Starfall 833, June 19th, early morning, in the Moldavia Territory in the North, in the Nissii Snow Mountains, at Winterfort College.
At this time, the sun has not risen yet, everything is quiet, the students in the college have fallen asleep, and most of the instructors are resting in their own rooms, self-disciplined in various important parts of the college, such as the accommodation area, library and magic. Patrolling laboratories and other places, these creations made of steel and magic can detect the smallest movement in the darkness and are the best guardians.
But there are always some places that don't need protection.
On the top floor of the academy, there is an office with the crest of the sword-bearing hand on the door.
Behind the door, there were no lights on in the room. A silvery-white moonlight shone slantly into the room from the skylight on the roof. It was the only light source. And in the corner where the moonlight could not reach, a man was silent. He was sitting in a large armchair, playing with something in his hands.
Joshua stared at the dragon egg in his hand. The white eggshell, which was as big as a human head, emitted a faint fluorescent light and looked particularly hazy in the darkness.
[White dragon egg about to hatch]
[Extraordinary gold-level materials: can be used to make high-level magic ingredients, can be used to make 'Dragon Power Potion', can be used to make dragon soul sacrificial vessels, and can be hatched into juvenile white dragons]
[Dragon egg status: extremely healthy, with a hatching success rate of 93%. It is prepared by a senior mage through special techniques. It is possible for the young dragon to develop bloodline talents in advance]
[Item description: This is a trophy obtained by slaying a dragon by the Earl of the North, Joshua Van Radcliffe. It comes from the white dragon's lair in the far north ice field. It is currently in very good health and may hatch at any time. - Be careful, a dragon will not regard the first creature it sees as its mother. If you want it to get close to you, it is best to show its strength and give it a hearty breakfast.]
[Lulululu...]
[by-Dragon Egg]
"Yes, this dragon egg is very healthy."
With a soft sigh of praise, Joshua put the dragon egg back into the silver metal box beside him. He nodded and said with emotion: "Just grab it and you will find a dragon egg that meets the requirements. It is a gift from the God of Luck and Despair." , indeed kind.”
Ever since Joshua solved the black mist incident in the imperial capital, he has found that he has gotten better and better in some insignificant things. For example, the book he picked up happened to be a novel that suited his taste. What did he want to solve? A corresponding report happened to be sent, and it was absolutely impossible to buy inferior products when going shopping on the street. This was obviously a sign of a sudden increase in luck.
Originally, the warrior thought that Organa's gift was nothing more than a return of the divinity he had lent, or at most a little more, but now he understood that the divinity that came from the God of Luck had such a wonderful power. effect.
"It's a pity that there is no lottery in Mycroft Continent."
Joshua made a little joke. If it were true, with his current luck, he might actually win a small prize.
Now, Firefly needs to stay in the Lord's Mansion and take care of Brandon's two daughters. Rin has to go with the Knights and the church's troops to sweep away cultists from time to time, so now he stays alone at Winterfort Academy, waiting for this. At the end of the second large-scale comprehensive test, the best students were given a reward—a dragon egg that was about to hatch.
The dragon eggs that Joshua brought out from the white dragon's lair were actually not many. Counting the dead eggs that Theodore determined could not be hatched, there were only twenty-two. And the dragon eggs that were determined to be able to hatch healthily were only twenty-two in total. There are only fifteen, a total of seven dragon eggs that have lost their activity for various reasons and can only be used as magic materials.
But even if there are only fifteen dragon eggs left, it is not so easy to find all the owners.
Joshua himself already has a black horse. He does not need a second mount. These dragon eggs are the best and qualified knights in the reserve knights who are prepared to leave him. However, there are a total of forty knights. In the group, only ten people met the conditions.
The reserve knights of the warriors were specially selected by Joshua from the Black Forest Fortress and the City Guards after the Black Tide ended last year. They are all young men with good physical fitness, and some have even advanced to the gold level. In order to realize their potential, the warrior also specially taught them the breathing method. After a year of training, the strength of these preliminary knights has also improved greatly, and many of them have broken through the original class and reached a higher level.
