Blackstone Code-Chapter 555: The Scythe

During the second half of the celebration, the governor finally found time to speak with Lynch alone about some of his ideas.
“What do you think about bringing those Nagaryll people back into the country?” The governor looked exhausted. He had spent the entire afternoon moving from one sponsor to another to express his gratitude, followed by the nerve-wracking vote-counting process.
Now that the results were in, the tension had suddenly lifted, leaving visible fatigue on his face.
Still, he pushed through to sit down with Lynch and discuss these matters. Who knew when they’d see each other again? At best, they could only stay in touch by phone.
But some things are best said in person.
From their previous conversations, the governor had already formed some ideas—for instance, mixing cheap Nagaryll labor into domestic factories to lower operational costs and help businesses restart production quickly.
This idea was popular among many entrepreneurs. When they heard that Nagaryll workers cost only 20 to 30 bucks a month, they were stunned.
Domestic workers, on the other hand, demanded at least 200–300 per month, not including extra expenses. They couldn’t work more than ten hours a day, needed meat in their meals, and would launch massive strikes or protests over the slightest dissatisfaction. Some business owners felt like they were the disadvantaged ones.
If these Nagaryll workers could be used instead, even the least profitable product lines would yield sufficient profit.
The governor saw this as a good thing. Right now, restarting production was the top priority. Once factories were operational again, it would reflect positively on the fiscal numbers—and on him.
That’s why he sought Lynch’s opinion, considering him an “expert.”
To the governor’s disappointment, Lynch shook his head. “That’s not really feasible, Governor. Every time we use foreign labor in place of domestic workers, we’re taking a job away from a federal citizen.”
“Even setting aside whether this violates the Constitution or federal laws around employment protections, just the labor unions and the unemployed masses alone could stir up serious trouble. If a destructive protest breaks out at this time, it would be disastrous for us.”
Public dissatisfaction was already high over the federal government spending money to help develop Nagaryll. People couldn’t do much about it, but some good news trickling in had helped keep that anger in check.
But if, at this sensitive moment, cheap Nagaryll workers were brought in to take jobs away from the unemployed—jobs that, while currently unfilled, were still considered theirs—people wouldn’t stand by idly. Under union pressure, a wave of protests or even riots could erupt. And the governor responsible would become a scapegoat.
The governor clearly realized the implications and asked, “So is there any way to solve this? I mean, we can’t just send everyone to Nagaryll to find jobs, can we?”
“I saw your interview on Ora 90, and I understand some of your ideas. We can send entrepreneurs to Nagaryll to explore business opportunities, but what about ordinary people?”
From the governor’s perspective, this was a near-impossible problem. Businesspeople could go and build factories or engage in trade. But what could the average citizen do?
Even if some found jobs, not everyone could leave. Many would still rely on domestic welfare.
Lynch shook his head again. “The natives of Nagaryll are simple-minded. They’ve had no higher education, not even vocational training. They can only do the most basic manual labor. Anything requiring even moderate skill is beyond them.”
“In the next two to three years, Nagaryll will have a huge gap in skilled labor. And by skilled, I mostly mean experienced workers.”
“These skilled workers only need to serve as role models—to show the Nagaryll workers how to properly engage in the production process. Anyone with three to five years of work experience in a formal job in the Federation will have no trouble finding work there.”
“As for the other issue, I’ve said this more than once: let the Nagaryll people support our people.”
“Four Nagaryll workers plus one federal worker cost about 600 a month total—saving over a thousand in labor costs compared to using all federal workers. That’s profit we’ve freed up.”
“We can keep federal workers’ benefits unchanged while easing the profit requirements on companies. Nagaryll has at least 100 million laborers—they can support all of us.”
After hearing this, the governor asked, “But what about the actual work? Money doesn’t just appear from nowhere. I don’t believe Nagaryll has that many jobs for us. Otherwise, there’d be no need to develop it; we could just keep the money here.”
Lynch traced a circle on the table with his finger. “There are endless opportunities around the world, Governor.”
“Defeated nations, victorious nations, neutral nations—any country that needs development and labor will become our customer. An ordinary person, with three, five, or ten cheap Nagaryll laborers, can take jobs from anywhere in the world. Everyone becomes their own boss!”
In truth, Lynch—or rather, the labor market he envisioned—was mainly aimed at war-torn countries.
Many young men had been sent to the front lines and killed, leaving a massive labor shortage. Even women were becoming primary laborers.
At such a time, the appearance of cheap labor would be a godsend for those governments.
If slavery weren’t already banned internationally, some countries might have resumed the slave trade. But soon, Lynch would offer a workaround. Federal overseers and Nagaryll workers would spread across the globe, raking in wealth and sending it back home—reviving the Federation’s economy.
Hearing these details, the governor was clearly tempted. He asked, “So what do I need to do to make this happen?”
Lynch leaned back, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and said, “Unconditionally support me.”
Just as Lynch and the governor were discussing how to use Nagaryll to rapidly revive the Federation’s economy, events were unfolding in Nagaryll itself.
“Why is my pay almost cut in half?!”
At a construction site, a Nagaryll worker shouted in protest while queuing for his wages. Others in line quickly gathered around.
He held a payslip entitling him to one day’s wages from the accountant.
At first, they had been paid 121 Valier per day. While not high, it was a decent wage. Most people with regular jobs earned about that much.
People had no complaints—it was work. Many used to earn even less.
But lately, things had started to go wrong.
The day before yesterday, pay dropped to 100 Valier. Yesterday, it was 95. Today, the worker received just 78. He couldn’t take it anymore.
What about tomorrow? Or the next day? Would he end up working for nothing?
The young man, clutching his 78 Valier in bills and coins, glared at the accountant behind the desk and shouted, “Did you steal my share?!”
His protest drew more people. They demanded answers, backing him up.
If his pay had been cut, it meant theirs had too. A few dozen Valier might be nothing to a federal worker, but to them, it was a matter of survival.
Twenty Valier was enough to buy a meal. This was no small matter.
Seeing the crowd grow, several Nagaryll supervisors—clearly of higher status—rushed over with clubs.
Using locals to control locals was an effective tactic. Only when locals suppressed each other would they resent the foreigner less. And those unwilling to be ruthless couldn’t become overseers in the first place.
The crowd was quickly dispersed under the threat of violence. Once calm returned, the accountant slowly stood up, a trace of contempt flashing across his face.
He chuckled twice, then said, “I didn’t steal your wages. It’s the exchange rate—Valier has strengthened against the Federal Sol. It used to take 102 Valier to get one Sol. Now, it only takes 78.”
“We are a foreign enterprise, so daily wages are calculated in Federal Sols. Since the Federal Sol is not the legal currency in Nagaryll, and out of respect for local laws and national sovereignty, we convert Sols into Valiers when paying you.”
“We are a lawful and legitimate company. Whatever you were paid before, you’re still being paid the same amount now…”