Chapter 98: The second meeting (Part 5)

Though Edric phrased it politely, every courtier, official, and attendant in the hall understood exactly what was happening. This was a direct challenge—a test of Arthur's entire governing philosophy. A test of whether the King of Keldoria truly understood the very system he was constructing—or if his so-called reforms were nothing but reckless experiments wrapped in clever words.

Arthur, however, did not respond immediately.

Instead, a faint, almost amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he slowly leaned back against the throne's high backrest. His mind wandered—briefly—across space and time, far from the grand stone pillars of the royal hall, back to another world entirely.

…

He was sitting in a university lecture hall, half paying attention as the professor paced in front of the whiteboard. The classroom smelled faintly of cheap coffee and paper. The glowing projector displayed slides filled with colorful diagrams—charts of markets, arrows pointing in every direction, words like supply chain, market segmentation, demand elasticity.

Arthur, still just Moe back then, had always enjoyed economics. But that day, something unexpected happened.

The professor, adjusting his glasses, spoke in a casual but sharp tone.

"Now listen carefully," the professor said. "At its core, everything in this world is a product. Tangible or intangible, it doesn't matter. Anything that serves someone's need or desire becomes part of an economic system."

The teaching assistance beside him chimed in enthusiastically, tapping the screen. "Even politics, students. Even leadership. Even governments."

A few students laughed uncomfortably.

"Think about it," the professor continued. "Politicians? They're selling trust. Selling hope. Selling stability. Nations? They're nothing more than complex products packaged as systems of governance. If people no longer 'buy' what a government offers, what happens?"

A few students answered: "They lose power?"

"Exactly." The professor smiled. "Just like a failing business that loses customers, regimes collapse when their citizens stop believing in their value."

The professor then, with a teasing smile, added, "When you think about a national election, just picture it as one grand marketing festival, where each party is essentially a brand, competing to sell their vision, their promises, and ultimately themselves more convincingly than the others."

Moe remembered being slightly stunned by that idea at the time. Of course, he'd always thought of politics as something separate—something driven by ideals, authority, and law. But to hear it framed so… clinically—as part of the same machine that drove the buying and selling of goods—it was unsettling. Yet undeniable.

Even power itself can be marketed. Even a king is a product... in the market of loyalty.

…

Arthur's gaze sharpened as his mind returned to the present, the memory of that marketing class fading like a passing cloud. But its lesson remained.

He looked directly at Edric, his expression calm but brimming with quiet confidence.

"An excellent question, Prince Edric," Arthur began, his voice carrying across the silent grand hall. "Allow me to explain."

He paused, letting the tension grow, drawing in not just Edric but everyone present.

"You see… at its most fundamental level, all governance—whether ruled by divine right, bloodline, or conquest—is, at its core, an exchange. A transaction."

His voice deepened, steady, as though lecturing an eager class of students.

"The sovereign offers protection, stability, justice, prosperity. In return, the people offer obedience, loyalty, resources, and taxes. If you strip away the rituals, titles, and ceremonies, what remains is that relationship of exchange."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking on Edric. "In that sense, a king is a product—an intangible product offered to the entire population. His value is judged not by his lineage, but by how well he satisfies the demands of those who depend on him."

Edric raised his brow slightly, intrigued but silent.

Arthur let his voice drop just enough to command the full attention of the hall. "Let me give you a simple example, Prince Edric."

The chamber grew even more focused, nobles and ministers hanging on every word.

"Imagine a merchant who sells bread. His customers are the people of the town. As long as the bread is affordable, of good quality, and consistent, they continue to buy. The merchant grows rich. But should the bread become stale, overpriced, or scarce, his customers will search for another baker. The merchant's business collapses."

Arthur's voice sharpened.

"Now replace that merchant with a king. Replace bread with stability. As long as the king provides peace, prosperity, and justice, his people will remain loyal. But should corruption spread, famine take hold, or oppression rise unchecked, the people will lose faith. And like customers abandoning the baker, the people—whether they be merchants, peasants, or even nobles—will look elsewhere for leadership."

He paused again, voice low but firm.

"In ancient kingdoms, this loss of faith resulted in revolts, uprisings, civil wars, or foreign conquest. The king is not immune to this dynamic simply because he wears a crown."

Arthur smiled faintly, letting the weight of the analogy sink in.

"The market, Prince Edric, is the hearts and minds of the people. And the consumers… are everyone living under the king's rule. Nobles. Commoners. Merchants. Even foreign neighbors who judge the kingdom's strength. All of them."

The court was completely silent now. Some shifted uneasily, uncomfortable with hearing the raw mechanics of power described so openly. But others nodded subtly, deeply impressed.

Even Lucien, who had known Arthur's capabilities from the previous encounter, found himself quietly reevaluating the full scope of this young king's intellect.

Arthur's voice softened but carried the final strike.

"This is why I rule by design, Prince Edric—not entitlement. My position is not inherited. It is constantly earned. As long as my people's needs are met—be it prosperity, security, or opportunity—my rule remains stable. If I fail to market myself as a competent king, they might not abandon me now but given certain amount of time, just as they would abandon any failing merchant they would abandon me, the King of Keldoria."

He leaned back against the lion-carved throne, eyes calm and unwavering.

"This… is the true nature of power."

The entire hall seemed to exhale at once, as though they had been holding their breath through Arthur's entire explanation.

Even Edric, despite his calm mask, felt a faint twinge ripple through his chest.

So this is the depth of his thinking… he thought.

What Arthur had just laid bare was not some hollow theory born of arrogance or youthful ambition. It was sound. Ruthlessly logical. Brilliantly simple, once explained—but utterly unthinkable to those trapped within the rigid hierarchies of traditional governance.

Edric knew, with cold certainty, that not a single scholar in Chronos, not even among their most revered philosophers or economic strategists, would have ever framed power in such a manner. The idea of viewing sovereignty as a market-driven relationship—one where even kings could be treated as products to be evaluated—was nothing short of revolutionary.

It wasn't that Arthur's theory was questionable, Edric admitted to himself. It was that none of us had even been capable of imagining such a framework before.

A slight weight settled in Edric's chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt something he rarely allowed himself to feel: inferiority.

Compared to Arthur's depth of knowledge, his creativity, and his vision, Edric—who had always prided himself as one of the most capable political minds of Chronos—felt himself shrinking, inch by inch.

Now that I've heard this… I can't unsee it, Edric thought bitterly. Every decision, every political move, every alliance—it all fits into this structure he describes.

The more Edric processed it, the more dangerous Arthur appeared in his eyes.

Arthur wasn't simply clever.

He was operating on an entirely different level.

Arthur then spoke interpreting Edric though, "Ask your final question."