As Faxul heard this, he couldn"t help but once again turn around to look at his new face in the mirror.
Now that a bucketful of water had been poured over him, a lot of the grime had been washed away to reveal the features of the crazy King.
They were sharp, with a slightly flat nose and a pointed chin.
Why did he look familiar?
"Drakos just asked me to tell you that that body is of the former King of the Black Raven Kingdom. That means that…he is your ancestor. This was, apparently, also a factor that helped with you inhabiting it. First, let"s go to your Kingdom. I"ll tell you the rest of the important details there before departing. I really have some important stuff to take care of."
Unable to say anything, Faxul just nodded, as this was all just a little too ethereal for him.
After all, how was one supposed to react to the revelation that they were just a spirit that was possessing someone for the time being?
In a slight daze, Faxul nodded and was about to fly up the cave, but feeling Daneel"s hand on his shoulder, he stopped.
Daneel had noticed the state of his friend, so he decided to take a moment and console him even though he was short on time.
"Look, Faxul. You gotta admit that this beats death. You aren"t evil like that f*cker who just wanted a body so that he could sell Angaria to live longer. I know that what you really want is to help your people, and those of this continent that we were born in. This way, you will be able to do that much easier. Also, Drakos just told me that if you wish, you can start to…"devour" the consciousness of that Black Raven Empire Spirit that is slumbering in the podium. Even though you are possessing a body, you will always be tied to that podium as that was where your consciousness first inhabited. You can move between this body and the podium at will. From time to time, you can travel to it and try to obtain some of the power of that Hero-level bird, which will apparently greatly increase your prowess as a mage, and even help you in that final step to become a Champion. You will also be taking his memories, and becoming more and more cognizant of the Empire. Don"t worry, there"s no risk of him resurrecting himself in that way: Drakos says that"s impossible, but you should just take it slow. All in all, this is good. There"s only hope for the future. h.e.l.l, who knows, maybe you"ll even cross me in power, and I might have to come to you for help! It"ll all depend on you."
Each word Daneel said seemed to pull Faxul away from that mist of confusion that had congregated around Faxul, letting him come to terms with what had happened, and making him look forward.
Now…he had the means to possibly help his friend for real?
And he could devour the memories and power of a legendary Hero-level creature?!
h.e.l.l yeah!
As a smile cracked on Faxul"s face, Daneel chuckled, happy to see Faxul return.
That was his iconic smile, which was apparent even though the face was different.
Nodding at Daneel, Faxul also slapped a hand on his shoulder before grinning and walking to the stone podium.
Lugging it up on his shoulder, he said "Let"s go," after which he teleported away.
Daneel first teleported to the spot where all the Lanthanorians were gathered.
They were still being stopped by the formation, as that was not an active one, unlike the s.p.a.ce-locking formation which had been deactivated as soon as the Black Raven Empire Spirit went into a slumber.
Each of them had weapons raised high up in the air, and this included even a few children who had come over as a family.
Eloise hadn"t given them any details except that their King needed them, but they seemed to have a.s.sumed that he needed them in a fight.
The little kids held their dolls and toys in the air, ready to smash them into an enemy at a moment"s notice with a ferocious expression on their face, while the adults who weren"t soldiers were holding pots and pans and kitchen knives in the same way.
Seeing this, Daneel felt truly warm, knowing how much he meant to these people, and understanding that they were ready for anything just to be of service to him.
Even those with no Energy-those who hadn"t started on the path to power were so ready.
Why shouldn"t they get the chance to defend themselves, and grow in power, even if they didn"t have the talent for it?
As the seed of an idea began to be born in Daneel"s mind, he appeared in the air, visible to all of them.
"FOR LANTHANOR! FOR KING DANEEL! Wait, isn"t that the King?"
As the furor started to die down on noticing that the one they were marching for was standing above them in the air, the citizens of Lanthanor started to kneel to show their respect to the man who had changed their lives for the better.
He had enabled them to send their children, regardless of potential, to an inst.i.tution which trained them and gave them hope for the future in something they were talented in, instead of them having to resort to depend on their parents to acquire a craft.
He had set up a Healer"s academy which healed people for practically no cost, thus decreasing the overall number of people dying from treatable diseases because they couldn"t afford treatment.
He had set up a Bank where many of them had acquired loans which they had used to full effect to sustain their family.
All in all, they revered him, for if not for his grace, they knew that they would definitely be rotting in the ground by now.
"Rise, brave people of Lanthanor. The battle here is done, and you were instrumental in my victory. You must all visit the Bank of Angaria when you go back: you have a hefty award waiting for you. Your King thanks you for your steadfast support and bravery even in the face of danger. Long live Lanthanor!"
"LONG LIVE LANTHANOR!"
Initially, everyone cheered, but then, the doubts began to emerge.
"But, My King, we didn"t do anything! How were we-"
"The threat of you marching in and rending my enemies in two helped me in my victory, dear citizens and soldiers! Now, I must depart!"
Hastily, Daneel fled the scene, knowing that he wouldn"t be able to answer any more questions, unless he resorted to lying.
Even if he lied, there would still be doubts, so he decided that it was best to leave.
Seeing their King disappear, the people of Lanthanor scratched their heads, but finally, they just shrugged and began their journey back to their Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom, Faxul had just taken a very thorough bath to finally wipe all the mud away.
The Protector Raven was still lying unconscious in the cave, so he had left it there, knowing it would make its way back when it was ready.
As Daneel appeared behind him, he said, "That"s better. Here, take this technique. It"ll let you look like your original self, and even a Champion won"t be able to distinguish that anything is wrong. You"re a Warrior now, so using it all day should be no problem. Remember: devour that bird slowly, and if you feel that anything is wrong, contact me right away. Got it?"
Seeing Faxul nod and smile, Daneel grinned and said, "Good. I"m off, then. When some pressing matters have been attended to, I"ll be back."
Saying so, Daneel disappeared and returned to the group with which he had come out for a mission.
Seeing them busily doing their work and his, he chuckled, and returned to the Sect of Hedon before collecting the reward for the work he hadn"t done.
Finally, as he sat in his office once again, he placed both hands on his chin, pondering about his next step.
Tomorrow would be the day where he would have to face a challenge for this post. Initially, his plan had been to finish all his work in the Sect of Hedon by now so that he could leave, but that was definitely not possible.
Ashah.e.l.l was still free, and the Mad Doctor was still a major threat.
He would have to stay, but he wasn"t willing to be beaten into a pulp.
So, Daneel decided that whoever was unlucky enough to challenge him tomorrow, they would be the first prey to his Peak Exalted Warrior strength.
Of course, it wouldn"t appear like that, as he had to keep up appearances that he was still an Amateur Warrior.
Still, it was going to be fun, so Daneel looked forward to it.
After that, Ashah.e.l.l and the Mad Doctor were going to be pitted against each other, so that he could get rid of both threats at once before leaving back to his Kingdom, to continue his plans for the continent.
Just as he was deciding on his next course of action, a voice spoke hesitantly in his head.
"Er…you do know I"m still here, right? You didn"t go back to Lanthanor to put me back in the podium."
This made Daneel chuckle and say, "Of course I do. You"re going to be instrumental in my path forward. You think I"ll let a treasure trove like you lie around and go to waste? No chance! Mr. Ancient Dragon, you"re going to help me, and believe me, it"ll definitely be more exciting and fun than what you"ve been doing for thousands of years. Let"s get started."