Barid chuckled. "Yes, I know. Elections, democracy, changing leadership... I can see the merits, but it doesn't mean I agree with it."<br/><br/>"Precisely. I entirely agree, the world, as it is, is<em>most assuredly not ready</em>for the kind of end results. I'm not considering a timeline on the scale of a few generations, but tens of thousands of years, at the least. It will be slow, I admit... but look at it, yourself. You've seen how little these worlds have developed over your own lifespans," he said, addressing Amaterasu. "Sure, improvements and refinements here and there, but on a small scale, and usually stamped out by fatal flaws in the government, their knowledge and advancement lost forever to the sands of time, and only in a small region. Imagine preserving that knowledge, spreading it. Imagine how quickly people could grow and develop, if<em>everyone</em>had the chance to live in a society that's advancing at a constant, steady pace, instead of stuck in mud and squalor for tens of thousands of years."<br/><br/>"In all honesty, I'm the wrong one to make that argument to. My people have a deep connection with the natural world, and choose to remain the way we are."<br/><br/>"Do you? You're an excellent example of that; how much time do you truly spend, living in your temple in the woods, amongst a primitive society? And how much time do you spend in the modern comforts of cities and royal courts." "For good reason! For the good of my people!" "No doubt! But how many of your people choose to move in amongst the humans, to eschew the rural life for the urbane one? Perhaps not many, because inertia and societal pressure is strong... but how many would, if given the chance?"<br/><br/>Amaterasu opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again, knowing that she likely couldn't win that argument.