Rubbish Town is now facing a calamity of epic proportions, a fact that many are well aware of.
Mr. Swan was waiting to hear Henry's "brilliant insights."
He could certainly guess that when Henry spoke of these things, he was laying the groundwork to secure complete allegiance to Mr. Gu from Rubbish Town.
He was waiting for Henry to state Mr. Gu's terms.
Henry knew as well, but he merely smiled, uttering a sentence that nearly made Mr. Swan lose his composure:
"Mr. Gu is coming to Rubbish Town, he's on his way with his army,"
Mr. Swan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is he... coming in person?"
"Yes." Henry had now become very composed, "Mr. Gu is set on taking Rubbish Town, you...we are incapable of resisting. Even without military action, if Mr. Gu were to block trade routes, stop buying raw materials produced by Rubbish Town, and stop selling food to Rubbish Town, it would fall apart without a fight."
"Huff..." Mr. Swan let out a long sigh, his face growing increasingly ugly, "Does Mr. Gu really have to do this?"
Henry spread his hands, "What's so surprising about that? He is the Governor of this planet, it's only normal for him to strive to bring the entire world under his rule."
He paused, then continued, "And to be honest, Mr. Swan, I don't understand why you're so reluctant."
"Hmph." Mr. Swan said, "Given a choice, who would want to be a dog?"
"Hahahaha!" Henry laughed loudly, "That's not a fair comparison, offering loyalty to the Governor, to the Empire—how could that be likened to being a dog?"
After laughing, he composed himself and said earnestly, "Mr. Swan, honestly, I once entertained such foolish thoughts as well. When Mr. Gu told me he intended to take full control of Rubbish Town, my initial reaction was frustration that I had barely savored half a month of an agent's power, having reached the upper echelons of Rubbish Town, and now it was going to belong to Mr.
Gu, rendering my position meaningless."
"But that stupid thought lasted only ten seconds before I realized how ridiculous it was."
"Who is Mr. Gu? He's the man who, realizing that Revival City was a lost cause, started from scratch and retook Revival City within a matter of two months, securing the entire city under his grip."
"He's the man who thwarted the Cult's conspiracy and saved the city. If you go to Revival City now, you'll see that the disaster hasn't destroyed people's spirits; rather, it was like doing demolition work. The whole city is rapidly rebuilding, recovering, and visibly becoming more orderly."
"If you could see the Abandoned District in Weixing City, where nearly one hundred thousand heavy industry workers are gathered, they produce a vast quantity of high-quality alloy every day, tanks, heavy artillery, individual soldier equipment, mass-produced from the factories."
"If you could see all this, you'd have no doubts that Mr. Gu could eventually extend his rule over the entire world, given enough time. Once he integrates a sufficient population, meeting the Empire's tax demands in two years' time won't be too much of a challenge."
"I now feel incredibly honored that I followed Mr. Gu very early on. In the future, as Mr. Gu expands his influence across the entire planet, might I not also have the chance to display my abilities on a planetary scale, or even become an interstellar merchant navigating the cosmos? To speak frankly, this is something I never dared dream of in my past life.
My highest aspiration at first was to become an agent. It seems now that my vision was too narrow."
"What about you, Mr. Swan? You're different from me; you've been at the very center of the stage in Rubbish Town for many years, investing untold effort just to secure a bit more profit, to stand a little more stable on the stage of Rubbish Town. Now, an opportunity lies before you, are you truly not tempted in the slightest?"
After hearing Henry's words, Mr. Swan scoffed, "Heh... you're trying to persuade me with such laughable reasons?"
He dismissed it contemptuously, too displeased to even voice a rebuttal.
As beautiful as it sounds, if passing the threshold of imperial taxes were so easy, five governors wouldn't have perished. Having control of just a Revival City, a shell formerly known as the Alliance, which virtually no one obeys anymore, and having the audacity to claim certainty over future global dominance is overly arrogant.
Indeed, as Henry said, the position as the ruler of Rubbish Town was as high as he could ever hope to rise in this lifetime; there was no further room for advancement.
But what of it? In this wasteland strewn with starvation, isn't it enough to be someone of status?
Mr. Swan felt that he was content enough.
However, his expressed attitude did not dissuade Henry, who responded, "It's a shame you have no interest in the stars and seas. But even now, you have no choice. Mr. Gu has the power to destroy Rubbish Town—I already mentioned that. He doesn't want you to continue being the master of Rubbish Town, and that's just a matter of his will.
He could obliterate you with a flip of his hand, but conversely, he's also the only one capable of saving you."
"Once Rubbish Town submits entirely to Mr. Gu, the approaching troops will not be our enemies but our protectors instead. His forces will direct their firepower against those orc raiders, not at Rubbish Town itself. The issues that concern and trouble you the most will be resolved with ease."