# Chapter 7: The World Within the Cocoon 4400
After leaving the Joint Research Institute, Joshua planned to go directly to the void and ask the Steel Serpent Carlis about the information regarding the Grand Database from a thousand years ago.
"Ying, and Lin, are you two planning to accompany Hei and Chu Hao and the others to continue sightseeing at the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, or do you plan to come with me for a walk?"
Standing on the flat sandy ground that had been cleared in front of the Joint Research Institute, Joshua held Xiao Guang with one hand while casually asking his weapons about their next course of action. He said calmly, "Or do you plan to return to Moldavia first? I overheard your conversation with Amira earlier. It seems there's some large celebration in the territory today, and you two were planning to preside over it in my stead."
"Master, you heard that..."
Upon hearing this, Ying couldn't help but scratch her head. She wanted to stick out her tongue and play dumb like she usually did, but facing Joshua, the silver-haired girl honestly admitted, "Yes, because we only came here to check on your condition this time. We didn't know if you would actually wake up."
On the other side, Lin took over the conversation. He explained with some helplessness, "After all, Master, you haven't shown yourself for too long, and there's been some unrest among the people in the territory. So we planned to use the celebration to calm the public sentiment, lest anyone think they could take advantage and cause trouble... But since you're awake now, whether to calm them or not doesn't matter. I'll cancel the event later."
To this, Joshua nodded noncommittally. Although his expression remained impassive, he felt quite gratified inside.
Whether it was Ying, Lin, or Number Three, or Hei and Chu Hao who had already become close friends with his students and the Winterfell Academy trainees, they all had their own opinions and their own rhythm of life. They all made their own decisions—for example, this trip to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was actually arranged by Ying and Lin, and the upcoming celebration was the same. This gave Joshua a feeling that the children had finally grown up.
"There's no need to cancel. I'm going to the void later to ask the neighboring world will about some matters. I'll probably be back late. You two continue with the celebration as planned. When I return, I'll ask Number Three how you performed."
The warrior reached out and patted the shoulders of the Divine Mechanism siblings. He encouraged them, "I'm glad to see you have your own plans."
With that, he stepped forward, intending to head to the void. But just then, Joshua heard Ying's voice calling him back. He turned around to look at the Divine Mechanism siblings, wondering what they wanted.
"Wait, Master!"
The silver-haired girl seemed a bit hesitant, but after exchanging a glance with Lin, she appeared to have made up her mind. Then Ying took a deep breath and asked, "Master, although this might be overstepping... when do you plan to get married?"
Suddenly hearing this question, Joshua narrowed his eyes and carefully examined Ying. Then he said with some curiosity, "I haven't planned anything for now... You two little ones, why are you asking about this?"
"Of course, it's for the future of the Radcliffe Family!"
Although she was hesitant at first, once she started speaking, Ying's words became more fluent. Now the silver-haired girl even spoke with a tone of righteous confidence: "Master, you're almost thirty years old. At your age, the old master already had a son... Master, you were already six! Although we can't help you much right now... if there were a young master, that would be somewhat useful. Besides, Moldavia is so prosperous now, and it will continue to develop and flourish. It's time for the Radcliffe Family to grow!"
At first, Joshua listened to Ying with a smile, since she was indeed the head maid of the Radcliffe Family, and the Divine Mechanism was indeed an important member of the family, qualified to make suggestions on this matter. But as she continued speaking, his expression gradually returned to normal, even becoming somewhat serious.
Indeed, although he hadn't noticed it himself, he was now at the right age, and his territory was developing more and more prosperously. It was time for his family to grow, rather than remaining as lonely as it was now... Without even considering the bigger picture, Joshua himself knew that he was never meant to manage a territory. He didn't have the time or energy to care about such trivial matters. If he had a child who could replace him, that would indeed be a good method—just like how Israel was now training Di Mo Er to replace himself.
But was it meaningful?
Joshua silently turned his head and looked around at the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. The fierce battle a thousand years ago had turned this plane into a poisonous wasteland, and even the settlement of many Mycroft Transcendent Beings had only purified a very small part... A plane comparable to a continent, protected by countless gods, and itself possessing god-level strength, could be reduced to ruins. This showed how intense that battle was.
