Being able to read meant being able to understand warning signs and know what could be touched and what was dangerous. That was the most basic of basic qualifications for a modern factory.
Theus's eyes lit up. "We can selectively bring some of those people over. They already belong to the Mystic Society and are relatively loyal to Castel, so they can help fill the manpower shortage on the island."
Castel had sent out more than a thousand people at once. While it would not be a fatal blow to production capacity, things would inevitably become rather strained.
Moreover, Gem Bay's development also required manpower. Otherwise, Theus would not have been in such a hurry to establish literacy classes.
Now it seemed fortunate that they had not taken Blood Port as a territory. Otherwise, no one knew how many people would have to be poured into merely managing that city, and all the civil servants they had worked so hard to train would have to be sent there as well.
"Besides that, there are also a large number of peripheral members. They are not our official believers, but they have basically attached themselves to the Mystic Society. We hold considerable influence over this group, and most of them enrolled in the literacy classes after our publicity campaign."
"How many are there?"
"Uh... eight hundred? A thousand? I can't say for sure."
This group would probably become the first batch to enter the factories in the future. With the Mystic Society vouching for them, getting them to take the plunge should not be a problem.
"By the way, how many people are still in Blood Port?"
The question silenced the meeting room. Everyone exchanged glances, then shook their heads in frustration.
"Maybe several tens of thousands?"
"Definitely fewer than a hundred