章 16: Chapter 16 Heidler
Especially the city dwelling youths, who, due to their social environment, revered and longed for everything from the Guar Kingdom's past. Their nostalgia for the past motivated them to better themselves.
After the last of the three girls kissed Julian's now numb hand, he glanced at the blood soaked floor and couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
His hand was completely numb now, not to mention his arm. Would it have to be amputated?
But of course, even if he were to cry, he had to smile through the tears.
He nodded resolutely, "From today onward, we are all one family. We share the same glory and stand as one!"
Graf's face flushed with excitement as he thumped his chest and shouted, "We stand as one, and share the same glory!"
As Julian watched the boys and girls shouting hysterically, he marveled at how a simple ceremony and a few words could have such a profound effect. His heart raced, and he squinted slightly, feeling a surreal sensation sweep over him.
The establishment of the Fellowship Association in Terneil was like a drop of water in a vast lake, too small to even create a ripple. Even those who learned about it through certain channels didn't care much.
A group of kids forming an association—could such a trivial thing impact the underground structure of Terneil, which hadn't changed for years? Don't be ridiculous. Not to mention the small gangs that could only control one or two streets—who would dare challenge the major gangs? They had professional enforcers, and more importantly, heat crossbows and thermal energy weapons, which civilians weren't even allowed to own!
These were powerful weapons. A single thermal energy crossbow could wipe out twenty to thirty people in one sweep. Thus, everyone saw the Fellowship Association as nothing more than child's play.
Although many disregarded the establishment of the association, some did take notice. One of them was Heidler, a prominent figure in Terneil's upper class, the vice president of the Terneil branch of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, and a Guar himself.
Heidler was a Guar of legendary status and one who had long been ostracized by his own people.
This might sound confusing, but before the fall of the Guar Kingdom, some Guar had surrendered early, becoming "good citizens on the side of justice." One such person was Heidler's father. At the time, in order to shorten the war and reduce casualties among the Ordinians, the Star Empire granted these surrendering Guar great benefits and privileges, hoping to "convert" the remaining resistance in the Guar Kingdom.
Indeed, these individuals had a significant impact, but after the fall of the Guar Kingdom, their situation became awkward. The Ordinians no longer wished to grant them privileges and found excuses to revoke some of their rights. This devastated Heidler's father's family, pushing them to the brink of bankruptcy. Heidler's father eventually died from a stroke, leaving the crumbling family business to Heidler , who was then barely twenty years old.
Through his exceptional skills and personal abilities, Heidler rose and fell several times before finally solidifying his place in the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, becoming a person of high status.
Having experienced so many ups and downs, Heidler was even more eager for the scattered Guar people to unite. But he couldn't do it himself. His position was already high enough that others were beginning to grow wary of a Guar holding one of the thirty-six seats in the Chamber of Commerce. If he made a move, those wolves in the shadows would have an excuse to kick him out.
When Heidler heard that a man named Julian Kesma had established a Fellowship Association, he immediately began investigating everything about Julian
Heidler wanted to meet this young man named Julian for two reasons.
The first reason was that his current position was very sensitive and awkward. In the eyes of the Ordinians, the Guar people were a "conquered race." For the Ordinians, who harbored a strong sense of superiority, the Guar people were considered "inferiors," defeated and unwelcome losers. Now, the fact that one of these losers had managed to become one of the thirty six council members of the Chamber of Commerce was something many found unbearable.
Had Heidler not been extremely cautious and avoided making any missteps, he would have been voted out of his position long ago.
Therefore, he needed power—a force strong enough that, even if others had objections to him, they would have to grudgingly accept him. This power had been on his mind for quite some time, and it was none other than the scattered Guar people. Once they were united, with Heidler guiding and leading them, for the sake of stability, both the empire and the Chamber of Commerce would have to consider Heidler, the "leader" of the Guar people.
Only in this way could he continue to grow his influence.
The second reason was actually an extension of the first. Heidler needed someone to help him not with business matters, but to handle things that couldn't see the light of day.
There's a saying in the capitalist circles: "If you become kind, you'll have to face countless demons." This phrase doesn't seem to have much problem on the surface, but what it really speaks to is the dynamic between the attitude of capitalists and the exploited. The former cement tycoon Dorfalk was very good to his workers, offering higher wages than other industries and even providing some benefits, always maintaining a friendly relationship with them.
Later, however, Dorfalk faced fierce competition from his business rivals, who banded together to form a new company and engaged in brutal competition with him. They used cheaper labor to produce lower cost cement, shattering Dorfalk's market defenses. To protect himself, Dorfalk had no choice but to reduce workers wages and benefits to cope with the pain caused by malicious price wars.
When both sides had suffered heavy losses and were ready to call it quits, Dorfalk's workers went on strike.
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