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The four robed figures walked silently within the darkness. The occasional lanterns and light bulbs illuminated their way. Other than that, there was no guidance in the void. Which for the four members of the police was a blessing. They wanted to attract the least amount of attention to themselves.

“You sure we’re going to the right place?” asked Nanaha.

“Yeah. It’s here. Right in this alley” said Heinessen.

The four of them walked into the pitch-black narrow path between two buildings. Joshua brought out his flashlight and lighted the way. A rat jumped and crawled away into the small hole made in the wall. Waters dripped from the turbines above them and Luna ended up dipping her leg into a deep puddle. 
     
“This is the right door?” asked Nanaha as she pointed to the door in the corner of the alley that was dimly lit by a small lightbulb from the ceiling.

“Yeah, it’s the right place. Let’s get in” said Heinessen and knocked on the door.

The small rectangular hole on the door opened and two suspecting eyes peered towards them.         

Nanaha showed her invitation to the man behind the doorhole.

“I see” said the man behind the doorhole and he quickly opened the door.

But this time he was wearing a cat mask.

“Get yourselves a mask from the hallway” said the man in a raspy voice.

They grabbed one mask each while walking along the bleak and barren corridor. After rummaging through the hallways cause of the confusing signs they went down further into the underground and arrived at their destination. A round room filled with masked people. 

The men all sat on the worn-down dusty carpet while chattering with one another. The four of them found an empty space and sat there quietly. Soon the giant screen that was hung on the wall opposite to them lit up in life and the image of an old man with a beard formed into existence. 

“Greetings my beloved bodhisattvas” said the old man.

“Greetings Maitreya the witnesser” resounded the group.

The old man known to be as Maitreya observed the crowd with his deep dark irises and spoke:

“Today’s discord will be about happiness” said Maitreya and paused. A great silence dawned upon them all. Maitreya closed his eyes, then opened it again and began his speech.   

“Man lives in hope. Man lives in desire. Your so-called mind and thoughts are nothing but a desiring machine. A man who is identified with this future-oriented mind is living in great tension. Because the mind is always in the future or in the past. It is never…here and now. It is quite unfortunate because life is always here and now, never in imaginations and memories.

Life and mind do not meet. And one who has not penetrated into the depths of life, the who has not surrendered his own ego, the barrier to the whole, how can he live a happy life.

There are people who may disagree. There are people who say this and that is gonna give you happiness in the future, sacrifice the present moment for that future. The teachers, the politicians, the king himself says this. Our lord Endo said that everything will be great once we integrate the Republic of SaintTerra to the kingdom of Raiquiza. 'The people will have more food, more money, more resources. Until that you must work and work, overnight and overshift' he said.

But it is just useless propaganda. Any person with a brain will tell you that everything will be much worse off after the conflict. I admire the king’s intentions of nonviolence. How he is being a bit more sly in his advances by crippling the economy of SaintTerra, forcing them to join the empire. But even if the Empire does manage to persuade the men of SaintTerra to join them it will only make things awkward and difficult. 

The king has been promising and promising on how everything would be happy and dandy once they join us so the people of this country are naturally expected to behave like slave masters towards their new inhabitants. But the men of SaintTerra will not have it. Even if they were living a poor life those millions of men still believe themselves to be the children of god. They will never submit to such slavery.

There could be uproars, bloodshed and the plan of the emperor and the council would most likely fall apart. The king has to bribe both sides in order to maintain the country. But doing so would cripple the state itself. His plan is a wild man’s dream”.