Chapter 3: The Impending Cataclysm
Nothing in this world could be more insane than this.
In the hundred-plus years since his birth, Barbarossa had encountered countless bizarre events—whether it was an ancient toad dug from underground rock that had remained alive after a thousand years of hibernation, or the undying creatures in ancient ruins that could not be killed, possessing neither soul nor life. He had touched them with his own hands and fought them personally. But even those seemingly impossible events had their own logic and reasons behind them—the toad, due to its unique internal circulation and suitable environment, could push hibernation to the point of nearly stopping time, while the seemingly undying undead relied on a thread of human obsession to repeatedly rise from death.
Yet all these events combined were not even one percent as wondrous as what he had heard today.
When that recently promoted Legendary, the young Northern warrior who had just returned from another world, narrated one seemingly impossible yet perfectly reasonable matter after another in the void with impeccable logic, Barbarosa felt that nothing in this world could be more insane than this—the Sage, the Era of Radiance, the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the Final Door, the First Abyss War, the Evil Gods, the Saints, the struggles of the ancient gods, and the fire seed of the Grandia World, the annihilated civilizations, the lost three hundred years, and the vanished Saints… Every time a matter was revealed, the Legendary experts present could not help but want to interrupt, yet for some unknown reason, they remained silent.
Barbarosa was the Fourth Seat of the Sky-Piercing White Tower, yet in truth, he was the leader of the most powerful mage organization on the Mycroft Continent. Before him were the First Seat, the founder of the White Tower and the originator of alchemy, and his teacher, the founder of modern spellcasting who had unified and categorized all primitive mages. These three occupied the first, second, and third seats respectively, and he, as the strongest standing on the shoulders of giants, was the Fourth Seat. All future leaders of the Sky-Piercing White Tower would be the Fourth Seat—this was to pay tribute to the sages who had blazed the trail through thorns and mud, and also to remind everyone that the path of truth had no supremacy, only humble modesty.
As a Legendary mage who possessed countless ancient texts and traditions, Barbarosa also wanted to interrupt Joshua's narration. He too knew some truths about this world—such as the fall of the Era of Radiance, and the past invasions of the Abyss and Evil Gods—but other aspects were only fragmentary records. The moment the warrior spoke, Barbarosa knew that this man was telling no lies. Whether it was about the Sage, the previous era, or the Evil Gods, it was all undeniably true. But precisely because of this, he should not have spoken so easily—in this defenseless void, before the eyes of those not yet qualified to know such things.
Such momentous news should have been delivered within the most heavily fortified fortress, in a secret meeting room isolated from all external influences, to Legendary experts alone.
Barbarosa scanned the void. The Sage of the Eastern Sea, Faina, and Israel were also making the same observation. When Joshua had first spoken, saying he had important matters and truths to inform the major powers, no one had shown any dismissiveness. Instead, they had treated it with the utmost seriousness. A Legendary expert had no need to use exaggerated methods to attract attention. Since the warrior had said it concerned a world, then this matter was undoubtedly related to the rise and fall of a world, and they had to take it seriously. Subsequently, the envoy from the Church of the Seven Gods, Loranda, a disciple of the current Pope Igel; the envoy from the Elven Court, the Archdruid Elsa, a disciple of the Nature Mentor—both were representatives of Legendary experts. The Fishman race had even sent their Legendary expert Godar in person. Additionally, a psychic named Arnold, representing the ancient Psychic Imperial lineage of the Western Mountains, had also come to the void.
Now, all these people were stunned. Among them were those who had long known Joshua and those who had never seen this man before, but no one doubted that this man of upright bearing would lie. So, as one message after another concerning the entire Mycroft World was revealed, no matter how hard it was to believe, they had no choice but to believe.
"The Church of the Seven Gods has long been prepared for the Abyss's invasion. During the Mad Dragon Plague, the Five-Colored Dragon Clan clearly had a cooperative relationship with the Demon Lords in the Abyss. According to our knowledge, the Five-Colored Dragon Clan that fled the Mycroft World has already occupied a masterless Abyss and completely degenerated into 'demons.'"
Loranda, the envoy of the Church of the Seven Gods, had known Joshua for a long time, and their personal relationship was quite good, but this was not the time for greetings. The Paladin used information gathered by the Church of the Seven Gods to testify for Joshua, confirming that the warrior had not fabricated anything: "If we struggle just to resist the Five-Colored Dragon Clan, then those bullies who prey on the weak, the demons, could invade at any time. Fortunately, aside from the great destruction brought to the Far South Kingdom, the Mad Dragon Plague did not cause indelible damage to the entire continent. In that case, even if several Abysses join forces to invade, as long as we do not have internal strife, we are not without the power to fight."
