Chapter 4: Tallying the Harvest
While the other legendary experts hurried back to their own factions, preparing to deduce future targets and plans with their think tanks, Joshua was in no rush to return to the Fairyland. Instead, he walked slowly through the void, sensing the ripples of space-time around him.
The existence of a world itself creates ripples in the void, and the convergence of ripples from the countless worlds of the multiverse forms the incredibly chaotic space-time turbulence. Lower civilizations cannot even penetrate this natural barrier to observe the existence of other worlds. But legendary experts are different. Every transcendent being who has advanced to become a super lifeform possesses observational means sufficient to see through the turbulence. Joshua's Steel Force vision was one such method. His gaze pierced through the layered ripples, sweeping towards the worlds shimmering with light behind them.
Thanks to the gift from the Steel Serpent Star, Joshua's Steel Force had been greatly enhanced. He could now see more and farther worlds. If he gazed into the distance with focus, he could even discern the general layout of this space-time domain: it was a two-armed spiral cluster of worlds, with the Mycroft World located in the upper-central region of this spiral. Countless worlds shimmered under the light of the Great Magic Tide, making it easier for people to observe the form of the multiverse.
Although this journey to the Starry World was brief and arduous, the actual harvest was quite substantial. The Steel Force, Steel Shards, and Psionic Core counted as one portion. The intelligence regarding the Plague Evil God, which could not be valued with actual currency, counted as another. But besides these, Joshua also had an unexpected gain.
Producing a crystal cylinder from somewhere—exquisitely crafted and solemn, inscribed with countless ancient Midgardian runes—Joshua examined the 'Amber Pillar' in his hand as he walked through the void. This crystal pillar, the pinnacle of Midgardian technological achievement, possessed the ability to freeze the time of objects stored within it through a magnetic field.
Time and space are one. When space is fixed and all things cease to move, time also stops. The reverse is also true. The Amber Pillar, capable of stagnating all material motion, indeed allowed the objects it stored to reach a state of eternity in a certain sense. When something is eternally motionless and no longer affected by external influences, it can be called indestructible. Joshua believed that if he could learn the stagnation field of the Amber Pillar and apply it to his own external armor, he could achieve higher defensive power in a short time than by simply piling up material density.
But more important than the pillar itself was the object stored within it.
"The Water Droplet."
Raising the crystal cylinder to eye level, Joshua raised an eyebrow and carefully observed the blue, droplet-shaped substance of ultimate simplicity behind the stagnation field.
'Water Droplet,' in the Midgardian language, could also be translated as 'dewdrop' or 'dew.' But because of its shape, Joshua was accustomed to calling it a Water Droplet. This was a gift from the Sage to the Midgardians over a thousand years ago. Its function was unknown, but it was regarded by all Midgardians as an inviolable sacred relic, kept tightly guarded within the Grand Temple inside the Mother Tree for over a thousand years. If it weren't for the nearly desperate Void Portal ritual, Milhabbs and the others would never have taken out this sacred object.
With their technology, the Midgardians could not identify the substance that made up the Water Droplet. This proved that the Sage's existence and power far surpassed Midgardian civilization, making him a god-like being. It also allowed their theocratic nation to remain unified and continue for so long. However, just because the Midgardians couldn't see the Water Droplet's true nature didn't mean others couldn't. At the very least, Joshua could clearly discern its true essence.
It was extremely condensed Steel Force.
Spinning the Amber Pillar in his hand, Joshua thoughtfully observed the Water Droplet inside. For others, the Water Droplet might be a super-dense degenerate matter, the same kind of thing as the 'Steel' formed after a star collapses. But from the perspective of a legendary expert like himself, whose foundation was Steel Force, the Water Droplet wasn't actually real matter. Instead, it had an essential consistency with the Steel Shards gifted by Carlis, Ilgna, and the Star.
In fact, by analyzing the Steel Force fluctuations emitted by the Water Droplet, Joshua had already roughly guessed why the Sage had given it to the Midgardians back then.
