Within a dilapidated residence in Backlund's East District, the youth code-named "Foundation" was lighting a candle. Following the knowledge he had received the previous day, he created a sealed space and then piously faced the candle, reciting in Ancient Hermes:
"Traveler from a distant space-time; You are the contradictory spiral of logic and wisdom; You are the reflection of knowledge, the reverse side of truth."
"I pray for Your attention; I pray for Your gaze; I pray for You to bestow upon me power beyond that of mortals."
As the ripples created by the Ancient Hermes language layered and vibrated, his voice continuously echoed and overlapped, as if rising straight into the clouds. Within his mind, rows of spell lists emerged.
His current capacity was still very low, allowing him to hold only ten portions of "divine power." A level 1 spell required one portion, level 2 required three, and level 3 required nine. After some consideration, aside from an "Evasion of Arrows" level 2 triggered spell, he exchanged all his remaining slots for level 1 physical enhancements.
In truth, establishing a gang in the East District wasn't all that difficult. With money in hand, recruiting thieves, thugs, or hobos was simply a matter of providing a meal. The only thing to watch out for was guarding against "colleagues" in the same trade.
Sensing an indescribable power flooding into his mind, Mr. Foundation felt as if he had heard a faint whisper. But when he tried his best to listen, he found he could hear nothing at all.
He didn't dwell on this, however. He simply retrieved his revolver and banknotes from under his pillow and stepped onto the sinful streets of the East District.
...
At the same time, Mr. "Victory" in the Dock District chose two permanent blessings: a level 1 "Stamina Enhancement" and a level 3 "Exercise Enhancement." (Logical paradox: exercise makes the body stronger; therefore, if one exercises, they must become strong.) Living in the Dock District, he was well aware of how complex the gang situation was here. Acting rashly would only make him a target. It was a better choice to rely on the god's blessings to first make himself powerful.
...
In the Factory District, looking at the black smoke rising once more outside the window, Mr. "Honor," having completed his prayer, put on his work clothes and headed out to attend today's strike assembly.
He had originally thought this might be a way to fight for the workers' interests. But after receiving knowledge bestowed by the god, he understood one thing,
Those guys who even charged them membership fees were the exact same breed as those capitalists!
If the workers wanted to get the wages they deserved, they had to unite as one rather than play the games the capitalists built,games the capitalists were far better at!
Upon arriving at the assembly point, Mr. Honor triggered the "Rhetoric Enhancement" spell. Then, recalling the divine revelation he had received through prayer the day before, he spoke to his companions:
"Striking like this is meaningless. Look at the people striking at other docks; has anyone actually received any benefit?"
"But what else can we do? If this continues, we won't even be able to eat, even if we work ourselves to death!"
"That's right! You haven't taken some benefit to persuade us to go back to work, have you?"
"That must be it! I heard those rich people love doing this. Beat him!"
Hearing the voices from the crowd, Honor frowned, but he didn't care. He spoke directly:
"I'm not saying we shouldn't strike. But we must be clear about why we're striking. What kind of result do we want to achieve? We can't strike blindly. Instead, we must figure out how to strike in a way that gives the rich people a headache,in a way that forces them to compromise. Otherwise, it'll be just like the other docks: the union leaders and the rich people's lawyers reach a deal, and those of us at the bottom get nothing. In fact, our lives end up worse than before. If that's the case, is there any meaning to the strike?"
Mr. Honor was not a naturally eloquent man, but with the support of the "divine spell," his voice clearly reached the ears of every worker. This cleared away the earlier aggressive voices, replaced instead by a somewhat bewildered question,
"Then what do you say we should do?"
"We must unite! We must become a single whole! Not individuals who can be picked off one by one! We must first figure out who is 'us' and who is 'them'! We are workers, producers who exchange our own labor for wages. Is the union 'us'? No! They need us to pay them to maintain themselves; they are exploiters who exist by leeching off our income! They are in opposition to us! They are on the same side as those capitalists who exploit us! Why do we always fail? Because we have been discussing with capitalists how to get benefits from other capitalists; naturally, those benefits won't reach our hands!"
Honor's voice was impassioned, and for a moment, there was no background noise. Seeing this, Honor lowered his voice and slowed his pace:
"We must be clear about our demands. We are humans, humans just like those rich people! We aren't dogs who will compromise the moment someone throws out a meat bone! We strike for reasonable wages and work hours. Everything besides that is just a meat bone for a dog. As long as we compromise, they have plenty of ways to exploit it back!"
...
Snow, who was eating breakfast, felt the cracks in the potion's shell and showed a look of joy. Mr. A, who was sitting opposite him reading the newspaper, keenly noticed this and asked in his pleasant voice, "What? Is there any good news?"
"My potion digestion has received feedback. It should be from the 'lambs' I expanded yesterday." Snow didn't intend to hide it and spoke sincerely. Mr. A, who had already activated his Spirit Vision, looked at Snow's sincere spiritual reaction and felt a slight shock. Although Snow was only a newly advanced Listener, for him to obtain such obvious digestion feedback, it was likely more than just the expansion of a few lambs...
'Perhaps this kid truly is a genius at proselytizing? If he can digest the Listener potion in a short time, maybe he could become "Mr. V"?' The thought occurred to Mr. A, but he quickly shook his head. After all, this was only Snow's side of the story; he had to confirm the specifics.
'I happen to need some flesh to restore my strength... I'll go take a look in the East District.'
Thinking this, Mr. A took his gaze off the Backlund Morning News and asked as if casually:
"Do you have any travel plans today?"
"The Lord has bestowed upon me considerable physical fitness, so I plan to go learn some firearm usage and combat techniques." Snow answered honestly. Mr. A nodded, "Is there a coach you're familiar with?"
Snow nodded slightly, and only then did Mr. A bring the topic back, "I plan to go out for some air. Is there any information?"
Snow paused for a moment, pretending to think, and then replied, "Duke Negan is hosting a ball tomorrow night. All the prominent nobles in Backlund will attend, so the security in the West District will likely be tightened. Please be sure to be careful."
"Excellent." Mr. A showed a satisfied smile and turned toward the door. However, not long after stepping out, he noticed a young girl...
'Poor attempt at cross-dressing, but she has a good foundation. Though she's dressed vulgarly, I can see some habits that wouldn't appear in an ordinary person. She seems nervous, but has no malice... A noble lady sneaking out in disguise? Truly a charming quality.' Mr. A smiled lightly, not paying much attention to this girl who had come to the door. Instead, he made his way toward the East District. After all, when he first brought Snow into the Aurora Order, wasn't it because of his "connections," aside from that face of his?
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: "Mr. V" (V先生) - A high-ranking title in the Aurora Order, usually reserved for those who have proven their management or proselytizing capabilities.
A/N: Universal Nature (全性 - Quanxing) Philosophy - Mr. Honor's speech reflects the "Producers vs. Exploiters" aspect of the philosophy Snow is instilling.
T/N: "noble lady sneaking out" - Mr. A's observation likely refers to Miss Audrey Hall, who has her own reasons for visiting Snow.