After a long while, the students' discussion finally came to an end.
Based on their individual circumstances, they split into several work groups and prepared to begin their efforts through the schools, factories, and Zaunite Community.
The school side was easy enough. These young people were Zaunite exchange students themselves and usually moved within exchange student circles. Whether at their own schools or other schools, they all knew people and could strike up conversations.
But when it came to factories and communities, when it came to spreading their message among Zaunite Apprentices, the students found themselves in a difficult position.
It was not because these students were out of touch or did not know how to communicate with workers.
On the contrary, these Zaunite exchange students were not sheltered bookworms who had never lifted a finger. Almost every one of them had worked and studied at the same time, sweating and struggling to escape that hellhole called Zaun and make it here.
They had all seen what factories were like.
They all knew what workers' lives were like.
And precisely because of that, they understood just how difficult it would be to reach the workers:
"Teacher Li Wei."
"Zaunite Apprentices do live extremely hard lives. They earn wages that are barely enough to keep a family alive, work more than ten hours every day, and get time off only on a few holidays throughout the year, such as Progress Day."
"But even so, compared with the workers back home in Zaun, they are living happy lives."
That was true. Happiness was relative.
Compared to Zaun's pure old-British-style flesh-and-blood grinding mill, where the average worker did not live past thirty, life as an apprentice in Piltover could actually be considered a blessing.
As a result, Zaunite Apprentices were generally fairly satisfied with their current circumstances and lacked much spirit of resistance.
"And that is only a minor problem."
"The most important issue is that more than ten hours of grueling work every day takes up most of the apprentices' personal time—it turns them into mechanical parts of this vast industrial machine, parts that neither think nor have time to think."
"They are already exhausted from work. If we go talk to them about these things, will they really have the patience to listen?"
"Mm, you are right."
Li Wei could not help thinking of himself.
Back when he was still in school, he had dreamed of buying a high-end computer once he started working, so he could play whatever games he wanted.
But after he truly entered the workforce, he could not even be bothered to turn on his computer.
Every day after work, he would collapse onto his bed and scroll through short videos on his phone. It was as though the Crimson King had erased his day; before he knew it, the time was gone.
Why?
Because work was too exhausting.
When he was tired, he did not even have the patience for immersive AAA games that demanded time and attention. He only wanted bite-sized entertainment to let his brain relax.
If even gaming was like that, reading, studying, and pondering grand principles were even less likely.
And these Zaunite Apprentices surely worked ten, even a hundred times harder than Li Wei ever had.
Li Wei had suffered, awakened, and could replace the time he spent scrolling videos with reading and studying.
He still had time to think about his ideals.
But aside from work, these Zaunite Apprentices had almost no time left beyond eating and sleeping.
"How do we make them willingly spare some of that precious time for us?"
The students were all deeply troubled.
But Li Wei was not doing much better.
Same old problem—he had never done anything like this before!
Still, he thought of the free vegetarian meals he had eaten at temples with his grandmother when he was young, the "five loaves and two fish" meals he had mooched off churches, the discounted vegetables he had fought over at supermarkets, the free eggs he had picked up at sales events.
He even thought of the useless credits he had earned by sitting in on all sorts of events back in university.
He got the things, and he gave up his time.
"Since apprentices only have time to eat and sleep, we should start with their meal breaks."
Li Wei put himself in the original owner's shoes, in the shoes of an ordinary Zaunite Apprentice.
How could he make apprentices patiently listen to him?
Obviously, he had to offer something tangible first.
"We can set up Breakfast Stalls outside the factory gates. Sell things at half price or practically give them away. I guarantee they will be willing to chat while they eat."
Li Wei casually gave an example.
To a Zaunite Apprentice, a free piece of dark bread was more persuasive than a thousand speeches.
"That is a good idea! But..."
These students were all smart, and they quickly realized, "It costs money."
Yes, struggle required money too.
Without funding, trying to run on passion alone would probably accomplish nothing.
But where would the money come from?
These Zaunite students were practically all dirt poor. Their pockets were so empty they could make a thief cry.
"I have money!" Viktor stepped forward without hesitation. "I have been saving my salary all these years with nowhere to spend it. This is the perfect time to use it to support our cause!"
"Will it be enough?" Li Wei worried for him.
"It will be enough for now." Viktor grew troubled as well.
Although his salary was high and he had a fair amount of savings, in the long run, he could not possibly support the entire organization by himself.
