Chapter 58: You Have Great Potential
Unfortunately, the light orb had no mouth, so it couldn't spit anything out. Faced with Joshua lifting it up and shaking it like a bag, it showed no reaction at all. Instead, it seemed to find it somewhat comfortable, contracting and expanding slightly while emitting a soft, bell-like chime.
"It was my mistake."
Realizing there was no physical way to retrieve that piece of Steel Shard from the light orb, Joshua could only grab the orb and sit back down, holding the beige, unidentified creature before his eyes. The warrior stared at the vortex-shaped core at the orb's center, which was beginning to glow with a silvery light, and thought with some headache: "If that system hadn't suddenly appeared and caused trouble earlier, how could the light orb have succeeded..."
With Joshua's current speed and dynamic vision, even the trajectory of lightning could be captured, let alone a slowly pouncing light orb. He had been distracted by the sudden appearance of the system earlier, and since he was in his own home and not particularly on guard, the light orb had managed to succeed by surprise.
"Forget it, let's check the system first."
Since things had already come to this, it didn't matter anymore. Joshua shook his head. He hadn't been particularly interested in the Steel Shard gifted by Carlis anyway. If the light orb had swallowed it, so be it. He would deal with it later. What was more important now was this mysterious system that had suddenly reappeared.
"Identify."
[...Item Identification in progress... Origin Knowledge check successful, Curio Knowledge check successful, World Knowledge check successful]
[Identification Result: Great Success]
[Identification Report: Remnant of Condensed Steel · Authority Curio]
[Origin: The nirvana and rebirth of a world is the condensation and dissipation of steel. A world once on the verge of destruction was reborn through external forces. The product of this process is steel condensed to its extreme. The Remnant of Condensed Steel is a part of it.]
[Curio: The power of steel is both physical and ethereal. It exists when observed and ceases to exist when not. It is the origin of all things and a part of nothingness. The same applies to the Remnant of Condensed Steel. It is a product born when a world teeters on the brink of destruction, almost symbolizing the entire world, thus possessing peculiar power—as long as one is willing to pay the price, the holder can reproduce any natural phenomenon from the Carlis World.]
[World: The primitive beliefs of shamanism originate from animism. This claim was once dismissed as ignorance, but it is correct. The world indeed possesses a great will, gently watching over its children. Most of the time, it does not interfere with the actions of its children, but in times of crisis, the Mother of All Things will grant the chosen one the authority to reproduce the power of heaven and earth.]
[Great Success: The Origin Steel gave birth to the world. Although the condensed steel remnant does not possess such authority, under special circumstances, by paying a price, it can reproduce any item that once existed in the Carlis World.]
[Summary: The Carlis World favors you, so it has gifted you a part of its dead self. Holder, remember: flame never extinguishes alone, just as destruction never comes alone.]
"A Great Success? The authority to reproduce natural phenomena... and even the ability to reproduce items, which is almost equivalent to creation from nothing."
Scanning the description provided by the system, Joshua nodded slightly. He recalled similar items he had obtained in the past: "Fragments of Burning Steel, Remnants of Residual Steel, and now this Remnant of Condensed Steel... they represent Order Force, Life Energy, and Nature's Force respectively."
If an ordinary person were to obtain these three authorities, they might become a powerhouse capable of matching an Ultimate-rank expert overnight. Order Force could stabilize their soul, Life Energy could make their body eternal, and Nature's Force would be the best means of attack. Carlis was right—this was indeed an exceptionally generous reward. If he hadn't already achieved the Legendary Realm, he might have been very interested in these. But since he had already reached Legendary, these things were merely icing on the cake, trivial matters.
"But this thing was once a part of the Carlis World. You swallowed it—could there be any complications? And did you obtain that power?"
Rubbing his forehead, Joshua looked at the light orb, still somewhat troubled. He knew that since the usually lazy light orb had taken the initiative to swallow that fragment, it meant the fragment was definitely beneficial to it, much like how the main body of the light orb had actively collected the Fusion Core Star fragments from the Bloodmoon Abyss to nurture itself. This process was certainly not dangerous, but Joshua was unsure of the outcome—for instance, what if the light orb turned into a fireball, a lightning ball, a water ball, or an earth ball? If it grew too large like Chu Hao, there wouldn't be room for it in the house.
"Ding-ling ding-ling!"
Hearing Joshua's words, the light orb immediately responded with a series of chimes. After Joshua nodded in permission, it contracted slightly, as if gathering power. The next moment, with a 'pfft' sound, it spat out a stream of water aimed at the warrior's face.
Of course, it couldn't actually hit him. With just a thought from Joshua, the thumb-thick stream of water curved in an arc and landed on the ground nearby. But unlike the group of Black Dragon Divine Mechanism and Artificial Intelligence Girl, who were watching the commotion with confusion, the warrior's heart sank: "It can really create something from nothing? What's the principle? Does it only require paying energy? Or is it because of the light orb's special nature?"
Unlike the others, who didn't understand the significance of this seemingly simple action, Joshua was well aware of how powerful creation from nothing was. Although it was just a simple stream of water for now, once the light orb's power grew stronger in the future, it might even be possible to recreate the mobile fortresses that once existed in the Carlis World!
As for why the light orb could use this ability, which required 'special circumstances' from the very beginning, Joshua wasn't surprised. After all, the light lifeform in the Bloodmoon Abyss was the newborn flame of that destroyed world, possibly the prototype of a future World Will. If the light orb, as a clone of that light lifeform, had any special abilities, it wasn't surprising. But all of this was just Joshua's speculation, unverifiable for now, so he could only put these questions aside for the moment.
That said—the light orb now had healing rays and, with this new ability of creation from nothing, if it could continue to add databases from other worlds and grant others the authority to control natural forces like the Steel Shards, then both its appearance and abilities would closely resemble something Joshua was once very familiar with.
