German Red Prince

After waiting for a while, there was finally no more movement. The mouse seized the opportunity and rushed out onto the street to start gnawing on the rotten and smelly apple.

At that moment, it was enjoying the feeling of fullness from the apple and was completely unaware of the impending danger.

The driver loaded the cargo and started the truck. The mouse, who was munching on an apple, didn't realize the truck was coming up to it. The tires ran over it, mixing the mouse's flesh and apple pulp together. The mouse was crushed beyond recognition, with only its little paws still twitching. The mouse was truly dead now.

"Poor little mouse," Thorne sighed from the side.

They could have both survived and been well-fed, but they chose to take this risk.

Thorne glanced at the rat's carcass. Greed knows no bounds. He stood up from the steps, dusted himself off, and saw homeless people squatting in corners on the street, waiting for handouts from passersby, while workers hurried along the road.

An indescribable odor permeated the air. Thorne looked at the rats lying on the road, reduced to pieces of flesh. The smell was like the stench of rotting corpses, or perhaps the stench of excrement.

The filth on the streets was left unattended, piling up and fermenting, emitting a dizzying stench.

Thorne felt very uncomfortable in his nose, and it felt like something was pressing on his chest, making him want to gag repeatedly. His clothes also seemed to be tainted by the smell, making it even more intense when he inhaled.

"This is unbelievable. This city is right next to Frankfurt, and the Rhine Kingdom government didn't even notice the problem. It's outrageous. It seems we..."

Before Thorne could finish speaking, a stench suddenly wafted over from somewhere. The strong smell assaulted his senses, and Thorne almost fainted.

"yue~"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Thorne ran to the side and vomited up his breakfast.

Holman felt a pang of sadness as he looked at Thorne, who was vomiting beside him. Darmstadt hadn't always been this wretched.

“Your Highness, Darmstadt used to be a beautiful city, but in recent years, I don’t know what happened, it has slowly become like this.”

"They said they would upgrade the industry, and the kingdom provided financial compensation, but we have neither seen industrial upgrading nor compensation."

Holman fell into recollection, “The kingdom’s compensation funds arrived here and then disappeared. The city government repeatedly denied that the funds approved by the kingdom were compensation. It wasn’t until the public outcry grew that the city government finally made compensation, but it was only a pitiful 100 marks, and the conditions for receiving it were ridiculously harsh.”

"Environmental issues are also a concern. The environment here is getting worse and worse, which is why many people are leaving. I don't know what they're doing with the government's money. Anyway, the situation here is getting worse and worse."

Thorne wiped his mouth after spitting out. He had listened to Holman's words and was surprised to find that this city, which was right next to Frankfurt, was like this.

Frankfurt has a wonderful environment. In the summer, the air is fresh and clean, and the vibrant flowers, trees, and shrubs are a delight to the senses.

Even in winter, Frankfurt remains a beautiful sight, offering a wide variety of views and attracting numerous tourists every year.

In Frankfurt, you can enjoy the best services in the entire Rhineland, including dining, business, entertainment, and of course, the most luxurious accommodations, as it is the most luxurious city in the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Unlike Darmstadt, whose streets were filthy, dirty, and full of vagrants and drunkards, Frankfurt's streets were clean and tidy, and you would always see many well-dressed people wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with elegant manners and gentle speech.

There, pedestrians can greet each other with gentle smiles, a stark contrast to this place.

Corruption and death seemed to permeate every corner of Darmstadt.

"Telman, what do you think?" Thorne turned to Telman beside him, asking for his opinion.

"This city is a typical example, fully demonstrating the drawbacks of feudalism and exposing the corruption of feudal bureaucrats to the fullest extent."

"It perfectly depicts the persecution of the people by the old feudal forces and bureaucrats, and how the feudal forces and bureaucratic forces colluded to jointly oppress the people."

"They cruelly enslaved the people, mercilessly sucking their blood and flesh, leaving them to live in perpetual misery."

Thallman became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he was about to launch a revolution.

"Forehead......"

Thorne felt a little embarrassed. Wasn't insulting the kingdom the same as insulting the royal family? And wasn't insulting the royal family the same as insulting him?

