A small sprout cradling life in the barren desert quivered gently as if tickled, becoming a sapling, then a sacred tree, and before long, an ancient giant tree without much time having passed at all.
A forest grew thick, and sunlight filled with life streamed through the leaves.
From somewhere, the sound of flowing water could be heard, accompanied by the chirping of unfamiliar animals, tickling the ears.
Raindrops fell onto sun-drenched leaves, and tiny creatures darted swiftly between the trees.
Was this the original state of the Nakar Desert his father had once told him about during childhood?
Parmash felt a surge of indescribable emotion rise within him.
Could that woman before his eyes truly bring such a landscape to life?
It was a man’s voice that pulled him out of those thoughts.
[Do not react to what you are about to see.]
Just like waking from a sweet dream, irritation began to rise. But Parmash suddenly realized someone had placed a hand on his back.
As his dazed mind began to clear, Parmash recognized whose voice was echoing in his head.
It was the middle-aged beastkin who had pulled him out of the tent earlier.
[If you care about the future of yourself and your tribe, do not look away from the reality before you.]
What was he saying?
Parmash felt his once-clear mind begin to fog over again.
In such a vivid and clear world… what could there possibly be to worry about?
However, from the outsider whose hand rested on his back, Parmash felt an intangible energy passing into him.
The forest, once bathed in radiant light, began to wither and fade.
The great tree that had served as a haven for unknown lifeforms toppled and rotted away.
The sunlight, once brimming with life, turned once more into the light of death, swallowing everything whole. The gently flowing waters dried up, revealing the barren ground beneath.
And in the middle of it all, a woman stood.
Just moments ago, he had firmly believed she was the Saintess….yet now, her appearance had changed.
No……had she really changed? Or had he simply been under some illusion, seeing something that wasn’t truly there?
The clothing that had once seemed sacred now exposed more skin than fabric, and the mysterious purple eyes that once seemed holy now brimmed with intense, lewd desire.
Not only that. Her once-gentle smile now looked like a seductive smirk meant to beguile all things in existence.
What kind of change in perception was this?
At that moment, the outsider’s voice echoed once more.
[This is reality. What that temptress shows is not reality, but a dream. A dream made to please all who see it. Do you wish to drown in that dream?]
Drown.
Among desert folk, it was a word they jokingly used to describe a peaceful death. But here, it wasn’t water. It was a dream.
“……”
Before he knew it, Parmash had regained his composure as a leader and gazed upon the so-called “Saintess” whose true identity remained unknown.
The “Saintess” now looking completely different from the one everyone else had seen.
***
At the Argato Oasis, a festival was being held for the first time in a long while.
It celebrated the successful subjugation of the Mega Sandworm, which had threatened the city, and honored those who had fallen in the process.
By day, the beastkin ate and drank like there was no tomorrow, and by night, they held solemn moments of remembrance for the dead.
It was during this time when the multi-day festival was in full swing—
Late at night, Shane and Parmash met alone.
“You tell the chief of the Myo Tribe to wait without even a single guard. I can’t tell if you’re bold or just reckless.”
“Do you still not remember the look on their faces when they saw the Saintess?”
“……”
At Shane’s words, Parmash fell silent, seemingly embarrassed.
Indeed. Even to his own eyes, the guards had been visibly moved.
Parmash who had spent a long time by their side had never seen such expressions from them before.
“Still, you needn’t worry too much about that part.”
“Even though those meant to protect my life have fallen under the enemy’s sway?”
“Didn’t I tell you? What she showed was a dream. And dreams don’t last. They only remain in memory if they’re shown continuously.”
In other words, with time, people would eventually come to their senses.
Still, if they were currently under the dream’s spell, caution was the wisest course of action.
No one could predict what those intoxicated by a dream and denying reality might do.
Although this outsider was a complete stranger, Parmash couldn’t help but cling to a sliver of hope in his words.
For now, there was something he needed to ask the man before him.
“So, why did you come to our city?”
“To build a cooperative relationship with your side. We need to stop Nameless.”
“Nameless…”
Parmash already knew that the group the Saintess belonged to was called Nameless.
“Cooperation, huh. It’s not a bad word. Especially in times like these. But tell me….do you really have enough value for someone like me to consider you a partner?”
He was speaking from instinct. Cooperation required a certain parity in standing.
“Value? That’s not a difficult thing. But I’d like to ask in return…do I have an obligation to show you more?”
Of course, Shane had no intention of revealing all his cards so easily.
Not because he didn’t trust Parmash, but because withholding them was also a way to demonstrate his own value.
“I brought back your successor who almost became a desert wraith, killed a Nameless informant under a plausible pretense, and in the Mega Sandworm subjugation, I even saved your life.”
Each one of those was no small feat.
But Parmash’s testing wasn’t over just yet.
“And if you’re a Nameless operative yourself? What if this was all an orchestrated plan?”
“Then that would be something to celebrate. It would prove the Nameless are fools. They have the Saintess as a focal point. Some tribes have already fallen under her sway, and others have entered into cooperative ties. In such a situation, what reason would they have to go through all this trouble just to save someone like you?”
Just as Shane said, from Nameless’ perspective, Parmash wasn’t someone worth saving… if anything, he was someone to eliminate.
