Soul of Burning Steel

Starfall 833, June 19th, in the early morning, Moldavian Territory in the Northland, Snow Mountain Nissier, College of Winterhold.

At this time, the sun had not yet risen, everything was quiet, the students in the college had fallen asleep, and most of the instructors were resting in their own rooms, self-disciplined in various important parts of the college, such as the dormitory, library and magic arts. Patrolling back and forth in laboratories and other places, these steel and magic creations can detect the slightest movement in the dark and are the best guardians.

But there are always some places that don't need protection.

On the top floor of the academy, an office with the hand of the sword on the door.

Behind the gate, the lights in the room were not turned on. A silvery-white moonlight slanted into the room from the skylight on the roof, which was the only light source. In the corner where the moonlight could not shine, a man was silent. Sitting in a large armchair, he was playing with something in his hands.

Joshua stared at the dragon egg in his hand. The white eggshell, which was the size of a human head, emitted a faint glow, which looked particularly hazy in the dark.

【White dragon egg about to hatch】

[Extraordinary-level 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 93% hatching success rate, prepared by a high-level mage through special techniques, and the young dragon may develop the blood talent in advance]

[Description of the item: This is the loot obtained by Joshua van Radcliffe, Earl of the Northland, from the dragon slaying. It comes from the White Dragon Lair in the Extreme Arctic Ice Field. It is currently in a very healthy state and may hatch at any time. —— Be careful, the dragon will not regard the first creature it sees as its mother. If you want it to get close to you, you'd better show your strength and give it a hearty breakfast. 】

【Lululu...】

【by——Dragon Egg】

"Yes, this dragon egg is very healthy."

With a soft admiration, Joshua put the dragon egg back into the silver metal box by his side. He nodded and said with emotion: "A dragon egg that meets the requirements 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 his luck has become better and better in some insignificant things, such as the book he picked up just happened to be a novel that suits his taste. It just happened that a corresponding report was sent, and it was absolutely impossible to buy inferior products when shopping on the street. This was obviously a manifestation of a sudden increase in luck.

Originally, the soldier thought that Ogner's gift was nothing more than returning the divinity he lent, at most it was giving back a little more, but now he realized that this divinity came from the god of luck, but there is such a wonderful effect.

"Unfortunately, there is no lottery in Mycroft Continent."

Joshua made a little joke. If there was such a thing, with his current luck, he might actually win a small prize.

Now, Hotaru needs to stay in the lord's mansion to take care of Brandon's two daughters. Rin needs to go with the knights and the church's troops to sweep up the cultists from time to time, so now he stays alone in Winter Castle Academy, waiting for this At the end of the second large-scale comprehensive test, a reward was given to the best student—a dragon egg that was about to hatch.

The dragon eggs that Joshua brought out from the white dragon's lair back then were actually not many. Counting the dead eggs that Theodore identified as unhatchable, there were only twenty-two. Just fifteen, seven dragon eggs have lost their activity due to 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 masters.

Joshua himself is already black, he doesn't need a second mount, these dragon eggs are the best and qualified knights in the reserve knights that are going to be reserved for him, but a total of forty knights In the group, only ten people met the conditions.

The warriors' reserve knights were specially selected by Joshua from the Black Forest Fortress and the city guards after the Kuroshio tide ended last year. They are all young lads with good physical fitness and even advanced to the gold rank. potential, the soldiers also specially taught them the breathing method, and after a year of training, the strength of these reserve knights has also improved a lot, 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 time of the Great Demon Tide, if they want these people to go further, probably It takes about five or six years.

But this is already terrifying enough. Forty silver-ranked knights who have practiced breathing techniques can already be regarded as a powerful force in the empire. After all, these are only Joshua's private soldiers, so the soldiers I plan to find a time to remove the preparations from the reserve knights and formally give them an establishment.

But even so, there are still many people in the reserve knights who do not meet the requirements. First of all, the most important point of the dragon knights is 'not afraid of heights', so seven or eight people were screened out, and those who met the standards for dynamic vision and reaction ability Not many, combined, most of them were eliminated in an instant.

You know, 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. The knights who are preparing for the knight order are not bad at this point. There should be quite a few 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 egg.

In this way, not only were fifteen dragon eggs not a lot, but five more——Theodore, as a meritorious minister who hatched the dragon eggs, was able to get one, and this time the academy evaluation, Joshua was going to send another one , and even then, there are three redundancies.

"Leave one for the academy itself."

After thinking about it, Joshua decided to simply save a dragon egg and train it in the name of the academy. Anyway, Theodore would not care about taking care of an extra baby dragon, and in this case, if the Academy of Winterhold can be opened for decades, There will be a guardian dragon of his own.

This is not the treatment that ordinary colleges can have. Even if it is the White Pagoda, there is no college or department that can have a guardian dragon.

"There are two more."

Looking at the metal box beside him with some headaches, Joshua couldn't help frowning: "Send one to Master Nostradamus or Bishop Artanis? Just take it as a thank you for your help all the time."

But when 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, but the church may not be able to afford it."

You know, when a giant dragon grows up, the ingredients and various special materials it needs are enough to bankrupt a small family. Joshua is because he is the lord of Moldavia and a field earl. Only the family business can support the load of the ten dragons of the knight order.

