Chapter 11: Buy One Get Three Free
After speaking, Joshua gazed at the creature before him that called itself a 'Midgardian.'
This was a race with a humanoid form, yet its appearance was extremely similar to the 'Treant' race. If one took Milharbus as an average point, they were generally tall, mostly around two meters in height. Their heads had two observation organs and a highly developed psionic core, a mouth, but no ears, nose, or other facial features. At first glance, it was slightly unsettling, because their essence was still that of a plant.
The body structure of the Midgardians was highly similar to that of humans, but after observing, Joshua discovered that their internal organs were extremely peculiar. Their thinking center was located at the spine, a flexible, semi-transparent strip similar to a tree core, covered in countless tiny tendrils. All other organs, and even the entire shell, grew from the tendrils of this spine. Furthermore, the tree core had the ability to produce sound by vibrating the air with psionic energy, likely used for communication with those of their kind whose psionic abilities were not developed enough for telepathic conversation.
Overall, the appearance of the Midgardians had a strange, uncanny dissonance. In Joshua's view, they definitely had a form more suitable for them, but for various reasons, they had forcibly twisted themselves into their current shape.
And the facts proved this point—with a slight energy fluctuation, the fibrous skin layer of Milharbus, whom he had helped up, was rapidly regenerating under the impetus of psionic energy. In just a few seconds, it was almost completely regenerated. This fibrous skin layer was exceptionally tight, a translucent grayish-white. After being covered by this layer, Milharbus, who had previously only barely formed a humanoid shape from countless roots and leaves, instantly transformed into an appearance extremely similar to a Mycroft human—a tall, steady middle-aged man. The only visible difference was that the Midgardian's hair was a thick layer of green leaves, with root-like tendrils similar to willow branches visible at the bottom.
—This race, imitating the form of the Sage, had imitated it to the point of losing its own appearance.
Watching this scene, Joshua couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He didn't think the humanoid form was necessarily the most perfect shape in this multiverse. Because of different environments and ecologies, every race would have a shell that best suited their civilization. Clearly, the Midgardians, as plant-based lifeforms, were not actually suited to the human form, but with their superb psionic abilities and self-modification, they had forcibly altered their entire race into this shape.
But this matter wasn't important. Slightly organizing his thoughts, Joshua opened his mouth and asked, "I already know that you are about to face an attack from a Void Behemoth... but I don't understand the specific situation. Can you give a detailed account?"
Through the link of Steel Force, he could now communicate without hindrance with this Midgardian leader who called himself Milharbus. But this didn't mean Joshua had learned the Midgardian language. In fact, all the researchers and fleet commanders watching this scene through psionic broadcasts and various camera and recording devices could only hear pronunciations that were completely different from their own civilization, yet had a certain rhythm and cadence.
"The Archon's psionic link is wrapped in a strange power—he can understand the language of that Void Lifeform!"
"Analyze quickly! A Void Lifeform that is benevolent, communicable, and so similar in appearance to the Void Sage... He might be an existence on the side of the true Sage!"
In the analysis office of the Void Lifeform Incident Handling Committee, or Committee for short, dozens of the most learned linguists of the current Midgardian civilization, already prepared, began a tense and joyful analysis based on Joshua's voice, expression, and tone from the camera. The psionic link from Milharbus provided them with great convenience and also made them more clearly understand the goodwill expressed by this Void Lifeform.
Ever since a thousand years ago, when all Midgardians awakened their psionic abilities, more and more people's psionic powers resonated and linked with each other, eventually forming a huge psionic network that almost covered the entire Midgard Star. Through this network, most people with developed psionic abilities could achieve zero-lag information exchange. Milharbus, as the strongest psionicist on Midgard Star, could naturally link to this network. So, with its deliberate openness, these few linguists could understand the meaning of the warrior's words just spoken.
"Why hasn't Milharbus made a move yet?!"
On the other side, high in the sky, aboard the flagship *Pioneer*, Taquin watched the broadcast on the bridge. Instead of feeling joy, he gripped his walking cane tightly. The wrinkles on the slightly aged commander's face piled up layer by layer, showing his extreme nervousness: "The energy peak of the Psionic Pillar is about to fall! If we don't use the entire planet's psionic power to control that guy now, there will never be another chance!"
