Chapter 26: Three Races and the Clearer
At this moment, Joshua's avatar in the Abyss dissipated as Steel Force, while his main body, a warrior located at the Vanguard Fortress Cluster, was now observing a batch of newly arrived eight-legged fungi at the Core Fortress alongside Number 3, preparing for cooperative exchanges.
The Mycroft Civilization's next plan was actually quite straightforward. To ascertain the current state of the multiverse and to preemptively guard against the invasions of the Evil Gods, they had to venture to other World Star Rivers for observation and exploration. If it were just a few individuals, the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground could handle it—much like when Joshua was summoned by the Star Sea World at the other end of the multiverse, a world now located in an unknown World Star River, and the Sacrificial Ground teleported him directly there. As long as there were approximate coordinates to confirm, the Sacrificial Ground could teleport any entity to any point within the known observable multiverse.
But the problem was, it wasn't cost-effective.
The teleportation of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground also required energy. The greater the mass, the higher the energy consumption; the stronger the individual, the greater the interference. If it were within the surrounding star domains or the local World Star River, the Sacrificial Ground could, with the support of Divine Power, teleport Joshua's main body directly to the Extreme Dark Abyss.
However, another World Star River was a completely different concept. Especially the distance between the Lost Star River and other star rivers, which was separated by countless wreckages of destroyed star rivers. That distance was so vast that even the Star Shepherds, a race that lived as void nomads with their powerful biological void technology, took over a hundred years to cross.
The increased energy consumption due to such distance made it impossible for the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground to conduct large-scale two-way teleportation. Without a guiding ritual, it could at most send over a dozen intelligent detection arrays or elemental beings of low strength and mass to scout the situation.
After all, the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was currently not in its complete form; it could at best be considered a foundation.
According to the thoughts of Legendary Experts like Joshua, the Mycroft Civilization had to dispatch a Void Fleet to traverse the long, dark path the Star Shepherds had once walked, return to the World Star River where the Star Shepherds originally resided, and then set up a teleportation hub similar to the 'Aklafa Space-Time Hub.' This way, the power of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground could expand from that base point, covering other star domains with lower energy consumption for large-scale teleportation.
Now, they had the Void Warships, the blueprints for the Space-Time Hub, and resources could be sourced locally—at least Joshua didn't see that as a problem. But the issue was, there were no pilots for the warships, or rather, the fleet's scale was still too small.
Initially, Joshua's idea was very much in line with a Transcendent Civilization. He thought that a Legendary Expert could carry the core of the Space-Time Hub, fly alone across the long, dark path to another World Star River, and then set up the hub. But setting aside whether they could reach the destination, aside from Joshua, no Legendary Expert could single-handedly construct such a complex space-time structure in a short time. However, Joshua himself currently had a weakness: he relied on the computing power of the Magic Net to ensure that his thought deviation value didn't affect his thinking.
Once too far from the Magic Net, Joshua himself didn't know what he might do—he was afraid of himself when he went mad.
Moreover, over time, accidents could happen. Flying alone across the dark path, aside from issues like endurance and loneliness, safety couldn't be guaranteed. And if multiple Legendary Experts went, why not bring a fleet along? With Legendary Experts protecting them, the speed of the warships in the void wouldn't be much slower. Furthermore, if they encountered attacks from local civilizations while building the Space-Time Hub, a fleet could better fill the defensive gaps during battles among the experts.
Not to mention, the Void Fleet itself needed training, and a group of people needed to be stationed on the other side of the World Star River. So, the matter was settled.
Unfortunately, among the Radiant Legends who sealed the Decay Evil God, only one Winged Human Legend had awakened. The other eight Legends were still sleeping. Even that Winged Human Legend was currently undergoing mental recuperation. Her soul fragments had indeed healed, but due to the aftereffects of the Decay Evil God's invasion, she was still very weak. Otherwise, at least the fleet's leadership wouldn't have been a concern. After all, Legends from that era were all fleet commanders, unlike the current generation, where no one knew how to command a fleet in battle.
