Chapter 539: The Final Decision
Chapter 539: The Final Decision
After Hamadi left, Rayne stayed at the manor for only one night before heading back to the Bishu Construct Guild's headquarters. He found a quiet, secluded room and began studying the fifth level of the Meditation Method.
He hadn't expected to start studying the fifth level so soon after obtaining it. Originally, he estimated it would take him several years to reach the minimum requirement for learning it—psi energy reaching 90% quality.
Rayne thought the fourth level, with its 256 will runes for the Steel Heart, was already challenging. But when he looked at the fifth level, he was speechless.
"Five hundred and twelve? This—"
"This difficulty is—"
However, Rayne had never expected to master the advanced fifth-level Meditation Method easily, so he quickly calmed down.
After studying for some time, he stood up and paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought.
"So, fifth-level wizards are already altering their bloodline origins, gaining the initial ability to pass down their extraordinary bloodline. Their bodies are no longer mortal but exist between human and divine, at the demigod level."
"Of course, the higher the difficulty, the greater the power."
"If the complete model of the fifth-level advanced iron heart meditation is drawn, it will form a 'Steel Heart' in the spirit sea, amplifying Metallic Magic by five times, far surpassing the previous four levels' two-fold effect."
Rayne felt a surge of longing!
"Five times! Without considering other enhancements, this alone will be an overwhelming advantage."
After some contemplation, Rayne decided to start attempting the will runes.
The first will rune.
The hundredth will rune.
The two-hundredth will rune.
The three-hundred-and-fifty-fourth will rune!
"Phew~" Rayne took a deep breath.
His first attempt ended at the three-hundred-and-fifty-fourth will rune!
"Wow~ This difficulty! It's beyond exaggeration!"
"The goal is five hundred and twelve, and I'm still over a hundred short. I've barely reached the peak of Dawn, yet—"
To be honest, Rayne wasn't one to give up easily, but seeing the gap made him chuckle bitterly.
"No wonder, even with abundant resources, knowledge, and secret techniques, most emperors of the empire stop at the peak of Dawn."
"If I remember correctly, in over two thousand years, the empire has only had three emperors who reached the fifth-level Full Moon wizard stage."
"The difficulty is truly immense!" Rayne shook his head in frustration.
However, starting is always the hardest part, and this setback didn't shake Rayne's resolve.
After all, every journey begins with a single step.
So, Rayne continued with over ten more attempts, only stopping when his psi energy was nearly depleted and his temples began to throb.
Although his progress increased to three hundred and sixty-six will runes, he was still a long way from the goal of five hundred and twelve.
"Should I invest some attribute points for recovery?"
If the target were four hundred, Rayne would have invested attribute points without hesitation, but this—
"Never mind, with the current progress, I'll wait. After all, I only have ten remaining attribute points. I'll consider it if I can't make further progress in a couple of days."
Meanwhile.
In the Dragon Empire's palace.
In a lavishly decorated meeting room, Menya, Crown Prince Everton, Princess Regnara, and several elderly royal family members were holding a meeting.
In principle, during the emperor's absence due to special circumstances, this was the highest authority in the Dragon Empire.
"The Patagonian Highlands matter is important, but we are short on imperial guardian personnel and are stretched thin."
"Yesterday, the Senate reviewed a list of young empire champions who have reached the Epic Level and are suitable as guardian candidates. This is the final list. Please review it, and if there are no objections, we will approve it quickly."
Menya, seated at the head of the table, spoke and waved her hand.
Several maids from the secretariat walked forward and placed a list in front of each royal family member.
At this moment, Crown Prince Everton's heart sank.
Could it be—
As the maid respectfully handed over the list, Everton's eyes quickly scanned the paper:
"Lambert, the eldest disciple of the Tide Sword Saint. Participated in multiple secret empire operations. Successfully reached the Sword Saint stage a month ago."
