Blackstone Code Chapter 603: Who Is Hurting Us

The sun was blazing, and the weather had turned hot—around 30 degrees. Nagaryll had entered sumr.

But this sumr was far better than previous ones—because it no longer reeked.

Nagaryll used to be filled with a suffocating stench, but with cities now undergoing sanitation reforms, the country was becoming more hygienic by the day.

Hygienic, not necessarily clean—so areas were still dirty, but the improvents were undeniable. Most importantly, the sanitation issue had been effectively addressed.

There were no longer mountains of garbage or sewage filled with bacteria. Since last autumn, dical ergencies had dropped significantly.

Everything was changing, all part of the process initiated by the Joint Developnt Company to industrialize and promote common prosperity in Nagaryll. This created a strange sense of contradiction among the locals.

Not long ago, people hated and resented the foreigners. Now, those feelings were fading. They didn’t know how to express what they felt—perhaps it was simply the passage of ti.

If hygiene was a visible change, then another invisible shift was happening just as rapidly and would have an even deeper impact: literacy.

Literacy classes were free, but required a contract. Any healthy, working-age Nagaryllian could enroll in the free literacy program.

They had to sign an agreent: if they completed the basic education and passed the final literacy test, they would receive a job.

According to the contract, two-thirds of their first year’s salary would go to the literacy school. The second year, half. The third year, a third. After that, the school would take nothing.

It sounded unbelievable—almost absurd—that foreigners would offer free literacy education and guaranteed jobs.

But right now, the most coveted opportunity in Nagaryll was a job with foreigners. Foreign employers paid real wages—not in goods or promises, but actual, tily wages according to contract.

This made people eager to work for foreigners. With the money, they could buy exquisite foreign products—things they’d never even dread of before.

So had already achieved a level of financial freedom. Skilled workers earned two or three tis more than others. So locals, through installnt plans, had bought televisions—once exclusive to elites—and were now watching foreign programs.

All of this revolved around one word: work. More precisely, working for foreigners.

Now people could learn for free and get jobs. Literacy classes, after an initial lull, were suddenly overwheld with applicants.

Foreigners valued contracts and honored them. Over the past six months, that beca the general impression of the Federation among Nagaryllians.

As long as they fulfilled their contractual obligations, they would be paid, not fired arbitrarily. They now deeply believed in the power of contracts.

Soon, every literacy class was at capacity. After just over two months of basic education, many could now read and write at a functional level—nearly ready to graduate.

This sparked demand in another sector: newspapers and publications.

The more literate Nagaryllians there were, the greater the demand for reading material. Driven by this hunger for knowledge, newspaper offices began popping up everywhere, creating a nationwide trend.

Newspapers were no longer just for the elite. More and more people were reading them.

That morning, a young man who had completed most of his literacy program received the day’s newspaper. Their teacher had told them that reading newspapers significantly improved their cultural knowledge.

So everyone subscribed—the cost deducted from future wages.

Back in his room, he unrolled the newspaper. The front-page headline imdiately caught his eye.

He read slowly. His expression turned serious. The headline stirred sothing in him. It read: Who Is Hurting Us?.

The article’s timing was perfect. This was a mont when people were just beginning to awaken intellectually and culturally. Foreign ideas were clashing with native ones, old and new ideologies colliding.

Oppressed for so long, people hadn’t yet developed a sense of national pride. Populism hadn’t even begun to take shape.

This was also when people were most receptive to outside perspectives—neutral, persuadable.

The article asked: Why has Nagaryll developed so rapidly now, when for decades—centuries even—there had been no aningful change?

It was a common question in societies erging from confusion—an act of collective reflection.

But the article didn’t stop at asking. It gave an answer.

It laid out in detail how the ruling class had stifled developnt. The rulers didn’t need the nation, the society, or the people to progress, because progress posed a threat to their power.

If the people beca aware, if nationalism and collective identity awakened, it would be a disaster for the elite.

They would rather keep the country stagnant for a hundred years, left in the dust by the world, just to maintain control.

The article’s core ssage was a call for reflection that pointed directly at the ruling class—the fundantal issue of power.

The young man’s face grew darker. He wasn’t alone—many had wondered the sa: Why had Nagaryll fallen so far behind? They once had a glorious civilization—why had they beco less than a third-rate power?

Now, they had an answer: greed and selfishness from the ruling elite.

He was angry—and so were many others across Nagaryll. This anger needed release.

The very next day, another explosive headline appeared: Who Is Doing What?.

The front page was split in two. One side showed ordinary Nagaryllians—facing poverty, disease, hardship. Their struggles were universal.

The other side showed the royal family and elites—living in lavish palaces, eating fine food, served by dozens, enjoying carefree lives.

That alone was enough to provoke outrage. But the paper also featured nurous photos of royals enjoying themselves abroad.

The contrast between the suffering masses and the indulgent elite was stark.

People had never despised the royal family more. And Nagaryll’s decentralized structure played a part.

Each province and its governor operated independently, like little kingdoms. The royal family didn’t command as much respect as outsiders imagined.

The inaction of local governnts only accelerated the outbreak of these issues. Countless people waved newspapers in their hands, spreading everything they knew throughout society.

So began sharing their personal experiences—the despair they had lived through—adding fuel to the growing storm.

“Your Majesty, there are many protesters outside the palace. Their emotions are unstable. Should we disperse them?”

The old king stood at a high vantage point, looking out at the angry crowd gathered at the palace gates. He could vaguely hear their furious roars, as if demanding answers from him.

Hearing his servant’s report, he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “No, now is not the ti to provoke them. I also believe they won’t do anything too extre.”

“Even if we’ve mishandled so things, we are still the symbol of this nation—its representation. Knowledge and freedom haven’t made them foolish enough to storm the palace.”

“Let them vent for a while. Later, we’ll issue a statent.”

“Just like every ti we’ve faced problems before—people will co to trust us in the end.”