World Version Updates

The night the union held a trial and hanged George, Choya, and others seemed like a lightning bolt tearing through the long-standing gloom enveloping Oranck, completely uncovering the longstanding conflict between workers and factory owners.

As the first ray of dawn illuminated the bodies still hanging from the street lamps, news already spread throughout the industrial district, with hushed discussions echoing in the corridors of factories and the alleyways of slums.

After the banquet at Violet Manor, Lu Yan altered perceptions, prompting capitalists and new nobility to willingly concede profits to improve workers' benefits and wages, thus causing the union's evolution to be exceedingly peaceful, avoiding much bloody violent conflict.

Even with the Wilton Mine unrest, the upper echelons perceived its roots as lying with the Evil God Sect, rather than the workers' own power.

Until now, when the conspiracy by George, Choya, and others to embezzle funds and kill dozens of workers was exposed, revealing the tip of the iceberg beneath the bloody backdrop of the workers' movement.

As the union's investigation deepened, more heinous crimes were uncovered.

Certain factory owners deliberately cut costs by not equipping safety tools, causing dozens of workers to perish in machinery.

Foremen, under the guise of "training," wantonly abused child labor to satisfy their own desires.

Some wealthy individuals even sent the daughters of workers' families to brothels under the pretense of job introductions.

These matters hardly counted as secrets; in the past environment, most workers had become numb, and even knowing these issues, they found it difficult to resist as long as it didn't involve them personally.

Yet as the incident of hanging George, Choya, and others spread, it sparked an unprecedented consciousness of resistance among the working class.

The union began to expand rapidly, with membership numbers reaching over 200,000 within weeks.

The union, led by Sain, no longer remained a loose organization but developed into an unignorable force, beginning formal negotiations with numerous factory owners to fight for more rights.

Those factory owners with extremely vile methods who refused any change were sent to the street lamps one by one.

Each execution was not random violence but a methodical public trial, statement of crimes, and declaration of judgment.

This manner of conduct placed the workers' actions in an unassailable moral position and caused more neutral citizens to begin sympathizing with their cause.

For a time, every factory owner feared for their safety.

They started to split into two factions, one choosing to cooperate with the union and recognizing the inevitability of change by providing necessary assurances for workers.

The other unwilling to accept the loss of their interests, began seeking help from government officials and major nobility, attempting to smother the workers' movement.

Behind all of this lay not only the union's spontaneous efforts but also the nearly invisible figure of Anna.

As a wandering soul, she moved between the factories and slums, entering the dreams of workers, revealing the covered-up truths and transmitting the imagery of judgment upon sinners to inspire courage and resistance within them.

For those oppressors guilty of heinous crimes, she planted fear within their dreams, leaving them in a constant state of unease and dread.

Even though mortals could not see Anna's form, hundreds of dream intrusions and manifestations had already made some workers begin to sense Anna's existence.

Some even believed Anna to be from the Steam Church, a holy spirit saving the world.

Moreover, within the union, more and more from the lower-class extraordinaries who had risen from being workers began to integrate spontaneously.

Although they were only Sequence 9, Sequence 8, within the barren industrial district, they still counted as a rare force.

Up to now, the union's progress had been smooth, but what they faced were merely minor nobility and factory owners.

With the impact brought by the union's expansion, some major nobility also gradually began to perceive the lurking dangers.

An unknown storm was brewing within the noble council.

...

The White Family, as one of the old nobility of the Victoria Kingdom with a history of millennia, was currently overseen by the White Marquis, not only a steadfast supporter of the royal family's industrial revolution but also possessing significant influence across the entire Victoria Kingdom.

The White Family's manor was towering and ancient, with several major nobles already gathered in its council hall.

These major nobles were pivotal figures in the industrial reform, holding in their hands the kingdom's lifeblood and wealth.

Sitting at the head, the White Marquis, though over seventy, still retained the vigor of a middle-aged man in this world of circulating extraordinary powers, with only the deep wisdom in his eyes vaguely hinting at the passage of time.

The gaze of the White Marquis was as sharp as an eagle's as it slowly swept over each noble present, his voice cold and authoritative, "I suppose you all know about the chaos in the industrial district."

As soon as his words fell, the Earl of Levin, dressed in a dark blue velvet suit, hurriedly echoed, "That so-called union is simply outrageous. Do they intend to destroy the industrial reform we've painstakingly crafted over the years by stirring up such turmoil in the industrial district?"

"Utterly absurd!" another noble slammed the table, his face flushed with indignation, "Without industrial reform, these peasants would likely be scratching for a living in the dirt their whole lives, not even knowing where Oranck is.

We gave them jobs, allowed them to have a decent meal, yet these peasants dare to demand more; it's utterly ridiculous!"