"What a coincidence. The Steel Shard the Star gave me was related to spirit and psionics, and this Water Droplet has the same effect."
Unable to resist muttering to himself, Joshua nodded with a subtle expression.
As he said, the essence of the Water Droplet was a piece of Steel Shard similar to that of the Steel Serpent 'Star,' containing vast authority over 'spirit,' 'psionics,' and 'will.' But unlike the Steel Shard, the Water Droplet couldn't directly grant a being psionic power comparable to the Ultimate-rank. Instead, it could subtly influence life within a large area, gradually awakening their spiritual potential.
In other words, if Joshua wasn't mistaken, this seemingly ordinary blue gem-like object was actually a powerful potential stimulator capable of affecting an entire race. In just over a thousand years, all Midgardians had awakened psionics, and the Water Droplet was definitely the main reason. Joshua had found it strange from the beginning. If the Midgardians truly had such powerful psionic potential, how could they have made no progress in over a thousand years? How could a vast stellar civilization, where everyone had awakened psionics before starting interstellar colonization, still be beaten around by Void Behemoths? Now it seemed the Water Droplet had accelerated the Midgardians' psionic awakening, causing their abilities to be mismatched with their technology.
Everything made sense now.
Joshua nodded. This was undoubtedly a good thing. However, because of the different world and the fact that the main transcendent power in the Mycroft World wasn't psionics, the Water Droplet's power and range of effect weren't as great as he had initially imagined. It had shrunk from covering a planet to at most half a province. But at the very least, it could make people within its range full of energy and continuously strengthen their spiritual power. Not to mention humans, after a thousand years, it might even cause some mana-rich ores or trees to awaken intelligence, becoming natural earth elementals or treants. That was the Water Droplet's effect.
"It can be placed in the Lord's Manor... or Winterfell Academy, both are within its range."
Pacing in the void, Joshua frowned in thought, hesitating slightly. "It's a difficult choice. And last time, I burned Israel's Fusion Core Star to ashes. Logically, I should give him some treasures in return... But this thing is meaningless to him. Tsk, why are Midgardian things so slow? At this fluctuation intensity, it would take at least eighty years to show slight results. Humans aren't plant life; they don't have such long lifespans. At most, it would greatly increase the chance of becoming a ghost."
Although the Water Droplet was good, it was a treasure tailor-made for the Midgardians, even if they no longer needed it now. Based on his speculation, Joshua believed the Sage intended for the Midgardians to use this thing as a coordinate to summon him after they had all awakened psionics, for further instructions. But due to various reasons, accidents occurred on both sides, leading to the summoning of the Evil God's minions.
After thinking for a while, Joshua decided to first place it in the Lord's Manor. After all, he was a master of Steel Force and had obtained many Steel Shards. If he seriously worked on modifying it, he might be able to transform the Water Droplet into a form more suitable for life in the Mycroft World. In the process, he could also learn many techniques related to Steel Force. Perhaps one day, Joshua could be like the Sage, leaving behind only a fragment of power to unconsciously influence the future and development trajectory of a civilization.
Furthermore... the Sage's ability to create something like a Steel Shard meant that over a thousand years ago, he had already reached a state where, as a 'human,' he was equivalent to a 'world.' Steel Shards were generally things that could only be created when a Steel Serpent, as a World Will, split its own authority. The Sage's ability to create similar things proved that he had completely sublimated his life form to an unimaginable level. After all, even the Steel Serpent, as a World Will, only possessed these powers through instinct. But the Sage had walked step by step from the mortal realm to that realm.
One was born with mastery; the other was acquired through understanding. Unlike what most stories tell, the latter is true strength.
With complex emotions, Joshua entered the Fairyland from the void and flew slowly towards the Northern Empire's exploration base.
The Fairyland at this moment was no longer the near-destroyed scene Joshua had seen a few months ago. Now that the four Fairy Queens had restored the plane's balance and recovered from the impact of the Great Magic Tide, the entire Fairyland had transformed into the beautiful garden of legend, belonging to the fairies.
