Otaku Witch

Gray went on to describe the factory as the place where Mechanical Monks manufactured all kinds of mechanical products, inside which countless immense machines thundered, emitting a roar like that of a Great Dragon, their strength so formidable that each operation was more efficient than the combined effort of hundreds of blacksmiths.

.....

In any case, Gray's words had indeed astonished the onlookers, for they had never seen a church that did not venerate deities, let alone such a thing as a mechanical factory—in fact, the people of this era did not even understand the concept of machinery.

However, Gray himself was an excellent blacksmith, so his claims about machinery being more formidable than blacksmiths should have some basis, should they not?

Yet, with this mechanical factory in existence, would not the blacksmiths become unemployed?

The crowd stirred again, for in those times, a blacksmith was a very respectable profession, and those who possessed the Forging Craft held a not-insignificant social status.

In the face of such concerns, the forerunner, Gray, remained unperturbed. He said that the factory was hiring workers, and he had decided to join the factory and become a worker. He would follow the Mechanical Monks of the Church of Machinery first to learn their techniques, and then work in the factory.

This made many onlookers think Gray had lost his mind—after all, what was there to be proud of in being a worker? In those times, the lowest social statuses were held by farmers and workers. And although blacksmiths were workers too, they were skilled laborers whose social status was not so low. This sudden career change made them fear that his mind had gone awry.

Just like that, the crowd dispersed, until a week later, the area outside the Church of Machinery and the mechanical factory was crowded with people again.

Over the past week, the living conditions of Gray's family had become increasingly better, even to the point where they could afford to eat meat. What kind of concept was this?

It was only then that people realized just how high the mechanical factory's wages were.

In those days, a few "Braves" mustered the courage to go in for a tour. But when others asked them about it, these guys all said that Gray was bluffing, and it was not as good as he claimed, leading the crowds to take their word for it.

However, the lives of these scoundrels had also obviously improved a great deal recently. Further inquiry from the crowd revealed that these scoundrels had actually secretly joined the mechanical factory as new workers.

Those cunning fellows—quietly making a fortune and deliberately deceiving others to reduce competition.

This time, the entire city district was stunned. More people mustered the courage to step into the Iron Cathedral and the factory, entering with skepticism and leaving with astonishment and aspirations.

In less than a month, the city district had become a place where the average person was a worker.

.....

"Tsk tsk tsk, I really am foolish, truly. I've been thinking solely about the working class and almost forgot that in this era, there are no large factories to speak of, much less an established working class. There are only some small-scale artisan workshops. It seems I have to create a large factory myself first to catalyze the emergence of a working class."

From the rooftop of the Mechanical Cathedral, Dorothy looked down at the city district, which had undergone such drastic changes in less than two months, and spoke wearily.

Truth be told, such actions were foolish. Without the aid of Magic, this magical strength that could be used to cheat, such recklessness would have no chance of success.

"Oh well, if I'm to force growth, then so be it. After all, I don't have the luxury of time to waste. Let's kickstart the industrial revolution with Magic, liberate productivity first. Without sufficient productivity, all plans are fruitless. Adequate productivity is the foundation of everything."

"To instill the notion that 'man can conquer nature' deeply in people's hearts, sufficient material conditions are a must-have requirement."

"Although it seems the conventional path is to first experience the Renaissance, and then the Industrial Revolution, the reverse is true as well. Once lives become prosperous, basic needs are satisfied, only then will people have the energy to pursue spiritual needs and will no longer be content with the Church's spiritual control. That is when the faith foundation of the Church of Glory can be shaken."

The Homebody Witch rubbed the corners of her tired eyes and stood up. She approached the window and gazed out towards the outskirts of the city.

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The popularity of the Angel faith within the Church of Glory is actually closely related to the widespread poverty and low education level of the people in this era. When life gets tough and education is scarce, it's naturally easier to turn to the gods for comfort.

Therefore, in order to hinder the spread of the Church's faith, she must take drastic measures, cutting off the source of the problem.

If people's lives are difficult, she would find ways to improve their standard of living.

If people are poorly educated and their thinking is backward, she would find ways to raise their educational level, freeing them from ignorance.

If people need spiritual pursuits, she would aim to satisfy their spiritual needs with various arts and cultures.

In short, she would block the spread of the Angel faith from every angle, ensuring that it would find no fertile ground to grow in this land.

Dorothy's gaze turned toward the nearby factory, where mechanical monks dressed in priest's garb were teaching new apprentices how to use the industrial machines to produce goods.

For those adults whose minds had already become somewhat fixed, she introduced a tough measure, crushing their world views with this mechanically advanced factory before sending people to reshape them.

She didn't expect these medieval commoners to quickly become skilled workers wielding technology. For now, these workers were merely performing repetitive assembly line tasks, which were simple but monotonous.

However, she was not like those vampire capitalists, not intending to keep these people as fodder for the production line for life, hence the instruction by the mechanical monks.

Starting with the assembly line, they would earn wages to improve their quality of life and, gradually, learn skills from the mechanical monks. As long as these people were not too lazy to even desire to learn the technology of the White Church, they were bound to gradually master some mechanical crafts.

In short, the path upwards was offered to them, and whether they could seize it depended on themselves.

Even though Dorothy preached equality for all within the Church of Machinery, it only pertained to moral equality. Equality in social status was impossible, as the innate differences in individual abilities were something not even a witch could erase.

With differing abilities naturally came differing statuses, and that was only logical. It wouldn't make sense to place the mediocre in high positions without effort in the name of fairness.

Dorothy withdrew her gaze and picked up a mechanical-style Great Dragon mask from the desk, putting it on. Now, combined with the nun's attire she was wearing, the homebody witch was transformed into a mechanical monk.

In reality, within the entire Mechanical Church, there were only two true mechanical monks—herself and Denisha.

All other church personnel were true Mechanical/Monks, all of whom were Autonomous Puppets created by the homebody witch using Puppetry Technique.

Although these lifelike puppets amazed her junior sister Audrey, to Dorothy it was merely a basic skill of Puppetry Technique, as simple as having hands.

Alas, without the strength of witches, but only the power of human mages, it was difficult to imbue these Puppet Monks with much intelligence, which occasionally made them seem quite foolish. Fortunately, since the workers held these mechanical monks in high regard, such oddities were not a big issue, perceived as quirks of these revered monks, and could be explained away.

And when Dorothy left the office on the top floor of the cathedral and descended, the clamor of children studying reached her ears, bringing a tender smile to the face behind the homebody witch's mask.

Perhaps it was because she was currently inhabiting the body of the Moon Goddess that she felt an inexplicable sense of motherliness—after all, the incarnation of the Moon Goddess naturally exuded maternity, making the homebody witch extra kind to these children.

Compared to the adults in the factory, whose values, even if reshaped, weren't very malleable, the group of children here were truly the future pillars of the Church of Machinery.

...The Homebody Witch looked forward with anticipation...

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