Of course, they are not Joshua. Without a system, their strength cannot progress so fast, so no one has touched the golden barrier so far. Joshua estimates that unless they wait until the great demon tide period, if they want these people to go further, probably It takes about five or six years.
But this is terrifying enough. Forty silver-level knights who have practiced the breathing method are already considered a powerful force in the empire. After all, they are private soldiers that only belong to Joshua, so warriors I am going to find a time to remove the preparations from the reserve knights and officially give them an organization.
But even so, there are still many people in the Preparatory Knights who do not meet the requirements - first of all, the most important thing for the Dragon Knights is that they must not be afraid of heights, so they screened out seven or eight people, and none of them met the standards for dynamic vision and reaction ability. A few, combined, most of them were eliminated in an instant.
You must know that the most important thing for a dragon knight is to fight in the sky. Because the dragon's mobility is too high, the knight's reaction speed must also be very strong. To be honest, the knights of the reserve knights are not bad at this point. If they go through hardships With practice, there should be many who can reach the standard, but what Joshua wants is the certainty of the present, not the possibility of the future, so it is a pity that only the ten strongest reserve knights can get the dragon eggs.
In this way, fifteen dragon eggs were not only a lot, but five more. As a contributor to the hatching of dragon eggs, Theodore was able to get one, and for this academy evaluation, Joshua was going to give away another one. Even so, there are three redundant.
"Leave one for the academy itself."
After thinking about it, Joshua decided to simply keep a dragon egg and train it in the name of the academy. Anyway, Theodore wouldn't care about taking care of another baby dragon. And in this case, if Winterfort Academy can be opened for decades, There will be a guardian dragon of his own.
This is not a treatment that ordinary colleges can have. Even the Guantian White Tower, no college or department can have a guardian dragon.
"Two more."
Looking at the metal box beside him with a headache, Joshua couldn't help but frown: "Send one to Master Nostradamus or Bishop Artanis? Just treat it as a thank you for your help all the time."
But after he finished talking to himself, the warrior shook his head again: "They don't need this thing. The old mage doesn't have time to take care of this little thing, and he doesn't need a mount, and the church may not be able to afford it."
You must know that the ingredients and various special materials required for a giant dragon to grow are enough to bankrupt a small family. Joshua is because he is the lord of Moldavia and a field earl. He relies on his large savings and The family industry can support the load of the Ten-Headed Dragon of the Knights.
As for the academy and the two ends given to students, Nostradamus and Joshua will help, so it is naturally not a big problem. And Theodore has been preparing for decades to raise a dragon, so it is not a big problem. , On the other hand, the church usually lives a simple life and relies on funds from believers and the lord's house to maintain its existence. If suddenly there is an extra dragon, they will definitely fall into financial difficulties.
"...Forget it, it's just two dragons anyway."
After thinking about it for a while, he came up with no result. Joshua shook his head and threw it away - anyway, he could afford to raise two more as backup.
Outside the window, the moonlight was gradually replaced by golden-red sunlight. Dawn broke and the sun was slowly rising. The soldier also stood up and moved his arms.
Today is the last day of the comprehensive evaluation of Winterburg Academy, and it is also the last day of the arena competition. When everything is over and the total score is announced, it will be the time for him to appear and present the dragon egg.
…
At the same time, the imperial capital, the royal study.
Because of the discussion with Joshua, the luxurious study room whose dome was burned down has now been completely restored, and the gorgeous decoration is no less than before, or even better than before.
"how."
In the center of the study, His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire, Israel Diamond, raised his eyes from the book in his hand. He looked impatiently at the leader of the guards who was kneeling on one knee beside him: "Nash, I said, if there's nothing urgent, don't disturb me during my breakfast break."
"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty, but this is news from the Holy Mountain in the distant sea."
The middle-aged man named Nash replied in a deep voice. He did not feel panicked because of the impatience of his loyalists. Instead, he repeated the news he had received before in a clear voice: "From the church, the agent of the God of Life." The preparations have been completed, and the 'divine healing ceremony' can be performed at any time. If Your Majesty has time, they will come to perform the ceremony."
