Zhu Xinyu cradled a sports drink, her head bowed in silence.
Honestly, she found this sudden act of kindness unsettling.
She always felt as if this guy was consciously or unconsciously trying to protect her.
However, she did not believe that this bureaucrat would have such unprovoked goodwill.
"Changing the world..." Zhu Xinyu brought up the topic herself, "you seem to mention this phrase quite often."
"Oh," Xiang Shan pointed towards the direction of the sea. There was a massive white tent. Against this structure, the vast bay seemed as calm as an inland lake.
"This thing’s mere existence has the potential to ’change the world.’ Many believe that once the news of this spreads, it will change humanity’s views on society, Earth, and ethnic groups. This is not science fiction. This is reality."
"This place has always harbored elements that could change the world; the only questions are ’how to change it’ and ’in what direction to change it.’
"Do you want to change the world? In what direction?"
Xiang Shan scratched his head, "That question... I’m not the king of the world. It can’t just follow my desires, right?"
"Surely you have a preferred direction?"
"If I had to say..." Xiang Shan scratched his face, "firstly, it has to be controllable, predictable. Unpredictable and uncontrollable social disturbances bring too much risk."
Zhu Xinyu stared at Xiang Shan, "Why won’t the disturbances lead to a better tomorrow?"
"What if the disturbances lead to a dark future?" Xiang Shan countered, "And besides, even if there is a better ’tomorrow,’ what about the people who die ’today’? Are you going to say ’it’s a worthy sacrifice for the greater good’?"
Zhu Xinyu pursed her lips. She indeed could not say such a thing.
"Sacrificing oneself is noble, demanding others to sacrifice is shameful. Demanding others to sacrifice while doing so yourself is coercion." Xiang Shan spread his hands, "’Avoiding risk’ itself can be considered as ’gaining benefit.’
"So you had to capture me?"
"Generally speaking, yes. It’s just your bad luck," Xiang Shan said with a smile.
Zhu Xinyu felt that this guy was too flippant when discussing this topic. For some reason, the girl hoped Xiang Shan’s tone would carry a bit of regret. She puffed her cheeks slightly, "That’s really..."
But under the circumstances, she actually felt no anger.
Strange, this is the man responsible for taking away her freedom.
Especially just now...
Thinking this, Zhu Xinyu gripped the sports drink can a little tighter.
Xiang Shan, lost in thought for a moment, added, "If there’s anything else... well, I hope the changed world would be closer to the ’Freedom Kingdom.’
"’Freedom... Kingdom’?" Zhu Xinyu was puzzled: "Is that some kind of freakish political entity?"
"It’s... a rhetorical device, a rhetorical device! Just because I say ’kingdom’ doesn’t mean I advocate monarchy," Xiang Shan awkwardly waved his hand, "What was I saying? Can’t you look it up yourself?"
Zhu Xinyu immediately flared up, "Don’t you know I can’t just Google it?"
Looking at the electronic bracelet on Zhu Xinyu’s wrist, Xiang Shan sighed, "Let me think how to put it... In the past, a philosopher summed up the society in which humans have lived up to now as the ’Kingdom of Necessity.’ People were not yet aware of and did not control the inevitability of social history, hence human activities and behaviors were dominated and enslaved by these blind forces, and one had to work to survive. The ’Freedom Kingdom’ is... let me think, ’the purpose of human activities lies within themselves, human development becomes the end, and all human activities, including labor, are aimed at fulfilling the intrinsic needs of the subject.’"
Xiang Shan nodded, impressed with his own memory.
Zhu Xinyu stared at Xiang Shan’s face for a long while before saying, "Speak human."
"History is divided into two stages. One is summarized as the ’Kingdom of Necessity,’ and the other is its counterpart, called the ’Freedom Kingdom.’ Understand?"
"The Freedom Kingdom... can be seen as a kind of faith. It holds a position akin to the ’Other Side’ in religion, but unlike religion, this faith is based on rational analysis and supported by logic. We choose to believe that our ’Other Side’ lies in the future. You get it?"
"And then, back to our reality. Our current world is filled with various unreasonable situations. Most people must work ceaselessly just to fill their stomachs, engaging in tasks they do not desire and have no aspirations for the future, unable to derive pleasure from their labor. This is not good. And we believe that in the future, there exists a world like the ’Other Side.’ The purpose of living activities lies within themselves, human development becomes the end, everyone would know the patterns of history, achieve their ideals, and then realize their ideals. Everything they do is for achieving this ultimate happiness. Do you understand?"
Zhu Xinyu nodded. Follow current novels on N0velFire.ɴet
It was like some kind of rodent.
Xiang Shan spread his hands: "Anything else you don’t understand?"
Zhu Xinyu pouted, "I’ve met some very bad people. Right beside me. For his ideals, he could do despicable things, trample on others. His dream is to rise above the lower classes."
"I think the direction you’re talking about is not practical at all."
Xiang Shan rested his hands on his knees, "Then, Miss Zhu Xinyu, the man you’re talking about, does he lack humanity entirely?"
"How can that be?" Zhu Xinyu scoffed at the notion.
"I don’t know who this man is, but like most humans, he has feelings for his family, feels satisfied when he eats good food, drinks water when he’s thirsty, and feels happy when he’s praised..."
Zhu Xinyu interrupted, "None of that outweighs his desire for money."
Xiang Shan spread his hands, "Then why does he love money? Money in itself can’t be eaten or drunk, it won’t praise you, it doesn’t communicate with you..."
"Money can do anything," Zhu Xinyu said, "With money, you can buy delicacies, maintain a harem, earn respect, receive praise. Even... just seeing money flow into his account can make him elated... tsk."
Xiang Shan spread his hands: "So, why don’t you like money? Don’t you like delicacies? Everyone loves good food. There’s no physiological... ah sorry, you are a minor, forget I said that. It’s really risky, but let me declare I am only responding in the same structure you spoke—cough cough, anyways. You also don’t dislike being praised, right?"
"Then why are you different from the person you hate?"