Chapter 3: The Lord's Manor Food Chain
Before even approaching the main city of Moldavia, Joshua's keen perception had already discovered a startling fact.
A familiar yet unfamiliar Legendary expert was currently located within the Lord's Manor. His or her aura was steady and calm, as if they were meditating. Meanwhile, Ying, Lin, Number 3, Black, and Light were all in the Lord's Manor, going about their usual activities.
—Who is this?
Joshua couldn't immediately recall whose Legendary aura this slightly familiar feeling belonged to. But without a doubt, it wasn't Israel. His Majesty the Emperor's aura felt like a boundless, vast expanse of empty sky. It wasn't Nostradamus either; the old mage's feeling was one of chaotic, shifting space-time fluctuations. And naturally, it wasn't Eagle. The old Pope's power was so immense that Joshua found it difficult to sense his aura at all, much like trying to pick out a single unique ray of light within the sunlight.
Regardless, this Legendary expert at least harbored good intentions. He could sense that his family members in the Lord's Manor were all alive and well, and the city hadn't encountered any problems... Could it be someone like the Nature Mentor, who had come to visit him? But because he was out, they had to wait here for now?
"It's not impossible... Wait."
Speaking of the Nature Mentor, Joshua suddenly remembered another famous female Legendary expert on the continent—the Sage of the Eastern Sea, Faina! He immediately identified the identity of the Legendary aura in the Lord's Manor. Without a doubt, it was that Sage!
After the last trip to the Fairyland's space-time distortion point, Faina hadn't had much contact with Joshua and the others. For a warrior, the Sage lady, who had little presence due to her integration with the world, was naturally a familiar yet unfamiliar Legendary. After recalling that the aura belonged to her, Joshua, while suddenly enlightened, couldn't help but feel a bit strange: Why?
If it were Israel, it would be easy to explain. He would definitely come to check on how Joshua's trip went and what he had done. Nostradamus wouldn't be strange either; both were his friends. Even Eagle wouldn't seem abrupt, as the old Pope had a kind, unassuming demeanor that fit in anywhere... Even Barbarossa from the Sky-Piercing White Tower wouldn't be strange, as he might visit because of Baniel and William's whereabouts.
But the Sage of the Eastern Sea... Why would Faina come here?
Although it seemed like he was thinking a lot, in reality, Joshua hadn't slowed down or stopped at all during this journey. By the time he recalled that the aura belonged to Faina, he had already arrived above Moldavia. And as he was pondering why Faina had come, his feet had already stepped onto the ground of the Lord's Manor's courtyard.
...
"Ah..."
"Mhm..."
In the study on the second floor of the Lord's Manor, Ying blinked, looking at Number 3, who was floating in with a calm expression, and the bouncing Dragon Girl following behind her. She squinted as she sized up Lisa but remained silent.
Sitting on the sofa nearby, Lin, who was reading a book titled "Detailed Explanation of Psionic Discontinuous Leap Formulas," narrowed his eyes with a strange look.
"This kind of aura..." The siblings almost simultaneously muttered to themselves, but soon they greeted Lisa and Number 3. Upon learning that she was Joshua's newly accepted disciple, their eyes became even more suspicious.
"That's not right. Didn't Master have a few reserve disciples at Winterfell Academy? How did he bring back a formal disciple from a trip outside?"
"And besides, last time Master said he went with Baniel and Mr. William to find the Ancient Dragon? How did he bring back a Dragon Girl?"
At this moment, it wasn't just the Divine Mechanism siblings. All the maids in the Lord's Manor who had seen Lisa along the way found their nearby companions and communicated silently with their eyes. They remained silent, yet it seemed they could convey all information through their ethereal gazes.
Just then, accompanied by a series of 'thump thump thump' footsteps, a black figure with a glowing orb on its head suddenly appeared from somewhere and strode towards the study.
"I sensed Master is back! I heard he brought someone else?"
Black opened the study door boisterously and announced in a voice that wasn't lowered at all: "Where is he? Let me see!"
Between the two horns on her head, the constantly rotating light orb, Xiao Guang, also said quite seriously: "Ding ling ling!"
But what greeted her was the strange, inexplicable looks from everyone, and Lisa's energetic greeting: "Hello, big sister!"
"Black..."
Ying slowly stood up. The Silver-Haired Girl, recently ordered by Joshua to study harder, rose gracefully even now, like a noble lady from an aristocratic family. She and Number 3 slowly approached Black, wearing gentle smiles on their faces.
"Wh... What's going on?"
Feeling a chill down her spine from this tone and look, Black panicked and turned her head to look at Number 3, only to find that the Artificial Intelligence Girl had already closed the door and was setting up an isolation array for the study. This made Black even more flustered: "Wait, what are you two planning to do?!"
"Ling ding ling ling?!"
But Ying and Number 3 ignored Black's defiant questioning and both closed in on her. The Black Dragon Girl involuntarily stepped back, one step at a time, but soon she had nowhere to retreat, her back against the wall. Black quickly took Xiao Guang from her head, hugged it in her arms, and both the Dragon Girl and the light orb showed frightened expressions, trembling as they said: "What are you planning to do... I said Master is right downstairs! He'll definitely notice!"
"Nothing, as long as you cooperate nicely." Ying said in a very calm tone.
"Just obey obediently." That was Number 3's words.
The two continued to approach, and Black, cornered against the wall, closed her eyes, her face full of despair. She felt her escape blocked by Ying and Number 3's hands as they closed in on her, and then...
Sniffed her.
"Mhm, the smell is very similar, but it's actually not the same kind... Looks like it's not her offspring."
"Yeah, we were overthinking. If you think about it carefully, hasn't Black been with us all along? She wouldn't have had the chance."
"It really seems like she was brought back from outside... Ancient Dragon bloodline?"
"It looks like her talent is genuinely good, so that's why Master took her as a disciple. Speaking of which, little sister Lisa has this level of strength at her age; it's indeed very impressive."
Black didn't understand a word of what these two were saying, and the light orb was also confusedly making 'ding ding ling?' sounds. But by then, Ying and Number 3 had already left, taking Lisa to meet Black. This way, everyone in the Lord's Manor got to know this polite and talented Dragon Girl.
Unlike Lisa, who felt everyone was very friendly, the demon soul within the girl's heart felt utterly speechless. But constrained by its identity and also being genuinely exhausted, it simply fell into a deep slumber to avoid getting further involved in this strange affair.
Meanwhile.
Lord's Mansion of Moldavia, Reception Hall.
"What's wrong, Joshua?"
Facing the puzzled inquiry from the spiritual projection of Faina before him, Joshua paused for a moment, having clearly heard the conversation upstairs, before continuing: "Nothing. Let's continue with our previous topic."
"As long as there's no problem. My spiritual projection can last a long time during hibernation, but once activated, it dissipates quickly in unfamiliar places."
Nodding, the woman with closed eyes and an indistinct face spoke. Facing Joshua, she said in a sincere tone: "Then let's continue."
"Regarding the proposal for comprehensive cooperation between Moldavia and the Sea Dragon City, please tell me your thoughts."