Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1574 - 543: Top Secret and Promotion

Right away, an urgent assembly was called within the Imperial Palace, bringing together Menia along with every elder from the royal lineage bearing dragon blood.

"I believe we should proceed with the investiture rite for the fresh Guardian in just two days."

"An excellent idea. That way, pulling most of the Imperial Guardians back to the Imperial City on short notice won't appear quite so sudden." Elder Ivan gave a nod and remarked.

"Yet, what about the drop in fighting strength across the provinces after the regional Imperial Guardians depart? Those cults are bound to seize the chance to stir trouble, and the ordinary folks might end up..." A different royal elder creased his brow and voiced his concern.

"We have no choice but to overlook that for now; picking the smaller harm remains our wisest path." Elder Ivan let out a sigh and stated.

"I propose we summon Crown Walker back as well on this occasion." Just then, Menia, seated at the head position, chimed in.

"Crown Walker? However, should he depart, won't Queen Trebiz of the Wind Roc possibly strike?" Yet another royal elder inquired.

"I concur; we ought to draw wisdom from the previous incident. Had we recalled a Dawn Peak expert such as Crown Walker back then, the outcome could have shifted entirely." Elder Ivan backed the notion.

"...."

Thirty minutes passed, and the gathering concluded.

Vibrant enchanted dispatches shot out from the Imperial Palace, scattering in every direction.

Meanwhile, for added caution, flocks of Blood Falcons and swift messengers bearing confidential notes burst from the palace once more, mere minutes afterward.

The secret dispatch held just a single line: "On the final Sunday of this month, the Empire’s fresh Guardian investiture rite shall occur..."

This served as the prime excuse settled on by the royal elders to assemble the bulk of the Imperial Guardians into Imperial City Tamriel within two days.

Naturally, such a deception may not fool the Divine much, yet prolonging the secrecy of certain events boosts our odds of triumph.

...

Over at the Bixiu Mechanization School grounds.

After giving it a quick try, Rein felt a joyful shock upon discovering that his work on sketching the Advanced Meditation Method’s "Steel Heart" Fifth Layer diagram had advanced by three will runes, hitting 395 will runes in total.

Just as anticipated, boosting the overall spiritual power volume truly aided in pushing forward the meditation method's development.

Several hours afterward.

Rein advanced the work to 412, though the pace of advancement began to lag once more. He realized this stage of enhancement was approaching its peak.

Put differently, the potion's medicinal gains from consuming the Extraordinary Wisdom Potion were starting to fade away right then.

"Taking in Divine Power Crystals still yields the superior results." Rein murmured with a sigh.

Right then, all of a sudden, the comms emblem on Rein’s torso started to glow intermittently.

Sensing it briefly, Rein furrowed his brow a touch, then promptly exited the hidden room and headed straight for the palace.

Given that enchanted communications aren't entirely secure, Menia waited in a remote hidden room inside the palace for Rein at that very instant.

Before long, led by a maidservant, Rein stepped into the hidden room.

Once the maidservant departed, Rein found himself compelled to inquire:

"Menia, what's this pressing matter?"

"Rein, you must give this your utmost focus. In two days..." Menia laid out the full circumstances.

Upon hearing Menia's account, Rein's face grew somber as well.

It was only now that Rein learned the emperor's prior bid to rise to Demigod had been halted by multiple Divine Avatars right at the pivotal instant, resulting in failure and grave wounds.

Notably, the details he'd gotten before differed from this.

Apparently, to safeguard the Empire’s spirits and the royal house's dignity, the spread news had been altered and refined. It claimed the Empire Emperor, though badly hurt, had turned his botched ascension into a tale of victory.

"Thus, could those Divine make their descent once more this round?" Rein pondered briefly before questioning.

Even though Menia’s mind had fused into his form for a fleeting spell before, the brief duration meant Rein grasped only fragments of the mysteries and insights Menia held.

"Yes, the odds of that are quite substantial." Menia affirmed with a nod.

"Menia, isn't two days awfully hasty? Why not have the Emperor pick a moment with better readiness for his ascent?" Rein pressed further.

"Because the energy tide's growing intensity impacts the Divine's resurgence far more than it does our pace of power growth."

"The energy tide's amplified surges will surely forge additional powerhouses for the Empire, yet that demands time."

"And time is exactly the resource we lack."

"I get it." Rein acknowledged with a nod.

"Another thing. I've heard the Empire’s inaugural Emperor Atlas stood as a Demigod Level expert, and apparently two subsequent Emperors attained Demigod Level too. Where did they go?"

This puzzle had haunted Rein's thoughts for ages.

Without a doubt, absent the unique bond linking him to Menia, Rein might never locate someone suitable to pose this query to.

"True enough, all three forebears achieved Demigod Level, though that lay two millennia in the past. Back then, mere moments after the Empire's founding, they observed the energy tide steadily dipping toward its trough."

"Humanity isn't built for endless years; our existences have bounds. Maybe the Divine and those Primeval Colossal Beasts dodge it through hibernation, but humans can't."

"Hence, despite their might, the forebears had no recourse but to pursue alternatives. Per the royal clan's hidden annals, the forebears plus a handful of Full Moon Wizards from that era all ventured into distant realms."