Chapter 4: The Mass-Soul Conversion Equation 5000
"Rather than meaningless cooperation, Faina, I'm more concerned about this."
Without following the thread of the Ocean Sage's topic, Joshua sat across from Faina at this moment. He stared directly at her face, which seemed impossible to clearly remember, then raised a book in his hand—one with an ancient appearance, inscribed with primordial divine runes. Joshua narrowed his eyes, silver light flickering in his pupils, and spoke calmly: "I remember this tome about Steel Force very clearly. It was one of the transaction items I traded with the remnants of the Earth Temple."
"Why is it here with you, and why are you handing it to me?"
"Don't you know?"
Hearing this question, Faina—merely a spiritual projection, her entire body shrouded in a hazy silver mist—spoke with some surprise. She rubbed her temple with her right index finger in slight confusion: "The fact that I am a bloodline descendant of the Earth Mother Goddess from the last era is known to virtually all Legendary experts... Although I broke ties with them long ago and became their enemy, ultimately I was born from there. Now that they have abandoned those mad plans, it's not strange for us to reconcile."
"This tome, concerning the Steel Force cultivation insights of the Mountain Titans from the Earth Mother Goddess lineage of the last era, is now yours. Its original text is inscribed on the giant stone tablets of the Earth Temple, copied down bit by bit by generations of ancestors."
Joshua did not answer her. The warrior's gaze still held suspicion—of course he knew that everything Faina had just said was composed, but it was all too suspicious. Still, he figured she wouldn't lie about something so easily verified.
Seeing Joshua's wary expression, Faina was not annoyed. She merely chuckled lightly: "Alright, Lord Radcliffe. Not everyone from the Earth Temple is a madman. When the flame went out, the pain of being connected to the earth is something only those who experienced it can understand. As for me, who chose the path of the Sage to merge with this world, I originally planned to use my talent to try becoming the new Earth Mother Goddess. Unfortunately, I failed in the end, had to break with the other madmen, and took a different path."
Even when speaking of becoming a deity and taking on the responsibilities of the gods who died in the last era, Faina remained utterly calm, as if everything were only natural. This woman, with hair like crystal, was always so composed and unhurried. She waved her hand, unconcerned by Joshua's vigilance: "Joshua, you rekindled the flame and saved this world from its end. I have long wanted to meet you and express my gratitude."
With that, Faina stood up and gave Joshua a proper ninety-degree bow. The gesture was so grand that even the warrior had to rise to acknowledge it—if everything were truly because of him, then accepting the bow would be fine. But since saving the world was ultimately due to the Sage's contingency plans, and he was merely a catalyst, Joshua's character would not allow him to accept such a great courtesy.
By now, Joshua naturally sensed Faina's sincerity. This Ocean Sage had no intention of scheming or plotting, nor any hostility. She had not lied; she had told him her motives and reasons for coming. There was no reason for her to deceive him.
"In that case, I really must trouble you for making this trip to deliver the book... As for cooperation, what could Moldavia, a mountain city in the Northern Lands, and Seadragon City, a coastal city, possibly cooperate on?"
His attitude had clearly softened. Joshua sat down and began to negotiate amicably with her: "If it's about Dragon Knight training, I would indeed like to learn the secrets of the Seadragon Knight Order. What I can offer in return, that you would find valuable, is probably some of our mana technology."
"These are all trivial matters."
But this time, it was Faina's turn to shake her head. She smiled and said: "Matters on the Mycroft World are already trivial. Now that you have activated the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground and we know the vastness beyond, affairs on the continent are no longer important."
"Though it remains our foundation and origin, everyone knows that if we continue to focus on the limited continent, we will inevitably be eliminated in a few decades—because the future belongs to the distant, to exploration."
The woman known as the Ocean Sage spoke with clear tone and composed demeanor. She lowered her head slightly and said in a pleasant voice: "For this world, what matters most is cooperation between you and me, not cooperation between two local powers. Although I am also interested in the emerging mana technology, that should be a proposal for cooperation that Barbarossa and others have made to you. I have enough self-awareness not to meddle in such matters."
This was indeed true. Joshua nodded slightly. He naturally understood the influence a Legendary expert could have on the world. No matter how prosperous Moldavia was, one could easily find twenty or thirty places of equal standing on the Mycroft Continent. But Legendary experts were different—they represented a realm only achieved through understanding, an essential sublimation of life form.
