Chapter 222: Spreading the Lord's Mercy

Very quickly, the 13,000-word doctrine was published on the official website, one copy in Tana Language and one in Chinese.

The players looked at their handiwork with satisfaction and gave the planners good reviews one after another.

As expected, they were so easy to satisfy; Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, "This is our doctrine; remember not to leave behind any evidence, transmit it orally."

"I will strictly follow your holy decree." Andrew was extremely excited to receive the doctrine; he wanted to memorize it as quickly as possible and spread the light of the God of Calamity everywhere.

Thinking that he was the most important Archbishop in the entire religious sect, with a status far higher than people like Saina and Susan, he felt the mission on his shoulders was even more important.

At the same time, he was also very grateful to those new Believers.

Although many of those people were capable, not a single one wanted to take his position.

In the eyes of the Lord of Calamity, he was also the most important person.

It could be said that his current achievements were inseparable from those new Believers.

They were exceptionally respectful to him and would report everything to him, without a shred of selfishness.

By comparison, Saina was always hiding what she was doing from him.

Looking at the doctrine in his hand, Andrew thought confidently that the Believers he had found would certainly be able to satisfy the requirements of the Lord of Calamity.

They would surely be more devout than the Believers Saina found.

……

In the Factory District, several foremen were supervising the workers; these workers were not as leisurely as the workers living with the players, but were instead very exhausted. Although they did not have to work more than 14 hours, they had to work at least 10 hours before they could rest.

It was precisely because these workers would compare their situation with the players' factories that the owner of this factory required the foremen to strictly supervise them.

Not only could they not be allowed to run away, but the wages were also different from before; they were not paid daily, but weekly.

At the same time, they were provided with a place to live.

However, the living quarters were also guarded by foremen, mainly to prevent these workers from communicating too much.

Those foremen watched over the workers, not letting them whisper to each other, refusing their social needs, and even requiring them to remain quiet while eating.

If anyone disobeyed, it meant a lash of the whip.

What was even more terrifying was that the factory owners here also had guns, which had all been purchased at a high price.

These workers were practically factory slaves, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out.

They had all seen these people kill, but no one dared to strike back at the overseers.

Because those who dared to strike back were already dead.

"Those Xiahui People are truly crazy, actually offering a price of 240 Tana a day; are they that short of people?"

Unlike inside the factory, it was still possible to talk in the office; several bosses kept complaining about the actions of those Xiahui People, especially the factory owner Michael, who slapped the table in anger.

"What were the wages for workers in the Factory District before? They only needed 10 Tana, and they could work for 14 hours! Now, they aren't even satisfied with 100 Tana a day and actually want to run outside."

"I provided them with food and a place to live, but they still wanted to run away. There was really no other way, so I chose the current approach. Several times the workers were about to riot, but fortunately, I have guns."

"Is that gun you mentioned purchased from the Shooting Club?" Several factory owners were somewhat tempted.

After all, their employee labor force always quit in less than a week.

They had already started preparing for monthly payments, but once they heard it was monthly, these workers would not come to work, preferring to choose jobs with lower wages that paid daily or weekly.

Unless it was those Xiahui People's factories; those factories didn't have to worry about this problem at all.

But the labor costs were simply too high.

"That won't work; the Shooting Club has very strict controls. If you want to get a gun, the best way is to start from the black market. I don't know if you are aware of those black markets..." Michael began to promote, "Although it is said to be dangerous, just think about it: once you have a gun, how could those workers still resist you?"

"What if those workers also have guns?"

"What if they aren't afraid of death?"

"Not afraid? How could they not be afraid?" Michael said with a sense of 'iron not becoming steel', "Could it be that those people who have never seen a gun wouldn't be afraid after seeing one? As long as we pick out a few troublemakers from each batch of workers and then deal with them in front of the others, we can make these workers behave."

Several factory owners whispered to each other, and slowly their voices grew louder.

Everyone came here wanting to find a way to solve the current predicament.

In terms of costs, no one could squeeze any further.

Every time those workers were brought over by the Wealth Church, they would choose the Xiahui People's factories first.

It seemed those Xiahui People's factories already had a good reputation.

Only the indecisive ones ended up in their hands.

But it wouldn't be long before they ran away.

As for buying Slaves, they would like to, but those nobles couldn't even guarantee that the Slaves wouldn't run away at all, so how could they?

Moreover, except for nobles, ordinary people were not qualified to buy Slaves; the Wealth Church would simply not sell to them.

Besides, the price of buying Slaves was not cheap, and no one wanted to be like those nobles and spend that wasted money.

"You really have a way." One factory owner gritted his teeth and said, "We can't compete with those guys on wages; I really can't afford it. The current cost is five times what it was before, mainly spent on labor costs; I'm earning less than 80%!"

"Exactly, I don't even have 70% of my previous income; it's all caused by the price of labor."

"Buy! And thugs, tell me, where can I find suitable thugs?"

"We definitely can't look for those Xiahui People; they are of one mind with those mud-legged peasants. Damn it, thinking about how I hired a Xiahui Person before, and they actually helped those workers escape; it makes me so mad!"

"Exactly, they even wanted to find the police to arrest me, just because I accidentally killed a little girl!"

Hearing the words of these factory owners, Michael said with satisfaction: "If you are willing, we can provide you with 20 guns. These guns were all smuggled in from the black market; you should know that there are currently very few people in Tana City who have this stuff."

"No problem, no matter how much money it is, I'll pay it!"

"Next time I get goods from you, I want to see if those workers still dare to challenge me!"

Several workers quietly listened to everything in the room; although they could not whisper to each other, it was precisely because they could not whisper that, in the factory building where there was no machine roar and only manual operation, they could hear the conversation of these factory owners clearly.

The workers with their ears pricked up trembled in fear, but there were also some who were bold.

