# Chapter 15: The World Situation
With a faint sigh, the owner of this voice, Nostradamus, walked into the lounge.
The robe he wore flowed with a faintly blue light. As this blue light swept across the hall, the frost in the hall evaporated into nothingness, and the flying tables, chairs, and books all returned to their original positions. After restoring the entire hall, the white-haired old mage turned his head and stared at Joshua, saying: "Long time no see, Joshua. I haven't seen you for a while. You didn't attend the celebration, and no one answered the communications I sent you. Where exactly have you been during this time?"
There was a hint of complaint in Nostradamus's words. It was he who had originally recommended Joshua to participate in the celebration. The old mage had wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the warrior to a few of his old friends. But during the week and a half that the celebration lasted, he simply couldn't find Joshua anywhere. Neither divination spells nor astral guidance were of any use, let alone magical communication. It was as if the warrior had completely disappeared from this world.
"It's a long story, Master Nostradamus. You might not believe it, but I've been fighting against a bunch of stones."
Joshua spread his hands. He stood up and shrugged helplessly. What he said was indeed the truth. Whether it was the Stone Demon or the World-Destroying Great Star, they were ultimately just a bunch of stones. Thinking of this, the warrior couldn't help but sincerely sigh: "They're really tough to deal with."
"Well, some special earth elementals are indeed a bit tough to deal with. But Di Mo Er... why are you here?"
Blinking, Nostradamus misunderstood that Joshua had gone to the Plane of Earth Elementals. But he didn't care about that, since the celebration was already over. The old mage turned his head, looked at the frowning, somewhat grim-faced Second Prince, and sighed: "I know, you must have made the first move, right?"
"Master..."
Di Mo Er responded in a low voice. He now had none of the confident demeanor from before—not because he had lost to Joshua, but because...
"Don't explain, little Di Mo Er. I know the temperament of you Diamond family people."
Nostradamus said with a mix of exasperation and amusement. He really didn't seem surprised by this at all: "You're just like your father—when the mood strikes, you recklessly want to spar. One in his own study, the other in the Royal Grand Library... If the commotion hadn't been so loud that I noticed, the library would have been nearly demolished."
"No, we would have controlled our strength..."
"Your idea of controlling your strength is what happened earlier?"
...
Watching Di Mo Er being scolded into repeatedly lowering his head and admitting his mistakes, a slight smile curled at the corner of Joshua's mouth. The Archmage was His Majesty Emperor Israel's teacher and had even fought alongside him on the battlefield. In terms of seniority, everyone in the current royal family had to obediently act as students and juniors before him.
In later generations, Di Mo Er had always appeared as a dignified, fearsome emperor. To some extent, in order to resist the Abyss invasion, his actions were no different from a tyrant's. Seeing him now, being put in his place before Nostradamus, unable to say a word and only able to lower his head and take the scolding, was indeed a rare sight.
After roughly finishing his reprimand of Di Mo Er, the Archmage turned to look at Joshua. He originally wanted to say something as well, but in the end, he just sighed, as if with emotion: "The first time I saw you, you were sparring with Brandon... Joshua, do you really love fighting that much?"
"It's fine to fight every day. How interesting."
Holding the shoulders of Ying and Lin on his left and right, Joshua replied seriously. But then he quickly shook his head: "However, this can't be called a fight. It's barely a spar, just at the level of play... I believe you can see that too. It's true."
Hearing Joshua's words, Nostradamus frowned and observed. Light flickered in his eyes, as if some detection spell had been permanently cast. A few seconds later, the old mage's pupils widened, with faint blue light waves swirling within them. He murmured in shock: "You... you've actually broken through the limit and reached an unmeasurable realm!"
In his eyes, Joshua's entire body was constantly exchanging energy with the mana in the atmosphere, like a towering tree, continuously absorbing beneficial power and expelling useless energy. In that robust body, blood surged like a great river, emitting a rumbling roar.
If it were only that, it would merely indicate that the other party's physical fitness was strong and that the breathing technique had penetrated deep into his bone marrow and instincts. But the slow, undiminishing, nearly endless increase in physical strength was what shocked Nostradamus the most.
"Force's Ultimate Essence!?"
Incredible!
