Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 174



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 174

31-The Results of the War

“But you’re the only one who knows about the Ignaqua production principle, right?”

“I learned it from ancient alchemy books. I don’t know the principles either.”

“okay?”

Samuel tilted his head in confusion at Arthur’s excuse. Judging from his expression, he seemed to be puzzled, thinking, ‘That can’t be true,’ but he seemed to be letting it go for now. After all, a merchant just needs to sell his goods well.

Thanks to the addition of workaholic Samuel, Arthur was able to maintain work-life balance, but that didn’t stop him from being concerned.

“Excuse me… … . How is Madame Zeltney? Is Viscount Kato well-behaved? Isn’t he busy?”

I was worried that Samuel, who was already clashing with Kato on the romantic front, would do something again.

That meant that Ignaqua had the potential to be a huge hit, but I was worried about whether he could maintain a romantic relationship while running a business. To be honest, Samuel, a merchant by nature, was bound to be weak to Kato, a civil servant.

“Ah, don’t worry. I’ve sent the queen a bunch of gifts.”

“yes?”

“I mean, I have some connections.”

Samuel was entangled in the royal family’s plot to weaken the trend of extravagance by debuting the Lydis Salon, which made pretty dresses, although frugal(?), in the capital.

Wasn’t he the one who brought the portrait of Princess Marianne Fonidia Pableck and made a matching dress? It was hard to see how there was no way to contact the queen.

“You only sent a gift?”

“No. If you just send a gift, the higher-ups will think it’s a customary matter and just ignore it. That’s why you have to tell them what the problem is.”

It was the philosophy of someone who had tried bribing.

“So?”

“I explained in detail how Count Kato interrupted and ruined the date.”

“Oh, my.”

Wasn’t it the saying that birds of a feather flock together? How could Samuel, who had been busy taking care of his body, boldly(?) tell the queen such a story? Arthur couldn’t help but look at him with pity, as he seemed to have become tainted by his own foolishness.

And Samuel, who interpreted that gaze differently, blushed.

“why?!”

Arthur chuckled at Samuel’s response, “Telling the queen what happened to Cato… Yes! I know that doesn’t seem like a real man!” and Samuel grinned. In the end, Arthur apologized for laughing and continued listening to the story.

“So you asked me to forbid Viscount Kato from approaching you?”

“I want to, but it’s impossible. Even if you are the queen, you can’t dictate what happens in a nobleman’s love life.”

But in return, he said he would prevent Viscount Cato from using his power to attack Samuel’s business or those around him. If that happens, he said to come find me immediately.

“I feel relieved.”

“yes.”

Samuel’s expression as he answered wasn’t all that bright. Arthur somehow thought he knew why.

“The key is Mrs. Zeltney, right?”

After securing a shield to block Kato’s interference, I couldn’t help but think about the real problem of the thumb.

Samuel nodded, wondering if Arthur’s guess was correct.

“So, what I’m saying is… … . Can you give me some advice?”

“All I can say is to make you believe that he is a man you can love consistently.”

Because Mrs. Zeltney was a woman who had been hurt twice by a man’s change of heart.

“how?”

“That would be different for everyone. Don’t try to find an easy answer, but think about it carefully. Madame Zeltney is a good woman, so she will surely notice your worries.”

Honestly, if Arthur hadn’t had a relationship with Tony and Viana, would he have seriously considered a relationship with Madame Zeltni? Even though she was ten years older than him.

Samuel thanked Arthur and left. Arthur briefly prayed that the two would have a happy ending.

* * *

31-The Results of the War

Ignaqua. Water containing the power of lightning. A substance that proves the theory of 瘴氣.

Medical doctors who denied the long-term theory questioned the effectiveness of Ignaqua, but they could not deny the reality proven in the field hospital.

Moreover, as Ignaqua began to be supplied to hospitals in earnest and statistics began to appear showing a clear decrease in infections and complications, the long-term theory became a mainstream in the medical world.

So what exactly is 瘴氣? What is its source? Medical doctors generally agree that it is caused by something dirty and filthy. That was a logical explanation.

In other words, the logic was completed that in order to drive out disease, you must stay away from dirty and filthy things that cause phlegm. It was an advancement in medicine in the past when there was no concept of hygiene, but humans had a bad habit of distorting things to suit their own tastes, no matter how good the intentions were.

The concept of hygiene, which sprouted based on the long-term theory, ended up with the logic that dirty and filthy things = dirty and filthy lower class = slum areas should be cleared out to protect the hygiene of the city!

As this logic spread from the aristocratic aristocracy to the commoners, it naturally became a source of controversy. Ironically, the argument that the slums should be cleared was supported by the intellectual class, which was not so wealthy, while those who opposed it were factory owners and business capitalists.

If the interests of the intellectual class were in the public interest of improving the hygiene of the city and preventing disasters such as epidemics, the interests of factory owners and business capitalists were in the question of where to obtain cheap slaves, or rather employees.

