Thaddeus noticed the player was oddly dressed for the game’s fantasy setting. He was a tall, rugged man and wore blue jeans, cowboy boots, a Stetson hat, a big belt buckle, blue button-up shirt with a Cargill label. His eyes sparkled with intelligence, and had a warm, genuine, smile.

“Welcome to Woodhaerst, I’m Thaddeus Brown,”

“Ah, Thaddeus, the man I came to see. I’m Sawyer McDermott. Your new Cargill and Deere liaison,” he said introducing himself.

Hearing his response momentarily stunned Thaddeus. Regaining his focus he replied, “Welcome Sawyer, I’ll show you around, then we can chat.”

Thaddeus shook his hand firmly; he could feel the man’s weathered hand, before waving goodbye to the NPCs engineers. The engineers waved back, before disappearing into the jump gate.

“I watched your live streams, they're good. You’ve been busy protecting your settlement. Cargill and Deere are happy your settlement is safe and pleased by your vast acreage of farmland, lush fields, and healthy livestock. Cargill was also happy to see your farmers planting their patented cotton and taking good care of their genetic brand of cattle,” Sawyer detailed.

“Well, I’m happy my sponsors are happy,” Thaddeus feigning enthusiasm. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“There’s just a couple of things they’d like to see you do more. Like your farmers using Deere equipment more. They’ve noticed that the farmers aren’t well trained. If you like, I’ll be happy to train them. Cargill also wants to expand the number of farmers and ranchers using their products,” Sawyer advised.

“Oh,” Thaddeus said in surprise.

“With Demeter blessing your farmland, Woodhaerst is the perfect advertisement.”

“Isn’t that a bit misleading?”

“Yeah, but it’s business. Now that Big Ag is in the game, they intend to capitalize on agriculture and meat production. In this server, Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride are competing in contracting chicken farmers. Smithfield’s doing the same with hogs. But Cargill doesn’t plan to lose out. The company plans to be the biggest meat and cotton producer in this server. And Woodhaerst plays a central role in their strategy.”

“Then why am I just learning about it now?”

“Cargill and Deere believe there’s synergy between your settlement goals and their tactics. Woodhaerst is following the economic skill tree. What could be better than a thriving agricultural sector that contributes to the trade and prosperity of Woodhaerst and Ironwood?

The head honchos are impressed by what you've accomplished here, a growing town, a low tax policy, and vast untapped farmland and pasture. Thaddeus, Woodhaerst's growth in agriculture is something to be proud of. Can you imagine what will happen when you integrate modern machinery into your farming practices?" said Shaun his face lit up with passion.

“Contract farming may sound nice. But we both know contract farming is no better than indentured servitude,” Thaddeus replied seeing past the flattery and bullshit.

“Yeah, I know. My father signed a contract to raise chickens when we lost our crops in a drought. It’s easy to get into debt when your margins are narrow. And t I know John Deere's replacement parts are expensive to replace. But, you can trust me when I say I know the ups and downs of farming. I’m a fifth-generation farmer. Listen you have nothing to worry about. You're Cargill and Deere’s golden boy and your stream is popular. Especially, after earning that world’s first bonus. It'd be bad business to sabotage our sponsor. You can trust me when I say, there’s room to negotiate.”

Hearing Sawyer say, golden boy, made him cringe. Still, Thaddeus felt better after hearing there was "Room to negotiate? Alright, what's in the contract?

“Cargill wants to build slaughterhouses, meat packing plants, and Trade Fair Ground. Also, John Deere wants to open a regional sales office. Lastly, ABCD Group and Financial Consortium want to open a Tractor Supply store in Woodhaerst.”

"I don't have enough cultural points to unlock Trade Fair Grounds yet, but tell me why they want it?”

“They want to hold a regional agriculture and animal husbandry expo.”

Thaddeus gave Sawyer a tour. Their conversation made him feel the weight of Woodhaerst Town's success. The sleepy, slow, life he was beginning to enjoy, was slipping out of his grasp again. And that gave him mixed feelings. He was happy to see his town grow, but at the same time, all he wanted was to homestead in the wilderness. He was happy Woodhaerst was an economic node and regional power, but now that success was attracting the attention of major corporations. Cargill and John Deere were eager to capitalize on his success. No doubt they saw immense potential in Woodhaerst's fertile land, bustling marketplace, and thriving population.

Their proposal would industrialize Woodhaerst. Moreover, slaughterhouses and meat packing plants weren’t the safest job sites. At the same time, could he pass on providing his people with good-paying jobs? The number of new residents was growing and surely, they appreciated a chance a full-time employment.

