Mystery: A Spark

People entered the city from the eastern part of Backlund, traversing the entire eastern district, with countless others joining them along the way.

Then they headed toward the Backlund Bridge area, heading straight for Queens, where the nobility and the wealthy resided.

So, exactly seven days after the Backlund smog incident, a massive workers' demonstration broke out.

……

"This is shameless extortion!"

"How dare these lowly people!? How dare they do this!?"

“There must be someone instigating this. Yes, we must arrest the instigator immediately and execute him in front of those lowly people. Only in this way can we stop this great riot.”

Inside a spacious conference hall, an obese middle-aged man with makeup on his face was shouting angrily.

He has completely lost his former demeanor, although he was never really that debonair to begin with.

This is a meeting, an emergency meeting.

The attendees included most of the kingdom's most important officials who were able to come, as well as nobles of all ranks.

Finally, there were also many other members of parliament, including more than a dozen large factory owners.

Of course, there were more factory owners in the kingdom than just these, since many nobles actually ran factories in private.

However, in order to maintain the dignity required of the nobility, they treated those who worked for them a little better.

It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to give them a strange sense of moral superiority when facing those annoying nouveau riche factory owners.

“Prime Minister, you should make a decision as soon as possible to arrest and publicly execute the person who plotted this riot. Only in this way can those lowly people be frightened.” The fat factory owner continued to shout.

"What an idiot..." Prime Minister Agushid thought to himself.

However, he did not show any emotion, but simply gave a look to his nephew, the eldest son of Pallas Negan who succeeded to the dukedom after the assassination of the former Duke of Negan.

Then, the current Duke of Negan spoke up.

"Sir, I regret to inform you."

"The Church of Storms will not intervene in this protest."

He paused and then said:

"The military will not be involved either."

Chapter 235 All I need is a few words...

I am so silly.

Really.

I only knew that Arthur was a man capable of doing big things, but I never imagined that he could do them so quickly and so swiftly.

So...good.

Seven days after the Backlund smog incident, when people went to Kopyong Tomb to pay their respects to the deceased, Arthur seized the opportunity to make headlines.

Gaopingling, what a fitting name! It caught me completely off guard... Klein sighed inwardly.

He imitated the people around him, raised his hand and shouted a few slogans, then lowered his hand again.

There are rules to shouting slogans; a group of people can't just shout randomly, or it will create chaos.

Since it is an organized and planned strike and demonstration, it cannot be like a mob acting recklessly without discipline.

We certainly cannot allow people to act recklessly, or even engage in vandalism, looting, and arson, as that would surely invite the iron fist of the Kingdom's government to suppress them.

The Workers' Mutual Aid Association has done a pretty good job in this regard.

Led and guided by the security team, the marchers chanted slogans in an organized and disciplined manner. Although the commotion was quite loud, they did not harm the surrounding residents in the slightest.

This meant that while other people were shocked by the demonstration, they did not feel any resentment or disgust.

I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.

Because the slogans chanted by the protesters clearly expressed the reasons for their march and their demands.

The smog event in Backlund a week ago was terrifying. Even though it was blown away before it spread throughout the city, the subsequent events still instilled immense fear in the people of Loen.

Moreover, it wasn't just the residents of the East District and the factory district who were ravaged by the plague; people in other areas were also infected with the plague to varying degrees by the smog.

It was only because of that miracle, and the subsequent joint treatment efforts by the Earth Church and the Workers' Aid Association, that the casualties in other places were not so severe.

But even if the wound heals, forms a scar, it will never disappear.

It's there.

It will still cause excruciating pain if it is touched again or even uncovered.

This march was like reopening that wound, exposing its raw, bloody interior to everyone.

Tell people that although the incident may seem to be over, it is not over yet.

As a result, the onlookers couldn't help but empathize with the protest.

This is because of "empathy," a complex emotional activity.

Then, these empathetic people joined the march.

