Chapter 43: Joshua van Radcliffe
Year 833 of the Falling Stars Era, June 19th, early morning, Northern Territory of Moldavia, Nissier Snow Mountain, Winterfell Academy.
At this time, the sun had not yet risen, and all was silent. The students of the academy had already fallen asleep, while most of the instructors were resting in their own rooms. Autonomous puppets patrolled various important areas of the academy, such as the dormitories, the library, and the spell laboratories. These constructs, a fusion of steel and magic, could detect the slightest movement in the darkness, making them the finest guardians.
But there were always some places that required no protection.
The book that the academy had casually picked up happened to be a novel that suited his taste. Whenever he wanted to resolve something, the corresponding report would conveniently arrive. When he went shopping on the street, he would never buy inferior goods. This was clearly a manifestation of a sudden surge in luck.
Originally, the warrior thought that Ogana's gift was merely the return of the divinity he had lent out, perhaps with a little extra. But now he understood that this divinity, originating from the God of Luck, possessed such wondrous effects.
"It's a pity there's no lottery in the Mycroft Continent."
Joshua made a small joke. If there were, with his current luck, he might actually win a small prize.
Now, Firefly needed to stay at the Lord's Manor to take care of Brandon's two daughters. Frost had to occasionally accompany the Knight Order and the Church's forces to purge cultists. So for now, he was alone at Winterfell Academy, waiting for this large-scale comprehensive test to conclude, so he could award the most outstanding student a prize—a dragon egg about to hatch.
Back then, Joshua had not brought many dragon eggs out of the White Dragon's lair. Counting the dead eggs that Theodore had identified as unhatchable, there were only twenty-two. Of those, only fifteen were confirmed to be healthy and viable. A full seven dragon eggs had lost their vitality for various reasons and could only be used as magical materials.
But even with only fifteen dragon eggs, finding owners for them was not easy.
Joshua himself already had Black. He didn't need a second mount. These dragon eggs were prepared for the most outstanding and qualified knights in his reserve Knight Order. However, out of a full forty-member knight order, only ten met the conditions.
The warrior's reserve Knight Order was specially selected by Joshua from the Black Forest Fortress and the City Guard after the Black Tide ended last year. They were all young lads with good physical fitness, even possessing the potential to advance to Gold-rank. The warrior had even personally taught them breathing techniques. After a year of training, the strength of these reserve knights had improved significantly, with many breaking through their original ranks and reaching new heights.
Of course, they weren't Joshua. They didn't have the system, so their progress couldn't be that fast. So far, no one had touched the Gold barrier. Joshua estimated that unless it was during the Great Magic Tide, it would take about five or six years for these people to advance further.
But this was already terrifying enough. Forty Silver-rank knights trained in breathing techniques constituted a formidable force within the Empire. After all, these were Joshua's private soldiers. So the warrior planned to find a time to remove the "reserve" from the reserve Knight Order and formally establish them as a unit.
Yet even so, many in the reserve Knight Order still didn't meet the requirements. First, the most important criterion for a Dragon Knight—"cannot fear heights"—eliminated seven or eight people. Few had adequate dynamic vision and reaction speed. In the end, the majority were instantly eliminated.
One must understand that the most important thing for a Dragon Knight is fighting in the sky. Due to a dragon's high mobility, the knight's reaction speed must also be very strong. The knights of the reserve Knight Order weren't bad in this regard. With hard training, many could probably meet the standard. But Joshua wanted certainty now, not future potential. So unfortunately, only the ten strongest reserve knights would receive dragon eggs.
This meant that the fifteen dragon eggs weren't too many; instead, five were left over. Theodore, as a meritorious contributor to the dragon egg hatching, would get one. And with this academy evaluation, Joshua planned to give away another. Even so, three remained.
"Keep one for the academy itself."
After thinking it over, Joshua decided to simply leave one dragon egg behind to be raised in the academy's name. Theodore wouldn't mind taking care of an extra young dragon. And if Winterfell Academy could last for a few decades, it would have its own guardian dragon.
This was not a treatment ordinary academies could enjoy. Even the Sky-Piercing White Tower didn't have a college or department that could boast a guardian dragon.
"Still two left over."
Somewhat troubled, he looked at the metal box beside him. Joshua couldn't help but frown. "Give one to Master Nostradamus or Bishop Artanis? As thanks for their constant help."
But after muttering to himself, the warrior shook his head. "Neither of them needs this. The old mage doesn't have time to take care of such a small thing, nor does he need a mount. And the Church might not be able to afford it."
One must know that raising a dragon to maturity required enough food and special materials to bankrupt a small family. Joshua could only afford to support ten dragons for his Knight Order because he was the Lord of Moldavia, a Count of the land, relying on his past substantial savings and family assets.
As for the two dragons for the academy and the student, Nostradamus and Joshua would lend a hand, so it wasn't a big problem. Theodore had prepared for decades to raise a dragon, so that was fine too. On the other hand, the Church lived simply, relying on believers and funds from the Lord's Manor. Suddenly adding a dragon's mouth to feed would definitely plunge them into financial difficulties.
