Many years later, surrounded by raging flames, Baron Coopers finally recalled that distant morning when he followed his father into the factory to work as a child.
If time went back thirty years, maybe I would be one of those cheering people, right?
After confirming that the container had been ignited, he found a relatively clean place and sat down cross-legged.
Thirty years ago, Coopers was just a twelve-year-old boy.
On that rare night when I had a full meal - Coopers still remembers that he ate stuffed bread that day, the purple berry filling was very sour, but it was always memorable - after a rare full meal.
, the younger brother and sister went out to play a game of throwing rocks, while Coopers was left at home by his father.
"You are already twelve years old." My father's voice was low, hoarse, but full of doubt, "Come to work in the factory with me tomorrow."
Coopers was reluctant.
But he had no choice - or in other words, most Zaun people of this age had no choice.
So, after tossing and turning all night, the next morning, he wore his father's shirt with two buttons missing, stuffed two extra layers of cushions into a pair of worn leather shoes, put on the filter, and...
Once I passed through the iron gate and came to the alchemy factory.
The little Coopers watched his father give a shining golden hex to the supervisor, changing his position to himself.
That was the first time he saw a factory, the first time he saw the roaring machinery, the first time he saw Kim Hex.
It was also the last time I saw my father.
Things like killing people are completely normal in Zaun's alchemy factory - there is a joke from hell...
"Why do the Zaun people's alchemy products, even paint, have a lot of impurities? Because the Zaun people have these impurities."
There was no pension or compensation. The only generosity of the "kind-hearted" Baron was not to take back Coopers, a relatively safe position, but as a price, his salary was cut in half.
The halved salary was not enough to support Coopers and his younger siblings, and he was unable to save another gold hex to give to the supervisor, so he sent his younger brother to the factory. He wanted to find his father's former friend.
But unfortunately, those people sympathized with the child, but all they could do was give him some coupons from the bakery.
Using coupons, Coopers could buy bread at half price, but he could only buy what was not sold the day before - and because of Zaun's poor food safety, his brother also left him because of diarrhea that year.
, he is fourteen years old.
He tried to argue with the bakery owner, but was thrown out. Not only that, he also lost the right to use the coupons and no longer had half-price bread.
His younger brother's body was eventually sold to a human laboratory for a gold hex. With this gold hex, Coopers sent his sister to a private workshop - his vision was far greater than that of his father.
More broadly, he firmly believes that only by mastering a technology can one truly stand out.
There is no future for being a cow or horse like yourself.
Coopers' sister was very smart, and she was very popular with the workshop owner. She even followed the chubby aunt to Piltover several times to discuss business with people from another world.
Every time she came back from Piltover, she would excitedly tell Coopers what she had seen and heard, her eyes shining like stars.
Looking at the longing in her eyes, Coopers would always say, "We will move to Piltover in the future, I promise."
In order to realize his sister's dream, Coopers began to try to make money through sideways--or in other words, for a Zaan of his origin, there was no way to make money that was not sideways.
At first, Coopers chose to forge coupons from the bakery and sell them to his coworkers at one-fifth of the price.
This method allowed him to make his first money.
But soon, his trick was discovered by the owner of the bakery, who spent money to hire a few gangsters to teach Coopers a lesson.
Coopers, who was well prepared, used more gold hex to instigate these gangsters.
They all worked with money anyway, so they eventually followed Coopers, changed the direction and rushed into the bakery together, beating up the mean boss and taking away all the other's cash.
This was Coopers' first use of violence, and as the floodgates opened, things spiraled out of control.
Coopers discovered that it seems that in Zaun, fists are sometimes very useful - and you can also use gold hex to hire more fists, and use more fists to earn more gold hex.
With this discovery, Coopers finally embarked on another path. He no longer had to work in the factory. Instead, he gathered a large group of gangsters and thugs and began to "rob the rich and give to the poor" and deal with the cunning small businessmen.
hawker.
Coopers' "career" is prospering.
At this time, his sister met a young man from Piltover at a cooperative banquet.
He was a handsome guy who was said to come from a down-to-earth family.
Unlike the sloppy Zaans, he was always neat and tidy, and his cuffs always smelled of blue lavender. He admired Coopers sister's intelligence very much, and the two quickly fell in love.
When it comes to love, Zaun people are always passionate and unrestrained - when Coopers knew about this, he already had a nephew.
Although he gritted his teeth, Coopers still hoped to meet the Piltover guy. He didn't ask the other party to give him anything, he only hoped that he could take his sister out of Zaun. Even as long as he could marry his sister, Coopers could still get it.
Even for an ordinary Picheng person, the dowry is considered to be a large sum of money.
But it's a pity that the other party didn't mean this at all.
Even when he was with Coopers' sister, it was not because of her as a person, but because of some ingenious design solutions in her private workshop.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! He registered the patent at the Piltover Patent Office, and then brought the law enforcement officer to visit the house in a show of force, condemning Coopers's sister's "work" in the workshop.
"Infringement" and make a claim on the spot.
A conflict broke out.
