NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 61.2
“Hand it out.”
“Yes, sir.”
We handed the chests over to the employees in charge of wage distribution.
The payroll staff, who worked under the orders of Teo and Mary, were people who could at least do basic calculations. They were a mix of both men and women.
Most of them were second, third, fourth, or even fifth sons and daughters of Northern noble families.
Since only the eldest sons inherited family wealth, the rest had to find a way to make a living — whether noble or commoner, the struggle was the same.
As a result, recruitment was surprisingly easy.
Of course, each candidate had to pass my personal interview and a background check by the Frost Knights.
“Employee number 125!”
“Yes!”
The payroll staff flicked the beads of their abacus and flipped through documents with one hand as they called out employee numbers.
The reason for calling employee numbers was to avoid confusion with people of the same name.
“Name: Mark. Worked on clay mixing at Factory No. 2, with three days of overtime.”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
The first person to be called was an elderly man with chimera prosthetic arms on both sides.
“With the performance bonus included… it’s 70 copper. Take half a silver coin and 20 copper.”
“Thank you!”
“Next! Employee number 29!”
“Yes!”
The next worker walked forward with a sluggish gait.
For the record, employee numbers were called randomly. If they were called sequentially from number 1, then those with later numbers would always have to wait longer to be paid.
“Name: Bill. Assigned to bone processing at Factory No. 1…”
And so, the wage payments began.
“Employee number 109!”
“Employee number 88!”
“Employee number 17!”
There were a total of six tables set up in front of the warehouse, and the employee numbers were called without pause.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
At the same time, the sound of silver coins being split in half echoed.
The weekly wage of the lowest-level workers typically ranged from 50 to 70 copper, depending on overtime and performance bonuses.
If we paid them entirely in copper coins, it would be too bulky. But if we paid in silver coins, the amount didn’t divide neatly.
As a result, every payday, a special guillotine-like device was used to split silver coins in half.
‘This… this is something else. Only in the North could something like this be allowed. If this were the Empire, there’d be an uproar.’
Even though the faces on the coins belonged to foreign monarchs — and especially since I didn’t have much affection for the Emperor of the Empire — seeing them sliced in half gave me an odd feeling.
‘If we eventually stamp Arina’s face on the gold, silver, and copper coins like I mentioned earlier, wouldn’t this be a problem too?’
I felt a twinge of unease.
‘They didn’t misunderstand what I said earlier… right?’
Swallowing dryly, I glanced at Mary and Teo.
Watching the faces of monarchs from all over the continent being sliced into pieces made me feel oddly tense.
If Arina’s face were ever printed on currency, I vowed to ensure it would be on paper money, not coins.
“Employee number 299!”
“Yes! I’m employee number 299, Sarah.”
“You’re assigned to first-stage molding at Factory No. 3. Worked overtime all five days this week and achieved performance goals three times this week alone, huh?”
Even as I was lost in all sorts of thoughts, the wages continued to be distributed.
“Yes! I worked really hard!”
“110 copper. Take one silver coin and 10 copper.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You should be thanking yourself for working so hard. Next!”
Not all employees were paid the same wage.
This particular employee, a woman named Sarah, was a widow whose husband had died during the recent expedition to the extreme north. She had four young children to care for and worked harder than anyone else.
On top of that, she had nimble hands, so she never missed a performance bonus.
“President! Thank you so much!”
Summoning her courage, Sarah bowed deeply to me before she left.
“If anything, I’m the one who should be thankful. Go home quickly. Your children must be waiting anxiously for you.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even though I witnessed this scene every week, it never failed to make my heart ache.
“Sir Rosie.”
“Yes, President.”
Watching Sarah’s light footsteps as she headed home, I called out to Sir Rosie.
I could have asked Mary, but she was busy helping the payroll staff split the silver coins.
“Did you make all the arrangements for this week?”
“Yes, sir. The entire High Tower guard force is on security duty. Even Commander Soon himself is patrolling in person.”
“He always goes above and beyond.”
“This is the perfect time to exercise the privileges of an official merchant. No need to feel burdened by it.”
Everyone in the High Tower knew it was payday for Arad Company.
Every restaurant and tavern in the area would be fully prepared to welcome our employees.
However, there would inevitably be those who targeted women like Sarah, seeking to rob them of their hard-earned wages.
“Distribute a small amount of copper coins to the soldiers on security duty today as a token of gratitude.”
For that reason, I made full use of the privileges of being an official merchant.
Meanwhile, a man had been watching the scene at Arad Company with astonished eyes for some time.
‘What kind of paradise is this? What on earth is happening in the North!?’
This man, who had just climbed up to the High Tower alongside Balzac, was none other than Entir, a great merchant.
The North that Entir visited under Balzac’s guidance was like a different world.
To be clear, the North was still neither prosperous nor peaceful.
The harsh cold made every breath feel like it was freezing his lungs, and along the way, he had to fend off attacks from monsters and wild beasts amid snowstorms.
And yet, despite the harsh environment, Entir sensed hope and peace in the people living in this unforgiving land.
‘Not a single bandit appeared on the road from Haven to High Tower!’
Perhaps it was because nature itself was already so wild and brutal, but there was hardly any instance of people preying on each other.
‘I haven’t even seen a single beggar along the way. There’s no way they could have cleared them all out just for me.’
Even in the affluent southern regions of the Empire, it wasn’t uncommon to encounter bands of thieves and groups of beggars.
This was due to the nobles’ ruthless exploitation of the people.
But not in the North.
‘I knew the North had lower taxes, but I didn’t realize it was being enforced so thoroughly.’
In the North, unity was a matter of survival.
The moment internal divisions arose, nature, beasts, and foreign powers would devour them whole.
‘Is it because of the rebellion that happened recently? The North, which was already leaning toward centralization, has become even more centered around the Grand Duchess. The nobility’s power is almost nonexistent now. Was there ever a place on this continent where the central government was this strong? If the modernist scholars who advocate for absolute monarchy saw this, they’d probably call it a utopia.’
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