Chapter 21: Steel Tainted by Chaos 3
The hall instantly fell silent.
Claire Wind-Song did not seem to be a talkative person. After saying that sentence, she fell silent, the Wood Elf Druid simply standing still in place, completely unconcerned with what her words might bring about or what they signified.
"Claire, you never mentioned this to me before." Nostradamus also furrowed his brow. "Are you serious? There's Chaos lingering here?"
"Yes."
The female Druid blinked her pale gray eyes, her expression very calm. "Scattered everywhere."
"But I didn't sense it."
The white-haired mage couldn't help but seriously scan the entire Lord's Manor—naturally, he saw nothing. However, trusting his companion, he didn't refute his friend's words but muttered to himself, "I've studied the chaotic power of Chaos for twenty-six years now. That nauseating stench can be easily detected even from ten kilometers away..."
Re-examining once more, a faint blue light bloomed in his pupils. The old mage even used energy vision this time, but a moment later, he still shook his head in confusion. "Nothing. Not a single trace... And logically speaking, this is the residence of the new generation Chaos Warden of the Radcliffe Family. How could there be Chaos power here?"
Claire did not respond. She simply stood there and shook her head.
But Joshua was lost in thought.
Chaos power?
After pondering for a moment, the warrior raised his head and spoke very seriously to Claire. "Esteemed Archdruid, may I ask if you could take me to see the places where you sense the presence of Chaos?"
"Just pointing out the general locations will suffice," Joshua quickly added.
"It is my duty."
With a slight nod, Claire immediately began to walk. Her steps were light, her dark green robe and long green hair swaying with each step. The warrior and the old mage followed behind her.
Stepping across the black pinewood floor, the three left the reception hall and arrived at other areas of the mansion. The female Druid began pointing out the locations where Chaos power lingered.
"The corridor."
The Elf's slender, delicate fingers pointed to a small pine bonsai pot in the hallway.
"The reception room."
A wool-cushioned chair.
"The study."
This time, she drew a circle with her fingertip, seemingly indicating the entire room.
"The kitchen."
Again, the entire room.
"There's some outside too. A very large mass."
As she said this, Claire seemed to notice something. Her slender brows furrowed as she looked up toward a corner on the second floor, speaking with some confusion. "Wait..."
Meanwhile, Joshua looked out the window. The "outside" the female Druid had mentioned earlier was precisely in the direction of the stables. Although the warrior hadn't detected any traces of Chaos himself, this confirmation allowed him to ascertain a few things.
"These are all places where Ying frequently went or took care of. And recently, the stables have indeed been having frequent incidents... This Elf isn't speaking idly."
But the old mage was somewhat baffled. He stroked his white beard, his face full of confusion. "Claire, how exactly did you detect the difference here?"
He hadn't seen anything at all, so naturally, he was puzzled. As an Ultimate-rank mage, although Nostradamus hadn't used any spells to assist himself, with his many years of experience and highly developed perception, it was impossible for him to detect nothing at all.
Glancing sideways at the white-haired mage, the seemingly very young Elf beauty sighed. She then extended her right hand from her robe and condensed an emerald-green halo in her palm.
"Balance is order; imbalance is Chaos."
The Druid spoke softly. This was the first time she had said so much. "Just as civilization and nature are both forms of order, destruction and erosion are merely forms of Chaos, not its entirety."
As she finished speaking, the green halo gradually expanded, then touched Joshua and the old mage. This refreshing power surged into their bodies, and naturally, neither of them refused.
Under the influence of the emerald natural force, he and Nostradamus felt their perspective shift. Everything transformed into indistinct, blurred colors and mists. These colors and mists flowed slowly, forming one harmonious, massive cycle after another with their surroundings. Yet within this cycle, there was a gray mist, stagnant in place, motionless, different from everything around it, appearing somewhat out of place.
Without Claire's help, neither the old mage nor the warrior could have detected it. Previously, they had naturally overlooked it.
"Battle Qi... No, more fundamentally, this is Steel Force, the aura of Origin Steel!"
As a warrior, Joshua immediately recognized the essence behind this mist, but he furrowed his brow. "But it's somewhat different from the Steel Force found in all things."
In the ancient creation myths, the First Flame burned away Chaos, forging Origin Steel. All things were born from Steel, and the world was thus formed. The power of Fire and Steel constituted the entire Multiverse, one of the most fundamental forces of the world. Warriors and other combat professionals use the Steel Force hidden within their bodies to strengthen themselves, combining it with will and conviction to form Battle Qi.
As a warrior, Joshua indeed found it difficult to detect this somewhat different Steel Force. But once detected, he could quickly discern its peculiarities. This power was too deathly still, as if devoid of any life, completely motionless.
"Cycle is balance; balance is order."
Claire softly explained to the warrior and the old mage. "This Steel Force is not abnormal in itself, but it does not enter the world's cycle. Instead, it stagnates in place... It has been tainted by Chaos."
After careful observation, Nostradamus also nodded. "Indeed, it is somewhat different... Truly, specialization leads to mastery. This kind of anomaly can probably only be detected by a Druid like you, who focuses on the balance of order."
But what was the cause of this anomaly? The old mage couldn't help but turn his head to look at Joshua, who stood nearby, seemingly lost in thought.
"Both of you."
After a moment, Joshua seemed to have made a decision. He spoke in a deep voice to the two before him. "Although I don't know why such an anomaly exists in my residence, I now have a more important matter that requires your help, and I believe it is inextricably linked to this anomaly."
As he spoke, the warrior turned and gestured for them to follow him to the second floor. "I would like you to take a look."
Claire and Nostradamus naturally did not refuse. They followed the warrior up to the second floor. Amidst the heavy footsteps, the three arrived before a bedroom on the second floor.
"Here..."
Staring intently at the simply decorated door, the Elf Druid's expression turned grave. She turned to look at Joshua, a hint of confusion in her pale gray eyes. "What is inside?"
Without replying, the warrior silently opened the door.
In the simply decorated room, there was only a desk, a chair, two cabinets, and a bed.
And on that bed.
A silver-haired girl lay sleeping, having not awakened for a long time.
A considerable amount of time had passed since Joshua and Brandon's sparring match. Ying had been sleeping since then, all the way until now.
The heat generated by the high-speed operation of the core within her body had ceased, but she still showed no signs of waking. Joshua was not clear on the operational principles of Divine Mechanisms. Although the contract contained much common knowledge about Divine Mechanisms, that did not mean he knew everything. At the very least, the warrior was currently at a loss regarding Ying's slumber.
If it weren't for the fact that the energy flow within the silver-haired girl's body was stable, with no adverse signs, Joshua would have long since contacted everyone he could to find out what was going on.
These two had arrived at just the right time.
Joshua turned his head to look at Nostradamus and Claire, who were frowning as they observed Ying.
An Ultimate-rank Archmage and a Gold High-rank Balance Druid—two high-ranking spellcasters. Surely, they would be able to solve this problem that had been troubling him.
(To be continued.)