"...This is indeed good news."
Putting down the thick ancient book in his hand, Israel clapped his hands, his serious expression relaxed a little, and he said with some emotion: "If I hadn't loaned out the Core Star, these stone-like priests might have returned. They won’t give me face—tell them I’m free at any time and can come now.”
After saying this, this powerful legendary warrior couldn't help but feel a stab of pain in his lower back. He couldn't help but sigh and said to himself helplessly: "If it hadn't been a mistake back then, why would I have to So impatient…”
Nash, who was kneeling aside, didn't say much. As the leader of the Royal Secret Agent [Shadow] and one of the people closest to Israel, he naturally knew the hidden wounds on the ruler of the empire, so after learning about the church's unusual behavior, , after being willing to invite the representative of the God of Life who had lived in the Great Temple for many years, Nash immediately rushed over and informed his master.
In order to heal his own hidden wounds, Israel has searched for many methods over the years. He has tried the secret treasures of the elves, the secret techniques of the sorcerers of the Western Mountains, and the magical treatments of the sorcerers of the Eastern Plains. These methods are all useful and can suppress him. There are hidden wounds on the body, but they all treat the symptoms rather than the root causes, and cannot completely cure them.
Naturally, he has also tried the church's magical arts, but the archbishop who treated Israel before also bluntly said that the injury he suffered was not treated in time, and he also experienced extremely fierce battles later, so the injury was It has penetrated deeply into the essence of life and is difficult to be cured by any method.
Unless Israel goes one step further, sublimates his own life essence and obtains a trace of divinity, otherwise, any ritual will be in vain - however, if it is the most powerful healing magic performed by the agent of the God of Life, the 'Divine Healing Ritual' 'That's another matter. It is indeed very possible to complete the essence of His Majesty's life and cure it from the source.
But the God of Life is originally the most silent and solitary god among the seven gods of the human race. The same is true for His priests. The agents of the God of Life have always lived in the Great Temple of the Holy Mountain and almost never go out. , even with the face of Israel, the emperor of the empire, there is no way to invite him out to treat himself.
"Thankfully there's dragon trouble."
Sighing softly, Israel's mood was a little complicated. If it weren't for the dragon disaster and the church happened to need help from the empire, it would be hard to say anything.
"Why, is there any other news?"
Realizing that Nash had not left beside him, the emperor asked curiously: "Is there anything else besides this?"
"Your Majesty..."
After hesitating for a while, the middle-aged warrior answered truthfully: "The Church of the Seven Gods also said that they still need some help from the empire."
"Why, isn't that melting star enough?"
Even Israel was a little surprised by this news: "They said they needed a treasure with extremely strong positive energy, so I gave them the largest molten star in the world - of course, it might not be as big as them. The one mounted on the temple is definitely enough to deal with most situations.”
"This is not enough. Are they going to explore the abyss?"
His Majesty the Emperor did not expect that what he said happened to be the truth. Although there was only a small abyss gap in the Abyss of Anos, it was precisely because of this that the abyss breath coming from this gap was extremely violent and rapid, and could even The sea area was disturbed into chaos. Although his core star was powerful enough, it could not protect a giant ark from traveling in this sea area for too long.
"No, they are very satisfied with your help, Your Majesty..."
Not knowing what to say, Nash frowned. His expression looked very complicated: "This time, the church is not asking for any sacred artifacts. They hope to get the help of an imperial noble."
"Imperial noble?"
Narrowing his eyes, Israel's expression also became serious. After thinking about it, he asked in a calm tone: "Who do they want?"
"Joshua."
After saying this name, the middle-aged warrior was afraid that this single name was not detailed enough, so he said it again: "Joshua Van Radcliffe."
Ah, I missed perfect attendance!
It’s all because of watching DAC, but first congratulations to ig for winning this Asian Invitational Championship! The b god's sword is not old, and the others in ig are very strong. Thanks to the only b god Popoka, xxs, q and op raised their hands, otherwise I, b, might not have been able to lose the runner-up place!
(End of chapter)