Looking at the hand with the throat bone, Saladin showed no surprise. He calmly said, "Just as I expected, you are no longer human."

Throat Bone was somewhat surprised: "You already knew?"

Saladin said, "It's not hard to guess that you've fallen to the devil."

"Devil, saint, they are nothing but tools for false gods to deceive the world." Throat Bone pulled his hand back into his sleeve: "I represent a newborn race, and even more so, a tremendous power."

Saladin shook his head and said, "You have embarked on a path of enmity with all living beings."

"That's because the world is full of backward and ignorant races who are immersed in meaningless desires and pursuits, deceiving themselves in a life of extravagance and debauchery."

Throat Bone's eyes were as sharp as a knife: "Life is like poison, it poisons people's minds, making them only see their own desires, but dare not think about the world after death, dare not question God's decision. They live in a daze for decades, and finally rot and die without dignity like a cricket."

"What I am doing now is simply dispelling the deadly poison from everyone's body, allowing them to detach from the material world and examine the relationship between man and God."

Saladin smiled slightly: "That's quite interesting. Life gives humanity desires, and desires blind the eyes of truth, while death is the key that guides everything..."

The man moved two steps forward, closer to Saladin, and said, "Join us."

Saladin shook his head noncommittally.

The throat bone then said, "You should know your situation without me reminding you."

Saladin: "Are you saying that my days are numbered?"

Throat Bone: "By becoming a necromancer, you will become an immortal king, your kingdom will last forever, and your people will create an eternal empire."

Saladin looked at Adam's Tooth with amusement and said, "What good would that do you?"

Throat Bone: "I will establish a religion for the dead, and you will be the secular king of the kingdom of the dead."

Saladin understood: "You want to become the Pope of the Church of the Dead? Just like the Church of the Father?"

Throat Bone: "The undead are different from humans. We are not seduced by desires, nor do we fight for personal gain. If only the undead existed in the world, then war and destruction would be far away from us."

"And the Father's Church, a place filled with lies, ignorance and chaos, is essentially a group of people using God's name to achieve their own interests. How can it be compared to us?"

Saladin thought for a moment and then said, "Let me organize my thoughts."

"You believe that the dead, who have abandoned life and embraced death, will devote their energy and time to cooperation and progress because they no longer crave food, wealth, spouses, or power. As a result, the world will no longer suffer from hunger, plague, or war."

"That's right."

"You came to me today because you want me to join the ranks of the undead. That way, my army will become a large undead army, which can help you establish a secular undead world, and you can become the Pope of the undead with peace of mind."

The throat bone added, "And you, you can truly escape the shadow of death. Your empire will continue to advance under your leadership, and the academic truths you care about most will flourish in the land of the dead. Isn't all of this wonderful?"

Saladin said softly, "It does sound wonderful."

"So, you've agreed to my request?"

Saladin did not answer the question about the throat bone, but instead asked a completely unrelated question: "Throat bone, do you understand humans?"

His throat was stiff.

Saladin poured a cup of hot tea from the plate beside him and placed it in front of the throat bone.

"Allah created Adam from the clay, and Adam is the ancestor of mankind."

Saladin dipped his fingers in water, rubbed a clump of dirt from the edge of the blanket, and placed it in his palm.

"Clay can take on countless shapes, whether round or square, long or short. Adding different substances can change its color, texture, and hardness. Baking it with fire can even shape it into pottery."

Saladin threw the clay back into the earth: "But clay that has been kneaded into shape will deform when water is added; clay with added materials will return to its original form when filtered; and pottery made by firing will eventually return to clay when crushed and ground."

The man with the throat bone asked coldly, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Saladin said softly, “Regardless of appearance, age, or profession, whether the body is alive or dead, a human being is a human being. As long as the human soul exists, its essence will not change.”

“Undead, if, as you say, they no longer need to eat, no longer value wealth, and no longer care about their spouses, it does not mean that human desires will disappear; it simply means that they will begin to crave other things.”

Saladin gently touched the ground beneath him: "Just as there is sand in the soil, there is also the thirst for desire etched in the human soul. It will not deviate from its course due to changes in the way of life."

The man with the throat bone looked somewhat confused: "Isn't death enough to extinguish the greed in human nature?"

Saladin looked at the throat bone and said calmly, "If you don't believe me, there's an example right here."

"What?"

"you."

"I?"

Saladin extended his withered finger and pointed to his chest, saying, "You are so eager to become a god, isn't that desire?"

"From this, one can imagine that once the Kingdom of the Dead is truly established, many undead will focus their attention on power and status," Saladin said with a smile. "When they are alive, food, wealth, and women can distract them to some extent, but after death, they will be pushed into an even darker abyss of desire."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!