Chapter 750

Chapter 750: The Weaving Woman Worker

Lolan Hill talked with Tang Nanlian, learning that she had also come here with the team from Green Deer Plain.

“At the entrance exam, I had to demonstrate needlework, which I couldn’t do at all. Later, I spent a long time learning before passing,” Tang Nanlian chattered about her difficult experience joining the sect.

“However, my fellow sect members are all quite nice,” the girl’s words seemed to flow endlessly, making Lolan Hill feel a bit overwhelmed, but seeing her so happy, she didn’t want to interrupt, only nodding with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Tang Nanlian, the sky had already darkened. She then entered the room arranged by the Xiangyu Sect.

The rooms were single occupancy, without anyone else around, which greatly relieved Lolan Hill.

After a simple wash, Lolan Hill rolled around on the large bed, rubbing her cheeks, and then lay down on the pillow. Being together with everyone made her feel a bit stifled.

In fact, she preferred being alone. When with others, especially those who respected her, she had to consider her image and maintain decorum. Though not a big deal, it was not as relaxing as being alone.

The beds in the school were spacious, with mattresses divided into two layers: a thick cotton pad and a layer of rush, making them soft and faintly fragrant. They could easily accommodate two people. This was taken into consideration for some special races or Extraordinary Beings with different body types.

Thus, Lolan Hill slept through the day until she was awakened by a knock on the door.

“Lolan Sister, are you there?” Yu Tingyu, after becoming familiar with Lolan Hill, also began calling her ‘sister.’

“Yes, please wait.” Lolan Hill rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, still feeling drowsy.

Sigh, it seems the aftereffects of using my power have not completely subsided yet.

She reluctantly got out of bed, went to the mirror, examined herself, put on a deep indigo coat, and opened the door.

“Is that Tingyu?” The young lady’s voice sounded slightly lazy.

“It’s me, Lolan Sister, you really were in the room. Everyone thought you had gone out,” Tingyu curiously looked at her casual senior sister. Today, Lolan Hill seemed different from usual.

In Tingyu’s heart, Lolan Hill was once a powerful, knowledgeable, wise, and tranquil figure. Seeing the lethargic Lolan Hill today made Tingyu feel that her senior sister now had more human qualities, making her feel closer.

“Mmm,” Lolan Hill nodded slightly, but her eyelids seemed to close again, blinking intermittently.

“Ha ha, then Lolan Sister should go back to sleep. There’s still over a month until the conference. You don’t need to work as hard as you do in the sect during this time.”

Yu Tingyu, seeing Lolan Hill’s appearance, smiled and gently comforted her before quietly leaving.

“Thank you,” Lolan Hill replied simply and walked back to the bed, burrowing into the comfortable and soft bedding to sleep soundly.

Inside the room, the two birds remained perched on the wooden stand. The blue crow closed its eyes as the young lady fell asleep and began practicing. Dai Ju pretended to practice for a while, then seeing Lolan Hill truly asleep, flew down, squatting on the soft bedding to sleep soundly as well.

Practicing was impossible; eating and sleeping were the only ways to get by.

During her sleep, Lolan Hill felt something warm beside her foot. She kicked it, but it was soft, so she continued to rest comfortably, even as the day turned to night.

—

Western Continent, Clancia Glass Province.

This region originally belonged to the surroundings of Ruerna Mozwaz, but due to the war years ago, Mozwaz was destroyed. The connected city and underground fault lines were turned into crystalline glass by the fire from the sky. After the annexation, it was renamed Glass Province.

Although Mozwaz no longer existed, many subsidiary industrial buildings such as steel mills and glass factories still remained in the surrounding cities.

After reclaiming this region, the upper echelons of Clancia discussed and decided to use this area as a light industrial production site for everyday products that weren’t critically essential, such as glass, textiles, and soap.

More critical facilities like steel mills, alchemy workshops, shipyards, and golem manufacturing workshops were all relocated to the heart of Clancia, particularly near the Sighing Mountains.

