The Rise of an Industrial Nation

Over the next few days, all of Blood Port gradually grew busy.

Isabella began recruiting large numbers of soldiers. Unlike the previous troops, these recruits were not only required to fight, but also had to meet certain educational standards.

Isabella's requirements were not high. Being able to read and understand tactical manuals was enough.

Anywhere else, this would have been sheer fantasy. Sending literate people to the battlefield was an incomprehensible waste.

But in Blood Port, it was manageable.

Castel had spared no effort in promoting general education throughout Blood Port. All school-age children were sent to school, with tuition and meals entirely free.

Adults were no longer provided with free meals, but anyone who wanted to study could attend.

At first, Castel had used schools as one form of relief. Disaster victims could both get enough to eat and learn something, drawing in huge numbers of refugees.

During the hardest times, even a shed set up in the open air could serve as a school.

But Castel's formidable infrastructure capabilities quickly caught up. Before people had even realized it, school buildings had risen one after another.

Zoe had once worried that they were building too many at once. After all, this batch of students should have been the largest, and once they graduated, the schools would be left empty.

But Theus had told the construction teams to build without holding back, only stopping once there were more than enough schools.

Facts proved that this decision had been correct.

Blood Port developed far faster than anyone had expected. The economies of scale created by industry were like a snowball, growing faster and larger with every roll.

Soon, Blood Port began drawing in the population from surrounding areas. Refugees driven from their homes by war flooded in, and Blood Port continued