Forde had come out of the Orphanage of the Cai'e Shenjiao; he followed the will of the Archbishop to look for those suffering people.

To spread the gospel of Calamity to them.

Although there was no doctrine, Forde had already spread the concept of Calamity to several fellow workers according to his own understanding.

Now he already had two devout followers, who were also relatives of the deceased workers, hoping to avenge their own family members.

Hearing the conversation in the office, the three of them exchanged glances.

Although they could not communicate in the factory, there were always ways to do so.

After all, the guards could not watch them strictly all the time, for instance, when they were sleeping.

Soon, the people coming for the shift change arrived; the three of them walked separately, each clutching a Misfortune Charm in their hands.

Those wealthy masters would not check these things.

Not only because tin products were cheap, but also because these workers themselves were dressed in rags, looking like they had no capital at all.

Perhaps being able to board that Ship to Tana City had already exhausted all their savings.

So no one would check their luggage.

Those factory owners walked out of the office and saw the workers changing shifts.

These workers looked extremely listless, but their gait was very uniform.

This was all due to the Worker Training Method advocated by Michael; as long as these workers were given strict requirements and harsh punishments, they could become fellows he was satisfied with.

At least that was how Michael felt himself.

"Ah!" A worker clutching a Charm tripped and then threw the Charm in his hand out.

Another worker walked over anxiously, trying to help him up, and simultaneously threw out his own Charm.

Forde hurriedly lowered his head, bowed, and said, "Spare us, Master. They had diarrhea last night because of the food. That's why their condition is not very good today."

"Did I tell you to speak?" A whip lashed fiercely onto his body.

A red welt instantly appeared on Forde's face.

However, he was not angry, nor did he have any expression of fury.

In his belief, the Calamity he was enduring now was all a foundation for the future.

He believed that as long as he could endure the existing Calamity, he would possess a greater opportunity in the future.

It was precisely taking advantage of this opportunity that he threw the Charm in his hand out.

"Let you find trouble."

"You really aren't afraid of death!" Saying this, Michael fired a shot, which hit the ground.

Because he had never undergone real shooting training, his aim was very off.

But the deterrent force was sufficient.

Those workers who heard the sound, some knelt down, some hugged their heads, and some even kowtowed to Michael.

These people had all come to Tana City initially with the mindset of making money.

But now, they only hoped they could save their own lives.

Michael was very satisfied with the performance of these workers; they had made him stand out in front of these factory owners. "You must remember who gave you work. If you leave my factory, is there really any place that will take you in? This place provides food and housing, and even pays you a wage. Although it is settled monthly, have I ever shorted your pay?"

Of course not, because Michael would only let these workers take a look each time, and then he would put it into a cabinet, saying he was saving it for them.

Although the workers could withdraw it themselves, they had to undergo strict review; for example, whatever they purchased had to be recorded, and then the factory would go out to purchase it.

New clothes and new shoes all had to pass the factory's review; it was impossible to let them come into contact with the outside world.

This place was no different from a prison, at least in the eyes of the players.

That was why Forde had come to investigate, and at the same time, spread the benevolence of the Lord.

"Alright, all of you get up." Michael snorted coldly. "You should know that I am a merciful master, which is why I am letting you off. All of you get up, now is your rest time, all of you go lie down on your beds!" Saying this, he turned his head and said to those foremen, "You lot, keep an eye on them for me, don't make me have to remind you all the time."

Several foremen immediately raised the whips in their hands again, lashing at those workers.

A factory owner frowned, but still said, "Really good. With this thing called a gun, these fellows are just like sheep."

"More than just sheep, they are practically a group of Slaves, hahahaha." Michael could not help but laugh out loud.

He completely failed to see the hateful fire of rage in the eyes of those workers.

Returning to the dormitory, Forde lay down, and the two beds adjacent to him were the two Believers he had developed.

All three of them were already certain that this time the Charms had all been thrown onto Michael.

That is to say, his luck today would definitely not be good.

And next, he would certainly rush to the black market without stopping to find those who sold firearms and discuss the matter of purchasing guns.

With the blessing of misfortune, Michael would definitely have a narrow escape today.

Chen Zhi had not been paying attention to this matter; he could keep an eye on his little players, but he could not always keep an eye on everyone else in Tana City.

Although some players had reflected on the forum about those factory owners privately keeping Slaves.

But Saina had expressed with difficulty that she really had no way to manage such matters; unless it became a big issue, no one at the Government Building would take the initiative to intervene.

After all, the people in the Government Building, and even those nobles, might well turn free people into Slaves.

So no one would want to investigate themselves.

At this moment, Chen Zhi did not yet know that an unlucky guy who had been cursed was taking a sum of money and running to the black market to trade.

The current black market was not in the Factory District, and even less in the dock area, but inside a restaurant near the Train station.

The environment here was relatively dim, a good place for dating. Of course, most people who came here were brought in by others; after all, this was a shop that required knocking on the door manually before it would open for business.

As soon as he entered the door, Michael saw the Red Beard he had traded with before.

He looked like he was in a bad mood, coldly wiping the knife in his hand.

"Um, I've come to deliver the money, for the hunting rifles I ordered from you before." Unprepared, Michael hoped to complete this transaction as quickly as possible. After completing it, he did not want to purchase guns from here again.

One had to know that those Xiahui People had manufactured cheaper guns; although they could not be purchased casually, as long as one established a good relationship with those Xiahui People, they could certainly be purchased.

These guns were not for himself, but for those other merchants to purchase; he was just earning a little bit of middleman fees.

Once he bought cheaper ones, and those merchants were in more urgent need of these guns, he could sell them at a higher price...

He calculated very shrewdly, but unfortunately in Tana City, apart from players, no one would use an abacus.

(End of this chapter)