Chapter 373 - 275: The Empire’s Path of Salvation

Chapter 373: Chapter 275: The Empire’s Path of Salvation

Seeing the Miracle Lampwick on the list, everyone paused for a moment before nodding in gratified approval.

Although its value had skyrocketed recently, they had to admit that the item was indeed the most suitable choice for this situation. It seemed the Eldest Princess had truly matured over the years—and in a positive direction, unlike Isaac, who was sprinting headlong down the path of a Mad Witch.

The reasoning was simple. First, the prophecy stated that a Tier Three Isaac would destroy the Empire, not a Tier Four one. Therefore, if he advanced to Tier Four, it could, in a sense, be considered a way to circumvent the prophecy.

Second, while the Miracle Lampwick’s effects were incredibly powerful, it normally wouldn’t hold much appeal for a genius like Isaac. Reaching Tier Four was no great hurdle for him, but things were different now!

The Endless Tower was about to appear. If he could enter it as a Tier Four Mage and successfully clear its trials, he would emerge as a perfectly advanced Tier Five!

Tier Four might not be a major obstacle, but Tier Five was a formidable barrier even for a genius like Isaac—especially a Mad Witch!

Finally, while the Empire had some bad blood with Solomon, such grievances were nothing in the face of a Tier Five Legendary Wizard.

It was nothing that an apology and some compensation couldn’t solve.

Even if they were the ones who had engineered his rise to Tier Five.

But that couldn’t be helped. That was just how reality worked; even the Extraordinary World had its own form of politics and pragmatism.

...

「Three days later.」

A procession of luxurious carriages belonging to the Nobility made its way toward the Royal Palace. The meeting for the summons was about to begin!

Another three days passed...

That’s right, another three days. For Isaac, they were three days of extreme boredom. For the other nobles, it was merely a change of venue for networking, building connections, and socializing.

For Isaac, however, it simply meant eating in a different place while idly contemplating new experiments and waiting for the Empire’s plans regarding the Endless Tower. During this time, various members of the Nobility were summoned individually by the Royal Family, clearly for special assignments.

Isaac figured he would probably receive a similar assignment.

Sure enough, three days after the gatherings began, when Isaac once again arrived at the Imperial Palace for a free meal, a maid approached and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Isaac, this way, please. Princess Philo has requested your presence."

Isaac glanced in the direction the maid indicated, nodded, and popped the pastry he was holding into his mouth. He began walking, chewing as he went.

’It’s finally happening... Is the choice at hand?’

Isaac’s eyes narrowed slightly. His expression remained impassive, but he was secretly gathering his Magic Power. If things went south, he would instantly escape into the Dimension World.

「A moment later.」

Inside the room, Philo sat on a sofa, quietly sipping black tea. Isaac, meanwhile, stared at the parchment in his hand with a look of astonishment. ’Seriously? I was getting ready for a fight to the death, and *this* is what you show me?’

Isaac looked from the parchment to Philo, then fell silent for a moment. He casually circled the Miracle Lampwick and the Soul Realm, then handed the parchment back to Philo and asked bluntly, "What do you want me to do?"

Isaac didn’t refuse, nor could he find any reason to. After all, this was a chance to advance directly to Tier Five!

The difficulty would be immense, but it was a gamble worth taking.

Besides, even in the worst-case scenario, Isaac wouldn’t lose much. If he failed, he would, at a minimum, still become a Tier Four Miracle Mage. As for whether he’d be weaker for having taken a shortcut...

He would certainly be weaker—it was a shortcut, after all—but not by much. He was a Legendary Wizard. Knowledge was important, but so was the `Legend` aspect itself. Upon advancing to Tier Four, he would awaken a Miracle Magic. This spell would be similar to a Talent Witchcraft: low energy consumption, fast activation, and ridiculously high power.

The specific type of Miracle Magic would depend on the Miracle he performed.

Moreover, he possessed the `Analysis` Authority, an ability that was outrageously powerful for a Wizard. With it, he could master a whole range of Tier Four Witchcraft in an extremely short time, allowing him to quickly attain the standard combat power of a Tier Four Wizard.

This was the greatest difference between Wizards and Knights. For a Wizard, as long as you mastered attack, defense, and movement magic of the appropriate level and could cast them quickly, you essentially possessed the baseline combat power for that tier.

Knights, however, were different. Beyond their sheer Power Level, their combat experience and mastery over their own strength were also crucial. This was why most shortcuts were found on the Path of Wizardry—only Wizards could so rapidly master combat methods befitting their current level.

"This... you should read through this first." Philo didn’t answer directly, instead handing a book to Isaac.

"Hmm?" Isaac raised an eyebrow. He flipped the book open and glanced at it casually, but his expression gradually grew serious, his features turning grave.

The book contained nothing but intelligence on the Endless Tower!

Isaac looked up at Philo, who was still calmly sipping her black tea. He then returned his focus to the book and began to read intently. This was perfect; it was exactly the information he was lacking.

After a while, Isaac slowly closed the book. He tapped a finger lightly on its cover, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Who do you want me to help advance?" After a long pause, Isaac looked up at Philo.

Though he asked, Isaac already knew who it was.

The Endless Tower, this primeval Great Creation, was even grander than Isaac had imagined. Beyond the grand prize of a perfect advancement, the tower’s interior, much like the Endless Sea, was filled with abundant resources. It had everything, from Magic Combat Techniques to a Divinity Dimension!

And unlike the Endless Sea, which required exploration, these things could be obtained in the Endless Tower by completing specific tasks.

Take, for example, the task the Empire had assigned to Isaac—or rather, their primary objective: the Path of the Radiant Knight!

The so-called Path of the Radiant Knight was a special route within the Path of the Gods for those with the Extraordinary Power of a Knight. A Radiant Knight was Tier Five in level, but possessed combat strength comparable to Tier Six!

Judged by the standards of the Real World, they were... Demigods!

The Radiant Knight, also known as the Hero, was the first to tread a Path of the Gods that utilized the Power of Faith. They were the original Knights of God. The very first one was a Tier Four Knight who, in the process of saving the world, established a great Kingdom that sheltered many people. Drawing upon this immense Power of Faith, he broke through to Tier Five and successfully wielded power comparable to that of a Deity while still at that tier!

He was the first Knight to earn the title of Demigod at Tier Five!

However, the path of the Radiant Knight was not passed down smoothly. Its initial method of harnessing the Power of Faith was far from the mature techniques of today. Its efficiency was extremely low, so it absorbed all three types of Faith.

Because of this, the path was opposed by every Church. Ultimately, it naturally faded into obscurity, with only a few traces remaining within various Great Creations.

This was one of the few remaining ways for the Empire to break its current predicament.

If the Emperor were to fall, the Empire would need a new Demigod to step forward. Otherwise, with so many of its high-end combatants from Tiers Three, Four, and Five already lost, it would be impossible to maintain control.

But becoming a Demigod was no easy feat, especially for a Knight.

The Trials of the Endless Tower were already difficult to complete. Even if a Knight managed it, simply advancing to Tier Five or even Tier Six was pointless...

As for Wizards...

Unfortunately, the Empire didn’t have Wizards of such a High Level. Whether they were Legendary Wizards or Arcanists, once they reached Tier Five, or even just Tier Four, they would leave the Empire for one of the many Wizard Organizations, large or small, and cease to concern themselves with mundane affairs.