Chapter 168

Upon returning, Cyrus lost interest in the thoughts of the Pope, Orville, and Archibald; he became busy.

Because spring plowing is about to begin.

The next goal is to further increase the yield of the three new crops— Potato, Sweet Potato, Corn —on top of the existing production.

Furthermore, tomatoes, peppers, and Cotton were also promoted.

During this period, Cyrus also needed to mass-produce machines—cotton gins, spinning wheels, looms, etc.

It is a way of replacing manual labor with machines.

Leaving aside spinning wheels and cotton gins, just looking at the loom, Cyrus ordered Reinog to improve upon the original design, adding many auxiliary tools to facilitate weaving.

For example, spinning weights, changing manual operation to foot pedals, spindles...

The newly built looms are used to process raw materials such as cotton thread, silk, and hemp into fabric, greatly improving the speed of weaving.

The loom and spinning wheel were used together, saving a great deal of manual labor.

Although she had returned from the Saint Airo Empire, Cyrus was still keeping a close eye on the empire's recent situation.

Shamir Phoebe has vanished without a trace, and the wedding has been postponed indefinitely.

Throughout the harsh winter, the death toll in the Saint Airo Empire soared due to the biting cold, especially the heavy snowfall.

The exact number of those who died has now been roughly tallied.

Even for the Saint Airo Empire,  is a daunting number.

Not to mention, this doesn't even include the number of people who died due to unrest in various places.

Cyrus tapped the letter containing the report and pondered, "The cold wave is moving south, and the Little Ice Age has arrived. The shortest Little Ice Age lasts about thirty years, and the longest can reach seventy years."

This year is just the beginning.

The Little Ice Age not only caused extreme weather events, such as the coldest and hottest winters and summers, but also led to a significant reduction in food production.

This could lead to problems such as a sharp decline in population and social unrest.

It can be said that if timely measures and actions had not been taken to address the difficulties of the past few years, the problems brought about by the Little Ice Age would have been difficult to resolve and overcome peacefully...

The preparations are now made in order to achieve [the desired outcome].

Winter had just ended, and before leaving for the Saint Airo Empire, Cyrus instructed Reinog to lead the engineers and ordinary craftsmen of the Craftsmen's Guild to establish factories for producing machinery in Visas and Komoy Fort respectively.

-- Parts for machines such as cotton gins and spinning wheels are manufactured in batches and then assembled.

After all, the machine he had previously commissioned Reinog to develop for Cotton was only a trial unit.

Each of the first prototypes was left in the castle for use, and perhaps they will be passed down to become the first precious artifact to appear on the continent.

Just like the South-Pointing Chariot and Seismoscope that appeared in ancient China.

Now, all of these things belong to Cyrus.

The factories for mass-producing the machines were easy to build, and the sites were chosen to be located on the outskirts and east of the cities of Visas and Komoy Fort, respectively.

Many of the workers recruited came from other places.

Cyrus demanded that employee dormitories be built inside the factory, with a fee covering meals and accommodation, which was much cheaper than renting a house outside.

More importantly, the food at the factory is quite good.

One day, Cyrus, along with Judas, Reinog, and others, arrived at the factory in Visas to inspect the manufacturing progress.

There was absolutely no prior notice, so much so that everyone was momentarily panicked upon entering the factory.

"My lord!" The factory foreman rushed over and bowed.

The other workers, looking bewildered or agitated, stood up from their workbenches and waited to the side, watching the lord.

Cyrus nodded and said to the supervisor, "Let him continue with his work as usual. Don't worry about me; I was just taking a look."

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The factory environment was nice; at least it wasn't obviously dirty or messy.

Upon hearing this, the foreman immediately turned and shouted at the workers who were looking over, "Get back to your work! Don't look around, go back to your positions..."

Some workers returned to their original positions without hesitation.

The cacophony of machine parts production suddenly began.

The machine parts inside are still in the stage of manual manufacturing; a small amount of iron raw materials are melted and cast, and the rest are made of wood... The production line is like an assembly line, and the parts are sorted and assembled.

This method can greatly improve efficiency.

While cotton gins, spinning wheels, and looms could be manufactured quickly, how to use a machine was still a problem.

Especially the working principle of a loom; without specialized instruction, it's very difficult to understand on your own... After all, the loom's operating principle isn't as simple as that of a cotton gin or spinning wheel, which can be learned at a glance.

