Chapter 522: The Luddite Movement(1)
Chapter 522: The Luddite Movement(1)
Due to an unexpected physical structure(?), the gift of the typewriter was postponed.
If she pulled it close to type, it pressed against her chest; if she moved it away, her arms couldn't reach comfortably.
You might wonder if such a thing is even possible, but seeing it with my own eyes made it a reality. It was the kind of thing you’d only see in a manga or a novel, and honestly, seeing it in person left me a bit speechless.
"...Is this a trait of the Roseberry family?"
"No... I inherited it from my mother..."
It seemed her mother possessed some truly impressive genes. As a bonus, I ended up learning something about Count Letiz's particular tastes.
At any rate, we decided to go the route of modifying the typewriter. It wasn't good for her to force herself to adapt to it.
Fortunately, she had no trouble writing by hand. If they were large enough to interfere with that, she would have had trouble with daily life in general.
It was just the typewriter. They were exactly the right size to make typing impossible. If we could just modify the machine, she should be able to use it without issue.
"If there's anything you want to ask me in the future, feel free to come by anytime. Even if you don't, I'll make sure to visit you once a week."
"I don't want to be a burden to you, Senior..."
"I'm telling you I want to do it. Is that not allowed?"
"..."
When I took a firm stance, Cherry flinched. She looked at me with an anxious expression.
She probably still thinks I'm going through all this trouble just for her sake. I didn't even need to read her mind to know that.
"I told you earlier. I'm sorry I haven't been able to look after you. When I got your letter, I was worried something might have happened to you. So, I'll be showing my face regularly from now on. Don't blame yourself so much. Understood?"
"......Yes."
Cherry finally seemed convinced by my persuasion and nodded.
"So he... cares about me... if something happens..."
"..."
I caught a deeply ominous mutter, but it was so quiet I couldn't be sure.
Still, since I planned to see her once a week, I figured I could respond immediately if anything went wrong.
With that, my consultation—if you could call it that—with Cherry came to an end, and I returned to my daily routine. This was about half a month after the release of Volume 10 of Blood and Iron.
As much as I wanted to release Volume 11, 12, and even Volume 13—where the invasion of Poland takes place—I planned to exercise some restraint.
At the very least, I would wait until after the mana engines were introduced, the broken supply lines were somewhat restored, and the Great Depression had calmed down a bit.
'I have to release everything up to the invasion of Poland in a short window, so I have no choice.'
The reason was "National Self-Determination," which would be featured within those three volumes. The sparks of independence in Stavirk were still very much alive.
What would happen if National Self-Determination was introduced now? Naturally, it would cause an uproar. Hitler was still the protagonist, after all.
This meant I had to release the volumes leading up to the invasion of Poland in quick succession, but that was impossible as long as the aftershocks of the Great Depression continued.
I could force a release if I pushed it. However, the workers in the paper industry would suffer. Moreover, it could cause significant damage to Musk as well. For now, I had no choice but to wait for the paper stocks to pile up.
Ah, but that didn't mean I was stopping my writing. I hadn't forgotten to work on the Soviet-German War arc, which could be considered the highlight.
Furthermore, the attack on Pearl Harbor—the decisive factor that brought the United States into the war—was slowly beginning to take shape. I was steadily building up the narrative.
And so, time flowed on, and about a month passed.
[Eins's Mana Engine Lands in the Minerva Empire!]
[Following Xenon's advice, numerous mana engines have been introduced, and dwarf artisans, including Eins, have shared the manufacturing and operating methods.]
[While the quality may be lower than items produced in Dwarven factories, it will be enough to resolve the supply shortage.]
[The location where the world's first 'factory' will operate is the Imperial Capital.]
Eins's mana engines had arrived in the Minerva Empire. Furthermore, the world's first "factory" had been established.
I had personally said that mana engines were the key to solving the Great Depression, but the speed of implementation was incredibly fast.
Thanks to the unique craftsmanship of the dwarves and the powerful imperial authority of Minerva, things proceeded without a hitch.
