Saladin was silent for a moment, then said to Ilam, "Send him here to see me."
Twenty minutes later, the students of the Hall of Truth were asked to leave, leaving only Saladin and his guards in the vast hall.
When the man dressed in black appeared at the door, Elem instinctively reached for the scimitar at his waist, but quickly regained his composure.
Saladin looked the mysterious young man up and down. Underneath the loose robe was only a skeletal body, and his pale face was almost indistinguishable from a corpse that had been placed in a coffin.
Saladin stared at the sleeve of his throat bone and suddenly asked, "Where is your right hand?"
The expression on his face remained calm: "A small accident happened."
Saladin gave a soft "hmm" and then said, "Sit down."
The man with the throat bone came to the rug beneath Saladin and slowly sat down.
"You did a great job regarding the rebellion in Kantiari," Saladin said, stroking his beard. "The rebels were wiped out in just seven days; it was a very successful victory."
Changing the subject, Saladin continued, "But according to the soldiers who cleaned up the battlefield, not only the rebels, but also all the residents of Cantali have vanished. I still clearly remember the original text of the report—the food in the pots was still steaming, children's toys were scattered on the ground, and even livestock and cats and dogs were nowhere to be found. What on earth happened?"
The throat bone said softly, "Your Majesty, those who betray the empire, whether soldiers or civilians, will not escape death. As for how they die, does it matter?"
"How dare you!" Ilam drew his scimitar and roared, "How dare you speak to the Caliph like that?!"
Saladin stopped Ilam and said with a smile, "What he said is not wrong. The important thing is the result."
Saladin looked at the throat bone and asked, "I heard that after you finished dealing with the matter in Kantiari, you went to the north again?"
The man nodded slightly: "I met up with a few old friends to catch up."
Saladin glanced at the empty sleeve of his Adam's apple: "It seems your old friend is very hospitable."
Throat Bone laughed: "Yes, very enthusiastic."
After saying this, the throat bone reached into his pocket, took out a stack of books, placed them in front of Saladin, and said, "I have finished reading all the books you lent me last time."
"You've read it all? That's a book that would take a university student a year to finish!" Saladin said, looking surprised.
Throat Bone touched his knuckles: "I spend very little time sleeping and eating."
Saladin picked up a book, glanced at the Adam's apple, and said, "I'm going to test you."
"Please give me a question."
"The rise of the city-state was the cornerstone for the gradual disappearance of barbarism and the continuation of civilization. It represented the relationship between people, which began to touch the spiritual level from the purely material level."
“The History of the City-States of Telo, Volume 7: The Civilization of Suranrodo,” page 75, last section.
Saladin raised an eyebrow and picked up another book: "The stars are never just paint on a canvas; they move, they shine, they symbolize every change in the world."
“The opening notes of Chapter Fifteen of the “Kytus Astronomical Treatise”.”
Saladin clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Amazing!"
"When I first met you, you couldn't even recognize all the words. In such a short time, you were able to read works in four languages without any difficulty!"
The man with the throat bone showed no sign of pleasure: "Reading and using are two different things."
Saladin leaned forward, asking with interest, "What? Do you have doubts?"
The man with the throat bone took a book from the pile and placed it in front of Saladin: "I would like to talk to you about this book."
Saladin looked down and saw the words "Confessions" prominently displayed on the cover of the book.
“Augustine’s work, with meticulous detail, dissects the various aspects of human nature and contrasts them with divinity.” Saladin was somewhat surprised: “You’re interested in this book?”
The man with the throat bone slowly said, "I've always wanted to understand one thing: What is a human being? What is a god?"
Saladin frowned and said, "This question is too broad; you must be more specific."
"Let me put it another way: Is it possible for humans to become gods?"
Upon hearing the words from the throat bone, Ilam flew into a rage again: "You blasphemous villain! If I ever hear another blasphemous word from your mouth, I swear to Allah, I will rip out your tongue!"
The man with the throat shrugged at Saladin: "Your Majesty, if this is taboo, then pretend I didn't ask anything."
Saladin pondered for a moment before speaking: "This is the Hall of Truth. The voice of truth should not be silenced, should not be yielded, and should not be compromised."
Elam cried out anxiously, "Your Majesty!"
Saladin firmly stated, "Using power and violence to force the truth back into people's mouths will only allow it to sprout, take root, and become deformed."
Throat Bone nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then, Your Majesty, let us continue our discussion on this topic."
Saladin thought for a moment and said, "I don't believe that humans have the opportunity to become gods."
"What's the reason?"
"Three reasons: physical, ability, and spirit."
"From a physical standpoint, human lifespan is far too short. We start learning as children, then move on to youth, middle age, and finally learn something in old age, only to find that we've already stepped into the grave."
Saladin spread his limp hands and said with self-deprecation, "That's why emperors throughout history have been thinking about immortality every day, and why alchemists and sorcerers have become so popular."
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