## Chapter 364: An Unexpected Problem
That evening, I lay in bed, watching the Green Moon and Blue Moon gradually converge outside. In my hand, I held a boxed item containing a sample of the Black Silk Monster and the manuscript.
Ever since someone brought a stone tablet into the other world last time, I was certain it was possible to bring things in. I hadn’t tried it myself though, so this was my first attempt today.
As the twin moons met, my vision went black, and I entered the familiar world. In front of me lay countless delicious foods, comparable to a Christmas feast. However, speaking of Christmas, the cultists present would surely be furious. After all, for them, it was just the birthday of a false god.
“Ohh! I’ve been waiting for this feast!” a group of people cheered. The followers of Gluttony were all gluttonous, never truly full, and opportunities to eat so much were rare.
“Heh heh, it’s fine, there’s plenty of food. Everyone, eat to your heart’s content,” the Pope said generously.
Next was the usual ravenous feasting. I also ate a lot. After everyone was full and satisfied, the Pope routinely checked on everyone’s missionary work.
It seemed everyone had been working hard, and the sect had grown to a certain extent recently. However, this had nothing to do with me. I had no interest in preaching for the Great Fly, so I remained silent.
It appeared the Pope had encountered some trouble recently. He mentioned he couldn’t obtain Beelzebub’s divine revelation for now, nor could he interpret previous revelations. Therefore, he wanted to find a few people to explore the ruins where the stone tablet was previously discovered.
He believed it was an ancient altar and should allow contact with Beelzebub. Besides that, they couldn’t act for the time being. Others could continue preaching or focus on their own tasks, which suited me perfectly.
Several people responded enthusiastically. They agreed on a meeting point and decided to proceed. It seemed the official business concluded there, with no new reports from anyone.
Everyone exchanged silent glances. The Pope finally broke the deadlock: “I have finished speaking. Now it’s time for exchange. Does anyone have anything they wish to say or trade? Please speak.”
I looked around, and it seemed no one wanted to speak first. Just as I was about to open my mouth, a young girl’s voice came from beside me: “Um, I’d like to ask all you seniors, how do you deal with worker strikes?”
“Huh?” Everyone looked over, only to find it was the Princess asking the question. How to deal with worker strikes? What kind of question was that? The cultists present were immediately stunned, having never considered such an issue.
“Ahem, tell us first, the cause and effect, so we know what the problem is,” a person dressed like a noble asked.
“It’s like this, a factory of mine that produces Steam Tank boilers and engines recently had an explosion…” the Princess began.
“Wait, stop!” someone immediately exclaimed in surprise. “A Steam Tank factory?! Yours?”
“Yes,” the Princess nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It almost gave the impression that her innocent eyes were questioning, *Don’t your families have Steam Tank factories?*
Honestly, I didn’t know if other families had them, but mine certainly didn’t. For me, a Steam Gun was already expensive enough. The concept of a Steam Tank factory was beyond my comprehension.
Many of the other cultists had complex expressions. They had worked hard their entire lives, creating vast sects, but they operated in the shadows. Which of them could possibly own a Steam Tank factory?
“Princess, are you from the Holy Roman Empire?” the previously mentioned noble asked. Although France and Great Britain had Steam Tanks, in terms of industrial capability, it was still plausible for them to have Steam Tank factories. This led one to think of the Holy Roman Empire first.
“Ah, yes, I am from the Hesse Duchy,” the Princess stated directly. I wanted to remind her not to be so blunt, but she had already revealed everything. She didn’t notice my pointed glances at all.
The Hesse Duchy wasn’t large. Even with its strong industrial capabilities, the number of nobles owning Steam Tanks should be limited. Coupled with the factory strike, a little investigation could reveal her true identity. In fact, I suspected she might be the Duke’s daughter.
“Alright, don’t interrupt her. Continue,” the Pope signaled for everyone to be quiet.
“Okay, as I was saying, the factory had a boiler explosion. Three workers were killed, and nine were scalded to varying degrees. Then they collectively refused to work, demanding higher wages, reduced working hours, and guarantees of safety and compensation,” the Princess recounted.
Everyone looked at each other, bewildered. They had all assumed that a newcomer like the Princess would ask questions on a different level than theirs. Now, it indeed seemed so. At least none of them had ever considered the issue of factory strikes.
“Isn’t this something your father or an elder should handle? You’re just a little girl, you shouldn’t have to worry about such things,” a Black-Robed Person remarked.
“But Father is away at war. It’s just Mother and me at home, and Mother and the courtiers seem unable to handle this matter. That’s why I came to ask if anyone has any good ideas,” the Princess explained.
“Away at war?” Everyone was stunned again. A middle-aged Officer in an old-fashioned military uniform said, “There have been border conflicts between the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth recently.”
“Oh!” the cultists nodded again. This was indeed a realm beyond their scope of consideration.
“That’s how it is, so we’re in a hurry. The front lines are in urgent need of new tanks and parts, and at this time, they’re on strike,” the Princess said anxiously.
“These damn commoners! Just send soldiers to suppress them! Execute a few, and no one will dare to resist,” a hot-tempered cultist cursed.
“But those are skilled workers. If they’re killed, there’ll be no one to do the job. Moreover, even if they’re forced to work at gunpoint, if they’re unhappy, the parts they make might be faulty, and the Steam Tanks could break down at any time,” the Princess said with difficulty. Her courtiers had also discussed this problem.
“This…” The cultists were stumped. Among them were a few nobles of varying ranks, but at most, they only had experience dealing with peasant uprisings, not factory strikes.
“I have an idea. Didn’t we say we’d infiltrate the Princess’s side last time? If you let me go, I can preach among the workers and get them to believe in Our Lord. Naturally, they’ll return to work.”
The person who proposed this was the woman who had wanted to be a maid by the Princess’s side last time. As expected, it was a rather cultist-like method.
This time, the Princess didn’t even need to speak. The others laughed, “How long will your preaching take? By then, the factory will have collapsed.”
“Ah, this…” The woman fell silent.
As everyone seemed at a loss, I said, “Why make it so complicated? Just give them a raise.”
