# The Vicious Cycle of Greed

**Knowledge ID**: 12970

## Description

The Shen Merchant Guild exploited mine workers by offering paltry wages and failing to provide the necessary tools. 

The decent tools were up for sale, ensnaring workers in a cruel loop: to get paid, they had to meet quotas; to meet quotas, they needed effective tools; and to get those tools, they needed money they didn't have.