"My fields, my wheat sprouts …"
Like a walking corpse, Johann's eyes were filled with pain as he walked towards a steam train station.
His family had originally signed a long-term contract with the noble Viscount Cynthia, renting a piece of land under his name for farming. Every year, they would hand over 50% of the harvest. Their lives were not bad.
Starting from his grandfather's generation, they had accumulated farming tools one by one. By his father's generation, they already had three small huts that were not considered sturdy, but were strong enough to keep out the wind and cold. They also had some livestock.
Originally, he thought that this kind of life would continue forever.
As the eldest son in the family, he would be given most of the property. If his younger brothers did not go out to find food for themselves, they would have to work hard to farm for him in exchange for some rations.
And perhaps after a few years of saving, he could marry a farmer's daughter who was not very pretty but strong enough. They could have a few children and pass on the bloodline.
Although it was hard, as long as they could live, farmers would never leave the land they loved!
But starting a few years ago, everything changed!
A mechanical revolution started from the capital, Carlston, and suddenly swept across the entire country!
At first, it was the rise in the prices of various textiles, followed by a market that was in short supply.
All kinds of textile factory owners desperately organized their workers to work, but they still could not meet the market demand. They had to work hard to improve their technology and research various kinds of machinery that could speed up the textile process.
Then, according to the Traveler's Church, the great God bestowed a gift.
The holy and great God inspired a certain inventor and brought the steam engine onto the stage of history.
All kinds of steam machinery were invented one after another, greatly increasing the efficiency of factories. The desire for wool was almost endless.
The landed nobles were tempted by the huge benefits and changed their jobs to factory owners or ranchers. They tore up their contracts and chased the tenant farmers who rented their land out of their homes.
Not only that, they even pushed through various bills, brazenly and wantonly enclosed land, and even occupied the farmland of the farmers. They gathered all the fertile land together and enclosed it with fences, turning it into a pasture for sheep!
Under such a background, Johann's family was chased out of the land they had farmed for generations and became homeless for a while.
But the kingdom did not allow its people to wander around and become vagrants.
It issued strict laws, stipulating that vagrants would be whipped the first time they were caught, their ears cut off the second time, they would be reduced to slaves, and the third time, they would be executed!
In order to make a living, a large number of farmers had to accept a meager salary and work in various factories.
But the working conditions …
According to Jorhan's father, who had fallen ill from overwork, it was even more tiring than any farm work, and it was accompanied by great risks!
Many of them had their fingers pinched off by gears, or burned to death by the hot steam leaking from the pipes. Their faces were beyond recognition before they died. Even the priests who went to perform the Requiem Ceremony would be shocked!
Joel's parents, along with his younger brother and sister, applied for jobs and became workers in a newly opened local factory.
And he absolutely did not want that to happen!
He didn't like the cold machinery of the local factories, the tall chimneys, and the pipes that discharged large amounts of sewage into the river. They would cast a gloomy shadow over his life.
Therefore, Joel still decided to bring along some meager travel expenses and leave his hometown, this sad place, to go to a big city, such as the capital, the Phoenix City, Carlston, to make a living!
It was said that there was gold everywhere! There were countless opportunities!
At this time, he washed his only linen shirt and put it on. Looking at a building not far away, he secretly cheered himself on.
"Good luck!"
"Johan! Be confident, no one will know that you are the son of a farmer. Go to the ticket office and buy a ticket to Carlston. It's that simple … "
…
"I say … Are you thinking of buying a ticket?"
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly spoke up, giving Joel a fright. "You … Who are you?"
He saw that someone had appeared beside him without him noticing.
The person had golden curly hair, eyes like the blue sea, and a sunny smile. His teeth were neat and white, and he wore a white shirt and black trousers, looking energetic and full of energy.
Inexplicably, Joel felt a little inferior.
People like this were obviously from the upper class. No matter how he disguised himself, his temperament would still be exposed.
"Hello, my name is Li Wei!"
Chung Shen-soo naturally used his former Western name. "I'm a traveler. Are you going to buy a ticket? Where do you want to go? "
The language here was called the Secret Grace Language. It was said to be a gift from the gods, but Chung Shen-soo had learned it from the Headless Count's memories.
The pronunciation was not much different, and after some slight adjustments, he had a pure local accent.
Traveler? Doesn't he have to abide by the Vagrancy Management Act? Maybe he's the descendant of a noble lord …
Joel felt even more inferior. He replied in a low voice, "My name is Joel, and I want to go to Carlston!"
"Phoenix City? Great … I'm going there too. Why don't we buy tickets together? "Chung Shen-soo smiled and invited him.
After arriving in this country, he realized that the Clement Kingdom was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
The steam revolution seemed to have already begun.
However, when he thought of the evil gods that could travel across countless worlds, he did not find it strange at all. Instead, he felt that it was reasonable.
After all, if they wanted to, it was not impossible to create a post-sci-fi apocalypse world.
According to the information he had gathered, ever since the new god ascended the throne, the revolution had been progressing bit by bit.
Joel thought that the revolution would happen in a few years, but he did not know that it had been brewing for decades and had accumulated enough power!
"Together?"
Joel grabbed at his collar, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Yes!
He was a country bumpkin, but the gentleman in front of him was clearly not.
If he were to travel with him, who would guess that he was a vagrant?
The other party's temperament and etiquette were enough to fool the ticket seller and the police. No, he was not a scammer!
"Sure!"
Joel agreed eagerly. "Sir, I have a request. Can you help me buy a ticket … I … I can't read."
"No problem."
Little did he know that he was also Chung Shen-soo's cover.
After all, it was a bit dangerous to fly directly to Carlston. It was better to take the train and learn along the way.
He smiled and took a handful of metal coins of various styles, his expression not the slightest bit strange. "By the way … Pardon me for asking, what do you want to do in Carlston?"
"Find … find a job!" Joel replied with a stutter.
"Oh!"
Chung Shen-soo shook his head secretly, his eyes filled with pity.
A farmer without culture, knowledge, and skills would probably only be able to work in a factory in a big city!
It was equivalent to going around in a circle and returning to the same place. The treatment might even be worse than the locals!
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