Sairi said, brandishing his thermal sword, "No. If I used the crystal's power

on you, I could wipe you all out in moments. This is my own power."

Suddenly, the Saint moved with lightning speed and cut Sairi with his sword,

causing a wound between his arm and his hip. Sairi cried out in pain

and quickly turned with his sword, only to find bullets raining down on him

from behind.

He rolled on the ground and waved his hand in the air,

pushing all the soldiers back until they collided with the trees and fainted.

As soon as he turned, he found the Saint's sword at his neck.

He lowered his neck backward until the sword passed over it at the last moment.

Then he leaped up and waved his thermal sword, and the Saint retreated.

"Your reactions are quick, young man," the Saint said.

"But perhaps you were surprised that an old man like me possesses

such skill and speed with the sword. I was a fighter and a swordsman

before I became a monk and a saint.

Also, what is this nonsense you carry? A thermal sword!

That is for weak soldiers to wave around.

Real men carry real swords whose batteries do not run out,

do not rust, and cut everything they touch.

When space travel appeared and spaceships, rifles, cannons,

and all these heavy firearms were invented, swords became useless.

But once we got used to these changes, we found that the sword

could make you stronger than any weapon if you possessed

the necessary skill and speed.

With some genetic modifications, we were able to acquire sharp eyesight

that sees bullets coming and unparalleled speed that surprises and ambushes our opponent,

and swords made of the hardest and rarest metals in the universe

that can cut through the toughest modern machines.

This sword I carry is one of the rarest and best swords in the universe.

Its price reaches a billion Franks currency."

Sairi said coldly, "You talk too much, old man. But thank you for this valuable lesson

on the quality of swords. I will keep your sword after I finish you off here,

and then I will test its strength and sharpness myself."

The Saint's facial features tightened, and he charged forward with his sword,

moving with a speed unbecoming of an old man. Sairi ran toward him

and leaped with his sword to clash with him, and the trees around them shook.

---

Capital of the planet Ghlizan, Ghardaia

Keno, accompanied by Leonis, wrapped themselves in cloaks that hid their faces

and mingled among the people of Ghlizan, who wore white, blue, and red robes

and head coverings resembling turbans, both men and women.

Their faces were green, as if made of tree leaves, and their men had long, lemon-colored beards,

like blades of grass. Each of them had a strange animal accompanying them,

helping them with their needs.

Birds resembling storks (white storks)—except they were green—flew and dropped newspapers

on passersby so they could read the latest news, while huge animals like rhinoceroses—

but their bodies were wider and armored like metal, covered in black—pulled cargo carts.

People rode on mounts resembling deer but with beautiful, thick golden fur,

four pristine white horns, four eyes, and wide bodies with dense fur

that felt like sinking into it if you rode on top.

Keno even saw some of the people of Ghardaia sleeping on their backs,

letting this animal, which knew its way well, take them to the farms, ports, or elsewhere.

The ports teemed with boats tied to creatures resembling hippos but white and plump,

pulling them through the water between the ports, transporting sea goods.

Sailors used them for fishing and returned with many fish the likes of which Keno had never seen.

The people of Ghardaia exchanged messages using strange, small birds of a bright red color.

These birds recorded the voice and facial expressions of the sender

and changed their composition to try to mimic the appearance and face of the sender

as much as possible, making their shape a mixture between birds and the speaker.

Then they would go to the recipient and deliver the voice message.

They were like recorded messages, even 3D images, on a primitive planet

lacking science and technology, despite its countless resources and blessings.

The houses were green and blue, conical at the top, wrapped in tree branches,

and covered in flowers of beautiful colors and fragrant scents,

with birds chirping and playing and carrying messages above them.

Keno walked, cloaked, with Leonis behind him, hiding among the crowds of the large capital market.

Shops were open left and right, selling pottery, antiques, strange fabrics,

and fruits of blue and purple colors, some large like watermelons and others small like apples, apricots, and peaches.

A thread of smoke with a pungent, fragrant scent like incense wafted through the air,

delighting the heart and soul. The women of Ghardaia walked around inspecting

the fabrics, fruits, and perfumes placed in geometrically shaped bottles that captivated the mind,

while the men, some pulling their livestock and others calling out their wares to the people.

Keno and Leonis hid from the Franks guards who patrolled the city with their rifles,

watching the passersby.

They walked among the crowds and saw a luxurious building unlike any other in the capital;

it was characterized by technology and modernity, in contrast to the old houses of the capital's inhabitants.

Since Keno was a cyborg, he began to look with his mechanical eye inside the building

and listened with his ear, which amplified sound several times.

He heard men from the Franks teaching boys from the people of Ghlizan

the Franks language, their literature, poetry, and many cosmic sciences.

Keno focused his hearing on one of the classes and heard a teacher from the Franks say,

"And so we learned that the beliefs of Ghlizan are what held them back

from progressing to become a great galactic power with strength and influence,

and that one of the reasons for the strength of the Franks

is the abandonment of religious superstitions and the myths of fathers and grandfathers

that weaken the mind, fragment the intellect, send lethargy into the heart,

and reliance on help from heaven that never comes.

The Franks army did not come here to rob or plunder you, but carried on its shoulders

the task of spreading the lights of science, understanding, and insight,

and eliminating the superstitions that hold the universe back

from catching up with the great Zurix empires.

What I want you to do in your spare time is to research and investigate

the most important books of the Lunix and Ghlizan, expose their weaknesses,

and highlight the superstitions that have become entrenched in minds

like idols that require patience to be demolished.

You must not fear breaking the taboos of fathers and grandfathers,

but arm yourselves with sound logic and reject ignorance and superstition

until you prove to the Franks that you have become people of reason and understanding.

Then our army will leave after being reassured of your good condition,

and we will leave you to rule yourselves.

This is our promise to you, and we will never break it."

Keno moved on to another teacher and found him saying,

"You must doubt existence and keep in mind that the world is a big lie,

an illusion we created, and perhaps we do not exist,

and that everything we see now is mere illusion or dreams.

Philosophers and scientists are still searching for the truth of consciousness

and existence and are studying the universe carefully and deeply

to know where we all came from and where we are going after annihilation."

Leonis intervened. "Why are they teaching the youth of this planet?

Isn't it better to leave them in their ignorance so that they are easier to occupy?"

Keno looked around him and wrapped his cloak around him, hiding his human face.

He whispered, "The Franks' justification before the other empires in the universe

for occupying this planet is that they are spreading the culture of the Zurix

and educating those ignorant people who live amidst nature and the countryside

and understand nothing about the universe and its sciences.

The second thing is that occupying a huge planet like this cannot be done

with brute military force. The cost is huge, and the soldiers need salaries, food,

military barracks, and expensive weapons to quell any resistance on the planet.

So they resort to what is called soft power, which is spreading their culture and ideas

and embedding them in the consciousness of some of the youth of this planet

so that these youth become intermediaries between them and their people.

Then they begin to attack all their heritage, criticize it, and expose its flaws.

Thus, the people of the planet realize that their ideas and customs were superstitions,

and then begins the stage of psychological defeat for the people of this planet.

They lose all reasons for resistance, and then they look with regret

at everything that distinguishes the Franks and wish they were like them.

Then they begin to imitate what they can of the Franks' clothing,

their style of eating and drinking, how they talk, chat, and think,

reading what they read, loving what they love, and hating what they hate."

Leonis looked at him with confusion. "And how do you know all that?"

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