# Chapter 18: Long Slumber
Brandon, who had followed along, witnessed all of this. Looking at Joshua, whose mood was clearly very bad, he calmly comforted him: "Joshua, no need to be anxious. This is probably the automatic upgrade function of the Divine Mechanisms. It's a good thing."
Although the blonde swordsman wasn't very clear about matters concerning Divine Mechanisms, he could at least tell that Ying's aura was stable, and this slumber was not dangerous.
"Is that so? Just an upgrade?"
Joshua repeated, his eyes still carrying worry, somewhat unsettled. "Although I didn't pay much attention before, thinking about it now, there really have been some strange things..."
Ying's drowsiness wasn't something that had only appeared recently. Ever since they destroyed the space-time gate and returned from Moldova, she had been somewhat tired. Moreover, the horses at home had been a bit strange, often abnormally irritable. Although they would calm down whenever he went over, they would indeed suddenly become restless.
Not only that, recently Joshua himself had been feeling somewhat oppressed (yayi), not very comfortable...
Beside him, Brandon was still recalling. He thought for a moment, then explained to the warrior: "Generally speaking, a Divine Mechanism's level is on par with its master. But Ying is only at mid-to-high Silver rank, while you're already at Gold... Wait, you've advanced to high Gold rank?!"
As he spoke, Brandon carefully observed the aura emanating from Joshua, then sharply drew in a cold breath. All his previous calm demeanor vanished as he somewhat lost his composure: "When you fought me before, you were only mid-Gold rank! No, I remember three months ago, when you were still in the Black Crow Legion, you were only high Silver rank!"
"Yes."
Poking the Divine Mechanism girl's little face, Joshua confirmed that Ying was completely asleep, almost unresponsive to the outside world, then casually replied: "By the Seven Gods, it's probably divine blessing. After fighting you, I suddenly had some insights, and then I advanced."
Bullshit! This can no longer be explained by mere blessing! Even the contracted Divine Mechanism can't keep up with your improvement speed. Are you some deity's incarnation reincarnated?!
Hearing this reason, Brandon's expression twisted, and he was completely speechless. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency rising from the depths of his heart—this monster in front of him took three months to advance from Silver to high Gold. Could it be that next year he would achieve Ultimate Essence, and the year after ascend to the Legendary realm?
At this rate, it wasn't impossible!
After all, even His Majesty the Emperor only ascended to the Legendary throne at the age of forty-seven. How old would Joshua be the year after next? Half the Emperor's age? Even if it took a bit more time, reaching Legendary before thirty was hopeful! And if he, a so-called genius, didn't work harder, wouldn't he be completely left behind?
On this point, the swordsman was overthinking.
Joshua's crazy leveling was built on the premise of having enough monsters for him to kill (jianli zai you zugude guaiwu gei ta sha zhezhong qingkuang xia de jichu shang). As his level further increased, the experience required and the monster levels would also become higher and higher (suizhe ta de dengji jinyibu tisheng, xuqiude jingyan he guaiwu dengji ye hui yuelai yue gao). If it weren't for the recent Black Tide that happened to come with several Golden magical beasts, plus the Chaos Warden's passive skill that increased experience from Chaos magical beasts by 30%, the warrior would still only be at early Gold rank (yaobushi zuijin zhenghao you yichang heichao hai fuzengle haoji zhi huangjin mowu, jiashang hundun kanshouzhe de beidong jineng zengjia hundun mowu 30% jingyan zhi de texiao, zhanshi xianzai ye buguo shi huangjin chu eryi).
In a princess carry position, Joshua lifted Ying by the waist. He felt that the girl in his arms was very light—at least lighter than her greatsword form—and her body was also very small—similarly smaller than her greatsword form. He was somewhat unaccustomed to this.
Whether it was the giant sword form comparable to a door panel, or the warrior's burly physique, in comparison, Ying's figure was too delicate and slender.
"So this is what I usually use to fight, slaughtering magical beasts with a little girl? This is really child abuse."
Imagining this, he couldn't help but be amused by his own thought. Joshua's mood improved a bit. Although somewhat worried, regardless, Ying being able to upgrade was a good thing, he thought.
"Let's go. First back to the main city."