"...Forget it. It's just two dragons anyway."
After thinking and finding no answer, Joshua shook his head and put the matter aside. At worst, he could just raise two more as spares. He could afford it.
Outside the window, moonlight was gradually replaced by golden-red sunlight. Dawn broke, and the sun was slowly rising. The warrior stood up and stretched his arms.
Today was the last day of Winterfell Academy's comprehensive evaluation, and also the last day of the arena competition. When everything was over and the total scores were tallied, that would be his cue to appear and award the dragon egg.
...
At the same time, the Imperial Capital, Royal Study.
Because of the sparring match with Joshua, the luxurious study with its burned-away dome had now been completely repaired. Its ornate decoration was no less than before, perhaps even surpassing it.
"What is it?"
In the center of the study, His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire, Israel Diamond, lifted his gaze from the book in his hand. He looked somewhat impatiently at the Captain of the Imperial Guard kneeling on one knee beside him. "Nash, I said, if there's no urgent matter, don't disturb me during my breakfast break."
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty, but this is news from the Far Sea Holy Mountain."
The middle-aged man named Nash replied in a deep voice. He was not intimidated by his liege's impatience but calmly repeated the information he had just received. "From the Church. The Avatar of the God of Life is ready. The 'Divine Healing Ritual' can be performed at any time. If Your Majesty has the time, they will come to conduct the ritual."
"...This is indeed good news."
Putting down the thick ancient book, Israel clapped his hands, his stern expression softening slightly. He said with some emotion, "If I hadn't lent out the Fusion Core Star, these stone-like clergy might not have given me face. Tell them I have time anytime. They can come now."
After saying this, the powerful legendary warrior couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his lower back. He sighed, muttering somewhat helplessly to himself, "If it weren't for that mistake back then, why would I be so impatient..."
Kneeling nearby, Nash didn't say much. As the leader of the royal secret agents [Shadow], one of Israel's closest confidants, he naturally knew about the hidden injury plaguing the Empire's ruler. So upon learning that the Church had broken its usual pattern and was willing to summon the Avatar of the God of Life, who had lived in seclusion in the Great Temple for many years, Nash immediately rushed to inform his master.
To heal his hidden injury, Israel had sought many methods over the years. He had tried the Elf Clan's secret treasures, the secret arts of the Western Mountain sorcerers, and the magical healing of the Eastern Plains mages. All these methods were useful, capable of suppressing his hidden injury, but they were merely palliative, not a permanent cure.
He had naturally tried the Church's divine arts as well. But the Archbishop who had previously treated Israel had bluntly stated that his injury had not been treated in time, and he had subsequently experienced extremely intense battles. The injury had long since penetrated the essence of his life, making it very difficult for any method to cure it.
Unless Israel could advance further, sublimate his life essence, and obtain a trace of divinity, any ritual would be futile. However, the 'Divine Healing Ritual,' the most powerful healing divine art performed by the Avatar of the God of Life, was a different matter. It was indeed highly likely to complete His Majesty's life essence and heal him from the source.
But the God of Life was originally the most silent and solitary of the Seven Gods of Humanity. His clergy were the same. The Avatar of the God of Life had always resided in the Great Temple of the Holy Mountain, almost never leaving. Even with the face of an Imperial Emperor like Israel, he couldn't be persuaded to come out for treatment.
"Thank the Dragon Calamity."
Letting out a soft sigh, Israel's mood was complicated. If not for the Dragon Calamity, which required the Empire's help, everything would have been difficult to arrange.
"What, is there more news?"
Sensing that Nash hadn't left, the Emperor asked curiously, "Is there something else?"
"Your Majesty..."
After hesitating for a moment, the middle-aged warrior reported truthfully, "The Church of the Seven Gods also said they still need some help from the Empire."
"What, is that Fusion Core Star not enough?"
Even Israel was a bit surprised by this news. "They said they needed a treasure with extremely strong positive energy, so I gave them the largest Fusion Core Star in this world. Of course, it might not compare to the one embedded in their Great Temple, but it's definitely enough to handle most situations."
"Isn't that enough? Are they planning to explore the Abyss?"
The Emperor didn't realize that he had hit the nail on the head. Although the Abyss of Anos only had a small rift, it was precisely because of this that the Abyssal energy surging from this rift was exceptionally fierce and rapid, enough to churn an entire sea region. His Fusion Core Star, while powerful enough, couldn't protect a giant ark sailing in that sea for too long.
"No, they are very satisfied with Your Majesty's help..."
Not knowing how to put it, Nash frowned, his expression complex. "This time, the Church isn't asking for any sacred artifacts or treasures. They want a person."
"A person?"
Narrowing his eyes, Israel's expression also turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he asked in a calm tone, "Who do they want?"
"Joshua."
Uttering this name, the middle-aged warrior, afraid the name wasn't detailed enough, repeated it. "Joshua van Radcliffe."