Vast plains, gentle breezes, green grass swaying like waves under the golden sunlight. Rivers like silver ribbons reflected light, flowing quietly through hills and flatlands. At the edge of the plains, dense green forests intertwined with vines, where many young fairies, like fireflies, lived, their laughter and joy filling the air. The power of the four elemental Fairy Queens—Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire—maintained this perfect ecosystem in the void, creating a complete world. This was their legendary path. Now, it seemed this path was undoubtedly correct. As long as one day the Fairyland truly existed as a world, naturally, without needing the Fairy Queens' power, they would have fully achieved the legendary peak and could be called 'World Shapers.'
The human faction's camp was located in a clearing not far from the Fairy Forest, on a barren patch of land at the edge of the Fairyland. Here, the power of the four Fairy Queens was weakest, and even the air was somewhat thin. But for the carefully selected exploration team members, this wasn't a major problem.
In the Northern Empire's camp, many exploration team members bearing the emblem of the Black Raven Legion were busily preparing. Because of Joshua's return, the Dominant Will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground had lowered its guard. The hundreds of Giant Gods wandering around the sacrificial ground had stopped their patrols and returned to the plane's center for their first maintenance and upgrade in a thousand years. For the keen exploration team members, this was undoubtedly a good opportunity to delve deeper into the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.
Joshua didn't disturb these hardworking explorers. Instead, he landed directly in a clearing in the camp. There, he saw a seven-colored elemental glow illuminating half the camp. Without a doubt, that was Xiao Guang's doing.
"What are you guys up to?"
Arriving at the clearing, Joshua couldn't help but find the scene both amusing and exasperating. Before him was a bizarre sight. Probably trying to restrain the light orb that wanted to run around everywhere, the siblings Ying and Lin were gritting their teeth, hugging the light orb from both sides, preventing it from flying around and causing trouble for others. But because of this, the strong elemental fluctuations were eroding the bodies of the two Divine Mechanisms, causing their psionic bodies to change color along with Xiao Guang's transformations. In other words, because they were hugging Xiao Guang, Ying and Lin had both turned into seven-colored neon lights, now emitting a dazzling rainbow glow.
Sighing, Joshua walked over. With one hand, he lifted the two siblings amidst their surprised cries, tucking them under his armpits. With the height difference between the warrior and the Divine Mechanisms, this was easy. Then, with his other hand, he easily plucked the still restless Xiao Guang from their arms. Once in Joshua's hands, the light orb calmed down, no longer frantically changing colors like a disco ball. But even so, one could still see the core of the light orb flashing with various kinds of light, like the most complex diamond facets.
"Ding ling... ding ling ling ding!"
Excited, Xiao Guang didn't speak but just kept dinging. But since Joshua understood, he didn't mind. After listening for a while, he nodded and said, "You say that after eating that Steel Shard, you feel an endless stream of power welling up from within? This should be because the three Steel authorities of Nature-Life-Spirit have formed a cycle within you. When we get back to Moldavia later, I'll take a closer look, so you don't get too excited and start radiating light everywhere."
He said 'later' because Joshua still had some things he wanted to discuss with the Dominant Will. He planned to set off now and take a look at the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.
But just as Joshua was about to depart from the Fairyland for the sacrificial ground, an exploration team member who appeared to be from the Empire's faction approached him with a somewhat uneasy expression. The man stood straight, his posture firm, and gave Joshua a knight's salute before speaking loudly: "Sir, the Eastern Sea Sea Dragon Knight Order, Sea Dragon Knights Hill and Faina, request an audience with you. May I ask..."
Before the exploration team member, who was clearly a former messenger, could finish, Joshua waved his hand to stop him. After thinking for a moment, Joshua recalled these two teammates who had once fought alongside him in the Abyss of Anos.
"Hill and Faina? It has been a long time. I didn't expect them to join the exploration team. It seems the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground is indeed very attractive to these major factions."
Since they had taken the initiative to come, he naturally had to go see how they were doing now.