Chapter 37: After All That Talk, We Still Have to Fight
It was in my family's hands from the very beginning?
Hearing this, Joshua was filled with doubt. The Azure Orb had originally belonged to the Radcliffe Family from the start? Then why did the inheritance of the Chaos Warden only appear four hundred years ago?
Although he had many questions, he believed Brandon would explain, so he remained silent.
Brandon indeed did not keep him in suspense. He recalled for a moment longer, then said directly: "Your ancestor, much like my own family, was once a noble of honor in the Imperial Capital, possessing a hereditary title but no true territory. If not for a Gold-rank expert appearing in every generation, they would likely have long faded into obscurity, lost among the masses."
"But even so, the name of the Radcliffe Family gradually became less known, until four hundred years ago, when the eruption of the Great Aias Mountains caused by an Ancient Dragon sent surging flame mana rippling through time and space, affecting the teleportation passage between the Imperial Capital and the Sea of Bewilderment Fortress."
Joshua was well aware of this matter; the old steward's secret letters had detailed it thoroughly.
The blonde swordsman continued as expected: "That generation's His Majesty the Emperor assembled an exploration force of two hundred men to pacify the Great Aias Volcano and the Ancient Dragon Albertion, who might still be lingering there. This was an unprecedented Gold-rank army; the weakest among them was a Silver Peak elemental mage. This team was unmatched in the world—even a hundred-thousand-strong army could not rival them. Your ancestor was among them, serving as a squad leader."
There was no need to elaborate on what followed. Since the teleportation passage could only transport non-living materials and not people, the exploration force marched overland to the Northern Lands, carving out a path. After discovering that the Ancient Dragon had already departed, they pacified the volcano's tremors.
Finally, the space-time passage to another world opened, and the Wild Gods appeared.
These monsters, immune to magic and Battle Qi and vulnerable only to pure physical attacks, initially caused great trouble for the exploration force. But before the Gold-rank warriors, who had updated their equipment, they were slaughtered like chickens. The four heroes even counterattacked to the other end of the space-time passage, a world reduced to ruins and embers.
"The mutation of the Azure Orb occurred precisely at this moment."
Brandon's expression was extremely serious, tinged with awe: "After the four joined forces to slay a Ultimate-rank Wild God, the nameless orb, which had always been a protective charm for the Radcliffe Family, suddenly changed from its stone-like state. It blazed fiercely, even rising into the air, transforming into a source of azure flame."
"It used the black mist produced by the Wild God's death as fuel, generating endless radiance. The chaotic aura was cleared, and all Wild Gods within the light's range fled like stray dogs. Those unable to escape were naturally reduced to ashes, leaving no trace."
"...And that's how my ancestor received the inheritance of the Chaos Warden?"
Joshua frowned, speaking seriously: "Chaos blood, the source of ignition... I see."
"Yes, exactly. Chaos is the fuel for the First Flame that brings order and light. The Azure Orb, as a spark taken from the Abyss of Despair by the legendary Sage, naturally possesses similar traits."
Brandon knew the Azure Orb in great detail, even more than what Joshua had learned through his system's appraisal: "After the Era of Falling Stars, the newly emerged Seven Gods of Humanity eradicated all heretical beliefs within human society, but they left behind the legend of the Sage. In records, the story of the Sage and Holy Light predates even the origins of the Seven Gods... This is enough to conclude that most of the Sage's legend is true history."
"We infer that the inheritance of the Chaos Warden was lost long ago, somehow ending up in your ancestor's hands. Since Mycroft Continent had been without Chaos Monsters for a long time, it had no chance to awaken. Thus, it was collected and stored away by the Radcliffe Family's predecessors, who perhaps knew of its legend."
After speaking this long passage, Brandon paused to catch his breath and swallow. He looked at the thoughtful Joshua and said with a hint of a smile: "See, haven't many of the questions you raised earlier been answered? Explaining things along a clear thread is always better than answering them one by one."
The ancestors of the Radcliffe Family had passed down the Azure Orb for generations but could never find a way to use it. Only after killing the Chaos Monster Wild God four hundred years ago did they discover that the blood of these enemies of order was needed as a catalyst to gain power. Through this, they obtained the inheritance of the Chaos Warden.
"Indeed, that's the case."
The warrior nodded. It was logically clear. After expressing his thanks, he added: "However, the legends of the Sage and the Azure Orb are too ancient and have little connection to current events. What I'm more concerned about now is what lies beyond the space-time passage. Is it simply an endless horde of Wild Gods?"
"Legends are not useless; they are even part of the clues. As for what's on the other side... I used to think the same, but the situation is not that simple."
Brandon shook his head. He stood up, poured himself a glass of water from the side of the reception room, downed it in one gulp, then took a breath and continued: "In fact, after the Azure Orb illuminated the void realm and burned away the bodies of countless Wild Gods, the four ancestors immediately felt a vast power descending from outside the world. After lifting the stele they had inadvertently discovered, they quickly fled back to their original world... And my ancestor, the Legendary Mage Kabala Chaos, subsequently led the Imperial Mage Corps to seal all connected space-time passages."
"Since large numbers of Wild Gods frequently appeared in the space-time passages, attempting to break the seal, no one dared to open the seal and re-explore the situation on the other side. To solve this problem, your ancestor forged the Divine Mechanism, gaining the power to easily suppress large numbers of Wild Gods of the same rank. Meanwhile, the Empire's high echelons searched everywhere for artifacts left by the Sage to combat Chaos. The Order Twin Blades in my hands and the once-existing White Jade Book were discovered in this way."
Speaking up to this point, the Gold-rank swordsman also looked puzzled, his red eyes full of confusion: "These artifacts all require the slaughter of large numbers of Chaos Monsters as sacrifices to unleash their power, just like the Azure Orb... And through calculations, their forging times all date back to the three hundred lost years between the Era of Falling Stars and the Era of Radiance... Leaving that aside, what's strange is that anyone holding these artifacts imbued with order force cannot pass through these sealed space-time passages, yet without these artifacts, they cannot defeat the Wild Gods—unsealing the space-time passages is too dangerous; we cannot risk the entire world out of curiosity."
"Indeed. If a horde of Wild Gods were to pour in, even a single one escaping would be an extreme crisis. We cannot take risks out of curiosity... But does this mean no one knows what lies behind the passage?"
The warrior asked.
"Exactly. After two Void Evil Gods personally descended, no one can guess how chaotic that world has become."
Brandon confirmed.
Joshua now truly frowned, his face full of seriousness. He said slowly: "The situation is indeed complex. This time, after the Black Erosion Dragon was corrupted by Chaos in some unknown distant place, it flew directly to the Northern Lands to open a space-time passage. This means the space-time seal in the Northern Lands is no longer the only invasion route for that Void Evil God; it has other methods... Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple."
"What method?"
The blonde swordsman asked curiously.
"What else could it be?"
With a scoff, Joshua shook his head. His gaze pierced through the wall, seeming to penetrate the void, reaching the distant snowy mountain where the mad dragon scattered its chaotic scale powder.
"Kill it. That Evil God's tentacle interfering with the world. Once that's done, all the problems troubling us will be solved."