Faced with Saladin's questioning, Todd showed no sign of panic and calmly said, "The word 'scholar' has two meanings. One refers to those who are learned, and the other refers to those who are devoted to learning. Perhaps you, Caliph, have seen many of the former, but few of the latter. And I am precisely one of the latter."

Upon hearing Todd's self-defense, Saladin clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Well said, well said! I see neither scholarly arrogance nor worldly flattery in you! So this is what a person devoted to learning is like!"

Saladin turned his gaze to Myris and said happily, "Those scholars from the north, upon seeing me, either point their fingers at me and question God, or kneel at my feet and beg for submission. Your friend is truly an interesting person!"

Upon hearing the Emperor's praise, Myris nodded, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Saladin stroked his beard, sat up straight, and asked Todd, "Scholar from the North, you are my guest. Today's topic is up to you. Speak, what would you like to discuss with me?"

Todd was taken aback and began to ponder.

If the topic were to be microorganisms or alchemy, Saladin would become suspicious within a few sentences, because Todd's title of "God-blessed alchemist" was so prominent that it would easily lead people to make those connections; moreover, if Saladin thought it would be beneficial to the empire to talk too much about bacteria, viruses, and parasites, he might force Saladin to stay behind.

With that in mind, Todd ultimately chose a more mainstream topic—politics.

Saladin was somewhat surprised: "You want to talk about monarchical power and governing the people?"

Todd replied, "I have an emperor sitting before me; isn't now the best time to discuss these things?"

Saladin carefully observed Todd, then nodded and smiled with pleasure, "Alright, let's talk about power and governance today! Hmm, let me think where to begin... You come from the north, do you know this place, Muxi City?"

Upon hearing Saladin's question, Todd was startled, but his face remained calm: "Of course I know. The Kingdom of Muxi has risen to prominence in just a few years and is now the most dazzling kingdom in the entire diocese."

"The king of Muxi City, who is known as the Holy King, is still the nominal ruler of the kingdom, but he has relinquished power to a department called the Cabinet. Are you aware of this?"

Todd nodded slightly.

Saladin looked at Todd's clenched hands and said with a smile, "Now that you know all this, it will be much easier for us to talk."

"Let's turn our attention to two thousand years ago, before the establishment of the ancient Tyro Empire. At that time, the world consisted of several independent city-states that formed several countries. The largest of these countries practiced democracy based on citizens. In that country, all citizens had equal rights, and everyone had the right to participate in politics. The citizens' assembly was the highest authority of the country. At that time, most of these citizens were farmers and artisans in the city-states."

Saladin took a sip of water to moisten his throat: "However, with the rise of the aristocratic slave owners, land consolidation gradually became prevalent, and large numbers of farmers and artisans went bankrupt and became slaves of the nobles. The so-called citizen group under democratic politics also disintegrated, and the aristocratic slave owners became monarchs. In the end, the democratic republic was replaced by the monarchical autocracy."

Saladin paused here, looked at Todd, and asked, "How about it? Does it sound somewhat familiar?"

The latter frowned deeply and remained silent.

"The current situation in Muxi City is almost exactly the same as it was two thousand years ago. Citizens have equal rights and can participate in politics and elect members of parliament. These members of parliament form the Kingdom Parliament to make decisions on national affairs. The powerful and wealthy in the country are playing the role of a new aristocracy. They are annexing land and seizing property. Next, when their power accumulates to a certain level, these rich people will inevitably pursue political status and transform themselves into the ruling class of the country."

Todd stared at Saladin and asked in a low voice, "Are you saying that Twilight City is repeating the mistakes of two thousand years ago..."

"Isn't that so? With the development of commerce and industry, wealth will eventually be concentrated in the hands of a small number of people. This small number of people will be able to control the lives of the majority of citizens through employment and enslavement, thereby gaining invisible power and ultimately achieving control over the country."

"If that day really comes, this 'small group' with wealth and power will compete to elect an emperor and restore the glory of the monarchy; but it is also possible that they will avoid fighting, adopt a system of alternating rule, form an elite political group, and completely control the power of the country."

Saladin looked at Todd, smiled, and shook his head, saying, "So, in my opinion, the decision of this King of Twilight City to relinquish power is simply taking the same old path that is destined to return to the starting point."

Todd shook his head, expressing a different opinion: "Although the current Twilight City is very similar to that of two thousand years ago, it will not follow the old path. The most fundamental reason lies in the government and the law. In the democratic republican empire of two thousand years ago, government decision-making and legal constraints were relatively weak, and the country was easily controlled by the aristocratic class. But if government members are full-time politicians, elected entirely by election; and if the legislative, judicial, and law enforcement agencies are independent, then the loss of civil rights can be avoided."

Saladin paused for a moment, and after carefully considering Todd's words, he slowly said, "What you said is very interesting, and some of it has given me new ideas and perspectives. But you still can't solve the most fundamental problem—the gap between the rich and the poor."

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