Then he said: XVII. You Can't Use Weakness As A Weapon.
“It's the only one I've got.”
XVIII. Why Should I Yield, Then?
“Not yield. Bargain. Deal with me in weakness. Or one day you'll have to bargain with someone in a position of strength. The world changes.”
XIX. Hah! You Want A Constitutional Religion?
“Why not? The other sort didn't work.”
Om leaned on the Temple, his temper subsiding.
Chap. II v. l. Very Well, Then. But Only For A Time. A grin spread across the enormous, smoking face. For One Hundred Years, Yes?
“And after a hundred years?”
II. We Shall See.
“Agreed.”
A finger the length of a tree unfolded, descended, touched Brutha.
III. You Have A Persuasive Way. You Will Need It. A Fleet Approaches.
“Ephebians?” said Simony.
IV. And Tsorteans. And Djelibeybians. And Klatchians. Every Free Country Along The Coast. To Stamp Out Omnia For Good. Or Bad.
“You don't have many friends, do you?” said Urn.
“Even I don't like us much, and I am us,” said Simony. He looked up at the god.
“Will you help?”
V. You Don't Even Believe In Me!
“Yes, but I'm a practical man.”
VI. And Brave, Too, To Declare Atheism Before Your God.
“This doesn't change anything, you know!” said Simony. “Don't think you can get round me by existing! ”
o;Come on, then,” said Urn.
“Come on what?”
“We can rush the steps and save him!”
“There's more of them than there are of us,” said Simony.
“Well, haven't there always been? There's not mag?ically more of them than there are of us just because they've got Brutha, are there?”
Simony grabbed his arm.
“Think logically, will you?” he said. “You're a phi?losopher, aren't you? Look at the crowd!”
Urn looked at the crowd.