I Became A Black Merchant In Another World

Bruno, or rather Karl Marx, was doing something he had never done in his life—studying.

The words of a teacher, difficult to understand, and the book with content that made one doubt the character of Fabio de Rothschild as a person, filled the pages.

All kinds of complicated knowledge that he had to learn by using his mind rather than his body...

‘I would rather be farming.’

Whether he thought about it or not, Fabio’s lecture continued.

"People, surprisingly, can endure poverty and hunger quite well. It would be more accurate to say that even when placed in such a harsh environment, they don't immediately think of starting a rebellion."

Karl could only nod at these words.

He had lived in poverty from his childhood until he left home as an adult, and his younger brother had nearly starved to death for lack of food. Yet, at that time, he didn’t blame the lord or the nobles. He just accepted it as his fate.

‘But how does the Count know what we think so thoroughly?’

It seemed very strange when considered logically.

Fabio de Rothschild, born the second son of the Medici baron family, must have never once had to worry about food in his entire life.

Yet, he understood things he had never experienced as if they were his own.

As he thought further, a chill ran down Karl’s arm.

"However, when one compares oneself to another man in the same situation, the story changes completely. From that point on, even if they are not starving, dissatisfaction and anger build up very quickly. You must use this to plant the seeds of anger in the hearts of peasants and workers."

Fabio wrote "Comparison, Anger, Uprising" on the board.

"When you were working in the factory, what ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) motivated you to lead the protests? Yes, Karl. Tell us."

"Compared to living as a serf, working in the factory was incredibly difficult and miserable."

"Could you explain specifically?"

"When I lived as a serf, if there wasn’t a famine, we could at least manage to get by. But when I joined the factory, I had to work for 13 hours a day without rest. The food was like the porridge you eat during a severe famine, and it was all we had every day. I felt like I’d rather die than live like this. I wanted to smash everything."

"That’s right. You should never forget that anger, that emotion from that time."

After saying this, Fabio wrote on the board:

[The miserable lives of workers and serfs are all because of capitalists, merchants, nobles, and kings.]

"Anger is like fire—if it doesn’t have something to burn, it will easily die down. Your job is to find the target for that burning anger. Everything you will learn from now on is an extension of this idea, so make sure you memorize everything I’ve said today."

With that, Fabio finished his lecture and left.

Karl, having finished taking notes, stood up immediately.

Finally, it was time for a break after the painful class.

He eagerly looked forward to returning to his accommodation provided by Fabio—he was about to get some rest.

"Finally, it’s over. Ha. Karl, don’t you feel like your head’s about to crack?"

"Feels like I've been hit with a rock."

"Studying something I’ve never done in my life, I feel like I’m going to die."

"Still, we’ve got to push through. We’re not in the same position as before, are we?"

Fabio had been putting careful effort into fully incorporating the leaders of the protest into his side.

If left alone, these men would likely betray him, so he quickly arranged for them to marry young, beautiful wives as soon as they entered.

Those who had lived alone, some until their mid-twenties, others until their early forties, cried genuine tears of gratitude for the match, considering it the best form of welfare in a world where marriage was the greatest task in life.

"One thing that bothers me is that after the education, we have to go to the Kingdom of Lyon. It feels a bit off."

"Haven’t you heard what our informant seniors said? The Count will make sure your wife isn’t uncomfortable being alone."

"Well, that’s true."

"And us, being the nobody we are, would we ever have touched a woman like her if it weren’t for the Count?"

Karl couldn’t help but nod at those words.

She wasn’t stunning enough to make his head spin, but she was cute enough that anyone would call her beautiful.

Back when he lived in the village, girls like her were almost always married off to some aging craftsman or became the mistress of a rich family.

Marriage was the one opportunity in life to change one’s fate.

"We’ll finish this job well, and then we can live happily with our wives," Karl said.

"You're right," came the reply.

"But I’m more worried about the speech test tomorrow. If I fail, I’ll have to study all night, and then the joy of the honeymoon will disappear."

"Idiot."

"You’re a priest now. Maybe you’ll even work miracles."

"I told you to study until the afternoon on the weekend, you fool."

Karl trusted Fabio.

If he did well in this mission, he’d rise even further.

"Study hard, too. For us, people like us, this opportunity may never come again."

Returning to his accommodation, Karl immediately embraced his wife.

No matter how difficult and painful the studying was, seeing his wife’s face made everything feel like it was washed away.

‘I’ll have to study hard again tomorrow.’

"Hello, Maria."

"Did you study well?"

"I only thought of you, Maria, and worked hard."

Maria didn’t ask what he learned, nor did she even seem curious about it.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Because before she married him and came here, she had been strictly warned not to inquire about what her husband was learning.

‘Being too curious could ruin everything for me.’

"What’s for dinner tonight?"

"Toškano bread with ribollita, and vongole pasta."

"Sounds delicious."

Whether it was when Karl lived as a serf or worked as a laborer in the city...

The only food he could afford was some nameless, poorly made stew.

But now, the food was made with plenty of flour, ribollita with meat, and pasta with clams.

A meal that could only be enjoyed by the middle class or above.

‘I live for the pleasure of looking at my wife and eating good food. Truly.’

"It’s delicious. Thank you."

"Today, Michaela, who lived in a fishing village, taught me how to make it, so I’m glad it turned out well."

"Was she the one you said you just got close to a few days ago?"

"Yes."

"I didn’t expect her to be from a fishing village. I guess she knows a lot about fish dishes."

"She said the only problem is that it’s hard to get fresh fish here."

"She’s spoiled now, isn't she?"

Both Maria and Karl were deeply satisfied with their current life.

At first, when they were told to marry a man they didn’t know and a woman they had never seen, they were dumbfounded.

But now, they lived in a better house than when they lived in the village, eating plenty of delicious food.

They had a comfortable life and could live with a sense of ease in everything.

Except for living with a stranger, it wasn’t so bad.

‘I never would have lived this comfortably if I hadn’t married this person.’

And Maria knew that well.

If things had gone another way, she might have ended up marrying into a poor family like her father’s, or heading to the city alone, living a miserable life.

Both had experienced or were preparing for the worst, and now they were content with their current situation.

Although there was no love, there was a bond of loyalty in living together.

"Back in the day, we could only eat food like this during festivals."

"Yeah, I know."

"I don’t even know if we deserve to eat such delicious food every day."

"Thanks to the Count, right? We should study hard and repay him."

"...I’ll study a little more after dinner."

Someone once said:

A married man has three times the economic effect compared to a single man.

In other words, it meant that a man becomes three times stronger and works harder when he’s married.

Karl also strengthened his resolve in that way.

"Don’t overdo it."

"It’s all thanks to the Count that we live like this, and I need to work harder for you."

As soon as Karl finished his meal, he started writing the notes Fabio had handed out on a small blackboard, memorizing them all.

This was the only way to repay the favor...

And this was the only way to maintain a peaceful life with his wife.

Meanwhile, Fabio called the person who would lead the next agitation operation to his office.

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"Orsini, long time no see."

"Yes, indeed."

"I’m about to entrust you with a very important task."