Because they felt that the march was just and that it was an action that was completely without fault from a universal moral perspective.

They saw the protesters united, shouting their demands at the top of their lungs.

The demand was so reasonable, and the reason so sympathetic.

The protesters committed no acts of violence; they simply walked and shouted, and did nothing more.

So more and more people joined in because they felt they should do their part in this matter.

This is because they are driven by their sense of morality.

Klein witnessed all of this.

This was a long-planned operation, and it was clear that Arthur's security team had gained immense prestige among the people of the East District, largely thanks to their relief efforts following the smog incident... Klein thought to himself.

Most normal people feel gratitude and a strong sense of trust towards the person who saves their life.

His fame stemmed from this.

Therefore, the protesters did not do what the security team forbade them to do.

The marchers would shout whatever the security team told them to shout.

But the question is, why did I get dragged into this? And how did things turn out this way today?

Klein thought.

He originally just wanted to come and remember the victims of the smog incident and seek some solace.

Then he saw Arthur's inspiring speech.

Then, without really understanding what was happening, he was swept up by the crowd and joined the march.

In fact, if Klein really wanted to get away from the crowd, he had many options.

However, deep down, he didn't really want to leave just like that.

For Klein, who came from that country in his previous life, the parade was a completely new experience.

The reason is self-evident.

Besides, Klein also had something to say, since he had been dragged into this situation.

His involvement in this matter was not of his own volition.

So, with a mindset of "I didn't want this to happen, but I had no choice because of the situation," Klein followed the marching crowd to a square.

This is Memorial Square next to Kingsroad, located in the West End, and it was the site of many large-scale events in Backlund in the past.

Of course, those so-called large-scale events are usually only accessible to the upper and middle classes of Backlund, and have never been relevant to the poor people who have come here now.

What Klein didn't know was that if nothing changed, something even more earth-shattering would happen in this place in the future.

Furthermore, this incident was closely related to him.

Of course, whether this event will still happen as before due to the emergence of a certain variable is now unknown.

Regardless, as a landmark of Backlund, when tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of people come here to march and demonstrate, it will undoubtedly cause a huge sensation in the country.

This will change some things and will change the fate of many people.

……

"The Church of Storms will not interfere with this march."

"The military will not be involved in this matter."

Inside the conference hall, when the newly appointed Duke Negan uttered those words, the obese factory owner was naturally taken aback.

"How can you ignore this? Those lowly people have started a riot, Your Grace." The factory owner was clearly flustered.

"Where is the atrocity you speak of, sir? Did they damage even a single public facility or harm even a single person during their procession?" the new Duke of Negan retorted. "As for the commoners, I believe you should not call them commoners, for they are all subjects of the kingdom."

You call them outcasts, so what do you think of my father, who has always wanted to improve their living conditions?

Some people understood the subtext of this sentence, while others did not.

Those who understood remained silent, while those who didn't continued to express their dissatisfaction.

However, he did not dare to be dissatisfied with Duke Negan, even though the duke had only recently taken office and his prestige was not as strong as that of the previous Duke Negan, but he was still not someone he could openly jeer at.

So he, the obese factory owner, turned his attention to another powerful figure in the kingdom, Earl Hall.

In his view, Earl Hall, as an important figure in the New Party, should oppose such a demonstration that was clearly a provocation against the dignity of capitalists.

Although Count Hall himself did not own a factory, he had invested a considerable share in many places.

For example, the Constance Coal and Steel Complex, and other similar industrial production companies.

However, to the great factory owner’s utter astonishment, Earl Hall completely ignored his pleading gaze and remained calmly sitting there drinking tea.

Having no other option, he had to change his target again, turning his attention to a high-ranking nobleman in the kingdom. This nobleman was also an earl, whose surname was Feynman, and who worshipped the god of steam and machinery.

But the result was still disappointing, because the count... was resting with his eyes closed at that moment.

It was obvious that he had no interest in the topics being discussed in the meeting, let alone express any attitude.