The footsteps of autumn have set foot on the land of the Western Continent. The hot summer is finally over. It seems that the weather has turned cooler overnight.
It was just dawn and the giant sun had not yet shed its rays. The remaining cold breath of the night still enveloped the streets and alleys of Alder South. A refreshing wind blew along the streets and rolled up There were a few fallen leaves and scraps of paper on the street corner. The wind swirled between the buildings, and then turned around and blew the bell hanging in the window, making a tinkling sound.
Sam raised his head and glanced at the ringing bell, and at the not-so-bright skylight outside, then lowered his head and continued to quickly swallow the breakfast that was not at all delicious—— A small pot of sticky vegetable soup soaked with torn coarse bread.
Soaking bread in soup can effectively speed up eating, and at the same time provide a very effective feeling of satiety, and can also reduce gastrointestinal discomfort caused by fast eating. This can be regarded as something accumulated in civilian life. of wisdom and experience.
The daughter sat opposite him, also devouring breakfast, while his wife had already left the door a quarter of an hour ago - the owner of the textile factory had once again advanced the start time, and the female workers had to rush now. Entered the factory half an hour before sunrise.
After swallowing the last mouthful of vegetable soup, Sam smacked his mouth and then yawned deeply.
He was very sleepy, and his waist and arms were in severe pain. He felt that he needed to lie down and sleep soundly for one or two days - but he knew that this was unrealistic.
There are mountains of boxes and barrels that need to be moved at the dock every day, and he has no vacation.
My daughter also finished her meal. The girl with flaxen curly hair stood up and cleared the table quickly. Her wrists were so thin that she even let her hand fall when she picked up the largest plate. People worry about whether the wrist will be broken.
Sam couldn't help but glance at his daughter: "Next Saturday... we should be able to have bacon once."
The flaxen-haired girl raised her head, and after a moment After being shocked, she showed an expression of surprise. She flipped up her hair and opened her eyes wide: "Really? Dad?"
"The station is being repaired in the south of the city, and a lot of things are transported to nearby I should be able to earn a little more by loading it on the dock and then transporting it to the construction site."
My daughter laughed, with some light yellow lines under her eyes and on the inside of her lips.
Sam noticed these lines, but didn’t say anything - when they first appeared a few months ago, they did make both his wife and himself nervous, but now that a few months have passed, My daughter didn't feel any physical discomfort, so it was probably nothing important.
Time was very tight, and the father and daughter did not have much time to talk after the meal. They quickly packed up their belongings and then left the small rented house.
Another gust of wind blew from the street and rolled up Sam's collar. He tightened it quickly.The coat that would look thin in this season nodded to my daughter who was about to go in another direction: "Be safe, go home directly after work in the evening, don't stay on the street."
My daughter clicked He nodded, held down the soft hat on his head, and quickly walked towards the other direction of the street - at the end of that direction, a towering chimney stood faintly deep in the iconic mist of Alder South, with smoke and dust billowing in the mist. Keep rising and floating high into the sky.
She works in a fuel-fired acid chemical plant. As a child who has not yet grown up, her job is of course not to operate the furnace or push the feed truck, but to clean the cooled air duct and recover from the waste residue. Burning stone fragments that can be processed again - the air duct is narrow and adults cannot enter. This kind of work is done by children. The wages are very small, but it requires neither physical strength nor skills.
Sam kept watching his daughter walk around the corner in the distance, then turned around and walked quickly toward the dock area.
When the cool wind blew, he couldn't help but recall some things -
He once had a piece of land, just outside the city, although it was not Big, not too fertile, but at least enough to keep the family fed and clothed. Breakfast consists of milk mixed with water and a little sugar. You can definitely eat bacon every week, but since when did life become like this? Woolen cloth?
Sam walked in the wind, and the breath of autumn reminded this farmer who couldn't help but think of the scene of harvest, but "harvest" had nothing to do with him. That piece of land has become part of Master Durer's cotton plantation, and hundreds of serfs are working there - serfs are naturally easier to use than free people.
Now Sam can only miss his land, but can do nothing: Mr. Durer spent thirty-seven silver coins to buy the land from him instead of taking it by force. Yes, the original contract was clear and clear. It was witnessed by the judge and two congressmen in the city. It was fair and appropriate.
Sam just didn't expect that thirty-seven silver coins would be spent so quickly - the houses in the city were so expensive, and the clothes and food were much more expensive than he thought. He started a small business, but found that the money was not enough to apply for the next license... He once thought that he had exchanged land for a huge sum of money, but he never thought that the "big sum" in his eyes was in the world outside the town. Nothing at all.
Many people dressed similarly to him also came out of their homes. These figures walked in the dim light of the early morning, in the mist of Alder South, towards the factories. , dock and construction site direction.
Sam walked forward, slowly blending into the crowd and becoming one of these people.
A newspaper discarded by someone unknown was picked up by the wind, flew over Sam's head, and was finally blown by the wind on a nearby fence. The newspaper unfolded, and the bold letters on it were eye-catching and beautiful. :
Pay tribute to this harvest era.
......
"Salute to this harvest era and our long-sightedHis Majesty the Emperor, as well as the diligent parliament and wise scholars; the accumulation of the empire in the past ten years is like a long hard work, and now it finally bears fruit... What a wonderful sentence, don't you think so? Master Daniel? ”
Viscount Hemel sat on his favorite brown-red seat, raised the newspaper in his hand, and looked at the Master of Magic opposite, the most prestigious university in the imperial capital, with a smile.
The refreshing scent of incense lingers in this gorgeous and private reception room. Soft and soothing court music is playing from the crystal device in the corner of the room, and the window not far away is open. , but a shimmering shield covering the windows filtered out the unpleasant smell of smoke and dust in the air, allowing only the fresh and cool morning breeze to blow into the room.
