[That question makes his eyes widen a little in surprise. For a moment, he seems thoughtful, and then his brow crinkles again in worry.]
...They will. Even without me there...they are beginning to find their way toward physically rebuilding. Forming the agreements they'll need with the few nations whose people wouldn't revolt over trading with us...
[Which requires more explanation. If he's going to keep being friends with people from Teyvat, someone should tell him about the Fatui one day - it would save him a great deal of time.]
Food resources have always been scarce. There are things we have no hope of growing ourselves, living on the tundra as we do. [He hangs his head slightly, not meeting Wriothesley's eyes.] ...But the decades before our nation's collapse were spent waging a war of conquest against anyone outside our borders that we believed we could best. While a few factions from those former enemy nations were willing to send us help to stem the immediate crisis, in order to prevent it spilling over into their own lands, long-term trade agreements will be controversial with the commonfolk who have lost relatives to our armies, to say the least. So our sources for the things we cannot provide ourselves will be thin and slow to build.
More than that, I...I do fear that in my absence, my people might rebuild as they were before, rather than seeking a newer and more peaceful path.
[ he considers it. He doesn't want to offer the cold and unkind suggestion that they would manage without just one person--because he knows better than that. Just one person can be ALL the difference between the world falling apart and coming together. The Traveller taught him that much, even if he's blind that he was in a similar position.
His fingers touch his chin as Maxima describes the people of his lands. The harsh and unkind tundra. The desperation of a people with a history of conquest and collapse...
It... reminds him of something. (11) He absolutely will be reminded of a certain set of Harbingers, and the nation they stood for. ]
...I'm reminded of the Fatui, from my own world. They hail from Snezhnaya, a frozen tundra, and unkind nation in my world. They act in a way that is received unfavorably by the rest of the world, their acts often causing crises before anything immediately helpful. Their reputation is to seek practical, gainful path at the price of peace, most often times.
...
With a proper guiding hand and people with a heart for peace, they could do good. They've been seen to do good. But most of the time...
I can understand, then. Exactly why you feel you being here is unfavorable, despite its comforts. You could be the hand that tips the scale. And you're painfully aware of it.
[Maxima nods along with the explanation, his expression lifting just slightly in surprised recognition.]
They sound very similar, yes. ...So you do understand.
[Perhaps it's not so strange. There are cultures in this world that seem to mirror ones from Etheirys, why not in other worlds as well?]
There are others who could do the guiding from within, and pressures from without, that I hope can keep them on a better path. ...But few of those who remain have as much authority, or years of experience in arguing for kinder solutions. ...They could be all right without me, but what if they aren't?
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...They will. Even without me there...they are beginning to find their way toward physically rebuilding. Forming the agreements they'll need with the few nations whose people wouldn't revolt over trading with us...
[Which requires more explanation. If he's going to keep being friends with people from Teyvat, someone should tell him about the Fatui one day - it would save him a great deal of time.]
Food resources have always been scarce. There are things we have no hope of growing ourselves, living on the tundra as we do. [He hangs his head slightly, not meeting Wriothesley's eyes.] ...But the decades before our nation's collapse were spent waging a war of conquest against anyone outside our borders that we believed we could best. While a few factions from those former enemy nations were willing to send us help to stem the immediate crisis, in order to prevent it spilling over into their own lands, long-term trade agreements will be controversial with the commonfolk who have lost relatives to our armies, to say the least. So our sources for the things we cannot provide ourselves will be thin and slow to build.
More than that, I...I do fear that in my absence, my people might rebuild as they were before, rather than seeking a newer and more peaceful path.
no subject
His fingers touch his chin as Maxima describes the people of his lands. The harsh and unkind tundra. The desperation of a people with a history of conquest and collapse...
It... reminds him of something. (11) He absolutely will be reminded of a certain set of Harbingers, and the nation they stood for. ]
...I'm reminded of the Fatui, from my own world. They hail from Snezhnaya, a frozen tundra, and unkind nation in my world. They act in a way that is received unfavorably by the rest of the world, their acts often causing crises before anything immediately helpful. Their reputation is to seek practical, gainful path at the price of peace, most often times.
...
With a proper guiding hand and people with a heart for peace, they could do good. They've been seen to do good. But most of the time...
I can understand, then. Exactly why you feel you being here is unfavorable, despite its comforts.
You could be the hand that tips the scale. And you're painfully aware of it.
no subject
They sound very similar, yes. ...So you do understand.
[Perhaps it's not so strange. There are cultures in this world that seem to mirror ones from Etheirys, why not in other worlds as well?]
There are others who could do the guiding from within, and pressures from without, that I hope can keep them on a better path. ...But few of those who remain have as much authority, or years of experience in arguing for kinder solutions. ...They could be all right without me, but what if they aren't?