Chapter 22: If You Don't Get Up, I'll Find a New One
The so-called Steel Force is one of the most primitive and widespread powers in this world.
According to myths and legends, the First Flame and the Origin Steel forged the entire Mycroft World, and all material existences, especially the **bodies** of all things, directly originate from that Origin Steel.
The more naturally vigorous and larger a creature's life force, the stronger the 'Steel' within its body. But no matter how strong this 'Steel' is, it is completely inert and cannot be controlled by human will. Ordinary physical training cannot stimulate this innate power. Only through special rituals or the stimulation of life-and-death situations is there a chance to awaken it. This is what all combat professionals must undergo. Once successful, one can advance from a mortal to a Black Iron-rank professional.
For humans alone, the probability of successful awakening is quite high. Theoretically, as long as it is a living creature, no matter how weak or aged, there is a possibility of awakening 'Steel'. However, lifeforms with too weak bodies, such as insects and mice, are very likely to die immediately upon successful awakening.
Creatures that successfully awaken will become stronger due to the activation of the 'Steel Force' within them. But this strength does not reflect in their size. A successfully awakened person might appear thin and small, yet be able to split steel with their bare hands.
However, relying solely on one's own training, without external aids, makes it difficult to increase the quantity and quality of Steel within the body. For the vast majority of warriors and knights without inherited traditions, bathing in the blood of magical beasts and consuming their flesh and blood is the fastest way to obtain Steel. This is a dangerous and treacherous path. Once embarked upon, it means endless slaughter and death. The reason the Northern Lands have hundreds of Silver-rank knights is precisely because they have been fighting magical beasts for years, plundering and devouring power from each other, allowing these knights without inheritance to gain strength sufficient to break through their own physical limits.
"...It's different from humans."
After observing for a while, Claire slowly nodded. With her knowledge, she could naturally tell that the girl lying on the bed was not a normal lifeform. "An artificial alchemical lifeform?"
Nostradamus's body trembled slightly. He asked in a deep voice, "Joshua, is this little girl your Divine Mechanism?"
The existence of Divine Mechanisms was not a secret to these high-ranking officials of the Empire. As the Imperial Archmage, Nostradamus had even participated in the design of the previous generation of Divine Mechanisms. The form of the silver-haired girl's psionic body was not unfamiliar to him; in fact, it was quite familiar.
"Correct." Joshua answered succinctly. "She is my Divine Mechanism, Ying."
Glancing at the two with serious expressions, the warrior walked over to the side of the silver-haired girl. He sat down by the bed and touched his Divine Mechanism's forehead. "I won't waste words. Since we broke the Space-Time Gate last time, Ying's condition hasn't been good. Around the beginning of January, she fell asleep and hasn't woken up. Although her condition doesn't seem to have worsened, I'm still very worried. It might be some kind of aftereffect."
Joshua turned to look at the female Druid. "Earlier, Lady Claire said my residence had the aura of Chaos. That made me think of the abnormal situation with Ying. Now it seems there might indeed be some connection."
"It's not necessarily due to the power of Chaos."
Nostradamus frowned as he looked at the girl before him. He stroked his beard, feeling at a loss for words. "Joshua... if I remember correctly, you should have inherited your title in the Frostfall Moon last year and only became a Chaos Warden in the Snowfall Moon. At that time, you were merely Gold low-rank, and your Divine Mechanism should have been around Silver mid to high-rank. Even if your advancement to Gold high-rank could be explained by continuous battles and the 'special traits' of a warrior, your Divine Mechanism has also entered the second stage!"
The white-robed mage spoke with a rare tone of admiration. "The Radcliffe Family has guarded the Space-Time Gate in the Northern Lands for four hundred years. Through so many generations of family heads, not every one succeeded in advancing their Divine Mechanism to the second stage. Yet you accomplished it in just three months, this..."
Shaking his head, the old mage finished speaking and continued his careful observation. "You say your Divine Mechanism has been sleeping since the advancement process? This might not necessarily be due to Chaos, but rather an inability to digest the power you provided to her. Let me take another look..."
On the other side, Claire's expression was not good. This elven beauty, whose age was unknown, was now frowning and biting her nails, seemingly pondering something.
Rationally ignoring her childish habit of biting her nails, Joshua looked at Claire's expression and couldn't help but recall certain taboos of Druids from his past life. "Does the Earth Druid not support the emergence of alchemical lifeforms?"
