Chapter 24: Blessing the New Generation (Part 2)
Without deliberately focusing, he could hear every sound within a hundred miles. Without opening his eyes, he could sense everything around him. Having long mastered the Life Perception, Joshua could effortlessly monitor the every move of everyone in an entire city if he wished, but he rarely did so, as it was completely unnecessary.
But now, the warrior's gaze pierced through wooden walls and the numerous arrays of the castle in the cedar tree, fixing on a certain corner of Redwood City. Joshua silently watched that distant scene, then exhaled and revealed a pure smile. "What a coincidence."
He rose, opened the door, and the casual Legendary expert, accompanied by his somewhat bewildered weapon siblings, left the luxurious VIP room. Before any of the maids, servants, or even the two Elven Legendary experts could react, he had already departed the castle atop the red cedar. He flew silently through the air, then descended to a corner of the city he had been observing earlier.
This was a well-known hotel in Redwood City. White wreaths and colorful flags were hung at the entrance, indicating a wedding was being held here. The sounds of celebration echoed from the other side of the street, while gentle, pleasant music drifted from deep within the hotel.
"Oh, someone else is having a wedding today?"
Ying was unconcerned by her master's sudden move. The silver-haired girl was long accustomed to Joshua's spontaneity. She looked at the wreaths outside the hotel and said nonchalantly, "What a coincidence. It seems everyone thinks today is a joyful day."
"Yes, indeed it is."
Standing at the hotel entrance, Joshua narrowed his eyes slightly. He pondered for a moment, then strode into the hotel. The doormen at the entrance seemed oblivious to the warrior's presence, as if they couldn't see him at all. All their sensory organs were interfered with by some strange force, preventing them from focusing their attention or gaze on Joshua's location.
The warrior walked straight into the hotel. The music became clearer, and waves of joyful noise from the crowd surged forward. He could hear the loud blessings of Dwarves and the elegant songs of Elves. Compared to this ordinary wedding happening in a corner of the city, the one recorded in history at the cedar castle seemed rather cold and quiet.
"Boss, let me toast you!"
This was the drunken voice of a Dwarf. From his accent, one could discern the precise enunciation typical of clergy. Generally, it was hard to imagine a clergyman drunk and calling someone 'boss,' but since it was a Dwarf at a wedding, it didn't seem strange.
"Alright, alright, how much have I had already... *hic*... you people, stop it! If you keep forcing me to drink like this, I, I'll have to cut your pay!"
A drunken human voice sounded. It was easy to tell that the one being plied with alcohol and already somewhat delirious was one of the protagonists of this wedding. One could also hear a gentle human female voice beside him, politely declining toasts for her husband: "Alright, Chris has to work tomorrow. Besides, do you expect me to spend the whole night holding a drunkard? If this continues, I'll get angry too."
"Oh, since you put it that way, we'll listen to our sister-in-law."
With the woman's words, the others who were making a ruckus quieted down. It was clear the bride held considerable prestige among this group. Then, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, one could hear the bride supporting the groom, who could barely walk properly, as they retreated behind the stage, leaving the guests to enjoy the lavish wedding feast.
—Master, what do you plan to do here?
The Divine Mechanism siblings were quite puzzled. They weren't surprised that Joshua had left Hill's wedding midway, as the warrior had no reason to stay. The subsequent internal Elf meeting was none of his concern as a Legendary expert of the Empire. But even so, why would he come to a corner of Redwood City to attend an ordinary person's wedding?
But before they could ask, Joshua took another step. This time, he appeared directly in the preparation room backstage.
Inside the room, a blonde bride in a white veil was gently holding a cup of hangover tea, intending to feed it to the groom, whose eyes could barely stay open. As an Alchemist who almost never touched alcohol—a substance that interferes with the nerves—the groom had almost no tolerance for it. Just a few cups forced on him by his friends had left him nearly unconscious and unable to speak clearly.
But even so, the bride showed no sign of impatience. She gently held down the groom's wildly waving right hand and carefully poured the tea into his mouth, without any hint of annoyance. Just as she finished feeding him the hangover tea and let the groom fall into a deep sleep, she was about to sigh in relief when she noticed Joshua and his group suddenly appearing at the entrance of the room.
"Ah! Who, who are you? How did you suddenly appear here?"
Though initially startled, the bride's subsequent reaction was remarkably calm. She quietly stepped in front of the groom and said in the gentlest tone possible, "You must have taken a wrong turn, right? It's fine. The exit is over there. The banquet is still going on, and later the hotel will have a performance by an Elf orchestra."
The path to the preparation room was a one-way street; how could anyone take a wrong turn? But the bride knew this was not the time to panic or scream. So she planned to test the other party's intentions with words, trying to lull them into a false sense of security.
