Parliament

Weimin Palace is located in the heart of Vista, on the central axis of the Sword Crown District, and is the most symbolic architectural complex in the entire Western Territory.

The palace covers an area of 8 hectares and faces a large square. In the square stand bronze statues of the successive dukes, and flocks of pigeons perch on the shoulders of the statues, leaving trails of white droppings from time to time.

Built in the early imperial era, it was originally just a fortress. After the Ogway Family submitted to the emperor and accepted investiture, they used the palace as Ogway Family residence. It underwent several expansions and renovations, with the addition of wings, halls and towers, gradually taking on its present form.

This place serves as both the official residence of the Grand Duke of the Western Territory and the residence of the Upper and Lower Houses.

In the northwest corner of the palace stands the Ogway Tower, a clock tower that is exactly 100 meters high. Each of the four sides of the tower has a huge clock face, and the black iron hands move slowly across the white dials. Every hour on the hour, the bronze bell inside the tower rings, and the sound echoes throughout the entire Sword Crown District. Today, the Grand Duke's broadcasting station is also located here.

The residents of Vista used it to calibrate their pocket watches and arrange their schedules; for them, Ogway Tower was not only a ruler of time, but also a symbol of the order in the Western Territory.

At this moment, Ogway Tower's pointer points to 10:00 AM.

Inside the Lower House chamber, which is semi-circular in shape, tiered benches extend from the central podium to both sides, reaching the walls. A huge crystal chandelier hangs from the dome, illuminating the entire hall. Members of Parliament sit in their seats, reviewing the bills in their hands.

Behind the podium was a high wooden wall with four chairs embedded in it, positioned much higher than the podium, like a bleacher suspended in mid-air, arranged in an up, down, left, and right manner.

The highest seat in the center is covered with deep red velvet, and the armrests are inlaid with bronze ornaments in the shape of broom flowers. This chair is unoccupied today and belongs to Grand Duke Ogway.

It has become a routine for the Grand Duke not to attend meetings of the Lower House. Some people believe that this means the Grand Duke is delegating more power to the Lower House, while others believe that the Grand Duke is getting old and unable to keep up. In any case, the members of the Lower House have become accustomed to holding meetings without the Grand Duke.

To the left of the central seat in the first ceremony sat a nun, her face completely covered by a golden mask, leaving only the openings for her eyes, and she wore the black nun's habit of the Church of the Golden Bough.

This position belongs to the representative of the Church of the Golden Bough, and is attended by someone appointed by the Pope. Vilka, or rather Cardinal Visteria, has almost become a regular attendee of the Church.

To the right of the central seat sat the current Prime Minister, appointed by the Grand Duke. He was in his fifties, somewhat overweight, with a loosely tied bow tie. In front of him was a small wooden board with today's agenda clipped to it.

The chair below the Grand Duke is the Speaker's seat; it's closest to the podium and also the lowest.

The speaker was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, and holding a small wooden mallet in his hand.

He glanced at his pocket watch, tapped the mallet, and the amplification device amplified the sound, which echoed under the vaulted ceiling.

The whispers among the councilors gradually subsided.

"Fellow members, regarding the bill on the maximum working hours for Vista workers, please double-check the text in your hands. To reiterate, the procedure is as follows: First reading this morning, with the bill's initiator stating the reasons, followed by an open session. Second reading this afternoon, with clause-by-clause deliberation, and a third reading vote as early as tomorrow." He paused. "Gentlemen, please begin."

As soon as the speaker finished speaking, a man stood up from his seat. He walked to the podium, cleared his throat, and held up a document in front of him. "Ladies and gentlemen, the scale of Vista's industry has tripled in the past decade, and the number of workers has surged."

"But we have no restrictions on working hours. Factory owners can extend working hours at will, sixteen hours, eighteen hours, or even longer. Among them, the foundry industry, textile industry and railway engineering section have the most serious overtime situation."

"This proposal advocates for limiting the maximum daily working hours, ensuring that workers have their own time for rest and relaxation."

Family, and participating in social affairs as a citizen.

"This is not about interfering with the factory's production schedule. The significance of the time limit lies in the fact that when a person needs to stand at their workstation for more than twelve hours a day, their physical exertion and the resulting risk of workplace injuries will increase significantly. Last year, Vista hospitals treated a large number of workplace injury cases—"

He explained each piece of data he had collected. Some of the councilors in the audience listened attentively, pondering their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing, while others were inattentive and even yawned.

"--The core provisions of the proposal are only twelve articles, stipulating the upper limit of working hours, exceptions, supervision methods, and penalties for violations. You can review them one by one. These are the main reasons I want to give."

He closed the booklet, bowed slightly, and the speaker tapped the gavel, indicating that he could raise his hand to speak.

A member of parliament with a white beard raised his hand and stood up at the speaker's signal.

"Colleagues, working hour restrictions sound wonderful, and they seem to be thinking of the workers. But have you considered what will happen to Vista's factories, mines, and railway construction sites if this bill passes?"

"Vista's factory currently has a large number of orders for the Western Territory Reconstruction Project, and the delivery cycles for these orders are all agreed upon. If workers can only work twelve hours a day—as stated in the proposal—what will happen to the original project schedule?"

"Either hire more workers or delay delivery. Hiring more workers means higher labor costs, while delaying delivery means breach of contract."

Who will ultimately bear these costs? Not just the factory owners, but also every ordinary citizen who buys Vista industrial products.

"Moreover, the oversight method proposed in this proposal involves the city hall sending personnel to conduct regular and irregular inspections. Ladies and gentlemen, how many people are there in the Visteria Inspectorate? As far as I know, there are fewer than forty official inspectors. Can forty people possibly inspect all the factories in Vista?"

"I'm not saying the workers' situation isn't worth caring about, but there are real implementation costs between drafting and enacting a bill."

Some in the audience nodded, while others frowned. The third councilor stood up, glancing sideways at the empty chair on the platform as he spoke, "If working hours are restricted in Vista's railway projects and new factories in recent years, the progress will inevitably be hindered, and His Highness the Grand Duke's railway plans will likely be affected as well."

After these words were spoken, the chamber fell silent for a moment. Some people glanced at the empty chair in the center of the chairman's seat, then quickly looked away.

The prime minister on the stage did not speak, and Vilka remained motionless, showing no particular inclination.

Seeing that neither of them made a statement, the various debates in the audience resumed.