As his voice echoed in the halls that had been built to house thousands upon thousands of talented seeds who would have lived on and rebuilt the continent if this place had ever been used for the reason for which it had been built, the sovereigns couldn't help but smile before returning to whatever they had been doing before Daneel had interrupted them by suddenly speaking out loud.
Cassandra and Aran were both fussing over a miniature house that they were building in the air with elementary particles. It would change shape with each second - at one moment, it would be in the shape of a phoenix which would definitely send any architects running, and in another, it would change into the likeness of Aran's head, complete with a smug expression.
Indeed, their relationship was progressing very well, and this actually wasn't something to be surprised about when one considered that they had been together, in a sense, for years until they had finally reached the point where they could express their feelings, albeit in their own unique ways.
Aran had, of course, always been the silent type who would have been ready to give his life to protect Cassandra no matter what happened, whereas she was the fiery type who would have chased away anyone who might even have thought of committing to a relationship with the man by using a burning stick, or even by setting their hair on fire.
In fact, the latter was actually something that Cassandra had inflicted on quite a few people throughout the years, and even though she always made sure to put it out before it did any real harm, it would always be that the victims would walk around with a singed smell around them for weeks on end.
Daneel was in a relaxed mood as there was nothing else to do right now except for wait, and this was something that didn't happen often. Hence, he let his thoughts run adrift in this manner, and that was why he also remembered that it was these incidents which had been a major factor in her gaining the fame that she was not someone to be messed with.
In fact, now that he thought about it, he realized that even those victims were women who had gotten quite close to Aran, and with that, the king couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Hearing him, Eloise, who had been sitting beside him with her eyes closed while she responded to the hundreds of messages that were always waiting for her due to all of the responsibilities that she was taking care of at the same time, smiled and paused her work before taking her hand into his.
This made him smile and squeeze it, but when she spoke, he couldn't help but freeze momentarily.
"What has made our King laugh today? By the way, I thought that our reaction might elicit some or the other reaction from you… But it didn't. So, I take it that you guessed the reason behind it?"
With another chuckle, Daneel gave his response in a loud voice which was heard by everyone who was present.
"You have all grown immune to my plans! Well, I don't really blame you - by being the ones closest to me, you are always the ones who get the best explanations, and the best insights into how my mind works. In fact, compared to everything I've been doing lately, this isn't really that impressive, but I can't help it- each and every plan that goes well excites me so much that I cannot stop myself from declaring it as if it is something genius. But… Have you forgotten about the war? Didn't you all want a thorough explanation after it? So I gather that you aren't interested in that anymore?"
This finally made everyone drop everything they were doing, and sit up straight before setting their eyes on the King.
Their answer was evident, so Daneel did not leave them hanging.
"Listen well, because you need to understand this if you want to live up to the name we have taken. The great divide. It is something that exists in all communities and societies, as it is common for differences to exist between people, who come in many forms and with many different ambitions, and talents. A divide which is formed by one's own decisions is normal. Take a simple example: there might be two individuals, of whom one had quite a lot of talent and had been born in a good family, and the other had quite low talent, and was born poor. Here, the divide between them is clear, but what if the farmer turns out to be a lazy playboy who amounts to nothing in his life and dies after spending all of his father's money and then going bankrupt as he never bothered to pick up anything that he could help himself with, and the latter becomes a rich and affluent minister using his hard work and determination to even bleed if needed if it means that he can reach his goals? Decisions, my sovereigns. What I'm speaking about might sound simple, and it might even be something that you take for granted, but that is because it is normal: hard work should allow someone who is not born lucky to overcome what he cannot control. I already spoke about this when everyone was present, so I won't go into it at depth. You know what comes after it: the divide I was aiming to break was one which would stop both the people I just mentioned from ever being able to obtain enough resources, especially when they're available, waiting, for someone to claim them in the vaults of the Big Four. I only bring it all up now to tell you where I got the idea: Lanthanor. In Lanthanor, before I took that step to break down the walls between the inner and outer city, those who were born in the outer city would almost never have had any chance to reach the level of a minister in the inner city. I'm not speaking about those who did so by sheer luck, or through such extreme suffering that it is not something that the vast majority of humans can ever be expected to endure. This clear demarcation did nothing except allow those in the inner city to puff out their chests and turn up their noses to those they look down on, as they were below them. I broke down the walls, and what happened? Instantly, overnight, there was such a beautiful change that I remember that even my father was so amazed that he kept speaking about it for weeks. Perception is everything, my dear sovereigns. By breaking the wall, I broke the perception that there was something unachievable, and hence, the general level of motivation, itself, went right up. Of course, because I was the one who did it, I also obtained a healthy chunk of support, but we don't need to speak about that- what is essential is that the overall happiness of the people also increased, and along with that, as you can expect, the future of the kingdom, itself, had changed. Now consider what would have happened if the divide continued to exist: in the worst case, it would have gotten so bad at one point that those of the outer city might even have turned into slaves. Children would have been born into slavery, and it would all even have felt normal, as that was how it would have been for generations. At some time, it would have reached a point where the outer city would rebel, and after that, it would have taken many, many lives to overturn that separation in status. During that turmoil, the kingdom would be so weakened that it would invite all kinds of forces to take a shot at subjugating it, and making them all slaves. We're just talking about a single kingdom, here. Now… Think about it in terms of the continent."
While the sovereigns imagined the gruesome future that Daneel was painting, he thought of the main source from which he had actually gotten the idea: Earth.
What he had spoken about had really happened there, and if history had taught him anything, it was that perception had so much power that it could enslave generations of people just because one person had decided after looking at someone who was of a different color than they were different, and that hence, they were uncivilized and had to be 'educated' by going into servitude.
In Angaria, the problem had already reached the level where one avenue had completely been cut off for the general population. How long would it have taken for the same to happen to others? How long would it have taken for some or the other leader to come along, who might decide that it was best for the continent if the common people had no rights?
True, all of these were the worst-case scenarios, but the problem was that if any of them happened, Angaria would definitely be so weakened for such a long time that it would be ripe for the plucking by any foe like the Church who might come across it. Even in the current situation, then chances were close to nil, but such a future… Was something that should be changed, even if it meant that Daneel had to use up some of the precious time he had until the invasion.
He had seen it in this way: the divide was a very, very big problem that he could not even begin to address if this was a place as large as the Earth, but because of the isolated nature of the continent, and the relatively small amount of people, he had a golden opportunity to break it and give to Angaria the gift of a future filled with hope, and the potential to reach a level of power much, much greater than anything that would have been possible if he chose not to act.
In fact, without the existence of the threat of the church, Daneel did not know whether it would have been possible for him to take these steps. If Angaria was like a chunk of metal filled with impurities, then the Church would be the fire with which he would mold it into a sword that would cut through anything and everything in its path with the unrivaled strength that came from unity.
These were idealistic goals, but with the system, and the power he had, wouldn't it be a crime to not aim for the Heavens?
"The goal is simple: Angaria will become one nation, with equal opportunity for those who are willing to work hard. True, those who are born lucky will have an easier time, but those who aren't will also be able to achieve great things, if they are willing to put in the work. The Order will remain secret, and it will function as the truly elite organization that will protect the rest of Angaria from threats it cannot deal with. If this vision of mine comes to be…no one will be able to defeat us. All right, we've given the continent enough time: let's go see how everyone is handling the aftermath of the vision."