"You said 'we,'" Winters keenly retorted, "so, may I understand that as—you have already reached an agreement with Colonel Skur and Lieutenant Colonel Magash?"
"Discuss? What's there to discuss?" Gessa squinted, answering gruffly, "As long as you agree, I agree; isn't that enough? It doesn't matter who opposes."
Winters understood that Colonel Gessa neither obtained the consent of Colonel Skur and Lieutenant Colonel Magash nor intended to seek their consent in advance.
He subtly expressed his disagreement, "Important decisions should be made after thorough discussion."
Gessa made a contemptuous gesture, "The more you discuss, the less you achieve! Aren't you a Venetian? You should know the principle of 'secrecy leads to success'!"
"Even for the Venetians, we only discuss in secret, not without discussion at all," Winters, already immune to regional discrimination, countered, "You probably haven't seen how the Sea Blue People elect a consul."
