Although this thought passed through his head, Daneel couldn't help but pause for a bit and think again about what he was doing.
For these people, regardless of the fact that they were much more well-to-do than most in Lanthanor, it was quite understandable as to why his words could be so anger-inducing.
Many of them had worked hard step by step to become what they were now.
And for people like them, anything obtained without effort would always be scorned upon.
If Daneel went forward with this tax, it would be such that they were being discriminated against by the Government.
At the end of the day, they were under the sovereign rule of Lanthanor. Thus, just as Daneel said, they could simply up and leave from the Kingdom.
Leave something which they had worked on for their whole lives or live with earning a little less profit?
At least for those who had come up with hard work, the answer was quite clear.
The only ones still angrily grumbling were those who had inherited their wealth and did nothing except enjoy the profits while 'managing' the business.
These entitled people didn't shirk from the possibility of leaving the Kingdom.
Like this, there were many motivations and reasonings in the eyes of all those in front of him which made Daneel doubt himself for a few moments.
Yet, that doubt induced a scene that still haunted him in his dreams:
Fields and fields of dead bodies.
A destroyed Kingdom and an extinct people.
A cruel force that would stop at nothing.
As he thought back to what he had seen in the memory, the faces of those in front of him superimposed on the ones lying on the ground.
Indeed, they were also the people of Lanthanor whom he had sworn to protect and treat fairly. Yet, faced with the other option where scores of people might die, he did not feel so bad about possibly marginalizing a few people for the greater good. After all, if his plan succeeded in giving him the resources he needed, it would definitely go a long way towards saving Lanthanor and even Angaria itself.
As this single thought passed through his mind, Daneel found himself shaking due to realizing something that shocked him to his core.
Since when had he started to make decisions that allowed him to think that acting against a 'few' was fine for the good of the 'many'?
Didn't he come out of that same marginalization to become who he was?
Was he turning into a leader similar to the ones before just with a different cover on top due to his ideals? Just a monkey with new tricks?
When Daneel had taken this decision, the only thing on his mind had been obtaining resources which would allow him to further this plans. What about the few in front of him who were feeling indignant and considering leaving the Kingdom they had been born and brought up in?
He hadn't cared about them one bit.
All he wished was that there would be less competition when the government entered the business so that he could obtain more profit.
This was definitely excellent in the short term, but what about the long term? What about a time when there would be no looming threat which wouldn't justify the government owning all the wealth; which was what he was headed towards now- a communist system?
As the last word, 'communism' rang through his mind, the memories of the horrors committed inside the countries which had once practiced this method ran through his head.
In fact, it was so horrifying that Daneel found himself thinking that it might lead to the same result as that of the Church invading anyway if he followed his current plan.
At some point, he had chosen to take the easy way out after telling himself that it was for the good of those he was technically 'stealing' from.
Indeed, without even realizing it, Daneel had set foot on a path which would definitely lead to nothing but ruin.
Yes, he needed resources: but was this the only way?
Would he really allow himself to go down on the path which had already been proven to be one that led to a cliff by those that had tread on it back on Earth?
No. He wouldn't.
Although he still didn't know what system he would choose that would allow him to not make the same mistakes, Daneel understood that what he was doing now was definitely wrong.
Choosing to be decisive, he dangled out the carrot which he had considered before but rejected due to the fact that it decreased his profits by a large margin:
"Of course, there is … a different option. Right now, how many of you make your own wine? How many of you import it from outside?"
Hearing the question, the people in the clearing frowned a bit before reluctantly raising their hands.
More than half of them had their hands in the air, yet the frown was still on their faces as they did not understand why they had been asked this question.
"As I see it, the standard of the local wine is nothing compared to that which is imported. Thus, although many of you have vineyards, you still choose to import the best of wines through certain channels. Is this true?"
Indeed, this was the case in Lanthanor. As a place with no proper patent system, the secrets of making top-class wine were something which were guarded very tightly. As such, there were only a few organizations in all of Central Angaria who sold the wine that many nobles and rich businessmen craved for.
The buying, selling and transport of this wine was all handled by traders who made a fortune in the process. Of course, as many of the routes they followed were laden with danger, it was also a job with a high risk.
Yet, those who found success earned enough that it always enticed them to take any risk there was in order to keep earning.
This was something that Daneel had identified long back. After doing so, he had come up a plan for the long term which he was now moving forward due to the need that had arisen.
Seeing everyone nod, Daneel took a deep breath before 'pitching' his proposition:
"To be eligible for the same tax as others, you can choose the option where the government itself will transport and sell you the wine you need. We will also take the same price as the traders, and will also offer an amount of insurance for stolen goods on top of that. In essence, Lanthanor will import the wine for you: all you need to do is pay. You have 3 days to make a decision. For now, you all are dismissed."
After the last word, Daneel turned around and walked away with a confident stride.
Back on Earth, he had always loved to read the stories of companies that had risen to a level of dominating an entire domain due to specializing in something that was crucial.
Of these, this present plan had been inspired by the story of a certain company which had named itself after the largest river on Earth. From humble beginnings, it had grown to make its founder the richest man in the entire world, which had amazed Daneel at the time.
Now, it was time to accomplish the same in Angaria.
...
Valley of Mist, Withering Leaf Sect Central Hall
"Leader, Lanthanor has to be stopped. If they manage to map all of the obvious danger zones, it will cut down their casualties by half when they do choose to invade. They cannot continue with what they are doing! I propose that we send out strike teams to ambush those teleporting to shoot the red balls."
With a face that spelled of extreme frustration, a man wearing greenish-yellow robes said these words before sitting back down on the praying mat under him.
While those in the hall whispered, the Sect Leader of the Withering Leaf Sect laughed after noticing the unrest of the room.
Indeed, he had also been quite irked about the fact that their enemy had found such a clever method to map their area.
Yet, at the thought of the last force which had dared to invade their territory, laughter graced his mouth due to the images of the rivers of blood which were still spoken about in the Big 4 today.
"Whatever puny tricks they pull, they will still have to enter the Valley if they wish to confront us. And when they do come, they can forget about returning. Activate the hellfire beacons. It is time to call in a favor."