However, despite understanding this, Joshua really didn't want to waste words today. He had crossed the void from the Chronos World to come home, not to continue working. So the warrior said directly: "Alright, Lady Sage. Since you have shown goodwill first, cooperation is naturally fine with me. But as you know, cooperation must benefit both sides. I just want to know what you want from me and what I can get from you."
"...You really are direct. Truly worthy of being the only one in this era to wield Steel Force."
After quietly listening to Joshua's somewhat impolite but indeed time-saving direct words, Faina chuckled lightly. But then she fell silent for a moment. After a while, she spoke slowly: "In that case, I won't waste words either. To be honest, I have been searching for a way to travel to other worlds."
"Oh?"
Joshua raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Even an Ultimate-rank can attempt to traverse worlds with some technique. If there is a natural space-time passage, even ordinary people can cross over. Such a small matter shouldn't require you to come all the way here to see me, should it?"
"That is merely random exploration toward unknown worlds. What I want is a targeted teleportation that can filter and determine specific conditions."
Faina shook her head. This elegant and composed woman said with some emotion: "Do you know? In the multiverse, the number of living worlds is extraordinarily small. Many worlds have a stable Steel Force cycle but no flame's light. They may have the potential to nurture life, but it would take millions of years of waiting. Going to such worlds is meaningless."
"I once wanted to connect with this land, become the new Earth Mother Goddess, and let it be reborn... Although this arrogant plan failed, I did find a way to communicate with heaven and earth. I merged with the land around Seadragon City and achieved Legendary status, but this also limited me."
"A single world can no longer let me move forward. If I want to continue growing stronger, I must obtain information from other worlds."
At this point, a hint of urgency finally appeared on Faina's face. Silver spiritual mist surged around this projection: "Information from living worlds."
Very similar to me.
Hearing this, Joshua thought to himself. Because his Steel Force had also been obtained by traversing several worlds and analyzing their internal information. The Ocean Sage was the same in this regard—she held a power that required seeing more unfamiliar realms to grow stronger.
With that, everything made sense. Faina's strength had originally stagnated, but because he had activated the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, she saw a turning point. Unable to control the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground herself, she turned her attention to him, who was likely connected to it.
Her judgment was not wrong—wasn't it? Joshua had just returned from a living alien world, and he himself felt that Faina's appearance was somewhat coincidental.
At this moment, the Lady Sage was still earnestly explaining her thoughts: "To be honest, Joshua, I am very interested in the Starry World you once described—that world of psionic power quite different from the Mycroft Continent."
"It is very suitable for my power. If I could go to that world, it would definitely be of great help to me... I know you can communicate with the will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. I hope that one day you can ask it to send one of my spiritual avatars to that world."
"Theoretically possible. The Dominant Will would not refuse such a request."
Joshua did not ask why. Everyone's actions have their own thoughts and reasons, especially Legendary experts. Faina was a friendly human who could be communicated with. Her becoming stronger would not be a bad thing for this world, so Joshua was naturally willing to help her.
But the warrior still had one last doubt, unrelated to Faina, yet he couldn't help asking: "Lady Sage, you said you are a bloodline descendant of the Earth Mother Goddess and once considered ascending to godhood to replace her and revive the world... Then do you know the reason for the Earth Mother Goddess's fall?"
"According to what I know, after the final battle against the Evil Gods and the Abyss, she was still alive. But now, the Mother Goddess has undoubtedly died, and the World Will is angry at humanity. I have some guesses, but I don't know the truth."
"I don't understand the Mother Goddess's death either."
Regarding Joshua's doubt, Faina could only shake her head. She sighed softly, somewhat helplessly: "Even if we are descendants of divine blood, we are still human... History dissipates in the passage of time, and what remains are subjective, biased words... If you really want to know, you can ask Baniel and William. These two are among the most knowledgeable people in this world, especially in this area. Even the Five-Colored Dragons once opened their archives to them."
"Besides that, you can also ask the fairies in the Fairyland. The four Fairy Empresses have complete inheritances from the last era. The Fairyland is also the best-preserved region, untouched by war for a thousand years."
Joshua asked with considerable curiosity, his left hand on his chest, his right hand stroking his chin: "Why would the fairies know about these things? Speaking of which, they have been getting more active lately."
This development is completely different from my past life, the warrior thought to himself.