As for the college and the two ends given to the students, Nostradamus and Joshua will help, so it is naturally not a big problem, and Theodore, who has been preparing for decades to raise a dragon, is not a big problem On the contrary, the church usually lives a simple life, relying on the believers and the funds from the lord's mansion to maintain it. If there is a sudden increase in income, they will definitely fall into financial difficulties.

"...Forget it, it's just two dragons anyway."

After thinking about it, Joshua shook his head and forgot about it, but he didn't come up with the result—anyway, it would be a big deal to raise two more as spares, so he could afford it.

Outside the window, the moonlight was gradually replaced by the golden-red sunlight. Dawn was breaking and the sun was slowly rising. The soldier also stood up and moved his arms.

Today is the last day of Winterhold Academy's comprehensive evaluation, and it is also the last day of the group arena. When everything is over and the total score comes out, it will be the time for him to present the dragon egg.

...

At the same time, the imperial capital, the royal study.

Because of the discussion with Joshua, the luxurious study room with the dome burned down has been completely restored, and the gorgeous decoration is no less than before, and even better than before.

"how."

In the middle of the study room, His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire, Israel Diamond raised his eyes from the book in his hand, and looked impatiently at the leader of the guard who was kneeling on one knee beside him: "Nash, I said, if there is no urgent matter, leave me alone during my breakfast break."

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty, but this is news from the Holy Mountain in the Far Sea."

The middle-aged man named Nash replied in a deep voice, he was not panicked by the impatience of his loyalists, but repeated the news he had received before with a clear voice: "From the church, the representative of the God of life The preparations are complete, and the 'God Healing Ceremony' can be performed at any time, if Your Majesty has time, they will come to perform the ceremony."

"...that's really 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 lent the Fusion Star, this group of stone-like clergymen might have returned. It won't do me any favors - tell them I'm available anytime and I can come now."

After saying this, the powerful legendary warrior couldn't help but feel another stabbing pain in his lower back. He couldn't help but sighed, and said to himself helplessly: "If it wasn't for my mistakes back then, why should I So impatient..."

Nash, who was kneeling by the side, didn't say much. As the leader of the royal secret agent [Shadow] and one of the closest people to Israel, he naturally knew the hidden wounds on the ruler of the empire, so when he learned of the church's uncharacteristic After being willing to invite out the representative of the God of Life who had lived in seclusion in the Great Temple for many years, Nash immediately rushed over to inform his master.

In order to heal his dark wounds, Israel has searched for many methods over the years. He has tried the secret treasures of the elves, the secret techniques of the Western Mountain Warlocks, and the magical healing of the Eastern Plains Mages. These methods are all useful and can suppress him. The dark wounds on the body, but they all treat the symptoms but not the root cause, and cannot completely cure them.

As for the divine arts of the church, he has naturally tried it, 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 afterwards, so the injury It has already penetrated into the essence of life, and it is difficult to cure it by any method.

Unless Israel goes one step further, sublimating his life essence and gaining a trace of divinity, otherwise, any ritual will be in vain—however, if it is the strongest healing magic performed by the God of Life's agent, 'God Healing' Rituals' is another matter, it is indeed very possible to complete the essence of His Majesty's life and heal it from the source.

But the God of Life was originally the most silent and solitary god among the seven gods of the human race. The same is true for his priests. The representative of the God of Life has always lived in the Great Temple of the Holy Mountain and almost never went out. , even with the face of the emperor Israel, there is no way to invite him out to treat him.

"Fortunately, there is a dragon disaster."

Sighing lightly, Israel's mood was a little complicated. If it wasn't for the dragon disaster and the church just needed help from the empire, everything would be hard to say.

"Why, is there any other news?"

Noticing that Nash by his side hadn't left, His Majesty the Emperor asked curiously, "Is there anything else going on?"

"His Majesty……"

After hesitating for a while, the middle-aged warrior replied truthfully: "The Church of the Seven Gods also said that they still need some help from the empire."

"Why, isn't that Fusion Star not enough?"

Even Israel was a little surprised by this news: "They said they needed treasures with extremely strong positive energy, so I gave them the world's largest fusion star—of course, it might not be as good as theirs. The one inlaid on the top of the Great Temple, but it is definitely enough to deal with most situations."

"That's 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 the Abyss of Anos had only a small gap in the abyss, it was precisely because of this that the breath of the abyss that came from this gap was extremely violent and rapid, and could even A sea area was disturbed, and although his fusion star was strong enough, it was impossible to shelter a huge ark in this sea area for too long.

"No, they are very satisfied with Your Majesty's help..."

Not knowing what to say, Nash frowned, his expression looked very complicated: "This time, the church is not asking for any holy artifacts and secret treasures, they hope to get the help of an imperial nobleman."

"Imperial nobles?"

Squinting 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."

Ahhh, missed full attendance!

It's all because of watching dac, but congratulations to ig for winning the championship of this Asian Invitational Tournament! B Shen Baodao is not old, and everyone else in ig is very strong. Thanks to the only b god Boboka, xxs, q and op raised their hands, otherwise I may not be able to lose the runner-up!