Shocked by Joshua's breakthrough speed—reaching the same level as himself in such a short time—the old mage quickly filled in a whole series of scenarios. For instance, during the two weeks Joshua had been missing, perhaps he had precisely sensed that his breakthrough was imminent and had decisively gone into seclusion, cutting off all communication with the outside world.
No wonder he didn't attend the celebration and no one could reach him. That was indeed normal. No one wanted to be disturbed by others during a breakthrough. No matter how grand the celebration was, it wasn't as important as stepping onto the sacred path oneself... But as for fighting against stones, could he really have gone to the Plane of Earth Elementals to break through?
"When there's time, you can certainly offer your congratulations, and I'll gladly accept them."
Shaking his head, stopping the old mage's congratulatory gesture, Joshua's originally calm expression turned serious: "But now, we should talk about the real business... I came specifically from the Northern Lands. You don't think it was just to see you and show off my strength, do you?"
"Of course not... It just so happens that there's no one here. It's fine to talk here."
Beside them, Di Mo Er, who had been scolded for a long time, was still immersed in the shock that Joshua had now reached the Ultimate Essence realm. Hearing this, he subconsciously squinted his eyes and prepared to turn and leave. But Nostradamus raised his hand to stop him and shook his head, speaking in a relaxed tone: "Stay. You are the heir to this country. You ought to know some things."
Oh? Joshua watched their interaction with interest, his mind racing: (So it was already decided at this time?)
Then why did Israel suddenly die in later generations without leaving any will? If he truly didn't intend to make the First Prince his heir, then he should have been paving the way for Di Mo Er by now.
Joshua vaguely guessed a possibility, but now wasn't the time to think about that. He met the serious gaze of the old mage and then spoke about the plague on the cultists at Saint Lawrence Cathedral.
Nostradamus's expression was exceptionally serious. Although Di Mo Er listened on the side, his face was full of disbelief throughout. In contrast, the old mage showed complete trust. After listening, he said solemnly: "Then, do you have a sample of this plague? If you have a specimen, we can go to the Royal Mage Association right now and conduct an experiment."
"Of course not. I don't want to carry such a dangerous thing around with me. Otherwise, by the time I entered the palace, I'd probably be surrounded by hundreds of Imperial Guards... But if you want to see it, you can go to the dungeon beneath Saint Lawrence Cathedral. I've completely sealed it underground... Hmm, it seems I accidentally locked it in with a dozen or so cultists. It's probably multiplying in large numbers by now. It shouldn't die out on its own that quickly."
After hearing Joshua's words, Nostradamus didn't care about the fate of the cultists. He only wanted to immediately go and see what this plague was all about. But just as he was about to set out, the old mage suddenly remembered something. He nodded and said: "Right, I must first notify Israel. Regardless of whether the plague is real or not, we should indeed begin a large-scale purge of the cultists."
Without even a sample, and he still believed Joshua?
Di Mo Er was seeing for the first time that a person could have such credibility. With just a few words and no evidence, Nostradamus, who had always valued proof, believed him directly.
One must understand, this was a major matter concerning a country and a plague!
But even the Second Prince himself had to admit that even he wouldn't believe that someone like Joshua would lie. The warrior was right—fists were more reliable than words. With such power, how could he stoop to uttering falsehoods?
On the way out of the Black Swan Palace and heading toward the center of the main hall, Nostradamus kept asking about the details of this plague. He knew Joshua's identity and understood the power of the Azure Orb. If the warrior said so, then it was undoubtedly a scheme of the Evil Gods. Given how the Far South Kingdom was currently being tormented by the Dragon Calamity and Mad Dragon Plague, no one would be careless at such a critical juncture. Even if it were an accident or coincidence, vigilance must be heightened.
"The Northern Empire is vast, occupying the entire northern part of the continent. Although it appears unified under the leadership of His Majesty the Emperor, the autonomy within each territory is also very great."
In the palace corridor, Nostradamus walked hurriedly. He shook his head and sighed, seeming somewhat exhausted: "The great nobles in various regions have special laws in their own territories. If the central royal family lacks sufficient strength, they won't obediently follow your orders. If humans are like this, then even more so for dwarves, winter elves, fairies, gnomes, and other races... What I mean is, if the plague breaks out in some noble's territory or in the lands of other races, and they conceal it and don't report it, we won't be able to discover it in time."
