Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1635 - 565: Divine Artifact (2)
Previously on Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys...
"Indeed, the Shademon has lingered in this realm for endless ages. Reverting to an earlier time point could merely trap it, yet fail to eradicate it entirely."
"Even possessing the might to undo the Shademon’s very being, reversing time across thousands of years remains utterly impossible."
In moments, Rein uncovered the explanation amid the visions etched in his thoughts by the Deputy Key.
On top of that, he uncovered another detail.
"So, the Key of Time was first held by Solson. The Shademon’s core essence had burrowed deep and fused with it, rendering it impossible for Goblin Princess Amora to wield her strength to turn back time."
"All she could manage was a partial suppression....."
Witnessing this, Rein nodded slowly, grasping the truth.
It resolved a puzzle that had long plagued his mind.
The reason why Amora, the Goblin Princess armed with the Deputy Key of the Divine Artifact Time Key, failed to rescue her father Solson.
After mulling it over a bit more, Rein seized the Deputy Key of Time this time, and instantly, the crystalline sands transformed into strands of luminous vapor, intensifying the vibrant radiance that shrouded Solson.
Right away, Rein withdrew the Deputy Key of Time.
Thanks to the lingering essence of the Time Sand inside, detaching the Deputy Key wouldn’t let the Shademon break loose.
"Now, I can trace the Deputy Key’s lead and stand a chance at locating the genuine Divine Artifact Time Key."
Just then, a sudden idea struck Rein, and with a swift shift, he materialized in an adjacent chamber.
The items within, battered by innumerable ages and the Witch Array long shattered by the Shademon’s force, had crumbled into powder—books and Sheepskin Scrolls included.
Still, Rein pressed on without pause, venturing deeper into the chamber until he paused before a particular space.
The simple setup and surroundings indicated this had once served as a study.
To be precise, it had been the study belonging to Goblin Princess Amora in her time.
By now, the desks and chairs crafted from rare timber had rotted away, though certain gold, silver, and metallic decorations endured, buried beneath heavy dust.
"This must be the place..."
Rein stepped inside, reaching the ruined desk and bookshelf that had collapsed, but spotted no clues.
"Not even the memory crystals made it past this final barrier?" Rein muttered, eyeing the two spots reduced to pale dust.
Had those memory crystals survived, they might have unveiled countless enigmas from the Ancient Goblin Era.
Abruptly, a vibration shook the ground beneath him, accompanied by a deep rumble of mechanisms from overhead, as though the whole Floating City was shifting into a new phase.
"What? It’s actually firing up successfully?"
Rein arched a brow, inwardly taken aback.
He’d figured that even at full throttle, Haleem would need no less than half a month to mend and reactivate the Floating City.
Yet, against all odds...
In a blink, Rein vanished from sight.
...
Rein materialized once more in the central control chamber on the fourth level below ground.
Ever since ascending to Full Moon Wizard, his command of ’Shadow Shifting’ had grown far smoother, and the once-heavy toll on his spiritual energy now felt far lighter.
Haleem showed no shock at Rein’s sudden arrival.
The massive stir from the Floating City’s revival was bound to draw Rein’s notice.
"Your grace, Steel Throne, the antigravity mechanism was intact to begin with. I merely triggered it, though the core of the chief power system is missing..." Haleem dabbed at the sweat on his brow and reported hastily.
"Oh?"
"The Floating City’s main power source originally drew from the ’Demon Heart’ to operate. By harnessing the Demon Heart’s intense radiation energy, such an enormous Floating City could stay aloft."
"But after tens of thousands of years, the Demon Heart’s energy has fully drained away, leaving nothing but ashes..." Haleem added, furrowing his brow.
"No substitute available?" Ogre interjected, unable to hold back.
"None whatsoever. Legend holds that the Demon Heart came from a High Rank demon that assaulted this world ten thousand years back, so it’s unobtainable today." Haleem shook his head as he spoke.
Radiation energy?
Rein mulled it over, as if a spark of insight had ignited.
"So the Floating City can hover, but it’s stuck in place without mobility?"
"Using backup power, it can creep along at a snail’s pace, but nothing swift, and certain high-consumption functions..." Haleem clarified.
Right then, Sword Saint Terrio burst into the fourth underground level, his face etched with gravity, and declared:
"Your grace, Steel Throne, we’ve got a crisis on our hands. Chaos erupts in the Dragan Empire Tamriel; the ancient Shademon sealed by the Goddess Church has shattered its bonds. Much of the Imperial City lies in ruins already..."
"What?" Rein’s eyes narrowed sharply, a fierce wave of spiritual force pulsing outward.
"How long ago did this occur?"
"The Federation got word of it thirty minutes past," Sword Saint Terrio answered without delay.
With a brief contemplation, Rein blinked out of existence.
...
At the same time.
Imperial City Tamriel.
Thick haze and debris choked the whole metropolis, the heavens blanketed in heavy black soot, thick with foul miasma and plumes of smoke from raging fires.
Wails, steel clanging, and savage howls echoed through every corner!
The clash around Cologne Cathedral stood as the heart of the storm, the most vital front. Yet now, the dark miasma had swallowed up vast swaths of the Imperial City, and even the Imperial Palace—fortified by intricate, layered witch arrays—couldn’t halt the miasma’s creep, succumbing in large measure.