This means that producing one item will inevitably lead to the improvement or manufacture of one, two, and so on, related items...

Once a certain number of looms have been manufactured, a training course will also be offered.

Cyrus strolled slowly through the factory with her hands behind her back, pondering what she needed to do next.

Textile work can be done collectively or individually.

These tasks are generally done by women, whether it's the fineness of the weaving or the patterns, women are more meticulous and skilled at it.

Moreover, due to the continuous disasters, even ordinary families are struggling to make ends meet and are facing difficulties in making a living.

In the past, it was generally easier for men to find jobs that could earn money than for women, as women were less strong and unable to do heavy labor.

For other, easier jobs, if given the choice between men and women, most people would still choose men.

In that historical context, women were often discriminated against.

After all, not to mention women who were commoners or slaves, even some noble daughters were married off as gifts in fair or unfair transactions.

However, once spinning wheels and looms appear on the market in large quantities, the situation where men account for 90% of the labor will be broken.

Women can also have a stable income to support themselves.

In this way, production generates money, which can change the family's impoverished life.

It is evident that productivity promotes economic development.

Smaller changes can alter living conditions, while larger changes can maintain or improve the financial situation within the German territory during the Little Ice Age.

At the very least, Cyrus did not want any unrest within her territory.

Economy, medicine, food, and culture— Cyrus doesn't believe he has developed the German territory successfully.

At least for now, due to limitations, development can only proceed slowly, and each field is still in the early stages of exploration.

Cyrus was lost in thought, not noticing that wherever he went, the people working around him couldn't help but tense up.

Until a worker hurriedly took out the completed part, he accidentally dropped it on the ground.

The part rolled to Cyrus's feet and he stepped on it.

Cyrus snapped out of her daze, bent down to pick up the part, blew off the dust, and then returned it to the bewildered worker who had stood up in a fluster.

"How many of these parts can be produced a day?"

"Reporting to, Lord, I can produce about ten a day by myself, I haven't counted them in detail..." The worker didn't expect Cyrus to ask him a question, and answered haltingly.

He had dark skin, an honest face, and was very thin; he looked like someone living in poverty.

That is indeed the case.

Because the Thorn Merchant Guild posted job openings in various places, he came from a nearby city, hoping to work in the factory in Komoy Fort, but the factory in Komoy Fort had already filled all its positions.

With no other option, he arrived in Visas with high hopes, and fortunately, the factory Visas still needed manpower.

Everyone in the territory of Denia knows that shops or workshops opened by the lord generally offer good treatment, and most importantly, gifts are given on holidays.

The employees working there are rewarded if they do a good job.

At the end of the year, an annual meeting is held, where the selected best employees are rewarded with money or gifts.

Such a system was already being implemented in earlier years.

Unfortunately, because of the good benefits, it is very difficult to get into the shops or workshops opened by lords, especially the most profitable Thorn Merchant Guild.

He made up his mind to leave his city, leaving behind his wife, son, and daughter, and he didn't know when he could go back...

But having money to earn is the most reassuring thing; otherwise, how can I support my family?

Cyrus nodded and smiled, "Then do you know what these machines are used for?"

The workers shook their heads, their faces full of doubt, and even the factory managers were puzzled.

The same applies to the others.

Cyrus said, "These machines will be very useful and will affect your lives. I know that many of you come from other cities, leaving your hometowns to earn money."

"I can promise you that once the first batch of machines is produced, you can write to your wife and ask her to come to Visas or Komoy Fort. The factory will provide dormitories, and your wife will be assigned some work."

Learning about spinning wheels and looms begins in the factory.

As soon as Cyrus finished speaking, the people in the factory began to discuss it in disbelief or excitement.

"Lord, is it true?" someone asked, their voice trembling.

Cyrus gave a definitive answer: it's true.

The workers were instantly excited, expressing their gratitude to the lord and praising his kindness...

Cyrus Zuoyi visited the canteen and dormitories where the workers ate, making sure no one was embezzling or skimping on their meals before returning to Par Mountain.

The next day, Cyrus went to the Alchemy Tower in Visas.

Yadai Ben was once his alchemy assistant. When Cyrus felt that he had less and less time for alchemy, he asked Yadai's opinion and let him enter the Alchemy Tower as well.

Now, Yadai has also become an alchemist.

Currently, he is collaborating with Chipman on a very important experiment.