"Because since the Lost Three Hundred Years, they have never left the Fairyland. Their inheritance naturally hasn't been disturbed by war, so they preserve a vast amount of knowledge about ancient times. Your emperor, Israel's ancestors, had fairy blood, so the fairies help and are close to them. You should have seen these little ones."
At this point, Faina, who had been quite composed and elegant, curled her lips and showed a clear expression of disdain: "As for why they are active now, it's simple. Fairies are the race most sensitive to nature. When the flame went out, they felt the world was very uncomfortable, even more painful than us divine blood descendants. That's precisely why the Fairy Empresses built a demiplane outside the world—the simulated Fairyland—to preserve their race."
"For the race itself, this was indeed correct. But for the entire world, this choice was equivalent to desertion... Regardless, the project itself was magnificent. Given time, the Fairyland might truly become a world—one created entirely by intelligent life, without needing Ancient Dragons or World Will. The reason they came out is also simple: since the flame has been rekindled and nature has returned to balance, why hide in the Fairyland, which is only a half-finished product?"
Faina spoke quickly, and as she talked, she subconsciously used spiritual communication, creating a constant double-echo effect. For ordinary people, it would be very difficult to understand her clearly, but Joshua had no problem. He nodded at the Lady Sage's answer and said: "Good."
There was no need to say more. He had already understood the specific situation. Now, only Faina needed to state what she could give Joshua.
Meanwhile, the Ocean Sage gradually slowed her speech and said: "This is my request. I want to know the coordinates of the Starry World and have the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground send me there. You need to tell me the intelligence about that world."
"And I will impart all my insights on the Soul's Ultimate Essence to you."
Under Joshua's rather surprised gaze, Faina smiled: "You have never concealed your movements and requests. Anyone with attention knows what you have been troubled by recently... As someone who broke through to Legendary through the Soul's Ultimate Essence, I can see that you have already started on this path. But my experience can save you countless detours."
But in truth, Joshua was not surprised by this.
Finally, a spellcaster who broke through via the Soul's Ultimate Essence. The warrior thought, recalling Baniel and William. He almost laughed.
And just as Joshua was momentarily distracted, Faina had already stood up. Silver spiritual mist surged around her like a tide, forming a small spell barrier that enveloped the entire reception hall. As Joshua came back to his senses, she said: "What is here is a spiritual avatar. It has no physical form to carry it—it is purely a spiritual entity... But even so, I can still see colors, hear sounds, touch objects, enjoy food, and smell scents through it."
Hearing this, Joshua immediately understood that Faina had begun explaining her understanding of the Soul's Ultimate Essence. Because her spiritual avatar was about to dissipate, she was being so direct. But the warrior did not dislike this style. He also stood up and listened seriously as this Legendary spellcaster explained her experience.
"I dissected my own body and confirmed one thing: the body is the foundation for intelligent life to observe and perceive the world. These perceptions are transmitted through microcurrents in neural nodes to the brain, manifesting as what we see and touch. The soul plays no role in this."
"Human thought relies mostly on the brain for operation; the remaining small part is the soul. This is why the brain is the vital point for most life forms, and it also proves that for Mycroft people, the soul is not necessarily essential. In the universe, there must be intelligent races without souls."
At this point, Faina's spiritual body began to gradually disperse, turning into crystal-like, translucent specks of light that refracted in the air. Yet even so, she still spoke calmly: "But conversely, there must also be races that exist only as souls—like me."
"If the soul can perceive everything the body can perceive, and when cultivation on the soul side reaches this level, what difference is there between the formless soul and the material body?"
To this, Joshua shook his head.
No difference.
He had already understood the meaning of Faina's words and guessed what she was about to say.
At this moment, the Ocean Sage, like an elegant and gentle teacher, traced a long string of beautifully written runes in the air with her spirit. She seemed immersed in some special state: "The soul is a kind of energy. The soul is also a kind of matter. Matter and energy are originally one. Soul and matter are also one... They can be converted into each other, as long as one grasps the trick."
In midair, those beautifully written runes instantly retracted into Faina's hand. This sage clenched her slender, fair fist, then opened it again. In her palm, a pure, translucent ball of energy was undergoing a wondrous transformation: energy, matter, and soul—the three formed a trinity, creating a ceaselessly turning wheel.
On Faina's face, which could not be clearly seen, appeared a sincere and proud smile—the joy of a seeker showing a fellow traveler the path they walk.
"The Mass-Soul Conversion Rune. This is what I intend to trade with you."