How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony

Therefore, they could follow the advice from the university without any resistance.

It was thanks to this that the proportion of participants in the monastic order movement, originally maintained at around 30-40%, increased by about 10% during that time.

Those who couldn't participate in collective labor due to poor manual dexterity were able to join.

Though just 10%, it represented tens of thousands of labor force at the same time.

It was enough for numerous new factories to emerge and numerous new monastic orders to be established.

And soon, factory owners and abbots began to tilt their heads in wonder.

Clearly... with more labor invested, their influence had expanded.

But the upward trend was beyond what they had expected.

No one knew the exact reason.

It seemed that something profound was changing in the community.

==

In the 21st century, the early modern period of the 16th and 17th centuries is often thought of as the twilight of religion.

In conclusion, this is half right.

Certainly, with the 16th century Reformation, the power of Catholicism was broken, and after the large-scale religious wars of the 17th century, religion never re-emerged as a force driving society as a whole.

But thinking in reverse, the situation changes.

The fact that the Reformation ignited fires all over Europe, and almost all European countries participated in wars caused by religion, proves the piety and devotion of that era.

People zealously went on pilgrimages and were passionate about donations and charity.

They actively hunted Jews, witches, and other pagans. They were enthusiastic about purchasing indulgences. Monasteries were filled with those wanting to become monks or nuns.

The 16th and 17th century Europe was an era dominated by religious fervor, just like other eras before it.

But why?

Why did not just one or two people, not just the upper class, but tens of millions of people pray to heaven with such enthusiasm? For hundreds of years, at that.

There can be several answers, but the following fact must have played a major role:

There was nothing else in life to be enthusiastic about.

Except religion.

All holidays and festivals were connected to religious annual events.

The tens of millions of people who struggled to make a living poured their life energy into such annual events and became more attached to religion.

The life that the absolute majority of people lived on earth was too mean to care about, and there wasn't much that changed even if they cared. Therefore, paying attention to the eternal glory of heaven was a more economical choice.

People didn't think that their yesterday and today, today and tomorrow would be different, but they believed that they could get closer to infinite glory every day in their heavenly life.

Perhaps the cynical atheists of the future were right.

When theaters become more plentiful near home, when money pouches become more plentiful, and when hope is discovered in life, people won't look for hope in heaven.

When there's a way to make a living, when there's a path to rise, naturally people become indifferent to life beyond.

Such a story applied similarly to the people of the Virginia community.

"Ah, hello, Nameless One...!"

"Nameless One! Please look this way!"

Of course, they didn't become indifferent to religion. The evidence of heaven walking clearly before their eyes prevents that.

The angel who gave them a new life and homeland showed them all too clearly why they should believe in and follow Christianity.

However, their lives had become too splendid for them to focus only on heaven.

For the first time in their lives, they were able to fully satisfy their desires.

At first, they were obsessed with wrapping themselves in layers of fur, decorating their clothes with jewels, and building larger houses.

They spent lavishly on luxury with whatever came in.

Surprised by the wealth they first held, they indulged only in enjoying it. They ate, drank, and enjoyed precious food.

But as mentioned earlier.

Common things cannot satisfy people.

When wealth became common, wealth too became something one could tire of.

Some who tired of wealth entered monastic orders for honor and spiritual elevation, but others had different thoughts.

They had lived immersed in religion until now.

And they had learned how to enjoy a new life after coming here.

Though tired of enjoying wealth, they didn't want to throw themselves into religion as before.

They had already enjoyed too much for that.

"There, Taryn? How are your sons doing?"

"Why ask about my sons?"

"You're getting older now, you should think about your children's future."

"Hmm... that's true. I'm teaching them enough to inherit the factory work."

"Is that all? You need to look further ahead."

Taryn, a Welshman who had transformed from an ordinary carpenter to a proper factory owner, was in the same situation.

While enjoying a luxurious life, raking in massive amounts of money, he suddenly fell into thought after receiving such a question during a conversation with neighboring friends.

What to do with his children?

"Then what about after you're gone? You should think about your family line."

The friend who spoke like that had recently been participating actively in monastic order activities, sending all his children to university, and living diligently. As money accumulated, he invested it all in his children's education.

At the words telling him, who had been just an ordinary carpenter, to care about his "family line," Taryn felt a sense of dissonance but unconsciously nodded and said:

"Yes, I should pay attention to that now."

After saying that and returning home, his heart was inexplicably pounding.

Taryn decided to send his children to university and simultaneously began reducing the frequency of the lavish banquets he had been hosting.

Similarly, he reduced the number of luxury items in the house and made the dishes served at feasts more modest.

At first, his family was perplexed by his change, but they all thought it was for the best and went along with it.

It was because he had become more energetic in all matters.

Taryn took the portion he had been spending on luxury and added it to expand the scale of the new factory being built.

To send his children to university, he attached retired knights and technicians as home tutors.

He devoted more time to work, reducing the time he indulged in luxury and pleasure.

As if work itself was the purpose.

Taryn himself didn't clearly know the reason. What had made him change.

"Hmm? Then what about after you're gone?"

He only vaguely knew that his friend's words had been some kind of catalyst.

After me.

A legacy that won't end with my death.

Wealth.

Permanence.

Wealth and glory that continues even after death.

But not of heaven, rather repeating on this earth.

Not just Taryn, many moved like him.

Without even recognizing the gradual change themselves, they gradually reduced luxury.

And some built new factories.

Some established new monastic orders.

Some sent their children to university.

They had begun reinvestment in earnest. Toward their businesses, toward their lives.

They educated their children, ran factories, and steadily tried to grow the money coming in.

They sought for this wealth to continue beyond their lives, passing to their children, and then to their children's children.

They had learned to be honest with their desires.

Without even recognizing the gradual change themselves, they gradually reduced luxury.

Perhaps they made the same choice as when they were immersed in religion. Having achieved most of what could be achieved on earth, they dreamed of eternal glory and power.

They sought for this wealth to continue beyond their lives, passing to their children, and then to their children's children.

More wealth, more glory.

Momentarily forgetting Jesus's words about storing treasures in heaven, they began to firmly gather their treasures on earth.

Four years after planning large-scale construction following the Queen's death.

Virginia had just built steamboats, breakwaters, paved roads, and universities, but perhaps this change was greater than all those.

Perhaps.

If someone from the 21st century came to see, they might call it this:

The seed of the spirit of capitalism.

And.

...

...

...

The bloody year of 1618 arrived.