Well-fed and content, Lin Chu sat in the back of the car as it drove through the streets of the Imperial Capital, smoking with the window down.
One by one, the buildings lining the road came into view, each one more intimidatingly prestigious than the last.
'Come to think of it, this is my first time in the Imperial Capital. I've always had this instinctive resistance to coming here.'
'It's a subtle, deep-seated feeling that has nothing to do with being rich or poor. If I had to sum it up, it would be... the closer you get to power, the farther you are from freedom.'
'I'm someone who loves freedom more than anything.'
'And because of where my wealth came from, I've always felt a strange sense of... insecurity. Guilt, even.'
'Like I've done something wrong.'
'It's like that insight I had back in Xiangjiang—the true nature of the panel is that it plunders the wealth of the masses.'