During the conflict, Coopers lost his nephew and his sister.
This time, he was completely and completely alone.
Coopers wanted to gather his fists to deal with that damn Piltover guy, but none of these thugs were willing to cross the canal and find trouble with a "big shot" who lived in Lanxun Manor.
Not only that, but there was also a "quick-minded" guy who betrayed the news - Coopers' most trusted brother exposed his safe house for the sake of thirteen golden hexes.
The defenseless Coopers was picked out, beaten up, and finally thrown into a wastewater ditch. If he hadn't pretended to be dead in time, and the wastewater ditch was still very smelly, he would have been completely killed.
Beat to death.
That year, Coopers was twenty-three years old.
After escaping from death, Coopers no longer had any worries. With the will of revenge, he spent all his savings to find out and find the bastard's competitor, and became a vicious dog who brought his own dog food.
In this way, he followed a Pilgrim man on horseback and watched him use various means to intimidate and induce, win over and divide, and squeeze the market step by step, so that the bastard who stole his sister's wisdom went from being very proud to having nothing.
When he had to sell off all his property, pay a fine from the council, and leave the Lanxun Manor in despair with the intention of making a comeback, Coopers blocked him in an alley.
"My sister and nephew, they miss you."
After killing that bastard, Coopers did not stay in Piltover, but returned to Zaun.
Coopers, who has returned again, is no longer a diligent worker, no longer a lowly gangster. He has learned a lot from the Piltover man, and he now plans to use these in Zaun, which has brought him
Among countless painful cities.
Unlike many alchemy barons who like to enjoy themselves and are extremely greedy, Coopers has always been known for his ruthlessness. Anyone who offends him will be retaliated by him regardless of the cost. The thugs under his command have always been like a group of hungry people.
Bad wolf.
Others say that Coopers will retaliate, but only he knows that it is because after losing everything, only revenge can bring him a small amount of happiness.
In order to support his huge group of thugs, Coopers had no choice but to start an industry, and because of this large-scale thug group, his industry grew bigger and bigger.
No one dares to compete with Coopers in business, because it means that they are likely to be beaten up, or even lose their lives.
In this way, Coopers finally became an alchemist baron.
This time, Coopers drew his sword and looked around, but he was filled with confusion.
The former "kind" alchemist baron went bankrupt long before Coopers became famous. He didn't even leave a grave, and he no longer had a goal.
The confused Coopers finally caught up with the trend of the times this time and became more and more similar to other alchemy barons.
Open more factories, deal with the troublesome workers, find ways to deduct wages, and compete with peers without a bottom line.
The only difference between Coopers and them is that he will give his thugs better treatment, that's all.
……………………
The tongues of fire were licking Coopers' body, and beside him, several loyal thugs were groaning in pain.
But Coopers didn't seem to feel any pain.
Compared to the pain, what concerned him more was the ten years since he became the Alchemist Baron - when he recalled these ten years, there was nothing in his mind.
It seems like ten years have passed by in a flash, but nothing is left.
He must have eaten a lot of delicacies, but those delicacies were far less impressive than a piece of sandwich bread.
He should have many extremely loyal subordinates who would be willing to accompany him until the last moment even if they were in a sea of fire, but he had never truly believed in them.
At the last moment of his life, Coopers unexpectedly discovered that his life had been blank for ten years, so that when he wanted to end his life with happy memories, he could only recall,
But there was only the sourness of that corner of bread.
At this moment, Coopers suddenly envied the workers outside.
I don't envy them for being alive, nor do I envy them for winning in the end.
Coopers envies that they have another goal, just like his own sisters - he envies that their eyes can be as kind as stars.
The flames are getting higher and higher, and the smoke is getting bigger and bigger.
Coopers coughed quietly.
The scorching air irritated his respiratory tract, making his coughing more urgent - but he waved his hand, took the filter off his face, and threw it into the flames.
This is the last moment of his life. According to the folk customs of Zaun, people should not wear filters at the last moment.
After doing this last thing, Coopers sat quietly where he was, without confessing his sins or feeling any fear about the coming of death.
For him, his life may have ended long ago.
Or, in other words, on that morning, when the twelve-year-old entered the alchemy factory for the first time, his life had already been determined - this city that advocates the wind of freedom is actually not as free as it seems.
.
On the contrary, now, when Coopers is about to face his death, this city, as dull as a can, has finally opened a corner of its lid.
Closing his eyes, Coopers finally felt calm.
Suddenly, it seemed as if someone had put a new filter on him to isolate him from the irritating gas.
But what surprised Coopers was that the filter on this side was unexpectedly large, even covering his entire face.
"Let's go." A voice whispered in his ear, "Don't keep the wolf waiting."
Coopers didn't know whose voice it was.
But he didn't hesitate at all.
Stretching out his hand, Coopers adjusted the "filter" on his face, followed the guidance of the voice lightly, and embarked on a new journey.
Just like thirty years ago, the child wearing a filter, an unbuttoned shirt, and a pair of large leather shoes followed in his father's footsteps.