Loranda's words were fair. Both the Fishman High Priest Godar and Barbarosa himself nodded. The Sky-Piercing White Tower and the Eastern Sea Sage's faction did have a grudge against the Fishman race. Barbarosa himself had once exterminated several Fishman tribes. If one were to trace the hatred back, many of the Legendary mage's ancestors had died at the hands of the Fishmen who once ravaged the Eastern Sea. But this series of hatreds were internal matters of the Mycroft Continent. Everyone needed a complete and healthy ecosystem. This created a decisive contradiction with the demons who invaded from outside, bringing only plunder and destruction. Under this primary contradiction, the grudges between the Easterners and the Fishmen could be set aside for now.
"The Chaotic Sealed Lands have indeed been active in recent years."
The psychic Arnold, an old man who looked at least seventy years old, also confirmed the authenticity of this aspect: "Since the Great Magic Tide began, the pollution left behind by the Evil Gods has been continuously expanding. The recent active performance of the Plague Cult should be due to this reason."
"Those Great Devourers born from Chaos should truly be returning."
In fact, almost all the major powers present were guarding one or two Chaotic Sealed Lands. They naturally knew that as the Evil Gods at the other end of the multiverse responded to the waves of the Great Magic Tide, awakening from their ancient slumber and beginning another tour of the realms, these marks left by them—or rather, the limbs that had been severed by the Mycroft Civilization of the Era of Radiance—became beacons attracting them to return once more. They would surely return with fire and blood, spreading destruction and death to countless worlds.
The matters Joshua spoke of were confirmed one by one by the major powers based on what they knew. Now, even if everyone was still not entirely clear, they at least knew a few things: the Abyss invasion in the next ten-plus years, the Evil Gods' return in the next few decades. The warrior had essentially told them the future he knew from his previous life.
A future known by one person meant nothing. But if a world's upper echelons—those who controlled almost all resources and also represented the highest martial power, the Legendary experts—all knew it, then changing this so-called future would be as easy as eating and drinking. If Joshua had said these words when he had just transmigrated, no one would have believed him. But now that he had become a Legendary expert, every word he spoke was enough to change the world.
"Then… the sudden activation of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground you mentioned, which took you and Nostradamus to another world, proves that it has not completely stopped functioning."
Beside him, the Sage of the Eastern Sea, Faina, spoke. She was a woman whose face seemed shrouded in light, making it impossible to discern her features or expression. Every strand of her hair seemed like transparent crystal, yet emitted a soft, pale white glow, like flowing ribbons of light. A powerful psychic force surrounded her, isolating all temporal and spatial turbulence in the void. Faina spoke with some confusion: "You say this demiplane was created jointly by a powerful being called the Sage and the gods of the previous era, possessing the ability to connect all realms. But precisely because it brought the Final Door, countless Abyss demons used it as a source to invade our world and destroy the previous era—so why don't we simply destroy it?"
Faina's voice seemed almost non-existent. All who heard her words could only remember the content of what she said, but could not recall what tone or rhythm she had used. This was a purely spiritual language. And what she said did make several people, led by Israel, nod. Since the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was the source of the previous destruction, whether its sudden activation this time was good or bad was indeed difficult to discern.
Before that, they should first ask what Joshua and Nostradamus had encountered in that other world. Beside them, the psychic Arnold had originally wanted to raise this question. As the Grand Elder of the Psychic Imperial family and a high-ranking Grand Psychic, Arnold had always lived a life second only to one, above ten thousand. This time, he had planned to follow his usual habit and press Joshua and the old mage for every detail. But just as he was about to speak, an ominous psychic premonition appeared in his heart. Arnold suddenly remembered something, shuddered, and fell silent.
He wasn't an idiot. In a place swarming with Legendary experts, there was no room for him to speak. Even if his brain had turned to water, he wouldn't dare to pressure a Legendary expert.
Joshua, meanwhile, glanced at Faina. He probably knew the truth about why the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground connected to all Abysses—as a Myriad Realms-level world hub created by the Sage to help all intelligent civilizations in need across the multiverse, it would assign tasks and worlds of corresponding levels based on the applicant's strength. And back then, the Sage should have been the first to activate the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground… The question was, with the Sage's power and grand aspirations, which world would need him to save it?
Only the Abyss. The endless Abyss, formed from the fragments of countless dead worlds linked together, known as the graveyard of worlds in the multiverse. The Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground had simultaneously opened doors connecting to all Abysses because it believed that the Sage could—and only the Sage could—go to help them.
But this was just a guess, not something easy to say out loud.
