Mystery: A Spark

Yes, Backlund actually did have a union.

But to be honest, the union here is practically useless; it's just a decoration.

"And then, what happened after you went to see it?" Hugh asked curiously.

“Swallow them. If you find any promising talents, keep them. As for the rest, just dismiss them,” Arthur replied calmly.

Since the original union is unable to fulfill its responsibilities, it should simply step down and let the workers' mutual aid association, which is capable of fulfilling those responsibilities, take over.

There is no need for two workers' organizations to exist in Backlund at the same time.

“Okay, I know some people over there, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.” Hugh nodded.

The union at the docks may sound like a union, but it's actually quite dilapidated, with only a handful of members.

They had very little power, because they had hardly ever exercised their duties to protect the rights of the workers, so they had little prestige among the workers.

According to what Hugh learned, the dockworkers' union not only collects 1.5 sols from each worker who joins it as a membership fee every week.

When other dockworkers go on strike and the dock workers have to support their families, they are required to pay half of their wages.

That would have been bad enough, but what was even worse was that as soon as the workers organized a strike, the dockworkers' union would quickly reach an agreement with the lawyers sent by the wealthy.

After gaining benefits from the workers' strike, the dockworkers' union will no longer care about the striking workers and will not provide them with the living supplies they should have received during the strike.

So soon, the wave of worker strikes will be suppressed, because they still need to eat.

This means that workers' strikes have done nothing to improve their situation, because the crucial union has been bought off by the wealthy.

This is precisely why Arthur felt that the dockworkers' union sounded prestigious but was actually utterly useless.

Therefore, Hugh had no psychological burden regarding the takeover of the dockworkers' union.

On the contrary, she felt it was a good thing for the workers on the dock.

It should be noted that the workers' mutual aid association's membership fee was two soulas a month, only one-third of that of the dockworkers' union.

Furthermore, the Workers' Mutual Aid Association regularly provides cheap and filling food, such as black bread from the Peace Tavern, as well as inexpensive drinks.

Although the Workers' Mutual Aid Association has not yet organized a strike due to its short history, relevant regulations and procedures have already been established.

According to Arthur, once the number of members in the Workers' Aid Society reaches a certain level and a suitable time is reached, a major strike will be organized.

Hugh didn't know what time Arthur was waiting for, nor did she care, because she was very clear about her own position.

She knew she was an executor, responsible only for the specific implementation of things, while Arthur was the one who formulated the strategy.

Therefore, Hugh only needed to think about how to complete the tasks assigned by Arthur; as for those that were too complicated, she was too lazy to think about them.

……

Inside the Peace Tavern.

When Hugh returned, most of the workers had not yet left.

They were discussing the speech in a lively atmosphere, and Hugh could see genuine smiles of joy on their faces.

This is because they saw hope; they found their future in the Workers' Mutual Aid Association.

Once people have hope, their mental outlook changes dramatically.

Seeing the smiles on their faces made Hugh feel better, because she felt that everything she had done was meaningful.

Of course, she was already in a good mood, and now she's just in an even better mood.

Audrey and her two companions hadn't left yet because they hadn't finished their drinks.

Fors and Glenn sat there slowly savoring the new type of liquor, while also teasing the little girl Vina.

Vina giggled as her two older siblings amused her. The dirt on her face had been wiped clean, and she looked very cute, no longer as embarrassed and pitiful as before.

Audrey seemed preoccupied; although she occasionally teased Vina, it was clear she was somewhat distracted.

However, Fors and Grylint were so focused on entertaining the children that they didn't notice Audrey's strange behavior.

Hugh noticed Audrey's unusual behavior when he arrived, but since it wasn't a suitable place to discuss things, he didn't ask.

"You're back, Hugh. Where were you just now?" Fors noticed Hugh's return and asked curiously.

Audrey also came to her senses.

"I had some matters to attend to at the mutual aid society, so I went there. By the way, I've already arranged accommodations for Vina." Hugh subtly changed the subject.

"Is this the place you mentioned that took in some children?" Audrey asked.

“Yes, there are a few homeless children there, and a few children of workers who have been placed here,” Hugh nodded and said.

As mentioned before, it is very difficult for homeless children in the East District to survive, so they do not take in many children.

Some of them were workers who were looking after their belongings here because they were busy.

"In that case, Vina, would you like to meet some of the other children?" Audrey asked, patting the little girl's head.

"Sister Audrey, are you leaving me?" Vina asked, somewhat reluctantly.