Hearing the warrior's question, Claire shook her head. She thought for a moment, then said, "Biological mating to produce offspring and humans creating alchemical lifeforms are both natural rules and progress. I'm just puzzled why the Steel Force on her is so dense."
Saying this, the elven Druid unconsciously raised her finger again. "An artificial lifeform shouldn't be like this..."
"Like before, stagnant, non-flowing Steel Force?"
Frowning, Joshua said in a low voice, "Is it because of this power that Ying can't complete her advancement and wake up?"
According to the Druid's earlier statement, the stagnant Steel Force had been contaminated by Chaos, which could very likely cause problems in the advancement process.
"I don't know."
Claire shook her head. "You should ask him." She pointed at the old mage not far away.
Both of them simultaneously turned their gaze to the old mage, who was deep in thought with a solemn expression.
Nostradamus's expression was serious. As the Imperial Archmage, the original sixth-generation Divine Mechanism was developed and put into use under his leadership. The core design of the Divine Mechanism 'Fan' used by Joshua's father, which was also the core of the old butler, came from his hand. The old mage knew a great deal about Divine Mechanisms. But even he couldn't analyze the reason for Ying's sleep in such a short time.
Extending a hand, a purple light flashed. Nostradamus cast a high-level energy detection spell on Ying, who was lying on the bed. But after the detection, his expression became even more peculiar. "The energy core is still transforming? An ordinary advancement takes only four or five days. This is already ten times the standard time. Where is such a massive amount of power coming from?"
If the transformation succeeded, how powerful would this Divine Mechanism become?
Feeling Joshua's gaze beside him, the old mage thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Joshua, let me propose a possibility, and it's just a possibility."
His tone was uncertain. "The reason your Divine Mechanism is sleeping is likely due to an accumulation of too much power, causing excessive energy pressure during the advancement. Her core can't digest it quickly and can only slowly resolve it. If this power could be slightly reduced, she should wake up soon."
"But where does this power come from?"
Joshua was indeed somewhat confused. "Even if it's because I advanced to Gold high-rank, it shouldn't cause her to sleep this long."
"You should ask where your own power comes from." Nostradamus sighed. He looked directly into the warrior's eyes and said slowly, "When you destroyed the Space-Time Gate, how many Chaos monsters did you kill? Thousands? Tens of thousands? You killed at least two Gold-rank monsters, right? An ordinary person wouldn't kill that many in a lifetime, and you did it in less than two minutes."
He earnestly warned Joshua, "Don't underestimate the mutual plundering and accumulation between 'Steel'. The power gained from killing these magical beasts is more terrifying than you imagine. As for why this power was contaminated by Chaos... forgive me, I can't see it for now, but it should be related to the Space-Time Gate."
After a moment of silence, Joshua asked in a low voice, "Then, how do we resolve it?"
"...Very simple." After another moment of silence, the old mage revealed a strange smile. He sized up the warrior's tall figure, seemingly thinking of something. "Joshua, if you awaken another Divine Mechanism and let it share this power, even if it doesn't fully wake this girl, it will at least speed up her advancement process."
"Awaken another Divine Mechanism, huh..."
Nodding thoughtfully, Joshua remained silent.
"If others can't bear the load of two Divine Mechanisms, you are different." Nostradamus laughed heartily. "You should be one of the best warriors in the Empire's history. If it's you, you can definitely handle the load of two Divine Mechanisms."
The warrior closed his eyes. "Let me think."
—A few days later.
As the Imperial Archmage, Nostradamus had a multitude of affairs. Due to the large number of Space-Time Gates in the Northern Lands, teleportation spells couldn't be used freely, forcing him to set out early to return to the Imperial Capital. Claire Wind-Song, the forest elf Druid, stayed behind. She was preparing to purify the Chaos Force near Moldavia and Moldova, spending her days near the Black Forest investigating soil and air samples.
In the main city, the West City Mansion, second-floor bedroom.
"...Still sleeping?"
The maids had just changed the mattress and blanket on Ying's bed. Joshua sat on the edge of his weapon's bed. He reached out and pinched the silver-haired girl's small face, then muttered expressionlessly, "You, if you don't wake up, I'm going to get another Divine Mechanism."
After saying this, Joshua chuckled lightly. "If you get jealous then, don't blame me for not using you."
*Hum.* As if responding to the warrior's words, a faint humming sound came from Ying's body.