Chapter 774 Missing Data (1/2)

Starfall Year 839, noontime on the 9th of May, the Liege's Residence in Northern Moldavia.

”Missing?”

Joshua, who had been instructing the housekeepers serving his Residence in cultivation, had his recreational hobby interrupted by a chagrined Nostradamus.

”Dismissed for now.”

Joshua waved, gesturing for the housekeepers to return to their work. When bored, the warrior would usually happily explain aspects of cultivating aura and lifeforce to everyone inside his Residence, as well as organize creative knowledge of the human body constitution. While those were not systematic aura cultivation, it was enough to have those housekeepers form a solid foundation. That way, even if they continue working as housekeepers, there would be a good path for them in the future… Still, there was an unusually large number of people trying to be recruited as housekeepers that Joshua had to make bulletins to inform them all.

Having done all that, Joshua released his power, shrouding the entire backyard of the Liege's Residence with a dark isolation shroud formed by electromagnetism and light, completely severing contact from the outside world. It was only then that he asked Nostradamus in curiosity, ”What's going on? How did they go missing again?”

”It's a strange matter in itself—you should be aware that strange things are afoot at the edge of the galaxy, right?”

Although Nostradamus and Joshua had an argument a while ago, that had been in the aspect of personal ideals—their personal relationship remained fine, although the elderly mage appeared rather guilty and uneasy.

”The External Exploration Department has dispatched Priest's party to carry out an expedition,” he said, ”but the distance of that world from Mycroft is simply too far. To ensure their safety, I've specially made five Return Beacons to keep them alive, each connected to the Commanding Will of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds.”

”I know that. Still, it's just a little far, and definitely not too dangerous.”

Joshua conjured two chairs out of thin air for both Nostradamus and himself, and the pair continued their conversation seated. ”We have already sealed the main body of the Black Fog, and I've also caught and dissected those wandering Void Behemoths…” Joshua said, slightly uncomprehending. ”Reasonably speaking, there should be nothing in this galaxy that could threaten five Gold-tier Extraordinary individuals.”

'Even if they should encounter some Supreme-tier beings existing in certain worlds or Tyrant-class creatures that are near Legends, they should not be able to interdict the Return Beacon.'

”Besides that, why is it those five rascals again… really, can't have a moment not worrying about them.”

At the very thought, Joshua found things rather incomprehensible. He had quite a few apprentices, with Ivan, Amelia and the rest of the First Party having graduated and being dispatched as vanguard to 'valuable' otherworlds, conducting a purge of local monsters and pave the way for Imperial expansion. With that experience, and their comradeship with Prince Arlwa, they would certainly obtain a high-rank within the Empire in the future.

The Lisa and Syndicate duo were even less worrying. Despite her young age, Lisa was already on the pinnacle of Gold-tier, a progress that was probably only next to Joshua after his crossover. In time, it would be highly likely for her to develop into a Legend.

Syndicate alone proved to be embarrassing. It had yet to restore itself to the level of Supreme-tier Archdemon, and was barely at the threshold of Supreme at the moment… Still, it had just changed its body which definitely requires some retraining, which was why Joshua lowered his demands towards it.

Meanwhile, Priest and his team trod a different path… If anything, it was plagued with misfortunes. It appeared that they had come across nothing good ever since their maiden voyage—in each world that they had visited, they were either almost single-handedly vanquished by a single tentacle whip from the Black Fog or would run into some powerful native monster. Wherever they treaded would be struck by natural disasters or tides of beasts, the ups and downs of their life fluctuating like a human's cardiogram.

'Actually, I'm not too surprised.'

Beside Joshua, Nostradamus blinked, stroking his beard as he critiqued inwardly. 'It would be more appropriate to say that the little fellow Priest had learned your very essence in attracting trouble—it is as if he is made from one of your molds.'

The mage naturally left the joke unsaid. Meanwhile, Joshua thought things through for a moment before asking, ”How did they go missing? They have a signal transmitter, your Return Beacon while the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds also marked them—even if they are captured by otherworld civilizations, they would definitely be able to escape as long as they don't come across dimensional-class Legends that are better than you.”

”That's the question.”

Nostradamus shook his head somberly at Joshua's words. ”I knew at once that the expedition must have met some great trouble when I sensed that the Return Beacon I made was being used, that they faced something they couldn't handle. I therefore headed at once to the return point of the Beacon, to look for them in the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds.

”But there was nothing.”

The old mage let out a drawn-out sigh at that. ”The Elite Party never made it back. Their teleportation must have deviated, all of them vanishing and lost in the endless Void of the galaxy.”

”Is that so.” Joshua frowned in return, understanding why Nostradamus appeared chagrined when he came to meet him.

Priest was his pupil, and for his pupil to use Nostradamus's Return Beacon and then vanish without a trace was a severe mistake regardless of how one thought about it… Even so, Joshua knew that things were definitely not so simple.

Legendary champions never made mistakes—even if they did, it would be one in the point of view of another Legend more powerful than they were. Moreover, Joshua had absolute faith in Nostradamus's skill, and it would indeed be unusual if they did not after fighting side-by-side. Therefore, instead of complaining, it would be better if they consider carefully how they could recover Priest and his missing team.

After more thought, Joshua asked, ”did the Commanding Will of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds say anything?”

If there was anything in the entire Mycroft civilization that could outshine Nostradamus in the discipline of dimensions, it was probably the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds—the product of the finest Glorious Era technology—as well as its Commanding Will. What was more, in the first place, Nostradamus had borrowed the power of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds so that the Return Beacon could activate at once and return to the demiplane, and it was probably the only thing that could determine why the Elite Party suddenly went missing.

Joshua was hence surprised when Nostradamus shook his head.

”I've asked,” the old mage said regretfully, his expression considerably perplexed. ”The Commanding Will told me that the Elite Party's teleportation had a little accident from the beginning—a gravity suddenly appeared, stirring the dimensions, although they were still teleported normally to a living world.”