468 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

EP.468 Paper Mill - 2 "He's a great landlord! Not just any official, but a great landlord!" Jeon Gil San reacted in shock to my declaration. "I know. I’m going to get the money from that great landlord." I had promised Mang Geum Jeon Ju I would prove it. Inspector General, Supervising Investigator, and the Great Landlord. No one would be able to argue against my achievements. "That's not just any random name. Someone like you could be thrown in jail with a snap of his fingers. He could turn a non-offense into a capital crime!" "I know." "You don't know. You don't understand the great landlord. Hey, even the supervising investigator risked his position to catch just one of the great landlords. Do you think someone like you, a mere constable, can do anything against him? Even my grandfather, if he wanted the landlord to pay up, had to meet and beg in person! You don't mess with someone like that, man!" Gil San, let's not spit while you're excited. If a governor is at the level of a city leader, then the great landlord is at the level of a market chief. A mere inspector with an imperial mandate might make a move, but there's no way a lowly detective like me can handle this. "I’m doing it because it’s worth the shot. Even Jegal So Jae agreed." I only proceed after estimating the prospects. When I turned my gaze to Jegal So Jae, she gently nodded in agreement. "If it's according to Kang Gong Ja's plan, it could be possible." "Ha! You guys are driving me crazy. Are you really confident you can get the money? How? He probably won't even meet with you in the first place." That's a valid point. No matter what credentials I had, asking for a meeting with the great landlord would likely result in being turned away at the door. Especially if they know I'm the one chasing to collect a debt. Who knows what kind of treatment I'd receive. So, of course. "I’ll make him beg to meet me instead." "What?" "I have a method." A method to make the great landlord come to me. ** "What?! Asking for a raise? What are you talking about right now?" At Moo Han's Paper Mill, the superintendent snorted in disbelief at the audacity of the words from the person with black hair standing before him. "Superintendent, didn’t you say you'd hire more Koreans, teach them papermaking, and raise their wages?" Despite the fear that made his heart tremble, the middle-aged Korean gritted his teeth and spoke, determined to say what needed to be said. "Do you think becoming an artisan is so easy?!" "I’ve been working at this paper mill for ten years now. A Chinese worker who joined before me has already started learning papermaking, yet none of the Koreans have. Isn’t that right?" "You can’t even do your job right, and you call yourself an artisan? Look at that lumber over there! I told you to stack it up as it arrives! Do you barbarians not even understand human speech?" The superintendent pointed irritably at the lumber near the door. "You explicitly instructed us to stack it only when the next batch arrives..." "This pest is talking back now. So, working ten years isn’t enough?!" The superintendent pulled out a leather whip from his side and swung it fiercely. "Ugh!" With just a few lashes from the superintendent's whip, the courage the worker had barely mustered was swiftly quashed. "......." It's hard for a barbarian, despised in the central plains, to find work. Employers, aware of this fact, treated them more harshly. Even creatures that understand human language know that the whip is the remedy. They become easy prey for venting anger. A regular worker wouldn't be subjected to whipping like this, let alone have the courage to protest. In front of them, verbal abuse and whippings unfolded one after another. The Koreans at the paper mill could only watch helplessly, knowing well what would happen if they resisted. "What are you all glaring at? Get back to work!" Even seeing the unconscious Korean dragged away, the superintendent’s anger wasn't sated as he continued to shout. "We're sorry!" "Slacking off as usual. Damn barbarian scum, lazy as ever." "They have good reasons for living miserably. Let’s just have a drink to calm down." The deputy, a close friend of the superintendent, offered a drink to the exasperated superintendent. "I hired them, and they don't even know their place, thinking highly of themselves!" "Is it not because you don’t have to feed them and they work for cheap?" "Ahem! People might hear and misunderstand. These barbarians with nowhere else to go— I’ve made them into human beings!" The deputy, amused by the superintendent’s words, tapped the whip at his side and laughed. "You see, without the whip, they act above themselves." Working at the paper mill is tough. Thousands of pounds of timber arriving via Moo Han's transport need to be moved and dried, and every day, workers must steam and boil the wood while facing scalding steam. Since the wood needs to be pounded into pulp, workers must continuously stir it in the water, often resulting in waterborne skin diseases like eczema. This is routine. The job of a paper artisan receives better treatment. However, given how arduous and difficult the work is for unskilled laborers, few want to work at the