Athar did not speak. He could not come up with an answer to this problem. What did the empire hope to achieve by this? He had no idea.
"Athar," Angelica pulled him out of his stupor.
"This is a subtle message from the empire to the masses," she continued. "It is an indirect way of asking them to value what they have been privileged to receive."
"If eggs were so freely available and everyone among the masses had access to them, who would truly value the opportunity they have been given?" she pressed. "To them, it would be nothing special. A common occurrence. Something ordinary."
"But by sacrificing a few of the boys, the empire establishes that the opportunity they have received is sacred. Something only the fortunate deserve, and they better value it."
"But Master," Athar interjected, "this logic does not seem very sound."
"I did not say it is the correct method," Angelica shook her head. "I only stated what the empire believes."
