Chapter 13: Yes, I Threw It
Gradually, his consciousness drifted away from the Sage’s dream.
Examining his body from head to toe, Joshua found that he indeed had no issues whatsoever.
He patted the head of Ying, who was still wiping away tears, set her down by the bed, then pushed aside the black dragon girl who had pounced on his leg and was rolling around in a fuss. The warrior flipped open the blanket, which was clearly made of shroud-like material, and stepped down from the bed.
His movements were smooth, with no stiffness or uncomfortable soreness anywhere in his body. His condition could be described as perfect.
At this moment, Joshua felt an inexhaustible vitality surging within his body, energy constantly flowing forth. He sensed no discomfort whatsoever. The severe injuries that had previously scorched every nerve in his body seemed to have never existed, completely vanished.
The warrior even felt he could jump into another great battle at any moment. This was not an illusion but a fact—his current physical state was even better than before the battle began.
Looking around, Joshua noticed that this simply decorated room, which possessed a minimalist aesthetic, was filled with a high concentration of Holy Light Power. Curtains embroidered with healing runes hung on all four walls, continuously releasing energy waves that had a beneficial stimulating effect on the body. The warrior had to admit that the Church of the Seven Gods had been very attentive to his injuries. Whether it was the four Ultimate-rank experts who had maintained his bodily vitality earlier, keeping him alive until Pope Eagle and Nature Mentor arrived, or this clearly carefully arranged room, all of it proved their sincerity.
By this time, the Divine Mechanism siblings and the black dragon girl had also calmed down. They had indeed been extremely worried this time. In the past, when Joshua encountered danger, he would quickly turn the crisis into safety. The power of the Azure Orb always managed to save the warrior’s life. But this time was different—the severity of his injuries was such that even the Azure Orb couldn’t rapidly regenerate his flesh and blood, requiring external guidance. This situation was indeed an unprecedented danger.
According to Ling, after regenerating Joshua’s body, Nature Mentor’s projection had disappeared, with his spirit returning to the Void battlefield. Although the warrior’s body had been fully regenerated, his spirit had been slow to recover. He had been unconscious for nearly half a day before being brought into this room by several Ultimate-rank experts.
As for now, the war on the ground between the Church of the Seven Gods and the Five-Colored Dragon Clan had temporarily ceased. Due to the aftermath of the warrior’s battle and the Red Dragon’s final move, the entire northwestern wing of the Mad Dragon Legion had been thrown into chaos, with fewer than one in ten of its numbers remaining. Additionally, at least a hundred dragons had been caught in the blast, with the vast majority killed and a small number missing.
This was a very severe loss for the Five-Colored Dragon Clan. It could be said that the fierce morale the dragons had built up over months of siege had been crushed to rock bottom. It would likely take over a week of adjustment before they could launch another attack.
Joshua hadn’t expected that during the time his spirit was communicating with the Sage’s illusion, such major events had occurred. In short, both the Church and the Mad Dragons had temporarily ceased hostilities, returning to a state of stalemate. This was an overwhelmingly advantageous situation for the Holy Mountain.
The longer the delay, the more Divine Mechanism puppets would be produced, and the more likely reinforcements from the Far South Kingdom would arrive. In fact, reinforcements might have already arrived. The warrior recognized Nature Mentor—the arrival of this legendary Grand Druid clearly indicated that the current situation was completely different from his previous life. Two legends joining forces against three legendary dragons, with the Elf Clan and the Holy Mountain opposing the Five-Colored Dragon Clan—this was certainly easier than Pope Eagle holding the line alone in his past life.
What he didn’t know was that it wasn’t actually two legends against three legendary dragons, but that wasn’t particularly important.
After roughly summarizing the current situation, Ling’s expression became somewhat hesitant and awkward, as if he wanted to say something. The warrior easily saw through the boy’s feelings. Joshua leaned down, smiled, and hugged the youth, then whispered softly into the frozen Ling’s ear: “You’ve been worried for so long. Thank you for your hard work.”
This severe injury was indeed the result of his own recklessness, but the warrior couldn’t find more words to express his apology. Joshua knew that if he had been more cautious about the powerful magical weapons—or even divine artifact replicas—that the other side might possess, things would never have reached this point. It was fortunate that after being strengthened by the Church, the Divine Mechanism siblings had gained an indestructible trait, allowing them to survive this powerful impact unscathed.
