Chapter 35 chapter Five

The leader, Asper, considers himself a "public servant of the people". His hair is thin, and only a bunch of gray hair at the back of his head hangs loosely on his shoulders.Marlowe's first impression of him was that his shirt was clearly in need of ironing, and he noticed that he spoke in a heavily nasal voice. "Marlow Merchant, we are a place with simple folk customs." The leader said: "Don't make any false propaganda. The person in front of you is just the first citizen of this country. That's what the so-called leader means, and this And it's my only title."

He seems to like to circle around this topic very much: "In fact, I think this is one of the close connections between Corell and your country. I know that the people of your country are enjoying the benefits of the republic system just like us. " "It is so, sir," Marlowe said solemnly, but he absolutely disagreed in his heart: "I am convinced that it is because of this that the peace and friendship between our two governments have been maintained." "Peace! Ah!" The leader's sparse gray beard twitched, his face was slightly distorted, and he was full of emotion: "I don't think there is anyone in the worlds on the outer edge of the galaxy who has more peaceful ideals than me. To be honest You say that ever since I succeeded my father as ruler of this country, I have ruled peacefully without interruption. Perhaps I should not say—"

He coughed softly, and continued: "But someone once told me that my people—no, my compatriots, they all called me 'Asper of all peoples'." As Marlowe listened, his eyes surveyed the magnificent courtyard.He saw a few tall people, all deployed in some remote corners, wearing strange but apparently powerful weapons—perhaps they were defending themselves, he thought, which was understandable.However, the place was surrounded by a towering reinforced concrete wall, which had obviously been strengthened recently - it was clearly not a very suitable place for 'Asper the People's Love'.

Marlowe replied: "Leader, I am very glad that I can negotiate with you. Most of the despots in the neighboring world who refuse to implement enlightened rule lack the demeanor of kings, so they cannot become rulers supported by all people." "For example?" asked the leader in a cautious tone. "For example, they don't know how to care about the best welfare of the people. You are different, and I believe you know it best." While talking, the two of them strolled leisurely in the courtyard.The leader's eyes were fixed on the gravel road, and his hands were rubbed behind his back.Marlowe continued to speak fluently: "Until now, the trade between our two countries has not been carried out because of the heavy restrictions imposed by your government on our country's merchants. Of course, I think you must have been very clear. Unrestricted trade..."

"Free trade!" the leader corrected softly. "Yes, it is free trade. You must understand that it will benefit both of us. You have some of the supplies we need, and we have many of the goods you want. As long as we can trade and exchange supplies, we can improve Mutual prosperity. An enlightened ruler like you, a friend of the people--or, if you are not afraid of your anger, you are a part of the people--I have no need to make a fuss on this subject, which would only insult Your wisdom." "Indeed, I fully understand this, but what are you going to do?" The leader said in a pleading tone, "Your people have always been unreasonable. I agree with any trade within the limits of our economic system. But never on your terms, I am not the only master of this country—"

Then he raised his voice and said, "I am nothing more than a public servant of public opinion, and my people will not accept trade with forced religion." Marlowe immediately asked nervously, "Compulsive religion?" "You have always been like this. You must remember the 'Askon' incident twenty years ago. You started by selling products, and then you demanded absolute freedom to preach, under the pretext of teaching them to use those products properly, and for Established a 'Health Temple'. Then set up a religious school, and fought for autonomy for the clergy. What is the final result? Ascon has now become a part of the al-Qaeda system, and their Grand Duke has no real power at all .Oh! No, no! A dignified and independent people will never endure this."

"The form of commerce I wish to propose is quite different from what you describe," interposed Marlowe. "different?" "That's right, I'm a businessman, money is my religion, and the God of Wealth is my only belief. I hate missionaries' mysterious secret methods and those blah-blah spells the most. I I am very glad that you have rejected this religion, which will bring us closer together." The leader let out a sharp and trembling laugh: "Well said! The base should have sent a capable person like you long ago." He put his hand affectionately on Marlowe's thick shoulder: "But you've only half said it, man--you've just told me there's no harm in trading with you; it's time to say it again, What good will it do?"

"The only advantage, leader, is that you will gain untold wealth." "Really?" The leader snorted. "What do I need wealth for? The real wealth is the love of the people, and I already have that." "What's the harm in having both? You can get gold with one hand and still embrace the people with the other." "Young man, it would be very interesting if this could happen. What do you want me to do?" "Oh, there are so many ways, the difficulty lies in how to choose. Let me think about it, um, for example, luxury goods, this sample I brought—"

Marlowe slowly produced a flat metal chain from his pocket: "Like this." "what is that?" "Its value must be demonstrated. Can you find a girl? As long as it is a young woman, please find a full-length mirror." "Well—let's go inside, then." The leader calls his residence the "leader's house," but presumably the people call it a palace.In the eyes of Marlowe, an outsider, it looked like a fortress.This mansion was built on a hill overlooking the capital. The city walls were very thick and strong, and there were guards on every passage. The structure of the entire building emphasized that it was easy to defend but difficult to attack.Marlowe laughed secretly in his heart: How could "Asper, beloved by all peoples" need to live in such an environment?

