Previously, [ Hard Armor ] had always felt that he should gather his elite troops to go to Sand Capital with him to check the situation, but after learning that the rebels' claims perfectly confirmed his own guesses, he actually began to have some reservations.
It's actually quite easy to understand; [ Hard Armor ] insisted on troop deployment because he wanted to uncover the truth.
Now that the truth has been revealed on the spot by the two rebels, [ Hard Armor ]'s thinking naturally shifted from "investigation" to "response".
But by the time Sailesi realized this, it was too late to revise the intelligence he had sent out.
If [ Hard Armor ] cancels the mobilization of elite troops now, the Empire, having received false intelligence, will undoubtedly be dealt a heavy blow.
So in just a few minutes, the positions of Sailesi and [ Hard Armor ] were completely reversed.
Previously, [ Hard Armor ] needed to mobilize troops, while Sailesi wanted to delay.
Now, however, Sailesi insists on troop redeployment, and [ Hard Armor ] is caught in a dilemma.
Upon careful consideration, Sailesi couldn't help but feel a sense of weariness.
But beneath the fatigue, there was surprisingly a hint of excitement.
It's as if one can influence the world's situation with just a few words.
That's interesting, absolutely hilarious!
After much deliberation, Sailesi finally clearly expressed his stance:
"We must remain loyal to the Alliance, and the elite troops must return to Sand Capital."
"No matter how many people arrive tomorrow evening, I suggest you join them."
"At this point, no one's words can be trusted; only what you see with your own eyes is credible."
"Go to Sand Capital yourself to confirm whether [ The Crown ] is safe and whether [ Thousand Faces ] harbors ulterior motives. You can only trust your own eyes."
Sailesi's meaning was clear—don't hesitate, get out of here and don't bother me while I sell the military intelligence for a good price.
[ Hard Armor ] pondered for a moment, then shook his head:
"No."
Sailesi sighed inwardly, but then heard [ Hard Armor ] continue speaking:
"[ Thousand Faces ]'s abilities are unpredictable; I'm not sure if I can confirm it with my own eyes."
That makes sense.
Sailesi agreed:
But it's not like there's no way out.
Do you have a solution?
[ Hard Armor ] looked at his companion in surprise.
"My ability has the effect of maintaining cognition, which can prevent you from being affected by [ Thousand Faces ] to a certain extent."
Sailesi said seriously:
"The only problem is that you need to trust me completely, otherwise it won't be effective."
[ Hard Armor ] paused for a moment, then immediately said:
Of course I trust you.
Sailesi nodded, touched.
"Then do you need me to grant you this ability?"
"Yes, I need it now."
"Good."
Sailesi thought to himself, "Plan works!" He immediately stood up and gestured for [ Hard Armor ] to sit on the stone chair, while he himself went behind [ Hard Armor ].
"I will use my ability [ Dream of Rebirth ] on you. I'll say it again, if you feel for even a moment that I'm plotting something, you must immediately interrupt me."
"If you have doubts but refuse to voice them, the final effect will be greatly diminished."
"I see."
[ Hard Armor ] nodded, relaxing his body and letting Sailesi do as he pleased.
The fragrant Psionic Energy permeated the entire stone chamber, and [ Hard Armor ] felt as if he had sunk into some kind of mesmerizing ocean, but no illusions appeared before his eyes.
"[ Dream of Rebirth ]--"
Sailesi spoke slowly, though he didn't actually need to say it; he just wanted to reassure [ Hard Armor ]:
"Skeleton Councilor [ Hard Armor ], within three days you will be able to stabilize your mind and be free from any external interference."
"Any power that attempts to Domination, manipulate, control, or influence you from below my level will be nullified and will send you a stinging Psionic Energy warning."
"Relax, let this power become one with you."
[ Hard Armor ] closed his eyes and felt as if a plant had taken root inside his body and wrapped its barbed roots around his non-existent heart.
Within the next 72 hours, if he is subjected to any external disturbance, he will experience phantom pain in the location of his heart.
"With this, I feel relieved."
[ Hard Armor ] got up from the stone chair, feeling very good.
Looking into [ Nether Crossing's] eyes, [ Hard Armor ] felt that this person could truly be trusted.
This is not only the experience he has summarized during this period, but also an added layer of affirmation and recognition from the Holy Remains.
[ Hard Armor ] could clearly sense that [ Nether Crossing ] had no ill intentions towards him; otherwise, with the power of the Holy Remains " Hard Armor," the opponent would not have been able to complete the operation at all.
The Holy Remains he possesses inherently possess a certain ability to sense malice and automatically protect themselves. However, the power of [ Thousand Faces ] is too bizarre, and there is a chance that it can bypass the recognition of the Holy Remains, which is why [ Hard Armor ] is worried.
With everything prepared, [ Hard Armor ] and Sailesi continued the handover of defense duties while waiting for the elite troops to assemble.
"Has the messenger not returned yet?"
At midnight, Crystal Cluster Palace of Sand Capital, [ Crown ] asked with slight anxiety.
No, perhaps... she was murdered.
The Wing Army officer knelt before the [ Crown ], reluctantly acknowledging a fact that may have already occurred.
Based on the distance between the Sand Capital and the Great Fortress, the messenger should have returned three hours ago.
Considering that the messenger on this shift might be slightly weak, he was given an extra hour.
Even so, there was still no news from the other party.
The person on the stone chair, Crown, knew that the messenger was most likely in grave danger.
Although an ordinary skeleton may not seem like much, it reveals a great deal of information.
Yesterday, today.
Two waves of messengers, two recipients, two outcomes.
[ The Crown ] fell into deep thought:
The messenger who delivered the message to [ Hard Armor ] returned as usual, but without bringing back a single soldier.
He felt that there was no problem with the [ Hard Armor ], so he began to suspect [ Nether Crossing ].
The messenger sent to deliver the message to [ Nether Crossing ] never returned, but this was clearly not [ Nether Crossing's ] doing.
If [ Nether Crossing ] is going to target the messenger, he should kill the messenger who gave the message to [ Hard Armor ] yesterday. That way, he can clear himself of suspicion and frame someone else, instead of targeting the one who delivered the message to him. Doing so would only increase suspicion on him.
Otherwise, it doesn't make logical sense.
Therefore, there is only one "truth" that can connect all the evidence.
[ Hard Armor ] must have ulterior motives!
The messenger saw the real [ Hard Armor ] yesterday. He received the information but neither told [ Nether Crossing ] nor ordered the troop deployment. He simply let the messenger go and pretended that everything was normal.
Today, the messenger wanted to meet with [ Nether Crossing ] alone. [ Hard Armor ] knew that if things continued like this, he would definitely be exposed, so he took the initiative and disposed of the messenger, so that Sand Capital would not receive a response and thus clear his name.
This is the truth!
[ Crown ] feels that his deduction is very correct.
But what should we do?
After much deliberation, the congressman, feeling utterly isolated and helpless, issued the order:
"Cancel tomorrow's teleportation."