Noor sighed. "And no doubt what I see before me now is their enslavement of the people of this planet, forcing them into hard labor to collect Palladium so they can restore their economy and their financial and military strength, in order to try to unite the Zurix again and complete the dream of the previous Emperor."

"Maybe," Tulkas said. "And maybe not. No one knows the intentions of the new Emperor, but his plans so far are different from the previous Emperor. So, given the location your friend marked for you on the map, are we close?"

Noor was shocked that Tulkas knew about the map and his conversation with Sairi. He knew that he had been spying on him for a long time and that a lie would not mislead him, but he did not know how to get rid of him until he reached Sairi. He had to mislead him away from Sairi so that he would not take from him what they had come in search of. He swallowed and said as he looked at his map, "A few kilometers and we'll be there."

Tulkas looked at him skeptically. "Know well that deceiving and misleading me has grave consequences. So, beware of the consequences of that act."

Noor nodded and said, composing himself, "As I said. A few kilometers and we'll be there."

Noor looked with sorrow at the men and children who had been enslaved and were working at hard labor, then he made his way around them so that the Franks soldiers would not see him.

***

Sairi walked cautiously between the sparkling blue sand dunes in the light of the three moons toward his desired destination. He endured the hardships of travel and the cold of the night that gnawed at his bones, and he began to look ahead from time to time from under his hood, which he used to hide his head, to see if he had reached his destination or not, while his cloak was caressed by the wind. He began to watch every step he took, for fear of stepping on quicksand like that on his planet, or of desert snakes appearing, which he did not know if this planet was afflicted with as his planet was or not. And it was only a few moments until the answer came in a blue snake that jumped from between the sands at him, wanting to get him. But Sairi raised his right hand and pointed it in front of him, and the snake stopped in the air and froze, and began to writhe its tail, trying to escape from this strange field that was coming from this man's hand and surrounding and freezing it.

Sairi looked at it coolly. "Finally, I have found my food. Maybe this will teach you and the snakes after you not to attack a stranger without knowing what he has up his sleeve. Am I talking to snakes? I must be mad."

Sairi lit a fire that had a strange blue color on this planet. And Sairi noticed that this large island on which he stood was predominantly blue, in contrast to planet Earth, whose islands were predominantly green.

Sairi began to grill the snake, and the fire crackled, and its smoke rose to the sky. Then he looked at his watch, waiting for Noor, who was very late. He ate the snake and left the fire and the smoke, perhaps they would guide Noor to his place so that he would not get lost in this large desert.

Sairi saw something that looked like a deer running between the desert sands from afar, but he could not make out its color in the dark. Boredom and anger began to take hold of him from the long wait, so he began to practice meditation, which always helped him to calm himself and to reach the highest degrees of tranquility, wisdom, and patience.

He sat on a nearby rock, his eyes closed, inhaling the breaths of the cold breeze that caressed the mask that covered the lower half of his face. And it was only a few moments until he received a message from Noor, written in haste, which said: "I am being watched. Go to the target without waiting for me, and never call me until I call you."

Sairi felt his peace of mind being disturbed and was suspicious of this person who was watching Noor. Were they Franks soldiers? Or had one of the Enix found him and was watching him to reach the target? He did not know for sure, but he had to move now before it was too late.

He leaped to his feet, wrapped himself up well, and resumed his journey, cutting across the desert. After half an hour of walking, a huge, purple-colored lion-like creature came out of one of the caves. It resembled a lion on Earth, but it was twice the size of a lion. When it stood in front of Sairi, Sairi felt his small size in front of it, but he did not budge an inch.

The beast roared in his face and began to approach him, threatening him. Sairi slowly extended his hand to his belt, grabbed a strange cylinder, and slowly took it out. Then he saw the beast pounce on him with its great size. He pressed the button in his hand, and a thermal sword that shone with a golden light came out. He slid from under the beast, raising his sword upward until he had disemboweled it. The beast was in pain, and blue blood gushed from its body, but it did not give up and ambushed him with another attack. Sairi raised his left hand and squeezed his fist, releasing a large amount of energy that, as soon as it touched the beast, pushed it far away with force until it collided with the cave from which it had come. The beast pushed itself up and began to groan as it crawled inside its cave in fear and terror.

Sairi sighed, dusted off his clothes, then pressed the button on the cylinder, and the thermal sword went out. He hung the cylinder on his waist and resumed his path. And it was only a few hours of fighting the desert beasts and enduring hunger and thirst until he saw this verdant, green oasis, in which fresh water flowed and the fruits of its beautiful trees were ripe. He ran to it, panting, and knew that he had reached his destination. For nothing could create an oasis of such beauty in the middle of this barren desert except the goal he was striving for.

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