Chapter 30: A Temporary Conclusion
Through some unique magical techniques specific to the Mycroft Continent, the group made certain improvements to the weapon, but the overall framework remained unchanged. After all, it was the ultimate creation of a civilization’s peak—aside from a few blind spots caused by differing paths of civilizational development, most aspects were beyond modification.
The group could only add more runic arrays, rebuild the energy core to prevent infection by the Evil God’s power, and embed an artificial soul core, forcibly granting the weapon a self-will so it could resist the call of the Void Evil God. In the end, no one knew whose idea it was, but the weapon’s dormant form was shaped into a humanoid—and that is the origin of our Divine Mechanisms.
Perhaps there is one thing I forgot to tell you, my Lord... The Void Evil God possesses an inconceivable ability to sense. As long as a certain number of living beings know of its existence, it can pinpoint the location of that world, thereby launching various schemes to invade. For this reason, this matter was never made public; only a select few know this secret that must not be spread.
The Radcliffe Family, as those who learned of this secret, stepped forward without hesitation, taking on the responsibility of wielding the Divine Mechanisms and resisting the tide of Wild Gods.
Ying and Lin were forged using a portion of your wrist bones as their cores when you were born. They originally had no form, but in response to your wishes and needs, your will and calls, they slowly grew and changed over more than a decade, eventually taking their current shapes. Whatever those shapes may be, they are undoubtedly the weapons you are most skilled at and most fond of.]
As expected, it was the same as what I knew from the game in my past life—the Sealed Land was where the temporal passage was sealed, leading to the Age of Extinction, the Desolate Void Realm. But I never imagined there were so many hidden details.
After reading this passage and briefly recalling the information in his memory, Joshua turned back, listening to the sounds in the hall. He could faintly hear light footsteps. He could imagine his Divine Mechanism lady carefully observing her surroundings as she wandered about.
A slight smile tugged at his lips. He then looked down at his wrists, a hint of doubt furrowing his brow.
Wrist bones?
Sensing his confusion, he resolved to eliminate it immediately without hesitation. Joshua set the letter aside, gathered battle qi at his fingertips, and swiftly sliced open the flesh around both his left and right wrists.
What appeared before him were two rune gems shimmering with strange auras.
On the right was silver-blue; on the left was black-red. The silver-blue glow was brighter, while the black-red was slightly dimmer. But regardless of which, both were covered in runes pulsing with power. These runes intertwined with his body, perfectly fused together, as if they had always been a part of him, growing as the warrior grew.
Igniting a glow, he healed the wounds. Joshua seemed to understand something, but he said nothing. Picking up the letter again, he continued reading.
[The Vlad and Scarlet Families migrated north alongside the Radcliffe Family, but by the fourth generation, they abandoned the honor of guarding this secret, deciding to forget everything about the otherworld and the Evil God. The Dwarf Clan, from the very beginning, was only responsible for forging the core prototypes of the Divine Mechanisms. Only Iron Body·Moya knew of this matter. Since then, only the Radcliffe Family can be called the guardians of the secret, watching over the Sealed Land.
Time passed quietly. The Divine Mechanisms were perfected generation by generation, from the experimental prototype to the official sixth generation—that is, me—over three hundred years. The tide of Wild Gods was suppressed by successive heads of the family, and the seal remained flawless. Everything was perfect until now.
Your father, my master, the Winterfrost Count Beluo, was not indifferent to you; he simply had to focus on dealing with the Wild Gods. About half a month ago, the Great Aias Volcano rumbled slightly, and arcane power surged once more in a tidal wave. As usual, the tide of Wild Gods arrived on schedule. But this time was different—the Wild Gods were unprecedentedly powerful, and the seal could not hold them back within the temporal passage.
For this reason, the master had to act personally. At that time, I sent a brief message, hoping you would return early and learn the truth of everything... But what I did not expect was that not only were the Wild Gods unprecedentedly powerful, but their numbers were also abnormally large. Twelve Gold-rank Wild Gods and over a hundred Silver-rank Wild Gods filled the sealed dimensional passage.
Caught off guard, the master was surrounded. Even unleashing my true form and resonating with me could not break the encirclement. With no other choice, he overloaded his power, sacrificing his own life force to gain unprecedented strength, slaying all these abnormally powerful Wild Gods on the spot.
The injuries were too severe... and he had overdrawn his life. By the time he killed the last Wild God, the master was on the verge of death. Normally, I should have been destroyed along with him, but at the last moment, the master dissolved our contract, releasing the bindings on my energy core, allowing me to linger on for a while to finish what he left undone.
This is the course of events. This is also the secret that the Radcliffe Family cannot reveal to others—Joshua Van Radcliffe, you are the guardian watching over the temporal gate. Your duty is to slay the nameless evil demons. This is inheritance, history, obligation, and honor.
To repeat: Do not let others know this information. This letter must be completely destroyed. The Void Evil God can discover our world through the thoughts of living beings that know of its existence. If only a few dozen or a hundred people know, there is no problem. But once the number of beings aware of it exceeds a certain threshold, the Evil God will learn the coordinates of our world... Although this alone cannot allow it to descend directly here—the world itself and the gods will prevent its entry—it can send its minions to this world through blood sacrifices or various rituals to summon it. That is precisely how the now-destroyed civilization met its end.
Prevent this situation. Strangle all possibilities in the cradle!
Alright, that is roughly everything. I have nothing more to say and am about to enter eternal slumber. So farewell, my young master. This is our final parting.
Your loyal Fan.]
"...Tch."
He slammed the letter heavily onto the table. The blazing battle qi flame completely incinerated it, leaving not even ash behind. Joshua’s face was expressionless, but the veins at his temples throbbed visibly, proof of the turmoil within him.
A cold wind blew in through the open window, and snowflakes drifted into the room, only to be melted by the dissipating power. This process calmed Joshua slightly. He took a deep breath, but it inevitably turned into a sigh. White vapor rose slowly, then vanished into nothing.
He was not a man of many words, nor was he good at expressing his emotions. Joshua did not know what to say now, so he said nothing.
A gatekeeper family... No wonder, back when he was at the Miskatonic Officer Academy in the Imperial Capital, some high-ranking noble had called him that at the graduation banquet. So that was it.
He looked out the window. Though the snow had lessened, it still fell without cease. There were no more enemies in this city. Moz was dead, and the Wilson Family’s tendrils had all fled. This should have been a cause for celebration, but now he had no mood for festivities.
After a long moment, Joshua spoke slowly: "How irritating."
Then he stood up and walked toward the door.