Zeke was unaware of the discussions among the Dominion's core figures, taking place in universes far, far away.
He was still a bit bewildered, looking at the Machine Spirits and Ancestral Consciousnesses that had knelt before him.
This was completely different from the Ascension Ritual he had previously understood.
Why did these machine spirits and ancestral consciousnesses immediately kneel before him? Wasn't this a bit too outrageous?
However, despite his bewilderment, Zeke's previous elite aristocratic education saved him from prolonged confusion, and he quickly regained his composure after only a brief moment.
Since these ancestors and machine spirits had all prostrated themselves at his feet, didn't that mean his throne link had been approved?
Zeke's soul immediately sprang into action, carving his soul imprint onto the throne.
He only etched a tiny bit of his soul imprint, and as it appeared, an Aetheric Storm once again erupted throughout the entire Immaterium.
A sudden Aetheric Storm swept through the territories of the Four Gods.
The sheer scale of this Warp Storm even left the two Big Meks somewhat bewildered; they had no idea what was happening.
Even the Emperor, seated on his Golden Throne and watching over the Imperium, was a little puzzled by the tremors occurring in the Immaterium.
However, this Warp Storm came and went quickly; it subsided after just a few hours.
No one understood what had truly happened. In a place unseen by any of them, a mechanical throne appeared in the Aether.
Its size was so small, so tiny that everyone would overlook its existence.
Of course, even if one didn't overlook its existence and tried to attack this throne, they would find that none of their attacks had any effect on it.
Zeke was equally oblivious to the events unfolding in the Warp .
He slowly opened his eyes, knowing only one thing: he had successfully become a knight!
Immediately afterward, all the senses he had suppressed flooded back to him: hunger, exhaustion, and fatigue permeated Zeke's nerves, making him feel utterly weary.
As the sealed chamber before Zeke opened, the large face of his father, Grisha, the high king, appeared before him.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his back was drenched in sweat.
It was clear that even though he had only been waiting outside for the results, his father had endured no less torment than Zeke himself.
The high king, who had never broken a sweat even when facing massive hordes of orks, tyranids, or even chaos forces, was now covered in sweat as his son underwent the Ascension Ritual.
"Congratulations, son, you have become a glorious knight!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he was pushed aside by his wife, before he could even reach out to hug Zeke. Then, Zeke's mother embraced him tightly.
"Mwah, mwah, my son, Mommy loves you! That's wonderful, you passed the knight's trial. I am so proud, son."
Feeling his mother's kisses and seeing his father's slightly jealous expression nearby, Zeke was overjoyed.
Having kicked the biggest stone off his chest, Zeke's mood returned to its usual cheerful state.
He also directly overcame his fatigued body, hugging his mother tightly and reveling in her maternal love.
To be honest, he was very fortunate; unlike other parents in Warhammer 40k, his parents showered him with all their love, beyond just the necessary education.
The care from his parents was indispensable in helping him endure the almost insane education of his childhood, in addition to his adult mindset.
It was through his parents' constant guidance, along with his own somewhat mature thoughts, that he survived his early, difficult life, accepted all the education, and completed it diligently.
Although Zeke's father watched with considerable jealousy, there was no need to compete with his son at such a moment; he had other things to do.
After confirming that his son was in good health, even in the mood to joke with him, and had completed the knight link, he finally felt the biggest burden lifted from his heart.
As the high king, he had many responsibilities.
He needed to wait for the other knights who had completed their links to emerge, observe their appearance, and offer them blessings—this was his duty.
As for his hardworking eldest son, he should rest well.
The high king, with a hint of satisfaction and a touch of jealousy, left Zeke's sealed chamber and walked towards the other sealed chambers, awaiting the others to complete their links.
Undoubtedly, since the machine spirits and ancestral consciousnesses had already bowed to Zeke, he naturally became the first to complete the linking ritual.
The others were not as quick as Zeke; they had to face the interrogation from the machine spirits and ancestral consciousnesses, constantly questioning their inner selves to see if they were resolute and loyal.
After a generous period of embracing his mother, Zeke, with the help of his family attendants, also left the sealed chamber.
Not far from his sealed chamber, in an open area, a banquet had already been set up.
This was prepared for him.
Upon emerging, he could eat these foods and drink beverages to replenish what he had lost.
Zeke did not wait for the others to emerge, as they would surely need more time.
Moreover, he was the high king's eldest son; was there any problem with him eating first now?
When they came out, new food would be served to them. The supreme ruler of a knight world surely wouldn't be unable to afford a meal.
He began his whirlwind eating, with various foods like steaks disappearing directly into his mouth. As for so-called aristocratic etiquette?
To hell with aristocratic etiquette! He was truly fed up with it; wasn't it exhausting to maintain it every day?
Now, he didn't care about aristocratic etiquette; he just wanted to eat like a whirlwind and replenish what his body had expended.
Anyway, the family attendants and butler weren't around, so who would bother him?
His parents wouldn't bother him. Now that he was alone, eating like a madman was what he needed to do.
Zeke finished all the dishes at the entire banquet in a whirlwind, then let out a satisfied burp and lay heavily on the ground, preparing to rest.
As the high king's eldest son, the four individuals inside were his future subordinates, and he still needed to show them importance.
So, he did not leave the hall; instead, he waited there for the other four to emerge.
His prolonged elite aristocratic education had endowed him with ample patience to wait.