On the other hand, if he let in Cargill, John Deere, and Tractor Supply, brands like Starbucks, Panera, and Walmart would follow suit. Letting those companies in would drive out local businesses and make Woodhaerst feel more like a real city than the fantasy it was.

And those companies would most likely send their liaisons. Once the door was open it was hard to close it. But what if he excluded those shops from Old Town? Suddenly, he felt Dr. McElvaney’s annoyance with allowing corporations access to the game. Corporations had too much money to splash around.

Yet, while there would be challenges, Thaddeus also understood the potential economic gains might out way the potential risks. Each of his 20 businesses earned him 5 cultural a week, or a total of 100 cultural points a week. Over the past six weeks, he earned 600 cultural points.

The casino, theatre, auction house, marketplace, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, general store, trading post, local market (stalls), gristmill, weaver shop, bathhouse, apiary, mine, bakery, sawmill, tannery, butchery, hunter’s lodge, inn, each earned 10 cultural points a week.

He was 600 cultural points away from unlocking Trade Fair Ground and 400 cultural points away from unlocking Trade Caravans. If the building Cargill and Deere planned to build earned cultural points, he could progress faster down the settlement economic skill tree.

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Still, letting these companies come in meant relinquishing total control over specific areas of his town, possibly altering the unique culture and community spirit that had defined Woodhaerst.

After the tour ended, Thaddeus showed Sawyer to vacate the house and left to go find Sabrina. She was wise, intelligent, and had a deep empathy for his people.

"What do you make of this, Sabrina?" he asked, sharing the proposal documents with her.

Sabrina read through them thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing as she considered the implications. "This is a double-edged sword, Thaddeus," she finally said. "On one hand, we can accelerate our growth and provide modern amenities to our residents. On the other hand, we risk losing our identity. Once we open the door to these corporations, there's no telling how it might change our way of life."

Thaddeus sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know. I’ve been going back and forth on this. What do the people want? What's best for Woodhaerst?"

Sabrina reached over, placing her hand on his. "Why not ask them? Let's hold a town meeting and hear their voices. They should have a say in the future of their home."

Thaddeus looked into her eyes, "You're right. I’ll ask Brand and the Town Council to schedule a town meeting."

The next day, as the sun rose over the horizon, Thaddeus walked butcher shop.

Brand, the town butcher, wiped his hands on a cloth and turned his attention to Thaddeus, he eyed Thaddeus with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Morning, Baron Brown?" he asked.

"Brand, I need to schedule a town meeting. We've got some decisions to make, and I want to get your take before the meeting," Thaddeus said, leaning against the counter. "Some big corporations want to set up shop here in Woodhaerst. It could bring prosperity, but it could also change the town for the worse."

Brand sighed, setting down his knife. "Well, if it brings jobs, that's a good thing. But you're right; change will happen. Have you talked to the other local shopkeepers?”

“I’m you can do that, Mayor you got pulse for how the people feel. Speak to them then let me know.”

"Aye," Brand nodded.

Next, Thaddeus walked to farms to find Arthur. To his surprise, Sawyer, and Arthur were on top of a John Deere S760 harvester. He could see Sawyer instructing Arthur on how the harvester worked and how it would make the upcoming harvest easier to gather.

“Morning,” Thaddeus shouted surprising Arthur.

"Arthur's a quick learner, harvest, he’ll drive that the harvester as well as me," Sawyer complimented.

“We’ll I’m glad you’re both here. I’ve decided to call a town meeting. Sawyer, I’ve thought about your offer, and I want to hear from my residents first. Arthur, I’m tasking you to speak with the farmers before tonight’s meeting. Sawyer, you’ll also be given a chance to speak and answer questions,” Thaddeus explained.

“Yes, sir,” Arthur nodded

“Sounds good, I’m looking forward to introducing myself to the town,” Sawyer agreed.

Thaddeus' next stop was the cathedral. When he walked into the cathedral, he saw Priestess Thera praying at the altar. When she finished, Thaddeus walked up to greet her.

“I already heard. Now that your lady’s here, I guess I’m the last person you speak with now,” Priestess Thera said feigning insult.

“You know I value your opinion and insult,” Thaddeus said in way of an apology.

“It’s a good idea, one your misses probably gave you,” she lightly chuckled.

“Alright, enough with the passive aggressiveness. I already apologized.”

“Are you planning to have the town meeting here or in the Town Hall?”

“If you’d be so kind, I like to continue having meetings here.”