"Rayne, the vice-commander of the swordbearers. Possesses unknown dragon bloodline. Distinguished military achievements."
"..."
Indeed!
Crown Prince Everton's eyelids twitched violently.
If Rayne became an imperial guardian, he would soon be eligible for the two-way selection with dragons, bypassing the Dragon Knight probationary stage and becoming a Dragon Knight directly.
At the same time, and more importantly, almost all of the empire's resources will be open to the other party.
This means that their power is likely to see another significant boost!
Even if the Emperor recovers from his injuries and returns, dealing with them in the current turbulent environment would require careful consideration of all aspects.
No! This must be stopped!
"I agree. The empire is in turmoil now, and the imperial guardians are in dire need of fresh blood. Otherwise, relying solely on us old bones, we won't last much longer." An elderly royal figure put down the list and nodded with a smile.
"Yes! Especially Rayne, whose strength is formidable. He easily defeated Pantoskoc and has long been qualified to join the imperial guardians."
Another elderly royal, who had apparently watched Rayne's match against Pantoskoc, stroked his white beard and agreed with a smile.
The others also voiced their opinions, all in agreement.
Seeing this, Everton's expression grew increasingly grim.
His great-aunt, beautiful, powerful, and skilled, had clearly already discussed the matter with some of the royal elders.
However, it was evident that she had not revealed Rayne's secret, which was his Achilles' heel!
There was no other way to stop this now. He had to reveal the secret!
Even if it meant falling out with his great-aunt, there was no other choice!
"Wait, I disagree with Rayne's promotion", Everton declared loudly.
"Hmm?" The others present looked at Crown Prince Everton with confusion, as Rayne was the most qualified in terms of both strength and mission participation.
The evaluation of imperial guardians primarily considers two points: personal strength and involvement in empire missions.
Rayne had risen from the rank of Empire Sword Bearer, participating in countless missions of varying sizes.
To put it simply, if Rayne was not qualified, then no one else on the list was either.
"Everton, we must prioritize the greater good!" Menya's beautiful eyes narrowed, and a unique aura of noble authority radiated from her.
She had a vague idea of what Everton was about to say!
Everton's eyes flashed with a determined light as he looked at Menya and said with a smile, "Great-aunt, I'm sure you haven't told the elders that Rayne doesn't have dragon blood, but rather, Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline."
"What!" Everton's words immediately caused a commotion among the royal elders!
As Dragun bloodline members, they were well aware of this secret.
Princess Renara, too, covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Ever since watching Rayne's match against Pantoskoc, Renara had harbored a growing admiration for him.
While she had seen many talented young men in the empire, none had truly captured her heart until she witnessed Rayne's prowess in the royal arena.
But Rayne had Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline?
Wait, it was said that Great-Aunt Menya, in her youth, had
Renara glanced at her expressionless great-aunt and felt a pang of sympathy. "Everton, don't make baseless accusations without evidence", she said.
"Evidence? Those who participated in the Ferdinand Forest battle are all witnesses. Do we need to call them one by one?" Everton sneered.
All eyes turned to Menya, seated at the head of the table.
They knew that the person in charge of the Ferdinand Forest mission was none other than 'Red Queen' Menya.
However, Menya remained silent.
This was too easy to prove.
Unless she eliminated all the elite empire soldiers who had participated in the mission, which, even if possible, she clearly would not do.
The others, all shrewd individuals, understood the implications of Menya's silence.
Silence, after all, spoke volumes.
"I suggest we vote on whether to approve Rayne's promotion as an imperial guardian", Everton said with a confident smile.
He then raised his hand and said, "Those who disagree, please raise your hands."
As expected, one by one, the royal elders raised their hands.
"According to our ancestors' teachings, all offspring of the Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline, being of evil lineage, must be eliminated."
"If that is the case, I support the Crown Prince's view."
"..."
Everton surveyed the room with a satisfied look. Three out of the four royal elders had raised their hands, meaning that, including himself, four out of seven had cast a veto.
