Chapter 23: The Northern Lolis Are Nice, But What a Shame
Thud!
Accompanied by a tremendous rumble, Joshua and Moria worked together to lift a set of black, heavy, full-body armor off the crystal platform and place it on the floor of the forging room.
Under the glow of the fluorescent stone light, this colossal suit of armor was coated with a layer of golden paint. Layers of shimmering, rune-inscribed armor plates formed the outer shell of its arms and waist, while the main structure of the entire armor was assembled from several smooth, structurally complete steel plates. Magical energy channels connected all the plates, converging at the chest of the armor—the location of the energy core.
The thick helmet seemed to be embedded into the armor, as if it couldn't be removed directly. Its imposing silhouette made the shorter individuals present, like Lin Ying and Moria, appear even more diminutive in comparison.
Although the interior of the armor would be somewhat cramped, and the structure could be adjusted to assist smaller individuals in operating it, regardless, among those present, Joshua was the only one who fit it best.
So Joshua put it on.
Entering through the opening at the back of the mana armor, the gap slowly sealed shut. Enveloped within the steel casing, the warrior felt a familiar and reassuring sensation.
In his previous life, the armor he used was always a special custom-made version, and this rough, mass-produced mana armor would never have caught his eye. But unfortunately, in this world, this was the only set of mana armor available. Having something to wear was good enough, and this familiar feeling also brought Joshua a rare sense of joy.
"Full functionality linked, all spell matrices activated, rune abilities engaged."
With the command issued, one buff after another was activated by the armor's mana core: strength enhancement, precision assistance, endurance boost—all simultaneously applied to Joshua.
Instantly, Joshua felt that even without moving, a powerful force could help him act and fight. He slightly raised his hand, and saw the armor swing its steel-forged arm guard, stirring up a howling gale.
Then, Joshua tested the precision, finding it barely acceptable. As for endurance, he couldn't test it at all, because he himself was too powerful and didn't need the boost.
Overall, although this suit of armor was only a prototype, it had all the functions of the final version, and all of them operated smoothly. After a few days of testing, it could be preliminarily confirmed that the design had no issues and could be mass-produced.
Just then, by the roadside, a family of four was slowly walking along the sunny side of the street.
They saw the mana armor in the middle of the road, slowly moving its limbs, and were immediately startled.
Such a massive steel construct, even standing still, would exert immense pressure on anyone, and the magical light flowing over it gave off a faint sense of danger.
"Ah, so cool!"
But the little boy being led by his mother wasn't scared. Instead, he looked at the armor with fascination, his eyes full of curiosity.
Men love weapons and armor, beautiful women and spirited horses—even if they haven't grown up yet, it's the same. An instinctive urge made this northern little boy desperately want to touch the mana armor, which he thought was incredibly cool, but his somewhat nervous parents firmly held him back.
Standing beside the little boy, a little girl with a platinum-blonde ponytail was also curiously staring at the armor. Her and the little boy's father was a hunter, and they had seen the heads and bodies of many terrifying beasts since childhood, so they weren't very afraid of the mana armor's somewhat ferocious appearance. Instead, she asked her father with great interest, "What new animal is this, Dad? Can you hunt it too? When can you catch one and bring it back?"
"My precious child, this... is still a bit difficult..."
Hoisting his daughter up, the man quickly told his wife to hold onto their younger son, who was eager to touch the armor. Somewhat nervously, he hurriedly bowed in apology toward Joshua and the others: "Sorry, my lords, the children don't know any better. I'll take them away right now."
"No need to be so nervous."
A muffled voice came through the armor. With a click, an opening appeared on the back of the mana armor, and Joshua stepped out. He smiled at the family of four across the street. "The children want to see? That's fine. Curiosity is a good thing. Besides, I made this thing for people to see and touch. No need to be afraid."
He waved encouragingly at the little boy and girl, signaling them to come over.
—It's the Lord himself!
Realizing this fact, the northern hunter's heart suddenly pounded, but surprisingly, he felt no fear, only some nervousness. Deep down, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.
It's the Lord. Then it's fine.
Although this new generation Lord looked, at first glance, even more terrifying than the dragon beasts in the mountains, he had always been good to the common people. Even though everyone didn't know why they were so afraid of him, he always spoke and acted gently, with reason and evidence, never acting recklessly. Gradually, fear turned into respect, and the situation where the entire street would empty out the moment the Lord appeared no longer happened.
He really is a rather different kind of noble.
After hesitating for a moment, the man still put his daughter down and told his wife to release their son's hand. The family of four walked together toward this enormous suit of armor.
"Thank you, Lord!"
After giving Joshua a rather informal bow, the little boy and his sister happily stepped forward, touching the cold outer shell of the armor. The runes shimmered with light, mana surged, and the little boy's brown eyes reflected the brilliant colors, causing him to let out an exaggerated "Wow!" The little girl, on the other hand, widened her eyes, staring at the beautiful runic patterns flowing on the armor, as if little stars were about to appear in her adorable eyes.
Joshua watched all of this with a smile.
He really liked children. They were the hope of a civilization and the symbol of the future. Children's curiosity meant the territory still had vitality. Their willingness to engage with new things proved that promoting various policies in the future wouldn't be too difficult.
It definitely wasn't because he couldn't take on apprentices before.
And speaking of which, the little girls of the North were really adorable. He looked at the little girl who was standing on tiptoe, trying to touch the rune plates on the mana armor's waist, smiled, and nodded. Then he couldn't help but sigh regretfully: "What a shame. They'll grow up to be like that."
The warrior turned his head to look to the side, at the mother of the two children. This northern woman, whose face still showed some nervousness, had a sturdy build with bulging arm muscles, looking very strong—even more dangerous than her hunter husband.
Giving up on thinking about the future, Joshua watched the two children cooperate to climb the armor. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his chest.
The Azure Orb, and the fragment of Burning Steel hanging beside it.
These two things had begun to grow hot.
(To be continued.)