Chapter 40: Why Are You Jealous of a Weapon
Joshua turned his head and saw his silver-haired Divine Mechanism puffing out her cheeks, twisting her head to look away without continuing to speak.
*Why are you jealous of an ordinary weapon...*
Although a bit puzzled, even with a warrior's emotional intelligence, it was easy to figure out why the girl was somewhat unhappy.
Just as Ying herself had said, "A weapon only has meaning to exist when held by someone." Originally, because Joshua was too strong, she rarely had the chance to be used—from start to finish, it barely amounted to two minutes of total time. Now, suddenly there was another Transcendent-rank greatsword, coupled with Joshua's earlier questions about whether he could contract a second Divine Mechanism. Naturally, the silver-haired girl would feel some anxiety.
If she couldn't be used, then what meaning did her existence hold?
"Don't overthink it."
Helpless, Joshua had to turn around and pat Ying on the back, causing the petite girl to let out a soft gasp and stumble forward a step. Then, under Ying's slightly resentful green eyes as she turned her head back, the warrior revealed a hearty smile.
"Ying, as a Divine Mechanism, you're inherently stronger than that Legion Greatsword. There's no reason I'd use it instead of you. But right now, our synchronization isn't high enough yet. If your Divine Mechanization time runs out and the enemy hasn't been eliminated yet, I'll need a backup weapon, right?"
"Eh... that's true..."
Although she vaguely felt something was a bit off, the silver-haired Divine Mechanism quickly accepted this simple fact.
As Joshua's Divine Mechanism, Ying's personality had some similarities to the warrior's—she was straightforward in her actions. After confirming that the 'enemy' posed no threat, she immediately cheered up, raising her head with a smile and saying, "Then, Master, what do you want for dinner?"
Joshua: "...No rush. We just got back from the banquet. Oh, right, Ying, go organize today's incoming letters first. I'll take a look later."
"Yes, Master!"
Standing at the doorway, the warrior watched the silver-haired girl walk toward the study with elegant steps, a subtle expression on his face. He lowered his head, looked at his palm, and murmured softly to himself, "I didn't expect the relationship between weapons to be like this... Interesting."
After this reflection lingered for a while, he set it aside. Joshua turned and entered the house, walked into the reception room, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out an object.
It was the redwood rune box, handed over by Monster, said to be a gift from the Imperial Emperor.
"The Emperor's gift."
Gazing at the small box in his palm, Joshua weighed its heft and wondered, "Not heavy. Strange, what exactly is it that makes His Majesty think I, a newly promoted Gold-rank, can use this to solve the Black Tide? That's a frenzied magical beast army. Just this little thing?"
Since he found it strange, he might as well open it and take a look.
The warrior knew that this rune-sealed box, capable of blocking all detection and divination spells, couldn't be opened by brute force. A powerful magical force enveloped its surface, making the wooden box as tough as the hardest metal. Forcibly opening it would only cause a violent explosion. Its principle was similar to the combination of the magic door he had blasted open earlier and the old steward's secret letter—it required specific information to unlock.
Familiar with the process, he extended a finger, igniting a crimson flame of Battle Qi. Joshua's unique information fluctuation transmitted outward. In the next instant, the runes flowing like water over the redwood box began to gradually slow down. After a while, all the runes seemed to pause, motionless.
And at that moment, the originally tightly sealed box seemed to release some kind of lock, automatically opening slowly.
"Whoosh—"
The moment the box opened, centered on it, everyone within several kilometers felt a nameless palpitation. Hibernating squirrels, dormant snakes, insects, and beasts suddenly awakened, trembling uncontrollably under instinct's drive, unable even to flee.
It was like a gust of bloody wind sweeping across a battlefield. An obscure, ancient aura, like a mixture of dried blood and rust, filled the entire reception room. Waves of orderly yet chilling and terrifying fluctuations—of slaughter, sealing, purification, and annihilation—flowed out from it, combining with some nameless force to form a vast pressure as silent and cold as the depths of a ten-thousand-meter ocean.
