Chapter 58: The Trial of Ultimate Essence
This guy, what on earth is he talking about?
It took a while for Joshua to realize what the other party was referring to. With that, he let out a deep sigh, a wave of helplessness washing over him.
Let alone the fact that Ying and Lin were the same age as him, clearly legal, Number 3, that artificial intelligence girl, was at least over a thousand years old—even the earliest ancestor on his family tree wasn't as old as her. Could she still be called a little girl? He couldn't muster a single thought in that direction.
In any case, Joshua spent a great deal of effort to barely convince the Paladin and the Bishop that he had no particular preference for little girls or little boys, and certainly wasn't some pervert who enjoyed playing all sorts of games with ghosts, undead beings, Winged Humans, or other special creatures.
"Why would you think of something like that?"
After explaining, Joshua caught his breath, feeling more exhausted than if he had slain ten dragons. His face was full of confusion, utterly unable to comprehend the train of thought of these two—just how filthy and evil a mind would have to be to think of such things! From start to finish, he had treated Ying and Lin as if they were his own son and daughter... Well, maybe that was a bit much, but there was no mistake that he had always regarded them as family.
In a strange, unfamiliar world, Ying was the first sufficiently close lifeform he encountered, and Lin was undoubtedly someone trustworthy who could be entrusted with important tasks. The two of them were like his right and left arms to Joshua. The warrior couldn't help but shake his head and said in a cold tone, "It's you all who can think of such things who need to watch out for that kind of problem."
But Loranda and Atanis had thick enough skin. Faced with Joshua's counter-accusation, they didn't take it to heart and simply offered a few light apologies to brush it off.
In reality, their suspicions were well-founded. On the Mycroft Continent, men could enlist in the army and marry at sixteen. While the vast majority didn't rush to marry right at that age, most people started families very early.
Someone like Joshua, a young man of twenty-two, already a Count of a territory and a genuine high noble, would normally, even if he hadn't taken a wife, find one or two lovers in a relatively open-minded place like the Northern Lands. Who's to say a lover might not later be promoted to Lady of the Manor? This wasn't unheard of. After all, it wasn't like the court nobles near the Imperial Capital, who emphasized matching social status. In this world where personal martial strength mattered, who knew if some poor kid might one day become a Gold-rank, or even an Ultimate-rank powerhouse? The Empire's Chief Mage, Master Nostradamus, was a stark example of this.
In short, in their eyes, the warrior lived like an ascetic monk. Every day, he either trained himself or led the newly formed group of knight reserves in training. Occasionally, he handled official business, inspected the construction site at Nissier Snow Mountain, or took that dragon-blooded horse for a walk in the snowfields or by the lake. Of course, he also rested sometimes, like going hunting with a bow and arrow, then dragging back a Fire Dragon or some other monstrous beast that defied identification. This life couldn't be called unfulfilling, but it severely clashed with their impression of a typical noble.
"I originally wanted to invite you both for a meal, but with the Lord's Manor in this state, you'll have to forgive my poor hospitality."
Patting Ying and Lin on the shoulders, Joshua signaled for the two, who had been holding back laughter, to hurry back to the Lord's Manor and prepare to clean up the debris. Earlier, under Lin's arrangement, some servants had already begun clearing the brick and tile fragments in the backyard. But due to the massive tremors, items in various rooms had certainly shifted. Some places ordinary maids couldn't go, so the two of them would have to put in the effort.
"Thank you for your generosity, but even if it were possible, I would decline."
Loranda smiled and shook his head, speaking seriously. "Today's battle has taught me a great deal. I was planning to ask Bishop Atanis to let me stay at the church so I can calm my mind and contemplate my shortcomings... As for the banquet, let's save it for another day."
Mid-sentence, the Paladin's voice paused slightly. He recalled the original reason for his visit to Moldavia—to uncover the secrets behind the Chaos Land.
But in a thousandth of a second, he crushed that thought himself. Loranda, what good would knowing do? he thought to himself with self-mockery.
Father was right. Without strength, what use is knowing? Can it avenge my comrades? Will my fallen companions be resurrected? Can it change the Church's strategic policy toward the Chaos Land?
This failure had changed his perspective.
