Standing on the wide deck, feeling the sea breeze on his face, Todd watched the scenery of Anuda Harbor recede into the distance and couldn't help but sigh softly.
Todd took out the book that Myriel had given him before he left, and opened it to the first page, where a sentence was written in bold letters.
"I would give anything for a minute of conversation with God."
Todd nodded slightly. If one could truly know the ultimate truth of the universe, then nothing else would matter.
The book continues: "Human beings are the freest creatures in the world, and also the most unfree slaves. In order to live in a community, we have to give up some of the power given to us by God and submit ourselves to something called a state."
"The state deprives its people of their right to speech, action, and even life, and humanity has no choice but to accept it. Because once we are separated from the state, we will live like animals, living in constant fear of death, and return to a primitive state."
"So, a question arises. Since humanity has given up so much freedom in order to gain the protection of a state, then what kind of governance should a state adopt to more effectively provide this protection?"
"Throughout human history, when it comes to the methods of governance, there are only a few: one person ruling a country, a small group of people ruling a country, and everyone jointly ruling a country."
"In my opinion, none of these methods are perfect and each has its own drawbacks."
“Take ‘one person ruling the country’ as an example. This is the current state of the Ayyubid Empire. As the Caliph, although I try my best to keep the empire running smoothly, only I know how painful and terrifying this job is.”
"I only sleep five hours a day and spend a lot of energy and time dealing with the affairs of the empire. Religion, people's livelihood, military, science, diplomacy, commerce, law, education... Because of factionalism, partisan conflicts, and religious disputes, I must personally supervise and manage every field. I am not boasting, but I believe that if anyone else were to govern this empire, they would not be able to prevent it from falling apart."
"But after I die, who will be able to continue the empire's glory like I have...?"
"Let's talk about the idea of 'a group of people ruling a country.' An elite political group, divided into different factions, controls the political and economic lifeline of the country and jointly decides the future of the empire. This sounds like a good thing. But the internal conflicts within the group, as well as the conflicts between the group and the masses, will only intensify as the gap between rich and poor widens, eventually ending in an explosive revolution. Therefore, managing a country by a small group of people is also a thorny path, and a slight misstep can lead to total defeat."
"Finally, I'd like to talk about the idea of 'everyone jointly governing the country,' which seems to be the fairest and most reasonable approach. But in my opinion, the democratic republican system of governance is the dumbest approach."
"Let's use a simple math problem to prove it. For example, in a country with one hundred citizens, there is one wealthy and ambitious person, five wise people who care about the country and its people, ten greedy people who only have money in their eyes, twenty self-righteous fools, and the remaining sixty-four mediocre people."
"When the nation faces a choice, this wealthy and ambitious man only needs to bribe ten greedy guys, then have those ten greedy guys persuade twenty idiots, and finally have those idiots use public opinion and propaganda to create momentum and win over the mediocre people."
"In the end, the so-called democratic republic becomes a farce, a farce of competing in wealth and lies. Whoever can buy more people with money, whoever can incite more masses with lies, will gain an absolute advantage in the democratic country."
"Some people think my remarks are too absolute, but the truth is often so ridiculous. The so-called masses, due to differences in education, occupation, hobbies, beliefs, and intelligence, often show surprising results in terms of political participation and rationality. The reality is that among those one hundred citizens, the number of fools and mediocre people is far higher than my assumption."
"So, what should be the truly reasonable way to govern?"
"I have discussed this topic with countless scholars, and gradually a wildly imaginative hypothesis came to me."
"If the ruler of the kingdom were an immortal wise king, who was wise, rational, loving, and vigilant, then this monarch could lead the kingdom to eternal prosperity... But does such a wise king really exist? For me, just imagining living forever is enough to make me tremble with fear."
“Such a monarch has completely transcended the realm of humanity, even surpassing the definition of gods, becoming a unique existence, and I call such an existence a ‘wise king’.”
Seeing this, Todd slowly put away the book and fell into deep thought.
"The Wise King..."
Rachel walked over to Todd, looked at his expression, and asked softly, "Still thinking about Myris?"
Todd shook his head: "I'm thinking about the future..."
Rachel brushed her long hair, which was fluttering in the wind, and said softly, "You have returned power to the people, and they must walk the rest of the road themselves. You cannot take care of them forever like a doting father."
Todd gazed at the shimmering sea and slowly nodded: "You may be right. I have done what I could. The future of the kingdom should belong to its citizens."
Rachel rested her head on Todd's shoulder, her voice filled with longing: "One day, when we've cracked the secret of the beacon tower, we can leave this place for heaven, where everything will be unrelated to us. In heaven, we can carve out a piece of land, build a beautiful, dreamlike garden, and construct several beautiful, secluded villas within it. I, Deirdre, and of course, those who wish to leave with you, can all live in that garden..."
"The first thing I'll do when I get to heaven is to eat every kind of delicious food and drink every kind of fine wine. As for all the colorful snacks and treats, I'll buy ten refrigerators, fill them all up, and open one every day so I can eat whatever I want. And hot pot, kebabs, pan-fried dumplings, xiaolongbao..."
"Then, every day we can ride in that thing called an airplane, soaring through the sky, passing through the clouds, flying over the sea, and going to the most beautiful places in heaven. We can climb the magnificent snow-capped mountains in the morning to embrace the sunrise; or we can walk hand in hand on the soft sand in the evening to wait for the moon."
Rachel nestled into Todd's arms, slowly closed her eyes, and murmured as if in a dream, "When that day comes, I will have a new body, a body capable of bearing children. And we will have our first, second, and third children... Loneliness will be completely gone from us..."
Todd looked up at the northern sky, where dark clouds filled the sky and the waves rose and fell.
He didn't speak, but simply hugged Rachel tighter in his arms.
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