There was a common phrase used to describe short-sighted people: "Seeing small profits and forgetting righteousness." The term "petty gains" itself also carried an obvious sense of disparagement.
But the truth was that most humans were very easily bought off by small favors. Essentially, when the vast majority of things in an environment felt agreeable, people instinctively relaxed. Every act of pleasing others was, at its core, about creating such an environment—or at least creating that illusion.
Letting people know they were safe was the first step in opening their hearts. Making them feel cared for was the second. Making them feel understood was the third. This was also a method psychopaths often used to create a safe environment.
People often found it strange that so many fools could not see through the true nature of scumbag men and women, and even believed those people had their best interests at heart. But victims of deception were not necessarily stupid. Most people simply could not withstand someone's painstaking, humble, relentless attempts to please them.
Even if it did not work once, or ten times, they could try a hundred or a thousand times. Eventually, you would be moved. And as long as that safe environment was created well enough, no matter how much harm came later, the victim would always remember that unprecedentedly safe, warm, and comfortable environment. They might even take the initiative to make excuses for the other person's drastic change in temperament.
In truth, there was no drastic change in temperament at all. The initial gentleness and consideration had only been meant to create a safe environment. No one could say they would never fall for someone like that.
The moment Schiller stepped into the breakfast hall, he knew Ultimate Iron Man did not merely intend to take