Chapter 54: Mia
The working years of female Camore weavers were actually similar to those of cotton farmers. While they weren't subjected to the same horrifying conditions as the first-generation workers in the British Empire's sweatshops—where living people entered and came out as corpses—the intensity of their work was no less than that of the workers in the Kenyan Empire's textile factories in the north.
Despite enduring similar hardships as the textile workers of the Kenyan Empire, the wages and living standards of Camore's female textile workers were only a fraction of their counterparts.
The reason behind this discrepancy lay in the profitability of the Duchy of Shiga's textile industry.
The Duchy of Shiga was a traditional agricultural country, influenced by the Goddess of Prosperity's teachings and dogma. Citizens pursued a self-sufficient agrarian economy, while the majority of them were more interested in accumulating wealth and maintaining a conservative approach to commercial activities.
In other words, the tens of thousands of cotton clothes produced by Camore's weavers were simply too much for the surrounding markets to absorb.
In this world, the concept of "road construction" didn't exist, so the expenses of transporting goods from Camore to be sold were well beyond imaginable.
Camore's noblemen put in some effort to consolidate land and tame the local commoners into cheap, disposable laborers. Since a significant portion of the profits from the textile industry went toward transportation costs, these cheap laborers were not treated with any kindness.
Skilled female weavers of Camore spent their days at home, tirelessly weaving textiles and only earning about 300 copper coins per month.
Given the Duchy of Shiga's consumption standards, this amount seemed quite substantial, but it had to be remembered that Camore commoners had no land, and every meal for their families had to be purchased with this money.
Half a kilogram of rye bread cost three 3 coins.
A strip of thin pork cost 10 copper coins.
A jar of butter cost 30 copper coins.
It was also worth mentioning that all of the food brought to Camore and sold on the streets had the mark of the noblemen…
The noblemen in this world were truly adept at playing the game. Compared to the 996 work system that people on Earth had, the concept here was like child's play to the noblemen. Concepts of overtime pay, seniority wages, basic salary, or retirement benefits didn't exist here. There was no need to preach about ideals and deceive the proletariats as well. All that these noblemen needed to do was enjoy the pleasures in life while effectively exploiting the poor.
In short, if a female Camore commoner had to support herself and one or two children, then besides the time spent sleeping and taking care of her children, every other waking hour had to be spent seated in front of a household cotton spinner rented from the weaver unions.
That's right. A portion of what little money earned with their blood, sweat, and tears was also taken away by the weaver unions. That was why Yang Qiu didn't have any reservations when dealing with those union families.
Under the heavy pressure of their lives, these female commoners, who had started learning weaver before they were even 10 years old, were rarely still able to have properly functioning eyesight by the age of 40.
Even though Mia was still capable of weaving and contributing to the family income, the limited and brief working span was the main reason she had been abandoned.
Being slightly older meant that even if she were to marry and have children, there was no way she could rely on her own labor to raise her children to adulthood. It was possible that she would become a burden to the family even before her children became the next generation of cheap labor.
Any man willing to marry her would undoubtedly demand a large dowry from Mia's family, at least equivalent to the income from several years of cloth production to balance the risk he was taking. Such harsh conditions for marrying off their daughter were impossible for Mia's family to accept.
As the person involved, Mia had no complaints about her fate.
Since she was young, her uncles and aunts at home frequently mocked her as a "worthless burden who would eventually die at home." When Mia reached the age where she could understand aesthetics, she came to know what the dark patch on her face meant.
When personnel from the weaver union came to their house, suggesting getting rid of the burden dragging the family down, Mia, who was quietly weaving in her room, vaguely guessed her own fate.
She was already 26, no longer a young lady in her teens. Whatever tears that could be shed had dried up since long ago.
When she had just turned 18, the men who sought her hand in marriage believed she was different from ordinary ladies and didn't qualify to ask for a bride price. Mia had cried then.
By the age of 23, men seeking her hand automatically assumed she wasn't worth paying a bride price, and instead demanded a dowry, Mia didn't cry then.
She didn't hold any hope for her life already, so naturally, she wouldn't cry due to disappointment or despair.
When following the black mage out of Camore, those who traveled with her shed tears in secret, but Mia was rather happy instead.
