District 42-Chapter 229: Blacksmith part 2

Casper was flabbergasted by how huge that industry was on the inside. It was amazing. The more he walked inside there, the more he found new technologies.

’There is a lot of new things here that help to raise the production and the quality of the final product. It’s simply incredible how they could manage to raise the level of the industrial sector as well... But for a society well developed regarding technology, and that has a great Belic power, it’s no wonder that they found the necessity to improve the industry as well.’

The Princess was guiding him through the corridors and extensive blocks of that industry. In the way, she said to him to put on his mask, otherwise, people would be asking questions.

Each block had huge stretcher systems where different parts of specific equipment were made. However, there weren’t any people working there. Everything that needed to be crafted was work for the numerous robots operating, which left Casper wondering if the mask was really necessary there.

That factory was completely automatized. There was no space for humans, instead of the ones that would work in the maintenance of the robots. Probably there should be someone who kept an eye on the general operation of the factory to be sure that the system they made was functioning correctly and also to find mistakes that could affect the final product.

However, it was just a guess from Casper. He didn’t have any idea of how the industry was working in that district, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was completely wrong about it.

"No humans are working here at all, Vick?" He questioned afterward. Until now, he had been more cautious with her, but she seemed to have had calmed down.

"There are some. I don’t know exactly how many. The Blacksmiths are the only ones I know. But, anyway, it doesn’t matter at all. It’s not like I will take notes of every employee they have." She shrugged and Casper just giggled at his idiocy.

Just because she was the Princess of that district, it doesn’t mean that she knew every single thing that was going on there.

’Anyway, this factory just helps to show how their technological development ended up helping to increase the poverty in the district. After they could discover a way to feed robots with Indigo Energy and make them work better than humans, it substituted all the human labor, so people without any aptitude for technology couldn’t enter into the labor market. They couldn’t find any jobs.’

That was scary from Casper’s perspective. There wasn’t enough space for everyone anymore. And since the education system of District 42 was so insignificant out there that he didn’t even know if it existed, it was difficult for anybody to specialize themselves into something that could be worth it for society.

While he was in deep thought about those things, they passed for different blocks and sectors, until they got to a part far away from the core of the factory. You couldn’t see too much of the production area there.

He and Vick got to a part that was quite similar to the sections of the laboratories. There were dozens of different people working in that place and each one of them had their desks. It was all messy and you could see tools, engines, and cables spread on the floor.

The place was noisy and it felt overwhelming for a while. The sound of tools and engines functioning got Vick always sick since she didn’t like noisy places.

Casper was used to it. His group could make a mess even worse on days where they were really busy.

Nevertheless, a curious thing about that workshop was that no one talked. They were very reserved and focused on their own things.

Vick walked through that place grimacing behind the mask, getting near to a person who was working on something huge.

Casper couldn’t even tell if that thing was a weapon or a vehicle. He was hoping that it was the last option, because if a weapon as huge as that one could be able to shot one day, even water as ammunition would be destructive.

"Hey, Brokk!" The Princess needed to yell at him, so he could hear her.

The man looked at her a bit annoyed and it was clearly showing in his actions.

He was a bald and short man (about 160 cm in height). His body was quite fatty. His black bear was long, reaching his chest. Brokk also had a mask and it was brown, so he wasn’t a Jarl yet.

Once he realized that was Vick who called him, he soothed his mind a bit, but the expression behind the mask was still of someone who was stressed for being bothered so suddenly.

"Princess..." Rolling his eyes slightly, in a manner that she couldn’t notice, he went down the stairs he was on top before and, once he got to the floor, he bowed to Vick deeply.

She just narrowed her eyes with her usual cold expression, looking at Brokk with a sort of disgust.

"You better fix your manners, dwarf." Once she called him dwarf, Casper could notice a vein popping up on his neck. His movements turned stiffer and he avoided looking at her face.

Sighing slightly and then pulling Casper in front of her, Vick showed him to Brokk.

"That’s the White warrior. Since you all are always stuck at the same place and barely see the sunlight I doubt that you are aware of who he is, but, anyway, he is my guest and must be treated accordingly."

The bald, short man looked at Casper from top to bottom, analyzing him carefully.

’He seems to be a perceptive guy. No wonder, since he is a "Blacksmith" and all. I bet he is always paying attention to the details all the time because of it.’

"White warrior, you say?" His eyes moved towards his hair. "I bet it’s just another name for show. What did this guy do?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Vick kept with her nonchalantly expression behind the mask.

"Even if I said, you wouldn’t understand. I bet you don’t know even about the Midwest Battle."

Brokk shook his head, turning to his current craft again and returning to work on it. He didn’t have a slight interest in Casper, nor the Midwest Battle, or anything that was happening on the surface.

The soldier didn’t know if those Blacksmiths were worst than the scientists or not.

’Well, at least the scientists still are aware of things, although sometimes they don’t know what day it is...’

After some time in silence, Brokk asked with an annoyed tone that he didn’t bother to hide:

"Why is this man here, by the way? Don’t tell me that they are recruiting even more people just to lower our salaries again?"

That quote got carved in Casper’s mind. He was sure that it was worth it to keep it noted.

’So, they really have this kind of abuse. They don’t have any work laws here...’

Vick was trying her best to keep impassive.

"He is here because he needs a weapon."

The man stopped to work immediately, but still looking at the weapon he was making.

"This guy is a warrior, indeed, huh? What’s his aptitude?" He took out a notebook from a pocket in his dirty shirt.

"Espionage and the like. Strategic battle. End with the enemy as fast as possible. He doesn’t know too much about our world."

"Sgail, I suppose. I noticed because of the black mask since you won’t be bringing any criminal here."

’Any criminal? What is he implying with it?’ Casper was so busy and distant these days, that there was something he forgot to ask Leonel, and it was about their masks being the exiled ones.

"He doesn’t know how to operate technologies properly nor how to deal with Indigo Energy, right? I don’t want to spend hours doing one of my masterpieces just for it to not be used properly by someone like him. That’s unbecoming."

He finally glanced at them again and the look they received wasn’t the most receptive one.

Vick knew that she couldn’t argue or force a Blacksmith to do something, it was better to have a different approach. She must convince him, otherwise he would do a poor job.

"Casper isn’t someone you can discard like this. Do you know about Halden?"

"Yes. That piece of trash you call as prison and are proud to sustain, even though everyone knows what kind of shit happens there!"

Vick giggled.

"You don’t need to worry about Halden and the Third Lab anymore, Brokk. Casper won Halden. He destroyed it. That’s why he doesn’t deserve to be underestimated."

The man faltered, turning slowly to face the White warrior again with his eyes slightly widened.

He got pensive for a while.

"Hmpf... Say to me already what he needs and I will see what I can do."