"So there are two sides, and both of them opposed to each other? They have different agendas, and the one who rules the island for a period of 10 years is chosen every time by popular opinion? Seriously? How can this be the government that is so successful?"
Currently, there were 30 individuals sitting around on normal chairs in the sky, with clouds swirling beneath them while most of them had puzzled expression on their faces.
They had all checked in three hours later to find that there was a special function in the trinket given to them which enabled them to enter a dreamlike state where they could talk to each other face to face, and that was what they were using for this meeting.
One of those who had gone to collect information had just given his summary, and these words were spoken by the Underlord, echoing the thoughts that most had in their minds.
Yet… Daneel still had a perplexed expression on his face, but he tried to hide it and act as if everything was normal.
Inside, though… His mind was pretty d.a.m.n conflicted, and he was half-convinced that his initial theory was right: his memories had been scanned, and all of that stuff about the information about the island being intercepted from the Mainland was probably bullsh*t.
If not… Then how could it be such a coincidence that the general government structure from back on Earth was so, so similar to what was present here?
"Alright, so what are the agendas, anyway?"
The Underlord finally asked this, and the same man replied Daneel knew the answer, and it only corroborated even more with his suspicion.
"Err… It can be summarised with power for some verses power for all. So… The way it works is that Ker Gem mines are very carefully regulated on this island, which means that all the resources are in the command of the central government which mines them. These resources are then distributed to the people according to certain regulations, and the main differences in agenda is regarding just what these regulations are. One of the groups advocates that Energy resources should be spread around evenly so that even those who are not born with the talent are able to grow in power and reap the benefits, with the chance of breaking through and extending their life if they manage to do so. Even if someone is more talented, they will have to suffice with only using the same resources and proceeding forward quicker, before either joining the army or doing some other meritorious service that will enable them to avail more. The other group is of the opinion that this will mean that most of the resources are wasted, and that those with potential should be given as much as they need even if it means that others might be deprived of them. According to them, this will only benefit that nation, as it will mean that there would be more powerful individuals who could obtain more food and allow them all to prosper. Every 10 years, there is a major upheaval if the group that is chosen changes. For the last 20, it is the former that has managed to obtain the majority, but it is expected that the latter will win this time due to various reasons. It is like a cycle that repeats every time."
The others began to talk about this unique way of a government being set up, but in Daneel"s mind, there was only one thing that was repeatedly being thought of.
If you replaced power with money… weren"t these both basic forms of capitalism, but with a hint of socialism thrown in in the former?
Daneel had never expected to find topics like these in his journey on Angaria. It was even more so shocking that this was actually in the Order, and again, all facts pointed to the possibility that this, too, had been taken from his mind.
But… Why would anyone want to do that? If they really found out that he was from a different world, wouldn"t he instead be captured as a potential enemy who had infiltrated them?
This was the one thing which stopped him from directly deciding on the worst case, even though the probability seemed so little that this was not the truth.
He hadn"t really had time to think about it as he had used all three hours to confirm whether what he was thinking was right, and to find more information, so he decided to use this moment to let his thoughts flow freely.
And that… Was when he found more reasons which told him that he was wrong, and these made him slowly let out a sigh of relief.
According to the system, the simulation required extensive preparation, and it would also be something that had already been carried out before, at least in a similar form. That meant that there was a high probability that it was really just chance, and that he could stop being so paranoid.
This was the main point, and after he got it, he started to think about more reasons why he might be wrong regarding the chance of what he was seeing here and what he had seen back on Earth being similar.
This led him to a very peculiar question, which he asked the system.
"Is it possible that this form of government was finally ideated and then set in place after many, many experiments?"
[Affirmative. In the matter of governments, there is a natural progression down a list of ideas which can all be tried to reach this specific one. Hence, the probability of host"s mind being scanned is 1.3%.]
This finally allowed him to get back to the discussion, as it all made sense now.
He couldn"t really blame himself for going on that track before, because it had just been eerie to find something that was so similar.
It had sent a chill unlike any other down his spine, and it had resulted in him spiraling into his state before.
Now that he was back in his senses, he realized that the discussion had gone on to a different topic.
At the same time… Daneel recalled the other things he had heard about the government from back on Earth, and he immediately got the answer for some of the questions that had been placed.
Yet, he decided to confirm it first before stating it out loud and making suspicion fall on him, especially from those who might be watching, so he decided to give an offhand answer to a different question that had just been put forward.
