Chapter 60: Humanization Magic
Abyss of Anos, Black Sea Region, Core Hall of the Holy Light Ark, the Time Vessel.
"A sea dragon?"
Accompanied by light footsteps, a slightly tipsy, curious young boy's voice came from outside the hall's door: "Where did you find another Dragon Knight?"
Before the words faded, the owner of the voice entered the hall, complaining with a hint of dissatisfaction: "I'm clearly enough, why find someone else?"
Joshua turned his head in the direction of the voice, raising an eyebrow.
The owner of the voice outside the door was a boy who looked at most fourteen or fifteen years old. He had healthy wheat-colored skin, wore a black beast-hide leather armor on his upper body, and shorts deliberately cut for ease of movement on his lower half, revealing two long, straight legs.
Seeming to have drunk quite a bit of alcohol, his face was slightly flushed. As he complained, a small canine tooth was faintly visible. The boy noticed that everyone present had turned their gazes toward him, sobering up a bit. Then, he turned to look at Joshua and greeted the warrior with full energy: "Hey there, newbie, you were also invited by these non-drinking puritans to help out... Whoa!"
Without any mental preparation, meeting Joshua's gaze head-on, the boy was instantly stunned by the sudden pressure for several seconds. After his drunkenness was startled away considerably, he immediately retreated two steps out of instinct, hiding outside the hall.
"Captain Robzek..."
Once his heartbeat calmed slightly, the boy peeked out from behind the door, cautiously staring at the warrior, and asked the silver knight in surprise: "Did you guys invite an Ultimate-rank Dragon Lord? That dragon might is way too excessive..."
Clearly, he had mistaken the aura of despair on Joshua for dragon might, and with Black's presence nearby, he took the warrior for an Ultimate-rank dragon in human form.
Everyone present laughed at the boy's reaction. The three from the church had spent some time with Joshua and were accustomed to the warrior's pressure. Although they still felt a slight shock upon meeting again, it was nowhere near as startling as it was for this boy named Hill.
"No, as long as you're not drunk, you can see that the person before you is a genuine human."
After laughing, the silver-haired paladin shook his head and said methodically: "Mr. Hill, although this is a rare calm period in the Abyss of Anos and you can relax, we still need to ensure we're in perfect condition to handle any crisis. You can drink, but you must not get drunk. If you're this unrestrained again, we'll have to lock the supply warehouse on you."
While Robzek was lecturing the boy, Joshua observed him with interest.
On either side of the boy's delicate face, pointed ears identifying him as an elf were gently trembling. His black hair, reaching his back, was tied into a ponytail resting on his shoulder—a common style among the Far South elves.
Elves were indeed a race of handsome men and beautiful women. The boy's appearance could score eight out of ten, partly due to his current drunken state and slightly disheveled clothes. However, what interested the warrior was a trace of dragon might on Hill that differed from Black's.
"An elven ranger doubling as a Dragon Knight?"
After Robzek finished speaking, Joshua directly asked: "Your mount is a lightning-type Sea Sword Dragon, a female, probably at Gold High-rank, with a bit of Giant Island Whale bloodline mixed in. The one helping the ark move forward at the bottom of the ship should be your mount."
"Impressive... impressive!"
Seeing through his background at a glance, the elven boy couldn't help but exclaim softly. But after hearing the warrior's later words, he blinked and shook his head with a smile: "But you got one thing wrong. I'm not a ranger. Sir Dragon Knight, I'm an Ocean Druid. Funa isn't my mount but my animal companion."
"A Druid?" This time, it was Joshua's turn to be surprised. The warrior focused and carefully examined Hill from head to toe again: "That's really unexpected."
At that moment, he noticed faint magical runes visible on the elven boy's waist, abdomen, and inner thighs—typical totem marks often seen on Druids. With the power of these magical tattoos, they could perform wild transformations or use natural divine spells.
However, generally, few Druids would cover these marks so thoroughly; they usually wanted everyone to admire their wild tattoos.
"So beautiful."
Meanwhile, Hill had already walked up to Black. Without any hesitation, the elven boy touched the half-dragon's neck and said cheerfully, still with a hint of drunkenness: "Such smooth lines, such a graceful body... You seem a bit uncomfortable, but it's okay."