Since nothing could be changed, what was the point of knowing? Instead of dwelling on it, it was better to focus on cultivation and improving his own strength. There were so many people in this world who needed help. Rather than obsessing over an elusive truth, it was better to do something tangible.
With that thought, he suppressed the urge to question Joshua and decided not to bring it up immediately.
The old Bishop nodded slightly on the side. "I was also in the middle of sorting through old books in the scripture library and found some quite interesting things. If not for such a major accident, I truly wouldn't have had the heart to go out..." At this point, he let out a humorous laugh. "We won't disturb the Lord in his second renovation of the Lord's Manor."
With that, the two left the street where the Lord's Manor was located.
"...How straightforward. Take care."
After bidding farewell, Joshua frowned and turned to look at his Lord's Manor. The fortress built of granite hadn't collapsed under the violent explosion, which was fortunate, but it wasn't sturdy enough.
"Next time, I'll try reinforcing it with a magic array."
Making this decision in his mind, the warrior walked toward the gates of the Lord's Manor.
Time passed quickly.
The year 832 of the Falling Stars Era soon came to an end. It had been three months since the Paladin Loranda arrived in Moldavia. Now it was February 11th, 833 of the Falling Stars Era.
During this period, nothing major had happened. The Northern Lands remained as bitterly cold as ever. Plummeting temperatures and bone-chilling winds swept across the entire plain. Blizzards and overcast skies were the unchanging weather report. But unlike last year, thanks to Joshua's presence, the New Year's celebrations were grander than ever. After all, a Lord who could casually hunt Silver High-rank or even Gold-rank magical beasts was truly rare. This wasn't a matter of strength but of experience.
Finding prey was an extremely difficult task. In fact, many hunters had already expressed admiration for their Lord's superb archery and tracking skills. And when they saw the dragon skull mounted on the side of the Lord's Manor, their admiration reached its peak.
With such a conspicuous display of martial prowess, Joshua's reputation naturally soared. Although he wasn't particularly skilled at governing his territory, he had a team of capable subordinates to handle administrative affairs, while his martial might intimidated all petty troublemakers. In truth, bandits and robbers had completely vanished from all of Moldavia. No one dared to cause trouble in the territory of a Dragon Slayer, especially when rumors said this Dragon Slayer was fiercely protective of his own. The risk of having one's entire family slaughtered for a robbery was simply too thrilling.
During this time, the Paladin Loranda's name gradually spread. Through Joshua's introduction, he obtained a brand-new, experimental suit of armor from the old Dwarf Moria. Excited, he joined the exploration team at Black Forest Fortress, which was surveying the areas around the Great Aias Volcano.
The addition of a Paladin greatly strengthened the exploration team, which had previously consisted only of warriors and archers. A defensive Holy Light Paladin with healing, auras, and blessings could help them avoid many risks. Areas they used to have to bypass, like certain magical beast habitats or lava-heated hot springs, could now be crossed easily, improving exploration efficiency by who knows how many times.
It was worth noting that the Great Aias Volcano contained countless precious ores that surfaced along with lava movements. In just one month, the exploration team discovered two open-pit mines, providing many job opportunities.
Time passed peacefully like this, and Joshua showed no signs of urgency. In his view, one must take things step by step. Although the Dragon Calamity was extremely important, waiting around anxiously was no better than handling matters at his own pace. So every day, he leisurely handled official business with Lin's help, occasionally dressing up Ying for fun, living a fulfilling and pleasant life.
This routine continued until one day, when he was leading his group of knight reserves in a blizzard training session around Nissier Snow Mountain.
Joshua, who had been leading a group of men stripped to the waist, running at high speed around the snow mountain in minus forty-degree temperatures, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Behind him, a group of exhausted warriors and knights, who couldn't even muster Battle Qi anymore, hastily halted as well. Some of them had been running on pure inertia and couldn't stop in time, crashing into their companions ahead, causing a chain reaction and a great commotion.
Joshua, however, wore a subtle expression as he stared at the empty space before him. Wiping away the sweat that had frozen into ice on his forehead, he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect it to come now..."
He had thought it would appear right after defeating Loranda, but it had made him wait three whole months.
Before the warrior's eyes was a translucent screen that no one else could see. Within this screen, densely packed bold large characters appeared.
[Conditions met. Initiating the Trial of Force's Ultimate Essence.]