Unlike other tribes, Parmash was a figure who coordinated decisions between all the tribes.
If the tribes remained disconnected as they were now, it would only make it easier to expand the Saintess’s influence.
Seeing that Shane’s every word made sense, Parmash slowly nodded.
Perhaps because of that, Parmash spoke again, this time in a slightly more courteous tone.
“If I offended you, I apologize. It’s just that there aren’t many things we can truly trust around here. But there’s still more I need to ask. When you say cooperation….what exactly do you mean by that?”
“Let ‘us’ settle in this desert, even if only temporarily. Of course, we’re not asking for financial support. We simply hope our presence won’t be met with hostility.”
“Hmm…”
Those words gave Parmash a few clues.
First, that the man standing before him wasn’t acting alone.
And second, the group he belonged to or perhaps led was likely larger than he had initially assumed.
If it were only a small number, they wouldn’t need Parmash’s help just to settle.
“It’s a situation that calls for mediation between the tribes. With such a large group, it’s inevitable we’ll be met with resistance.”
“So, you’re asking me to call together the tribal representatives. In that case, what’s the price?”
Shane’s request might have seemed minor, but looked at closely, it was no different from offering something in return.
If Parmash were to summon the representatives and things went awry, part of the blame would fall on him for having brought them together.
Understanding this, Shane lifted the corners of his mouth and replied,
“A taste of the outside civilization. Something you won’t find in the desert.”
“……”
“I doubt I need to explain the value of that. So, what do you say?”
“Not bad. But first, I’ll need to see it with my own eyes.”
“Of course. A merchant shouldn’t agree to a deal without seeing the goods first. It’ll probably take about a month to get everything ready. If something comes up and you need my opinion, hang something like a towel on the doorknob of your place.”
After a bit more back-and-forth to iron things out, the two ended their conversation just as the city, once lively with festival noise, had grown quiet. And just like when he arrived, Shane vanished without a sound.
“He’s no easy man…”
Murmuring to himself, Parmash was left alone, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
It was their first meeting, yet somehow, the man reminded him of his father, now long gone, a ghost of the desert.
That’s how vast his insight was, and like a seasoned merchant, he had a firm grasp of his own worth.
Perhaps, he had truly gained a reliable ally.
Everything would be decided a month later, just as the man had said.
***
The month passed quickly.
During that time, there were major changes even at the Argato Oasis, the most prominent of which was the rise of the Saintess’s supporters.
On the day of the Mega Sandworm subjugation,
Some who had witnessed the miracle with their own eyes began to show blind faith in the Saintess, and gradually, their numbers increased.
As the city’s leader, Parmash did not stop the missionary activities sparked by these believers.
Trying to stop them outright, as Shane had previously warned, seemed far too risky.
Instead, Parmash once asked Shane a question.
Wouldn’t the people return to normal if they were no longer exposed to the dreams?
To that, Shane had replied:
“Those who see reality instead of dreams can recognize a dream for what it is. But those who desperately cling to dreams without ever facing reality, they cannot. Just like someone who turns to drugs out of despair with the real world.”
And about a month later, Parmash fully grasped the meaning behind those words.
His guards, who had once been entranced, had finally come to their senses and began expressing concern about the current state of affairs.
Even so, Parmash insisted that religion must not be suppressed. Instead, he increased the rewards for commissions issued from the Argato Oasis.
For those of low skill, the reward points had once been so difficult to earn that even a year of effort made little progress. Now, even they could collect a reasonable amount.
Surprisingly, this began to slow the pace of the missionary activities.
At the same time, Parmash ensured that word spread throughout the city about the stance of tribes that strongly rejected the Saintess’s influence.
As a result, praise for Parmash began to grow across the city.
Alongside the recognition for his role in the Mega Sandworm subjugation, he was praised by even the missionaries. Not as a ruler who dominated, but as a leader who governed with wisdom.
On the other hand, the low class who had long struggled to find hope began to breathe easier, and naturally, they started to sing praises of Parmash.
All of this had happened thanks to just a few words of advice from that outsider.
Through this, trust began to form between Parmash and Shane, and at last, the one-month preparation period Shane had spoken of finally arrived.
“Don tribe?”
That was Parmash’s reaction upon spotting the orcs busily moving around in their newly arranged quarters.
“No, they are different from that extinct tribe. They are orcs.”
“Orcs…”
Indeed.
Since there was no reason for outsiders to come to the Nakar Desert, the desert tribes didn’t know much about other races. Still, Parmash vaguely recalled hearing that a race resembling the old Don tribe called orcs existed somewhere.
With a brief nod, Parmash looked toward the orcs steadily pouring in through the portal and couldn’t help but show a slightly overwhelmed expression.
“There’s… quite a lot of them.”
“Not even half have arrived yet.”
“……”
“Don’t worry. Their ultimate destination lies beyond the Nakar Desert.”
“Ahem…”
Understandably, as the leader of a city, Parmash couldn’t help but feel uneasy about such a large group of unknown people settling in his domain.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like nothing short of an external invasion.
“By the way, is that… also a foreign device?”
“A device… Well, I suppose you could call it that.”
A true merchant’s answer.
After all, in this vast Nakar Desert, what could be a more desperately needed means of transport than that?
As Parmash stared at the warp gate, his eyes sparkled.
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