Before he finished speaking, a patch of emerald-green light patterns suddenly lit up in front of him. The patterns spun rapidly in the air, converging into a ball of light. Within the light, the power of nature surged, and waves of life energy continuously poured out.
High-rank Divine Spell, Nature's Blessing. In one breath, Hill used this incredibly practical natural divine spell on Black, letting the fresh energy fluctuations directly surge into the half-dragon's body.
Black: "Roar roar?!"
The moment the fluctuations entered his body, the half-dragon felt much more spirited.
The Abyssal Black Dragon could convert water and fire elements into his own life force. The reason floating warships flying in the sky made Black, with his Ancient Dragon bloodline, so uncomfortable was mainly because the fire and water elements in mid-air were too scarce for him to complete his life cycle. Even if there were some, most of the elemental power was snatched away by the Mana Core.
Moreover, teleportation on a floating warship was equivalent to a human being directly transported to a high-altitude area with thin air without any adaptation—naturally causing extreme discomfort.
Without the Shape-Shifting Pendant, if Black had maintained his massive size in the air for a few more days, he might have been in life-threatening danger. Even now, back on the ground, there were still some aftereffects, making the usually lively half-dragon a bit sluggish. But now, after receiving the young Druid's blessing, he perked up instantly.
"Mr. Hill, if you're tired, go back to your room and rest for a while."
Seeing Hill yawn after casting the spell, Sister Saya, who had been standing nearby studying the crystal shield in front of her, gently reminded him: "Danger can appear at any time in the Abyss of Anos. I hope you can always maintain a good condition."
"Alright." Nodding in agreement without hesitation, Hill turned and walked toward the door. When he reached Joshua, he paused slightly and kindly reminded him: "Unknown Dragon Knight, take good care of your dragon. It's currently at a bottleneck to break through to Gold High-rank. A state like before will greatly delay its advancement."
"Your advice is useful." Hearing the reminder, Joshua turned to look at the much more spirited half-dragon and nodded seriously: "You can call me Joshua. Thanks."
"No problem. After all, I'm a Dragon Knight too." Walking toward the door, Hill laughed lightly: "Gold High-rank is a dividing line for dragons, especially for mixed-bloods like our companions."
"If they can cross it, they can go further. If not, they'll stay at their current level, and that would make them very sad."
With that, he left the core hall. As the light footsteps faded away, Hill also left this floor and returned to his room.
"No wonder you're so polite to him."
After the elven boy left the hall, Joshua stroked his chin, thoughtfully watching the energetic Black wagging his tail: "In terms of strength, he's not strong—probably only Silver-rank. Even with his totem marks, he can only defend himself in Gold-rank battles. But with his exquisite natural divine spells and knowledge, paired with a Gold High-rank sea dragon partner, he's indeed a very powerful asset."
"Young man? Joshua, you've probably spent too much time in the Northern Lands with dwarves and forgotten something."
Hearing Joshua's words, Loranda couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and waved the wine glass in his hand: "Hill is older than all of us, just a bit younger than Captain Robzek. You know, a pure-blooded elf's youthful appearance lasts at least thirty or forty years. What else could I call him but 'Mr.'? Besides, Hill is a member of the Eastern Plains' Sea Dragon Knight Order. This time, he was commissioned by the church to travel a great distance to help us explore the Abyss of Anos waters. Of course, we have to be polite."
"Although his strength is a bit lacking, he's a top-notch expert in exploring sea areas. And as an Ocean Druid, he can predict storms and currents. This calm period was also calculated by Hill."
Robzek nodded in agreement: "His sea dragon partner can scare off many sea monsters, saving us a lot of time. After all, our goal is the Central Maelstrom, not hunting these terrifying creatures corrupted by Chaos."
"Who else did you invite this time?"
Joshua grew a bit interested in his traveling companions. According to Pope Eagle, before inviting him to sail together, they had explored the Abyss of Anos four times. Naturally, all four attempts failed. Spurred by this, the Church of the Seven Gods sought out other strong individuals on the continent to explore this chaotic sea together.
"Not many. Counting you and Hill, there are only three of us."
Robzek seemed to have anticipated the warrior's question. After exchanging glances with Loranda and Saya, he immediately answered seriously: "Later, if there's time, I'll introduce the other person to you. But for now, we have something to ask of you."
