"They need to work for me for a period on Birong Star, and then I will grant them freedom," Jiang Ye said.
"Work for you for a period?" Zhu Lingyao's eyes shifted slightly. "Meaning, you give orders, they work, and one day when you feel it's enough, you give another order to restore their freedom?"
"No, no, no, it cannot be like that. The king's word is already ironclad law. Although to a large extent, in my territory, whatever I say goes, I have been deliberately avoiding that situation," Jiang Ye answered seriously. "Every android that arrives on Birong Star will have a sum calculated based on shipping costs, settlement fees, and their own value. This sum is their redemption fee. As long as they work and earn money, and pay this fee, they can become free individuals."
"They are born with debt?"
"The debt is not much; I estimate they can earn it within a few years of working."
"Once they regain their freedom, you won't stop them even if they leave your territory?"
"Of course, they are free."
"I must remind you that if the proportion of androids in your city is huge, and these individuals collectively leave at a certain point, it will cause immense damage to your territory."
"It's not that simple," Jiang Ye smiled. "Their jobs are there, their social connections are there. Leaving everything familiar for a completely strange place, how easy can that be?"
"Moreover, interstellar travel is very expensive, and immigrating to various planets also requires approval. So, I estimate that the vast majority of androids will choose to live in my territory," Jiang Ye was quite confident.
Zhu Lingyao lowered her head and typed on the screen, recording a few lines of text.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng both stared, completely unable to understand the characters she was using.
Jiang Ye shifted his gaze to his heart rate graph; it was currently stable. His heartbeat remained between 55 and 63, with very little fluctuation.
"On your planet, what kind of social status are you willing to grant androids?" Zhu Lingyao looked up and continued the examination.
"Social status?" Jiang Ye was taken aback. "How can social status be granted by me? It depends on themselves. If they possess qualities worthy of social respect, such as being popular, talented, or holding important jobs, then naturally their social status will be high."
"Then let me rephrase the question," Zhu Lingyao said. "Suppose an ordinary person and an android have a conflict, and the android kills the ordinary person. How will your planet judge? If the ordinary person kills the android, how will your planet judge?"
"You mean, the difference in judicial treatment between androids and ordinary people, right?"
"Precisely."
Jiang Ye fell silent.
After a moment, he said, "There is no difference. On my planet, androids and ordinary people will have equal status."
"If your planet experiences an economic crisis, with soaring unemployment and an increasing number of homeless people on the streets," Zhu Lingyao said, "someone discovers that the vast majority of jobs globally are occupied by androids, and ordinary people have had their livelihoods taken away. Consequently, ordinary people unite, and millions march in major cities, shouting slogans such as 'Slaves have ridden on the masters' heads,' 'Jiang Ye is a running dog for androids,' 'We want jobs, not androids,' 'Androids are multiplying, while real humans are starving,' and so on."
"What will you do at that time?"
"Of course, I will find ways to boost the economy and create more job opportunities," Jiang Ye said with a straight face. "If, under fair hiring practices, androids hold the majority of positions in society, it can only mean that androids are more qualified employees, and they should continue to work. Can I order companies to dismiss androids? Wouldn't that be unfair to the androids?"
"What if the situation is the opposite, where the vast majority of companies discriminate against androids, hiring more ordinary people and rejecting androids? What will you do then?"
"The same solution, boost the economy."
"What if the economy cannot be boosted in a short period?" Zhu Lingyao smiled. "Although you have great power, you are not an immortal. Sometimes, due to various irresistible internal and external forces, economic decline is inevitable."
"I will have to leave this question blank," Jiang Ye said. "I will do my best to avoid such a dead end. If such a situation truly arises, I can only make decisions based on the current circumstances. The only thing I can tell you is that I will not issue orders that differentiate between androids and ordinary people. I will only call on companies to treat androids and ordinary people equally."
"Then let's talk about marriage and offspring," Zhu Lingyao said.
"Currently, planets with androids in the Milky Way are divided into two factions. One strictly prohibits marriage and procreation between androids and ordinary people, while the other permits it."
"And the permitting faction is further divided into two smaller factions. One hides the android's identity, while the other informs both parties of the android's true identity when they register their marriage."
"On your planet, how will you arrange the issues of marriage, love, and offspring for androids?" Zhu Lingyao's tone was exceptionally serious this time.
Jiang Ye fell silent.
This was indeed a fatal dilemma.
The genes of androids were manufactured.
The genes of ordinary people were passed down through long periods of evolution and inheritance, natural genes.
If marriage and procreation between androids and ordinary people were allowed, it would mean the mixing of artificial genes and natural genes.
This was a huge ethical and moral problem.
"I'd like to ask a question first," Jiang Ye said.
"You may ask," Zhu Lingyao nodded.
"How were the gene sequences determined for the fully biological androids produced by Nidian Company?" Jiang Ye turned to Fu Qiuyan. "Are there any genes that do not belong to humans?"
"They are manufactured based on the data from the Human Genome Project after the Third World War," Fu Qiuyan said. "The genes of regular products are all human genes, but if you order non-standard products, other genes can be mixed in. For example, some people might add chlorophyll genes to their bodies, which would eliminate the need for sugar intake, as they could meet their energy needs by basking in the sun daily."
"My planet only wants androids with pure human genes, no other varieties," Jiang Ye said. "Therefore, my planet permits marriage between androids and ordinary people, and also allows them to have offspring. Furthermore, when registering a marriage, both parties will be informed of the other's true identity and origin. Marriage is a major life event, and all citizens of my planet must have the right to know."
"I've heard about your son, Jiang Senlin, a rising star in the art world," Zhu Lingyao suddenly changed the subject.
"Thank you, I will convey your praise to my son."
"If Jiang Senlin brings an android girlfriend home in the future and asks for your and your wife's opinion, would you agree?"
"Yes," Jiang Ye smiled. "Even if he brought a lizard person home, I would agree. That's his business; I won't interfere."
"I think this examination can conclude now," Zhu Lingyao suddenly said.