Our Family Has Fallen

But now, there was news that the caravan was heading out to open new channels. Who didn’t know that bandits and brigands ran rampant in those areas? Even the neighboring Walter Conglomerate, despite its vast experience, kept replacing its people batch by batch. If even they are struggling, aren’t we pioneers just marching to our deaths?

They were also in the same line of work. Upon hearing the news, they came together, hoping to take this opportunity to fight for their rights.

In this era, exploitation and oppression were very common. If they weren’t truly desperate and unable to go on, they wouldn’t be standing here today.

”HMPH!” The supervisor scolded with a cold face, yelling at them, ”Go back now! You’ll be notified when it’s time to pay your wages. What do you think you’re doing right now?”

When the supervisor came out, the people’s first reaction wasn’t to assert their rights, but to show weakness, their gazes instinctively falling upon a few individuals among them. However, their focus wasn’t on those capable of organizing protests or the elders with enough prestige to confront management, but rather on certain individuals who had already been driven to a dead end.

After a brief silence, one of them couldn’t wait any longer. The others might have been able to endure, but if he didn’t get his money soon, his family of six would starve. He had to be the first to speak.

”Supervisor, sir, it was agreed that we would be paid after each trip. But it’s been over a month since the last payment. When will we get our wages?”

Even though survival was a struggle, in the presence of the supervisor, his tone and demeanor still revealed an undeniable servility.

There were no brave souls here, only a son, a husband, a father pushed to the brink by reality. He wasn’t pushed forward by others, but by life itself...

Once one person started, the others, as if emboldened, chimed in.

”That’s right! What happened to the promised wages?”

”You only paid us for the first two trips! With grain prices so high outside now, how do you expect us to live?”

”If you don’t have money, at least give us some grain!”

Facing the workers, the supervisor, his expression discontented, waved his hand dismissively.

”Go back and wait for notification. You’ll be told when there’s news.”

But his response failed to satisfy them and instead ignited their anger.

”Damn it, we’re not leaving until we get paid!”

”We’re not leaving!”

”Fuck you, pay up!”

”Pay up...”

The commotion eventually drew the attention of Gene and the other high-level officials. The supervisor was summoned immediately, along with a few worker representatives who had been hastily chosen by their peers.

”What’s going on?” Gene glanced at the supervisor.

The supervisor, so arrogant before the workers, was like a dog in front of Gene. That one glance nearly scared the shit out of him, and he hurriedly explained the situation. ”Nothing serious, sir. Just these fellows making a fuss outside.”

He could shoulder some of the blame, but only a little. After all, the higher-ups weren’t releasing the funds for the wages, so he had no choice but to withhold them.

However, the worker representatives disagreed and brought up the issue of unpaid wages.

The high-level officials present weren’t surprised by this; instead, they appeared somewhat uneasy.

Listening to them, Gene finally lost his previous nonchalance, his expression turning gloomy. This issue could no longer be ignored.

It should be noted that only the first few trips had yielded handsome profits. Afterward, Walter’s secret manipulations drove up local grain prices in Ovando City, reducing the profit margin. As mentioned before, overland transportation was arduous. Humans and horses consumed resources, and vehicles required upkeep. If an accident occurred on the road, it became even more challenging. Various factors combined to naturally decrease profits.

In fact, the more critical factor was that Gene had diverted the workers’ wages to expand the trade, investing them into the business. The logic was simple: if you needed to pay a worker one copper coin, you could instead spend that coin on grain. Transporting and selling it could earn three to five copper coins. Then, you could pay the worker their original coin and keep the rest. Imagine scaling that one copper coin to the wages of so many workers—think of the potential profit from just one trip! And if I withhold wages for two trips and continue investing, how much more could I earn? Who could refuse such a snowballing profit?

It wasn’t just the workers’ wages; those present, the high-level officials, had also invested a considerable amount of money. Gene, in particular, had risked everything he had.

But reality was far from this simple. That was the ideal scenario, where profit margins would be high. In truth, however, the price differences were shrinking, and the invested money wasn’t yielding the expected returns. Moreover, the high grain prices at the front lines were intended to attract merchants. But as more merchants arrived, competition among them intensified. Gene of Ovando City wasn’t the only one who could procure grain; to continue trading, he would have to lower his prices.

One shouldn’t assume Gene’s ”Knight” title was simply picked up off the streets. Only he knew the true cost of securing such support.

Therefore, to maintain this situation, the money couldn’t be repaid. The leverage had to keep increasing for any chance to cover the deficit.

Yet, they were all sitting here because they were definitely still profiting; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so proactive.

Who bore the losses? Only the ordinary workers, naturally. They received no share of the profits and had to endure rising prices due to delayed wages, along with the risks of this leveraged speculation. It had reached a point where the situation could no longer be concealed.

Was Gene unaware of all this? He knew better than anyone. But he couldn’t be the one to take the blame.