"It can be theorized that the size of a continent directly affects the amount of Energy and Energy resources that are found on it. Hence, it makes sense that there are only Peak Champions in this place."
The query had been regarding whether it was possible that all the talk they had heard about Peak Champions being the topmost level that anyone could reach on this island was true, or was a farce propagated by the ones in command.
Daneel replied in this way, making the others nod as it was a valid reasoning, and following that, he stood up.
Everyone looked in his direction with various expressions on their faces, but he ignored them all and said what was on his mind.
"I believe that the question raised by the Underlord is the one that we should answer before we decide on any plan. Our mission is to a.s.sa.s.sinate the ones in command here, so we have to find a way to get more information behind everything that is going on. For that, I propose that we all gather tomorrow at a specific place where one of the elites of the opposing group that is vying for power in the next ten-year cycle will be speaking. Do we have anyone skilled in interrogation methods that will not be remembered by a person after they are carried out?"
Three different people nodded, following which Daneel said, "That"s excellent. Then we can follow this plan."
Silence followed his statement, during which all those who weren"t under him turn to the Underlord who had a blank expression on his face.
Everyone knew that one of the things he liked most was having things under his control, so they wondered how he would react as someone else was clearly taking away his authority.
Yet… His reaction made it clear that whatever had happened inside that arena was definitely not what had been told to them.
"Yes, the plan is good! Let"s follow it! Any questions? No? Then let"s disperse and collect more information while traveling to the location where our friend is at! Overload, I must say that you are quite good at planning, too!"
These words were forced out of his mouth, and it was quite funny to see him using the same tactic as before. He disappeared before there were any questions, and the rest could only shake their heads and follow suit.
Daneel didn"t bother too much about all this, but he did ensure that everything was all right with his sovereigns before returning to his body. He had a strong suspicion that was based on a few things that he had read about while back on Earth, and everything, currently, was pointing to the fact that the same might be in effect.
The gathering would be taking place the next day in the village that Daneel was in, so he intended to spend the time until it began to map out the entire area so that nothing would be able to surprise him in case things went south. They were in a completely foreign place and in situations where real danger could creep up on them, so it was wise to do this.
While engaged in this activity, Daneel also continued to think about the system that was in place here. It all stemmed from the fact that even though farming was a major source of food, it was the sharks and fish that were present in the sea outside which was the most sought-after sustenance for the Island of Creylia.
Unlike back in Angaria where they were a delicacy which could only be enjoyed by the elite, here, they were regularly sold in the markets and their benefits of increasing one"s power were applauded by all. This was why the methodology of the second group was also quite prominent, as it would mean that there would be more powerful individuals who could go and obtain more of these creatures which were so incredibly sumptuous.
It was like the ideology in capitalism where enterprises which earned a lot could be present as they continuously enabled even normal people to do things that they only dreamt of before, and even though this created a lot of divided between the population, it might still be fine if the divide didn"t stretch to abnormal proportions.
As for the first group, it would be like the ideology of many forces with different kinds of histories that said that the prosperity of one should be the prosperity of all. Everyone would benefit equally, and even though this meant that it might be better for the common man, there were certain pitfalls in this which were the reasons behind which this ideology had never prospered on Earth, and had even caused disasters of unspeakable proportions.
The next day dawned quickly, and surprisingly enough, their target was easy to abduct.
The main reason behind this was that all individuals on this island were a level, or even two below those in the Order and the Big Four, which meant that they were more compatible with the Central Continent. So, in the same way that those from these two organizations would be able to have free reign in the Central Continent for the most part, there wasn"t too much to worry about as it was just a normal gathering even though this was a high-level individual of a group.
They found him in the room in which he was preparing himself, and the three who were skilled in spells that were like Mind Control but not as effective managed to make him croak.
What they found out gave them the answer to the main question… And it also confirmed what Daneel had been thinking ever since he had found out about this place.
The true rulers were actually a family from the Church who never showed themselves, and the only reason behind two groups existing was that conflicts and support would be confined to the spectrum between these two only, leading to everyone indirectly aligning their Will with the Church. That meant that everyone at the top was on the same side, and their show of vying for power was all a sham to keep the sheep asleep while they mindlessly supported one side or the other.
On Earth, it was a famous and intriguing conspiracy theory, but here… It was the truth, and it made Daneel question many things from his homeland, and wonder whether it might not be such a conspiracy after all.