Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1586 - 547: The Origin of the True Gods (Part 2)
Previously on Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys...
Having now advanced to the rank of a Dawn Wizard, Hiram could no longer stand for such nonsense.
"This... but does that really mean the opponent can take down the ’King of Tyrannosaurs’?" The elder appeared flustered yet persisted in his argument.
"Heh, that opponent is an uncommon Metal Series Dawn Wizard, and at minimum, he's at the Late Dawn stage."
"What! But... how could that be? The Empire only has a handful of late-stage Dawn Wizards left, and I've never come across anyone called Rein..."
The elder clutching the blue crystal ball, along with the other Dawn Wizards unfamiliar with Rein, exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.
"Heh!" Hiram let out a chuckle and then fell quiet right away.
While Sword Saint Terrio prepared to step in and ease the tension, a messenger suddenly called out from the tent's doorway.
"Report! Critical update from the Imperial City!"
"Enter!" Terrio's brow furrowed. He'd ordered no interruptions except for vital matters, so the messenger must have grasped the importance.
"Sir, only yesterday, eight Divine Incarnations appeared in the Dragan Empire’s Temrael, blocking Empire Emperor Carlos II from reaching Demigod; a brutal clash broke out against the Empire, and though the divines were driven back in the end, the Empire endured massive losses... and moreover... Empire Emperor Carlos II has fallen!"
"What!"
The Federation's powerhouses reacted to the report with bulging eyes, gaping mouths, and they all rose to their feet.
The revelation was just too staggering!
"Everyone, it looks like we have to accelerate our efforts."
"The crisis is far graver than any of us thought!"
"If Evil Gods can invade the Dragan Empire today, they could strike the Federation tomorrow. When that happens, how do we resist?" Sword Saint Terrio scanned the group with a grave expression as he declared.
"I support Hiram Crown’s view: reach out to the Empire for collaboration on the joint expedition, and seize the Floating City without delay!"
"Count me in as well! With Lord Rein on board, our expedition's success rate would skyrocket." Hernandez gave a nod and added his thoughts.
...
In Temrael, at the Bixiu Mechanization School's outpost.
After reassuring his loved ones, Rein started by studying records on Full Moon Wizards before heading back to the hidden chamber in the school’s base.
Following that grueling and fatal confrontation, a wave of anxiety and haste washed over Rein.
The growing resurgence of Evil Gods had thrown the Empire into turmoil.
Rein began by trying to outline the ’Steel Heart’ Advanced Meditation Method's Fifth Layer model once more, and before long, he noticed substantial advancement.
In his initial go, he managed to add thirty-three runes straight away, hitting a total of four hundred and forty-five Will Runes.
"The spiritual power shift is finished, and it truly offers a major lift to the Advanced Meditation Method."
After half a day passed.
Rein pushed the model forward to four hundred and seventy-nine runes, now very near the target of five hundred and twelve runes.
"I figure in about ten days or maybe half a month, I'll finish sketching the fifth-layer model."
"Still, I must locate a truly secure spot for the breakthrough."
Breaking through to Demigod involves a vital phase that demands time for the quasi-divine essence to form, which for Rein translates to building the ’Steel Heart’ in his mental sea.
Rein wasn't sure if the system would handle this phase for him automatically.
Instant success would be ideal, but should it fail...
"If the Imperial Palace isn't secure enough, then where could possibly work?" Rein creased his forehead, lost in thought.
Right then, the communication mark on Rein’s chest started flashing.
"Hmm? A high-level Empire gathering?" Rein felt it out briefly, arched his brows, and muttered.
...
Thirty minutes afterward.
Within the Imperial Palace's assembly room.
The Dragan Empire held its initial top-tier assembly since the Imperial City clash, led by the ’Red Queen’ Menia.
Rein joined this kind of session for the very first time, where talks covered crucial intel spanning the whole Empire.
"Two days back, after pulling back most Imperial Guardians to the Imperial City, areas like Wazi, Nome, and others saw numerous attacks resulting in over a thousand deaths, with heavy tolls on civilians."
"Cults such as the Black Flame Cult and Secret Snake Sect are rampaging unchecked; we ought to send forces right away to suppress them, or things could worsen dramatically..." Marshal Alfred stated.
"Yet during the Imperial City fight this time, we lost four Imperial Guardians; over nine Five-Colored Giant Dragons perished... eighty-two Death Griffin Knights, four hundred and thirty-two Palace Guards... and three thousand two hundred and thirty-three structures lay in ruins..."
"Stabilizing the Empire right now seems nearly impossible." A Military Department elder voiced gravely.
These figures left Rein quiet and reflective as well!
The conflict didn't just claim the courageous Emperor Carlos II but also inflicted severe deaths and destruction across the Empire...
"On this issue, does anybody have solid ideas to handle it?" Menia, seated at the head, knit her brows lightly and inquired.
"Uh... what if we ally with a single Evil God to stir up anger among the rest and spark fights between them?" In that moment, an elder dressed in fine hunting garb proposed.
"Out of the question! Partnering with Evil Gods essentially means getting folks, or segments of them, to worship them. Forget how the masses would slowly warp under the Evil God’s influence—even the Goddess Church would pose a huge problem." One Imperial Guardian shot down the idea at once.
"It would wreck the longstanding ties between the Empire and Goddess Church, plus erode faith and delay the Seasonal Wind and Ocean Goddess's return even more."
"I believe we must face that without the Goddess present now, the Dragan Empire alone can't hold back the mounting chaos." A noble elder with neatly combed hair intoned seriously.
"You might not know yet, but the Empire's already hit hard, with taxes down thirty percent and vast farmlands abandoned amid constant cult raids... remote regions suffer even worse..."
The Internal Affairs Minister's words made many in the room crease their foreheads.
Though Imperial Guardians had progressed deep along the Transcendent road, common folk formed the bedrock of the Empire; lacking a huge populace meant no way to raise countless transcendent individuals.
Shortly, more voices chimed in, from Empire officials and Imperial Guardians to Royal Family elders, offering a range of views.
Suddenly, the gathering split into two sides, though each had compelling arguments from their backers.
Then, Elder Ivan thought it over briefly and turned to Rein with a question:
"Lord Rein, what's your take on all this?"
As Elder Ivan posed the query, the other Imperial Guardians, Empire leaders, and Princess Renala alike directed their attention to Rein.
It hit them then that Lord Rein, who had dazzled in the Imperial City fray, hadn't uttered a word yet.
Even though Rein was remarkably young, his prowess had blazed clear in the Imperial City battle, and on top of that, Lord Rein appeared to hold Prince Menia’s confidence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, attending a high-level meeting for the first time, I planned to mostly observe and say little."
"That said, with Elder Ivan inviting my input, I'd like to pose a question to you all about the roots of true divinity, such as the Seasonal Wind and Ocean Goddess—does anyone know of this?"
Rein's query puzzled quite a few.
After all, what Rein brought up felt disconnected from their earlier debate.
"The beginnings are hard to pin down, but from scattered ancient writings and common historical accounts of true divinity, the Seasonal Wind and Ocean Goddess likely rose from a powerful human woman over time." Walkmas considered it then responded.
"Lord Walkmas’s vast wisdom impresses me; I only came across this myself yesterday flipping through old tomes." Rein gave a slight bow to Walkmas in respect.
"Lord Rein, is that what you mean?" Elder Ivan seemed to catch on, his eyes going wide as he probed.
...