Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)
Excerpt from Shifting Paradigms:
“She brings up a good point, though,” Daji said, emerging from the mental fog he had seemed to be in since they arrived. “Why would anyone need to beg here? Isn’t this your city? Don’t you take care of the people here?”
Vlad gave a small shrug. “I maintain order here, occasionally mediate disputes, shield the business conducted here from prying eyes…”
“Except your own,” muttered Chessie, who then looked stricken at her own boldness. Vlad gave her a thin-lipped smile in return, but didn’t deny the charge. “But I do not regulate trade or meddle in anyone’s personal affairs,” he continued. “Nor do I rescue those who haven’t the intelligence or discipline to look after themselves. There are some who wear the guise of youth in my city, but you will find no true children here. Everyone lives or dies, here, based on their own efforts and abilities.”
“A rather cold philosophy. And the results speak for themselves,” said Daji, looking around at the extreme poverty juxtaposed against the trappings of extreme wealth surrounding them.
Vlad gave a small shrug. “I maintain order here, occasionally mediate disputes, shield the business conducted here from prying eyes…”
“Except your own,” muttered Chessie, who then looked stricken at her own boldness. Vlad gave her a thin-lipped smile in return, but didn’t deny the charge. “But I do not regulate trade or meddle in anyone’s personal affairs,” he continued. “Nor do I rescue those who haven’t the intelligence or discipline to look after themselves. There are some who wear the guise of youth in my city, but you will find no true children here. Everyone lives or dies, here, based on their own efforts and abilities.”
“A rather cold philosophy. And the results speak for themselves,” said Daji, looking around at the extreme poverty juxtaposed against the trappings of extreme wealth surrounding them.
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