This was also because Joshua had been misled by rumors from his past life. In his previous life, no player was qualified to participate in the Holy War at the Holy Mountain. Even if some were, they were quickly eliminated and died out. The vast majority only watched a cutscene CG and then kept an eye on the official forum’s battle reports to determine the situation’s development. Joshua happened to be one of them. He only knew that the Mad Dragons had used some powerful magical equipment to break through part of the Holy Mountain’s defenses, but he never expected that equipment to be so powerful as to reach the level of a divine artifact. Its attack range was so vast, and its energy-gathering speed so fast, that the warrior had nowhere to dodge, nowhere to evade, and could only endure it head-on.
Joshua had originally thought this equipment was some kind of alchemical product like a Mana Focus Cannon, requiring a long preparation time to accumulate such immense power. Who would have thought it could fire in just a few seconds?
“Master, are you really okay now?”
Stepping down from the bedside, Ying had calmed down. After all, she was someone who had followed the warrior through countless battlefields and dangers, learning to restrain excessive emotions and worries. But even so, the girl couldn’t help asking: “Should we call Ms. Besana and the others to check on you? After all, it was such a serious injury…”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Joshua’s abilities, but she instinctively wanted an extra layer of assurance.
“Master is definitely fine.”
This was said by Hei. She seemed quite carefree, hardly worried about the warrior at all. In the black dragon girl’s eyes, her master had always been the embodiment of invincibility. Even the Grim Reaper would have to step aside before the warrior. A minor injury like this would heal in no time, and this time, the speed of his recovery only deepened her mistaken belief.
Even if his body had been burned to charcoal, didn’t it fully recover after half a day? Master is truly powerful, she thought.
At this moment, Chu Hao outside the door slowly withdrew his gaze. He still stood at the entrance, like a massive steel decorative armor. Although the Steel Element couldn’t speak, Chu Hao could understand most languages. He now knew that the warrior didn’t need anyone’s concern, so he was happy to stand by the door and daydream.
“Peak condition, no problems at all.”
To Ying’s question, Joshua nodded, then clenched his fist forcefully. A crisp sonic boom echoed through the room. Except that his skin, once tanned bronze, had become much paler due to the complete regeneration of his body, Joshua’s physique and strength had not changed or diminished in the slightest. In fact, many hidden injuries had disappeared thanks to the rebirth.
The warrior vaguely remembered the moment when his soul returned to his body. He recognized that green crystal—clearly, it was the Elf Clan’s sacred relic, said to be capable of resurrecting the dead and regenerating flesh on skeletal undead: the [Heart of the Mother Tree].
The fruit of the Mother Tree, also known as the bud, could heal all injuries, even replenishing life force depleted by excessive use of forbidden secret techniques. The Heart of the Mother Tree was an even purer aggregate of ‘life.’ Except for some extremely special cases—like the hidden injuries on Israel’s body—it could be considered a universal healing agent and catalyst. Plants and insects bathed in the light of the Mother Tree’s heart would grow enormous. Legend had it that the giant plants and strange insects in the Far South jungle were all the result of several Mother Trees being broken by natural disasters, with their hearts scattered across the land.
[Special Enhancement Talent: Heart of Life]
[Your heart has merged with a special life divine object, which continuously releases boundless vitality, altering your life essence. You gain the special abilities ‘Super Regeneration’ and ‘Flawless Body.’ Wound self-healing speed is greatly increased, and you are immune to all Gold-rank and below biological toxins. Meanwhile, your blood is treated as a ‘Medium Healing Potion,’ and your flesh can be used as raw material for high-grade life potions.]
[One who swallows a treasure into their belly becomes a treasure themselves… Hey, why are you all staring at me?!]
[—Great Explorer Harland Reinhardt]
Scanning his character card, Joshua confirmed that most of his stats hadn’t changed, but he also discovered a new special talent. This confirmed his guess that the green crystal was indeed the Heart of the Mother Tree. Only such a powerful magical item could have such a miraculous effect, leaving behind a special talent even after use.
