Power is something even a dog understands. But to truly grasp its essence requires a human mind, which is a world unto itself.
In this world, obtaining power doesn't necessarily require strength; instead, it requires being born into a Patrician family. These families teach their children the art of governance from birth, how to exploit others' weaknesses, and how to gain personal advantage.
The Patricians have woven a web of fear among the Dregs, a web maintained by their power. No matter how hard the Dregs try, they can never rise above the dirt beneath the Patricians' feet.
Their lives are completely controlled. They are denied knowledge about the world and are forbidden education because education is the one thing that can empower the Dregs.
If the Dregs start realizing their own value, they might rise up against the Patricians. To prevent that, the Patricians have banned education for the Dregs from the very beginning.
Every decision is made by the Patricians, and only Patricians are recruited in government roles, while the Dregs are relegated to servitude.
The Patricians have the knowledge of agriculture. When it's time to cultivate the land, the Dregs are driven away, and Patrician soldiers work the fields. When harvest time comes, the Dregs are summoned to harvest the crops.
The Dregs are left to wonder how the Patricians amass such wealth, but the Patricians ensure the Dregs never get the chance to think critically or improve their situation.
Whenever the Dregs are given tasks, they are treated like mere tools. Any earnings from their labor bring them a semblance of happiness, as they have no other means of improvement.
Since the Patricians implemented the currency system, the Dregs receive only Copper and Silver SOL, with no access to the higher-value SOLs. They have no understanding of the value disparity. One meal costs 5 Copper SOL, and the salary for working with machinery ranges between 15 to 20 Copper SOL.
The difference between Copper and Silver SOL is vast, with one Silver SOL being equivalent to 1,000 Copper SOL. A Dreg would need to work for 9 to 10 years without a break to earn a single Silver SOL, a feat that seems impossible for them.
Due to such relentless labor, many Dregs succumb to hunger and illness.
The Dregs are entirely dependent on the Patricians for their food supply. They are conditioned to fear that any deviation from this source could result in death. This fear is instilled so deeply that the Dregs are always weak and hungry, which prevents them from organizing or rising against the Patricians. The Patricians have ensured that the Dregs remain physically weak and mentally subdued, making it easy for them to control and defeat them.
This harsh control has been in place for many years, and the Patricians' power has only grown, while the Dregs' status remains pitifully low. The Dregs are focused only on surviving day to day and have no concept of a future beyond their immediate needs.
When a Dreg child is born, they spend their entire life within a 40-50 km radius of their home, working and struggling. They have no knowledge of the world beyond this small area and are not encouraged to think beyond their immediate surroundings. The cycle of struggle continues, and they live out their lives in hardship, accepting their fate without any hope of change.
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When Adam saw Luke approaching Uncle Ben with a drawn sword, the fear that had been gnawing at him became a reality. Adam was about to run when Stephen grabbed his hand, but Adam forgot to keep his mouth shut. He shouted loudly,
"No... stop... Uncle Ben..."
And just as those words left his mouth,Luke Swiftly swung his sword and Uncle Ben's head was severed from his body .
As uncle Ben's head hit tha Ground among the 405 workers the only sound theat echoed was Adam's voice .
When the workers saw this terrifying scene, chills ran down their spines, and they forgot to breathe for a moment out of fear.
"Hahahahahah.... That old fool dared to curse a Patrician in front of us! Where did he get such courage? " Luke laughed as he kicked the severed head lying on the ground
"Ahhhh... Uncle Ben... Uncle Ben... ahhhhrghhhh," Adam cried out loudly when he saw Uncle Ben lying dead. He tried to move forward, but Stephen held him tightly. Despite tears forming in Stephen's eyes because of Uncle Ben's death, he managed to control himself and didn't let Adam go.
"Who is that worthless bastard crying so much over the death of a worm? Luke, bring him forward and teach him a lesson for daring to raise his voice in our presence," Max's true face emerged as he gave this order to Luke.
"Sorry, Father, I once again got fooled by Uncle Ben's words and trusted the Patricians. Because of this, I couldn't stop Uncle Ben," Stephen cursed himself silently, tears rolling down his cheeks without making a sound.
"Okay, Max," Luke responded to his leader's command and approached the group. Standing before Adam, he spoke, "Today, a Dreg had the nerve to insult us, and another dared to raise his voice in our presence. Step forward quietly."
"Lord, please forgive him. He didn't know any better. He just became emotional after losing someone. Just this once," Stephen pleaded with Luke, trying to hide his fear and hatred.
"Ohh... another brave Dreg trying to explain things to me," Luke growled, gritting his teeth, his face turning red with anger and he put on gloves on his hands.
"So....you-dare-to -explain—things... you pest!" With that, Luke grabbed both of them with his powerful hands and threw them in front of Max. The bulky Luke easily overpowered the thin-bodied Stephen and Adam, who was still in shock from Uncle Ben's death, and they landed at Max's feet.
When Jack saw that his brother and Adam were about to be killed, his whole body started trembling, and out of sheer terror, he wet himself and fainted.
Seeing Jack faint, the other workers remained rooted to their spots, not moving an inch. The atmosphere was thick with fear, all because of these four Patrician officers.
"So, you two have the guts to raise your voices in our presence?" Max snarled in anger, then looked over at Luke and gave the order, "Luke, make sure that courage is beaten out of them."
"Okay, Max," Luke replied. He stepped forward toward Stephen and Adam, beginning to strip them.
He grabbed a rope and hung them both up. Stephen, paralyzed with fear, remained silent, knowing that his survival depended on it.
Stephen understood that if he tried to plead or say anything more, his chances of leaving alive would be gone. So he stayed quiet, resigned to his fate.
In front of everyone, Luke started beating them with a stick.
For half an hour, he continued to beat them with the wooden stick, each strike echoing through the factory. The sight was so terrifying that even those workers who had managed to muster some courage were reduced to fear and some even fainted.
Adam, reduced to a living corpse, had no control over his emotions and was completely unaware of what he was feeling. He had lost control over his body and fell unconscious due to the beating, but Luke didn't stop; he kept going relentlessly.
"Hahahaaaaa... This is fear... Feel it... Embrace it... And never forget this fear... It should stay with you, even in your next life... Hahaha..." Luke laughed like a madman as he continued to beat them.
"Please stop... They'll die, please..." the manager whispered, tears filling his eyes as he silently begged.
Max looked at the two, then turned to Luke and ordered, "Enough, Luke."
Hearing Max's command, Luke stopped and stood before him.
"Throw these two and that pest lying on the ground out," Max directed Katz, glancing his way.
Katz, who had been silently observing everything from the side, calmly nodded and replied, "Alright, Max."
With that, Katz walked over to the workers and instructed them to bring the beaten men down.
After ordering the workers to lift the unconscious Stephen, Adam, and Jack from the ground, Katz and six workers carried them out of the factory.
Max said, "Dante Ward, see how easily your issue was resolved, and your secret will never leave this factory. The fear instilled in them will make them forget today's events."
"Hahaha, you're right, Max. Now I have no worries," Dante Ward responded, laughing.
As Max and Dante Ward continued to laugh and talk, their associates realized that their partnership was beneficial, which brought smiles to their faces.
"Alright, everyone, to my office. We'll discuss our future plans ," Dante Ward said, and he, Max, and his three companions proceeded to follow him.
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See... Yaa... Next Chapter
[ Second Step: New Horizons ]