Firstly, this kept them farther from the border of the Crimson Empire, ensuring safety, and secondly, it was closer to the mines for easier transportation of raw materials.

As for the mages and alchemists from the former Frost Union, they were imprisoned and judged. Depending on their involvement in the war, they received different punishments.

The major factions that initiated and supported the war were dissolved. Some members were executed, others became prisoners and were permanently barred from practicing the Extraordinary Sequence.

Those with lighter involvement had all their assets confiscated. While they weren’t imprisoned, they needed to serve the state for 5-10 years before regaining their freedom.

The descendants and children of these factions were prohibited from entering public service roles in the future and faced certain restrictions in education.

To outsiders, this might seem harsh, but revolutions and wars aren’t games; it’s a brutal struggle for survival. If the Frost Union had won, Clancia would have been in a much worse situation.

In fact, this punishment was relatively lenient. Considering the need to unite the seven countries of Snowhua against the invasion of the Crimson Empire, the alchemists from the former Frost Union were primarily absorbed.

However, even if they were absorbed, their arrogance needed to be broken. Otherwise, they wouldn’t see their mistakes and would instead think themselves superior, believing they were immune to punishment due to their abilities.

At the same time, treating them too well would be unfair to those who died in the war. Therefore, even when comforting and absorbing them, there had to be limits. These alchemists had to feel pain and fear, so they would eventually align with the same ideology rather than maintaining their own cliques.

These measures and policies were set by Lolan Hill before the final battle. As the war progressed and territories of the Frost Union were annexed to Clancia, she foresaw the aftermath.

Although Lolan Hill often softened towards people and situations around her, it didn’t mean she would blur the lines on principles. If she couldn’t be decisive at crucial moments to uphold justice, her ideals would just be empty talk.

Now, after the Crimson Empire launched an attack on the Heavenly Gate Fortress, a large number of troops passed through Glass Province, heading to the border to fight at the Heavenly Gate Fortress. As a region known for light industry, Glass Province was bustling, urgently producing various supplies.

Inside a factory, metal gears turned continuously, steam occasionally escaping from valves. White silk rods spun, extracting threads that were fed into the spinning machines behind.

This was a textile factory producing gauze, cotton fluff, and tents. Standing in the workshop were women workers wearing white headscarves and masks, working diligently in the hot environment. The sounds of machinery and belts filled the air, the gears striking rhythmically with lubricant, the scent of cotton mixed with oil and grime permeating everywhere.

Due to the war, unlike peacetime, these women workers often worked late into the night. However, the government provided substantial subsidies. A skilled worker could earn 24 silver coins per month, equivalent to about 3 gold coins a year, which was a considerable sum. In Glass Province, an ordinary house cost 8-12 gold coins.

Despite the hard work, everyone was happy and wished this period could last longer.

After work, the clock in the factory showed it was 10 PM.

“Everyone, clean up and check if all the machines are shut off,” a middle-aged woman with a loudspeaker patrolled the workshop, accompanied by three other inspectors.

“If any machine malfunctions or makes unusual noises, report it to me. Craftsmen will repair it overnight to avoid delaying tomorrow’s work. Understand?” This small inspection group climbed onto an iron platform and addressed the 300+ women workers in the workshop.

“Understood.”

“Got it,” came scattered replies.

After a day of work, everyone was tired, answering with little energy, and they were getting tired of hearing these words every day.

Then, the women workers in aprons left the workshop in groups and walked under the night sky toward their dormitories.

“Huh, finally off work. My legs are sore from standing all day.”

“Hehe, that’s nothing. Didn’t Bena’s legs swell up last time?” After removing their masks, the women seemed eager to share everything they hadn’t said all day.

“What did you do to solve it?”

“I don’t know, something about bloodletting or ice packs.”

“Do we need ice packs? It seems expensive. Maybe we can save money.”

“Or you could ask her. She lives next door, right?” A companion pointed ahead. A girl was walking alone, her golden hair tied under a white headscarf.

