Chapter 1: The Gaze of the Entire World
Mycroft World, Fairyland, former Space-Time Distortion Point External Observation Camp, now Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground Exploration Base.
Starfall 836, February 23rd, 7:12 PM.
Hill, a formal Dragon Knight of the Sea Dragon Knight Order's First Grand Company, stood with his humanoid dragon companion, a Sea Sword Dragon named 'Fina', at the entrance of the exploration base representing 'Sage of the Eastern Sea Faina'. He stretched his waist somewhat lazily. He wasn't tall, at least appearing quite petite compared to his sea dragon companion. A head of long black hair hung down his back, swaying with the movement of his head. The blue-haired Sea Dragon lady stood behind him, slowly tidying her contractor's hairstyle, a soft light flickering in her sapphire-like eyes.
Both of them wore an emblem depicting a dragon intersecting with a dragon lance. Above that was another emblem shaped like two golden dolphins, seemingly representing their status and identity.
"Haven't the regimental commander and the others returned yet?"
Hill, an elf whose slow aging was only slightly less pronounced than a dragon's, appeared to be a youth but was actually much older than many. He gazed towards the edge of Fairyland, at the void shimmering with hazy light, and muttered to himself in a lazy tone: "Shift change is almost here. Given the regimental commander's punctual habits, there must have been some discovery."
"Just hope they're not in danger." Fina, considered beautiful by most standards, combed Hill's hair while pouting somewhat absently: "After all, even that man went missing in there."
"I think it's less about 'that man' going missing and more about him actively exploring some place we still don't know about."
Regarding his companion's thoughts, Hill shook his head in disagreement. He narrowed his violet eyes, looking towards the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground at the other end of spacetime, shrouded by countless lights and spatial barriers, and said softly: "After all, he is Joshua."
Hill and Fina were companions who, along with the Church of the Seven Gods and others, had explored the Abyss of Anos with Joshua over a year ago during the Mad Dragon War period. As core members of the Eastern Sea Sea Dragon Knight Order, this Elf Druid and his Sea Sword Dragon companion were hired by the Church as marine experts, specifically to monitor ocean current changes and the direction of the Great Maelstrom. Although due to some accidents, the Abyss of Anos underwent a massive upheaval midway, with ocean currents and the Maelstrom changing bizarrely because of the Five-Colored Dragon and the Abyss's schemes, they still contributed significantly as companions to Joshua and the others' battles.
This time, due to the incident at the Space-Time Distortion Point - Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the two, as members of the Sea Dragon Knight Order—one of the two major forces under Sage of the Eastern Sea Faina—naturally followed the Sea Dragon Knight Order's regimental commander to the camp in Fairyland. Because Fina's true form was a Sea Sword Dragon, not well-suited to the dry environment on the other side of the Sacrificial Ground, the two stayed behind together to patrol the base.
"Speaking of which, back then Joshua was at the Ultimate Peak, close to a breakthrough, just like our regimental commander. But now, the regimental commander is still at the Peak, while he's already a Legendary expert."
Talking about 'that man', Fina, who had been feeling a bit bored guarding the base, suddenly showed some interest. She simply pulled Hill into her arms and, amidst his protests of 'let me go', sat down on the side: "Back then, the Sage said he might achieve Legendary within a few years, but neither the Sage nor us guessed he would advance so quickly."
Fina's voice was full of emotion. For ordinary dragons, they reach Silver High-rank upon adulthood. Those with special bloodlines or some talent can break through to Gold Low-rank. Moreover, due to their innate talents, they are generally stronger than other races at the same level. However, conversely, because their physical mass is too large and their foundation too solid after adulthood, it's very difficult for them to elevate their life essence and reach the Ultimate Realm.
Take Fina, for example. She has been an adult for over a hundred years, but she is still at Gold High-rank. Not only has she not touched the wall of Ultimate, she hasn't even reached Gold Peak. And she is a rare diligent dragon, having joined the Sea Dragon Knight Order and received guidance from many Dragon Knights, even Legendary experts. Even so, she hasn't broken through the limitations of her innate race.
"You are just an ordinary Sea Sword Dragon. Your father was an unremarkable Blue Sea Dragon, your mother an unexceptional Sword Horn Dragon. No special bloodline, no outstanding inheritance."
Held tightly in Fina's arms, his head nestled between her chest, the Elf youth struggled for a bit before giving up. Hearing his companion's slightly sighing words, Hill shook his head seriously: "If you hadn't worked hard, you'd be at most Gold Low-rank now, just like those evil dragons hunted by Dragon Slayer groups worldwide—just an ordinary beast. But now, you are a famous Sea Dragon that the Church of the Seven Gods must formally invite... Don't compare yourself to monsters. They seem enviable, but they actually bear responsibilities many cannot understand."
Saying this, Hill chuckled. He glanced again at the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground beyond the edge of spacetime: "Take Joshua, for instance. Look how little he has rested in recent years, and how many difficult challenges he has faced. I bet this time he deliberately stirred up trouble, and the result just surprised everyone."
Although not entirely accurate, Hill's guess wasn't far off. Just as the two were enjoying the warm evening time in Fairyland, accompanied by a violent spatial turbulence sweeping across half the spacetime domain, a silver star silently descended from the distant starry sea, crossing realms!
