Chapter 52: The Center of All Gazes
Time flew by.
Year 834 of the Falling Stars Era, February 3rd, deep winter.
Throughout the Northern Lands, half the year was covered by ice and snow. Although heavy blizzards were rare by February, the biting cold wind still howled across the plains, sending fragments of ice crystals and snow dust swirling through the air.
At this point, more than three months had passed since the death of He Er La Si and the incident at the Mo De Si Mountain ruins in the Moldova Territory.
Compared to the imperial high echelons, which remained as still and unruffled as a frozen lake, the entire Mycroft Continent—especially the royal courts of the many kingdoms in the Western Mountain region—was thrown into shock and uproar by such a major event.
The new generation of the Plague Evil God cult, led by the Witherer He Er La Si, had been rampaging across the western mountainous regions for the past few decades. They hid deep in the remote forests and mountains, using underground temples covered in secret magical arrays and runes as their bases to carry out horrific sacrificial operations everywhere.
Although the strict defenses of the Western kingdoms meant the Plague cult's sacrifices rarely succeeded, whenever they did succeed, they would cause large-scale population casualties or species extinction capable of completely collapsing a region. Several Legendary-rank experts from the Western Mountains had always wanted to completely eradicate He Er La Si and his followers, but faced with a High Priest who possessed his own subspace and could abandon his physical body at any time, these experts were mostly forced to return frustrated. Yet without a Legendary-rank expert leading the charge, no matter how many people were sent, they would only be delivering rations to He Er La Si.
This time, He Er La Si's journey to the imperial Northern Lands had indeed alarmed many experts from local Western Mountain factions. They had initially gloated, wanting to see how the Empire would handle this big problem and how it would fail. But the result left this group utterly dumbfounded—He Er La Si had faced off directly against that somewhat famous Dragon Slayer Lord, only to be narrowly defeated and die in a foreign land.
This news certainly shocked many and shattered quite a few tables. Joshua was indeed a powerful Ultimate-rank whose name had been hot recently, but He Er La Si was no nobody either. Those Legendary-rank experts who had once besieged the High Priest were secretly alarmed, deeply understanding this point. They knew that in the past, they had not refrained from attacking He Er La Si, but not a single attempt had succeeded. The vitality of their opponent was so tenacious that it was already comparable to certain Legendary-rank experts. In fact, he had already reached a limit of the Ultimate realm, only one step away from breaking through that final barrier to achieve Legendary status.
And the fact that Joshua could kill He Er La Si meant that he had also reached this realm—he had found his own path and was only one step away from perfecting himself and reaching Legendary.
In a mere three years, growing from a mere Silver-rank Knight to where he was now—such a rate of advancement was unprecedented and unmatched. Even counting the history recorded in ancient texts from the Era of Radiance, no one in the entire Mycroft Continent had ever accomplished this.
Even the legacy of the Sage was somewhat difficult to explain. However, there was one benefit: in the past, Joshua's reputation was always accompanied by impressions of massacre, terror, and battle mania. Many people, especially Transcendent beings from the Western Mountain region who had suffered greatly from demons, believed that the warrior might have made a deal with some Abyss Lord, which was why his strength had advanced so rapidly. But that was no longer the case now—no demon could possess such power. If they had the ability to make someone a Legendary in three years, would they still be trapped in the Abyss? They would have long since swept across the Multiverse and conquered all worlds.
In short, among certain specific circles of experts, Joshua was now tacitly regarded as the incarnation of some deity who had secretly descended to the mortal world. Many experts traveling across the continent were very interested in this warrior who was about to become the youngest Legendary in history. As if by unspoken agreement, they all began heading towards the Northern Lands.
But compared to the tumultuous outside world, the Northern Lands were surprisingly calm at present.
Year 834 of the Falling Stars Era, February 3rd, Moldavia Territory.
Due to the incident at the Mo De Si Mountain ruins in the neighboring Moldova Territory, a large-scale wave of purging cultists had swept across the entire Northern Lands. Taking advantage of the winter snow covering the earth, which made it difficult for enemies to hide in the wilderness, the four territories of the Northern Lands had indeed rooted out quite a few scattered cultists hiding in mountain villages. However, in terms of numbers, the Moldavia Territory had the fewest cultists, and they were also the weakest.
