Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 414: The Textile Mill

TL: Etude Translations

Note: Due to previous numbering errors, the chapter number has jumped by a while. There aren’t any missing chapters.

“Little tricks?” Seviya’s heart tightened, but she refused to admit anything aloud.

“Ladi, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Did you think I didn’t notice your attempt to subtly influence me that night?” retorted Ladi with a cold laugh.

Confronted directly, Seviya remained unflustered and responded, “It’s mutual, isn’t it? You followed and investigated me all night. I never expected to wake up and find someone knocking at my door.”

Ladi, no longer wanting to argue, turned to Paul and asked, “Lord Grayman, do you have any plans next? If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to Lakeheart Town.”

Paul stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, “Well… this morning, I was invited to visit a textile mill. Don’t rush back. Come with me and take a look.”

Ladi happily agreed, “I’d love to join you.”

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, and she suggested, “Why not invite Miss Acitini as well? It would be good for her to learn about the customs of the Northwest Bay.”

Paul consented, “If Miss Acitini is available, I don’t mind.”

Seviya stepped forward, “I would be honored, Lord Grayman.”

…

When the owner of the textile mill, Patrik, saw the lord’s entourage at his factory gates, he hurriedly ran to Paul’s carriage.

“Welcome, Lord Grayman. Your visit is a great honor for me.”

Paul and his group alighted from the carriage, and he replied with a smile, “I hope my visit won’t disrupt your work, Patrik.”

“Not at all, Lord Grayman. Everyone in the mill is excited to see you. They are even more enthusiastic about their work now.”

Patrik, with a sycophantic smile, led Paul and the others inside the mill, having foreknowledge of Paul’s preferences and thus, refraining from any elaborate welcome ceremony.

Paul and Patrik chatted while walking ahead, with Ladi, Seviya, and the rest of the attendants following.

Seviya, walking beside Ladi, entered a factory building and was immediately struck by the sight before her.

The vast space was neatly filled with rows of machines, each operated by a worker.

It was evident they were weaving cloth. The workers alternated their feet on the pedals, causing the warp threads on the loom to intertwine up and down. As they pulled the cords, a shuttle carrying the weft thread zipped back and forth through the warp, rapidly forming fabric on the loom.

Seviya had seen cloth weaving in her youth. In traditional looms, the shuttle used to pull the weft thread is passed by hand from one side to the other, not like these machines where a tug of a cord sends the shuttle flying at high speed.

These unfamiliar looms, not only significantly faster than traditional ones, also produced wider fabrics. Traditional looms, limited by the arm span of the operator, usually made fabrics about 40 centimeters wide, whereas the fabric from these machines was nearly a meter wide.

Clang, clang…

The sound of the machines filled the building, like a grand chorus.

The expansive area, the numerous and orderly looms, and the ceaselessly busy workers created an indescribably beautiful scene.

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“What do you think constitutes ‘great power’?”

The voice of the Azure Witch suddenly echoed in her ears.

Naturally, magic!

Had it been earlier, Seviya would have answered without hesitation. But now, she felt the question had a deeper implication.

“You should know my answer. What’s the purpose of asking this?” Seviya asked in return.

Ladi, observing the looms, replied, “Like you, I once believed magic was the greatest power in the world. It makes one unbeatable in battle, easily takes lives, manipulates others at will, and can even control a person’s mind to make them utterly obedient.”

“That’s true, I think so too,” Seviya responded.

But Ladi continued, “However, since coming to the Northwest Bay, my thoughts have changed a lot. Battle, killing, ruling, deceiving – it’s not just magic that can achieve these.”

She turned to face Seviya, “There are also swords, money, power, and schemes. We, the spellcasters, are no different from skilled knights, wealthy tycoons, and cunning monarchs.”

“You…” Seviya felt slightly indignant but couldn’t find words to refute, as what Ladi said seemed accurate.

She then asked, “What about you? What do you think qualifies as great power?”

Ladi shook her head, “I’m not yet qualified to make such a judgment. But I can share some of my superficial insights with you.”

Seviya listened intently to Ladi’s words.

“Seviya, my sister, although we spellcasters are often misunderstood by the world, we must admit that many in our circle are self-righteous, harboring a sense of superiority.”

“Indeed.”

Seviya agreed, recalling the immense joy and pride she felt the first time she successfully cast a spell. The thrill of that moment still resonated with her.

I must have been chosen by the heavens – she had thought at the time.

And a common belief among wizards further reinforced her identification and pride with her new identity – spellcasters have powerful magic while ordinary people do not. The difference between spellcasters and commoners is like that between thoroughbreds and nags; the nags, jealous of the thoroughbreds’ ability to travel a thousand miles a day, oppress them due to their numerical advantage, hoping to eliminate the thoroughbreds and thus no longer feel inferior.

Shaking off the memory, she heard Ladi say with some self-mockery, “When you think about it, aren’t those knights with martial prowess and kings with power the same? Everyone views the world self-centeredly, whether due to lineage or ability, believing they are extraordinary, powerful beings.”

“These extraordinary beings, including us spellcasters, think they are writing history with their power, shaping the world according to their strength. But if you think about it, has their power ever truly changed history or the world?”

Ladi’s words left Seviya somewhat puzzled.

Hasn’t history or the world ever changed?

Although not a scholar, Seviya had read many books.

If history and the world had never changed, then how did the grand narratives of the rise and fall of kingdoms and the stirring epics of heroic adventures come into existence?