Chapter 782.3: Blood Flowing Like A River

Han Long ignored it.

Qian Duo, however, looked curiously toward the man who had inserted himself into their conversation. He was a refined-looking, gentle and scholarly man. He looked like someone of high status, but the clothes and belongings on him were not particularly expensive. A large suitcase sat beside his feet, suggesting he was probably traveling somewhere far away.

Curious about a local’s perspective, Qian Duo asked, “Oh? You think he can still win even if the New Alliance doesn’t intervene?”

Zaid smiled faintly and spoke softly. “That depends on how you define winning and losing. If his goal is to defeat Alyang, then it won’t be difficult for him. But if his goal is to achieve the program advocated by the League, then he has no chance whatsoever.”

Qian Duo laughed. “That’s an interesting way of putting it. My view is exactly the opposite. If the Gray Wolf Army loses again, the Xilande Empire will never be able to recover. Its collapse will only be a matter of time.”

Zaid shook his head and replied methodically, “Our views actually do not conflict. But the collapse of the Xilande Empire and the realization of the League’s program are two different things.”

Qian Duo was becoming increasingly interested in the man. With a smile slowly forming on his face, he said, “You mean Laxi wants to become emperor? I don’t necessarily think that would be a bad thing. Even if this place became feudal, wouldn’t that still be far more civilized than the way people are practically living like savages now? Sorry for being so direct, but that’s genuinely how it looks to an outsider like me.”

Zaid did not get angry. He merely chuckled, “Anyone with eyes can tell that Laxi wants to become emperor. It isn’t something only you outsiders can see. Unfortunately, he has no opportunity to do so. The survivors of the Poro Province do not need an emperor. Or rather, what the people here have needed was never an emperor. It’s simply that in the end, what they received was ‘His Majesty’... Of course, what they need isn’t equality either. What they truly need is someone who can make decisions for them.”

Qian Duo raised an eyebrow with interest.

Before coming here, he had done extensive market research, especially by repeatedly reading Han Mingyue’s investigation reports. What this man was saying differed sharply from the findings of the New Alliance Scientific Expedition Team, though it was not completely opposite either.

“You don’t think Laxi is that person?”

Zaid shook his head. “Obviously not.”

Qian Duo asked curiously, “Because he was born a slave?”

Zaid shook his head again. “Of course not.”

Qian Duo asked once more, “Then why?”

Zaid looked up at the ceiling and thought for a while before sighing. “Because... he wants to be a good emperor.”

Qian Duo couldn’t help laughing. “What’s wrong with that?”

Zaid smiled faintly but did not answer the question directly. Instead, he started droning on. “There is a logical paradox on this land. For the moment, I’ll call it... the ‘Mouse Cannot Become Human Theorem,’ or simply the ‘Ratman Theorem.’ Someone who wants to become a good general can never become a good general. Someone who wants to become a good emperor can never become a good emperor. Even someone who merely wants to be a good person will inevitably fail. Whether it is Laxi or Wutuo Xilande, whether it is the young men of the League or Wutuo’s old nobles, the harder they try and the more they struggle, the farther they will drift from their own ideals.”

The theory sounded like something he had just invented on the spot. After all, even its ridiculous name had taken him quite a while to come up with.

Still, because Qian Duo wanted to understand the market beneath his feet more deeply, he continued listening with interest. “That sounds like a truly hopeless fate.”

“Doesn’t it?” Zaid glanced at the clock on the wall of the waiting hall. Apparently, he still had some time, so he continued at length. “... An invisible curse coils around everyone on this land, whether they are from the Rat Clan or Moon Clan. Some people have realized the source of that curse is the red earth or the City of a Thousand Pillars. But many more only think they understand it, when in reality they understand nothing at all. So they fix their eyes on the red earth, on those thousand pillars. It is like trying to pluck flowers from a mirror, fish the moon out of water, or search for a fine horse inside a cowshed.”

“The only one who can make decisions for the survivors of the Poro Province is a flawless saint. They pursue perfection in this regard with almost obsessive devotion, perhaps even more devoutly than the believers of Silvermoon Bay. And so they eventually got exactly what they wished for. Think about Rowell. You may say Rowell died long ago, but isn’t Wutuo Xilande simply another Rowell?”

