"!"
Sailesi snapped out of his daze. He didn't know if skeletons had the ability to dream, but Sailesi felt as if he had experienced a nightmare.
Habits from his human days remained with him; Sailesi habitually reached out and lightly pressed his forehead.
Although the crisp collisions between crystal clusters have no real use, they at least serve as a placebo effect.
"Etc..."
Sailesi suddenly sensed that something was wrong—
Why did the feel of his hands feel both familiar and strange?
Sailesi looked at his arm.
The size, the length, the details...
Isn't this my original arm?
Sailesi turned his head in astonishment to look at his shoulders, and sure enough, he only saw two arms of normal human size.
"This..."
He looked up abruptly and saw [ the Crown ] looking at him from the other end of the stone chamber.
"You're awake?"
The tone of [ Crown ] was calm and composed:
"You seem to be feeling alright, right? I did my best to help your body recover."
Before Sailesi could reply, he said seriously:
"I previously had you wield the Holy Remains Giant Arms, and you mentioned it affected your mental state. At the time, it was a last resort, and it was indeed somewhat inappropriate."
"So..."
Sailesi's hands kept making grasping motions:
"You changed it back to me?"
"Right."
[ Crown ] nodded:
"After merging with the Holy Remains, some of your memories will also flow into it. Replacing them abruptly did not obtain your consent. As compensation, I reattached your original arm, while the other hand and the missing leg were replaced with the 'white mold' skeleton that I told you about before, which contained no memories."
Sailesi shook his head, feeling that his memory was a bit confused and that he needed to find a quiet time to sort it out.
He swayed as he sat up from the crystal cluster platform, stood back on the ground, and assessed his physical condition.
The original body is indeed more useful; I feel that the power of [ Dream of Rebirth ] has been enhanced.
Although he was somewhat displeased that the other party had rashly stripped him of his Holy Remains, Sailesi also knew that he was not compatible with the [ Giant Arms ].
I imagine [ Crown ] knew about this, but why didn't he tell me beforehand?
Surely they're not worried that I'll keep the Holy Remains and not return it?
This old man, is workplace bullying this blatant now?
How is your health?
With a palpable concern in his voice, Crown nodded after shifting his Sailesi a few times.
"It's alright, apart from needing to be careful since I switched hands again, nothing has changed."
"Um."
[ Crown ] nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject:
"I remember you had a lot of experience in command when you were human, so you're quite experienced, right?"
"That's right."
"Your ability can influence the minds of intelligent beings over a wide area, right?"
"That's right."
"Alright, now I have new orders for you."
"Please speak."
Sailesi listened attentively.
"Immediately proceed to the ' Great Fortress ' in the southwest to complete the handover of the second line of defense with the [ Hard Armor ] councilor."
"You shall take full command of the defense system and all armies, and order [ Hard Armor ] to return to Sand Capital immediately to meet me."
Sailesi paused for a moment, not faking it, but genuinely.
Sailesi, feeling as if his mind had stopped working, pointed to himself:
"Me? I'll take command?"
Sailesi could not help but be surprised that one-third of the entire Skeleton Alliance's army was stranded in the Demon Realm, while the vast majority of the remaining two-thirds were under the unified command and control of [ Hard Armor ].
Only a small number of troops are maintaining order throughout the Skeleton Alliance, but their numbers are negligible.
[ Crown ] This last-minute change of leadership is strikingly similar to the coin-minting operations of countless coin-minting monarchs throughout World of Disorder history. Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that this is bound to lead to disaster.
So why? Why do something like this?
Why should I do it myself?
Shouldn't this kind of thing be done by trusted confidants?
Has [ the Crown ] trusted me to this extent?
The old thing got switched?
Are regional discrimination and workplace bullying no longer prevalent?
Seeing Sailesi's puzzled expression, [ Crown ] explained:
"After you take over the defense, you should hold the line if you can, and if you can't, you can continue to lead your troops to retreat, as long as you are defeated but not completely routed."
"[ Hard Armor ] and I have already made a plan. The ten cities surrounding Sand Capital can serve as the third line of defense. If they are breached, Sand Capital itself can serve as the final line of defense."
[ Crown ]'s tone gradually became serious:
"This is your mission for the next period of time—protect the Sand Capital at all costs!"
"As for [ Hard Armor ], he has more important things to do and must return."
Good grief, they're not even going to act anymore!
When there were many members of parliament, this old guy would at least pretend to be democratic and equal; now that there are fewer people, he's just being blatant.
Sailesi thought to himself, "Good heavens!" He had just thought the [ Crown ] had changed its ways, but now it was blatantly telling him:
He wanted to replace the [ Hard Armor ] with his own, because the [ Hard Armor ] was more important and more useful!
The excuse of having him observe Hall for any acts of betrayal was merely a pretext to lull himself into a false sense of security and ultimately remove the " Giant Arms " of the Holy Remains.
What else could he say?
Take office!
Having fully realized that he was destined to be a busybody Sailesi was ready to get started, but in the next moment, a flame suddenly ignited in his heart—a blazing, vigorous flame burning for the Theocracy.
[ The Theocracy's Interests Above All ]
The forced ideological imprint compelled Sailesi to begin to consider the shady dealings involved.
He quickly realized a problem—
The " Divine Wings " and " Snake Tail " he brought back, the " Giant Arms " removed from his body, the " Hard Armor " he replaced, and the " Crown " that was already in the Sand Capital...
The Holy Remains seem poised to reunite in the Sand Capital once more.
Could it be a conspiracy?
Despite having served as a senator for a long time, Sailesi actually knew very little about the Skeleton Alliance.
He buried the question in his heart, respectfully accepted the appointment from [ the Crown ], and flew as fast as he could towards the " Great Fortress " hundreds of miles southwest of Sand Capital.
Memories are jumbled, questions abound, and conspiracies lurk beneath the surface...
Even an old schemer like Sailesi needs some time to sort things out.
Flying high in the sky, Sailesi meticulously analyzed the current clues. Suddenly, a strange question arose in his mind—
After waking up, I felt particularly energetic, and some of the things I used to do when I was young reappeared in my body.
I've lost some memories again, but I still don't know which parts they are.
So, how old should I be now?
Beneath Sailesi's back in the heart of the Sand Capital, a figure slowly awoke on a crystal cluster platform.
"You're awake?"
"Um."
Hall responded listlessly.
"Who are you?"
[ The Crown ] asked.
"I am..."
Hall instantly regained consciousness, and countless memories flooded his mind:
"I am [ Thousand Faces ]."