According to the confessions of captured cultists, the current Northern Lands, especially Moldavia, had become a den of demons in the eyes of various chaotic and disorderly factions. Many personnel would rather face punishment than go there to die. Those who came here had committed major offenses and were sent here as punishment.
Moldavia Territory, Nissier Snow Mountain, Palmprint Lake, evening.
The evening glow was gradually fading. The golden sunset dimmed slightly, surging into a mass of dull red. Pale purple clouds hung against the gray-blue night sky, and through their gaps, a few faint white stars could be vaguely seen.
A cold wind at minus thirty degrees Celsius swept across the lake surface, causing ripples on this body of water that remained unfrozen even in the extreme cold. As the shimmering sunset light swayed, a brilliant glow could be seen flickering at the bottom of the lake.
Su Ke La Shi and other adventurers belonging to Caesar's Eye stood by the lakeshore, watching this beautiful scene.
Because of the Mo De Si Mountain ruins incident, both Caesar's Eye and the Fang Adventurer Squad had suffered relatively severe casualties. Unlike the official archaeological expeditions of various countries or the mercenaries hired by great nobles, they had simply come to the Northern Lands out of a desire to explore and adventure. Thus, no one would compensate them for their losses. Now, because the heavy snow had frozen the roads back, both adventurer squads could only stay quietly in the Northern Lands, reorganizing their teams while taking on a few tasks to supplement their income.
How could Joshua let these two elite adventurer squads remain idle in the city or do some meaningless exploration work? The warrior generously offered favorable conditions, inviting these adventurers, who were considered elite across the entire continent, to serve as field training instructors at Winterfell Academy.
The two squads, who originally had nothing to do due to the heavy snow, thought, "Why not?" Both parties quickly reached an agreement.
Just now, a group of adventurers led by Su Ke La Shi had finished their teaching duties. After a month and a half, they had safely returned from the Great Aias Mountains with teams of academy students. Recently, the adventurers had no other work temporarily and could relax around the scenic Nissier Snow Mountain area.
Then, they saw a group of dragons.
Because the magic crystal mines at the bottom had been unusually active recently, the surface of Palmprint Lake, which could not freeze over, suddenly erupted with over a dozen large splashes. Following that, over a dozen white young dragons leaped out of the lake in unison before plunging back into the water.
"...What were those just now?"
A relatively young adventurer rubbed his eyes. Standing by the lakeshore, he asked in confusion, "White big fish?"
"No, judging by the appearance, they seem to be some kind of water dragon?"
Beside the young man stood a middle-aged adventurer who appeared to be his elder. His eyesight was sharper, and he had glimpsed part of their body structure the moment the young dragons leaped from the water, but he couldn't be sure what kind of dragon they were.
"As expected of the Dragon Slayer Lord, raising so many water dragons. Truly extraordinary."
This was the sentiment of others.
"But Moldavia isn't near the sea, and there are no rivers nearby, only scattered lakes. Why would the Count raise so many water dragons?"
This was the doubt of some.
But Su Ke La Shi was different from them.
As a Gold-rank Knight, Su Ke La Shi appeared even more shocked than the other adventurers because he could tell that those white dragons were not water dragons or wyverns, but genuine pure-blooded Five-Colored Dragons—the young of White Dragons!
—What's going on?! How did Lord Joshua manage to hatch these pure-blooded dragons?!
Su Ke La Shi certainly knew that Joshua had once wiped out a dragon nest. It wasn't strange for the warrior to obtain dragon eggs, but hatching pure-blooded dragons from eggs had always been a difficult endeavor reliant on luck. Its difficulty was no less than directly finding a dragon, beating it into submission, and making it a mount.
But now, at Winterfell, he had actually seen over a dozen young dragons!
Before Su Ke La Shi could finish being shocked, everyone suddenly heard a long, resonant dragon roar.
In the sky, the sunset clouds were torn apart. A huge shadow glided past as a blue dragon descended gracefully from the heavens with a storm, arriving above the lake surface.
