Evening.

Lin Sizhi was in the outdoor area, lost in thought.

Qin Yao sat on the single sofa next to him and said, "Zheng Jie and I have decided to leave on the last day.

"Otherwise, you’d be so bored alone in the community."

Lin Sizhi smiled, "I don’t mind. Sometimes I prefer the quiet solitude over the hustle and bustle, which allows me to think about things.

"But thank you both anyway."

Qin Yao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why don’t we stay? It’s hard to see Community 17, a previous stage victor, fall apart leaving only you, Lawyer Lin, behind."

Lin Sizhi looked at her, smiled, and shook his head, "That’s not necessary.

"The New World is only suitable for a small number of people, while most suffer and are imprisoned here without a reason to stay.

"Even though the Walkway generously offers everyone in our community a chance to leave the New World, it’s still an exception: none of the other communities receive such a favor.

"Because the Walkway still aims to lock most players in, confining them to provide a gaming experience for a select few.

"I don’t see this as ’falling apart’ for Community 17. Why can’t it be a ’perfect exit’?"

He paused slightly before continuing, "For you, leaving the New World is a perfect clearance, a graceful exit.

"It’s like finishing a game; even if there are leftover gold coins and gear, or uncompleted goals and achievements, they’re still just virtual data.

"There’s no need to have any attachment.

"What matters is the experience itself.

"For players like me, this game has the option of ’multiple playthroughs’; it might be repetitive or drastically different each time.

"But for a ’multiple playthrough player,’ whether to carry over previous gear isn’t really important.

"Traveling light suits my style better."

Both sat quietly, watching the distant night sky.

"Can I interrupt for a moment?"

Qin Yao looked up and saw Li Renshu.

Lin Sizhi nodded, "Of course."

Qin Yao helped move the nearby single sofa so Li Renshu could sit comfortably and then asked, "By the way, Renshu, I haven’t asked: are you planning to stay?"

Li Renshu didn’t immediately have an answer but eventually shook her head, "Probably not.

"I used to have confidence in my political capability.

"Before the ’Tarot Game,’ I was also quite satisfied with my status and community-building achievements.

"But now I realize that those were illusions.

"What I did actually had no meaning."

Lin Sizhi shook his head, "That’s not entirely true.

"Reflecting on the past three months, I think the community building was as fascinating as the Walkway’s game.

"Your performance was excellent; don’t be too hard on yourself.

"As for realizing you were overshadowed by Cai Zhiyuan and couldn’t do anything, that was unavoidable.

"Because Cai Zhiyuan is also a player with top-tier political abilities, on par with you, but his strategic and disruptive abilities surpass yours. Moreover, he has the advantage of being an Imitator, so this was the outcome.

"From a political standpoint, you didn’t lose by much; you lost in areas beyond your control."

This surprised Li Renshu, "Lawyer Lin, you found the community-building part ’fascinating’? I thought you dismissed it as minor squabbles.

"Earlier, when discussing such topics, you rarely spoke, even if you understood the unwritten rules and hidden agendas, you never intervened or opposed them."

Lin Sizhi shook his head, "I didn’t participate because I wanted to be an ’audience’; I don’t consider it minor squabbles.

"Qin Yao, let me ask you a question. What do you think ’politics’ is?"

Qin Yao thought for a moment, "I know! I specifically looked it up in books from the library.

"Politics is the act of governing a political entity, centered on the distribution and use of power, aimed at maintaining social order, promoting public welfare, and safeguarding citizens’ rights."

Li Renshu pondered for a moment and said, "To me, politics is about regulating the distribution of interests among different groups, optimizing the resource mobilization for the entire group.

"In other words, it’s about identifying allies you can rally and adversaries you must oppose, ensuring allies’ interests are protected to unleash their potential; curtailing adversaries’ interests but cleverly keeping them suppressed within a non-disruptive range. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You could also say, seek common ground while accommodating differences, make more friends and fewer enemies."

Lin Sizhi nodded, "Hmm, you’re both right, as there is no particularly clear definition of politics.

"However, I prefer a more straightforward explanation.

"Before discussing the concept of ’politics,’ I’d like to talk about ’power.’

"Some say ’power’ is violence, but that’s not quite correct. ’Power’ is a form of ’strong control’ over others; compelling someone to drink at a table to test their compliance is an example of power; forcing a subordinate to take the fall at work even when they know how serious it is but have no choice is another.

"If someone can’t compel people to do certain things, then they don’t possess power; conversely, the more people you can compel and the more things you can make them do, the greater your power.

"However, power often isn’t exerted through sheer violence; many times, it’s constructed on ’illusions.’

"Because in the real world, there’s no ’all-conquering force,’ the violence one can muster is highly limited, and to enhance one’s power, forming some group or order is necessary.

"When most people acknowledge your power, you truly have power.

"Whether your intentions are benevolent or malicious, whether the system you’re constructing ensures everyone’s rights or lets you control everything, requires a specific process.

"And in the process of building this system, everything you need to manage, every related action, is politics."

Lin Sizhi paused briefly, then continued, "So, I think the concept of politics is independent of population size.

"From a group of three to a nation of billions, politics is present. Though different in form, they are essentially the same.

"The manifestation of political awareness and capability doesn’t depend on the number of political participants but merely on specific actions."