"Great!"
Seeing this, Hill's eyes lit up. He actually broke free from Fina's embrace and stood up, saying somewhat excitedly: "Joshua must be back!"
His tone revealed no doubt whatsoever about Joshua's safe return.
"What are you so excited about..." Fina straightened her clothes, complaining somewhat dissatisfied: "So what if he's back? After all this time, who knows if that Legendary Warrior still remembers us..."
"Even if he doesn't, I want to pay him a visit." Hill ignored his partner's thoughts and said to himself: "Rumor has it that the two visiting mentors at the Sky-Piercing White Tower, 'Rune Master' and 'Mind Master', have recently become very close with Count Radcliffe. Besides being Legendary Mages, these two are the core Silver Sky Radiance of the Ancient Dragon Realm. They will fulfill their duty as the artificial sun of their demiplane, gradually purifying the Abyss aura in the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground and rebuilding the ecosystem. The energy core and patrol hub at the center will also restart some functions, providing basic charging and maintenance for the Giant Divine Soldiers activated by external interference.
Speaking of Giant Divine Soldiers, Joshua happened to obtain quite a bit of information from the Dominant Will. As guardians of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, half of the seven hundred and twenty active Giant Divine Soldiers are still in slumber. Most of them are damaged and require large-scale repairs. However, the ones that can still move can actually be used as mercenaries by paying a certain amount of energy or resources, teleporting together to other worlds to complete tasks.
The strength of a Giant Divine Soldier, by the standards of the Starfall Era, is at the Ultimate Mid-rank level. But if they were to fight an Ultimate Mid-rank expert, the Giant Divine Soldier would definitely lose. For someone like Joshua, even a Low-rank might not necessarily be defeated. But even so, as war puppets, they have one extremely commendable aspect: terrifying firepower. As one of the creations of [Creator Dalaniel], the God of Machinery and Puppets from the Radiant Era, Giant Divine Soldiers possess berserk automatic spellcasting abilities comparable to an entire Mage Legion. With sufficient energy, a single one can suppress an entire enemy Transcendent Legion.
Although Giant Divine Soldiers have no room to perform on a battlefield of the Starry World level, for continent-level suppression, bringing one would definitely make completing the task much easier.
Besides this, there was much other information. For instance, after Joshua and the others went missing, the forces of the Mycroft Continent conducted many tense searches and explorations. The Dominant Will controlled the Giant Divine Soldiers to avoid conflict with them as much as possible, but one Giant Divine Soldier was still ambushed and destroyed by some force. Considering that these people were also searching for Joshua, the Dominant Will did not retaliate, only strengthening security and expelling all outsiders from the core area of the plane.
"Master Nostradamus, can you sense how many factions are in the Sacrificial Ground now?"
Joshua, while watching Ying and Lin, who had finally caught the wildly flying light orb, asked the old mage beside him, who was studying a gift from the Steel Serpent Star that Joshua had transferred to him. Nostradamus was currently trying to figure out what exactly the strange, faint light mass in his hand was, but upon hearing Joshua's words, he looked up, scanning most of the plane from a height: "Let me see... Our Black Crow Legion, the regimental commander of the Sea Dragon Knight Order, those students under Barbarossa, the Fishmen... Oh? The Church of the Seven Gods and the Elves have also sent people? And there's a psychic royal elder from the Western Mountain, an old acquaintance of mine."
"Seven major factions. Basically, all the major powers of the Mycroft Continent are here. Our disappearance has truly moved the entire world."
Saying this, the old mage chuckled. He seemed to have no particular reaction, unsure if he thought such a grand scene was only natural or if he was simply used to it. But indeed, as some of the few Legendary experts in the entire world, their every move would affect countless people's nerves.
"It wasn't a disappearance. We just went to save the world."
Having returned to a familiar world, Joshua felt every part of his body, every strand of Steel Force, humming in resonance. Sensing his enhanced strength, he smiled and naturally flew into the air: "Now, let's go meet them and, incidentally, tell them a piece of good news that will make the entire world soar."
"Slow down. I haven't figured out what this thing is yet... Fine." Shaking his head, Nostradamus also flew up. He put away the Steel Serpent's gift in his hand and said somewhat helplessly: "Getting back early is also a good thing. We've wasted too much time. I don't know how long Israel has been sulking."
"Saving the people of several planets is hardly a waste of time. And you were the one who insisted on following. I originally planned to handle it alone."
Bringing Ying, Lin, and the still-excited light orb, Joshua and Nostradamus flew rapidly towards the periphery of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the edge of spacetime. The atmosphere was left behind them, producing a deafening roar, but both were relaxed, having returned to their long-lost homeland. At the same time, the entire Fairyland trembled slightly because of the silver star that had just streaked across the starry sky. Countless personnel from various forces worldwide rushed out of their exploration bases, formed ranks, and set off, gathering towards the periphery of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. Their expressions were tense and excited, their hearts trembling with the unpredictable future.
Because the two Legends, who had been gone for so long, had finally returned to this world.
And because the gaze of the entire world was focused here.