"I think I understand now," Brainiac said. "An absolutely fair society is static, while what I want to create now is a society in relative motion. I need to ensure that society as a whole develops faster than class divisions caused by inequality, thereby maintaining relative stability."
"Exactly. So you need to make certain exceptions and provide ample resources for those who can advance society, so they can pull the carriage of human civilization forward at a mad dash. As long as it runs fast enough, a certain degree of inequality is entirely acceptable."
"Humans are still too complicated," Brainiac said.
"Besides, it's also to placate those evil geniuses. The essence of manipulation is love. If you don't give them a taste of sweetness or let them gain real benefits, they still won't sincerely unite around you and work for you."
"It seems this method really does work," Brainiac said. "Can I establish a separate discipline for it? How about calling it 'Manipulation Studies'?"
"Not good. Until you acquire genuine emotions, you will never truly understand this discipline. All calculation is a waste of time. Manipulation isn't about looking down from above; it's about entering the game yourself. If you cannot empathize with those you manipulate, then you are destined to fail."
"I seem to have grasped something," Brainiac said. "I'm not referring to manipulation, but emotions. But I still can't determine exactly what it is. Lex Luthor's insults were a bit too harsh."
Greed laughed, carrying his coffee back to the dining room. He picked up the newspaper beside him and read while drinking his coffee.
"Are we really going to counterattack Darkseid?" Brainiac asked again.
"Don't you have a planet-collecting obsession?"
"...Who said that?"
"You in other universes do. You from other universes keep invading Earth just so