Above all, it was possible to start the factory immediately because they had stockpiled a significant amount of coal.
Through the Minerva Empire's version of the New Deal, they had already revived merchant guilds and companies that were on the verge of bankruptcy.
Using this as a foundation, they went all-in on coal transport and gathered every artisan they could find to create jobs.
'The New Deal has its limits, though.'
Of course, the New Deal wasn't a panacea. If you looked closely, it was a temporary fix with clear limitations.
On Earth, the New Deal saw its true effect through World War II; in this world, the mana engine became the key.
Additionally, Machina, which had been in chaos due to the revolution, began to stabilize. The world was gradually returning to its original state.
[Through this Great Depression, we have learned one thing. People mocked the Minerva Empire for having 'inflated muscles,' but from now on, those muscles will be filled with real strength.]
[It is not good to rely solely on the Minerva Empire for production. Every nation must build its own factories.]
[Do they even have the ability to build factories? Engineering hasn't even developed as a field of study yet.]
It also served as an opportunity to confirm the sheer power of the Minerva Empire.
As everyone knew, the Minerva Empire suffered the most from the Great Depression.
Because its economy was relatively large, the impact was bound to be significant, and the problem was that it spread to other countries.
Many nations looked at the Minerva Empire and mocked it for having "inflated muscles" or being nothing but a bubble.
But as soon as the mana engines were introduced, they snapped out of it, realizing the gravity of the situation.
What if they end up with even greater production capacity than before?
What if they ruin our country just by cutting off that supply?
'There's nothing I can do from here.'
That was an issue between nations, not something for me to get involved in.
Besides, hadn't Eins already announced that he would distribute the blueprints for the mana engines to the entire world?
I had personally "entreated" Eins to come. He was also busy dealing with the aftermath of the revolution.
Of course, it was undeniable that the Minerva Empire had gained a massive advantage for now. I had called Eins specifically to help the Empire, after all.
[Just as the invention of the 'steam engine' led to various inventions in Blood and Iron, we also need to achieve various inventions based on the mana engine.]
[It is time for humans to focus on machines rather than magic.]
[We have an overwhelming population compared to other races. We must utilize that.]
[Didn't the revolution in Machina succeed through 'tanks'? Machines will have immense potential.]
Not long after the factories began operating, numerous scholars began to focus on machinery.
Perhaps because they felt so much during this Great Depression, humans were leaning toward the idea that they needed to advance. That area was machinery—specifically, engineering.
No matter how hard you try with magic, if you don't have the talent, you'll never succeed. But with machines, as long as you have "education," you can replicate them just by looking at a blueprint.
[Focusing on machines will only make the human race weaker.]
[Abandon mana and magic to focus on machines? Don't be ridiculous. It's too early for that.]
[It makes no sense to focus on machines when we have dwarves. By that logic, basic knowledge of magic can also be obtained through education.]
Just as a group emerged advocating for a focus on mechanical engineering, there was also a faction that insisted on maintaining the status quo.
They argued that the moment humans began to rely on machines, they would become infinitely weak, and above all, machines were unreliable.
They pointed out that Elves and Demons used magic as naturally as breathing and gained countless advantages from it, so why bother developing machinery?
Though it was only in the early stages, just as Emperor Berit had predicted, the "Machinery Faction" and the "Magic Faction" were beginning to surface.
The operation of the world's first factory sparked various debates.
"The Luddite Movement is going to break out."
"The Luddite Movement?"
In this situation, I met with Lina and gave her a "prophecy" of sorts.
Lina's expression was a mix of curiosity and doubt at the term "Luddite Movement."
Her face looked much brighter thanks to the manuscript I showed her last time and the recently opened factories.
The dark circles that looked like they were ready to be used as jump ropes had mostly vanished. Though she still looked tired, she was much better than before.
"Yeah. It's an act where skilled laborers destroy machines. It's because they think machines will take away their jobs."
"Aren't those just terrorists? Why give it such a grand name like 'movement'?"
Lina asked back, her voice rising as if the mere thought of it irritated her.
