"Excuse me, sir, may I take a moment of your time?" On a bustling street, a young woman full of youthful energy stopped a weary, defeated-looking young man.
"What's this about?" The young man, mentally and physically drained, initially wanted to brush her off, but when he saw it was a beautiful, vibrant girl, he stopped, his refusal caught in his throat.
"I'd like to tell you about a god who brings hope and opportunity—Chaima!"
The girl smiled at him, clearly seeing he was someone down on his luck.
"Chaima? Who's that? I've never heard of such a god," he replied, searching his memory for any mention of this name.
"This is a True God from the world of Pandora! Not a deity from our world," she said with a warm smile.
"You're promoting the worship of an otherworldly god?" The young man looked at her in surprise.
"Why not? This is a True God. Why wouldn't you believe? The gods we know here are all fabricated and false."
"A True God?" He chuckled, unimpressed.
"Why laugh? Don't believe me? Do you know why I call Chaima a True God? Because if you sincerely pray to Him, you'll be answered, and He will change the difficulties you face in life!"
"Change my life's difficulties? What kind of god is He, exactly? Tell me more."
"This True God of Pandora, Chaima, can bring people good fortune and dispel all disasters!" As she spoke, the girl took a finely crafted, fist-sized statue of Chaima from her bag.
"How much is it?" Seeing the statue, the young man raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange impulse to buy it. The statue was crafted with such skill, and its fierce appearance seemed to radiate authority.
"Are you planning to devote yourself to Chaima?"
"If praying to him will solve my current troubles, then yes, I'm willing to believe," he replied.
"In that case, the statue is yours, free of charge. Just remember to pray sincerely every day," she said, placing the statue in his hand before turning to leave.
"Hey!" He watched her leave, then looked down at the small, finely carved statue in his hand. With a chuckle, he thought to himself, "Chatting with a pretty girl and getting a cool figurine? Not bad luck today."
With his spirits lifted, he returned to his small home, placing the statue of Chaima on his bedside table. Later, after tidying up and getting ready for bed, he glanced at the statue once more, picking it up and examining it for a moment.
"A statue of a True God… they say if you pray, you'll be answered? In that case, I'll pray right now—grant me a peaceful sleep tonight!"
Half-jokingly, with a faint hint of expectation, he began to pray to Chaima, inventing the words and ritual as he went. The girl hadn't specified any requirements, only that he should pray sincerely.
Ten minutes later, feeling unchanged, he smiled and returned the statue to the bedside. "True God Chaima! If you can give me a restful night's sleep tonight, I'll worship you day and night!"
With that thought, he turned off the light, lay down, and closed his eyes. With the stresses of school and impending adulthood weighing on him, he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks.
But this time was different. He quickly drifted into a state between wakefulness and sleep, feeling as though he was lucid but floating in a dream. And in this dream-like state, he "saw" a pair of dazzling golden eyes. As he gazed into those eyes, his consciousness slipped into a deep sleep, and soon, the room was filled with the sound of his snoring.
---
The next morning, he awoke before his alarm and sat on the edge of his bed, lost in thought. He vaguely recalled falling asleep almost immediately the night before, and he could still remember those golden eyes from his dream. Turning, he picked up the Chaima statue and examined it closely, finally noticing, to his shock, that the statue's eyes were indeed golden.
"A True God!" Gripping the statue tightly, he stared at it with a mix of awe and fear. "Pray sincerely, and you will be answered."
As a young man struggling to make ends meet, he didn't care whether this god came from his world or another. What mattered to him was whether Chaima could fulfill the girl's promise: that a sincere prayer would bring him answers and resolve his hardships.
If Chaima could do that, then he had no issue devoting himself to an otherworldly god. Issues of belief systems, world conflicts, or alignment—these were things only those in high positions needed to worry about. His only concerns were solving his immediate problems, securing his livelihood, and finding stable employment after graduation.
For most ordinary people, if a god could offer hope and visible benefits, then they would believe, worship, and even give their souls for a life of peace and prosperity.
In Earth Civilization, plagued by an energy crisis, countless people felt anxious about their future. Under such conditions, promoting the faith of a verifiable True God was almost effortless.
---
In a closed meeting room, a young congressman stood up, angrily staring at Hera and the surrounding officials.
"Mr. Speaker, I am here to indict Hera and thirty-four other officials for treason. I accuse them of betraying Earth Civilization and humanity's collective interests for personal gain!"
"Treason? That's quite the accusation. I've been an official for a long time and have never heard of such a charge in federal law," scoffed an older congressman with a relaxed smile, taking the young man's accusation lightly.
"The term doesn't exist in our legal code because no current law can describe the gravity of your betrayal! So, yes, I invented it," the young congressman retorted.
"Congressman Goethe! Since when do you have the authority to create laws?" one of the other congressmen laughed dismissively.
"Stop dodging the issue! You're all traitors, selling Earth Civilization's interests to an otherworldly god in exchange for prolonged life!" Goethe's voice grew angrier, and he finally turned to the Speaker.
"Mr. Speaker, I believe it's inappropriate to let these traitors sit among us. I propose that their positions, political rights, and all personal assets be confiscated and seized by the state."
"Hmm, Congressman Goethe, if you're making such accusations, you must have evidence proving that they betrayed our civilization's interests," said the Speaker, who, despite the irritation, was bound to follow procedural steps.
Goethe's accusations referred to the officials' obvious connections to Pandora's deities, evidenced by their visibly youthful appearances. Formerly old and frail, they now seemed vibrant and middle-aged—a change too striking to ignore. Intrigued, the Speaker had conducted his own investigation and was, in fact, tempted by the same allure of eternal life.
"Evidence? Isn't the proof in what our aircraft have observed on Pandora? Those former tribesmen in animal hides wielding wooden spears now carry our energy rifles and wear perfectly fitted kinetic armor! How could they have developed such advanced technology on their own? This is clear proof that certain traitors have sold our technology to them!"
"Goethe, you're mistaken. Those weapons and armor were not provided by anyone here. The Ikon developed them independently, having gained the ability to produce kinetic armor and energy rifles."
"You're actually selling them our knowledge and technology? Are you trying to doom our civilization?"
"You misunderstand again. We haven't sold them anything. The Ikon have discovered these technologies on their own; their intellect is no less than ours."
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