Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

He was prepared to face the anticipated desolate and dilapidated scene.

However, the vibrations under the wheels suddenly became stable.

He looked out the window, his pupils contracting slightly.

The original dirt road has been transformed into a wide and flat gravel road, with the surface compacted and reinforced, and drainage ditches on both sides.

Along both sides of the road, newly sprouted saplings are planted at intervals.

This, this is the Vaseline? er lin (two)er also water zero eight (two Q) chun?

Egbert's mouth involuntarily opened slightly.

The vehicle continued smoothly toward a newly built outpost.

The outpost was a brand-new red brick structure, with a huge emblem of a crossed sickle and axe painted in black on the wall.

Several guards in uniform green uniforms were on duty. They stood tall and straight, unlike the crooked, greasy-faced local guards that Egbert had seen before.

A young guard stopped the caravan. He was polite, but his eyes were sharp and he was neither servile nor arrogant.

"Welcome to Vaser Territory, travelers."

"Please show your identification documents and register the reason for your visit."

His speech was clear, without any regional accent, and in standard Letanian official language.

The passengers in the carriage skillfully took out a card-style identification document and handed it over one by one.

When it was Egbert's turn, he handed over his forged press pass.

After carefully checking the document, the guard made a note in a notebook and then returned it to him.

"Welcome, Mr. Reporter."

"I wish you a successful interview in Eisenwild."

The entire process was orderly and there was no sign of any obstruction or demand for tolls.

The vehicle started up again and drove on the flat road.

Egbert leaned against the window, silent.

He looked out the window at the fields passing by, the furrows neatly arranged, the green crops growing vigorously, and he could even see some unfamiliar metal pipes in the fields that seemed to be used for irrigation.

In the distance, there are small villages, with houses also made of red bricks and wisps of smoke rising from their rooftops.

Everything was completely different from what he had imagined.

Egbert frowned, telling himself that this might just be a facade project at the border, a carefully crafted illusion by Lacey to mislead the outside world.

The truly rotten interior must be hidden deeper, hidden in Eisenwild.

He wanted to see it for himself.

……

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 57: The Territory of Vaser Has Only One Sun!

When the land vehicle pulled into the station in Essenwild, Egbert almost thought he had gone to the wrong place.

He had been here before, back when he was under Otto Gladstone's rule.

In his memory, Eisenville was a place where sewage flowed through the streets and the air was thick with the sour smell of poverty and disease.

But the scene before him completely overturned his understanding.

The station itself is a brand-new three-story building, with huge glass windows that make the hall bright and airy.

Cleaners in matching blue overalls are pushing wheeled water tanks and washing the gleaming cement floor.

There was no foul stench as expected in the air, only a faint smell of disinfectant and... the aroma of food wafting from afar.

Stepping out of the station, Egbert stood in the wide square, momentarily lost in thought.

The streets have been redesigned and are wide enough to allow four carriages to travel side by side.

The smooth road surface reminded him of the ceremonial avenue in front of the Trinity Palace.

Along both sides of the street, rows of four- or five-story red brick buildings stand neatly in uniform style. Each household has bright glass windows and balconies that extend out of the walls, with several potted plants placed on the balconies.

This is not a slum, it is a decent residence that only the middle class in the capital can afford!

Every now and then, sanitation workers in uniforms push covered garbage carts, sweeping up the scattered fallen leaves along the roadside.

Several children, carrying canvas backpacks, chased and played, running across the street. Their faces were rosy and full of energy, a far cry from the numb orphans he had imagined.

Egbert took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

This must be an illusion!

It is a model project meticulously crafted by Laixi!

The real slums are always hidden behind these glamorous buildings!

He pulled down the brim of his hat and, instead of choosing the main road, turned into a relatively narrow alley.

However, the alley was also clean, with no piles of garbage and no traces of dirt in the corners.

He even saw a wooden sign hanging on the wall that read "Model Sanitation Alley".

There is another line of smaller text below:

"Person in charge: Verne".

This struck him as absurd.

He wandered aimlessly, trying to find a dilapidated place that matched his expectations.

Finally, the aroma of food led him to a place with a sign that read "Third Workers' Canteen".

The canteen is a huge hall with hundreds of long tables.

It was lunchtime, and the place was bustling with noise.

Workers, dressed in various work clothes, lined up in long queues, exchanging meal tickets bearing the emblem of the Workers' Party for food on their plates.

Egbert walked to the food window and saw today's menu:

Stewed meat served with potatoes, cabbage salad, two thick slices of dark bread, and a large bowl of steaming broth.

