Ruvar was waiting for his children to return from school. Previously, as a simple farmer, he couldn't even imagine educating them, but times had changed. It all began with the arrival of Phaeron Szarekh. According to acquaintances from the capital, one morning a huge pyramid seemed to "hover" over the Faetian palace, plunging the city into shock and fear. Many, recalling ancient legends of evil gods, panicked, but the Faetian and her entourage managed to calm the people. No one remembers exactly how this happened—Ruvar lived more than three hundred kilometers from the capital, and news arrived with a significant delay.
Only when people from the governor's office arrived with a certain object did they learn the latest news. They explained that the object was a means of communication and information (words that meant nothing to them back then). Ruvar fondly recalls how they stood around the holoprojector, and he, unable to explain its nature other than "magic," tried to convey its purpose. It seems funny now.
Then a figure of light appeared and began announcing the news. The reaction was indescribable. Old Kurvan seemed to exclaim, "Witchcraft!" They still remind him of this at feasts. After a week, everyone had grown accustomed to the unusual herald. Then they began to listen to his advice, especially before fieldwork and in the evening, before bed. The audience was large: old men with nothing better to do listened with joy. The herald predicted the weather for several days, gave advice on preventing illness, and reported on current events. Thus they learned of Phaeron Szarekh, who had married the Faetian Isara. It turned out that he was the same people as the evil gods, but far more merciful, and was interested only in the materials from the cursed mines, for which he paid generously. There were no raids or enslavements—the people breathed a sigh of relief and continued with their affairs.
The village elder was taught to use a "magic" orb for long-distance communication, with instructions to contact him in case of problems, no matter how minor. And such a moment arrived: a month later, a neighbor, Sutia, developed a severe fever. The elder immediately fulfilled his duty. Less than half an hour later, a metal house descended from the sky with a huge red cross—the symbol of the healers, which, as they later learned, must never be touched. Two sturdy men with tattoos on their foreheads emerged from the flying house—servants of Phaeron Szareh, guarding the healers. They carried the woman inside. Ten minutes later, Sutia emerged from the house herself, now healthy. When asked what had happened to her, she replied that she had woken up in a glowing coffin with an open roof.
This was the village's first encounter with "high" technology, but far from its last. The "Herald" demonstrated new means of food production and medical preparations, as demonstrated by the phaeron. Soon, a ring transporter was installed in the village. This wasn't the work of the local authorities, but the result of the efforts of ten men who went to the capital to earn money and set aside part of their wages to purchase a teleporter for their home village. No one could explain how it worked—most likely, only the phaeron knew how. But everyone used it. A space had to be allocated for the platform and a caretaker appointed. Grandfather Kurvan, as the foremost expert in "witchcraft," became the guardian of the ring transport. Using a device called a "computer," he could send a person to any location where similar transporters were available.
The new system allowed people to travel at a reasonable cost. Workers traveled to the capital, where the mines were located. Ordinary residents followed, learning of the vast opportunities in the cities: they could purchase a variety of useful household items. Schools began springing up, and residents began petitioning for their children to be enrolled. School administrators, after consulting with the Faetians, Isar, recognized the idea as promising. Villages received subsidies for the supply of ring teleporters and the opportunity for their children to attend city schools. School construction plans expanded, becoming larger and being moved to the suburbs.
The situation was gradually changing. New road networks, houses with electricity, water supply systems, and other technologies were being built. Everything became more accessible, and money, previously replaced by barter, came into use. Some believed the changes were too rapid and were destroying their way of life. Ruvar, however, was curious about what kind of way of life it was. Now he could live to be two hundred years old or more, but before?
Health, wealth, and abundant opportunities for children—all this came with the advent of Phaeron Szarekh. Previously, he would have been a simple farmer, and so would his children. No one would have sent a doctor or specialist to their settlement, no one would have supported agriculture. Ruvar and his wife's firstborn died during an epidemic, and he remembered praying to any power for salvation. These powers were too late then, but prevented all subsequent epidemics. The people of Urvashi became stronger, faster, and more resilient thanks to the machines living within their bodies, protecting them from disease. Now they understand many things much better, although they still cannot explain holograms other than as "images transmitted via communication." They have become smarter and wiser, understanding how photography works. The herald is a thing of the past, and now homes have their own "holoprojectors." Educational programs about how everything works and how to cook better proved especially useful.
The state expanded to include several other planets, which were contacted via stargates. There were reports of how on the planet Sarekhan (the gentleman had trouble with imagination), people helped a people being killed by their sun, and now they became part of the Tetrarchy, founded by Urvashi. However, the educational broadcasts didn't mention why the Tetrarchy, perhaps due to the connections between the Faetians Isara, the phaeron Sarekhan, and someone else. Trade flourished, and new industries emerged that needed food. For example, the phaeron established contact with a planet experiencing eternal winter, which supplied them with food. Overall, a peaceful atmosphere reigned. The phaeron fought evil gods, demonstrating personal valor, but this was of little interest to the simple farmer. The main thing was that taxes were low, and the Army Supply Directorate paid a good price for the food. It was recently reported that the phaeron was waging war on seventy planets at once, perhaps even a hundred. He had crushed some evil god. But villages like his cared little for these events. They were growing, becoming wealthy, and wondering where to put their children after school. After all, a university education was now available. His children would be able to rise in society and avoid hard labor. Farm work, though made easier by machines, was still physically demanding and required constant supervision.
Moreover, the Herald cited examples of the benefits of knowledge, even when no one was interested in it. Katherine Drew-Baker, living on another planet where women were treated like brutes, was a person of knowledge. She studied algae and their life cycle and discovered that the edible algae had a very strange reproductive cycle, changing form over generations. She managed to develop a method for cultivating them, thereby saving an entire island nation from starvation. The Herald even remarked that, by pursuing her passion (Ruvar wouldn't have called studying algae anything interesting, but it was her passion), she had saved millions from starvation. Tears welled up in Ruvar's eyes, especially after the residents of the coastal villages shouted out that they, too, had similar algae and could produce them. Thanks to this, he took his wife to sample the wondrous dish of sushi several times. But he realized the benefits of knowledge and is now even more determined to send his children to university. He himself had also learned to read more or less decently, and his extended lifespan allowed him to attend university after educating his children. Now he had plenty of time. The man looked at the device around his neck that controlled the small machines in his body. He vaguely understood their operation, as well as the principle of the holograms, but he could see the results.
Peace and prosperity came to Urvashi with the advent of the phaeron.