Chapter Twenty-Four: School and Factory

“Establish another school where all our workers and their families can learn to read for free. The school will also teach some mechanical knowledge and other subjects, with classes held both during the day and after work at night.”

Was he really going to teach commoners to read?

Alexei looked up in surprise. Founding a school was undoubtedly a noble act, but offering knowledge free of charge? How could precious knowledge be handed out like that? How could people truly understand its importance?

Even in orphanages funded by the royal family, literacy was still a reward that required considerable effort to attain.

Moreover, time was so tight—they had to find a way to deal with the pirates within a month. Where was the leisure for such charity?

“My lord, perhaps we should postpone the school project. We don’t have much time right now...”

“No, this cannot wait. It’s far more important than you think and must be done immediately.” Houston paused, then added, “Also, make sure word gets out that I will personally teach at the school.”

Though puzzled, Alexei nodded and diligently recorded it in his notes.

Charity? Houston was not engaging in charity.

People of this era had yet to realize the true value of knowledge; they treated it like coins locked away in a chest.

But Houston understood how vital a qualified worker was for industrialization—and the most basic requirement for a qualified worker was literacy.

If one could read, they could comprehend various knowledge and learn independently. Learning was the root of transformative change.

The foundation of industry was never the factories belching black smoke, but workers with a fundamental understanding of equipment, machinery, and assembly line production.

In modern Blue Star, many believe assembly line work requires no cultural knowledge because compulsory education has already equipped workers with the essential skills.

But if a group of completely uneducated people were thrown into a factory, it would be a disaster.

Of course, this era had its own ways. The factory owners Houston encountered during his last arrival did not provide much training, yet the factories barely managed to operate.

The reason was simple: they treated workers as expendable. When enough died, people naturally realized the danger.

Houston had no intention of this. If he wanted to build factories, he wouldn’t limit himself to competing with the industrial products of this era. To change the world and unleash an industrial flood, his ambitions were much greater.

That required a large number of engineers and skilled workers—people who wouldn’t just grow from the soil but needed to be cultivated slowly.

Establishing schools was the first step.

Houston sighed at the thought. This arrival had been fraught with twists and turns; only now was he beginning to slowly chart a proper course.

---

“Alexei, I need you to organize some manpower and set up factories on the island.”

Alexei had little concept of factories. Even in the empire’s capital, Rhine, such modern establishments were rare and usually run by the Church. He had seen notices recruiting workers for a few factories—curiously, they always seemed to be hiring.

“Yes, factories. There are plenty of olive trees on the island. I intend to establish an olive oil factory.”

“But who will we sell to? There are no merchants here.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Houston smiled faintly.

It was simple—he planned to sell to the pirates.

Pirates weren’t interested in olive oil, but that was not all he intended to sell. Olive oil was merely the upstream link in his chemical industry chain. Once this industrial giant started moving...

Castell’s goods and money would soon pile up like mountains. Conveniently, he also knew a bit about weapons manufacturing.

He had both products and force. Pirates? They would become the most docile merchants on the Storm Ocean.

The island’s conditions were even better than he had thought, giving Houston confidence to rapidly establish an entire industrial system.

“You can go back for now. I’ll discuss specific plans with you later. For now, start organizing people—we might soon face a shortage of labor.”

The island’s population was small, which troubled Houston the most. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t conjure more people.

He would have to find a way to attract immigrants. Houston frowned in thought. That was difficult; people of this era rarely left their lands, whether in the empire or elsewhere.

He had heard that the White Crow Principality in the north was migrating south in large numbers—perhaps he could find a way...

“...My lord?”

“Hm?” Houston came back to himself and saw Alexei watching him. “Is there something else?”

“Well, yes... there is something else...” Alexei looked uneasy.

“What is it?”

“The city hall’s accounts... seem to be empty.”

“Ah?”

Houston was taken aback.

“It’s like this,” Alexei sighed, taking out the ledger and beginning to explain.

---

The manor where Houston lived was not built by him, but it was already somewhat dilapidated when he came to the island. Its current state was the result of months of repairs.

Restoring the manor was expensive. Though most of the funds came from Houston’s own pocket, city hall also contributed labor and materials.

The island’s output was low to begin with, and diverting manpower to renovate the manor made the shortage even more acute.

But these were not the main reasons; there was another cause...

“Pirates collect sea taxes each time they come, and they also take a batch of sweet fruit wine?” Houston looked at Alexei in disbelief. “You don’t mean to say...”

“Yes, my lord.” Alexei spoke with difficulty. “Castell’s main source of revenue is actually the sweet wine the pirates buy on the side.”

Houston rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. “No wonder the ledgers are full of payments to pirates. I thought the accounts were kept separately—turns out there’s hardly any real trade.”

It was no joke—there was essentially no commerce here.

But this wasn’t a major problem. Although Houston couldn’t readily produce funds, lords of this era had their ways—defaulting on payments.

Yes, defaulting was a very useful method. They could first conscript the serfs to work and defer wages, thereby mobilizing the people of the domain.

After all, he was the lord, a noble lord. No one dared to defy him. Even if it was openly declared that no wages would be paid, the people would grumble but still come to work, despite being nominally free.

Free men were never truly free.

Still, this was for their own good—after all, the schools would be free, thought Houston somewhat guiltily.

While the serfs’ accounts could be delayed, his civil officials might not be so easily managed. Houston turned to Alexei and gave a wry smile.

“My lord, my salary is paid by the royal family.” Alexei understood Houston’s meaning and sighed. “Besides, I do not work for you for the money alone.”

He could see that Houston would never be confined to a tiny island. In both insight and methods, Houston had won his respect, and he was willing to follow such a lord.

“If funds run out, go to Connor and draw from my private treasury,” Houston said through gritted teeth. “Use what you must. Do not let the domain’s development be delayed.”

The pained expression on Houston’s face was genuine. His determination to build the domain was clear, warming Alexei’s heart as well. Now that Houston had resolved this worry, Alexei could fully commit.

This time, he would prove to his lord that although he graduated from the Royal Military Academy, he was no mere brute.