Let me give you a sharp comment, this is too sharp! Thorne feels a bit awkward here. Should he go hang on the street lamp for a while?

"Well, let's go register. It's time to go to work." Thorne quickly changed the subject, "Stop scolding me, stop scolding me."

"Holman, we owe our factory entry to you."

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I still have the skill." Holman smiled at Thorne.

"Let's go."

After Thorne finished speaking, he strode forward. Not long after, he felt as if he had stepped on something soft and sticky.

"damn it--"

Thorne looked at the yellowish thing at his feet and the stray dog ​​wagging its tail and leaving, and couldn't help but yell, "I can't take it anymore!"

"vomit--"

He leaned against the wall and vomited again.

Having finally made it to the factory, Thorne was in a terrible mood, so he didn't look happy and appeared somewhat expressionless.

"You're here to register?" The man at the recruitment office was tall and thin, with a sharp and sarcastic look on his face. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Thorne and his group, which made Thorne feel very uncomfortable. His eyes seemed to want to see how much value they could squeeze out of them.

"What are your strengths? Our factory doesn't need people who just want to coast along."

“I have been a mechanic for six years and am very skilled in mechanical manufacturing,” Holman replied.

"Six years of experience as a mechanic?" The man stroked his chin. Six years of experience as a mechanic was not bad; at least he wouldn't need training and could start working immediately.

“I used to work for a long time in ironworks and coal mines,” Thallman added.

"In the ironworks or coal mines?" The man frowned and thought for a moment. That would work too; at least he was an experienced worker and could be assigned there.

"And you?" He looked at Thorne, wondering what this kid was capable of.

"Uh, me?"

Thorne began brainstorming, starting from the first life forms underwater, to the giant beasts of the Stone Age, to the first time humans walked upright, from the cradle of early civilizations to the vast universe.

Thorne.exe has stopped running.

It seems like he can't do anything but slack off.

“He just graduated from school and came with us to look for work,” Holman quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over as Thorne’s computer had crashed.

"Hmm? Just graduated?" Upon hearing this, the person hesitated for a moment. Students are not easy to deal with; they love to cause trouble and, relying on their limited knowledge, they will incite workers to strike if they are dissatisfied with anything.

"I'm a student, I need to think about it."

Seeing that all their efforts were about to be in vain, Thallman quickly stepped forward and pulled the people at the recruitment office aside.

Thorne saw Thallman and the man whispering to each other, but he didn't know what they were saying. He also noticed that the person at the recruitment office kept glancing in Thorne's direction, which made him feel uneasy.

However, if Thorne overheard their conversation, he would probably be so angry he'd vomit blood.

"Brother, it's not appropriate to say this in front of him, but actually, he's not very bright, he's a bit of a moron." Talman pointed to his head and said softly.

“He had a fever when he was a child, and the fever caused some problems, so he is a little slow to react. You just saw his blank look. He graduated from a special school.”

“We go out to work, but he can’t take care of himself. We can’t leave him alone, so we have to take him with us. If you don’t believe me, come over and smell him. He even pooped in his pants this morning. I can’t imagine what it would be like without us taking care of him. He can come and do odd jobs. We don’t care about the wages. The main thing is that we can keep an eye on him.”

"Is that so? Okay, stay and do odd jobs."

The recruitment office staff nodded reluctantly. He walked over to Thorne and even sniffed him. Goodness, there really was an indescribable smell. He suddenly felt a little sorry for the young man. He was alright looking, so how could he be an idiot?

"Once you sign this form, you can go to work."

Thorne took the order and looked at it. "During the trial period at the factory, the salary will be paid at half of the normal salary. According to the laws of the Kingdom of Rhine, the standard working hours in the factory are eight hours, and four hours of training time are required every day. Participation is voluntary and will improve the workers' proficiency and efficiency."

"If the monthly training time is less than 120 hours, the worker cannot be certified as a skilled worker, and the salary cannot be settled in full according to the skilled worker quota. If the training time is not completed, the salary will be reduced proportionally according to the time not completed."

