Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

"Paul, I'm doing a hateful thing, but I have to," said the Duke, standing by the portable poison detector.The instrument was brought into the meeting room for their breakfast.The probe arm of the instrument was propped idly over the table, reminding Paul of some strange bug that just died. The Duke's attention was focused on the landing field outside the window and the wind and sand outside.There is a reader in front of Paul, which contains films about the religious beliefs of the Fremen.The text was put together by one of Hawat's specialists, and the content concerned him, making Paul uneasy.

"Moaddi!" "Voice from outside the sky!" He can recall the crowd cheering just by closing his eyes.Oh, that's what they were looking for.Paul thought.He remembered what Our Lady had said: Kwizaki Hadenatch.The memory made Paul feel the shadow of that terrible purpose, gradually hanging over this strange world.All this seemed to be familiar to Paul, and he didn't know what was going on. "How hateful!" said the Duke. "what do you mean?" Leido turned around, looked at his son and said, "Because the Harkonnen conspired to make me doubt your mother. They don't know that I would rather doubt myself than think so."

"I do not understand." Leido looked out the window, the white sun had risen.Milky white light passed through a screen of sand and shone on the screened wall.The Duke suppressed his anger and explained the mysterious letter to Paul in a low voice. "You don't have to trust me," Paul said. "For them to think they've succeeded," said the duke, "they'll think I'm stupid. It has to look real, and even your mother might not know it's just a smokescreen." "But why?" "Your mother's reaction must not be a fatal act, because she has supernatural powers... But she is too dependent on it. I hope this will lead to moles. It must come across as completely blinded. It will hurt you Mother's heart, but she will not be in great danger."

"Why are you telling me, Dad? Maybe I'll tell." "They won't spy on you for this," said the Duke. "You must keep it a secret, of course." He went to the window, turned his back on Paul and said, "That way, if something happens to me, you can Tell her the truth... I never doubted her, not one iota. I want her to know that." Paul heard the breath of death from his father's words, and immediately said: "You will be fine, sir, then..." "Shut up, son!" Paul stared at his father's back, the contours of his shoulders, the line of his neck, every part tired and dull.

"You're so tired, Dad." "I am tired," agreed the duke. "My heart is tired. The sad fall of the great houses has at last weighed down my heart. We were once very strong." Paul immediately said angrily: "Our family has not fallen!" "Not yet?" The duke turned to face his son, with dark circles around his hard eyes, his lips twisted, and said, "I should marry your mother and make her a duchess. But...my unmarriage may give some families a ray of hope... …could use their daughter to be married to me as an ally." He shrugged and continued, "So, I..."

"Mother explained it to me." "There is nothing in a leader that wins him more loyalty than his valor," said the duke, "so I take great care to cultivate it in myself." "You lead well," said Paul, "you rule well. People follow you and love you willingly." "My propaganda machine is the best," said the Duke.He turned around again, looked out the window and said, "Our chances in this Arrakis are much more than the emperor expected. But sometimes I also think that it might be better if we try hard to win the chance and get rid of the mole. Sometimes I I really hope that we can hide our names among the common people and no longer be known by others..."

"dad!" "Yes, I'm tired," said the duke. "You know what? We're using spice residue as a raw material to make film bases. We've built our own factory." "real?" "We can't do without a film base," said the duke. "Besides, how can we flood our villages and cities with our propaganda and information? The people must know about my good governance and decisions. If we don't promote them, how will they know?" Woolen cloth?" "You should rest," Paul said. The Duke turned and faced his son again and said, "Arakis has another advantage, I almost forgot to mention it. Spices are everywhere. It is in the air you breathe and in the food you eat. And I found that it can Develops a natural immunity that renders some of the most common poisons in assassination textbooks useless. Since every drop of water must be watched, every step of food processing is strictly monitored, including fermentation, hydroponics and chemical propagation Etc. We cannot carry out mass assassination through food, so others cannot use it against us. Arrakis makes us moral and spiritual."

Paul was about to speak when the Duke interrupted him: "I have to tell someone about these things, son." He sighed and looked out the window at the parched land where even the flowers had disappeared... collected by the dew Trampled by man, withered in the hot sun. "In Caladan we rule by the power of the sea and the air," said the duke. "Here we must muster the power of the desert. This is your legacy, Paul. What will happen to you if something happens to me? Don't you One would be a rebel, one would be a guerrilla fighter . . . flee and be hunted." Paul wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.He had never seen his father so depressed.

"To rule Arrakis," the duke said, "you must face up to decisions that hurt your pride." He pointed to the green and black banner that fluttered lazily in the distance outside the window. "That glorious banner may end up being a symbol of many evils." Paul swallowed. His father's words didn't make much sense, and a deadly feeling left the boy feeling empty inside. The Duke took an anti-fatigue pill from his pocket and swallowed it dry. "Power and fear," he continued, "are the tools of state domination. I must arrange for you to be trained in intensive guerrilla warfare. The thing mentioned in the film file...they call you 'Moyadi'...'Voice from the sky '…is a last resort, and you can take advantage of it."

Paul looked at his father, noticing that the pills were starting to work, and the Duke's shoulders straightened.But Paul still thought about those words that made him fear and doubt. "Why hasn't the ecologist arrived yet?" the Duke murmured, "I told Safi to bring him to see me earlier."