He also thought of Carlis and Ilgna. Both worlds that had been invaded by Evil Gods had paid a terrible price. One had only just rekindled some flames, while the other was still in self-isolation to avoid attracting Evil Gods to the Mycroft World. Joshua didn't even need to recall things from too long ago—just the Siberia World and the Sanctuary Civilization he had visited not long ago. Their fates flashed before the warrior's eyes.
When Evil Gods descended, a world, or even an entire space-time domain, would be reduced to wasteland, transformed into a disaster phenomenon like the Void Great Maelstrom, clearly visible even in the structural model of the void. In a few decades, or even sooner, they would invade again, descending once more upon this world where they had once been defeated.
Was it meaningful?
"To be honest, I've never thought about this aspect."
Facing Ying, who had somehow mustered the courage to say such things to him, Joshua spoke in a calm and serious tone: "Finding someone I like to marry, having a child, leaving behind bloodline, expanding the family... This is indeed the most normal thing in the world. But such matters have no real meaning for me."
Ignoring the rather complicated expressions on the Divine Mechanism siblings' faces, Joshua let out a rare sigh. He smiled helplessly: "Whether it's marriage or the continuation of bloodline, both represent responsibility. And I don't even know if this world will still exist in a few decades. How could I settle my mind and think about such things? Would I bring him into this world just to welcome the descent of countless Evil Gods? That would truly be the worst kind of father."
"If I cannot defeat the Evil Gods, then neither the Radcliffe Family nor the Mycroft World will have any meaning. Before I defeat them, I will not do anything that might affect my 'becoming stronger'."
Having said this, he turned around directly, and his figure disappeared as he entered the void. Ying and Lin remained where they were, not moving for a long time.
"Sister, I told you. As long as Master hasn't resolved the future threat of the Evil Gods, he won't be able to think about other things."
After a long while, when the space-time fluctuations caused by Joshua had completely dissipated, the black-haired youth finally shook his head bitterly: "Don't we know Master well enough? Although he seems relaxed, he has never actually stopped. The distance Master travels in a year, the worlds he experiences, the number of enemies he kills—these are things ordinary people couldn't accomplish in a lifetime. Master's inner urgency, you and I should understand it best."
"Of course I know."
To this, Ying replied calmly. The silver-haired girl didn't seem troubled by Joshua's answer. She just sighed softly: "But I had to ask... to get an answer for others who are still waiting. Besides, the result isn't actually bad."
Saying this, she turned to her brother and smiled slightly: "If, in a few decades, Master defeats the Evil Gods and the world is at peace, then won't he have time to think about this question?"
"We might not win." Lin was amused by his sister's optimism: "We've seen the power of Evil Gods too. Thinking about this now is really too early."
"It doesn't matter if we lose." Ying pursed her lips slightly. The girl's fluorescent green eyes turned toward the direction where Joshua had disappeared. She said softly: "To die gloriously for ideals and beliefs, to break with honor—this is the destiny of warriors and weapons... What's so frightening about such an ending? Master should have long been prepared for this, shouldn't he?"
"Besides, I believe Master won't lose."
In those brief words was overflowing confidence.
Meanwhile, in the void, Joshua was rapidly approaching the Carlis World.
The warrior's current incarnation probably had the energy level of when he first entered the Legendary Realm, but in terms of structural refinement and control over power, it was far superior. At least back then, Joshua couldn't use Steel Force to broadcast and call out to world wills in the void.
As the ripples formed by Steel Force spread layer by layer, an illusory projection of a Steel Serpent appeared in the void and then came before Joshua.
"You've awakened, Joshua."
The Steel Serpent Carlis was not surprised by this result. It nodded: "This time, you're the one actively seeking me out. A rare occurrence. Could it be that there's something you want to entrust to me?"
"Indeed."
Facing an old acquaintance—or rather, an old serpent—Joshua didn't engage in excessive pleasantries. Their relationship didn't require it. He said directly: "Our Mycroft World is searching for a half-plane that was knocked away during the Abyss War about a thousand years ago. We know the approximate trajectory of its flight, but it's difficult to find it... So we wanted to ask you Steel Serpents if you have any clues."
