Xiao Ran shook his head, dizzy from all the documents, set down his pen, and pinched the bridge of his nose twice. "Bring them in."
Seeing how exhausted Xiao Ran looked, Bargyll nodded slightly and turned to leave. Before Xiao Ran had finished organizing the things on his desk, the Mars Prince, Agnes—a young man with long blue hair and red eyes—walked in.
"Please, sit." Upon seeing Agnes enter, Xiao Ran rose from his seat and led him to the sofa at the side of the huge office. Smiling, he said, "Prince Agnes, what brings you here?"
Agnes looked a little embarrassed at Xiao Ran's form of address. After calming himself, he shook his head. "Representative Xiao Ran, please do not call me that. In Osterel, everyone has their own responsibilities and obligations. I am not truly some prince. My duty is merely to protect the people of Osterel."
"I'd forgotten. In Osterel, each person's duties are basically decided from birth." Xiao Ran shook his head with a smile. The Osterel Colony Satellite on Mars, along with the other Martian Colony Satellites, followed rules much like the Destiny Plan proposed by Durandal. From the moment they were born, everyone was essentially assigned their responsibilities and the work they would strive toward for the rest of their lives.
However, Mars had no choice but to do this. Its resources were scarce, and it simply could not afford war like the Earth Sphere could. To avoid war and allow the colonies to develop peacefully despite their many conflicts, defining everyone's duties from the beginning was an unavoidable measure imposed by their environment. Yet this approach had indeed ensured that Mars had never suffered a war, no matter what happened. All conflicts had been resolved through dialogue and communication.
Born into peace, the