In the morning, having played a few tunes for Ar-Creator as usual, Snow returned home. He sifted through the letters he'd retrieved from his mailbox, eventually focusing on the report from Mr. "Honor."
Mr. Honor's strike had been remarkably successful. It had unexpectedly secured a ten-hour workday and wages sufficient to support a family for the workers. While still far from an eight-hour day and two-day weekends, it was undoubtedly a superior treatment compared to the sweatshops of the era.
Or rather, seeking anything better would have been impossible for just a few factories. It would have driven the production costs so high that even if the capitalists agreed, the factories would soon go bankrupt from lack of competitiveness.
Mr. Honor, having gained such knowledge from a "Great Existence," naturally wouldn't kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. He chose an option that fell just within the capitalists' range of tolerance. Then, he prepared to spread the revolutionary spirit. He opened night classes to teach willing youths and spent his days traveling to other factory and dock areas, aiming to turn the ten-hour day into a universal standard for all workers.
Only when the costs across all factories were leveled once more would the workers have the leverage to fight for further benefits.
Amusingly, the capitalists who had been forced to sign the new contracts were now the ones pushing for this change elsewhere.
'Can't be the only ones to suffer?'
That was certainly part of the reason, but more so, it was for profit.
Only when other factories were forced into the same position could they raise their product prices to offset the increased production costs. This alignment made it easier for the workers to secure their gains.
Mr. Honor understood that this "cooperation" was temporary. Over time, those capitalists would find new ways to extract blood and flesh from the workers. But for now, they could work together.
Politics was about making fewer enemies and more friends. Even if they were destined to be foes in the future, for now, they were useful "friends."
...
"Compared to Mr. Honor's success, Mr. 'Basic' and Mr. 'Victory' are lagging a bit..." Snow muttered, though he wasn't bothered. Unlike a strike-movement which already had fertile soil and only lacked a bit of ideological spark, building a gang was a slow process. Especially in Backlund, where a complex web of existing gangs meant a new one would only invite trouble if it grew too loud too quickly.
After checking the types of "Divine Arts" the three gentlemen had recently exchanged, Snow spent a moment editing several combo-skills he'd thought of and uploaded them to the exchange list. Only then did he turn his attention back to his correspondence, deciding whether to write replies to his readers or start planning his adaptation of Saint Seiya.
Just as he was considering designing Stands as "living specters" created by spiritual interference with reality, he heard the pleasant ring of his doorbell.
Snow glanced around the room to ensure nothing sensitive was in plain sight, then stood and opened the door.
"Miss Fors, are you alone?" Snow asked with a smile, looking at the lazy-looking brown-haired lady. Fortunately, he'd already preset "Miss Fors" as his mental label for her, so he didn't accidentally call her "The Salted Fish."
However...
"Mr. Snow, your joke isn't funny!" Xio's solemn voice came from Fors's side. Snow looked down slightly and finally saw Xio standing right next to her friend.
"Apologies. It was indeed a joke." Snow let out a light laugh without a hint of embarrassment and stepped aside.
"Anyway, come in."
He led them to the living room, retrieved his tea set, and asked casually, "Is black tea alright?"
"Of course." Fors nodded gently. Xio took an attitude of "I can't tell good from bad anyway." As Snow performed the ritual of warming the cups and steeping the tea, their initial unease began to settle.
"Please." Handing the cups to them, Snow took a sip of his own and spoke unhurriedly, "What brings the two of you to me?"
"That..." Xio didn't dive in immediately. Instead, she pulled out the white paper with the single seal from her breast pocket. Snow took it and nodded. "Very well. This commission is officially complete."
As Snow spoke, Xio felt the binding weight of the contract lift slightly. She nodded and said, "Aside from that, we'd like to ask you about 'The Fool' you mentioned before."
"The Fool?" Snow raised an eyebrow, a playful expression on his face as he looked back and forth between Xio and Fors.
The two seemed well-prepared. Even under his scrutiny, they showed no signs of abnormality.
Snow let out a small laugh.
"All information concerning a Great Existence is high-level secret knowledge. Even for the Hidden Sage, whose name is practically common knowledge, such intel could fetch five hundred to two thousand pounds. For a Great Existence like The Fool, who has almost zero public reputation, you certainly couldn't afford the full version. You should consider which specific part you want to know. I'll give you a fair price,the honorific name is free, as it's a 'bonus' to your previous purchase."
Xio knew Snow well enough to know he allowed swapping favors for debt. In other words, "can't afford" likely didn't refer to money, but rather meant that two Sequence 9s couldn't pay it back even if they worked their entire lives.
But Fors, unaware of this, thought for a moment and said:
"I want to know the consequences of praying to this existence, and whether they can truly solve the influence of the full moon ravings."
"Fors!" Xio looked at her in shock. They'd agreed that Xio would decide the questions!
But seeing Fors's "I can't let you carry the whole burden" look, Xio was speechless.
"I see. That was expected. Considering Miss Xio already bought information on the full moon ravings, I'll give you a discount as an 'after-sales service'."
Snow spoke with the air of a shady merchant, rubbing his hands together like a fly. Then he spoke, "One thousand times. That seems like a reasonable price."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: "Saint Seiya" (星辰斗士) - Referring to the Knights of the Zodiac anime/manga.
T/N: "Salted Fish" (咸鱼) - A common term for lazy people, often used by fans for Fors.
T/N: "One thousand times" (一千次) - Snow's price, likely referring to the number of tasks or a specific internal currency.