Chapter 9: The Realm of the Saint
"I once told you, that is a relatively small-scale world."
The will of the Steel Serpent led Joshua forward through the void, following the currents of space-time turbulence and the magic tide, flying rapidly into the distance. During this journey, Carlis narrated the story of that world seeking aid in a calm tone: "There are immense differences between worlds. The most enormous worlds are nearly boundless; being within them feels like being in the multiverse itself, capable of nurturing countless civilizations and races."
"Slightly lesser ones can still give birth to millions of star continents within their own bodies."
The Steel Serpent's tone carried no fluctuation. When speaking of these worlds, there was no hint of kinship as a 'fellow being.' Perhaps, as it said, the differences between worlds are far greater than those between humans and mice. Carlis continued: "Of course, such super-massive worlds are extremely rare. Many are formed by the fusion of several large worlds. Worlds like me and Mycroft, which are equivalent to a single star continent, are the most numerous."
Joshua listened to Carlis's account, understanding these differences. Those so-called most enormous worlds might correspond to what his past life called 'single universes,' while the next tier of great worlds might be equivalent to one or two separate galaxies. They were either naturally formed or fused, but without doubt, their vastness far exceeded the imagination of civilizations that merely lived on a single continent.
"And what about small worlds?"
Joshua asked, sensing the shifting space-time turbulence in the void as he flew at full speed in the direction Carlis indicated: "What is the difference between a small world and an ordinary world? Is it purely the size of the continent?"
"No, not just that."
The Steel Serpent denied this seriously in the spiritual connection: "Small is just a metaphor. Strictly speaking, this term means that the world imposes extreme restrictions on Transcendent Beings."
"No matter how cramped a world's space is, if it produces a figure like the Sage, its status in the multiverse can rival that of many great worlds. If it produces several... then even calling it the center of the multiverse would meet no objection."
"Look at those vast worlds. They have a scale tens of millions of times greater than mine, yet their internal energy is depleted, the Steel Force is loose, and the World Will cannot even awaken. Their existence is mere existence, without any miracles or glory... Perhaps, one day, the civilizations living within them could forge a unique path different from any other world under such harsh conditions, but how long would that take?"
Speaking of this topic, Carlis couldn't help but sigh. This World Will, having experienced destruction and rebirth, seemed to have shaken off the millennium-long shadow brought by the Famine Evil God, becoming somewhat lively. It looked into the void alongside Joshua and said softly: "But such worlds also never fear the invasion of Evil Gods. Their world barriers are so sturdy that even dozens of Evil Gods would struggle to breach them. Unless something goes wrong internally, no one can threaten them."
Joshua listened silently to its words, thinking of his homeland. But this emotion passed in a flash. The warrior then spoke, asking with some curiosity: "You seem to hold the Sage in high regard... I know you must have known the Sage."
"Of course I knew him... Carlis and Mycroft once exchanged a batch of races through an ancient natural space-time passage. Your Winged Humans came from me, and the first trading partner of my Winged Humans after they built void warships was the Mycroft World."
In the spiritual world, Carlis was silent for a moment, but then continued: "The Sage only appeared within my field of vision in the last two millennia, but his power and authority far surpassed the great figures of all previous eras. The first time I saw him, I understood that a great civilization would emerge from the Mycroft World and sweep across the multiverse... but the invasion of the Evil Gods was something we could not foresee."
"Is the Sage truly that powerful?"
Still flying through the void, Joshua narrowed his eyes slightly. He certainly understood the Sage's power—it was a might whose back he still couldn't see from where he stood. But that even a world would hold him in such high regard and praise him so deeply still felt somewhat hard for the warrior to grasp.
That was a world—from the ends of the sea to the highest mountain peaks, encompassing continents, oceans, and skies, the cycle of all energy... How could the will of a world itself stand in such awe of that person?
"Joshua."
Seeming to sense the doubt and confusion in Joshua's voice, Carlis sighed softly in the spiritual connection. It called the warrior's name, then carefully chose its words: "You, no, all of you Mycroft people still don't understand the Sage."
Its tone carried a hint of envy, along with an emotion Joshua couldn't comprehend. The Steel Serpent shook its head: "But it's no wonder. You Mycroft people have always basked in the Sage's radiance; it might be hard for you to notice this fact."
"What fact?"
Joshua raised an eyebrow slightly. He felt Carlis was implying something, but he couldn't quite grasp the direction.
"Think carefully, Joshua."
To this, Carlis patiently explained: "You've visited many worlds, traveled to the far ends of the multiverse. Recall history, think about the past... Before the Sage, did Holy Light exist in the multiverse?"
Joshua's body, mid-flight, trembled slightly.
The Steel Serpent noticed the warrior's reaction, chuckled softly, and continued: "Think again—is Holy Light universally applicable across the entire multiverse?"
Joshua, still flying, held his breath.
"What exactly is Holy Light? Where did it come from, why was it born, and how did it cover the multiverse? Joshua, think carefully about this question."
Joshua stopped flying. He stood in the void's space-time turbulence, looking around at the unfamiliar stars and unfamiliar worlds. He was already very far from the Mycroft World, extremely far. The warrior solemnly took a small amulet from his chest, on which a holy light flickered.
It was a gift from the High Priest of Moldavia, Atanis—a small Holy Light amulet. This amulet could purify negative energy around its bearer. Though meaningless to Joshua, as a gift, it was indeed valuable, and Joshua always carried it with him.
Now, in this unfamiliar world, among these unfamiliar stars, a faint, barely perceptible holy light flickered, purifying the nearly undetectable flow of negative energy within the space-time turbulence.
The light of Holy Light was weak, but Joshua took a deep breath.
At that moment, Carlis's voice came through faintly: "Do you understand now, Joshua?"
"If you understand the meaning behind this, you will, like me, be filled with awe for the Sage."
"He who carved his own path in the multiverse, his own power, and created a new realm for the future of all beings..."
"A Saint."
To this, Joshua was silent for a long time. He stared at the amulet in his hand until the void's influence nearly tore it apart. After a long while, he spoke softly: "Indeed, it is filled with awe."
Saying this, the warrior chuckled lightly. He tucked the amulet, now with a small crack, back into his chest. Joshua said calmly: "But precisely because of this, I must move forward with anticipation, until I too reach that step."