From Lina's perspective, she had no choice but to define it as "terrorism" because the world's first factory built in the capital was "state-owned."
Usually, factories are privately owned, but the Imperial Family had taken the lead this time. It was essentially an experiment.
Therefore, destroying the mana engines in that factory was no different from terrorism in the eyes of the Imperial Family. It was only natural for her to be annoyed.
"There's a bit of a difference. At least for now, the factory belongs to the Minerva Empire, but in the world I lived in, they were privately owned. That's why it's called a movement rather than terrorism."
"Hmm... Then the possibility of that movement breaking out will increase when the factories move from state ownership to private ownership?"
"Exactly."
I nodded in agreement. Lina also looked like she understood.
However, there was one thing to keep in mind. The Luddite Movement on Earth happened decades after the invention of the steam engine.
In contrast, it hadn't even been a year since the mana engine was invented here, and the establishment of factories using those engines had only just begun.
The reason I was warning her was partly to prepare for the future, but also because of the unbalanced development of this world.
'If you think about it, mana is taking the place of electricity.'
The most significant feature of this world was mana. At first glance, one might marvel, thinking, As expected of a fantasy world!
But if you looked closer, it was beyond marvelous—it was terrifying. Magic was one thing, but the very existence of mana broke the balance.
If "fire" played a decisive role in the development of Earth's civilization, then "electricity" was the alpha and omega of modern civilization.
The moment electricity disappears, humans return to the primitive age; there are even apocalypse novels based on that premise.
And this world had "electricity" from the very beginning. Because of this, the fact that mana could be used as power had been realized long ago.
Earth only managed to utilize electricity after thousands of years, but here, it was visible to the eye from the start. That's why it was so nonsensical.
'Come to think of it, machines powered by mana were invented a long time ago.'
Back when Xenon Biography was a massive hit, there was a severe shortage of paper, leading to constant sell-outs.
But at some point, that was all resolved thanks to the invention of "technology," which turned out to be the invention of machines.
Naturally, these were machines powered by mana, not electricity. There were also things like refrigerators and air conditioners.
Most of the things I had just accepted as "fantasy" were, in fact, machines powered by the "electricity" known as mana.
Of course, the reason such machines weren't widely used was also very simple. Their cost-effectiveness was abysmal.
Mana is essentially a power that only people can produce. Humans were acting as a sort of battery, and the efficiency was bound to be terrible.
'It doesn't matter for places like the Academy since the state invests in them directly, but...'
It wasn't the same elsewhere. Rather than using people to power a machine, it was better to just do the work by hand.
Furthermore, there were "ethical" issues involved, so no one would volunteer unless the pay was extraordinary.
Since mana isn't generated automatically but must be obtained through food, I heard that people acting as batteries had to eat enough for ten people.
'I wonder if this world can ever separate electricity and mana?'
It was a sudden question. Since mana perfectly fulfilled the role of electricity, would they even bother?
As I was lost in thought, Lina, who had been considering the Luddite Movement like me, shrugged and spoke.
"Then I can rest easy for the time being. What kind of madman would touch a state-owned factory? It'll probably be a year before anyone like that shows up."
"If that's what you think, then so be it. By the way, what kind of factory was the one built this time?"
"It's a factory for the most necessary goods—clothing, specifically textiles. Whatever else happens, we have to produce clothing to combat the skyrocketing prices."
What people need are food, clothing, and shelter. And clothing was what had been hit hard by this Great Depression.
Fortunately, food and land were stable. As Lina said, now that a textile factory had been built, things would be a bit more relieved.
"Factories are fine, but make sure to secure the food supply first. No matter how good production gets, it's meaningless if there isn't enough food to support the population."
"I'll take that advice too. Haa~ I finally feel like I can breathe. I've even been sleeping well lately."
"That's good to hear."
Ah. Of course.
[Sabotage at the World's First Factory! What on Earth Happened?]
Only a few days later, the Luddite Movement actually broke out. I offer my condolences to Lina.
[Workers testified that this was all the work of Demon Worshippers...]
But what on earth did that mean?