The air exploded with the flapping of dragon wings, causing the ears of many insufficiently powerful adventurers to ring. Coupled with the unbridled draconic pressure of a superior, their minds instantly became dazed.
An Ultimate-rank Dragon! Su Ke La Shi's scalp instantly tingled, and his hands went numb. This Gold-rank Knight immediately wanted to find a hole to bury himself in, but the lakeshore was completely flat.
—Could it be that the Five-Colored Dragons were planning to retaliate against the Count and rescue the young dragons?!
Before this thought could even flash through the knight's mind, over a dozen splashes appeared on the lake surface again. The young White Dragons obediently followed the command of the massive Blue Dragon, heading towards the shore. They swam through the water one by one, following behind the Blue Dragon hovering in midair, like a group of ducklings following their mother.
The Ultimate-rank Blue Dragon glanced at the shocked and panicked adventurers by the lakeshore. It nodded amiably in greeting, then led the young dragons towards the forest.
Su Ke La Shi watched this scene. After a long while, he pinched his own thigh and then looked at his companions in confusion.
An Ultimate-rank Five-Colored Dragon was actually taking a group of young White Dragons for a walk... for the Dragon Slayer Lord?
What, what exactly was going on here?
While the adventurers in the Northern Lands were calming their unsettled hearts by the lake with grilled fish after seeing an Ultimate-rank Dragon, the Imperial Capital of the Northern Empire was not so peaceful.
Three Mountains Holy City, Morlai Palace, side hall.
In a certain secret chamber.
This was a narrow room of only a few dozen square meters, trapezoidal in shape, with a long table and many chairs in the center. The four walls of the secret chamber were inscribed with magical runes emitting a faint purple glow. They absorbed all sound and perfectly concealed this small space from the automatic defense arrays of Morlai Palace.
This secret chamber had not been visited for a long time. A thin layer of light dust covered the tabletop. But now, a woman with a slightly slender figure and long hair hanging down to her shoulders sat in the main chair, while before her knelt a black-armored warrior.
The woman's face was covered by a black mist formed by magic, making it impossible to see clearly. She looked at the warrior, who was kneeling before her with utmost respect, and spoke in a soft voice modulated by magic: "You're saying that the Northern Count favored by His Majesty is about to become a new Legendary?"
"Yes."
The black-armored warrior's reply was simple and concise: "Tomorrow, the day after—Joshua Van Radcliffe could break through to Legendary at any moment, affecting your plans."
"Yes."
The woman sighed softly. She spoke with some weariness: "Over twenty years, everything has gone smoothly. Why did this variable have to appear precisely at this time? Most importantly, why was the first prince to meet him that little one, Di Mo Er?"
Judging solely by her figure and skin, the woman speaking did not seem old enough to call the Second Prince Di Mo Er "little one," but both she and the warrior took it for granted, as if it were indeed the case.
"This is a hidden danger that must be eliminated as soon as possible," the woman murmured to herself.
"Eliminate whom?"
The black-armored warrior's words carried a faint clanging resonance, as if metal were striking metal, and sounded very resolute: "The Second Prince or the Northern Count? Whoever it is, I will give my all!"
"Eliminate whom?" Upon hearing the black-armored warrior's words, the woman couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head and said, "Of course, the Second Prince, my little hound. Do you want to make a move against that battle-crazed madman who can charge head-on into the Mad Dragon Legion, kill his way straight to the Imperial Capital over a disagreement, and slay the offspring of the Fei Er Tao Family?"
"Even if you want to die, your family and your master, who is me, do not want to yet."
The woman sitting in the chair bent down slightly and patted the black-armored warrior's head, as if truly petting a loyal dog's head. She said softly, "I might even be able to save my life because of Yi Si Lei Er, but you would definitely die."
"Enough."
Straightening up, the woman sitting upright suddenly spoke with a hint of laziness: "Prepare."
Although her voice was soft, it contained a chill as cold as the eternal ice deep within the polar glaciers: "Prepare."
"That bitch's son—it's time for him to pay a price!"
The black-armored warrior nodded silently and then answered in a low, clear voice: "Understood, my master!"