"A thousand years ago... at that time, I was being invaded by the Famine Evil God, and all my energy was focused on resisting it..."
Regarding this, Carlis seemed somewhat troubled: "To be honest, it wasn't that I didn't have the energy to observe the void back then, but that I simply couldn't observe it. The overwhelming hordes of Evil God's Minions blocked all my vision. Even if a world were destroyed, I probably wouldn't have noticed, let alone a half-plane being knocked away."
Joshua was not surprised by this result. Carlis was indeed the Steel Serpent closest to the Mycroft World, but precisely because of that, it had also experienced that Evil God war. There was little chance it would have paid attention to the lost trajectory of a small half-plane. But the warrior hadn't planned to get a direct answer anyway. He was only entrusting Carlis to help gather information.
"I'll send you the specific data and trajectory information of that half-plane later. It should be around the hollow belt of the Void Great Maelstrom. With this, you can ask the Steel Serpents you know."
He said this: "Since they sent you distress signals, you can take the opportunity to ask about similar information. Don't force it. If there's really nothing, it just means we'll have to spend more time confirming each possibility one by one."
"Since it's your entrustment, I will do my utmost."
Although Joshua said not to force it, Carlis became serious. The Steel Serpent projection nodded solemnly: "But I must remind you, Joshua, only worlds with intelligent life have Steel Serpents. If there's no intelligent life, the Steel Serpent will be asleep. I don't know many Steel Serpents, and most of them are in poor condition, with primitive and backward civilizations inside them. This means that a thousand years ago, they might not have been awake."
"This is exactly why I said not to force it."
Joshua shook his head. He still remembered the results of deep-space observations and had anticipated this possibility. Now it was just confirmed by Carlis's words. Thinking of this, the warrior added another point: "According to my speculation, if that half-plane collided with another world, it should have caused a considerable space-time earthquake disaster. Carlis, if you want to help, you can start from this angle."
"Space-time earthquake, indeed very normal. After all, it's a half-plane that was knocked away. This should narrow down the range considerably."
Carlis nodded, indicating understanding: "Then I will try to start from this aspect. Please rest assured, Rekindler of Flames."
Joshua's communication with Carlis was simple and direct, and both parties were very pleased. However, since they had to traverse the void, by the time Joshua finished this entrustment and returned to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, it was already the early morning of the next day.
The early morning of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was particularly unique. Because the Silver Sky Radiance that served as the sun was like a gradually illuminating crystal grid, it lit up in a grid-by-grid charging manner. One could see vast amounts of energy converge, finally lighting up an artificial silver sun in the sky above the plane.
But at this moment, Joshua was not in a hurry to return directly to Moldavia. He came to the center of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, which was also where his main body was located.
After finishing all his business, the warrior finally had time to summarize the gains from this void traversal journey. Thinking of this, Joshua raised his head and looked at his main body.
One could see that the immensely heavy silver cocoon had now stopped its spontaneous contraction. Its surface had completely stabilized into neutron degenerate matter, with a stream of protons flowing on its surface like a winding silver-white light. Inside, the high-density matter had stopped simple collapse and was undergoing various marvelous reactions that were difficult to describe in words.
The simplest external manifestation of this reaction was expansion.
At this moment, the diameter of Joshua's main body cocoon had exceeded one hundred and seventy meters, having expanded five or six times from its smallest size. And this expansion was still continuing, as if something inside the cocoon was being nurtured.
If someone familiar with Joshua were present—like Nostradamus and the Old Pope, or Israel and the Nature Mentor—they would surely laugh and say that inside this cocoon (egg) was definitely a giant steel giant. When the giant was strong enough to tear the cocoon apart, the warrior's transformation would end.
But this guess was wrong.
Joshua's incarnation raised his head. His gaze was profound, able to directly penetrate the most solid substance that human power could control in this world and see directly inside the Steel Force cocoon.
Inside was not a steel giant, but a large cluster of rapidly rotating, condensing brilliant nebula, along with a dazzling Steel Force crystal that emitted pure light, shrouded by hazy mist.
That was the scene of a world's first opening.
Inside the cocoon was a newborn small world.