Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 685 The City of Heretics

As the carriage slowed down, he cautiously approached the official who had come to meet them and asked, puzzled, "You just mentioned that today is the city's founding day, which should be the most important festival in the capital, right? I see the people carrying a lot of expensive ingredients; are they a generous reward from His Majesty the Emperor?"

The official glanced at him, but didn't show much disgust or contempt. Instead, he smiled and said, "The founding day of the city isn't a particularly important holiday. We only get half a day off... As for the rewards, why did His Majesty bestow a bunch of ordinary ingredients? Aren't those the most common things in the market? Things that appear on the dining table every day. What does it have to do with His Majesty?"

Simmons was taken aback—fresh meat, white bread baked from finely ground wheat flour, a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and rare spices worth as much as gold pounds were the most common things in the market of this northern city... and were the food that appeared on people's tables every day.

Surely not everyone in Starfire City can afford these things? Aren't there poor people and beggars? Or perhaps His Majesty the Emperor doesn't like seeing the lower classes in the city and has driven all the poor and beggars away?

The official seemed to have read his mind, chuckled, and spoke with an indescribable air of pride, patiently explaining, "Meat, white bread, vegetables, and spices... are indeed the daily food of ordinary people. We are different from other countries in the Southern Territory. His Majesty strictly controls the prices of grains and agricultural products, keeping them extremely cheap all year round. Even the poorest people in the capital can afford to eat them every day."

Grain and agricultural products produced by state-owned farms are subject to strict price controls...

Private traders can operate freely without paying taxes, as long as they strictly abide by the law prohibiting the export of grain...

Scarce goods and expensive spices imported from abroad were procured by the state and then sold to the public at low prices...

Workers who have official resident status in the capital and have signed long-term employment contracts with the government can even enjoy the privilege of free medical care when they fall ill, and their children and descendants can also enroll in schools run by the state.

When the elderly are no longer able to work, the state will even regularly provide them with a subsidy called "retirement pension" to help them get through the last part of their lives, so that they will not freeze or starve to death in the slums because they have lost their ability to work and their children are still poor and unable to support them.

In the past, the church would often provide relief to these people on special festive days... but that could only help a very limited number of people. The almshouses built in various parts of the southern kingdoms were always a drop in the ocean compared to the vast majority of the poor people in the cities.

Xinghuo City is said to be home to nearly 100,000 people. To encompass such a huge population and provide relief and subsidies to the entire population, one can only imagine the immense financial resources required.

Moreover, even if an emperor possessed the entire country, it would be difficult for him to be so generous and selfless... Simmons came from a poor family and had previously criticized those greedy and selfish nobles. He knew very well how stingy and hypocritical they were and would never waste their extra attention and wealth on the people struggling at the bottom.

If this is merely a ploy to sway public opinion and gain their support and loyalty, then this is going too far.

As one of the human kingdoms in the Southern Territory, what Simmons saw and heard in a short time made him feel that this country was incomparable to other kingdoms, and even had the illusion that it should not exist in the same world... Its strength and wealth far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people, and even the holy city of Goris, which was known as the heavenly kingdom on earth, could not compare with it.

The people living in this city… no, not just this city, but most of the cities they had passed through on their journey, had a completely different spirit and way of life compared to other countries. Their joyful expressions, brimming with hope for the future, were something that could not be faked. These people, who had previously struggled on the brink of poverty and hunger, seemed to walk with a much lighter gait. The wide, smooth streets were free of rampant sewage and garbage, without gangsters, beggars, or prostitutes constantly lurking about, and without emaciated children stretching out their dark little hands to beg from passersby.

As the cart moved forward, all he could hear were the vendors' enthusiastic shouts as they sold their goods, the polite greetings of passersby as they tipped their hats to each other, the laughter of innocent children playing and laughing... and the occasional clear, ringing sound of a copper bell.

This is probably the real paradise on earth where everyone can live in peace and contentment...

……

After finally coming to their senses, they could still hear the official in charge of receiving and arranging their destination talking non-stop.

"The Kingdom's Ministry of Health has repeatedly told the public through newspapers that daily diet must be... uh, what's it called again? Right! Balanced nutrition! Beef, mutton, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dairy products are all indispensable. You come from the south, so you probably don't know, but it's cold here most of the year. If you don't get enough nutrition, you can easily develop night blindness and snow blindness, which would be a real problem."

The priests and priests riding in the same carriage with him gaped slightly, stunned by this unprecedented and novel statement. For a moment, they completely forgot their pathetic status as "prisoners" and seemed to have become a group of outsiders who had just arrived in the bustling capital and were about to settle down here.

A novice priest, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, cautiously tugged at Simmons' sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Is this...is this really the heretical city that the bishop told us about before we set off...built by a blasphemous wizard?"

Simmons opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound. He could only look to the high priest Donovan sitting next to him for help, and found that the other man also had a confused and puzzled expression.

The old high priest seemed somewhat hesitant. After pondering for a long time, he took advantage of the official's inattention and whispered in the two men's ears: "Remember the purpose of our trip and our special status. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask... Try to be careful with your words and actions, and don't cause trouble for the believers and bishops who are still trapped in the Holy City. Only if we perform well enough to satisfy the people of Saint Valen can they obtain more relief supplies."

Simmons nodded emphatically. "Understood, Lord Donovan. We have a mission to fulfill and will not be easily swayed or shaken in our faith in our Lord."

But at this moment, in some unknown place deep in his heart, a crack seemed to have silently opened, causing him to subtly change his past perceptions and views without realizing it.

This was a change that even he himself hadn't noticed.

(End of this chapter)