At the same time, a faint tremor came from the ceiling of the room. Joshua diverted a bit of attention and sensed that this wasn’t the sound of Mad Dragons spewing dragon breath or a temple collapsing. It sounded like some massive puppet operating rhythmically, clearing away rubble.
Probably the Holy Mountain’s Divine Mechanism machinery cleaning the battlefield and repairing the collapsed temples within the defensive line. Joshua wasn’t surprised by this. The alchemical products of the Seven Sacred Mountains had always been exceptionally advanced. They had already developed large-scale construction golems but had never had the chance to use them. Now, with the Mad Dragon War underway, the Church had found new uses for many old stockpiles and inspirations.
Compared to Mana Armor, these special large-scale alchemical puppets were too bulky. Moreover, Number 3 and Moria had been continuously improving the cost and materials of Mana Armor. It seemed that the Moldavia Territory would soon achieve the popularization of Mana Armor. The speed of many workers would certainly be much faster than these large puppets.
Just as he was thinking about the development of his territory, Joshua suddenly shifted his gaze to the door.
He frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the void at the room’s entrance. His gaze seemed capable of penetrating walls and space, seeing the figure about to arrive. A few seconds later, his brow relaxed, and even a hint of surprise showed at the corner of his brow.
“Truly astonishing…” Joshua murmured to himself. “I never expected this one to come as well. By the looks of it, the battle among the legends in the void has ended, hasn’t it?”
As the warrior muttered to himself, the Divine Mechanism siblings and the black dragon girl also turned their gazes. At that moment, a deep blue teleportation light began to appear at the entrance. The massive Steel Element Chu Hao shifted slightly to the side, making room for this spatial-temporal rift.
A few seconds later, a man holding a massive dragon lance, with dark golden hair, stepped out of the spatial-temporal rift and appeared before Joshua.
Without a doubt, this man was the Imperial Emperor, the legendary expert Israel.
At this moment, His Majesty, known as the [Sky Dragon Rider], wore a smile on his face. After stepping out of the teleportation, he approached the warrior warmly. Israel patted Joshua on the shoulder, looking in a very good mood: “Recovering very well, Lord Radcliffe. Although Nature Mentor is usually a bit stingy, he’s truly a reliable comrade in critical times.”
Only a legendary expert could comment on another legendary expert in such a tone. Nature Mentor, as a representative of the Druids known for their simplicity and frugality, was the polar opposite of Israel the Emperor. Their values were completely different. One side thought that being so stingy and frugal as a legendary expert was a sign of mental problems, while the other side thought that the other’s debauchery and extravagance were a cancer on the world.
Joshua had no idea what price Pope Eagle had paid to keep these two from fighting the moment they met, but it seemed that after fighting side by side, the relationship between the two had eased considerably.
“How is it? Did that replica divine sword leave any aftereffects or energy inside your body?”
Israel seemed to know the details of the warrior’s ordeal, and Joshua wasn’t surprised. Clearly, His Majesty had been monitoring his intelligence from the start and knew about the crisis the warrior had faced. He was another helper invited by Pope Eagle, just like Nature Mentor. With these three joining forces, even if the Five-Color Dragon God descended upon a legendary dragon, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
He seemed genuinely happy about Joshua’s current good condition, speaking more than usual. In contrast, after bowing in salute, the warrior turned his head somewhat awkwardly, not answering the question.
Israel naturally noticed this discrepancy—Joshua was never one to be hesitant. The last time the warrior came to the Imperial Capital from Moldavia, he had given him the Divine Crystal without a second thought. Such decisiveness was rare in the world. For a man like this to show hesitation and embarrassment on his face meant there was definitely a huge secret hidden behind it.
So His Majesty straightforwardly asked.
And Joshua straightforwardly answered.
—Bang—
The massive dragon lance was thrust into the ground by the dumbfounded Imperial Sovereign. The waxed birch wood planks were easily pierced, and the marble beneath was covered in cracks. Israel raised one hand, pointing at Joshua, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
After a moment, a low male voice, tinged with heartache, rang out in a single room within the Holy Mountain’s underground fortress.
“What?! Lord Radcliffe, you mean to say that you threw it out like a bomb?!”