Translator: Cinder Translations
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Seeing the look of confusion on Sevya's face, Ladia continued, "Take farmers as an example. Thousands of years ago, they toiled day in and day out in the fields, with hardly any free time in a year. The hard-earned harvest had to be largely surrendered to their lords. Even after thousands of years, they still toil day in and day out, leaving very little of their harvest for themselves. To us, their lives seem monotonous and dull, but they have lived this way for countless years."
"And do you know what percentage of our human civilization consists of farmers?"
Sevya was stumped by Ladia's question; she had never considered what percentage farmers made up of the human population.
"You know?"
Ladia shook her head. "If we take all humanity into account, I don't know the specific numbers. However, the Northwest Bay has established a statistical committee led by Earl Ganard, which recently provided a rough estimate of the agricultural population in the Northwest Bay. It accounts for over ninety percent of the total population. I believe it's similar in other parts of the world."
"And among the remaining so-called urban population, if we exclude the lower-class residents who have a situation similar to that of farmers, I would guess that the so-called extraordinary individuals or the elite among humanity make up less than one percent."
At this point, Ladia chuckled, "And it is these fewer than one percent who occupy most of the records in human history."
Having said this, she fixed a piercing gaze on Sevya, "So, who do you think represents the human world more accurately—the elite one percent, or the ninety-nine percent of ordinary people? If you support the latter view, as I said earlier, the lives of ordinary people have fundamentally changed little over thousands of years. Therefore, how has our power as extraordinary individuals truly changed history and the world?"
Sevya was left speechless, "How… how would I know?"
In her subconscious, she wanted to answer that of course the elite one percent could represent the human world, but she sensed something was amiss. If there were no ninety-nine percent of ordinary people, could humanity still be considered a race? Further reflecting, without the farmers in the countryside and the laborers in the cities, who would provide food and perform physical labor?
Ladia continued, "Over the past thousands of years, one kingdom after another has risen and fallen, leaving behind countless grand and tragic epics, with heroes vanquishing evil and composing innumerable captivating legends. But what does this have to do with the lives of ordinary people? Whoever becomes king or who becomes a hero does not change their lives in the slightest."
After pondering for a moment, Sevya considered that the Green Witch would not have brought her here for no reason, so she guessed, "So, the great power you recognize is related to these machines before us?"
"Yes, my sister."
Ladia answered without hesitation.
"Not only these machines, but also the more abstract and deeper concepts they represent. They allow ordinary people to unleash great power and fundamentally change their lives."
Sevya shook her head, "I don't understand. Don't these machines just produce a few more pieces of fabric? How do they change the lives of ordinary people?"
"Haha, perhaps for someone in your class, clothing is just something you can buy easily, but for those who can only afford to wear decent clothes during festivals, it is not the same. And this is just one aspect."
Saying this, Ladia gestured toward the workshop.
"Sister, what characteristics do you see in the workers here?"
Following her prompt, Sevya began to observe.
"The workers here... there are actually more than half who are female?"
She quickly noticed the characteristic Ladia mentioned. "Exactly!"
Ladia nodded in confirmation.
"Since recorded history, the status of women in the household has seen little change. Women like you and me, who can choose our destinies within a relatively free range, are extremely rare. The reason is simply that in an era primarily reliant on physical labor, the wealth generated by individual women is far less than that of men due to physiological limitations."
"Although historically, women have been the main force in textiles, due to the inefficiency of traditional looms and the household-based production model, the rewards they earned after working hard all day were still far less than what their husbands could earn by farming or working outside. But that has changed. With the emergence of this new loom, the wealth they can create is ten times more than before, and their rewards have greatly increased. Consequently, their power and status in the family have risen, forcing men to consider this question before raising their fists against their wives—can their wives support themselves without relying on them?"
"This... this is indeed the first time I've known about this in history."
After some reflection, Sevya had to admit this point.
"Exactly. If technologies that can exponentially increase labor efficiency become widespread, then the breadth and depth of their impact on humanity can far surpass any heroic adventure or the casting of a few spells."
As Ladia spoke of this significance, she looked at Paul's back; all of this was brought about by that man.
"My sister, Lord Grayman once told me that events that truly have a profound impact on history often appear insignificant to those who lived at the time. In my view, the emergence of these machines is one such seemingly insignificant event. And in the Northwest Bay, or more precisely, in Alden, there are many similar 'insignificant events.'"
At this moment, images of telescopes, microscopes, papermaking, printing presses, reapers, and firearms flashed through Ladia's mind, all inventions by Paul.
"In the future, you will witness all of these in Alden. These are powers that ordinary people can grasp; they do not require noble blood or magical talents. Once they reach a certain scale, they can unleash energies we previously couldn't imagine."
She approached Sevya, who was still in a state of shock from her words, grasping her hand earnestly, "I hope you and your companions can set aside your arrogance as spellcasters and witness the beginning of a new history with me, participating in it firsthand. At that time, you will realize that our impact on this world is not much stronger than that of ordinary people, or... that we are, in fact, one of them."
Sevya looked into Ladia's sincere eyes and nodded seriously.
"Although my heart still has some resistance to what you said, I will give it a try."
The two exchanged a smile as they heard Paul's conversation with the workshop owner nearby.
"How is the market for your fabrics?"
"Very good. Our prices are very competitive; none of those small family workshops elsewhere can match us."
(End of the Chapter)
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