Audrey was the one who first brought her here to eat, so Audrey was the closest person to her.

"No, don't worry, Vina, I'll come see you again tomorrow," Audrey reassured her.

In reality, her family doesn't keep a very close watch on her whereabouts; as long as they find a suitable reason, she can still go out for a stroll.

“Okay then.” Vina was very sensible and obediently followed Hugh to a building at the other end of the street.

That was the place where the security team took in children. While taking them in and providing them with food, Hugh would also have literate members of the security team teach these children to read.

Arthur once joked that these children would be their future talent pool, and they would have to be taught well.

After settling Vina in, Audrey and the other three returned to the study in the Grynt family home.

The four people took their seats, and Fors spoke first, asking:

"Hugh, what's your opinion of that Mr. Jeston?"

"What else could I say? Of course, I'll kill him after confirming that what Vina said is true," Hugh replied matter-of-factly after receiving assurances from Arthur.

"Do you know his background?" Grylint asked curiously.

He had no liking for this disgusting and despicable villain, but since he himself had little fighting ability and his viscount status was inherited and he had no real power, he couldn't do anything.

"His identity still needs to be investigated, but I estimate he's most likely a member of the Dead Water Gang at the docks." Hugh didn't rule out any possibility.

Although she can be described as a human-shaped identity recorder, she is not quite a human-shaped computer yet.

Without paying special attention, she couldn't determine the other person's origin based solely on a name and a vague description.

"A gang? That might be difficult to deal with." Grylint frowned.

In his mind, gangs were organizations made up of a lot of thugs who would often grab large blades and hack people to pieces in the street.

Therefore, Grynt felt that this was very difficult to deal with.

"Don't worry, I'll call the security team to deal with them," Hugh said calmly.

During this period, the security team had expanded to thirty people.

These people were all personally vetted by Hugh and their reliability was confirmed before they were recruited.

Williams, having been given a Hunter's Potion by Arthur, became a Beyonder. (A minor character in the original story who was killed while helping Hugh investigate Lannister.)

With Hugh now a sheriff and possessing a pair of iron fists, the fighting strength of the entire security team is quite guaranteed.

In particular, Arthur equipped everyone with batons, the iron kind, which raised the police force's combat effectiveness to another level.

“Then you need to be careful. If you need any help, just let us know. After all, this isn’t just your problem,” Grylint warned.

Although he himself cannot fight, he can still provide support from behind.

Moreover, he's about to be promoted to pharmacist, so providing some medicine shouldn't be a problem then.

"Don't worry, I will. Besides, I need to find out the truth before I take action," Hugh nodded and said.

After all, the whole story only has Vina's side of the story, so we can't just kill someone based on that alone.

“The best way to find out the truth is to ask Jeston himself directly,” Audrey suddenly said.

"Just ask? If he really did something like that, how could he possibly confess honestly?" Hugh asked in surprise.

Audrey didn't answer, but looked at Hugh seriously and said:

“Hugh, if the truth is indeed as Vina says, I would like to ask you to give me a chance.”

"what chance?"

“I’m going to kill him myself,” Audrey said calmly.

Chapter 200 Arthur's Rising Fame and the Reactions from All Sides

Is she going to kill someone herself?

Hugh was taken aback.

Fors and Grylls also looked at Audrey with shocked expressions.

In their minds, Miss Audrey was a noblewoman, the kind of canary who would scream for ages at the sight of blood, or even faint.

Of course, Miss Audrey wouldn't be that exaggerated, at least not to the point of fainting at the sight of blood. After all, they had seen all sorts of strange and wonderful things when they attended the Extraordinary Gathering.

However, the image of Audrey as a rich young lady had already been formed in Hugh and Fors's minds.

Even Grelint had similar ideas.

So they never imagined that one day they would hear Miss Audrey say that she wanted to kill someone herself.

"This... Miss Audrey, are you serious?" Hugh asked hesitantly.

“Of course, I’m very serious.” Audrey had clearly thought it through.

Her tone may have carried a hint of hesitation just now, but it has now become incredibly firm.

Xiu hesitated for a moment before saying:

"But Miss Audrey, you really don't need to..."

“No, it’s necessary.” Audrey shook her head and said, “All along, I’ve thought that what I’ve been in contact with is the reality of this world, but tonight I realized I was wrong. What I’ve been in contact with is actually just a beautifully woven dream.”

“This…” Hugh, Fors, and the other two looked at each other, all very surprised.