Darkstone Code-Chapter 700 - 0698 New Federation
For the civil society of Nagariel, what they are most concerned about is labor export.
Higher wages, better benefits, some literacy schools even use the slogan "A month of literacy, a lifetime of happiness" for promotion.
And from beginning to end, all of this doesn’t require paying money.
Anyone can participate in literacy courses at the literacy school for free, and once they acquire the necessary literacy certificate, they can take on various jobs.
The tuition for the literacy schools will be deducted proportionally from the students’ wages after graduation, with slightly more deducted at first, but much less later on; after one or two years, or two or three years, they can pay off the school fees.
Meanwhile, they can also earn a substantial amount of money.
These terms are all specified in detail in the contracts they sign when joining the literacy courses; if someone wants to pay less weekly, the repayment period just extends.
Some people have studied these contracts and found that paying off in one go is the most cost-effective. If the repayment period is extended to five years, although weekly payments are much lower, the total repayment amount is over triple the one-time payment!
Yet even so, many still choose to repay in three to five years because the weekly deduction is indeed minimal and won’t affect their lifestyle or spending.
Now, overseas job opportunities are only available to those who have completed literacy courses, plunging the entire society into a "literacy craze." Additionally, some low to mid-level technical work training schools have also become popular.
Technical jobs offer more wages, more subsidies, and better benefits, such as some engineering vehicle drivers or operators, who all have two-person rooms or even single-person rooms!
This is far more comfortable than squeezing into a room with a bunch of people!
To earn more and enjoy more, it is imperative to have higher personal skills and at least the ability to read and write.
Nagariel is a typical polarized society, with only the upper and lower classes; the middle class was cleansed clean in several movements before.
As a result, the lower class, which makes up more than ninety-five percent of the population of this country, is discussing these things instead of discussing the ongoing United Parliament meeting.
In the Royal Palace of the Royal Capital, surrounding a large round table, Provincial Governors from all over Nagariel are gathered.
The former "Eldest Prince," now the King, sits at the head seat, his expression quite relaxed, with no trace of the hostility, hatred, or other negative emotions the outside world speculates about.
Even the Federation people were startled by the Eldest Prince’s cooperation at first; to put it simply, it was like the guest just entered the door, and the service staff were already lying clean on the bed, ready and waiting.
The enthusiasm was so overwhelming that some in the Federation wondered if the Eldest Prince was plotting something until they tested many times and found that indeed, the Eldest Prince was just cooperating, then they slightly let down their guards.
In fact, for the Eldest Prince, now the young King, he is merely a stand-in; now with food and drink, the Federation people even pay his social insurance and opened a bank account for him in the Federation, into which they deposit a bit of money periodically.
He feels this might be the most wonderful thing in the world, and if the Federation people didn’t disagree, he’d even want to dissolve the monarchy completely and just go to the Federation to enjoy life.
Compared to the Eldest Prince’s indifference, others’ complexions were not so good.
The meeting was set to discuss two matters.
The first matter was to change the current political entity of the Nagariel United Kingdom on paper, shifting from a monarchical system to a United Parliament system, where all Provincial Governors become Legislators, taking turns as Speaker, with the King holding one Speaker vote and three Legislator votes.
Additionally, the hereditary system is to be transformed into an electoral system, with Legislators elected by the voters of each Province, now also called a State.
In the early stage, there might be improper implementations, but no matter what, there will certainly be a day when it is properly implemented, meaning the hereditary system is on the countdown to its extinction.
If the first matter would change this country, then the second matter is to ensure the first matter proceeds in an orderly manner.
The Kingdom has announced the dissolution of ninety percent of its armed forces, or army, and instead, national defense has been outsourced to Federation merchants.
Every year, Nagariel needs to pay a fee to Federation contractors, who ensure the national defense security and internal stability of Nagariel.
The only force under genuine local control now is the Police Station.
In addition to these rulers, there are also some Federation people in the room, serving as assistants to certain Provincial Governors.
"The time is almost up, Your Highness..." the Federation steward standing beside the King bent over and reminded him.
The King, making splendid daydreams, snapped out of it and slightly adjusted his posture, "Everyone has arrived, haven’t they? Then we should begin this meeting."