Daniel said with a smile. Sitting in a relaxed posture on the chair opposite Viscount Hemel, the artificial nerve cord poked out from the hem of his clothes, and stayed calmly: "Mr. Habiy Reston is an excellent grammar master, and even more so. A well-known poet, even during my years of seclusion, I occasionally heard his verses circulated. His Majesty the Emperor's choice of this master as editor-in-chief of the "Imperial News" was undoubtedly a wise move. "
"Salute to Your Majesty," Viscount Hermel smiled happily. He took the black tea on the small round table and raised it slightly to replace the wine. Then he frowned, "This newspaper is really good. That's right... It is said that the Cecil people of the Anzu Kingdom thought of this first. Unfortunately, I failed to realize its role when I first heard about this concept, which made Polberg so clueless. A businessman with good taste and heritage became the number one investor in the "Empire"... So many members of the Noble Council now have to pay that businessman to promote their products. What a huge amount of money that is! "
"There is no limit to money, Mr. Viscount," Daniel said calmly, "Exploring new things is more valuable than that. "
"Ah, you are right," Viscount Hermel quickly stopped complaining, as if he was afraid that this "worldly behavior" would make the wise old man in front of him feel disgusted. "I have always been keen on exploring new things, such as the magic train that is under construction recently. I am considering investing in it..."
"The train... Ansu Lai's technology, but it is indeed very investable." Value," Daniel frowned slightly, as if he was slightly unhappy when talking about some new technologies that even he couldn't master, but he still nodded and said, "If you want to invest, you'd better move faster. "
Viscount Hemel tasted the deep meaning of the other party's words: "Is there anyone else competing? "
Daniel nodded slightly: "I have some gossip, please don't spread it casually. I heard that the nobles in the south are determined to seize the qualifications to participate in the two railways under construction. To this end, they even formed a group to raise funds and borrowed a large sum of money from the Duke of Severn - that is possible The amount to impress His Majesty the Emperor. "
Viscount Hermel was stunned for a moment, and suddenly showed anger:"Those rough Southerners! They want to have a hand in everything!!"
"There is no way, my friend," Daniel said calmly, like a true scholar, Calmly analyzing the huge flow of interests, but not moved by interests, "The nobles in the south have already suffered a lot from cotton. There are new plantations everywhere in the north. The cotton they planted last year will not be used this year." None of them have been sold - now the Cecil people are coming to build the railway again. If the nobles in the south fail to seize this opportunity, they will really be unable to survive."
"The railway... ...The railway...the railway cannot be left in the hands of those southerners!" Viscount Hemel is a very smart man, and because he is keen to explore new things, he has always been very knowledgeable about cutting-edge and trendy things, and naturally understands their respective values. "If they really control the north-south railway, even if they only obtain a certain priority within the scope of His Majesty's permission, then they will have the final say on the transportation of this line! His Majesty the Emperor will not do this kind of thing Favoring the North!"
"Yes, they will solve the problem of inconvenient transportation by then, which was the biggest reason why southern cotton lost the competition last year," Daniel helped analyze, "Transportation After the cost problem is solved or reduced... As you know, Mr. Viscount, due to the climate and soil, the quality and yield of cotton in the south are indeed better than those in the north, and the plantations in the north cannot compete at all."
"In the name of the God of Commerce! I just invested a large amount of money in Count Durer's plantation! I also called several friends!" Viscount Hermel couldn't help but raise his voice. His aristocratic demeanor was almost broken, "God, how could Duke Severn lend money to those southerners?"
"Duke Severn opens a bank, and the bank cannot refuse legal and legal advice. "It's a loan," Daniel couldn't help but remind him, "What's more, you also know that the Duke of Severn's wife is from the south... He doesn't dare to offend that powerful lady."
"So. I don't want to get married - it will destroy a man's dignity!" Viscount Hermel stood up, paced back and forth anxiously, and then suddenly stopped in front of Daniel, "Sorry, Master, it seems that I I have to end this meeting early - this matter cannot be delayed. My personal loss is nothing, but I don't want to bear the anger of my partner."
"I can understand your mood. ," Daniel stood up, and the artificial nerve cord behind him squirmed and shrank, "And it's time for me to say goodbye and leave - my apprentice is still waiting outside. Also, before leaving, I suggest you consult with Count Durer. ——His connections in the parliament can produce better results."
"Thank you for the reminder, you are really my mentor," Viscount Hermel took a step forward, grabbed Daniel's hand and shook it up and down. , "If it weren't for you, I don't know how many detours I would have taken!"
Daniel smiled slightly, calmly accepted the gratitude of this revolutionary nobleman, and thenThen he waved to the coat rack next to him, letting the staff and robe automatically fly into his hands, put them on himself, and then left the viscount's mansion.
He came to the roadside and got on the waiting carriage. The female apprentice Mary was sitting in the carriage and seemed to have never left.
After a while, a carriage with a emblem hanging on it drove out from the main entrance of Viscount Hemel's mansion and hurried away into the distance.
——Although Typhon’s magic vehicle technology has achieved a breakthrough, and practical vehicles have entered the sight of the upper-class nobles, due to its priority in supplying the army and industrial construction, it has not yet become popular among the middle- and lower-class nobles. After widespread use, horse-drawn carriages were still the choice for most nobles to travel.
Daniel looked at the situation on the street through the gap in the car window, with a smile on his face.
Mary noticed this smile and couldn't help but ask: "Tutor, you seem to be very happy?"
"Because I did a favor to our Majesty Augustus. ..."
"Did you do your Majesty a favor?" Mary looked a little confused.
"Yes," Daniel said softly, "I helped him take some detours..."