To keep this cause going, they needed to find a stable source of funding.
"Wait. I have an idea!"
"One that can solve our funding problem while also advancing our outreach work."
After only a brief moment of thought, Viktor came up with a solution—
For a genius scientist like him, making money was truly not difficult at all.
The reason he had never become rich was entirely because he had been too absorbed in scientific research and too indifferent toward money, fame, material pleasures, and other worldly things.
So while other scientists were busy combining industry, academia, and research, busy turning their findings into economic gains, and even his close friend Jayce had begun attending social banquets frequently to seek profit for his family—
Viktor had remained alone in the laboratory, buried in research and enjoying himself.
"Over so many years of research, I have actually accumulated quite a few inventions with practical value."
"Steam-Powered Batteries, Mechanical Grappling Claws, Precision Joint Transmission Devices, intelligent microprocessors, Hextech Mechanical Limbs, Laser Cutting Devices, and Gravity Field Generators."
"I hold all the patents for these inventions!"
Like he was reciting a menu, Viktor rattled off a long list of high-tech products that left even Li Wei amazed:
"We can absolutely use these research results to secure investment, start a business, recruit apprentice workers from Zaun, and open a factory of our own!"
That really was a good idea.
They could use the technological advantage created by Viktor's genius to earn high profits from the market and fund their organization. They could also use their own factory as a base and directly spread their message among the Zaunite Apprentices working there.
"But..." Li Wei still hesitated. "A factory is not something you can just open whenever you want."
"Just as you said, Viktor, we have technology but no capital."
"If we want to open a factory without capital, we need to seek investment from wealthy people. And if we seek investment from wealthy people, we inevitably have to work with business owners, which means letting those business owners come into contact with our cause..."
"If those investors realize what we are really doing, how will they react? Could we attract trouble before the factory is even built?"
That was the problem.
Those wealthy Piltovans were the Wind Takers' natural enemies. Making money with them was no different from seeking a tiger's skin.
"Ah, if only we knew some rich person who sympathized with workers, had experienced the hardships of ordinary life, came from a class background that gave them hope of betraying their own class, and might stand with us."
"Preferably someone from Zaun as well, someone who might be stirred by feelings of national independence, and whose family already owns a factory that could help us begin our outreach work right away..."
Li Wei could not help thinking that.
As he thought, he suddenly realized something.
Wait?
He actually knew someone like that.
"Um... Seraphine?"
Li Wei looked toward the wealthy young lady.
Everyone's eyes followed Li Wei's and gathered on Seraphine.
Honestly, from the moment Seraphine entered the classroom, everyone had been extremely curious about her identity.
The girl was simply too beautiful and elegant. Even an extravagant outfit of a princess dress, white stockings, and little leather boots suited her perfectly.
Her bearing screamed rich young lady. She looked like a star who had just stepped off a stage, not a Zaunite, and even less like a poor person.
Why had someone like her appeared with Li Wei?
"Brother, who is this young lady...?"
Unable to hold back any longer, Lina asked the question on behalf of all the students.
At first, she had wondered whether Seraphine might also be one of Goddess Janna's God Chosen, a companion who shared Li Wei's faith.
But later, Lina noticed that during Janna's selection process, no "white thread" emerged from this young lady at all—she was not a believer in Janna.
Then who exactly was Miss Seraphine?
"Seraphine is my friend," Li Wei answered.
"Friend?" Lina's eyes shifted suspiciously.
"Mm!" Seraphine not only spoke up in agreement, but solemnly nodded as well. "Mr. Li Wei is my best friend!"
She had not gone out or made friends in six or seven years. Of course Li Wei was her best friend.
"No, not just a friend..."
"He is also my only kindred spirit!"
Seraphine tended to get emotional whenever she spoke, and whenever she did, her large eyes would shine dreamily.
Lina's expression grew even stranger.
"Ahem. In any case, Seraphine's family owns factories. Her father also came from a Zaunite Apprentice background and has always sympathized with workers."
"With the friendship between Seraphine and me, we can absolutely try to work with her father..."
Li Wei was in the middle of explaining the work plan.
But his younger sister suddenly seemed to have realized some horrifying truth and sprang up from her seat.
"Janna above—"
At the Wind Taker Association's first general meeting, Student Lina publicly slandered the chairman:
"Brother, you—you actually got yourself a rich sugar mommy?!"
Before you continue