Although she couldn't quite explain why, when Mia stepped out of Camore, the town she had lived in for over two decades, she didn't feel lost or scared at all. Instead, it felt as if she was liberated.
Although her future seemed bleak, at least after being abandoned by her family… her life finally belonged to her alone.
Every meal provided by the black mage, every hour she wasn't weaving, for Mia, these were all gifts from her cruel fate in her final moments.
She was willing to share this gift with others, like taking care of a neighboring family's uncle whom she wasn't too familiar with, in any way she could.
As Mia helped Collins out of the tent, the latter's face stiffened and his grateful rambling came to a sudden halt when he saw the situation outside.
Mia, who was supporting him, and the others who came out of the tent before them had similar reactions to Collins… All of them were stunned into silence.
Standing in front of the tent they slept in were about a dozen men.
Among this group, Collins recognized some of them, and even knew their names—he had suffered under the whip of these people when working in the plantations.
One burly man with a rough face made Collins tremble. He was Phipps, the steward of Viscount Lynn's estate and widely recognized as the tyrant of Camore's plantations!
One cotton-picking season, Collins had witnessed Phipps chop off the left hand of a young boy simply because the boy's father accidentally dropped a bag of cotton into the river while transporting it!
These people had clearly been bound by the undead, so why had they been released?
Unease made Collins break into a cold sweat.
Could it be that the black mage believed those who had once served the nobility were more reliable than their useless bunch?
Or… did the black mage want these cruel people who wouldn't hesitate to kill them to be in charge?
Regardless of whichever possibility it was, this spelled extremely bad news for Collins and the other commoners!
Just as the commoners were panicking, one among the rows of household guards standing in front of the tent stumbled forward and nearly fell, as if he had been kicked from behind.
The man who had been kicked turned back in anger but eked out a sycophantic smile when he saw who was behind him. "Mr. Yang, we have already called these folks out, look…"
Yang Qiu stared at him blankly and shook his head in disapproval. Suddenly, a thick black vine sprouted from under his feet and lashed out at the portly estate steward.
Innread.com ].
Phipps, the head of the private thugs and whom Viscount Lynn considered a capable subordinate, gave a loud cry as he was sent flying.
"When I requested you to gather them, I recall asking you to use the word 'please,'" said Yang Qiu as he turned to the other household guards. "Aren't you guys serving respectable people? Is this the attitude you have when serving them?"
The household guards immediately had a conflicting mix of expressions as if they wanted to get mad yet felt like they should kneel.
Startled by the appearance of these thugs, the commoners, though not fully understanding the situation, at least knew it wasn't what they had imagined, and they secretly breathed sighs of relief.
Yang Qiu was unconcerned with how the people present reacted as he glared at the estate steward, who was now sprawled on the ground. "Please remember that until now, you guys are considered captives. I believe that the noblemen of Camore might be willing to pay a ransom for you all, but until I receive that payment, you guys are and must remain captives."
"Yes… yes," Phipps crawled to his feet and muttered with his head bowed.
Yang Qiu knew that this man was trying to hide his resentful expression, but he didn't care and continued, unperturbed, "I don't have the tendency of killing captives, but I won't freely provide food for you guys either. If you don't want to starve under restricted freedom, then learn some self-awareness."
The thugs, including Phipps, fell silent.
They knew the black mage wasn't joking as they had already missed two meals…
"If you understand what I say, comply with my instructions." At this point, Yang Qiu paused for a moment. "Of course, you can refuse to cooperate, perhaps scheme behind my back or even attempt to escape. But I suggest you do it skillfully… Skillful enough that I won't catch on."
That said, Yang Qiu no longer bothered with these men that sucked up to the upper class and thought of themselves as superior beings. Instead, he turned to the commoners, who seemed more at ease now.
"Fellow comrades, after lunch, we will split up. The women will follow the undead to Exile Town, and the men will stay. Men with female relatives can accompany the women."
Although these commoners were mostly elderly, weak, or disabled, Yang Qiu still intended to separate the men and women to avoid potential trouble.
This arrangement caused a stir among the commoners, but no one opposed it; whether it was Exile Town or this place that had nothing, it all was unfamiliar to them. They didn't really care where they would be placed to live.