“He never truly left. He has always remained inside that red earth, cursing the people who buried him. Now his children have found a new answer, something they had never even imagined before! That’s the equality that you gave them.”

He lowered his eyes and sighed quietly.

“Everything seems beautiful. Unfortunately, the curse has begun to take effect, or rather, the ‘Ratman Theorem’ has activated. A rat that longs to become a good person cannot even remain a good rat. When every survivor in the Poro Province consciously or unconsciously begins yearning for equality, what they eventually receive will inevitably be the complete opposite.”

Qian Duo froze for a moment, then joked, “If such a flawless saint really existed, forget you people! We would want one too... There’s no need to describe laziness as something unique to you.”

Zaid smiled and shook his head. “You don’t actually need one. You’re merely saying that. You and we are completely different. Let me give you the simplest example. In the Poro Province, a group of people who don’t really do much, but on the whole, have done some good things would not be liked by anyone. In fact, they would deserve to go to hell.”

“You mean shelter residents?” Qian Duo glanced around before replying in a low voice. After all, there happened to be several bluecoats nearby.

He smiled.

“People in Port Gallon seem to like them well enough.”

Zaid said softly, “That is because they haven’t left yet... And besides, Port Gallon may look as though it has been successfully transformed, as though its people have finally gained the equality they longed for. But in reality, they have not realized that they simply finally found someone who can make decisions for them. Or rather, a group of people upon whom they can entrust their exhausted souls.”

That sounded almost as though he were saying the survivors of the Poro Province were all idealists. Yet Port Gallon’s Survivors’ Daily promoted materialism, just like the New Alliance did.

Qian Duo raised an eyebrow with interest, though he disagreed with the man entirely. “Your conclusions are interesting, but they don’t have any evidence behind them. Actually, you could imitate Ms. Han Mingyue and organize your theory into a proper paper. Publish it, and we could look forward to a debate between the two of you.”

Zaid suddenly laughed. “That sort of thing would be completely meaningless. Would you write the exact steps for making money in a newspaper? And don’t forget the Ratman Theorem I just mentioned. I don’t intend to become the first victim of that paradox. Far too many people are going to die for it. Time will prove whether my judgment was correct. My flight is about to board. I wish you a pleasant journey.”

With that, he picked up his suitcase and rose from his seat.

Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he smiled at Qian Duo, removed his hat, and tipped it in greeting. “Also, Mammoth State really is a good place. I’m optimistic about its future as well.”

Leaving the surprised New Alliance merchant behind, Zaid walked toward the security checkpoint. He seemed to get into some sort of argument with the people there, but in the end, he still made it through.

Qian Duo turned excitedly toward Han Long and gasped, “Holy shit... that guy actually had something going for him. He figured out we’re heading to Mammoth State for an inspection?”

Interesting guy.

He really should have asked his name.

Han Long stared at the man’s departing back for a while, his electronic eye shifting left and right. “I only care about the boss’s business. But speaking of which, that man didn’t seem very optimistic about Laxi. Do we still need to go?”

Qian Duo laughed. “That’s his opinion. There are plenty of people in this world whose views differ from ours. Don’t let some random passerby’s nonsense affect your own judgment. Besides, our views weren’t completely opposite. At least he’s optimistic about Mammoth State, and so am I.”

If the Liszt Group wanted to keep pace with the times, it needed to follow the Baiyue Strait Development Company’s example, expand its overseas operations, and join the new supply chains that were beginning to take shape.

In the future, New Alliance goods would no longer be produced only in the two industrial zones of Dawn City and Boulder Town. Invisible logistics networks would connect all the backward and advanced productive forces within the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee into a single whole.

Expanding business was important, but controlling risk was even more important.

And that was exactly why, although Liszt had sent him to Mammoth City, Qian Duo had chosen Port Gallon as his first stop.

Only nouveau riche idiots stared solely at rates of return. Before thinking about profits, he first had to make sure he had an escape route.