True, he agreed with a shrug. But if you go missing, youll soon be declared a fraud and the title to Buridan will go up for grabs. Itll be a free-for-all, and we intend to make sure that it starts a civil war.
As plans went, it struck Venera as eminently practicalbut this was not a good time to be smiling and nodding.
She thought for a while. All she could hear was the slow drip drip of water from rusted ceiling pipes; doubtless no one would hear any cries for help. I suppose youve been following my story, she said eventually. Do you believe that Im Amandera Thrace-Guiles, heir of Buridan?
He waved a hand negligently. Couldnt care less. Actually, I think you are an imposter, but why does it matter? Youll soon be out of the picture.
But what if I am an imposter? She watched his face closely as she spoke. Where do you suppose I came from?
Now he looked puzzled. Here but your accent is foreign. Are you from outside Spyre?
She nodded. Outside Spyre, and consequently I have no loyalty for any of the factions here. But I do have one thingIve come into a great deal of money and influence, using my own wits.
He leaned back, laughing. So what are you saying? he asked. That youre a sympathizer? More like an opportunist; so why should I have anything but contempt for that?
Because this power is only a means to an end, she said. Im not interested in who governs or even who ends up with the money Ive gained. I have my own agenda.
He snorted. How vague and
intriguing. Well, Im sure I cant help you with this ill-defined agenda. Were only interested in people who believe . People who know that theres another way to govern than the tyrannies we have here. Im talking about emergent government, which you as a barbarian have probably never even heard of.
Emergent? Now it was Veneras turn to be startled. Thats just a myth. Government emerging spontaneously as a property of peoples interactions it doesnt work.
Oh, but it does. He fished inside his jacket and came out with a small, heavily worn black book. This is the proof. And the key to bringing it back. He held the book up for her to see; with her limited mobility, Venera could just make out the title: Rights Currencies, 29th Edition .
Its the manual, he said. The original manual, taken from the secret libraries of one of the great nations. This book explains how currency-based emergent government works, and provides an example. He opened the book and withdrew several tightly folded bills. These he unfolded on the table where she could see them. People have always had codes of conduct, said Bryce as he stared lovingly at the money, but they were originally put together hit or miss, with anecdotal evidence to back them up, and using armies and policemen to enforce them. This is a system based on the human habit of buying and sellingonly you cant use this money to buy things . Each bill stands for a particular right.
She leaned over to see. One pink rectangle had the word JUDGEMENT printed on it above two columns of tiny words. The text shows which other bills you can trade this one for, said Bryce helpfully. On the flip side is a description of what you can do if youve got it. This one lets you try court cases if youve also got some other types of bill, but you have to trade this one to judge a trial. The idea is you can only sell it to someone who doesnt have the correct combination to judge and hopefully whoever they sell it to sells it back to you. So the systems not static, it has to be sustained through continual transactions.
She looked at another bill. It said GET OUT OF JAIL FREE. The book Bryce was holding, if it was genuine, was priceless. People had been looking for these lost principles for longer than theyd been trying to find the last key to Candesce. Venera had never believed they really existed.
Pointedly, she shrugged. So?
The young revolutionary snatched up the bills. Currencies like this cant just be made, he proclaimed, exhibiting a certain youthful zeal that she would have found endearing in other circumstances. The rights, the classifications, number of denominations, who you can trade toall of those details have to be calculated with the use of massive simulations of whole human societies. Simulate the society in a computing machine, and test different interactions then compile a list of ratios and relations between the bills. Put them in circulation, and an ordered society emerges from the transactionswithout institutions getting in the way. Simple.
Right, said Venera, And Im betting that this book wasnt designed for a world like Virga, was it? Isnt this a set of rules for people who live on a flat-worlda planet? The legend says thats why the emergent systems were lostbecause their rules didnt apply here.
Not the old ratios, its true, he admitted. But the core bills theyre sound. You can at least use them to minimize your institutions even if you cant eliminate them completely. We intend to prove it, starting here.
Well, thats very ambitious. Venera suddenly noticed the way he was looking at her. She was tied with her arms back and her breasts thrust at this young man and he was obviously enjoying her predicament. For the first time since being brought down here, she found herself genuinely off balance.