READ THE NOVEL- Chapters 1-31 - ERBzine

Tarzan on Mars
that I was always the master of them all. As such, I am the
natural choice of rulers today. I shall depose this Warlord and
his vaunted Jeds and Jeddaks who support him—and I shall be
Jeddak of Jeddaks of all Barsoom; but you shall not lose out
because of it. On the contrary, the Therns will be reinstated
and the old religion will rule the minds of men once more."
At his point, Sardon Dhur felt himself released from his
paralysis. Moreover, he sensed that he would even be
allowed the privacy of his own thoughts again. So he took the
opportunity to make certain metal reservations before he at
last relaxed and even smiled, though grimly.
"You demonstrate your powers very well," he said. "But
I take issue with you on your theories. Even assuming that
John Carter's will in the matter could be thwarted—the old
mysticism would be lacking, since the truth of what lies at the
end of the River Iss has been revealed to all the erstwhile
faithful of Barsoom.
"Ah!" said Tario. "That is just the focal point of my plan.
Suppose that instead of death at the end of the River Iss the
faithful were to find at least a portion of what they sought—a
peaceful existence, their loved ones—happiness."
Sardon Dhur's brow furrowed. "I do not understand.
Among other arguments I might present, the most apparent
objection is that the Valley Dor in which the Sea of Korus lies
would quickly become overpopulated."
Tario dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Not all of
the faithful need arrive. At first—all of them, yes. Later,
when we are well entrenched—fewer, perhaps. Moreover,
the faithful need tarry only a certain length of time in the
lesser heaven of the Valley Dor."
"Lesser heaven? What do you mean?"
"Whenever necessary, the pressure of population may be
relieved by diverting those of higher seniority into Omean,"
replied Tario.
Sardon Dhur frowned darkly. "Do you imply that the
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