The Shadow of Great Britain

Great Dumas was about to continue his argument with Arthur, and taking this opportunity, Louis, whose curiosity was piqued, also began to inquire about other opinions from the Egyptians.

"Giuseppe, what else did that Egyptian say?"

Garibaldi was a man who never concealed his inner thoughts. Most of the time, his mind was as pure as a child's, and he treated everyone with great enthusiasm, possessing an innate charm. Although such a character could not make him a conspirator, it won him many friends.

Even though he knew from the start that Louis was a member of the Bonaparte Family, Garibaldi seemed not to care at all about that. He treated Louis like a new buddy he had just gotten drunk with in a tavern yesterday.

His face was flushed from drinking, and while stroking his seal-like mustache, he cheerfully introduced him.

"In my opinion, he is a man of considerable insight. What we who grew up in Catholic countries fail to see, he sees with perfect clarity. That guy thinks it's a terrible custom to forbid priests from marrying. He believes that no matter the rank or title of the priest, they must remain celibate, and this is an absurd custom. Because celibacy not only fails to keep them pure, but it may also exacerbate their existing sins, since their lives are too repressed.

Another custom he finds repulsive is that priests believe ordinary people are obliged to confess their sins to them and obtain their forgiveness. The penitent sits down, confesses their crimes to the priest, and asks for forgiveness, and then the priest forgives them—it's utterly ridiculous. Because he finds that most people who go to church to confess are women and children, which coincides with what an Arab poet said: whoever goes to the church will only encounter calves and gazelles.

He keenly noticed a crucial point: only the weak go to church to confess because they are powerless to change their situation. But those who truly commit sins, the strong, never go to church. As long as God's punishment does not befall them, they continue to openly mock faith and oppress those weaker than them. Everyone in Paris, rich or poor, is keen on profit and trade.

Even a child who can only utter a few words behaves the same way. If you give him a small coin, he claps joyfully, exclaiming, 'I earned it! I got it!' In Egypt, such phenomena are never seen because they find it insulting. However, the Port Director believes that it might be precisely this profit-driven atmosphere that makes France so prosperous.

In addition to this, he also thinks the French are very savvy about saving and managing their expenses. Parisians keep accounts and have turned it into a subject of study, even offering special accounting courses in schools, and the government has a dedicated department for managing these ledgers. In Egypt, people spend money as soon as they have it, buying female slaves, male servants, just like I mentioned earlier, even the most ordinary Egyptians own several servants at home."

Great Dumas, who was arguing with Arthur nearby, couldn't sit still upon hearing this and stood up with his wine glass: "Giuseppe, I have no intention of arguing with you, but the Egyptian you met is simply inexperienced. When it comes to being money-driven, the most famous are the British. And as for him saying the French are stingy, it's simply nonsense; I dare say he has never been to the Netherlands or Amsterdam!"