more collecting excessive taxes and seizing their goods and belongings at every turn. Before, they used to have nearly nothing to eat, since every time they harvested their crops and goods, the lord's people would storm in seconds after the Harvey's and take away almost everything, claiming it was to feed the army and so on. On top of that, bandits would also rob them left, right and center. F***! There was never any justice for little guys like them. Some smart people in the village found a way to get around these dilemmas, but even then, their savings were only better than the average villager, and couldn't amount to what those in towns or cities had stored up. .
All in all, their lives were always drowning in poverty, with disease, death, fights, and plagues ravishing the lands like crazy. For peasants like themselves, they all knew their fates were sealed. Unless they manage to join a noble's faction or find a way to train and become a soldier or guard, they will most definitely live and die the same way they used to do. Another path they could take was the scholarly path, hoping to join the national scholarly exams and become one of the scribes and scholars his majesty will most definitely use, assigning them to different government departments for work. However, one can't just take the scholarly examinations just like that, even if they have somehow read and understood the works. First, you must pay homage to a teacher, joining a school and improving your calligraphy, poise, and knowledge. Just paying tuition for a whole year was so expensive for people like them, not to mention the price of busing paper and other writing materials. Years ago, who could think of sending their children to school, talk less of sponsoring them for several more years? Heh. Such a thing was impossible, and many never dreamt of doing so. They didn't even have enough food to eat, so how could they think of turning their children into scholars? Adam, just like many others, had already admitted to his fate and that of his children. But who would have known that fate had another plan in store for them? Hooray! The tyrant was dead, and a new dawn flashed through Arcadina. Then, came the sweetness of it all. At first, many resisted the change, especially the nobles. But you see, their new Monarch was so smart. Before the nobles could raise their arms to retaliate, their beloved monarch had already counterattacked by sending his loyal forces to each corner of Arcadina to instill these changes, alongside the help of the Baymardians. .
… Change, they say, can cause a war. A terrible war sparked across the land, but was quickly contained, with every opposition party crushed to smithereens. Normally, Adam would be afraid of anyone who forcefully puts their own laws on him. But this time, he was clapping so hard his palms were about to tear. Yes! Yes! To hell with slavery! To hell with excessive taxation! To hell with treating them like dogs! They too were human beings and deserved some goddamn rights. And then, with taxation easing up, his family now had entry to spare as food. Another great thing to come out of all this, was that his children could now go to school… Baymardian schools at that. The moment he got wind of the matter, he did all he could to send his son to school in Baymard's Capital. His oldest daughter, who was married, also headed to Baymard to study law. And as it stands now, last year, she returned to Arcadina on a 1 year Internship program to Arcadina's Capital, where she and her husband will work in different government departments, all for Arcadina's benefit. Adam's chest always swelled when thinking of his vibrant daughter. Who would have known that a woman could be one of the top scorers in a class filled with both genders? You would think the men would rise to surpass all women, but that wasn't the case. Adam was indeed taken aback after getting wind of the matter. You have to know that before then, he and many others in this world thought women didn't have the brains to do certain jobs. But now, they knew they were wrong. His daughter was interested in government activities, and his son, who was still in public school, was interested in Boarding hair. Yes! This was no joke. His son was very interested in the various ways hair could be styled and cut. His son already wrote to him a while back, talking of his thoughts of staying longer after graduating from Public school at age 14 this year. Well, he would graduate and then join Baymard's National Arts, Beauty & Entertainment University.
There, he planned to take stylist courses l, graduate, buy his Clippers and equipment, before later moving back to open a grand salon in Arcadina. It was his dream. (*^*)
.
For final year pupils in public school who are about to graduate, they have field trips every Saturday to visit the various industries and get a hint of what they would love doing in the future. Baymardians of course were the only ones taking field trips to the lower region, but for ally and non-ally empires, they could also visit law firms and other public workplaces. Some want to be astronomers and those who predict the weather, and others want to be cab drivers who get to drive cool vehicles all day long with little to no stress. Some people liked aiming high, while for others, their dream jobs were simple things like working at a mall. You might look down on these jobs, but for some, it is perfect for those who don't want to use their brains so much at work. In the end, every profession had people who were getting to belong. Adam's son, Athos, fell in love with hair barbering, fading and styling for men. He swore that he would open a famous saloon that Arcadinian local celebrities could visit. His saloon would have the highest star rating around his area, and he would also get Baymardian marketing to boost up his Salomon's presence and wealth. He even wanted a luxury waiting area, with drinks, comfy couches, and TVs. Just like some girls plan to open hair salons and nail salons, he yearned for the same too. As for Adam, he didn't know too much about this whole Barbering saloon thing. But since his son had so much confidence in himself, he decided to support it for now. A man must learn to walk, fall and walk on his own for a while. As a father, he must allow his son to learn life's lessons, especially when venturing out in a new business. .
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Adam massaged his elbows once more, feeling his heartbeat accelerating with every second that passed him by. After saving money for so long, he was finally ready to see what this Baymard looked like. Was it just as others said? Where it's people kinder and more welcoming than the rest of the world?
(?~?)
Was it as its nickname suggested? Was it truly an empire of friendship and abundant peace?
Adam was now seated on a Public Wagon Bus, one of the many official Transport Buses Arcadina had running around within towns, cities, and villages. Some only move within settlement areas, and others move between settlements. Within the wooden wagon buses, were battery powered light trips tapped around the upper interior walls. Looking at his watch, Adam knew it was only a matter of time before they reach Baymard's Eastern entry point. And sure enough, in no time… Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The doors were banged, and then opened. "All rise, all rise. We have arrived at Baymard's borders!"
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