"Everything has its good side and its bad side. The Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground did bring about the destruction of the previous era, but it can also bring us endless opportunities. It depends on whether you are willing to try or conservatively cling to so-called safety."
Joshua did not answer Faina's question alone. He scanned the void—Nostradamus, Israel, Barbarosa, Godar, Loranda representing Igel, Elsa representing the Nature Mentor, and Arnold, the spokesperson for the largest force in the Western Mountains. These people represented more than seventy percent of the major powers in the entire Mycroft World. This crude void gathered half of this world's Legendary experts and some future Legends. He spoke seriously: "Nostradamus and I fought the minions of the Plague Evil God at the other end of time and space, in another world—a Legendary-level void monster larger than the Imperial Capital of the Northern Empire plus the Three Mountains combined. It was a hard battle. Even Nostradamus and I had to go all out to destroy it."
"In contrast, that world has numerous brilliant civilizations and nearly countless lands suitable for habitation. Nostradamus has collected data on many of their technologies, enough to advance the entire level of our world by several generations. If we can build large semi-permanent teleportation gates there for colonization, then why would we need to hate and kill each other over the insignificant bit of land in the Mycroft World?"
Joshua had no intention of hiding the effects of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. If he alone possessed this demiplane, it would merely be a transfer station for tasks, and he didn't need such a station. The Steel Serpent of Carlis had contacted several other World Wills and could do something similar to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. This thing, as the Sage had hoped in the previous era, should be provided to the entire civilization—a large-scale expansion teleportation hub that would allow a world's powers to step into the multiverse. The Mycroft Civilization of the Era of Falling Stars would draw nourishment from the myriad realms, growing rapidly until it matched the Era of Radiance, or even surpassed it.
Joshua felt Israel's gaze. He turned to look at the smiling Emperor and also slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
Hiding the effects of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, letting other powers explore slowly, and letting the Northern Empire take advantage of the opportunity to gain an early lead—this was indeed feasible. Israel had certainly thought of this too. After all, Joshua and Nostradamus were both from the Northern Empire. But it was meaningless. Exploring another world with the strength of a single nation would be slow, requiring secrecy and caution. Such a thing could not be hidden for long. Even if successful, the Northern Empire would be boycotted by other powers on the Mycroft Continent. Most importantly, who knew if there were civilizations in that other world worth communicating and trading with? If it were a primitive world, it would just be another piece of land to develop.
Little benefit, great risk. But Joshua knew that the reason Israel had not entertained this thought, and even welcomed Joshua's actions, was not due to this simple calculation of interests. It was because he was Israel—an 'Emperor' who intended to reform the foundation of the aristocracy, a 'reformer.' What he hoped to see was not some power dominating alone, but the collective progress of the entity called 'humanity,' called the 'Mycroft World.'
Joshua turned to look at the other Legendary experts again. Master Nostradamus, like Israel, needed no further comment. Barbarosa, who pursued truth, would naturally not mind others exploring the truths of another world with him. Faina, who was one with the world, would not think it bad to merge with several worlds at once. The Fishman High Priest Godar needed even less mention—he probably wished everyone else would go explore other worlds so he could find a world with oceans, allowing the Fishman race to freely reproduce and grow. How could he think this was bad?
Beyond that, the Church of the Seven Gods, the Elf Clan, and the Psychic Imperial lineage of the Western Mountains also had no objections. Or rather, they needed to return and report this matter to the Legendary experts and true decision-makers behind them before reaching a conclusion. But for now, Joshua's task was done. He had told everything he could tell to these people.
Next would be the carnival of the entire world.
The leaders of the seven major powers dispersed. Nostradamus also left with Israel, planning to return to the Imperial Capital first. But Joshua intended to stay in the Fairyland for a while longer to check on the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground again.
Before parting, the long-unseen Paladin Loranda smiled and told Joshua that Pope Igel recently had something to discuss with him and would visit soon. The Elf Clan envoy Elsa, a green-haired elf with a dignified face and gentle smile, also politely informed the warrior that the Nature Mentor had some questions and would choose a time for a talk. Before leaving, Israel surprisingly showed no anger. He just shook his head with a wry smile, said, "Youth is wonderful," and gracefully had the old mage open a teleportation gate, returning directly to the Imperial Capital.
In an instant, the void that had gathered several Legendary experts became empty, leaving only Joshua, who turned and flew toward the Fairyland. But in the warrior's heart, he knew that the surface calm of the major powers meant that storms were churning within them, even raising towering waves. Only when these people calmed down and truly understood what he had said would the real world stir with the same waves.
By then, his changes to this world would no longer be trivial matters like saving a few cities or altering a few events.
It would be a 'cataclysm'—one that could overturn heaven and earth, turning the river of fate in another direction.