Joshua created the game 'Continent of Strife' not only to shatter the chaotic memories suppressed within his own main body but also to use this method to trigger a large-scale awakening wave among Transcendent Beings, producing more qualified Transcendent experts. Currently, the internal test results were quite promising, and it was time to prepare for the official launch.
As for the 'Auxiliary Forces' required by the Mycroft Civilization, the Star Shepherds, the Salt Men, and the Abyss Demons all had different reactions.
Among them, the Star Shepherds were the most proactive. Deeply aware of the Mycroft World's strength, they knew that their civilization's survival hinged entirely on the whims of these ancestral civilization experts.
Some time ago, due to dealing with the Death Evil God and various other issues, the Mycroft Civilization hadn't demanded much from the Star Shepherds. But this only made the eight-legged fungi more anxious.
No demands meant no value. The most terrifying thing wasn't being exploited but not even being worthy of exploitation. The former at least had a chance to progress; the latter...
In short, when the Great Khan learned that the Mycroft Civilization now needed an Auxiliary Force to return to their original World Star River, the civilization's leader unhesitatingly allocated eight entire Void Behemoths and the small worlds on their backs as reserve Auxiliary Forces. This was nearly a third of the Star Shepherd civilization's Void Behemoths, and the strongest, youngest batch. These eight-legged fungi, who had once crossed the dark path, would be the best guides and pathfinders, leading the Era of Falling Stars fleet to the World Star River on the other side.
Although not explicitly stated, all Legendary Experts considered the Great Khan a trustworthy ally due to his cooperative actions. Many defenses and blockades against the Star Shepherds were lifted. To facilitate future cooperation, both sides even exchanged a batch of fleet members to tour each other's warships, enhancing mutual understanding.
The Salt Men, equally proactive, should have responded faster than the Star Shepherds. Unfortunately, due to the internal chaos in their homeworld caused by the Death Evil God's awakening, the Salt civilization was still in the process of rebuilding. Although they expressed strong support for the Mycroft Civilization's actions and willingly offered three-quarters of their entire Void Fleet as Auxiliary Forces, they currently lacked the necessary logistical equipment and repair docks to ensure the fleet's operation.
Rescue teams and technical workers from the Mycroft Civilization had already gone to their homeworld to assist. However, it would likely take another half year to restart the Salt Men's Void Fleet, which had nearly come to a halt and almost self-destructed.
Before the fleet restarted, the Salt Men were willing to provide a large number of excellent, experienced fleet members. They would arrive in a month and a half, alleviating the Mycroft Civilization's current problem of overcapacity and underpopulation.
For both cooperative parties, the Mycroft Civilization's stance was very friendly. On this matter, both sides could achieve a win-win, mutually beneficial outcome, not one-sided exploitation.
As for the Abyss Demons.
"I always feel that getting involved with those guys is definitely a bad idea."
Thinking about this race, Joshua couldn't help but shake his head vigorously and mutter to himself. At the same time, Number 3, who was monitoring the eight-legged fungi's every move, couldn't help but turn back to look at the warrior, checking if his mental deviation value had risen again.
Joshua didn't notice this small gesture, but he was genuinely troubled.
The one who proposed seeking out the Abyss Demons was Pope of the Seven Gods, Eagle. He knew that the Abyss Demons, who aimed to invade and plunder souls, had a massive Lava Fleet. Although the fleet was crude and only suitable for demon pilots, it was still a fleet that could serve as Auxiliary Forces.
Of course, there was another, more practical reason. Although the Demon King Goliath had sworn allegiance, no one could guarantee what a demon's oath meant. To venture to other World Star Rivers, the Mycroft Civilization would dispatch a large number of powerful Transcendent combatants and a Void Fleet, even sending several Legendary Experts.