"This is Dragon Might... Wait, it's the curse and pressure left behind after a dragon is killed and sealed."
Unaffected by this force but instinctively moving his left hand holding the box a bit farther away, Joshua frowned, staring seriously at the object inside the box. He reached out with his right hand, took it out, and placed it under the light.
It was a black, neatly rectangular stone. Under the warrior's sharp gaze, he could vaguely tell it wasn't originally black—its outer layer had been stained by years of soaking in the blood of some exceptionally powerful creature.
"Dragon Resistance Stone? No, going further, this is Dragon Slayer Stone?!"
Recognizing the object in his hand, Joshua's face showed surprise. He stared at the black rectangular stone in amazement, feeling somewhat incredulous: "Judging by this aura and the outer layer thoroughly soaked in dragon blood, this must have killed at least hundreds of dragons!"
Dragon Resistance Stone, as the name implies, is a material specifically designed to counter dragon bloodlines. It doesn't exist in nature and represents the highest achievement of alchemy among various races. This alchemical creation, which works like a whetstone—just rub it on a weapon to activate its effects—comes in various types. They can respectively weaken a dragon's strength, soul, and elemental resistance upon impact. The most powerful type can even make a dragon's steel-hard scale defense as fragile as tofu, easily torn apart.
Dragon Slayer Stone goes a step further, being the final product that combines all the effects of Dragon Resistance Stone. Its power is immense, and its price is equally staggering. For a piece smaller than a palm like the one in Joshua's hand, its cost is roughly equivalent to a hundred times its volume in gems and gold! And it's not available on the open market—there's no channel to buy it. Only four superpowers—the Imperial Royal Alchemy Association, the Far South Central Alchemy Workshop Star Ring, the Eastern Mage Headquarters Sky-Piercing White Tower, and the Far Sea Seven Sacred Mountains—have the capability to produce it.
This small piece of Dragon Slayer Stone had clearly been used many times, to the point where even the whetstone itself was soaked through with dragon blood. One could imagine how large it originally was and how precious its value.
"Although it's indeed a rare item, what does the Magic Tide have to do with dragons?"
Somewhat puzzled, the warrior quickly placed the Dragon Slayer Stone back into the redwood rune box and closed it. The stagnant magical power began to flow again, rune light flickering, cutting off all the aura. The surging residual might of the dead dragons, having lost its source, gradually dissipated. The various animals, stunned into immobility, finally scrambled with their limp limbs, preparing to flee their nests. The palpitations in the crowd also faded as the nameless fear disappeared.
"If the magical beasts in this Magic Tide are all dragon-blooded sub-dragons, then I'd be confident in repelling them with this Dragon Slayer Stone... Hmm?"
The warrior turned his head toward the reception room door. Rapid footsteps approached, and the door was quickly opened. Holding two letters, Ying appeared at the entrance with a serious expression. The silver-haired girl cautiously surveyed the surroundings, and after confirming there was no threat, she nodded apologetically. With some confusion, she said, "Sorry, Master. I just sensed a massive pressure coming from here... What happened?"
"Nothing. That inspector brought something incredible."
Putting the box back into his pocket, Joshua picked up the already cold tea on the table, took a sip, and then slowly said, "It seems he didn't know what he was carrying either. Makes sense—if he accidentally let those white dragons on the Snowfield know he had Dragon Slayer Stone on him... Ying, why are you holding two letters?"
Noticing the two letters clutched in Ying's hand, the warrior asked curiously, "Important letters?"
"Ah, I felt the signatures on these two letters were unusual, so I planned to tell you later, Master... But then that huge pressure suddenly erupted, and I thought an enemy had invaded."
Tucking a strand of silver hair that had fallen by her cheek behind her ear, Ying decisively handed the two letters to Joshua. With graceful movements, her slender, fair wrist turned as she also picked up the teacups from the table: "The tea has gone cold. I'll prepare a hot cup for you."
"Alright, thank you."
Smiling and nodding, Joshua then shifted his gaze to the two letters in his hand.
And then he froze.
"Diamond, Imperial Surname... His Majesty the Emperor?"