# Chapter 39: Imperial Treasury
While Joshua was sparring with Israel,
the Paladin was walking alone through the forests of the Great Aias Mountains.
It was already late at night, but Loranda didn't mind. He was the type of person who acted on whatever came to mind, whether it was day or night made no difference.
The forest path was deep and quiet, with occasional insect chirps breaking the silence. The roars of various magical beasts that filled the daytime had long since subsided, leaving only the rustling sound of the swaying sea of trees.
Loranda was venturing deep into the Great Aias Mountains now to visit his friend's beloved mount—that half-dragon steed named Black. Back when the group had finished exploring the secret realm inside the Great Aias Volcano, Joshua had ordered his mount to guard the temporal passage and immediately set off for the Imperial Capital. At the same time, he had asked the Paladin to keep an eye on things, lest Black cause some kind of trouble.
"That mount is a bit restless, but it's still fairly well-behaved, not like other dragon beasts."
Walking along, Loranda thought to himself: "At least the mounts of several Ground Dragon Knights in the church aren't this obedient. Is it because of the master, or is it a matter of the mount's inherent quality?"
Perhaps it was both. Shrugging, the Paladin began considering other matters: "It's about time I found myself a mount too. After all, I'm a Paladin, not a Holy Warrior. It's inconvenient to keep summoning Heavenly Warhorses."
Thinking lightly about future matters, Loranda arrived near the volcano.
The Great Aias Volcano was exactly as it had always been, unchanged in any way. As a dormant volcano, it had been silent for four hundred years. Barring any accidents, it would likely remain so for another four hundred years.
Finding the entrance, he walked downward along the path. As the environment grew progressively hotter, Loranda gradually sensed something was off.
"Strange..."
He muttered to himself: "That creature has Ancient Dragon bloodline. It should naturally emit some dragon might. Why can't I sense anything at all?"
This was quite peculiar. Black had only recently awakened and hadn't yet learned to suppress his pressure. How could there be not even a trace of residual dragon might here?
—Perhaps he had gone deep into the lava layer to play.
That was indeed possible. Thinking this, Loranda couldn't help but shake his head, but he said nothing and continued walking toward the volcanic secret realm.
But when he arrived at the enormous lava cavern, the Paladin saw something that shocked him.
—The temporal gate... had disappeared?!
No, it hadn't. Sensing a trace of temporal fluctuation, Loranda immediately rejected his earlier thought and breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried forward, following the black rock path to the center of the lava pool, and looked up at the source of the temporal fluctuation.
The temporal passage was temporarily sealed. The Paladin confirmed this. As one of the key candidates being groomed by the Church of the Seven Gods to succeed the Pope, he had a decent understanding of magic. Loranda could tell that the temporal gate had temporarily closed due to terrifying conditions on the other side—elemental storms and other phenomena that could disrupt temporal fluctuations. It would only reopen once the passage on the other side calmed down.
"As long as it's not completely shut."
The weight lifted from his heart, and Loranda felt relieved. But then, looking around, he frowned: "But where's Black?"
Even using divine arts to investigate, the Paladin couldn't find any trace of the enormous dragon horse. Neither beneath the magma nor along the black rock path was there any sign of Black's presence. While it was true that places like lava pools rarely left traces, a Gold-rank half-dragon should at least leave behind some unique elemental signature.
But there was nothing here.
"...No way..."
At this point, Loranda had to acknowledge only one possibility. The golden-haired, blue-eyed Paladin stared at the still-unopened temporal gate with an incredulous expression and muttered: "Could it be..."
"Did that bastard Black... cross over?!"
—Imperial Capital, Royal Study.
Joshua had spoken those words after careful consideration.
With his system and his past life's experience, there was no doubt in this life that he would achieve Legendary status. Though it sounded arrogant, it was simply a matter of fact.
Under Israel's command, the various Imperial Guards had all withdrawn and returned to their posts. Meanwhile, due to the Emperor's tacit approval, much information was spread by servants and guards—such as who the Emperor had been sparring with and what his assessment of that person was.
Centered on Morlai Palace, this news radiated throughout the inner city. As several court nobles departed to visit friends, the information quickly reached the mansions of various major nobles, including two Dukes, several Counts, the City Guard, the Imperial Guard Knight Order, and even the Imperial Capital Church. Before long, lights that had been extinguished due to the late hour flickered back on in these nobles' residences, with silhouettes moving behind windows as if discussing something. Shortly after, many servants in plain clothes left the mansions and hurried toward other locations.
—Joshua van Radcliffe.
Though this name had already been quite famous, it now spread completely throughout the upper echelons of the Empire's nobility. Some had previously dismissed him as a mere country noble from some backwater who had gotten famous by luckily killing a few dragons. But now they immediately cast aside their former views and began discussing in detail the authenticity of the news from Morlai Palace, while re-evaluating the Radcliffe Family with cautious eyes.