"Then we must nip everything in the bud, or make those lords aware of the danger. Otherwise, once the plague spreads, there will be no stopping it."
Joshua matched Nostradamus's pace. Behind him, Ying and Lin had to jog to keep up: "Even my territory, such a remote place, has been infiltrated by cultists. I imagine other territories are the same, or even worse."
—No, I have to say this one thing: you are definitely a special case! Your reputation has long spread among the cultists!
Shaking his head slightly, Nostradamus thought to himself, but he didn't say it out loud. He only responded: "His Majesty Israel is discussing matters with several special envoys in the main hall. I'll go see him directly. If the special envoys are all present, that would be even better. This news must be spread as soon as possible."
"What a coincidence."
Joshua rubbed his chin, lost in thought: "The four major human settlements, and even the Church's people, are all in the Imperial Capital right now. This makes things much easier."
On the Mycroft Continent, among the four major human settlements, the Northern Empire was the most special. It was the only large unified political entity. Although it wasn't completely united in heart and mind, under the leadership of a strong and capable emperor, it could gather the nation's strength to wage a long war against the orcs of the Northwest Plains. However, due to the orcs' containment, the Northern Empire's officialdom rarely engaged in external exchanges. The war between the two prevented both sides from expanding outward. The Empire had no time to develop the Black Forest, and the orcs had no time to invade and spread outward.
The terrain of the Northern settlement was special. The central part consisted of vast plains and hills, while the southern and northern borders were continuous mountain ranges, connecting to the Central Black Forest and the Extreme North Icefield respectively. To its west was the Tartarus Plateau, where the orcs lived, and beyond that was the sea. The east was the same, leading directly to the Endless Ocean.
The Western settlement was one of the oldest origins of human transcendent abilities. Here, there were countless kingdoms, each ruled by families with long-standing bloodlines. Most of their rulers possessed innate, special powers. In other words, this was a region of kingdoms ruled by sorcerers.
The Western settlement was relatively peaceful, and its racial policies were extremely lenient. Except for demons, any race, even the undead, could be seen here. Moreover, the struggles between the various kingdoms were largely limited to the scheming of high-level sorcerer families. However, due to insufficient governance, the Western settlement was also the most prosperous region for cults and demon worship. Several large-scale human sacrifice events in history had occurred in the Western settlement. This area was mountainous, with kingdoms divided by natural rivers and mountain ranges, which was also why wars were rare—the logistical pressure was too great.
To its east lay the Central Black Forest, while the other three sides were surrounded by sea. Legend had it that the strait where ancient dragons dwelled was on its northern coast.
The Eastern Plains had almost no continuous mountain ranges, only a few solitary peaks and some hills. It consisted of grasslands divided by rivers and forests. This was the latest suitable place for human habitation to be discovered. To reach it, one had to pass through a section of the Black Forest.
At first, a few mages were the first to live here. Powerful spellcasters had no problem traversing the Black Forest. They settled here and brought some ordinary people to serve them. Thus, the earliest settlements were formed. Over time, the population grew, and with a wave of immigration, mage-led city-states and kingdoms appeared on the Eastern Plains.
Here, kingdoms were merely tools for various spellcaster factions to rule. The Sky-Piercing White Tower and the Seven Luminaries Council, two large mage organizations, ruled nearly seventy percent of the kingdoms and city-states in this area. Battles between mages generally didn't involve commoners. However, wars still frequently occurred between city-states and kingdoms. Coupled with battles against the East Sea Merfolk, the humans on the plains were still quite warlike. The Winged Cavalry of the Franter Duchy and the Sea Dragon Knights of the Coastal City were renowned throughout the continent.
But the Eastern Plains also had the strictest racial policies. Except for major races like dwarves and elves, non-human races were discriminated against. However, construct lifeforms were an exception. Those created by mages, as long as their intelligence was normal, could enjoy all the rights that humans could.
The Far South settlement was also very special, not because of its mountainous and forested terrain, but because of its cultural atmosphere.
