I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 340: I’ll be a mess (9)
Where there is light, there is always shadow, just as there are those who do not benefit from the laws, even if they exist.
For Matteo, who worked in a factory in Florence, Toscana Empire, the light of the labor laws never reached him.
“Damn it! You’re as slow as a slug! Do you think you can finish everything before the deadline at this rate?”
The supervisor whipped through the air.
The whip’s crack, surpassing the speed of sound, hit Matteo and the other workers’ ears with a loud “bang, bang.”
Now, as they were barely moving, the whip wouldn’t land on Matteo’s back.
But the moment they slackened off even a little, the whip would strike them hard.
Matteo, who worked over 13 hours a day—no, often more than 15—was exhausted, his body on the brink of collapse. It would be normal for him to yearn for a short break, but...
He had no choice but to push himself to the limit to avoid the whip.
‘If I don’t work myself to death, I’ll end up bruised by the whip...’
That day, the supervisor, in a bad mood, called over a worker standing next to Matteo.
“Andrea! You slow bastard!”
With that, the whip descended on Andrea.
Whipping indiscriminately at the arms, legs, and torso—the parts that wouldn’t kill—leaving Andrea gasping in pain.
“Ah, sorry! Ugh, please don’t! Have mercy!”
“You think I want to whip you? This is all your laziness! You brought this upon yourself!”
“Sorry, ugh, I’ll do better, ugh!”
Matteo and the other workers had experienced the whip before.
A single strike would be followed by beating until the upper and lower body were drenched in blood.
It was a sadistic technique that didn’t hinder work too much, even though the workers were beaten to a pulp.
Matteo thought to himself:
‘The Emperor said the labor laws would protect workers like us...’
But no matter how strong the light of the labor laws was, what use was it if you couldn’t even be in the light?
No matter how much the Emperor said he cared for them, it wouldn’t change this hellish reality.
If they quit the factory, they would either starve to death or end up in the slums.
Some had already ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) turned to crime to survive, but Matteo couldn’t bring himself to kill others.
He feared being exploited here until the day he died, but he also feared taking another’s life.
‘Deus, please save us.’
“Lazy, worthless bastard! You can’t do anything but eat and crap!”
Despite his prayers, the vicious supervisor slowly approached Matteo.
Matteo’s hands trembled, his thoughts were clouded with fear.
‘Please save me, I don’t want to live like this anymore.’
But in his helplessness, overwhelmed by fear, he couldn’t resist...
Then, from outside, the sound of someone hammering at the door was heard, and the door was broken down as soldiers rushed in.
“Labor Inspector Decimus Salasino here! Everyone, stop!”
The factory supervisor, realizing the unexpected visitor was someone higher than him, began to show respect, moral awareness, and courtesy.
In an era where, whether in the East or West, survival depended on manners, there was no way to survive without them.
“Labor Inspector, what business brings you here?”
“I’ve come with His Majesty the Emperor’s decree to care for the suffering workers, who toil in harsh conditions.”
Decimus looked around carefully.
In an age where steam engines existed and there were large machines, he would have checked the machines first, but in an era without power engines, there was no need to inspect the machines.
Even if they were broken, ‘accidents’ were unlikely to happen under normal circumstances.
Thus, he inspected the workers’ faces, their expressions, and their overall condition.
“...You all don’t seem happy. It looks like you’ve been overworked for a long time.”
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Upon hearing this, the supervisor shook his head vigorously.
“No, this factory guarantees the workers a humane life according to the labor laws.”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the workers themselves.”
Whether in 21st-century Korea or in the medieval fantasy world of the Toscana Empire, it was the same.
Whenever a labor inspector came to monitor, the response was always a denial, claiming they followed the labor laws and were a good company.
Labor Inspector Decimus surveyed the area, asking the workers, “Are you really being treated humanely?”
Terrified, the workers all nodded in agreement, but Matteo was the only one to speak out.
“No! Absolutely not! We’re being treated worse than livestock!”
To Matteo and the other workers, the Emperor was someone they could rely on in this hellish world—he was the only one who could protect them, the highest power who cared for them.
They trusted those sent by the Emperor.
Fabio may have wanted to increase imperial power, but paradoxically, it was through these efforts that the power and authority of the nobles and bureaucrats had been solidified.
“Inspector, the person collapsed next to me is Peter. He was beaten to death for not being able to work properly.”
“Is that true?”
“Why would we lie to His Majesty’s representative? It’s all true.”
“You despicable people.”
“This isn’t all, either. We worked 14, 15 hours a day and were paid only one silver coin a month. Even if we worked ourselves to the bone, if we did something the supervisor didn’t like, we were whipped...”
Matteo ripped off his shirt to reveal his back.
His back was covered in whip marks.
“...Did the others receive the same treatment?”
“Yes, we were beaten for being slow.”
Matteo, despite being an adult, burst into tears and sobbed uncontrollably.
“We just want to live like humans. What did we do wrong to deserve being overworked for 14 or 15 hours a day and exploited in a place worse than a pigsty? This can’t be the Emperor’s will... Didn’t the newspapers say that His Majesty cares for us, who are lower than dust?”
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“That’s right. The Emperor always thinks of you.”
In reality, the Emperor was only thinking about how he failed to make Fabio a noble of the royal family, so he could be exploited for life. Or how he was still thinking about making Fabio an official of the royal family to dedicate himself eternally to the Toscana Empire...
Officially, however, the Emperor was a ruler who always thought of his people, much like King Sejong, who created the Korean alphabet for his people.
According to the image created by Fabio, the Emperor was a wise king who cared for his people as much as Sejong the Great.
“So I’ve come to free you.”
At those words, Matteo and the workers burst into tears of joy.
Meanwhile, the inspector’s expression hardened.
“I can tell how much you’ve exploited the workers just by the way they treat me. And still, you dare deceive His Majesty’s representative.”
The Labor Inspector, in fact, was just a 5th-class official.
In the 21st century, most officials would be around the 7th grade or lower, but here he was a 5th-grade bureaucrat.
He was the bottom tier of the bureaucracy, and if he had said he was the Emperor’s representative when holding another position, his superiors would have corrected him on proper etiquette.
But the Labor Inspector was an official who could officially call himself "the Emperor’s representative."
“Behave like the Emperor’s representative, and your performance evaluations will improve.”
“Soldiers, immediately shut down this factory and summon an accountant to go through all the factory’s books!”
“Please forgive us!”
“Shut up. How dare you defy the Emperor’s orders and exploit workers!”
The Labor Inspector presented a badge bearing the Emperor’s insignia and issued his orders.
“Labor Inspector here! Immediately shut down this factory, and temporarily revoke the factory owner’s property rights. Furthermore, during the shutdown, the workers will be paid from the factory owner’s assets.”
Matteo burst into tears upon hearing this.
He couldn’t believe that, thanks to the Emperor, he could escape this hellish environment, and the Emperor’s grace had reached him.
“Long live the Emperor!”
Though they were overjoyed, the deep sadness in their hearts prevented them from cheering too loudly.
However, gradually, their voices grew louder.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”
Had the Emperor been here to witness this touching scene, he would have lavished them with endless beef and wine, for it was a sight to behold.
Decimus urged the scribe next to him to write it down quickly.
“Write it down, you fool. I want a promotion.”
The scribe quickly began jotting down the notes.
And a few months later, after the inspection and trial, the factory manager and supervisor were executed by beheading in Florence Square for violating the labor laws.
This news was also relayed to those involved in the Communist, or rather the Lyon Kingdom’s normalization (Shin Changseop-style) project, including Orsini.