“Oh, Letis? She doesn’t seem to get along with us. She’s quite aloof. Forget it.”

“I heard her family background was good. She might be a noble lady, so she probably looks down on us.”

“It’s hard to say, but if she’s a noble lady, why isn’t she locked up? Maybe she thinks she’s pretty and wants to show off.”

“Haha, your thinking is quite realistic. But even if she’s a noble lady, she still works in the factory with us. Looks don’t matter if no men notice.”

They laughed and joked freely, finding joy in their mockery.

Ahead, the blonde girl continued walking without looking back, silently moving through the dimly lit streets toward her residence.

Plop.

Perhaps lost in thought or memories, the blonde girl accidentally stepped into a puddle. The cold, murky water instantly soaked her shoes, pants, and apron, staining them with mud and sand.

She gritted her teeth against the pain in her ankle, leaning on a street lamp to slowly stand up, breathing heavily before the pain subsided.

She found an abandoned wooden box nearby, searched carefully to ensure there were no nails, and sat down cautiously. Then, she took off her leather shoes, poured out the water and mud, and removed her wet socks.

A cold sensation gathered in her palms and moved to her ankle, easing the pain. After resting, she stood up and put on her icy shoes barefoot, continuing toward her residence.

Opening the door, the dormitory was already dark, and the others had already fallen asleep.

Letis carefully removed her shoes, changed into wooden clogs, trying not to make noise and wake the others. She picked up a copper basin and walked to the corridor outside the dormitory, where there was a place to fetch water for bathing.

Cold water flowed from the faucet. Letis first washed her hands and feet, then untied her hair tie, letting her golden hair cascade down, washing it clean. Finally, she filled the basin with water to wash her body in the bathhouse.

Afterward, she summoned a weak spell to dry herself before returning to the quiet dormitory.

Just as she placed the copper basin back under the bed, a voice suddenly echoed in her ear.

“Letis, you’re back.”

Surprised, she looked up abruptly, accidentally bumping into the bed above, causing a few murmurs.

“Can’t you let me sleep?”

“Sorry, sorry,” she explained uneasily and lowered her head to look at her roommate.

“What’s wrong, Lulu?”

This petite roommate was one of the few friends she had left.

“I received a reply. Come with me,” the roommate pulled her to the balcony outside the dormitory, where they could speak without disturbing those inside.

“You said there were improvements to be made in the spinning machines in the workshop. I submitted the drawings you drew. Today, the gatekeeper said there was a letter for me.”

The girl took out an envelope and opened it.

[Respected Miss Lu Lisha,

We are delighted to receive your improvement drawings. After discussion and verification by several colleagues at the design institute, we believe this is indeed an effective approach. We expect this structure to be used in future spinning machine production.

Thank you for your suggestion. For the drawings submitted this time, the design institute has specially approved a bonus, which you can claim at the nearby post office with this letter.

Additionally, if you wish to formally study at an academy, we can prepare a recommendation letter for you. Future suggestions can also be sent to this email address.]

“We’ve struck gold, Letis. That’s five gold coins,” Lu Lisha whispered excitedly.

“Mm,” Letis’s tired face showed a faint smile.

“Tomorrow we’ll go to collect the bonus,” Lu Lisha began imagining how to split the money, deciding to give four gold coins to Letis.

“No, no, that’s too much. Just one coin is enough,” Letis waved her hand and continued looking at the lively girl.

“Don’t you always want to go to school? With two gold coins, you can register, and the other two can be for living expenses.”

“But this is all your credit,” Lu Lisha said, puzzled.

“Maybe, but giving me money now won’t help much. Due to my status, I can’t attend the academy.”

Letis shook her head despondently, then lifted it again.

“You always dream of going there, becoming a great alchemist. Go, take mine too, and work hard.”

Letis gently patted Lu Lisha’s shoulder.

“But… What about you, Letis?”

Lu Lisha looked at the beautiful but plain-clothed girl.

“And what about your future?”

(End of Chapter)