Unlike other Midgardian high-ranking officials who optimistically viewed Joshua's actions, Taquin, who had personally experienced the war against the Crystal Insects, was extremely wary of any Void Lifeform. In his view, although Joshua hadn't immediately started destruction, wasn't that the same for the Crystal Insects back then? In the first few years after being summoned, the Crystal Insects not only made great contributions to the materials science of the entire Midgardian civilization, but also excavated several asteroid mines that were impossible to mine with the technology of the time, providing the Midgardians with a large amount of resources.
But in the end, it turned against them, not only emptying all the benefits it had brought, but also severely damaging the Midgardians' strength, plunging them into civil strife and a dark age of division. It wasn't until over a thousand years later that the Midgardians once again ventured into the stars.
Temporary goodwill is meaningless. Who knows if this Void Lifeform, upon seeing that Void Behemoth as large as an asteroid, might be frightened into turning against them? At a critical moment for the survival of the entire civilization, to avoid any accidents, Taquin believed that compared to communication, using powerful psionic energy to control the other party was the best choice.
And there were actually quite a few high-ranking military officials who shared his thoughts. These Midgardians, who had more or less experienced that dark age, were extremely wary of all external life. In their understanding, Joshua was a powerful and uncontrollable force of extreme danger, the most dangerous double-edged sword the Midgardians had ever used. If they didn't use forceful means, they might very well be cut by this sword in return.
Meanwhile, on the Ceremonial Platform, Milharbus, who had recovered from the shock of the series of events following Joshua's arrival, smiled somewhat awkwardly. Without even using a mental link, it could guess what its old friends were thinking. They were definitely shouting behind the screens for it to preside over the ritual and control this Void Lifeform calling itself [Joshua van Radcliffe]. But not to mention that it actually didn't want to do this, even if it wanted to, it couldn't!
From the very beginning, its control over the ritual had been seized by a powerful will from beyond the Void Veil. That vast psionic pillar of light, though seemingly controlled by it, had actually completely become the property of another. And speaking of control... through instinctive psionic sensing, Milharbus could sense just how terrifying an existence the life in front of it was—around it were almost infinite, hundreds of thousands of pure psionic fragments, filled with infinite resentment and despair.
It was these fragments that had previously eroded the psionic pillar and released the Aura of Despair. And now, these psionic fragments, which had nearly thrown the entire Midgardian central fleet formation into chaos, were obediently staying around this being, without any abnormal movement.
—Control a super-lifeform that can suppress hundreds of thousands of resentment fragments and act as if nothing is wrong? Taquin, this is not a simple-minded, almost unintelligent Void creature like the Crystal Insects... This is an existence far beyond your and my imagination.
An existence related to the Void Sage.
Thinking this, the Supreme Archon of the Sacred Council, Milharbus, cautiously and respectfully bowed to Joshua. While vibrating the atmosphere with its psionic energy, it communicated with the warrior mentally: "Your enthusiasm for our race's crisis is truly touching... However, the data related to the Void Behemoth is all in the [Mother Tree Hall], under the strict guard of several Omega-level psionicists, and cannot be displayed immediately. But if you wish, I will take you there right away."
"The sooner, the better. The invasion of Chaos waits for no one; they could launch an attack at any time."
Nodding slightly, Joshua's personality was always this direct. He had come to this world to eliminate Chaos and complete the task of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground's Dominant Will. The Midgardians' politics, conspiracies, unease, and joy were none of his concern. After a pause, the warrior added, "Introduce your civilization."
"Yes."
Milharbus led Joshua down from the Ceremonial Platform at the mountain's summit. In Joshua's perception, this strangely shaped temple platform, made of peculiar materials, contained a clear aura of the Sage, and also housed an almost infinite amount of the Midgardians' spiritual devotion. It was no wonder the ritual to gather power and summon him had to be held here. If not for this place, the psionic energy gathered from millions of people would never have been able to condense to the point of tearing the World Wall.
