Workers and Factories

"Is the young master recruiting workers?"

The older men and women around him cried out in surprise.

"I'll go! I'll go!"

At the words "paid money," one woman leaped straight off her little stool.

Then four or five other women stood up at once, like soldiers whose names had been called.

It paid, and they never had much farmwork to do anyway. Why pass up a chance to earn money?

Farming here wasn't the intensive cultivation practiced by a certain great civilization. Once the seeds were scattered, all they did was water them and leave the rest to fate.

"Hey, hey, hey! Do you even know what a 'worker' is before you rush off?"

An older man beside her immediately scolded her. They seemed to be family.

The young man who had first come running with the news explained, "The young master said workers are like the laborers we used to have, except they do less work and get paid!"

In an instant, an older man who had trouble getting around sprang up from the ground, leaning on his cane. "How many copper coins for a day's work?"

By now, some people who had finished their farmwork and were about to do housework or attend to other matters had gathered around.

They had heard the words "paid money"!

The young man spreading the news patiently explained Young Master Lin Ke's recruitment plan to them.

He had blond hair and was normally honest and good-natured, so everyone trusted what he said.

And so, they were tempted.

The next day, they set out with thoughts like, Even one copper coin is money earned, and I'd just be sitting around at home anyway.

People from all five villages turned out in force.

One person could look after the fields well enough anyway. It would just take a little more time.

Each household had four or five people, some even seven or eight, or more than ten.

Manpower was the last thing they lacked.

Azan Castle stood at the southernmost end of the Gula Plain. Farther south lay the Great Swamp, as well as a small lake called Orlan.

Orlan Lake was fed by several tributaries of the Azan River. One passed by Azan Castle and crossed the broad stretch of grass in front of it.

With Azan Castle as the origin of a coordinate system, the river lay in the first, second, and third quadrants.

There were a few small woods in the fourth quadrant. Lin Ke had originally discovered the King of the Gods-the old man-in the wilderness outside one of those woods.

The fourth quadrant also contained the newly erected, simple building called the Land of Wonders, with the Azan Troupe's practice grounds beside it.

In the first quadrant, a main road connected Azan Castle directly to Parrot City. It had been built specifically for the castle.

A small Gula Ranch belonging exclusively to Azan Castle lay in the second quadrant, while the five villages occupied the third. The river separated the villages from Azan Castle.

"Hmm, it looks like the fourth quadrant would be the best place to build a factory."

Lin Ke studied the coordinate axes drawn on the table and settled on the factory's location.

Building a factory in the first or second quadrant might pollute the water downstream.

The fourth quadrant was close to the villages, downstream along the small river, and extremely spacious. It was just the place for a factory.

"Teacher." Lin Ke rose from his chair and turned toward Ove, who stood behind him with a curious expression. "Shall we go now?"

Ove's eyes were full of curiosity. "You call this 'mathematics'? Those numbers don't seem to have much to do with this drawing."

The loosely organized school he belonged to had members who specialized in mathematics and had reached beyond level fifteen through their accomplishments in it.

He couldn't understand what use there was in mathematics, a discipline devoted to numbers. Besides, what lay before him wasn't even numbers.

"This? These are coordinate axes, a pretty useful tool. But shall we build the factory first, Teacher?" Lin Ke smiled. Mathematics was one of the foundations of modern science, after all.

"All right. You can make the arrangements."

Ove wasn't particularly interested in mathematics.

Still, he thought Lin Ke had drawn the coordinate axes to show them off to him.

It was like a child who had just learned an idiom and couldn't wait to tell his parents the story behind it.

Ove rather enjoyed being treated like an elder.

With that pleasant feeling, Ove flew with Lin Ke to a spacious clearing.

It wasn't far from the villages, and a few small trees along the edge of the Great Swamp were faintly visible to the south.

"Let's use this spot, Teacher."

Lin Ke surveyed the level terrain. It was perfect for building a factory.

And the first factory he wanted to build was... a paper mill!

He didn't know which plants had been used to make paper in ancient times in his previous life, or the exact process involved, but he could research it.

The class he had planned for his Luck bloodline was [Inventor]. He believed its traits were "invention," "manufacturing," "innovation," and "imitation."

Yes, he actually considered imitation one of the most important abilities, with innovation coming second.

Throughout human history, the earliest inventions had sprung from imitation-imitating living and nonliving things in nature, then gradually branching out into innovation.

Lin Ke's first invention would be paper, which recorded and passed down human civilization.

Neither parchment, which was difficult to make and awkward to write on, nor bamboo tubes, which required carving knives, were as easy to write on or keep records with as plant-fiber paper.

It was also cheaper and easier to produce industrially.

Once paper became widely available, education would benefit, and education could in turn drive the development of society as a whole.

That was why the first thing Lin Ke chose to "create" wasn't clocks or ceramics, but paper!

Although those other two products might be more profitable, Lin Ke was only a little short on spending money at the moment. He wasn't in a hurry to make money.

Besides, paper could also be packaged into low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and premium varieties. It had tremendous money-making potential too.

"Teacher, please show me your magical power and outstanding control!"

Lin Ke landed on the ground and pointed at the clearing ahead.

"Heh." At Lin Ke's flattery, Ove smiled kindly. He beckoned with his right hand, and the Thunder Staff appeared. He brought it down heavily against the ground.

Thud!!

A broad shock wave spread out from the base of the staff, and the ground began to roll like ocean waves.

"Should I build it according to the plans you drew earlier?"

Electric light coursed over Ove's body, and purple light shot a foot from his eyes as he looked at Lin Ke.

Energy surged, making both Ove's and Lin Ke's robes flutter even without wind.

"Yes, Teacher."

Standing beside Ove, Lin Ke felt the energy fluctuations raging like towering waves and secretly envied him.

Just what you'd expect from a level-nineteen Professional.

"Good..."

Ove spread the five fingers of his right hand toward the ground, which shook as though in an earthquake. "Watch closely. This is another of my skills: Gravity!"

In an instant, walls of earth rose from the ground, accompanied by Ove's words:

"Ancient earth Mages could also do this quite easily, but they could only control earth elements. The [Truth Researcher] class, however, can use Gravity to control all kinds of elements!"

Even though neither Ove nor this world had explored gravity in depth, simply discovering that it existed was enough for the most basic applications.

I wonder if anyone here has ever been hit by an apple.

Rumble...

As the earthen walls rose, Ove gathered his power once more and clenched his hand.

The walls compressed inward, growing harder and harder. When they reached a certain point, Ove lifted his gaze to the sky.

Crack!!!

Despite the clear skies, seven or eight bolts of lightning struck straight down, hitting the earth that had been compacted until it resembled steel plates.

A factory without a roof was complete!