I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 335: I’ll be a mess (4)

The ignorant are brave because they have nothing to fear since they know nothing.

It’s like a poor, unfortunate high school student thinking military training is no big deal.

Of course, once they actually enlist and undergo training, they’d rather die, but when they don’t know, they’re fearless.

"Did you say the working hours of the workers and serfs in Nance Baron’s domain have been drastically increased?"

"Yes, my lord. The workers now work nearly 90 hours a week, and the serfs work close to 80 hours a week."

"This is a damn disaster."

Even in the Toscana Empire, where the system of corvée labor is being implemented, there’s a trend of increasing the working hours of serfs.

When you hear “increased working hours,” your instinct as a human being would probably make you think of something like ‘red-hot chili pepper’—it’s the natural reaction.

But in the great Toscana Empire, led by His Majesty the Emperor, there is no room for such wicked things like communism.

The increased working hours were not because the nobles threatened to kill everyone unless they worked more, but because they had the desire to farm more and feed their families well, so it’s fine.

‘It’s just like working two jobs to earn more money.’

Raising working hours without increasing the salary?

That’s something no decent person should do.

"Still, it should have a short-term effect, right? After all, farming or production is simply a matter of putting in more labor."

"In the short term, yes, in the short term."

Of course, I was the one who initiated that situation.

However, looking at the intelligence level of those who blindly believed and accepted it, honestly, I can’t help but laugh.

Do they not know how to treat livestock?

Cows and horses need to be fed regularly, cleaned, and given appropriate rest so they can work again the next day.

But these idiots are treating people as if they were machines.

It’s not a place with human rights ideologies, so you might just mock the way they treat people, but...

‘How can they treat people like that?’

"Sebastian, do you know why we don’t make cows and horses pull carts for more than 10 hours a day?"

"Because they might collapse and die from exhaustion after pulling a heavy cart all day, sir?"

"Yet those idiots are treating people worse than oxen pulling carts. It’s like they’ve all been shot in the head. People don’t die that easily, but they’re much more fragile than cows and horses."

Sebastian broke out in a cold sweat for a moment.

Is he not feeling well? Well, considering his age, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have some aches and pains.

While receiving my concerned gaze, Sebastian wiped the cold sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

"Are you feeling ill? Sebastian, you’re not getting any younger, so don’t push yourself too hard. What will you do if you collapse?"

"My lord, you’ve already reduced my working hours to 40 hours a week as a consideration for me, haven’t you? If I cut down on work any further, I’d get bored and probably die faster. I’ve seen my friends, and when they retire and have nothing to do, they die quickly."

When people get older and retire, if they do ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) nothing, they age quickly.

It’s not that their bodies age fast, but their minds do.

That’s why people who study social welfare often beg elderly people to do something, anything.

Go to church, join a club, or if their spouse has passed away, start a new relationship, anything to keep them busy.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to keep working if I still can.’

"Why not take in a new woman like Duke Visconti does?"

"I already have my wife, and that’s more than enough. I’m in good health, and the only remaining purpose of my life is to continue watching over you, my lord. So, please, continue what you were saying."

Duke Visconti should really take a lesson from Sebastian.

In a world where polygamy is considered a virtue, I can’t really judge, but...

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Wanting to take a cousin, who’s essentially a sixth cousin, as a concubine and then falsifying the family register, or asking Arsini and me to get him a pagan concubine with detailed appearance specifications? Isn’t that a bit much?

And then, writing over 5,000 words of instructions for Erica to keep it a secret? What am I supposed to do with that?

"At first, increasing the work will boost efficiency. But eventually, a person’s stamina, or more precisely, their mental strength, will wear out. They’ll start going mad."

Humans have a self-awareness that allows them to think and make judgments.

But when this self-awareness is placed in a harsh environment, it wears away.

To be more precise, the survival instinct, which is above the self, will force the ‘self’ in pain to wear down until the person is just a living shell.

But even a worn-out self doesn't want to just sit around and die...

"A person on the verge of losing their mind will do whatever they can to eliminate the cause of their suffering. And I will lead them to choose 'the uprising of the serfs and workers' as their final option."

"I truly feel sorry for those who oppose you, my lord."

"Do you?"

"My lord, your schemes are something ordinary people couldn’t possibly think of. And if they can’t think of them, it means they won’t be able to find a way to counter them either."

The reason humanity was able to launch a space shuttle wasn’t just due to technological advancements, but fundamentally...

It’s because humans have been imagining flying into space for thousands of years.

That fantasy became the foundation, allowing scientists to work and create something.

On the other hand, what if I don’t even know what trick I’ll pull next?

Just like how humanity once believed bathing would make them sick and die, and lived without hygiene management, spreading disease among all ranks.

They had no idea and had to suffer the consequences.

Why did the French at Elang Vital fall so quickly in 6 weeks?

Because Germany, who thought they would just keep throwing straight punches, suddenly landed a hook and shattered their jaw, forcing them to make a 'reverse charge.'

"But settling for this would be too soon."

"Are you planning to start a fire across the kingdom?"

"Of course. For me, Sebastian, and all of our interests. Why do you think we’re doing this? Everyone just wants to live well."

The "everyone" I’m talking about here includes only 'us.'

In other words, it doesn’t really matter what happens to the others.

"Besides me, Sebastian, and a very few others, nobody knows how terrifying excessive labor can be. In fact, with the increase in working hours in Nance, when people see the productivity rising, they might start thinking that 'overwork' equals money."

"While the increase in production is an obvious indicator, the growing discontent among the workers remains unseen."

"Let’s feed the nobles of Lyon Kingdom with fake information. Let them believe that increasing the workers’ and serfs’ working hours will increase the tax revenue."

Until the early 1900s, tobacco was considered a very beneficial product and even a medicine worldwide.

In New York’s famous hospitals, they would prescribe tobacco to 6-year-old children, claiming it would relieve worries.

Although King Jeongjo had lost his integrity, he still loved the people and sought to take care of them in the spirit of King Sejong, even seriously considering increasing tobacco production to allow everyone, from 80-year-olds to 3-year-olds, to smoke as much as they wanted.

The reason they could do such things was because they didn’t know how harmful tobacco was.

Just like how, decades ago, we didn’t know asbestos was carcinogenic and used it widely.

‘If you don’t know, you suffer.’

"After roughly investigating the increase in production from Nance’s factories and farms, send it to the Lyon Kingdom’s nobles. Then they’ll take care of the rest."

There is no noble without greed.

They’re all greedy, and they’re holding on to their positions because of it.

I’m sure they’ll gladly accept my proposal, believing it to be the right thing.

Humans are wise, but also foolish.

In Lyon Kingdom, Count Marseille received a very interesting report.

"Are you telling me that production in Nance has increased by 10%, and food production by 50%?"

Any noble would be tempted by this report.

After all, who would refuse the opportunity to collect more taxes?

"Increasing the working hours of the serfs by about half and pushing the factory workers harder led to this economic effect..."

The count’s eyes gleamed.

"This must be implemented."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

For the Kingdom of Lyon and his own wealth and prosperity.