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."The man promises to bring about a revolution in medicine.""I know, I know, and one consequence will be a vast increase in the birth rate.The population will soar, and it is already too great for the land.Indeed the land of Shasht is already overcrowded.The soil is exhausted.""There are possible remedies.We could change landholding laws.Give the peasants their own fields.They will be more productive and take better care of the land.Another useful remedy would be to govern the corn markets to eliminate price fixing."The Old One shook its head slowly and decisively."And risk instability? You do not know what men are capable of, good Emperor Aeswiren the Third.But I know and I forbid such forms of progress.Men need strong hierarchies, powerful gods that keep them on their knees.Men become too haughty, too given to chaotic impulses if you remove the yoke."Aeswiren heard the insolence and deep-seated contempt behind these words.He frowned, pursed his lips, and returned the stare of the dead eyes.He could not accept that there was no chance of improving the economy of the Empire.But suddenly he felt caution muffle his response.He was Emperor, but he did not want to challenge the ancient thing.His own plans were in the making.Hesh and the Hand would do the job, but he must not betray his intentions too soon."The land needs water, it needs rest.Too much grain is grown to fatten meats for the wealthy.""So what would you do? Confiscate land and give it over to communal ownership? Fool! When men have no personal, private stake in the land, they will always cheat the group.Starvation and corruption follow inevitably.So, would you instead take the land into state holdings? A terrible mistake, because then the entire covetous instinct of your society becomes aimed at the state, and in short order it is entirely corrupted and all authority rots away.Chaos or barbarian invasion invariably follows."Aeswiren stared back, unsure how to respond.To this old thing all men were like rabbits, short-lived, stupid, unable to control their basic urge to overbreed and fill the land with their flesh."Does any solution have to be so extreme?""Of course.The land is exhausted, the fields worked to the bone.Food costs have been growing for generations.Despite Norgeeben's efforts, hunger has become widespread among the lower orders.Soon there will be social unrest.Half measures will do nothing but slow the slide into disorder.""And yet we have great areas that are kept just for the comforts of the rich.""A drop in the bucket.Norgeeben stripped the great families of all the lands they'd stolen during the final reigns of the second dynasty.Compared to that, you'd not get much good farmland now."Aeswiren suppressed his next thought.Cut the number of priests and reduce the need to feed them.The thing knew what he was thinking, though."I know what you're thinking, Aeswiren, Emperor for twenty-three years.And I can tell you that such a solution will not be allowed.There will be no reduction in the burden imposed by the priesthood.Don't you understand that we are taking on society's unwanted children by making them Red Tops? If they weren't priests, they'd be criminal elements.""They could be put to more productive uses.""Hah, now there's a thought!" The Old One had that evil smile again."Well, don't worry, they soon will be put to work.But not in your lifetime, eh?"Aeswiren wasn't sure what that remark meant.Would they try to kill him right here and now? He was unprotected.But his popularity still protected him from summary murder, he thought.Or did it? Would this old horror feel any compunction about killing him in an instant?"And as for this Filek Biswas, well, the priests have marked his name.If they mark him again, then his heart must go to the Great God."Aeswiren frowned.This sounded almost like a challenge to him.His voice steadied as he returned the fire."I am sure the priests will restrain themselves and leave Filek to his work.Meanwhile I will see that the man is urged to show more piety."A long pregnant silence ensued.Then the Old One spoke again, but in a new tone, a voice filled with more emotion than Aeswiren had ever heard from it before."Let us move to another, more important subject.You are aware, I'm sure that the captive creatures that were to have been sacrificed have escaped.They were given assistance by powerful forces in this escape.They are being sought now."Aeswiren suppressed any surprise he might have shown at hearing this news in this way.He and his operatives had indeed been wondering what might have happened to the captive mots."I see," he said quietly."These vermin will soon be retaken, and this time they will be given to the God at once.I wish no further contaminations from