The conspiracy in the Imperial Capital had just begun to weave. Meanwhile, in the southern part of the continent, the Far Sea Gray Island, atop the Holy Mountain.
Pope Yi Ge Er held a pure white staff, standing at the topmost level of the Great Temple. He watched the sunset that was about to completely sink, and in his eyes, dim firelight was reflected.
Then, the sunset was completely swallowed by the sea, and the old Pope closed his eyes.
An immeasurably vast amount of psychic power, like light, spread outward from this aged old man at the speed of thought, extending across the entire Holy Mountain and even the Far South Continent. In no time, all regions south of the continent were within Yi Ge Er's psychic perception. The vast majority of people did not notice this gentle breeze of thought. Even some experts who could detect it would, in their confusion, attribute it to an illusion.
The old Pope did not appear to be doing this for the first time. He silently scanned heaven and earth, then focused his perception on a certain vast forest in the Far South.
Elven Sacred Land, Eternal Lake, near the Mother Tree of Life. A massive, verdant 'soul' surged forth from the earth and sky. This sacred tree soul, already integrated with this heaven and earth, was pulling its roots out of the void and slowly condensing into the image of a beautiful elven woman.
Nature Mentor, Ai Yi De Li Er Jia Lan Nuo De. She had spent several months adjusting the balance of this region and was now pulling her main body out of the Elven Sacred Land. This high-ranking Archdruid boarded a carriage that had been prepared and walked towards the already opened continental-level teleportation array.
She was about to depart for the Northern Lands, for Moldavia, to seek the roots of the elves.
The Nature Mentor seemed to sense something. Inside the ancient rattan carriage, she turned her head and smiled slightly towards the south.
—That man might truly be able to change this world.
Withdrawing his psychic power, Yi Ge Er sighed softly.
That black-haired, red-eyed warrior had already changed many things that old men believed were fated. He had destroyed the space-time passage, found information about the Father of Nature. He had ended the Five-Colored Dragons' plan and sealed the Abyss rift that the Church had been unable to seal for many years.
The old Pope lowered his head and looked at his hands, covered in wrinkles and already extremely aged, and his pure white hair.
It wouldn't really matter if this old bones of his were sacrificed, but he was, after all, the most powerful Legendary in this world.
If Joshua could successfully find the fourth inheritance item and learn the secrets of the First Flame, then he wouldn't need to use the long-passed secret method to become the pillar sustaining the burning of this world.
"Just how far can you go?"
The old man murmured softly to himself. He looked at the top of the scepter in his hand, where a colorless, formless flame was slowly burning and growing smaller and smaller. His gaze was full of anticipation.
Let this old bones see for himself!
The center of all gazes.
Year 834 of the Falling Stars Era, February 3rd, Moldavia Main City, Lord's Manor backyard.
A warrior, whose white hair had mostly turned black, was holding a large stiff-bristled brush, scrubbing the back of the black dragon lying prone in the backyard. By his side, a silver-haired girl and a black-haired boy were busy assisting, carrying water, handing over tools, and helping clean the not-so-obvious stains on the black dragon's body. The petite Artificial Intelligence Girl was floating in the air, rolling around, watching everyone busily at work with great interest.
Having settled his mind and absorbed the insights from the Ultimate Essence of He Er La Si and the Evil God fragment, Joshua was, for the first time in a while, cleaning his mount, Black. He seemed to be in a good mood, humming a tuneless little song and loudly scolding, "Roll over, Black... Are you actually asleep?!"
But just as the black dragon, who had dozed off from sheer comfort, was about to roll over, a knight with an urgent expression suddenly arrived at the Lord's Manor backyard and knelt on one knee to report to Joshua: "My Lord! Two urgent messages!"
He was Joshua's dedicated communications officer, so he spoke little and got straight to the point: "One message from the Rune Dwarf settlement in the Northern Lands, and one message from the Far Sea Holy Mountain!"
"Tell me about the dwarves first... No, tell me about the Far Sea Holy Mountain first."
Blinking, Joshua immediately understood. He glanced at the Artificial Intelligence Girl floating in the air and then coughed: "As for the dwarves, just put it on the table in the hall later."