And as Milharbus narrated, Joshua gained a general understanding of the Midgardian civilization.
Millions of years ago. The ancestors of the Midgardians, a strange tree that reproduced by splitting its root system, suddenly gained the ability to sense psionic energy due to frequent lightning storms, volcanic eruptions, and other various anomalies. Stimulated by psionic energy, this psionic plant gradually gained intelligence and began to understand the meaning of self. Although the daughter plants it split off lost their psionic abilities, they inherited that intelligence. This was the beginning of the Midgardian civilization.
Through millions of years of continuous tempering and evolution, the current Midgardians, under the guidance of the [Void Sage] and through their own unremitting efforts, had become a powerful interstellar race capable of exploring the stars and colonizing outer planets. However, due to their nature as psionic plant lifeforms, they actually didn't like migrating, preferring to settle on their homeworld. Although their lifespans were long, measured in thousands of years, their reproduction rate was unimaginably slow.
A Midgardian could exchange pollen—that is, reproductive information—with another Midgardian to conceive a daughter plant. The daughter plant would split from the tree core at their spine. This process would take 75 to 125 years. During this period, the psionic level of the Midgardian conceiving the daughter plant would drop by several ranks, only recovering after the daughter plant had fully split. If they really didn't want to interact with others, a solitary Midgardian could also self-split, taking the same amount of time.
Although the gestation period was long, fortunately, the offspring of Midgardians were born with the knowledge of their parent generation. Knowledge that was too profound might be forgotten due to incomplete thinking organs, but basic knowledge could be passed down, which greatly saved education time. A Midgardian would typically only conceive 2 to 3 times in their lifetime, each time producing 1 to 3 daughter plants. This slow population increase made them dislike conflict, because if a large number of their kind were lost and the population couldn't be replenished in time, the entire civilization might collapse. This was precisely why the massacre of the Leaf Court Star by the Crystal Insects back then had caused such a long-lasting aftereffect.
The Midgardian political structure was similar to a human republic, jointly ruled by the Sacred Council—an arbitration body composed of a large number of elite psionicists—and the Supreme Archon, who was the strongest psionicist on the planet. Saying this, Milharbus showed a slightly tired, bitter smile. As the leader of a civilization, although it had great power, the responsibilities it bore were equally immense. Just like this time, being responsible for the Void Gate ritual, if what was summoned wasn't Joshua but some other terrifying Void monster, it, as the summoner, would definitely be the first to die in the line of duty.
"Actually, the supreme leader of the Midgardians is not me."
After the bitter smile, Milharbus led Joshua down to the temple complex below the platform. It said somewhat helplessly, "Although the Supreme Archon is a lifelong position, as long as someone's psionic strength surpasses mine, I will be replaced within four years. The same goes for the hundred members of the Sacred Council. And whether it's the Supreme Archon or the Sacred Council, they all serve that true supreme leader."
"Oh? Then who is that supreme leader?"
Hearing this, Joshua asked with some curiosity. Although he already had some guesses in his mind, he wanted Milharbus to say it itself.
"It's hard to explain in words... When you go to the Mother Tree Hall, you'll probably understand."
Milharbus seemed truly unsure how to describe it, so it could only skip this part. Inside the temple, many Midgardian priests in long robes were respectfully waiting nearby for instructions. Even though Joshua, a Void Lifeform, walked past them, these priests with powerful psionic abilities and wills didn't even raise their heads to look. And just as Milharbus uttered the words 'Mother Tree Hall,' a priest who was clearly the leader stepped forward and said respectfully, "The Psionic Leap Gate is ready, Supreme Archon. It can be used at any time."
"Good, I understand."
Simply responding to this leading priest, Milharbus then led Joshua towards the location of the Psionic Leap Gate. As they walked, it cautiously asked, "Mr. Radcliffe... you seem to know of the existence of the Void Sage? May I ask, He..."
This was practically nonsense. Not to mention Joshua's reaction to the water droplet earlier, just his appearance alone proved his deep connection with the Sage, let alone the fact that the warrior himself had been pulled here by a distress signal from a relic of the Sage. But knowing was one thing; verbally acknowledging a certain situation was more important than tacit acceptance, so Milharbus still asked in a roundabout way.