paper mill. Those who have no where else to go and can endure poor treatment find a quiet place here. This is why many Koreans, considered barbarians in the central plains, work at the paper mill. "Older brother, he said to trust in his support." On a typical day, everyone would have tried to avoid the superintendent’s wrath, maintaining a low profile while working. Yet, an unusual tension was rippling through the Koreans at the paper mill. "Really?" "Trust him." "Alright. Has that person ever spoken empty words?" "What are you all doing? Not working? Do you want another whipping?!" Still staggering from being lashed, the Korean stood resolute at the superintendent's bellowing. "......I won't do it anymore." His eyes held a resolve that a whip could not erase. "What did you say?" "I said I won't work!" The man’s shout echoed through the paper mill. "This guy’s gone mad! And you, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!" Koreans, now exuding an intense air, began surrounding the superintendent. The sheer number, nearly a hundred strong, forced the superintendent to feel momentarily tense. "We won't work unless you give us a raise, too!" "Have you all lost your minds? Do you want to get fired?!" The Koreans, who would usually have dispersed at such shouts, stood firm today. "Together? Yes, together!" If not alone, then as a pair. If not two, then three. If not three, then as a group. "What’s happening?" "Workers of the paper mill, unite!" The workers clenched their fists and shouted the rallying cry that had been given to them. "Unite! Hooray!" "Unite! Unite! Unite!" In an instant, the Koreans working in the paper mill began to riot. "What, what's going on?!" "Drive them all out! If they resist, beat them with sticks and drive them out!" "Superintendent?!" "Get out!" The superintendent was quickly overpowered, and the managers were being beaten and expelled from the mill one by one. "What is the meaning of this sudden chaos? Are you trying to start a rebellion?!" As the deputy was being driven out, one Korean voice shouted back with resolute determination—a solution the workers had held onto, trusting in someone they believed in as their last resort. "No! It’s a strike!" "A s-strike?" "We, the paper mill workers, are staging an indefinite strike starting now!!!" A strike demanding workers' rights. It was the first strike led by Koreans in Moo Han. **** "There’s a revolt!" "A revolt has happened! Constables and officers, hurry to the paper mill owned by the great landlord!" "Wow. A revolt at the great landlord's paper mill, huh." To think they’d act so swiftly. It’s a good thing. I said to Jeon Gil San, who looked dazed and stunned in the carriage. "Did… did you do this?" "Who knows?" The strike at the paper mill was the first piece enacting my plan to draw out the great landlord. "Hey, are you out of your mind? The leader of a revolt faces severe punishment!" "I’m here precisely to prevent this from becoming a rebellion." "What?" Becoming a rebel leader is not in my plans. Even if I somehow became a martial arts genius, I have no desire to stand against the golden storm that resides in the imperial palace. "Clear the way for Kang Gong Ja’s carriage!" "Well done. So, what’s the situation?" Upon arriving at the mill, constables and officers had the area surrounded. "The workers at the paper mill have revolted. They’ve taken the superintendent and some craftsmen hostage and are asking for you." "They're asking for me?" I feigned surprise as if I had no clue why they'd call for me. "Since most of the workers are Koreans, they’re likely seeking you out, Kang Gong Ja. The authorities have granted you full control over this incident." Though the constable spoke, he seemed puzzled. After all, even if Kang Yunho is well-known for his detective work, granting full authority to a newly appointed officer is unusual. That's because there’s a person in the administration who makes everyone tremble with just a cough. If he casually mentions something, no one dares disagree. "Is there anyone who can explain what’s happening?" Of course, there was no need to explain my reasons, so I nodded and asked. "I’ll bring the deputy of the paper mill." "Officer! Glad you're here! Those barbarian scum!" With eyes as sly as a snake's, the fuming deputy approached me with a bright red face. "Barbarian scum...?" In front of me? I glanced at the deputy with a faintly bored expression. "No…. Why is your hair color…?" Seeing my hair, the deputy couldn’t hide his confusion and muttered to himself. "Why, do you have a problem with my hair color?" The deputy shook his head vigorously at my question. "N-no, sir. It’s just that those barbarian scum over there…." "This barbarian’s listening well. Go on." This guy doesn't hesitate to use the term "barbarian." "Well, it’s just…." How accustomed must one be to calling them barbarians in the paper mill. The superintendent seemed so flustered he couldn't even remember the term "Korean." Good. Just as my investigation suggested, there are openings to exploit. With a sigh of feigned disappointment, I took a stern tone. "Have a representative from the mill come speak to me. I need to know why this happened." They’ve initiated the strike. It’s time to move on to the next step.