Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1498 - 515: Underground and At Sea

"To be honest, in my view, you are the true personification of knightly ideals," Rein remarked with total sincerity.

Rein felt a profound sense of admiration for the mature, intelligent, and striking woman standing before him. This respect stemmed from both Menia’s bravery in the recent clash and the glimpses of her character he had witnessed within the fragments of her consciousness.

Even though he hadn't fully integrated every piece of Menia’s memories, he had seen more than enough to grasp the essence of who she was.

Menia appeared momentarily stunned by Rein’s sudden praise.

By the time she regained her composure, she realized that Rein was still watching her with an intense, unwavering gaze.

Under normal circumstances, Menia would have found such a direct stare disrespectful and would have certainly taken offense.

In the past, she would have felt insulted by such behavior, even coming from Rein.

But her perspective had shifted. Without her even realizing it, the process of merging their consciousness had forged an inexplicable bond of natural familiarity and closeness between them.

In certain respects, this sense of intimacy was deeper than what even lovers might share.

Similarly, Rein’s perception of Menia had transformed; looking at her now felt as natural as looking at Anna, like someone he had known intimately for a lifetime.

"Thank you."

Under the weight of Rein’s eyes, the usually regal and formidable 'Red Queen' Menia felt a rare wave of shyness. A faint blush crept onto her face, and in a most uncharacteristic move, she slightly inclined her head before the younger man.

Should anyone else have witnessed this display, they would have been absolutely speechless with shock.

To Rein, however, Menia didn't just look noble and dignified; she now possessed a touch of mature grace that made it nearly impossible for him to avert his eyes.

"Re... Rein, I require some time to recuperate."

"Ahem... naturally, Princess Menia," Rein replied with a quick nod, clearing his throat to mask his brief lapse in focus.

"I have healing potions with me, but they aren't very effective against the backlash of the Dragon Blood Sacrifice. I will likely need a few days before I can regain any semblance of combat strength."

Menia’s elegant eyes surveyed their environment, cautiously checking the safety of their current location.

"Please do not worry, Princess Menia. As long as I am standing guard, you can focus entirely on your recovery," Rein promised her immediately.

"Is there anything else I can provide to assist you?"

Rein had already observed that despite her lack of visible wounds, her aura was incredibly frail and turbulent.

She was struggling to maintain her status as a Fourth Level Dawn Wizard.

Without immediate rest and treatment, there was a significant danger that she would drop in rank from the Dawn Wizard level entirely.

Such a price was expected; the secret technique she used granted immense power, but the subsequent drain on the body was devastating.

Under ordinary circumstances, invoking the Dragon Blood Sacrifice would have sealed Menia’s fate.

Fortunately, Rein was an anomaly. As the intended recipient of the sacrifice, he had managed to halt the process and return the essence to its rightful owner.

It wasn't a perfect restoration, however. The exchange involved incredibly intricate and delicate energy shifts. Rein estimated that even with a smooth recovery, her power would likely fall by one minor stage to the Fourth Level Dawn Middle Stage—and that was the optimistic view.

If she didn't stabilize herself now, she would likely tumble down to the Dawn Initial Stage.

In the worst-case scenario, she might even regress to the Third Level Crystalization Peak.

"Thank you, but there is nothing else for now," Menia said, shaking her head.

"Understood. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

As Menia settled into a state of deep meditation, Rein performed another thorough sweep of the area. He checked the Dark Lake and the surrounding stone walls for any dangerous creatures before returning to her side.

"Being several hundred meters beneath the earth, combined with the siphon effect of the lake above, makes the probability of the Sea God Sect finding us almost zero."

"Still, considering the scale of what happened, the Federation will likely be in a state of massive upheaval."

He attempted to transmit a witchcraft message, but the depth of their underground cavern interfered with the magical waves, preventing the signal from reaching Reginald.

"I wonder if Crown Reginald successfully got away?"

After thinking it over, Rein shook his head. Trying to force a connection with Reginald was too risky.

It wasn't that he mistrusted Reginald, but rather that if high-ranking wizards from the Sea God Sect were patrolling the island, they might detect the ripples of a witchcraft message.

With his attribute points nearly depleted and Menia in a vulnerable state of healing, attracting the Sea God Sect would be a disaster.

Rein, however, didn't plan to sit idle.

While he lacked the physical components for Elf leatherworking or Goblin engineering, he still had a wealth of Goblin engineering data stored in his memory that needed processing.

Haleem’s previous willingness to share his findings had pushed Rein’s progress toward 'mastering relevant Goblin engineering knowledge'—a prerequisite for becoming a Legendary Goblin Engineer—to 63%.

Rein decided to utilize the time during Menia’s recovery to see if he could push that percentage even higher.