“Good, I’m proud of you. Even with your title, you still give residents a chance to voice their opinions and weigh the pros and cons. As much as you deny it, you understand the hopes and fears of your people. Your decision won’t be an easy one, but at least you’re going about it the right way,” she said encouragingly.

That day, Woodhaerst Town was abuzz with discussions and debates. The town meeting looked to be an interesting discussion. From the little he heard, the shopkeepers, farmers, and residents all had varied opinions.

That evening, the cathedral was packed. Townspeople, farmers, merchants, and adventurers were all there. When Thaddeus and Sabrina arrived, they saw Sawyer talking to a group of players. They all wore business suits, that clashed with medieval fantasy attire, and serious expressions. Curious, he made his way over to Sawyer to find out who these players were.

“Hi Thaddeus, let me introduce you to some people. This is Karen she’ll be presenting on behalf of Cargill and John Deere. Gabe is here from the Financial Consortium, and Melissa represents Walmart, Starbucks, and Panera,” Sawyer introduced each one and their respective teams.

“I didn’t expect so many representatives to come. Guess, I was only expecting Sawyer to be here,” Thaddeus said awkwardly.

“I can see why, but Sawyer is only the liaison, he doesn’t have any administrative capabilities. I’m Karen from ABCD Group Public Relations. We were surprised by the short notice, but thankfully we were able to rush and get the presentation done on time. My department also notified our colleagues, aren’t you happy?” said a short brown-haired businesswoman in a pinstripe skirt suit.

“Not really. Sawyer, can we talk for a minute?” Thaddeus said pulling Sawyer to the side.

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. But I’m required to report my daily activities. I didn’t expect my report to be fast-tracked to PR. It just goes to show you, how serious Cargill is about this whole thing,” Sawyer said trying to find the bright lining.

“No more corporate yuppies or the deals off!” Thaddeus said annoyed.

“You heard her, I’m just the liaison. I don’t have administrative duties,” he pleaded.

“Fine, but know I’m serious,” Thaddeus said before leaving to mingle with his residents.

At 8 p.m., Thaddeus called the meeting to order. He stood behind the lectern, scanning the crowd. The entire town had turned up, filling the pews, standing in the aisles, and even leaning against the walls. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. We have a very important matter to discuss,” Thaddeus said laying out the proposals. Then he gave the agenda, “We’ll start by hearing from the representatives, after that, we'll have a Q&A session, and then I want to hear your opinions."

Thaddeus nodded toward Karen, Gabe, and Nikolette, who each took turns presenting their proposals. They talked about the economic benefits, job opportunities, and modern amenities that their respective corporations would bring to Woodhaerst. They even handed out pamphlets with impressive charts, graphs, and projections.

After the presentations, Thaddeus opened the floor for questions. Residents grilled the corporate representatives about the impact on local businesses, environmental concerns, and community culture.

Then, Thaddeus turned to the crowd. "Now, it's time for you to speak. Arthur, would you like to share the farmers' perspective?"

Arthur stood up, a bit nervous but resolute. "Well, I talked to many of the farmers. Some of us think the new machinery could make our lives easier. But none of us have ever done contract farming before and we’re worried about what we don’t know.”

Brand was next, speaking on behalf of the local shopkeepers. "I any new jobs are a good thing. But what will happen to our small businesses if we've got a big corporation to undercut our prices and we get pushed out? If we can get some guarantees, we’ll feel more comfortable.”

The meeting lasted for hours, with voices raised in both concern and excitement. After everyone who wanted to speak had done so, Thaddeus took the floor again.

"I'm heartened to see so much engagement from all of you. This is a complex issue, one that could reshape Woodhaerst in profound ways. Now, who would be in favor of moving forward with these corporate partnerships?"

A mix of hands went up, but it was far from a majority. Thaddeus looked at Sabrina, who gave him a reassuring nod.

"And who would rather we keep things the way they are?"

This time, a significant number of hands went up, and murmurs filled the cathedral.

Thaddeus took a deep breath. "I see that we're divided. This is not a decision I can make alone, nor should it be. I propose we put it to a town vote. Each resident will have the chance to cast their vote anonymously. Once we tally the votes, I’ll know where the majority stands."

Sawyer, who had been silent, finally spoke. "You know, whether you like it or not, the world outside this town is changing. Maybe it's time Woodhaerst changes too. But how it changes... well, that's up to you,” Sawyer’s opinion caught the attention of everyone present.

"Before we leave, Let me remind you Travelors there is no partiality with the gods, They retaliate against Travelers! The gods are smarter than you Travelers imagine. They catch Travelers in their craftiness. Travelers beware or else it’ll be ‘game over," Priestess Thera warned.