> "For millennia before our contact with elvish, and then human, ‘civilization’ it mattered not to us. The idea of ‘political’ power, ‘economic’ power—manipulating events through proxies, and symbols—were concepts long and hard in coming to us.” Theophane waved back to the pillar, where her computer was showing a stock ticker. “Wealth is the easiest—and the most easily understandable—way to acquire that kind of power.”
I scribbled a few notes as I asked her, “You’re saying that you only hoard wealth to be able to influence humans?”