Chapter 1: I'll Be Back Shortly
Year 834 of the Falling Stars Era, March 21st, Northern Lands of Moldavia, early morning.
Accompanied by the noisy cries of snow eagles in the sky, the bell tower of the great cathedral rang out with a slow, steady chime. At that moment, the dark clouds split open, revealing the faintly whitening eastern sky. Stone houses... (some useless words, the old Pope knew that warriors disliked meaningless socializing, so the old Pope directly strode toward the target): "Although we've already calculated everything very thoroughly recently, that doesn't mean the teleportation channel is perfect. I need to tell you this in advance so you can be prepared."
He began to explain in detail the information about the foreign world Joshua was about to explore.
The world located at the distant other end of spacetime, where the inheritance of the Fourth Sage lay, was a normal world suitable for human habitation. Its ecological environment was not much different from that of the Mycroft World. The warrior going there wouldn't need to prepare any special tools to survive—this was excellent news, because it meant Joshua's actions would not be restricted.
However, due to time constraints and the extreme distance, the Church of the Seven Gods hadn't had enough time to prepare sufficient materials to expand the spacetime channel. This time, the opened spacetime gate could only accommodate the teleportation of the warrior and the Divine Mechanism siblings. Any more would truly be beyond their means and might even cause the teleportation to fail.
"Your dragon's size is too large. Even if she transforms into human form, there are many inconveniences, so she can't be brought along for now."
This had already been discussed with Joshua earlier—Black couldn't accompany the warrior on this expedition. Eagle explained the reason in detail this time, but after thinking for a moment, he immediately added: "However, if you need her, I can send her along with some support supplies during the second opening of the teleportation gate. That would take about ten days or so."
"Not necessary."
Hearing this, Joshua shook his head. He couldn't help but recall the utterly pathetic look on Black's face when she flew through the sky. The warrior didn't know whether to be angry or amused, but in the end, he turned to Pope Eagle and said sincerely: "Your Holiness, if possible, I'd like to ask you to properly train my dragon—at the very least, make sure she doesn't scream in terror when she flies."
"That... naturally isn't a problem, but..."
The old Pope blinked, a bit slow to grasp what the warrior was talking about. But once he understood, the Pope looked utterly bewildered: "Fly? Scream? Why? Training her is no issue—the Church has manuals from several former legendary dragon knights on taming dragons..."
But then, Eagle temporarily set aside his doubts. Although he hadn't heard what Joshua had said earlier, the old Pope knew there were still some things the warrior needed to know: "Never mind that for now. Joshua, did you know? This expedition to explore a foreign world has actually received the approval of almost all the legendary experts across the entire continent."
"Oh? What does that mean?" Joshua replied with interest.
He didn't seem very surprised, because the warrior knew that while searching for the Fourth Sage's inheritance appeared to be a private matter of the Church, it was actually a matter concerning the maintenance of the entire world. It wasn't strange to receive support from other legendary experts—at least the Nature Mentor and Israel were among the supporters.
Not surprised by Joshua's attitude either, the old Pope said seriously: "This means you have the protection of all of them—before you return, your territory and homeland will be watched over by multiple legendary experts at all times. No matter how powerful the cultists or Five-Colored Dragon Clan are, they'll be utterly powerless before them. You can explore with peace of mind, without worrying about any troubles behind you."
This was indeed an unexpectedly good piece of news. Joshua couldn't help but nod. This way, Moldavia might become the safest place in the world. He almost felt sorry for those who might try to cause trouble while he was away.
They had no idea what was waiting for them.
As they spoke, the group had already arrived at their destination.
【Star Temple】
The location of the teleportation grand array was in the Star Temple, one of the subordinate temples of the Central Great Temple. Its entrance was now blocked by a translucent, platinum-white light membrane. A cluster of radiant holy light rose from the old Pope's hand. This holy light shifted forms in Eagle's hand like a living thing, then transformed into a rune composed of countless points of light and stars. He reached forward and pushed, the rune fit into place, and the light membrane opened with a sound.
Inside the spacious temple hall, complex runes densely covered every corner. They emitted faint blue fluorescence in sequence, following the flow of energy. At the very center of the hall, a faintly visible spacetime rift was unfolding, supported by the power of the runes. Behind it were flickering, uncertain phantom starlight, and one could vaguely see mountains, rivers, trees, and lakes at the other end of spacetime.
"This is the place."
The old Pope stopped in his tracks. He gazed at the faint blue rift, his eyes lingering for a few seconds. Then he reached into his bosom, fumbled around, and pulled out a small mirror the size of a palm. Eagle handed it carefully to the warrior: "Take this, Joshua."
"What is this?" The warrior took the mirror, raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked casually.
"The Mirror of Holy Radiance. It can detect the aura of holy light and will bring great convenience to your search."
On the Mycroft Continent, mirrors were mystical props representing mystery. They were the first objects humans created that could clearly show their own appearance, symbolizing humanity's first true self-recognition. Therefore, most magical items used for seeking and exploring truth took mirrors as their carriers.
The foreign world had no faith in holy light, so aside from the Sage's inheritance, there would be no other holy light aura. Thus, as long as the power of holy light was sensed, it would undoubtedly be the Sage's inheritance.
At this point, Eagle did not continue forward. As a legendary expert, the energy level around his body would spontaneously affect all runic structures. If it were just one person, it might be fine, but with the warrior also present, if he got too close, the superposition of their powers would affect this fragile spacetime rift, possibly even causing it to collapse.
The old man's expression carried a hint of tension, but Joshua advanced without changing his expression. Eagle wanted to speak up several times to remind the seemingly careless man to be cautious, but in the end, he closed his mouth and chose to trust him.
After all, the warrior had never let anyone down.
Step by step, Joshua moved forward, finally stopping before the faint blue rift leading to the distant foreign world. He sensed a feeling completely different from any previous teleportation.
The light and shadow from the foreign world shifted endlessly before his eyes. The small, faint blue rift seemed like a whirlpool in the depths of an ocean abyss, exuding an ominous and dark aura. This aura was identical to that of the Carlis World, the Ilgena World, and even the Bloodmoon Abyss—the stench of despair, pain, and death, the helpless wail of a world nearing its end.
—Another tragic world, is it?
He thought this, but his heart was as still as water, without the slightest ripple.
"Joshua, you are the hope of the future. Your value is greater than the elusive Fourth Sage's inheritance." Suddenly, the old Pope's voice came from behind the warrior. The old man spoke in an extremely serious tone: "If you encounter any danger, use that mirror to notify me. No matter the cost, I will ensure your safe return."
Hearing this, Joshua, with his back to Eagle, revealed a genuine smile.
He didn't turn around, but raised his hand and waved.
No need to worry.
"I'll be back shortly."
Then, the warrior took his weapons by the hand and strode forward.
And so, spacetime shifted.
The next instant, Joshua vanished into a curtain of azure light. The already unstable spacetime channel flickered and temporarily collapsed, losing its original form.