"I know each of you has many ideas, whether you express them or not, I know you have thoughts, I even know what you are thinking."
"Some may ridicule me, call me a waste, but I don’t care, I don’t have much sense of belonging here."
"Corruption, backwardness, ignorance..."
He mercilessly spoke words of denigration about this country, with two Federation assistants beside him maintaining reserved smiles, and indeed what he said was the truth.
The Eldest Prince, in people’s memory, was someone who cherished the life abroad after studying overseas and was unwilling to come back; there are actually many such people, even children in Provincial Governors’ families have quite a few like this.
Many of the children who are unable to compete for the position of Provincial Governor choose to settle abroad, living affluent lives.
Everyone knows that their New King is absolutely right, yet they still find it hard to accept.
"Enough, let’s get to the point."
Someone interrupted him, and the New King glanced sideways at the person who stopped him, sneering, "Alright, let’s talk about today’s main topic..."
He casually shuffled the documents on the table, flipped through them a few times, and closed them again, "Nagariel has been through so much, and it’s time to recognize certain realities; we are at the point where immediate reform is necessary to continue on."
"From the lower classes to us here, every tier has significant issues. I have no intention of pursuing anyone’s mistakes, whether individual or group. What we need to discuss now is how to change them."
"We actually don’t have much experience in this aspect, but fortunately, we aren’t fools. We can learn, learn from the experiences and systems of those advanced, developed countries."
"The Federation is a great example to learn from. Whether in military, economy, politics, technology, industry, or the welfare of society, they are ahead of the world."
"I believe this isn’t without reason, and this is precisely why we need to learn from the Federation..."
Inside and outside the room, and even on the Federation Mainland, many people are paying close attention to this meeting. Voices from the conference room are being transmitted through wires into everyone’s ears.
This includes the President, Cabinet Members, Mr. Truman, and everyone else who has some connection to this issue. They are all listening.
From the very beginning, the ending was already set, and now it’s just giving Nagariel the last shred of dignity.
Moreover, the things the New King mentioned are not entirely made up or false; what he’s saying is basically the truth.
Just like now, the lower class society that Nagariel struggled with for hundreds of years has been fully activated under the Federation’s economic construction, creating results that leave the rulers wide-eyed.
People began to yearn for change, started to reflect, and ideological waves surged. Even without the Federation people forcing them to change their existing political system, someday in the future they would stand up internally to push for reform.
The Federation merely shortened this process, and this cannot be considered coercion, nor is it invasion, but rather warm familial care from internationalism.
In the long descriptions, time passes bit by bit, and everyone’s expression doesn’t look good, after all, their power is about to be handed over; how could they possibly smile?
"...Let’s vote!"
When the New King finished this sentence, people inside and outside the room held their breath.
The first impression was quietness, a silence that lasted for two or three minutes.
At the butler’s signal, the New King smiled, "You all seem very shy, so let me express my stance; I vote in favor of our first proposal, to change Nagariel’s existing political system for reform and prosperity."
He raised his hand and then looked at the others.
Some were reluctant, some hesitant, some expressionless, some sighed.
"I also agree..."
"Agree..."
...
Everyone raised their hands. At this step, it’s not timely to do something inappropriate.
Those who truly wanted to be martyrs had already courageously faced death long ago. Those who managed to drag it out until now without dying and still hold power aren’t the ones who can’t figure things out.
The first proposal passed very smoothly, followed by the second proposal, which also passed very smoothly.
The Federation’s defense contractors have already sent troops from the Federation to various places. Now, are you disagreeing?
As long as it is vetoed here, perhaps in the next second, the family of the person voting against would suffer a meteorite impact.
In less than an hour, a country was effectively vanquished!
News during the evening that wasn’t too interesting domestically in Nagariel caused a stir internationally.
The cooperation of the New King made the Federation relatively less passive on this issue; whether or not someone is coerced is quite apparent. The New King even expressed his hatred for the decaying rule in a subsequent press conference facing the global audience.
He also reiterated that if given the opportunity, he would certainly dissolve the royal family to prove his determination to promote reform through such measures.
The name Nagariel United Kingdom has become a thing of the past.
From this moment onward, it is called "Nagariel New Federation"!
