Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 322 Exploitation

Seeing that he was about to be persuaded by Agreed, Xuanyuan Muze changed the subject and attacked in another direction: "Then why do you use such harsh laws to subdue officials and merchants? As far as you are concerned, they have fought for this people all their lives, can't you give them even a little bit of leniency?"

Agreed coldly said to Xuanyuan Muze, "Do you know what the origin of civilization is? The origin of civilization is 'exploitation'. The development of a civilization is a process of exploitation. Exploitation allows civilization to liberate some of the labor force, thereby enabling technology and art to sprout. As times go by, the methods of exploitation will continue to change."

Civilization relies on the exploitation of the time, labor, and lives of the lower classes to drive its development, allowing it to continue and bringing stability and prosperity to the world. However, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races is different from other regimes because most of the civilizations I have seen are terrible. They are so terrible that they even have a shortage of labor. They rely on a system where a minority exploits the majority to maintain their civilization. This exploitation is naturally not stable, so their civilization is trapped in a vicious cycle of being oppressed, overthrown, and then oppressed again until it is destroyed.

But the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races is different. The lower classes of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races are officials and merchants. We don't lack productivity; what we lack is people who have the time and willingness to manage and maintain the distribution system of interests in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races. Or rather, we lack people who can take responsibility for mistakes. So I had to pick out those who were not very capable but had a lot of ulterior motives from the common people. I lured them to become merchants and officials, and serving their race was the highest honor in their lives. I never forced anyone to join this lowest level of exploitation. It was entirely a matter of those who took the bait willingly. And I kept my promise to let them enjoy the most luxurious rights and resources. I even thoughtfully reminded them when they joined the company. You could say I've done more than enough, my friend? So what more do you want from me?

Anyway, these guys will do other heinous things even if they don't become public servants. The fact that they can serve as my dogs proves that they are the most lustful and have the greatest potential for crime. The system of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races defines them as criminals from the subconscious, so our system must be brutal because they are the group with the highest probability of committing crimes.

But I don't need criminals; I need loyal dogs who can maximize the interests of the race. So I must meticulously eliminate the unnecessary ones. And what kind of people are those eliminated? They don't follow the rules, they're unwilling to work hard, they lack magical talent, they lack scientific thinking and creativity, and they're full of crooked ideas. So I ask you, my friend, why should I spare their lives? It doesn't make sense, and it doesn't align with my interests. To me, these people's deaths are entirely beneficial. Therefore, the laws of the Kingdom of Myriad Races will be as brutal as possible for officials and merchants, because… it's in the interests of the race.

As for whether the common people will approve of such a brutal law, I can only say you're really overthinking it, buddy.

You need to understand one thing, my friend: life is an evil existence driven by self-interest. When you, as the majority, only need a few people to sacrifice and dedicate themselves to you in order to gain benefits, would you give up the benefits in your own hands to sympathize with and protect those fools who have chosen this path of no return?

What is exploitation? Ten people exploiting one person is enslavement, hundreds exploiting one person is bullying, so what about ten thousand? Ten thousand people exploiting one person is justice! The nation of all races is just, the law is just! So no one cares about the lives of officials and merchants anymore. After all, they deserve it in terms of both reason and emotion. They could enjoy a wealthy life and privileges if they were just obedient, sensible, and law-abiding. But I gave them the opportunity, so why are they so useless?

As I said, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races is a country where the majority exploits the minority, and no relationship is more solid and deeply rooted than this! Therefore, the class system and business model of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races are perfect, with everything serving the race and everything for the benefit of the majority.

"So what problems do you think this system still has, my friend?" Agreed said, opening his palm towards Xuanyuan Muze, hoping that the stranger's answer would give him some new inspiration to make the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races even more perfect.

Xuanyuan Muze remained silent, for he knew that the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races was so perfect that it inspired despair.

Seeing that Xuanyuan Muze remained silent, Agreed patted him on the shoulder and left on his own, saying as he went, "You are welcome to discuss the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races with me at any time. If you want to chat with me, go to the thirteenth compulsory school on this planet. My last incarnation on this planet welcomes you to come and have a long talk with me."

Afterwards, Xuan Yuan Muze was left alone in an empty room. Xuan Yuan Muze didn't know where he was going. He slowly walked out, out of the ward, out of the hospital, out of the street, wandering aimlessly. He didn't know where he was going, or even what he should do next. Finally, Xuan Yuan Muze sat down on a park bench. He inexplicably opened the book "Human Nature" and began to unusually calm down and read it.