If one could say that the Northern Empire recognized dwarves, halflings, gnomes, fairies, and other beings as imperial citizens, and that the various Western kingdoms believed that race didn't matter as long as one obeyed the law—these policies could be considered lenient and benevolent—then in the Far South Kingdom, the word "alien race" didn't exist. Founded jointly by elves, humans, and fairies from the beginning, the Far South Kingdom was home to giant insects, treants, deer-men, and other alien races. They all had the right to vote and participate in politics. In the deep mountains near the Eternal Lake, there were even over a hundred lawful dragons living. Most of the time, these massive creatures slept, but some enjoyed moving among the mortal world, even taking human form and becoming lords of certain regions.
Perhaps due to this unrestrained environment, the Far South Kingdom had the richest artistic atmosphere. Many famous musicians, writers, and bards came from the Far South. They loved exploration and adventure. The discovery of thousands of islands in the Far South Sea was attributed to these people who liked to do everything. The druids of the Far South had even mastered a method to convert the Black Forest into ordinary forest, but the speed was too slow to be practical.
Joshua vaguely remembered that apart from the Far South Kingdom, which was currently being ravaged by the Mad Dragon Plague, the sorcerer kingdoms in the Western mountainous region were the most severely affected by the plague. The Eastern Plains and the Empire were relatively better off—one due to strict management, the other due to distance and weather.
After all, the Black Blood Plague broke out in winter. Its large-scale spread occurred in the summer of the same year. By the time it spread to the Northern Empire, winter there had already begun early. By the time winter ended, countermeasures had already been developed.
However, even so, just along the southern border of the Empire, the death toll numbered in the tens of thousands. These were only statistical figures; the actual death toll was certainly higher. Although Joshua wasn't a good person, if a single sentence could save tens of thousands of lives, why wouldn't he say it? Moreover, the actions of the cultists had clearly changed compared to his previous life, so it couldn't be said for certain that the plague would definitely break out in the Far South.
Under Nostradamus's guidance, everyone had arrived at the central hall of Morlai Palace. Countless Imperial Guards were patrolling back and forth, and many others were quietly waiting on one side of the corridor. It was clear that these were attendants of great nobles or envoys, or ordinary personnel who weren't qualified to enter the main hall.
But it seemed that things had just ended. The main hall doors opened, and groups of people came out together. Their expressions weren't very good—some were worried, some angry. The only person with a relatively better expression was a tall, robust, silver-haired middle-aged man in a white robe. Although his brows were furrowed and his face looked troubled, it was clear that he was just naturally built that way.
His strength was formidable. Holy Light Power rippled like an ocean within his body. Joshua sensed that the other party had the strength of the Ultimate Essence realm. Judging by his attire, he was undoubtedly Robzek, the leader of the [Free Hammer] Knight Order from the Far Sea Holy Mountain. As this powerful paladin passed by Joshua's group, he let out a soft exclamation, then turned his head to look at Joshua.
Joshua naturally turned his head to look back at him. Their eyes met.
"You've seen that kid Loranda recently? No, judging by this aura, you seem to be together often."
This silver-haired, black-eyed middle-aged man seemed to be in a good mood. He said cheerfully: "Tell him to stop sulking. There are always sacrifices in battle. Don't give up on all friends just because you lost one. The temple will always be his home. We won't blame him. Let him come back as soon as possible."
It seemed he was an acquaintance of Loranda. Joshua suddenly had a moment of realization. The woman with covered eyes he had seen earlier—why she gave him a familiar feeling—was because she, like this Robzek, was an acquaintance of Loranda. They all had a familiar Holy Light scent on them, as if they often fought together.
"I'll pass that on. Unfortunately, he didn't come with me to the Imperial Capital this time, otherwise you could have seen him."
"No rush..." This Ultimate-rank great knight squinted his eyes, sizing up Joshua, then shook his head and turned around: "The young people nowadays are more and more monstrous. Sigh, I'm really getting old."
He had clearly seen through Joshua's strength—though this was also because the warrior hadn't deliberately concealed it.
Nostradamus watched this scene with an unchanged expression. He had long known the identity of that paladin in the warrior's territory, so he wasn't surprised at all. After the other party had walked far away, the old mage turned his head and said in a low voice to Joshua and Di Mo Er: "I'll go in first and inform His Majesty the Emperor."
"When the time comes, you might need to come in and explain it yourselves."