Both were light orbs. In that case, the future had great potential!
But the future was the future, and the present was the present. The light orb, having swallowed the Steel Shard, hadn't undergone any significant change. After Joshua let it go, it floated around the hall, occasionally emitting wind-chime sounds. Meanwhile, No. 3, also floating in midair, grabbed it—since neither had a physical form, they could surprisingly touch each other—and while kneading the light orb, enjoying the soft sensation that was hard to feel through a mana projection, No. 3 asked with some confusion: "What just happened? And weren't you guys going to give it a name? So what's the light orb called now?"
"Just eating something it shouldn't. A minor matter."
Standing up from the chair, Joshua walked to the edge of the hall, in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked at the stone paths and vegetation in the front yard of the Lord's Manor, bathed in sunlight, and said casually: "How about calling it 'Xiao Guang'? Or maybe 'Ball' would wo—"
"No! Just 'Guang'!" Shaking her head vigorously along with the light orb in her hand, interrupting Joshua's words, No. 3 had initially wanted to mock the warrior's naming skills, but after frowning and carefully recalling the names of everyone in the Lord's Manor, she immediately dropped the thought.
Ying, Lin, Hei, No. 3. All were incredibly simple names. Adding one more 'Guang' didn't seem like a big deal? If they added a very long name, they might actually find it uncomfortable.
With the approval of the light orb itself and the other members of the Lord's Manor present, the name 'Guang' was easily decided. The Divine Mechanism siblings, who had just been bystanders, along with the Black Dragon girl, No. 3, and the newly named 'Guang,' all returned to their posts with relaxed expressions, leaving only Joshua alone in the hall.
"What leisurely days... nothing to be on guard against, peaceful and serene."
Watching everyone leave and disappear into the corridor, Joshua turned around and stood by the window for a long time. He closed his eyes, as if sensing the city. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, exhaled, and muttered to himself: "No good. I still can't find the source of this system."
Ever since obtaining the information about the Remnant of Condensed Steel, Joshua had been distracted, searching for the source of this information. No. 3 and the Divine Mechanism siblings had noticed his absent-mindedness and had taken the initiative to leave with the others. Just now, with his full concentration gathered, the warrior had once again thoroughly searched his own soul, but still found nothing.
The system—this mysterious existence that had accompanied him since his transmigration. It seemed to know everything, understand everything, even the information about the World Will, which held the highest position in this world, was well-documented by it, providing many valuable insights. Joshua believed that if he could access the system's database, many of the questions that puzzled him might be resolved.
But no matter how he searched, he couldn't catch the system's tail. He could only let this mysterious existence lurk within his body.
"Forget it. Having a system isn't a bad thing."
Not dwelling too long on this issue, Joshua turned around and sat back in the chair in the hall. He closed his eyes and began to rest, pretending to sleep. Of course, this wasn't laziness. The battle with Haier Mu in the Abyss had made Joshua aware of the shortcomings in his combat form. The warrior was merely using the rest time to construct dreams in his mind, re-examining the mistakes that had occurred several times.
As for the system...
Just as a comet cannot shake a star, no matter how mysterious the system was, it was merely an existence that frequently made errors under his power and even had to hide. The more Joshua couldn't find it, the deeper it was hiding, and the more it feared the warrior's power.
A boring, foolish thing that dared not even reveal its true form was not worth Joshua's excessive attention. In time, he would uncover the truth.
The peaceful and serene days did not last long. As the mages and Gold Warriors who had stayed behind in the Great Aias Mountains reported the news, the Imperial Royal Family quickly responded.
Year 835 of the Falling Stars Era, May 23rd, afternoon. The Lord's Mansion of Moldavia welcomed a mysterious middle-aged mage who requested an audience with Count Radcliffe. The guards asked for his identity, but he remained silent, insisting that he would only reveal it upon meeting the Count in person.
The guards naturally refused. As the legendary Northern Count, countless people sought an audience with him every day. How could they report just any random person to the Lord? But just as the guards were about to drive him away, an order came from Joshua.
"Let him come see me."
With the order given, the guards politely let him in. Soon, the mysterious middle-aged mage appeared in the reception hall of the Lord's Manor. The moment Joshua saw him, he was stunned for a moment, then asked with some suspicion: "Is it you? Master Nostradamus?"
"It's me."
Shrugging, the old mage—now with a middle-aged appearance—seemed a bit disappointed that he hadn't fooled Joshua. He shrugged again. His current appearance was no longer that of a traditional white-haired, white-bearded old mage; it had changed significantly. Nostradamus now looked like a stern middle-aged officer who had spent over a decade on the battlefield, exuding an imposing aura in every word and action. But as soon as he spoke, that aura was completely shattered: "I was thinking of surprising you, but you recognized me so quickly."
"You are..." Joshua studied his appearance, which was clearly the image of the old mage from the orc battlefield over a decade ago. Frowning in confusion, he quickly guessed the reason for Nostradamus's change: "Because of the upcoming Space-Time Distortion point expedition? To ensure both body and mind are in perfect condition, you deliberately restored your youthful appearance!"
At this, the warrior nodded. He was pleased with Nostradamus's determination. Only by fully preparing everything could one ensure they wouldn't miss the chance for success. Even the old mage had made such a change, which meant the entire empire was undoubtedly giving its all.
"Enough. You and Israel are the same—people who can't understand what a joke is. Everything turns into a matter of battle..."
Shaking his head with waning interest, the rejuvenated Nostradamus dispensed with formalities. His relationship with Joshua didn't require pleasantries: "Israel is already waiting for you at the Void Observatory. If you're ready, we can leave immediately."
"What are we waiting for?" Joshua said. "Let's go now."