Mia hesitated for a moment, then whispered to Collins, "Uncle Carter, want to come with me?"
Collins had no blood relation to her, but in the few days they had spent together, Mia had come to regard him as an elder. He, at least, expressed gratitude for her care rather than taking her efforts for granted, which made Mia feel alive.
Collins genuinely didn't want to be in the same place as the tyrannical Phipps even if the black mage's attitude toward Phipps was worse than toward them. Just the thought of that struck him with fear and he hurriedly replied, "I'll have to trouble you then, Mia."
"No trouble at all," Mia said with a smile.
Seeing the commoners accepting the situation well, Yang Qiu had the literate household guards step forward and register the commoners with their names, ages, and genders.
In fact, having players handle this registration would have been more suitable, but Yang Qiu felt that it was still too early to let "Civilian NPC" enter the imprint matrix.
If there were no language barriers, players would undoubtedly become walking sources of mental corruption.
Under Yang Qiu's personal supervision, the household guards didn't try any tricks and dutifully registered the commoners. They then dismantled and packed the tents, and loaded them up onto the available tricycle carts along with the belongings of those headed to Exile Town.
During this time, players who were constantly coming and going stopped to observe curiously, but left disappointed when they found no NPCs initiating a conversation with them…
Around lunch, players who had "randomly" triggered impromptu cooking quests came rushing over excitedly…
Beyond the base, at the Holy Legion cavalry's camp.
Andres returned to the camp along with a few holy warriors. Upon dismounting, he hurriedly went to Inspector Lowell's tent.
"Those undead are getting rid of monsters!"
Andres couldn't wait anymore upon seeing Lowell in person. "The undead that left the base are all gathered near the gas-filled swamp, and I personally witnessed them drawing monsters out of the swamp and slaying them!"
Even with his abundant life experiences, Lowell couldn't help but shudder when he heard this.
He had assumed countless reasons for the undead to gather in groups, but he never expected this!
"Is that so? Why are they doing this?" Lowell was utterly perplexed.
"I don't know, Inspector Lowell. I can't understand it at all." Andres's face turned pale. Clearly, witnessing the players' slaying monsters had left a profound impact on this holy knight.
"All I know is that the undead seem very keen on this. They are willing to go to any lengths and show unprecedented unity in hunting those swamp monsters. Even if their comrades fall, it doesn't dampen their enthusiasm for slaying monsters."
"…" Inspector Lowell raised a hand to his forehead and rubbed hard.
Having served as a protector of the faith for over two centuries and handling countless malignant incidents caused by the undead, Lowell had always believed his understanding of undead creatures was no less than black mages.
Now, Lowell felt that he might have been a little too conceited; in fact, he knew nothing about the undead…
Andres gulped hard before continuing, "That's not all, Inspector. These undead… are even fighting with each other to slay monsters."
"??" Lowell shuddered once more.
"It's true, I saw it with my own eyes," Andres rambled as if he were talking in his sleep. "The group of undead I observed were attacking a Corrupted Bat-Monkey. Another group of undead passed by, and a few of them joined in. I thought they were working together to eliminate the troublesome Corrupted Bat-Monkey, but unexpectedly, they started fighting each other!"
"??" Lowell's mind was filled with question marks.
"I simply can't fathom whether they are united or divided, orderly or pure chaos," Andres muttered, clutching his head in immense distress. "Clearly, they can endure the loss of their companions for the sake of getting rid of the monsters, yet they also fight each other over the Corrupted Bat-Monkey… Even after the monkey escaped back into the swamp amid the chaos, they didn't stop fighting among themselves!"
When Yang Qiu personally came to invite the soldiers of the Holy Legion for lunch, he mentioned that the undead were planning to send the female commoners to Exile Town. He also asked if the soldiers were interested in visiting the undead's lair.
Without any hesitation, Inspector Lowell agreed at once.
At first, Lowell had no intention of venturing further into Taranthan, given that the provisions they carried would only last for three days. Relying on others for food and supplies was one thing, but asking for more provisions when leaving was something that Lowell couldn't bring himself to do.
But now, Lowell no longer cared. He had too many burning questions regarding the undead to care about his face…
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