Unexpectedly, among the constables, a middle-aged man of about thirty walked over, looked William Foster up and down, then smiled and said, “Not bad, kid, you’ve got guts! So, are you interested in becoming a constable?”

William Foster was taken aback at first, truly not expecting the middle-aged constable to bring this up, but he quickly realized, “Being a constable is great—at least my meals and income will be guaranteed!”

As for anything else, he couldn’t worry about that right now, so he didn’t bother thinking too much and nodded in agreement right away.

Seeing the joy on William Foster’s face, the man was quite pleased as well. He nodded and instructed, “Alright then, go home and pack up, then come with me to Shili Pavilion to handle the paperwork and such. You’ll officially start work tomorrow!”

William Foster nodded vigorously. Although he really wanted to ask, “How much can I earn a month? Are meals included?” he knew there was no rush, so he held back. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a voice seemed to sound in his mind:

“The system user’s status has been elevated, and system permissions have been correspondingly upgraded!”

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Chapter 5: Buy It With Money?

“Permission upgrade?”

That voice was cold and completely devoid of emotion, and William Foster could tell that it wasn’t something he ‘heard’ with his ears, but rather it sounded directly in his mind.

He couldn’t explain why he was so sure, but he just knew—probably because of that magical iron token.

He still didn’t know what benefits the system permission upgrade would bring, and for now, he was still talking with the middle-aged constable.

After he agreed to become a constable, the man began asking William Foster some basic questions—not because he’d just thought of it, but because it was simply part of the process. It seemed that no one ever got stuck at this step when becoming a constable.

After all, those willing to be constables were either from poor local families or had some reputation in the martial world, and either background was considered clean.

As for whether some people with ‘ulterior motives’ might slip in, that possibility couldn’t be ruled out, but for such an important institution, they naturally had their own measures in place. It wasn’t something William Foster needed to worry about.

“You’re the only one left in your family?”

“Yes!” William Foster didn’t mention Matthew Reed; since Matthew Reed wasn’t around at the moment, he’d just say it was a distant relative when they returned.

After a few more questions, William Foster went home.

That middle-aged constable—he now knew the man’s name was David Thompson, who was the head of Shili Pavilion in charge of the local villages. The pavilion head was the highest official in a pavilion.

In reality, it wasn’t a formal official position; any officially registered constable could serve as a pavilion head.

So, to put it plainly, the pavilion head was just an ordinary constable.

Additionally, William Foster now realized that he wasn’t actually a real constable. Although he would be registered, his status was still one rank lower than a true constable.

It turned out that the various prefectures and towns of the Great Zhou Dynasty were severely understaffed, and with so many villages under their jurisdiction, they allowed each town and pavilion to recruit their own people.

These self-recruited people could be counted among the constables, but their status was slightly lower, and they weren’t allowed to carry swords—each was only issued a wooden stick.

Originally, this type of constable didn’t have a fixed title, but over time, people started calling them “chaiyi” (assistants), and it gradually became the standard term for this rank of constable.

That’s exactly what William Foster was. Now that he finally understood the difference, William Foster realized why David Thompson could so casually offer him the job—it all made sense now.

Of course, in the official records of the Great Zhou Dynasty, chaiyi were still considered constables, so David Thompson hadn’t deceived him.

“Whatever, even if the benefits are a bit lower, at least I’ll get paid on time every month!”

Although the status of chaiyi was a bit lower and the benefits weren’t as good as real constables, they still received one tael of silver per month, which was equivalent to a thousand copper coins. The Great Zhou Dynasty had been peaceful for over two hundred years, and with no external shocks, the exchange rate between gold, silver, and copper had remained stable.

As far as William Foster knew, the rate had stayed the same for the past thirty years without fluctuation.

Also, one tael of gold could be exchanged for five taels of silver, meaning one tael of gold equaled five thousand copper coins.

An ordinary family’s yearly expenses were only about two to four taels; if they were frugal, they might not even spend one tael. Now, William Foster could earn one tael a month, which was equal to a frugal family’s yearly expenses.

In fact, William Foster didn’t realize that those who spent only one tael a year were families with their own land and food. If you had to buy grain, it would be more like four taels a year.

Even so, his current income was enough to ensure a decent life. This was the most obvious sign of how much the Great Zhou Dynasty valued its constables—especially since their work involved not only dealing with ordinary people and criminals, but also fighting vicious bandits and even martial artists. Being a constable was a dangerous job; if the pay wasn’t good, who would risk their life for the court?

As for the danger, William Foster didn’t really care. What he cared about now was that an official constable’s monthly wage was as high as five taels. What he was thinking about was how he could get promoted to the next rank.