"The Sage is one of the founders of civilization in our world."
Regarding this Midgardian Archon's question, Joshua thought for a moment, then answered in the simplest way: "He is not only the Sage of your world; He is the Sage of many worlds. The Sage is greater than you imagine. The reason you could summon me is also because of the foreshadowing left by the Sage back then."
"And I am His successor, dozens of generations later."
Joshua genuinely felt admiration for the Sage's power and breadth of mind. Not to mention other things, just the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground's ability to teleport across the scale of the multiverse was far beyond many people's imagination, let alone the various marvelous abilities of the Dominant Will.
The warrior could certainly sense that, the moment he was summoned, that vast psionic pillar of light had tried to invade his mind and control him. This was actually standard for many summoning rituals; many sorcerers summoned demons this way. Otherwise, why would those summoned beings obey the caster's commands? Although Joshua considered himself not weak, facing the combined psionic power of an entire planet, he was still outmatched. But the Dominant Will, in the final moments of the teleportation, forcibly took control of the ritual. This not only prevented the Midgardians from using the psionic pillar to control him, but also greatly amplified his strength.
It should be noted that in the Sixth Abyss, Joshua's full-power form was only about a hundred meters tall. After more than half a year of training, he was just over a hundred and forty meters. But under the amplification of the psionic pillar, he could easily condense a steel giant of four hundred meters or even larger. At that time, Joshua hadn't fully understood the Steel Force of this unfamiliar world and couldn't exert his full power. Yet, in a non-full-power state, he could use power that exceeded his previous limits. This level of amplification could only be described as terrifying.
Passing through an ancient stone corridor and following Milharbus around a corner, Joshua saw the Psionic Leap Gate not far away, located in the center of the mountain-top temple—a peculiar psionic construct somewhat similar to the teleportation gates of the Mycroft Continent. It seemed that in terms of space-time, the two civilizations were not too different.
"It's about time to stand down from combat readiness."
Thinking this, the warrior took down the greatsword and giant axe from his back. The next instant, accompanied by a strong surge of magical power, under the tense and wary gaze of Milharbus, who had turned his head sharply, the curious Ying and the calm Lin appeared before the eyes of this Midgardian Supreme Archon.
"The magical power in this place is very thin, Master." The silver-haired girl's psionic body flickered slightly. She first closed her eyes to sense the surrounding free energy, then said with some concern, "To be precise, it's not thin, but vastly different from the Mycroft World. Lin and I might not be able to operate for long."
"Indeed... The magic here has a feeling of being mixed with the Nature's Force of the elves..." Lin, on the other hand, turned her head, looked in the direction of the Ceremonial Platform, and muttered to herself with some curiosity, "Eh, Master, look, that fluctuation feels a bit familiar..."
Without needing Lin's reminder, Joshua had already turned around, frowning as he looked at the Ceremonial Platform—the high platform where Milharbus had held the Void Gate ritual. He too sensed an extremely familiar fluctuation. The warrior couldn't help but say, "No way? How is that possible?!"
At this moment, Milharbus and the surrounding temple priests were still in shock from the sudden appearance of Ying and Lin. The Supreme Archon blinked its three eyes and said somewhat incredulously, "I didn't even notice... We summoned three Void existences at once?!"
But before its shock could ferment further, outside the temple, on the Ceremonial Platform at the mountain's summit, a mechanical, colossal will descended once again. As space-time rippled violently like the sea, a cerulean blue space-time gate suddenly appeared at the very center of the platform—before Joshua or the reappearing Dominant Will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground could communicate, a figure shot out from the space-time gate and landed on the platform.
Sensing an extremely familiar aura, in the blink of an eye, Joshua appeared outside the temple. He flew up to the platform and locked eyes with the suddenly appearing figure. Even the usually calm warrior couldn't help but exclaim, "Nostradamus?! Why are you here?!"
And Milharbus, who had followed Joshua's footsteps outside the temple and looked towards the location of the massive energy fluctuation, was completely stunned into speechlessness—
Buy... buy one get three free?!