He used to have no interest in literature, but for some reason, this time Xuan Yuan Muze read it for a long time. He finished the book, which was hundreds of thousands of words long, without realizing it. The beautiful words and vivid portrayal of the characters captivated him, as if he were in the dramatic life story.

The sun rose as usual, and its rays shone on Xuan Yuan Mu Ze. He reluctantly closed the book in his hand, looked at the world that had been lit up again, and threw the book back into his storage space. It was as if he had forgotten everything in the book in an instant. Xuan Yuan Mu Ze only remembered the words in the book about the myriad aspects of human life that he could not forget for a long time.

In the anthology of human life, it was once written:

Lying is a base aspect of human nature; most of the time, we can't even be honest with ourselves.

Pain is always more memorable than pleasure because we never truly appreciate pleasure. Because you're always greedy and unaware of what you've gained, your life is full of pain. Don't ask why suffering befalls you, because you didn't ask that question when pleasure came.

'When you're willing to give up your freedom to gain something, you'll be surprised to find that you not only lose your freedom, but you also gain nothing.'

"As long as you don't bother others, living the life you want according to your own will is not selfish. But demanding that others live according to your own will is more shameful than selfishness, and can even be called ill-mannered. After all, even the Dragon God has never defined or demanded anything of others, yet there are always beasts in this world who think they can play a role above the gods."

"Smiling and silence were my only tools in interpersonal communication. Smiling helped me solve many problems, and silence helped me avoid many problems. Later, I truly understood that sincerity is the only truly effective skill in interpersonal relationships."

"Later I realized that not having enough to eat or wear wasn't the worst thing; what was truly despairing and painful was wandering like a walking corpse in a world where there was no place for you. I walked alone until I finally found the career I loved most in my life, and only then did I truly come alive."

"Later, I traveled to other worlds and witnessed their wonders. In other civilizations, I realized that the triumph of good over reality only exists in fairy tales. Fortunately, in the Land of Myriad Races, this is a fact. From then on, I am incredibly grateful every day to have been born in this country, because we don't need fairy tales."

'If your kindness isn't respected, the best way to solve the problem is to turn your back on them and show them you won't tolerate their filthy behavior.'

"Later I realized that the moment an adult truly matures is when they learn to restrain their urge to refute others, and learn to appreciate and understand."

'Effort and reward have nothing to do with each other. There will always be people in this world who work harder than you, but at least you can tell yourself that you have no regrets after you've tried your best.'

"It's human nature to not accept criticism and blindly believe oneself to be absolutely right, even when faced with stark facts. They'll find all sorts of excuses to justify themselves—that's normal. But if one day you encounter someone who's constantly reflecting on themselves, don't be their enemy. Believe me, someone like that is either a monster, a god, or both!"

'I can actually understand lies. After all, who would willingly tell the truth when lying is advantageous to oneself? The Kingdom of All Races has no lies because interests no longer conflict and thoughts are no longer private. Therefore, lies are no longer needed in most situations. To this day, I am still amazed by the way the Kingdom of All Races has eliminated lies.'

Everyone has a wealth of reasons to criticize others, but the light in our hands only illuminates others, not ourselves—that's normal, because I'm the same way.

Never extrapolate from one person's actions to other things. Many things are simply our own assumptions. We tend to fill our expectations of another person with excessive associations. Never fantasize about finding a perfect person; it will only leave you heartbroken.

What is loneliness? I could never describe it to my only friend until one day I walked into a pub, a place filled with lively laughter, but I just found it noisy and couldn't laugh. That's when I realized I was lonely, that I was a person in darkness, and that he was the only light in my life.

'In this world, countless lives are merely existing; we are destined to find meaning in the everyday details of life.'

All truths are initially taken as jokes, until later people realize with astonishment that these things are actually true.

'If you can find enjoyment in wasting time, then that wasted time isn't entirely worthless, or rather, it's not wasted at all. The real waste of time is when you put in a lot of effort and end up frustrated and angry. Sometimes I don't even understand why I always like to waste time and make myself suffer.'

He stood up, recalling those resonant words in his mind. Before he knew it, he had walked out of the park and found himself on the street, looking at the crowds but not knowing where to go.