A Pawn's Passage

After disembarking from the passenger ship, Qi Xuansu immediately felt a noticeable difference in people’s attitudes.

That was because he was now disguised as a respectable Western gentleman. Everyone, including foul-mouthed sailors, treated him with courtesy and deference. It almost seemed as though this were a rather pleasant world.

But once he turned his gaze to the other side of this world, it was clear that things were not so. The laborers and slaves there endured heavy toil, overseen by foremen. When dealing with them, the same people showed none of the respect or humility they displayed toward gentlemen, but brutality and violence. Among them were quite a few Eastern faces.

Although the Daoist Order had strictly prohibited the slave trade, some people were still unfortunately trafficked to the New Continent. Others had committed serious crimes and could no longer survive in the Central Plains. They dared not flee to Nanyang due to the strong Daoist presence, so they could only cross the vast ocean to the New Continent in search of a way to live. It was essentially a place of exile for criminals.

In this city dominated by Westerners, the status of Easterners was quite low. Most could only take on menial work, like dock labor, railway construction, and other hard labor. Their wages were far lower than those of locals. Those with slightly better circumstances might run small businesses, such as restaurants. Slaves were concentrated on plantations, and relatively few were found in large cities.

In such an environment, it was only natural for gangs to rise to power, filling the power vacuum in gray areas such as brothels and taverns. Among them were also many Eastern faces.

This was also one of the reasons Qi Xuansu disguised himself as a Westerner. The status of Easterners in the Northern New Continent was simply too low, with the limit capped at the middle ranks. To enter the upper ranks, one had to follow the Holy Court and inevitably display even greater zeal than Westerners. For Easterners to prove their loyalty, they had to be even more fervent and extreme than Westerners.

For this reason, if Qi Xuansu wished to reach the middle and upper ranks and truly understand their movements and thinking, an Eastern identity would severely hinder him.

Qi Xuansu did not focus on the lower classes here because there were too few Easterners and natives to form any real foundation. Most natives were concentrated in the Tawantin Empire, so there was no need to consider organizing uprisings or resistance here. Moreover, it was not his place to take responsibility for the region since he was not a ruler here. No matter how much he observed, there was little he could actually do beyond a few sighs.

The movements of the middle and upper classes, on the other hand, might yield unexpected insights, allowing Qi Xuansu to grasp the overall situation.

Qi Xuansu carried a large leather suitcase. Besides a few outfits, it contained some Silver Eagles and Gold Crowns. Since this place was highly developed, paper banknotes became popular, so Qi Xuansu had prepared some of those as well.

A fine-looking hired carriage pulled up beside him. Qi Xuansu spoke in the Lune language, “Take me to the best hotel in the city.”