"Are you Chris's wife? Don't worry, I mean no harm."
Waving his hand slightly to indicate he wasn't a villain, Joshua nodded appreciatively at this unknown but brave blonde woman. Then, he looked at Chris, who seemed to be asleep, and fell silent.
(Is he an old acquaintance of Chris? The kind who can't show himself openly...)
The bride's heart was initially quite uneasy, but seeing that Joshua made no other moves, she gradually relaxed. After all, as Chris's wife, although she wasn't entirely clear about his true identity, she knew he had fled from the Northern Empire to the Far South because he was caught up in some internal conflict within a major noble family.
She was a merchant girl Chris met while selling potions. Her parents had died early, and she lived with her aunt's family. Though she didn't know her lover's true identity back then, she was still willing to cross half the world with him to come to the Far South Elf territory. And time proved her choice was right. Now, Chris might not be wealthy, but as a renowned pharmacist, he was considered a figure of some standing, enough for them to live a happy life.
"You're pregnant."
Suddenly, Joshua spoke, and the moment he said it, the bride was startled. She looked down at her own belly in surprise, touched it instinctively, then turned to look at the sleeping Chris, unable to suppress a joyful expression. She didn't know why this man, whom she instinctively dared not look directly at, could state the fact of her pregnancy so definitively, but she was willing to believe it.
"He really passed out. Hmph, terrible tolerance. Disgrace to the family. My cheap uncle back in the day could drink several barrels with my cheap father. He's worse than a maid."
With a scoff, Joshua stepped forward, approaching Chris. He paid no attention to the bride, who had become alert again. His gaze was fixed on his cousin—though he occasionally glanced at the bride's abdomen. The warrior was silent for a long time, then let out a soft laugh: "But it's not bad. For you, this might be the perfect choice."
The bride initially wanted to block Joshua's approach, but a gentle force prevented her from getting close to the warrior. After his sigh, Joshua turned to look at this blonde woman with a few light freckles on her face. She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was pretty and cute. Seeing that she couldn't stop any of Joshua's actions, this visibly uneasy woman gave up her covert resistance and instead asked directly, with a guarded tone: "Who... exactly are you? What business do you have with my husband?"
Though she possessed no Transcendent power, anyone on the Mycroft Continent knew the wonders of magic, Battle Qi, and Holy Light. The bride couldn't judge Joshua's strength, but she knew that this man was a figure so powerful that even calling her husband's adventurer team would be utterly futile against him. A direct confrontation would have no chance of victory.
Yet she still dared to stand up and face him, rather than cowering in a corner trembling like an ostrich.
"Nothing much... I'm just a bit dissatisfied with him. Hiding the birth of a family bloodline is really too much."
No longer looking at the drunken Chris, Joshua shifted his gaze to the frowning bride. He asked, "Madam, what is your name?"
"Me? I'm called Sophie... but now, it's Sophie Chris."
Though a bit nervous at first, by the end of her words, Sophie's voice was filled with gentle affection. From Joshua's earlier actions and responses, she had gathered that although he behaved strangely and his strength was unknown, he indeed meant no harm. He seemed to be... a relative from Chris's former family. So Sophie asked curiously again, "Sir, do you have any business with my husband and me? Could it be... some trouble from the old family?"
"No trouble. As for business, there wasn't any, but now there is."
Looking down, Joshua gazed at Sophie's abdomen. He sighed slightly and revealed a faint, almost imperceptible smile: "Just think of me as an uninvited mysterious visitor. I doubt I'll appear before you again. As for my purpose, I came this time to give you my blessing."
"Listen, you weakling who abandoned your family, who changed your name and disappeared without a sound, ignoring your bloodline's responsibilities. Your sin is no less than your father's. At least he dared to stand up and contend with me for power. You just wanted to run away."
He extended his hand, and silver light flickered in his palm. Joshua paid no attention to the now-tense Sophie. His palm hovered over the bride's abdomen. The warrior spoke in a voice so soft that no one but himself could hear: "But even so... little one, not yet born."
"The mission of the Radcliffe Family has ended with me. You don't need to be a destined warrior, nor are you born to bear the duty of eradicating Chaos. You only need to be a healthy person and then choose your own path in the future."
"Bless you, new generation."
Silver radiance flickered and, under Sophie's astonished gaze, sank into her abdomen. She herself felt nothing, but she sensed that her tired body was suddenly filled with vitality.
Withdrawing his hand, Joshua bent down and patted the sleeping Chris on the shoulder. Then, just as he had appeared, under Sophie's wide-eyed stare, he vanished from the room in an instant with Ying and Lin, as if he had never been there.
One born to fight doesn't truly understand blessings.
But at least, he can let those who desire a peaceful life live in peace.
Perhaps that is the greatest blessing of all.