—The Ark said: "But in the end, we fell short. The overly dense Abyss power stirred up the dark mist, causing the ark to lose its way... With resources depleted, we had to flee in disgrace and prepare for the next exploration."
Beside him, the High Sister softly added: "The Fusion Core Star is one of the most powerful positive energy treasures on the Mycroft Continent, but even it couldn't protect the ark from moving through that mist. It wasn't that its power was insufficient, but it also had to contend with giant waves and storms. So after some thought, the church followed Loranda's advice and invited you."
Last time in the Imperial Capital, Joshua helped the church and the Imperial Royal Mage Association dispel the Divine Calamity Mist. For Robzek and Saya, who weren't familiar with this aspect, the Divine Calamity Mist and the black mist deep in the Abyss of Anos were similar things.
"So, you invited me here just to be a torch to light up the darkness?" Hearing this, Joshua understood. He shrugged and joked: "A human light bulb—you want me to use the Order Force in the Azure Orb to see through the Abyss mist? Indeed, Order Force can better dispel Abyss power than the Fusion Core Star's positive energy."
"Of course, not just that."
At this moment, Loranda's voice rang out. As someone who had lived with the warrior for a long time, the paladin naturally knew what Joshua wanted: "Don't worry, my friend. The Abyss of Anos is full of corrupted sea monsters."
Without finishing, he closed his mouth, and the warrior naturally understood his meaning, revealing a knowing smile.
"Regardless, Lord Count, please try to see if you can control this formation."
Beside him, Saya extended her slender hand, releasing rings of Holy Light fluctuations. She was modifying some structures of the divine spell formation in mid-air. A few seconds later, the runes that had enveloped the entire formation platform like interlocking gears parted to create a path.
"How do I control it?"
Walking forward without hesitation, Joshua stepped onto the platform. He immediately felt as if he were under warm sunlight: "I know a bit about magic, but I only know how to destroy it."
This was the truth. The warrior swept his gaze over the divine spell formation and immediately detected seventeen flaws in its operation. Given more time, he might find even more.
"It's very simple, Lord Count."
The High Sister's gentle voice came from outside the formation: "Just stand at the core of the formation."
Indeed, it was simple. The platform wasn't large. A second later, Joshua stood at the center of the formation, directly beneath the Fusion Core Star.
Immediately, he frowned.
"This power... something's off."
The moment he stepped into the center of the formation, Joshua felt a strange connection established with the fragment of the sun above his head. Vast positive energy was controlled by the divine spell, ready to respond to his thoughts at any moment.
But that wasn't what felt wrong. The warrior pondered for a moment, then closed his mouth, saying nothing, and focused on sensing the power in the formation that puzzled him.
The deeper he explored, the more serious Joshua's expression became. Seemingly affected by him, the entire top floor of the ark fell silent, leaving only the gentle sea breeze and the noise of the divine spell formation's operation.
"Perhaps His Holiness the Pope, pressed for time, didn't explain our purpose in detail."
Nearly ten minutes later, Robzek broke the silence. The silver-haired, upright, and honest man—a model traditional paladin—explained to the warrior with a devout tone never used before: "Maybe he was worried you wouldn't believe it if he told you, so he wanted you to come to the Abyss of Anos and witness it yourself—"
"No need to explain."
Feeling the familiar yet unfamiliar sacred power inside the formation, Joshua slowly grinned: "I already know what you're going to do."
"I was wondering why you'd go to such lengths to invite various strong individuals to help, even paying a huge price to borrow the Fusion Core Star from the Imperial Royal Family. It can't just be to explore a mere Abyss of Anos."
"It's not to guard against the Five-Colored Dragon Clan's attack, nor to cut off this tentacle connecting the Abyss to our world. Eagle truly lives up to his reputation as the pope closest to the gods in history. What he seeks is indeed extraordinary."
At Joshua's chest, the phantom of a cyan orb slowly emerged, with endless Order Force churning within it. The warrior turned to look at the three church members, who were also smiling, and laughed heartily: "The Church of the Seven Gods truly has lofty ambitions. You never even considered the Dragon Calamity a threat. Instead, you plan to use the rift in the Abyss of Anos as a springboard to counterattack the Abyss!"