them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."The man promises to bring about a revolution in medicine.""I know, I know, and one consequence will be a vast increase in the birth rate.The population will soar, and it is already too great for the land.Indeed the land of Shasht is already overcrowded.The soil is exhausted.""There are possible remedies.We could change landholding laws.Give the peasants their own fields.They will be more productive and take better care of the land.Another useful remedy would be to govern the corn markets to eliminate price fixing."The Old One shook its head slowly and decisively."And risk instability? You do not know what men are capable of, good Emperor Aeswiren the Third.But I know and I forbid such forms of progress.Men need strong hierarchies, powerful gods that keep them on their knees.Men become too haughty, too given to chaotic impulses if you remove the yoke."Aeswiren heard the insolence and deep-seated contempt behind these words.He frowned, pursed his lips, and returned the stare of the dead eyes.He could not accept that there was no chance of improving the economy of the Empire.But suddenly he felt caution muffle his response.He was Emperor, but he did not want to challenge the ancient thing.His own plans were in the making.Hesh and the Hand would do the job, but he must not betray his intentions too soon."The land needs water, it needs rest.Too much grain is grown to fatten meats for the wealthy.""So what would you do? Confiscate land and give it over to communal ownership? Fool! When men have no personal, private stake in the land, they will always cheat the group.Starvation and corruption follow inevitably.So, would you instead take the land into state holdings? A terrible mistake, because then the entire covetous instinct of your society becomes aimed at the state, and in short order it is entirely corrupted and all authority rots away.Chaos or barbarian invasion invariably follows."Aeswiren stared back, unsure how to respond.To this old thing all men were like rabbits, short-lived, stupid, unable to control their basic urge to overbreed and fill the land with their flesh."Does any solution have to be so extreme?""Of course.The land is exhausted, the fields worked to the bone.Food costs have been growing for generations.Despite Norgeeben's efforts, hunger has become widespread among the lower orders.Soon there will be social unrest.Half measures will do nothing but slow the slide into disorder.""And yet we have great areas that are kept just for the comforts of the rich.""A drop in the bucket.Norgeeben stripped the great families of all the lands they'd stolen during the final reigns of the second dynasty.Compared to that, you'd not get much good farmland now."Aeswiren suppressed his next thought.Cut the number of priests and reduce the need to feed them.The thing knew what he was thinking, though."I know what you're thinking, Aeswiren, Emperor for twenty-three years.And I can tell you that such a solution will not be allowed.There will be no reduction in the burden imposed by the priesthood.Don't you understand that we are taking on society's unwanted children by making them Red Tops? If they weren't priests, they'd be criminal elements.""They could be put to more productive uses.""Hah, now there's a thought!" The Old One had that evil smile again."Well, don't worry, they soon will be put to work.But not in your lifetime, eh?"Aeswiren wasn't sure what that remark meant.Would they try to kill him right here and now? He was unprotected.But his popularity still protected him from summary murder, he thought.Or did it? Would this old horror feel any compunction about killing him in an instant?"And as for this Filek Biswas, well, the priests have marked his name.If they mark him again, then his heart must go to the Great God."Aeswiren frowned.This sounded almost like a challenge to him.His voice steadied as he returned the fire."I am sure the priests will restrain themselves and leave Filek to his work.Meanwhile I will see that the man is urged to show more piety."A long pregnant silence ensued.Then the Old One spoke again, but in a new tone, a voice filled with more emotion than Aeswiren had ever heard from it before."Let us move to another, more important subject.You are aware, I'm sure that the captive creatures that were to have been sacrificed have escaped.They were given assistance by powerful forces in this escape.They are being sought now."Aeswiren suppressed any surprise he might have shown at hearing this news in this way.He and his operatives had indeed been wondering what might have happened to the captive mots."I see," he said quietly."These vermin will soon be retaken, and this time they will be given to the God at once.I wish no further contaminations from them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]