# Chapter 40: Phantom of the Past
Although the Azure Orb had become obscure and nameless on the Mycroft Continent, after obtaining it, Joshua had scoured through every ancient text he could find in order to better understand this origin artifact, gathering clues from nearly lost legends.
By using the system to supplement these fragments, Joshua ultimately learned many things from the ancient myths recorded in those texts—myths that had been almost completely forgotten by people.
—For instance, the era before the Era of Falling Stars.
Before the Era of Falling Stars, there were two ages: one was the [Lost Three Hundred Years], of which no texts had been preserved, and the other was the legendary and incomparably glorious [Era of Radiance] that preceded the loss.
The Lost Three Hundred Years lay between the Era of Radiance and the Era of Falling Stars, while the Era of Radiance was said to be the peak of humanity. At that time, the Black Forest on the earth had not yet become so rampant; it was merely a unique natural phenomenon in the Far South. Mana technology, led by the [Sage] and his [Thirteen Saints], had spread throughout the entire world. People lived in peace and contentment, and everyone had the leisure to pursue their dreams.
In legend, humans of that era could travel among the stars like the Carlis people, traversing the void and worlds with the aid of magic, exploring the endless multiverse. This flourishing scene reached its zenith after the Sage created [Holy Light] and [Runes].
Holy Light, before the Lost Three Hundred Years, did not actually exist in this world. It was a legacy created by the Sage, the most powerful manifestation of Order Force. The Sage taught the method of cultivating Holy Light to the entire world and promised that [as long as one's heart turns toward light and abhors evil, one can possess the power of Holy Light].
Just as the Sage had said, Holy Light had no threshold. Unlike Battle Qi, which required bloodline and talent, and unlike magic, which required soul resonance frequency and agile thinking, to obtain the power of Holy Light, one only needed to be steadfast—to have a firm heart turned toward goodness and order, and one could gain the power to resist chaos and evil. This achievement overturned everyone's imagination and even elevated the Sage's power to a new peak. Under his leadership and that of his disciples, the world marched toward a glory called [Radiance].
But good times did not last long. Just as the sun rises and must set, just as flames burn and must extinguish, when the golden age passed, decline followed.
The reason for the decline was not recorded even in ancient texts, but based on Joshua's speculation, it was likely related to the Abyss. Because information about the Abyss only began to increase from that time onward, it could be inferred that demons from the Eternal Fallen Abyss attacked this world. They were repelled by humanity led by the Sage, but they also inflicted deep wounds upon the Mycroft World. The Azure Orb was precisely a strange artifact obtained by the Sage during his counterattack into the Abyss. He gifted it to his Third Saint and left behind the legacy of the Chaos Warden, which persisted until now.
In his previous life, Joshua's advanced [Hero Class·Rune Swordsman] was also somewhat related to that era. He had vaguely heard some rumors about the Sage. In this life, he had advanced to the Sage's direct lineage [Chaos Warden] and was even wielding the Azure Orb. If he said he sensed a similar aura to the Orb, then there could be no mistake.
At the bottom of the central vertical pit, surging mana flowed unceasingly, even condensing into nearly solid barriers and hazy mist. Perhaps Joshua and his companions were fortunate, having arrived just as the mana ebbed and flowed, causing the barriers and mist to dissipate, allowing them to clearly see the scene at the bottom.
"Let's go down."
Joshua said decisively, without any hesitation. He had already begun to stretch his limbs, appearing somewhat eager to try. "Since we've come this far, we definitely have to take a look."
The others thought it over carefully. They had already walked such a long distance and reached the deepest part of the pyramid. Now that they had seen such an obviously important central area, it would be truly foolish not to explore it.
Even though the mana lightning looked terrifying, it ultimately wasn't that powerful. They were all Gold-rank experts—how could they be afraid of danger at this level?
So everyone followed Joshua down.
Controlling his Battle Qi, his body transforming into a crimson streak of light, Joshua brought Lynn along as they leaped down from the high platform at a steady pace. The distance to the ground at the bottom was roughly fifteen hundred meters, which also demonstrated just how massive this mobile fortress was.
Everyone descended slowly. The lower they went, the better their physical condition felt, and the denser the surrounding mana became. Lynn's complexion also improved significantly—the psionic body of a Divine Mechanism human form could easily absorb these free-floating energies to replenish stamina.
"The temperature is rising."
Sensing this keenly, Joshua noticed that the temperature around them was growing increasingly warm.
