As the saying went, "Men died for wealth, and birds died for food; under a generous reward, even cowards would turn brave." Even after hearing how dangerous the work was, several people still planned to take their chances.
After all, they were already on the verge of starving. How could they afford to worry about anything else?
But the others weren't satisfied. They shouted loudly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The laborer at the front turned back and replied.
"We're on the verge of starving. What else can we do? Go to work! It's not as if we've never been whipped. The foremen carry whips when we work, and they've lashed us plenty."
More laborers stepped forward. They had never had much knack for making money to begin with. With wars raging constantly, and dockside gangs and foremen squeezing them dry, they were already on the verge of starving.
Now that there was a chance to earn money, they naturally didn't want to let it slip by for nothing. Though those men made the work sound terrifying, most people didn't have a bad impression of the Austrian Empire.
That impression came from nostalgia for the days of Habsburg rule. Although the House of Bourbon had made extensive changes to history after taking power, even smearing the Habsburgs' legacy,
the Spanish Empire had continued to decline, and people naturally found themselves longing for the famed heights of that empire: its golden age, that time of prosperity when everyone had food to eat.
"Stop! You're not allowed to go!"
"Why not?"
"You want to be the Austrians' accomplices!"
"H-how are we the Austrians' accomplices?"
The laborers looked bewildered.
"Do you know what the Austrians want you to do?"
"It says right there: carry cargo, repair the city walls, and clean the