"What the hell? What kind of indenture is this?"

Thorne, I've been living in Bengbu for a while now. I can tolerate the lack of social insurance and housing fund, and the lack of weekends off, but what the hell is this training camp schedule? What do you mean by "voluntary participation"? You're deducting money from my salary so much that I'll have to pay you in the end!

Seeing that Talman and Holman signed without saying a word, it was clear they were used to it.

Thorne had no choice but to sign the contract. It seems that he is still somewhat distant from the masses. If he wants to understand the people, he must get down to their level, stand with them, and experience their lives.

So what if I work twelve hours a day? I'm not afraid! You worker grandpa's here!

---------------

"By the way, what did you say to that person just now?" Thorne asked as they walked.

He noticed that the person from the recruitment office seemed to be staring at him, which made him uneasy. He didn't want to be asked to sacrifice his sexuality just to get a job at the factory, especially since the person was a gay man.

"It's nothing. I just told him that you're not very smart and your brain isn't very good."

"Phew—that's good." Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. So he wasn't gay. That's good.

"Wait a minute," Thorne suddenly realized, "What did you say to him?"

“They said Your Highness is mentally challenged, a moron, and even soiled your pants,” Thaler repeated.

"what?"

Thorne's entire body shattered on the spot, and he screamed in despair.

"My lifelong reputation is now ruined!"

Chapter 56 A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Person

6:00 AM: Get up.

6:20 AM: Washing up is complete.

6:30 a.m.: Go to the pharmacy to buy medicine.

7:00 AM: Helping family members get up and administering medication.

8:00 AM to 8:00 PM: Work.

8:30 PM: Arrive home and take care of family.

9 PM: Take care of family members until they go to sleep.

9:30 PM to 11:30 PM: Doing odd jobs.

Midnight: Rest.

This is a typical day for an ordinary person, a typical day for an ordinary German, and a typical day for Williams.

Since his father fell ill and could no longer work, Williams became the sole breadwinner for his family, and at such a young age, he had to shoulder the burden of life.

He couldn't let these difficulties overwhelm him. Williams knew he was the only pillar left in his family, and if he fell, his family would be completely ruined.

"William, are you leaving?"

A man walked down the stairs. He was in his prime, but he didn't look like someone his age. He was weak, pale, and sickly.

If you observe carefully, you will notice that his fingertips are trembling slightly, and his eyelids are also twitching slightly.

Old William was dressed in drab, gray clothes, his hair was a messy frizz, his stubble was long, and his lips were cracked. He looked like a piece of wood about to rot.

His breathing was very light, each exhale carrying a faint, almost imperceptible breath. He seemed like an old man nearing the end of his life, about to collapse and lose his vitality at any moment—a sight that tugged at the heartstrings!

“Yes, Father, I’ll be leaving soon.” Williams smiled at old William.

"Ugh."

Watching Williams about to leave, old William sighed.

"be careful."

After a long silence, old William finally uttered a sentence.

"Yes, Father, just take good care of Mother and Sister at home. I'll be fine." Williams said, then waved and walked out.

"Ugh."

Old William stared at the closed door, coughing incessantly. Why had he also caught this damned disease?

He couldn't help but sigh again. Poor child, how could such a good child be born into a family like theirs?

Williams walked along the street, where homeless people were just waking up in their shacks, stray dogs were fighting over a bone, and rats in the sewers were watching the street warily, looking for scraps.

He was no longer surprised by anything he saw before him—this environment, this life, this society, this existence.

Dirty streets, dirty buildings, filthy ground. There's no sunlight here, only sewage and garbage.

But even so, what can he do?

From the time he can remember until now, he has lived such a difficult life.

His life was like that of someone at the very bottom of society, forever living in darkness, constantly working, repeating the same mechanical routine, and passing the time in numbness.

But even so, what does it matter? He has already grown accustomed to this harsh and dark life.

Some people work to improve their standard of living and climb the social ladder, some work simply for the sake of working, but he works day and night just to survive.

That's just how reality is. Even in the lowest rungs of society, in the worst of environments, when you're on the verge of collapse and life is about to break down, you still have to hold on.