One had to understand that in the desolate world outside the pyramid, the temperature had already dropped to the terrifying point where ice could form from thin air and frost could cover the ground. But after entering the pyramid, the temperature had become increasingly comfortable and pleasant. Previously, in the halls they had passed through, the temperature was barely above freezing. But at the bottom of this vertical pit, it was a full twenty-four degrees—a very comfortable temperature for human habitation.
"The Order Force is also much denser. That aura similar to the Azure Orb is getting closer."
Joshua's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the steel city drawing nearer beneath him. Glancing at the system out of the corner of his eye, he saw that a new status had appeared on his person.
[Order Blessing: As an Order Lifeform, you have received the blessing of a mysterious force. All attributes x1.2.
You possess the Unlit Flame trait. You possess the Order-aligned Hero Class·Chaos Warden. You are in a high-concentration Order Force environment.
You have met the conditions for a linked state.
Purifying Blazing Light: Holy power enhancement. Damage against Chaos-aligned enemies x1.3.
—Heavenly Flame Force, Ring World Order]
The Carlis people had encountered Void Evil God invasions. To resist chaos, it was only natural for them to pursue the power of order. Especially since they originally worshipped the sun—as the source of all natural power, sun worship had always been closely related to order.
This was indeed a very logical matter, but Joshua had never expected that the Order Force held by the Carlis people would actually be related to the Azure Orb—or even to the Sage! That [Sage of Radiance] who only appeared in texts, who had no name, no image, whose legendary deeds were vague, whose legacy no one could confirm, and whose existence even Holy Light could not prove.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Accompanied by surging wind, the crimson speck of light slowly descended through the vertical giant pit, finally landing within that steel-forged city. Following closely behind, Moria and the elf also landed together, standing at Joshua's side.
"Unexpectedly, all of these are runic devices for controlling mana flow, not houses. There isn't a single person or living creature."
Standing in the center of the steel street, Joshua carefully examined the surroundings. He quickly discerned the true nature of these seemingly magnificent tall buildings. The entire surface of these structures was covered in complex runic arrays, and countless streams of mana surged and flowed in accordance with the runes' control, rushing powerfully toward other parts of this fortress.
The warrior was puzzled: "No houses? In that case, where is the Divine Mechanism that Lynn mentioned and the natural cycle that Lady Claire spoke of?"
"Still further below... It should be directly beneath this place."
Lynn's voice was somewhat hesitant. Due to the overwhelming mana flow around them, he was now unsure: "This pyramid is too large. We've walked for so long and should only be in the lower-middle region. And that Divine Mechanism aura I sensed is extremely vast... No, is it even a Divine Mechanism?"
By the end, the youth had closed his eyes in confusion, sensing once again.
"I feel the same."
Claire, standing beside Moria, also nodded. Then, she asked with confusion: "Below... How do we get in? Find another downward passage?"
"Or should we just do what you did with the door and blast a passage down?"
When she said this, Claire offered a rare jest.
"No need."
Just as Joshua and the others were considering their next move, a voice tinged with a slight electronic tremor came from above everyone's heads. "I'll take you there."
"Who?"
Joshua was startled. Someone had managed to bypass his perception and arrive silently beside them.
What surprised the warrior even more was that in this steel city, which he had confirmed to be devoid of people, someone else's voice had appeared.
Moria and Claire also became alert, but judging by their expressions, the two seemed completely unable to understand what the words meant. Noticing this, Joshua realized that the system's translation wasn't limited to text—it also translated spoken speech.
Just as everyone became vigilant at this voice, a semi-transparent shadow tinged with a faint blue light slowly materialized before them.
At first, this shadow was truly just a shadow—a strange power flowing within the darkness. But as the power gathered, it gradually formed a semi-transparent humanoid figure emitting a faint cyan-blue light.
It was a female Carlis person. Her form was initially somewhat blurry, but as energy continuously filled it, she gradually became more refined. A pair of black wings extended from behind her waist, trembling slightly. She wore a white laboratory coat. Her hair was a pale blue, and despite the strong wind around them, it did not stir in the slightest.
She was a mana projection.
"Visitor from another world bearing the Sage's artifact, I have been waiting for you for a long time." This female Carlis person's projection spoke in a tone as flat as a machine, her eyes utterly indifferent, yet her posture was very respectful: "I am Mobile Fortress Artificial Intelligence Unit 03. You may address me as 03." (To be continued.)