Looking at Sailesi, who was waiting anxiously (not really), he finally made up his mind:
"Someone come here!"
His personal guards appeared immediately, awaiting the senator's orders.
[Hard Armor] briefly pondered for a moment, then issued a series of orders:
"Immediately contact all available Bastion Lords and overseers, including those waiting inside the Great Fortress and those who have already lost their sandcastles:"
"Upon receiving the message, all supplies were immediately abandoned, and the entire group began an orderly retreat toward the Sand Capital."
"By taking the old route through the Balk River Valley, we can avoid the main rebel force entering Sand Capital from the south."
"As long as we can lead the main force back to Sand Capital successfully, the crime of losing the position can be wiped clean!"
"Yes!"
"Also, I will return to Sand Capital first, and after I leave, all command will be handed over to Councilor [Nether Crossing]."
[Hard Armor] glanced at Sailesi waiting beside him, and after a moment of hesitation, made up his mind.
Although it might affect their relationship, for the sake of the bigger picture, he had to say those words:
"However—the retreat order that has already been issued must not be changed."
"Yes!"
Hearing that [Hard Armor] had given no further instructions, the messenger turned and left.
[Hard Armor] sat motionless opposite Sailesi, staring into his eyes.
Sailesi understood the meaning of "[Hard Armor]", or rather, it was actually within his expectations.
The last sentence of the order clearly indicated that he was not to interfere with the overall strategy of the retreat, and at most, he could only make minor adjustments.
This was out of fear that he might repeat himself, and to prevent this army of nearly 500,000 skeletons from becoming his pledge of allegiance.
Watching the messenger leave without moving was no longer an act; it was as if the message, "Even without evidence, I still suspect you," was written all over his face.
If the [Hard Armor] had left before the order was issued, Sailesi certainly had the means to deal with the messenger and allow the entire defensive line to collapse completely.
But not now.
Without the "Giant Arms" of the Holy Remains, he couldn't defeat [Hard Armor] head-on, and if he were to switch sides now, all his previous mistakes would become his scapegoat.
They were still wary of me, as expected.
Sailesi sighed, thinking that although it was a little disheartening, the other side had really played the right defense.
After a full quarter of an hour, [Hard Armor] slowly got up.
Both men knew perfectly well that this time was sufficient for the messenger to use the runic bone to send out the message, and even if Sailesi had any ulterior motives, it wouldn't change anything.
Looking down at his colleagues, [Hard Armor] sighed almost imperceptibly:
"The situation is urgent, please forgive me."
Sailesi responded noncommittally:
"I understand."
[Hard Armor] nodded, turned and walked to the lookout window, from where he leaped out and disappeared into the midnight darkness, also disappearing from Sailesi's perception range.
With the departure of [Hard Armor], Sailesi knew that this Great Fortress was now completely his.
But the imperial army will arrive soon, and if they are fast enough, the time difference will not even exceed half a day.
As the noise outside grew increasingly jarring, Sailesi knew that the military orders had been relayed down through the ranks, and the skeletal soldiers who had been waiting all day were beginning to mobilize.
But I have no way to fundamentally change all of this.
Are you going to suspect me even without any evidence?
[Hard Armor], I acknowledge you.
With a sigh, Sailesi did indeed feel a certain respect for the [Hard Armor].
The other party made no attempt to conceal their wariness, which significantly reduced the amount of action he could take.
For example, one should not guide skeletal warriors in organized groups to the wrong locations, or cause a second rebellion to break out on the spot.
At the same time, there might be some unexpected things happening when [Hard Armor] returns to Sand Capital, just as he guessed on the way here.
Despite my best efforts to delay, I only managed to keep him from leaving by one day, and I failed to completely change the situation.
What will happen to [Hard Armor] after he returns to Sand Capital is anyone's guess.
He pulled out several rune bones and began frantically recording all the useful information he could find.
These things will become his achievements, allowing the imperial army to gain even greater spoils during the pursuit.
Sailesi sat on the stone chair, listening to the sounds around him gradually fade from the noise to the silence, knowing that most of the skeletal warriors were ready to evacuate at any time.
Even without them, they would return to the Sand Capital according to their predetermined route.
From the moment [Hard Armor] became wary of him, the situation he could disrupt was already very limited.
Even so, he is not incapable of doing nothing.
Unbeknownst to them, vines began to grow and Spread around Sailesi.
These plant tissues, mimicking Crystal Clusters, climbed up the back of his chair, through the window shattered by [Hard Armor], and slowly made their way towards the vast field in the distance filled with skeletal warriors.
The translucent Crystal Cluster spider lilies, as delicate and fresh as blood, spread Sea of Flowers outwards from Sailesi's center.
The fragrance of Psionic Energy flowers permeated the entire Great Fortress, causing even High Tier overlords to become somewhat disoriented.
"Grown ups."
A warlord saw Sailesi arrive at the high platform, bowed, and asked:
"The troops are fully organized; please give your orders."
Looking down at the tens of thousands of elite skeletons, Sailesi discerned that less than 40,000 of them were members of the [Hard Armor] Legion, while the rest were ordinary skeleton soldiers.
He thought for a moment and finally gave his order:
"The second line of defense has fallen. Sand Capital our last line of defense, and we are needed there."
"Everyone, return to Sand Capital in an orderly manner, without stopping for a moment along the way."
"We'll have plenty of time to rest once we return to Sand Capital."
The moment the words left his mouth, the Sea of Flowers, which everyone had ignored, Shattered simultaneously.
"Yes!"
The warlords accepted the order and led their skeletal soldiers on the road to retreat.
Sailesi stood on the high platform and watched them leave. He knew it was the only thing he could do.
Sailesi, who had previously used [Dream of Rebirth] on [Hard Armor] himself, knew that [Hard Armor]'s subordinates possessed some additional mental resistance.
After [Hard Armor] gave the order, he was unable to change this mindset.
He couldn't send these soldiers north or simply abandon them to the Imperial army, nor could he order them to dig holes and bury themselves, because that would contradict [Hard Armor]'s orders.
But after [Hard Armor]'s command was fulfilled, he was able to perform some minor actions.
Because Sailesi knew that the Skeleton Man could be resurrected after their skeletons were restored, he did not give the order for them to commit suicide.
He chose to put all the affected skeletons into a long slumber upon entering the Sand Capital, rendering the return itself meaningless and causing some degree of unrest.
This is the limit that he and [Dream of Rebirth] can currently achieve.
Sailesi placed the effective military intelligence he had compiled at the core of the now-empty Great Fortress, and slowly rose into the sky.
He looked north, further north in the hundreds-of-miles-long war zone between the Empire and the Alliance lay the Theocracy he longed for.
The name [Nether Crossing] is really unpleasant to hear; it doesn't feel nearly as fitting as Sailesi Richter's.
It's time to go back.
His figure disappeared into the darkness before dawn.