>>6008685>It may not be much of a comfort, but we are working on putting an end to the Troll and his gang.She thinks. She glances at Richter and nods. She glances at Jorn at looks less sure but you feel like she does feel a little better.
<span class="mu-s">"I hope you beat the odds, kid."</span>
Jorn wakes up and stretches. She blushes a little then kicks her legs. Richter places her on the ground.
The potion monopoly and the bribery we weren't aware of. Maybe telling us about them could help her feel better, even if we can't do much about it right now?
Whitewater sighs, her breath rattles.
<span class="mu-s">"Look. I know I'm catastrophizing a bit but like..okay..Kassut is a big enough city. The mayor and his inner circle have got direct ties to one of the larger potion places. If they get that local law passed. Then that ONE company is the only one allowed to make health and mana potions. The people who MADE that recipe gave it to everyone FOR FREE because they knew it belonged to everyone."</span>
She wipes her face
<span class="mu-s">"If one company has a monopoly on health potions they can charge whatever they want - and it will be a lot. If less people can afford health potions more people will need traditional medical care, when the demand for that goes up, they will regulate that too. Make it so that you need to pay a monthly amount to get the best care. WHo do you pay the monthly amount to? Probably them and their friends. They're all in this together."</span>
The doctor links her fingers
<span class="mu-s">"And the money talks so it's all connected. Well paid lawyers can draft documents full of legalese and loopholes. Paid off cops can stamp out businesses who argue. Plant evidence. And corrupt journalists can bend the masses into thinking what the politicians want them to think."
She stubs out a cigarette
"Maybe I'm imagining it. Maybe it'll never get that bad. But scratched the surface - the surface-of all this corruption and now I have a hit out on me, basically. So it's not *nothing* even if it's not as bad as I think."
>"Has anyone ever? World's a lot kinder than it used to be, but people still can't live off kindness alone, any more than they can live without it."Whitewater looks sad.
"There's levels, you know? Once you're spending so much money on nothing else but making more money...can't that be spent elsewhere?"</span>
