Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1645 - 568: Goddess's True Form (Part 3)

To put it another way, the other side had only been partially corrupted by the Fiend Demons.

"I understand, it's not that they refused to, but rather they were unable."

"That's precisely why the Goddess later employed the milder approach of sealing to deal with those Giant Beasts."

"During that era, the Divine Body and Key of Time were deployed to fend off the encroachment of Evil Qi, thus, in all likelihood, she could only employ projections or, at best, Avatars to answer her believers' pleas."

Rein pondered briefly and pieced together the overall sequence of events.

This aligned closely with his earlier guesses.

Indeed, countless significant occurrences unfolded across those ten thousand years—like the kingdom wars and the founding of the Dragan Empire—about which Rein remained largely ignorant, yet they strayed from the central storyline, bearing scant connection to the Sub-key of the Key of Time, at least.

"As per Goblin Princess Amora's words, possessing two Sub-keys will unveil the actual location of the Divine Artifact Time Key."

"Yet, the Sub-key in the Goddess's possession ties directly to her containment of the Fiend Demons and cannot possibly be extracted." Rein's eyes locked onto the Sub-key clutched in Goddess Matilda's hand, deep in thought.

He wasn't the type to resort to ruthless tactics for his goals.

"What if... I position my Sub-key against theirs? Might that produce the identical result?" A sudden idea struck Rein.

...

At the same time.

Within Rose Manor beyond the Imperial City.

"Check the heavens, Sister Lagaray, right there." Sister Bo He gestured skyward, alerting Lagaray at her side.

Lagaray, engaged in conversation with Rein's mother Emma, caught Bo He's excited call and instinctively glanced upward afar.

"Could that be... could that be the Floating City?" In the instant that followed, Lagaray's stunning eyes flew wide, her voice rising in shock.

All those in the manor lifted their gazes toward the wondrous display hovering far off in the sky!

Far away, an enormous semi-sphere, its flat surface upward, drifted steadily toward Imperial City Tamriel, towed by scores of colossal airships.

Accompanying it loomed a dark Giant Dragon, rivaling the airships in scale, apparently serving as a guardian escort.

Such a breathtaking spectacle inevitably ignited uproar among the Imperial City's commoners and Nobles down below.

Red Queen Menia's provisional encampment promptly sent forth Imperial Guardians, who commanded two squadrons of Griffin Knights to welcome the vast airship armada overhead.

Inside the Floating City.

The primary power chamber on the fourth underground floor.

Metal Series Wizards scurried about busily under Haleem's coordinated direction, resembling tireless bees buzzing to and fro.

"Your Crown Haleem, do you truly believe Lord Rein from the Steel Throne can resolve the Floating City's power problems?" The curvaceous Senator Trena inquired of Haleem, stationed nearby supervising the fixes.

She led the Federation's visiting delegation on this occasion.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have ventured to the Empire in this manner.

The Federation had originally intended merely to send airships loaded with food and resources, never considering relocating the Floating City to Empire territory.

Haleem, as head of the Federation Mechanical Research Institute, had firmly argued that Steel Throne support was essential for seamless repairs, enabling the Floating City to rapidly achieve battle readiness.

Furthermore, news reached the Federation Congress that the temporarily sealed Fiend Demon could shatter its bonds anytime, with only Steel Throne's Lord Rein capable of subduing it.

Following intense deliberations, the Federation endorsed Haleem's proposal.

"Absolutely, Senator Trena—Lord Rein assured me of it personally." Haleem affirmed with a assured nod.

"Besides, the Floating City demands vast quantities of Rare Metals, and our Federation lacks sufficient stockpiles, whereas the Empire's Shirendil Plateau boasts plentiful mineral deposits."

"The pressing circumstances demand alliance between our nations to promptly equip the Floating City for war."

...