Joshua turned his head to signal, calling Brandon. Staying in the snowfield now wouldn't accomplish anything. It was better to go back early and settle Ying down. After all, the warrior didn't understand healing. Although his life profession was blacksmith, using his knees to think, he knew a blacksmith's skills wouldn't be of any use to a alchemical lifeform like Ying. It was better to let her self-regulate.
"Alright."
Receiving the blonde swordsman's brief reply, the two decisively walked toward the nearby main city.
Above the city, the old mage was still in shock.
"Ultimate Essence..."
Taking a deep look at the two people walking toward the main city, Nostradamus muttered to himself: "That fluctuation just now was definitely Ultimate Essence, no mistake!"
Earlier, when he detected Joshua's advancement to high Gold rank, he had no reaction at all. It was precisely because of this that the old mage's previously relaxed expression became solemn: "If strength can still be explained by talent, then a realm like Ultimate Essence, which requires time to settle and accumulate (chenjian jilei), has no shortcuts and cannot be faked!"
But this was contradictory. How could a twenty-three-year-old youth have such a profound foundation (shenhou diyun) to nurture (yunyu chu) Ultimate Essence?
Hesitating in the sky for a moment, the old mage decided not to visit the new Count of Moldavia for now, but to first go seal the space-time gate.
Then—he would spend all his remaining time observing this fellow, to see exactly how he reached the realm of Ultimate Essence!
In the snowfield before the city wall.
Joshua suddenly stopped. He looked around, somewhat puzzled: "I just felt someone watching... It was the same during the fight earlier."
Brandon looked up at the sky and muttered to himself: "Indeed, I sensed it too... But there's nothing around or above."
The two didn't take this small matter seriously. Even if someone really was watching, it didn't matter. With their strength, even if they were slightly injured from fighting each other, ordinary Gold-rank opponents couldn't deal with them.
Treading through frost and frozen ground, crossing hills and snowfields, the main city finally appeared before Joshua. The black city wall lay like a giant lying across the wind and snow, covering half the field of vision (shiye). The guarding soldiers had already noticed their lord's arrival early on. They opened the city gate in advance and went out to welcome him.
Passing through the streets all the way, worried about jostling, Joshua didn't walk too fast. By the time he reached the temporary residence in the west of the city, twenty minutes had already passed.
"The Lord's Manor was collapsed during my battle to reclaim the title. This is a temporary residence."
Entering the residence, Joshua explained to Brandon, who looked somewhat puzzled. Then he turned to instruct the maidservants beside him: "Take this honored guest to the bathhouse and prepare a suitable set of clothes for him... Also prepare one for me."
"Yes, my lord."
After the blonde swordsman was led away, the warrior directly carried Ying up the stairs to the bedroom on the second floor.
Since Joshua basically never slept, and even when resting would only close his eyes for a few hours in the study, and Ying as a Divine Mechanism essentially needed no rest, both their bedrooms were as pristine as new, with no traces of habitation. Casually lifting the leather mat covering the bed, he stuffed the silver-haired girl inside. This way, Joshua had settled Ying down.
The psionic body of the Divine Mechanism human form didn't attract dust and had an automatic cleaning function, so the warrior wasn't worried about other issues. He covered the leather mat, leaving only Ying's head exposed. The girl's face was slightly flushed, her breathing steady, seemingly unaware that she had been stuffed into the bed like this.
"How strange. It feels like taking care of a daughter with a fever... I've never even been married, always single."
Looking at Ying's face, Joshua was dazed for a moment, then laughed softly. The warrior shook his head, stood up, and prepared to take a bath and change clothes.
Time always passed quickly.
Brandon took his leave in the evening and headed for the Imperial Capital. A week or so later, a merchant caravan from Moldova arrived at the main city. Respectful merchants and Verdani's envoy delivered the Black Dragon's skeleton, the Hunter Spider's exoskeleton, and many magical beast materials. They all expressed the greatest respect and admiration for Joshua, and some even attempted to abandon their family fortunes to become a squire under the warrior. Joshua flatly refused them.
Life as a lord was very boring, especially in the snowy winter. In this season so cold that breath would freeze into ice, Joshua couldn't farm, nor could he lead his troops out for training. He could only listen to the howling wind between the towers and city walls, watch the distant Black Forest gradually regain life, see snow accumulate in the city, and then be cleared away by the residents.
The biting wind gradually subsided, the severe cold slowly warmed, and time flowed by like breath. Another month passed.
But Ying still hadn't woken up.