 What changes Koltan's mind about Earthmen, and ultimately condemns the Masur House to ruin?
"It is an outrage," said Koltan of the House of Masur, "that the Earthmen land among the Thorabians!" Personally, he was in favor of the coming of the Earthmen to the world of Zur. Earthmen may come and Earthmen may go, but clay goes on forever ... and with it, the fame and fortune of the House of Masur." By this, he seemed to imply that the Thorabians would rob the Earthmen, which the Lorians would not. This, for some unknown reason and much to the disgust of the Lorians, was set up in Thorabia. Within five years of the first landing of the Earthmen, every major city on the globe had a printing press, a daily newspaper, and enjoyed the instantaneous transmission of news via telegraph. "As I have always said from the beginning," chortled Director Koltan, "this coming of the Earthmen had been a great thing for us, and especially for the House of Masur." Alas for that suggestion, no newspaper would accept advertising from the House of Masur; all available space was occupied by the advertisements of the Earthmen. In their dozenth conference since that first and fateful one, the brothers Masur decided upon drastic steps. By the time ten years had passed since the landing of the first terrestrial ship, the Earthmen were conducting a brisk business in gas-fired ranges, furnaces and heaters ... and the Masur stove business was gone.
 He sees potential for the House of Masur to profit off of the Earthmen's inventions
 He sees potential for the House of Masur to profit off of the Earthmen's inventions  He predicts that the Earthmen will not be able to withstand Zurian conditions for long, and that they will soon depart  He believes he can feign sincerity in order to steal their metal and other goods  He thinks that Earthmen are intellectually inferior and that he can manipulate them to do his bidding