At that time, the Mycroft Civilization would be at its weakest. If the Abyss Demons decided to break their oath and attack the Mycroft World again, even if they failed, the Mycroft side would suffer.
Therefore, Eagle believed that, regardless, the demon's Legendary Experts, even the Demon King himself, must join the Auxiliary Forces and take the Lava Fleet with them to other World Star Rivers. One, it was indeed necessary; two, it was for the safety of the rear.
Joshua knew this was a good idea—killing two birds with one stone, an excellent plan. But the reason Abyss Demons were Abyss Demons was that they never, or rarely, followed plans.
As one of the three named races, unlike the other two cooperative races, the Abyss Demons, upon learning of the Mycroft Civilization's intentions, largely showed 'resistance.'
They didn't dare to resist the stronger Mycroft Civilization, but for something that clearly had no benefits and sounded very laborious, the demons had no interest at all.
Even though the Mycroft Civilization kept emphasizing 'win-win' and technology exchange, that was something Demon Lords would consider. Demons never cared about such things.
Demon King Goliath was also very ambiguous about this. He wasn't plotting to break his oath or opposing the plan; it was simply that he couldn't do anything about it. Demons were so free-spirited and undisciplined. They might temporarily obey due to powerful force and the Demon King's authority, but getting these chaotic beings to consistently follow orders was nearly impossible.
Currently, the demon Lava Fleet, docked on the other side of the Vanguard Fortress Cluster, frequently had minor conflicts with the local garrison or the Star Shepherds. These incidents were completely spontaneous, occurring even with Demon Lords present. Most of these conflicts were caused by mid-level demons visiting the fortress for exchanges, who actively picked fights with other races.
"The Abyss environment is like that. The essence of demons is countless chaotic soul fragments condensed... Expecting these demons to follow orders is like hoping the Fairies would be reliable." This was Joshua's genuine thought.
Putting that aside.
Earlier, due to his strong construction and repair abilities, Joshua was assigned to oversee the Vanguard Fortress Cluster, building a batch of large void docks and setting up a Space-Time Hub as practice to gather data. This simple task was completed in just a few days. Now, he was stationed there as the local Legendary Expert, responsible for coordinating conflicts among the four races.
Admittedly, this job was perfect for Joshua. He just sat there, letting his pressure radiate outward. Not only did it make the already nervous Star Shepherds, Salt Men, and some Abyss Demons tense, but even humans felt terrified. Not to mention conflicts—no one dared to breathe loudly.
But precisely because of this, aside from the occasional friction caused by demons, the entire Vanguard Fortress was so harmonious that Joshua had almost nothing to do except occasionally execute a few troublemaking demons. It was very boring.
That was why he accepted the challenges from Brandon and Loranda, sparring with them repeatedly until they touched the threshold of the Legendary Realm.
Originally, this day should have passed in boredom as well.
But suddenly, Joshua blinked. He sensed a reaction from the preset program he had set in 'Continent of Strife.'
"This is... someone cleared the fourth stage and entered the fifth? No, this is clearing the fifth stage—the reaction of completing the internal test dungeon!"
Noticing this, Joshua became curious. Although the fourth stage had stumped many players for a long time, clearing it wasn't an unsolvable puzzle. As long as one's micro-management and strategic decision-making reached a certain level, clearing the fourth stage wasn't difficult. And once cleared, subsequent attempts would be much easier.
But this reaction wasn't triggered by such a minor event as clearing the fourth stage. It was the completion notification for the entire internal test dungeon!
Who could it be? Thinking this, Joshua perked up and began tracing the preset information flow in the Magic Net, searching the server for the name of the player who cleared it.
Then, he sensed a familiar aura—
"Xiao Guang?!"
After searching for a while, only to find that the mental fluctuation left by the clearer was a very familiar frequency, Joshua was greatly surprised. But soon, he discovered something even more astonishing.
"No... it's not Xiao Guang. It's Xiao Guang's progenitor!"
"The Light Humanoid of the Bloodmoon Abyss!"