They might have always somewhat underestimated this border family that had long guarded the Northern Black Forest. A future Legendary expert—this was a weight that could not be described as insignificant. It was a military force sufficient to suppress an entire nation.
Though the external reaction was significant, the few people in the study were conversing quite casually at the moment.
Though it was a conversation, most of the time it was Nostradamus doing the questioning.
"So this is the power of the Sage's inheritance... Just a few years have brought you to this level."
The old mage circled around the helpless-looking Joshua several times, carefully examining the warrior's body and the unremarkable bead hanging around his neck. Nostradamus squinted with a strange expression: "The Azure Orb... it looks quite ordinary, just a common azure gemstone. I can't see where the Sage's power inheritance lies at all."
"It looks pretty when it's activated."
Casually replying, Joshua sighed and said: "Master, Brandon also has an inheritance, and he's your disciple. You can examine him instead. There's no need to keep pestering me."
"It's different."
Shaking his head, Nostradamus was about to explain, but Israel's voice cut in: "Joshua, every inheritance left by the Sage is completely different. And you, you're especially unique."
At this point, the Emperor had already returned to his seat behind the desk. Only at moments like this did he appear not as a battlefield overlord, but as a king ruling over the world: "The Azure Orb, the Pure White Scepter, the Order Twin Blades, the Myriad Laws Robe—according to ancient records, these are the four, and only four, confirmed Sage inheritance items."
The Pure White Scepter... the scepter held by Pope Igel of the Church of the Seven Gods.
Mentioning this, Joshua immediately thought of that Legendary expert who had descended in avatar form. His aura was even stronger than the Emperor before him, seeming to approach the limit of this world, nearing the domain known as Divine Might.
The Emperor continued explaining the history of the four Sage inheritances: "The Myriad Laws Robe has long since disappeared without a trace. As for the Order Twin Blades in Brandon's hands, they were found by the Legendary mage Kabala Kaos four hundred years ago in an ancient ruin deep within the endless mountains of the Western Mountains. That ancient ruin was built specifically to use the Twin Blades to seal several terrifying void monsters. Master Kabala, who inadvertently drew the Twin Blades, broke the seal, and those void monsters broke free, completely destroying the entire ruin.
"Those void monsters were powerful to an inconceivable degree. Even Master Kabala, as a Legendary mage, could only banish them into the endless temporal turbulence, unable to kill them. No wonder the people who built the ruin back then chose to use the Sage's weapons to seal them, abandoning the inheritance within."
"A lost inheritance too... My Azure Orb is a family heirloom, but after years of neglect, it only returned to its original form in my hands. No one noticed it before."
Hearing this, Joshua seemed lost in thought. He murmured: "Weapons, accessories, scepter, and robe—they are indeed completely different inheritances. It seems that only the Pure White Scepter inheritance in the hands of the Church of the Seven Gods is the most complete, never having been lost."
"You actually know about the Pure White Scepter?"
Israel looked somewhat surprised. He gazed at Joshua and shook his head with a smile: "You really do bring surprises at every turn."
"Actually, these inheritances left by the Sage don't directly grant their holders immense power. Even the Pure White Scepter is merely an item symbolizing the Pope's authority. The Church's most powerful weapon isn't it. Though according to documents, the Sage's inheritance hides secrets about the origin of the world, the Church of the Seven Gods hasn't discovered anything in nearly a thousand years."
Nostradamus added from the side, still examining Joshua with a very puzzled expression: "That's why you, with such rapid progress in strength, are the exception. Neither your father nor your grandfather obtained such profound Order Force from the Azure Orb as you have. It's too perfectly suited... Could you be the reincarnation of some Saint?"
This was a very reasonable guess. Even Brandon and the Emperor nodded. Someone under twenty-five who could spar with a Legendary expert was beyond common sense no matter how you looked at it.
—That's because I'm a transmigrator, and I have a system. The reason I advanced so quickly is because I killed at least tens of thousands of Wild Gods in another world. It has nothing to do with any reincarnation!
Joshua frowned. He felt he had to stop this topic. But coincidentally, just as the warrior was about to speak and change the subject, Israel suddenly remembered something.
"...We might not be able to talk much longer today, Joshua. The sudden appearance of demons and our sparring made me forget something very important. But before that, I want to give you some rewards."
The Emperor's expression suddenly became somewhat solemn. He slowly stood up and said seriously: "You keenly detected the cultists lurking in the Imperial Capital, killed the demon, saved thousands upon thousands of lives, and prevented the Empire from losing face before the ambassadors of various nations. By rights, I should personally grant you a heavy reward. But I have some important matters to attend to now, so I have to compromise."
After thinking for a moment, Israel decisively said: "Very well. Let Nostradamus take you to the Imperial Treasury. Choose one treasure you desire."