Another elder who had always been on good terms with Great-Aunt Menya didn't raise his hand, which was to be expected.
As for Reinalda, although Everton found it strange that she didn't raise her hand, it didn't affect the outcome, so he didn't dwell on it.
"Four votes to three, Great-Aunt. It seems..." Everton smiled at Menya, about to continue.
However, before he could finish, Menya interrupted him.
"Wait, in the absence of His Majesty, I have full authority over the empire's affairs. Now, I am exercising my final decision-making power to approve Rayne's promotion to Imperial Guardian. This matter is no longer open for discussion", Menya said coolly.
"What! Great-Aunt! Father will never agree to this if he finds out!" Everton's eyes widened instantly, and he jumped up from his seat, his face flushed as he shouted.
"Oh? But I have the authority now, don't I?" Menya remained unperturbed, glancing at Everton with a calm expression.
"You will regret this!"
Enraged, Everton panted heavily and then let out a loud huff before quickly turning and storming out of the imperial meeting room!
Crown Prince's Residence.
"Bang!!!"
Back in his study, Everton could no longer contain his anger. He grabbed a stone bust that he usually cherished and threw it to the ground with all his might.
"Damn it! For Rayne, Great-Aunt is willing to confront me directly. Women are ultimately just women!"
Buchanan, standing to the side, bowed his head even lower. He naturally dared not and could not interject in such a conversation.
"Alright, Buchanan, you may leave."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
As Buchanan left, Everton forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath. He walked behind his desk and slowly turned the base of the crystal orb on the third shelf of the bookcase. Soon, the bookcase split in half and moved to the sides, revealing a hidden door.
Entering the dark passage, Everton walked down a short corridor and arrived at a small chamber. The room was filled with gold, precious jewels, ancient books, and in the center of the floor, intricate ward array lines were etched, forming a rare ward array.
As Everton muttered a spell, a pale blue light flashed, and he instantly vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, Everton found himself in another location. A familiar and pungent smell of potions filled his nostrils. He had arrived at the Brotherhood of Dragonhide's secret base, where his special dragon bloodline potions were made.
"Your Highness!" A grotesque-looking man bowed and greeted him.
"How is it going? Has the Super Evolution Elixir testing been completed?"
"Your Highness, the three subjects who have undergone testing have all been unable to withstand the immense energy of the elixir, resulting in their explosive deaths. Even legendary-level experts with specialized constitutions couldn't endure it."
"However, we have made some progress. We tested a young dragon, and it managed to withstand the Super Evolution Elixir. However, its growth state is somewhat peculiar."
"Oh? Show me", Everton said, his interest piqued.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
The two walked down a long corridor, passing by tall cylindrical containers filled with a special liquid, in which various human, dragon, and other monstrous bodies were immersed. Some were still alive, some were twitching, and others were of uncertain status.
Further ahead, the cylindrical containers held young dragons of various sizes, as well as large, pulsating adult dragon hearts.
Stout dragonmen guards patrolled in groups of three, maintaining strict security. Every few dozen meters, a towering, muscular dragonman, similar in size to Bostaff in his transformed state, could be seen.
As they continued, Everton and the grotesque man passed by a more unique room. Inside, the space was quite large, at least several hundred square meters, and was filled with green shrubs and vines, creating a miniature forest.
More shockingly, dozens of tall, beautiful elves lived within this space.
However, upon closer inspection, these elves had abnormally pale faces, large and lifeless eyes, and were much thinner than normal elves. Their exposed arms were covered in countless needle marks.
Seeing the elves, Everton couldn't help but recall his initial purpose for founding the Brotherhood of Dragonhide.
"Elven Blood Essence and dragon bloodline, when specially processed, can partially fuse to form a new special substance. I named it the Super Evolution Elixir!"
The potions that enhanced bloodline explosions or evolution were merely byproducts of the Super Evolution Elixir.
(End of Chapter)
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