Such a meal would cost at least one silver coin in a typical restaurant in Trinityl.

Here, all you need is a meal voucher.

He didn't have a meal ticket, so he took out his silver coins and tried to buy a meal from the plump auntie at the window.

The woman glanced at him, then at his respectable clothes, and shook her head: "Sir, we only accept meal tickets here, we don't sell them to the public."

"If you are a visiting guest, you can go to the guesthouse on the corner, where there is a restaurant specifically for travelers."

Egbert was met with a rebuff.

He had no choice but to step aside and find a corner to observe.

He saw the workers eating heartily, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

They ate and chatted animatedly.

"Hey, Verne! Your mine exceeded its production target again this month, right? I heard you got a lot of bonuses?"

A man in textile factory work clothes spoke loudly to a burly man next to him.

The man named Verne was the same name Egbert had seen on the wall at the alley entrance.

With his mouth full of meat, he mumbled, "That's right! Lord Lacey said, the more you work, the more you earn!"

"We're not working for noble lords, we're working for ourselves!"

"With this month's bonus, I plan to buy my wife a few yards of new cloth and my son a copy of 'Introduction to Machine Principles'!"

Egbert's heart sank.

He crept closer, pretending to wait for someone, and listened intently.

“Speaking of which, Captain Marcus was the one with foresight,” another worker chimed in.

"If it weren't for him leading everyone to Lord Lacey, we'd probably be somewhere being whipped by Otto's overseer right now!"

Verne swallowed the food in his mouth, nodded vigorously, and his eyes gleamed.

"That's right! I still remember the day Lord Lacey's army marched into our village!"

"Those flags, that army, wow!"

"Captain Marcus stood on the vehicle and shouted, 'We're back to liberate Vasseur!' I burst into tears at that moment."

"I've lived half my life, and this is the first time I've realized that we workers can have our own army."

"Captain Marcus is now the captain of the guard, in charge of several hundred men!"

"He deserves it! That's the honor he deserves!"

During their conversation, they referred to "Lord Lacey" in a very natural and friendly tone.

There was no fear whatsoever, but rather a deep respect and trust, as if they were talking about a dignified patriarch.

Egbert felt a sudden dryness in his mouth.

He left the cafeteria, walked onto the street, and saw a shop with a sign that read "Dazhong Bookstore" hanging in front of it.

He went inside and was greeted by rows of neat bookshelves.

There were quite a few people in the bookstore, including young people in work clothes, women with children, and even a few elderly people with white hair wearing reading glasses, reading quietly.

The books here are of a wide variety, including technical books such as "Steelmaking Handbook" and "Machine Maintenance Guide", agricultural books such as "Crop Improvement and Pest Control", literary works such as poetry collections and novels, and even a newly created opera libretto by Ms. Arturo.

Of course, the most prominent positions are filled with different versions of "My Struggle".

There are deluxe editions, paperback editions, and a pocket-sized simplified version specifically for workers to carry with them.

A young, unassuming shop assistant saw Egbert and greeted him with a smile.

"Sir, what book are you looking for?"

“I…I’m just browsing.” Egbert pointed to the technical manuals.

"Will anyone buy these books?"

"Of course!" The sales clerk's face lit up with pride. "These are our best-selling items!"

"Now, night schools and technical training courses are being offered everywhere in Eisenwild, and workers are scrambling to learn!"

"Workers with higher technical skill ratings earn significantly higher wages and benefits."

"Everyone says that knowledge is power. This was said by Lord Lacey at the first congress of the Workers' Party."

“Lord Lacey…” Egbert uttered the name with difficulty, “You… support him?”

The shop assistant seemed to have heard something strange. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Egbert seriously: "Sir, you must be from out of town, right?"

“In the territory of Wasser, no one does not support Lord Lacey.”

“He was not an aristocrat; he was just like us, a commoner.”

"He made us, the lowest of the low, live like human beings for the first time."

“He gave us land, jobs, food and new clothes, and free schooling for our children.”

"He overthrew Otto and hung those bloodsucking merchants on the gallows."

"He also told us that we were not slaves, but the masters of the Vase territory."

The shop assistant's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resonant.

He pointed out the window to the bright sunshine.

"Before Lord Lacey arrived, the sky over the territory of Vaser was always gray."

"It was he who, like the sun, illuminated this land!"

By the end, the shop assistant's eyes were even slightly moist. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Egbert fell silent.

He didn't linger and left the bookstore.