The intellectual class criticized the behavior of the so-called haves who put the capital of the Kingdom of Skara, St. Scala, at risk of an epidemic for their own benefit, and who tried to privatize profits and publicize losses, but the capitalists, who had never shown any sympathy for the poor until then, branded the slum clearance advocates as beasts with human faces and hearts, trying to sacrifice the poor under the pretext of public interest.

In the midst of the contradiction where public interest causes threatened the poor’s right to housing and the capitalists’ pursuit of selfish interests actually protected the poor’s right to housing, there was someone who sought a third way: Fried Papakar.

“His Excellency Arthur Hurt, successor to the ancient alchemy.”

“What the hell is that?”

It was not pleasant to have an unwelcome visitor talking nonsense. However, Senator Fried, who knew very well that Arthur was not particularly pleased with him, did not show it and just went on to tell him what he had come for.

“I have come to seek advice on how to improve the hygiene of the poor.”

Even if Arthur did not welcome him, the wisdom in his head was worth saving.

Arthur was dumbfounded by Rep. Fried’s behavior of treating him like Do○Emong, but he asked about the matter he had brought up because he was curious.

“Synergy for the poor?”

“That’s it… … .”

The current political issue is not the war, which is continuing to report victories, but urban sanitation and redevelopment. In other words, there is much talk about whether or not to clear out the slums.

“Star disease… … .”

Arthur, who thought that they were doing such a retarded thing even though the war wasn’t even over, couldn’t finish his words and trailed off.

Are you saying that everyone’s screws have fallen out of their heads? No matter how many victories are reported, the war is not over yet.

Still, he was tight-lipped.

As Councilor Fried showed that he was not particularly worried about the war, it seemed that the war was going well in Arthur’s favor. Although the army of the Kingdom of Skara may look like a retard in Arthur’s eyes, couldn’t the army of the Kingdom of Zatra be even more retard?

Anyway, he carefully considered the agenda that Rep. Fried had brought. Then, the following thoughts came to his mind.

The position and thoughts of the weak have no influence whatsoever.

If a decision is made from above, the weak have to follow it. Even in a country where freedom of assembly and association is legally guaranteed, the poor are the weak who are beaten by hired thugs and kicked out of the places they have worked so hard to build. What can we say in a society where authoritarianism is alive and well in the era of the caste system? The moment they try to take collective action, soldiers will come and beat them with clubs?

But people are so contradictory that if you point out the truth that the plight of the poor is not a problem, you will be branded as unsympathetic trash. Sympathy does not help solve the problem at all. Tsk tsk.

But before answering, Arthur had to consider what Fried Papaca’s intentions were. So he asked.

“Do you want to keep the poor from being evicted from their homes, or do you want to make it so that evicting them does not cause problems?”

“I think it’s probably the former.”

Congressman Fried frankly confessed his sympathy for the poor. Arthur, observing his expression, opened his mouth.

“Then, let’s first consider the issue of compensation.”

“What’s the compensation?”

“They are being kicked out of their homes. It’s bound to be unfair. That unfairness will inevitably create problems. The crime rate, such as theft or robbery, will probably increase. Since they’ve been kicked out of their old neighborhoods, the scope of crime will probably increase and the burden on the security forces will increase. And unless they’re migrating to the north, you can’t really call them kicking them out. Where are they going to go if they’re kicked out? As long as their jobs are nearby, they’ll eventually have to find new homes nearby, so it’s only a matter of time before new slums appear.”

So, what I’m saying is that you need capital, or sufficient compensation, to invest in yourself so that you can increase your income.

But Arthur’s logic didn’t stop there.

“And what are you going to do about the garbage problem?”

“Trash?”

Fried tilted his head. Arthur could see from his appearance that Fried was definitely not from the bottom.

When Arthur first came to the capital, wasn’t the garbage disposal problem one of the things that impressed him about the city’s structure? He either didn’t know how the garbage was disposed of or he was so used to it and took it for granted that he was in a blind spot in his thinking.

Arthur answered.

“Slums recycle their waste. That’s why the cities don’t have too much garbage.”

Even if it was useless, if it was burnt, it was the poor who would use it as firewood even if it was completely dried. Could we say that they were skilled extreme recyclers and private waste incinerators?

“So if we clean up the slums carelessly, we’ll have a garbage problem.”

“Oh! Then there must be a reason to leave the slums alone.”

“That doesn’t mean there are no hygiene issues.”

“I think we just need to improve that part somehow.”

Congressman Fried’s expression brightened. Arthur suggested two things there: public bathhouses and water supply and sewerage. Well, water supply and sewerage are combined to make three things.

“Overall urban sanitation will be greatly improved once water and sewerage systems are installed. However, it will certainly be very expensive. However, once installed, public bathhouses can be installed more easily.”

Fried Papaka was astonished by the concept of a bathhouse.

“Oh my god! A place where many men and women wash their naked bodies!”

“Of course, men and women should be separated. And this is a facility that existed even in ancient countries.”

“I know that, but… … .”

As Fried remembered, public bathhouses later became hotbeds of prostitution and epidemics, defeating their purpose. Therefore, Arthur’s intention to introduce public bathhouses was understandable, but the question was whether people would accept it.

Arthur seemed to have anticipated such concerns and proposed a solution.