Lord Shenxiu-Chapter 510 I See (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

"My fields, my wheat seedlings..."

Johan moved like a walking corpse, his eyes brimming with pain, as he headed for a steam train station.

His family had originally signed a long-term contract with the noble Viscount Xinsi, leasing a plot of land from the old lord to cultivate. They would hand over half of their harvest each year, and life was fairly decent.

Since his grandfather’s time, they had accumulated farming tools one by one. By his father’s generation, they had three small houses—not very sturdy but good enough to shelter from the wind and cold—and they had some livestock.

He had thought that life would continue this way.

As the eldest son in the family, he would inherit most of the property. His younger brothers, if they didn’t go out to find their own food, would have to work themselves to death tilling the fields for him, in exchange for some grain.

Maybe, after saving for a few years, he could marry a farmhouse girl—not so pretty, but strong enough to bear children—and pass on the lineage.

Although it was hard, as long as they could get by, farmers would never leave the land they so loved!

But a few years ago, everything had changed.

A mechanical revolution had suddenly swept across the entire country, starting from the Capital City of Kaliston!

At first, it was the rising prices of textiles, followed by a market with demand far outstripping supply.

Textile factory owners desperately organized workers to keep up with work, but they still couldn’t satisfy market demand and had to work hard to improve technology by inventing various machines that could speed up textile production.

Then, as the Traveler Church said, the great deities bestowed a gift.

The sacred, majestic deity inspired an inventor to bring the steam engine onto the stage of history.

A series of steam-powered devices were invented in succession, greatly improving factory efficiency, with an almost insatiable thirst for wool.

Lured by huge profits, many landowners switched jobs to become factory owners or ranchers, tearing up their agreements and driving out the tenant farmers who had leased their land to cultivate.

Not only that, but they even pushed forward various laws, shamelessly grabbing land on a large scale, raiding the fields of independent farmers, and gathering all the good land together. They fenced it in for sheep pastures!

Johan’s family was evicted from the land they had cultivated for generations against such a backdrop, suddenly homeless.

But the kingdom didn’t allow its people to wander aimlessly as vagrants.

It enacted harsh laws stipulating that vagrants caught for the first time would be whipped, the second time have their ears cut off and be demoted to slaves, and the third time be executed!

To survive, many farmers had no choice but to accept meager wages and enter various factories to work.

But those working conditions...

According to Johan’s father, who had fallen ill from overwork, it was simply more exhausting than any farm work and came with a huge risk!

Many people had their fingers chopped off by gears or were burned to death by high-temperature steam leaking from pipes. Their faces before death were so mutilated that even the priests who performed their last rites were frightened!

Johan’s parents, along with his brothers and sisters, applied for jobs together and became workers in a local newly opened factory.

But he absolutely didn’t want that!

He disliked the cold machinery at the local factories, the tall chimneys, and the pipes that discharged large amounts of wastewater into the river, casting a shadow of gloom over his life.

Therefore, Johan decided to take a small amount of travel money, leave his heartbroken homeland, and seek a livelihood in a big city, such as the Royal Capital, Phoenix City of Kaliston!

It was said that there were streets paved with gold there! With countless opportunities!

At this moment, he laundered his one linen shirt, put it on, and looked at a building not far away, quietly cheering himself on.

"Come on!"

"Johan! Be confident. No one will know you’re the son of a farmer. Just go to the ticket office and buy a ticket for the steam train to Kaliston. It’s that simple..."

...

"I say... are you looking to buy a ticket?"

Just then, a voice suddenly spoke up beside him, startling Johan, "Who... who are you?"

He saw that someone had appeared by his side, without him noticing when they had arrived.

The person had golden curly hair, bright blue eyes like the vast sea, a sunny smile with neat and pearly white teeth. They were dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, looking vibrant and full of energy.

For some reason, Johan felt somewhat inferior.

The other person had the look of someone who was clearly from high society, while no matter how he tried to disguise himself, his own demeanor would give him away.

"Hello, my name is Li Wei!"

Zhong Shenxiu naturally used his former Western name, "I am a traveler. I see you’re about to buy a ticket? Where do you want to go?"

The language spoken here was called ’Mien language’, purported to be a divine gift, though Zhong Shenxiu had learned it from the memories of the Headless Earl.

There wasn’t a great difference in pronunciation, and after a slight adjustment, he could speak with a perfect local accent.

’A traveler? Doesn’t he have to follow the "Wanderer Management Act"? Maybe he is a descendant of some noble lord...’

Johan felt even more inferior and answered in a low voice, "My name is Johan, I want to go to Kaliston!"

"Phoenix City? That’s exactly where I was planning to go as well... how about we buy the tickets together?" Zhong Shenxiu offered with a smile.

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, thinking about those Evil Gods capable of traversing countless worlds, he didn’t find it strange at all, but rather took it for granted.

After all, if They wished, even creating a post-sci-fi era dystopian wasteland wouldn’t be impossible.

And according to the intelligence he had gathered, ever since the new gods ascended, this transformation had been underway, bit by bit.

Johan thought that the revolution had happened over a few years, but he didn’t realize that it might have been brewing for decades, amassing enough strength!

"Together?"

Johan fumbled with his collar, then his eyes lit up.

Yes!

He was but a country bumpkin, but the gentleman across from him clearly was not.

If he traveled with him, who would guess that he was a vagrant?

The other’s demeanor and manners were enough to deceive the ticket seller and the train conductor. No, he wasn’t really a cheat!

"Sure!"

Johan agreed eagerly, "Sir, I have a request, could you help me buy a ticket... I... I can’t read."

"No problem."

Little did he know, he was also a cover for Zhong Shenxiu.

After all, flying directly to Kaliston from the sky was somewhat dangerous, it would be safer to take the train, and he could study along the way.

He smiled as he took a handful of metal coins of various designs, his face showing no sign of oddness, "By the way... May I ask, what are you planning to do in Kaliston?"

"Look... look for a job!" Johan stammered in reply.

"Oh!"

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head inwardly, his eyes showing a hint of pity.

An uneducated, inexperienced farmer without any particular skills, going to the big city, would probably end up in a factory at most!

It was almost like coming full circle, and the treatment might even be worse than back home!

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