A young maiden came before them and bowed respectfully to the leader. The leader said to Marlowe: "This is the maid of the leader's wife, can she?" "great!" So Marlowe wrapped the metal chain around the girl's waist, fastened the buttons, and stepped back a few steps. From the beginning to the end, the leader watched intently, and then snorted disapprovingly and asked, "Ah, is that all?" "Leader, please close the curtains. Miss, there is a small button next to the button, can you please press it? Don't worry, nothing will happen." The girl did as she said, and was taken aback immediately, looking at her hands and exclaiming, "Oh!"

From the waist up, her whole body was shrouded in a hazy and flowing cold light.This light of changing colors gradually rose to the top of her head, forming a dazzling crown.It was as if someone had plucked the Northern Lights from the sky and cast her an invisible cloak. The girl walked to the mirror and stared at herself in the mirror. "Here, take this," Marlowe handed a necklace of dull beads to the girl again: "Wear it around your neck." After the girl put it on, each bead emitted crimson and golden flames within the range of the cold light. "Do you like it?" Marlowe asked the girl. Although she didn't answer, her eyes were full of envy. It wasn't until the leader made a gesture that the girl reluctantly pressed the button again.The dazzling brilliance faded instantly, and she withdrew, but the experience will never be forgotten. "Leader, this is for the leader's wife," Marlowe said, "It's a kindness from the base." "Hmm—" The leader flicked the two ornaments back and forth in his hands, as if he was estimating their weight.Then he asked Marlowe, "How is that done?" Marlowe shrugged: "Only our technical experts can answer this kind of question. However, I want to remind you that it is important that it can be used without the guidance of a priest." "Well, it's just a woman's jewelry. What can you do with it? How can you make money from it?" "Do you have social events like dances, receptions, banquets, etc. here?" "Oh, of course." "Do you know how much women are willing to pay for such jewelry? At least ten thousand points." The leader seemed taken aback: "Ah!" "And since its power lasts no more than six months, it must be replaced frequently. Now I am willing to sell it to you for one thousand and one point, and please pay it in wrought iron equivalent. Whatever you want I can supply as much as you want, and your profit is 900%." The leader pulled his beard desperately, and seemed to be doing complicated mental calculations: "My God, they will definitely snap up their heads. I will deliberately only supply a very small amount and let them all bid. Of course, no one should know that it is me. Own……" Marlowe said: "If you're really interested, I can explain to you the black market we cooperate with, and then I'll explain it with a random example-we have a full range of household products, such as folding ovens, which can be used in two places. Roast the hardest meat to your preferred degree of doneness in minutes; there are also sharp knives that don’t need to be sharpened; a whole set of pocket-sized fully automatic washing machines can be put in a small cabinet; in addition, there is a dishwasher of the same type , floor cleaning machines of the same type, furniture cleaning machines, dust collectors, lighting fixtures and more - oh, you can have it all. "Just think about how much more your prestige will increase if you make these things available to the masses. And think about how quickly you can accumulate... oh, how much wealth. In hundreds 900% of the profit, in the form of government monopoly, these devices are still cheap and good for the public, and they will never know the price of your purchase. Let me remind you again, these devices for home use, Wouldn't everyone be happy if they didn't need the supervision and guidance of priests?" "But it seems that you are the only exception. Everyone benefits. What are you planning?" "All I can get is the profit that a peddler deserves. According to the law of the base, my men and I can get half of the profit. As long as you take all the things I want to sell to you, both of us will be happy Winners must be able to cooperate happily." The leader was already intoxicated: "What do you want us to pay the bill with? Iron?" "Yes, or coal, aluminum ore, tobacco, pepper, magnesium, or hardwoods, which are the things you abound in." "This condition is not bad." "I think so too. Oh, yes, one more thing, leader, I can also improve the factory equipment for you." "Huh? What does that mean?" "Take the steel factory as an example. I have some small machines that can easily handle steel processing, which can reduce the cost to one percent of the original. After the factory transformation, you only need to halve the selling price, and you can still manufacture A huge profit is shared by the industry. I tell you, if you will allow me to do a demonstration, I can prove my point. Is there a steelworks in the city? It won't waste too much time." "It's not difficult to arrange this matter, Merchant Marlowe. But that's for tomorrow, let's talk about it tomorrow. How about having dinner with me tonight?" "My men..." Marlowe was interrupted as soon as he spoke. "Let them all come together," the leader said generously, "This is a symbol of the goodwill between our two countries, and it will give us the opportunity to have more friendly talks. However, I just want to remind you of one thing—" He stretched his face and said seriously: "Never discuss your religion, don't think that these can be used as a stepping stone for missionaries." "Leader," said Marlowe impassively, "I assure you that religion will kill my profits." "So far, I am satisfied, and I will send someone to escort you back to the spaceship."