Astrology

Chapter 91 Astrology

It got dark.

"Don't you guys think it gets dark too fast?" Ella frowned.

Peterson felt his students were being a little too nervous: "It's normal. It gets dark quickly in forests and valleys."

"When will the beast tide come? Should we climb a tree?" Cavendish was concerned about this. Rorschach and his group were now walking in an undeveloped forest, without the defensive fortifications they had last night.

"There will be no more beast tides. I haven't sensed any large animals since we entered the forest." Master Humboldt looked grim, and he gestured for everyone to stop. "And since it just got dark, I've lost my connection with the nature of this place."

Druids, and mages of this era who have deeply studied nature magic, can detect the disturbances that plants and animals cause to the ether of the environment. Furthermore, extremely rare magical beasts and perennial trees possess faint intrinsic magical power that can respond to nature magic and the senses of the caster.

There are also theories that trees and plants in the forest can connect and communicate in some way, and resonate with the magical power of the environment, much like how human nobles lead armies of ordinary people. Radical naturalists believe that forests can nurture pure life force, a kind of spirit.

The above is the foundation for using nature-based magic to explore forests.

But now the Archmage has lost his senses, which is as dangerous as a tightrope walker suddenly going blind. The previous path was very smooth, thanks to Humboldt's control of the field and his "mini-map".

"When we haven't lost our senses, we've been on the right path, but that can't be guaranteed now."

Cavendish pulled out his compass, the needle trembling and deflecting erratically: "It seems not only is the weather strange here, but the magnetic field is also disordered."

He thought for a moment, dismounted, and took out his pocket watch: "I need to be able to see the stars! Can someone push aside these leaves, or send me to a higher place?"

Rorschach said, "Stand firm," and used the [Sculpting] technique to raise a platform, lifting Cavendish to a height of about 10 meters. However, this was still not enough for a tree that had been growing for a hundred years and was taller than a building. Couber waved his hand and cleared away the obstruction out of thin air.

"Okay, okay, damn it, it's windy here."

He took out the star chart from last night and compared it with the night sky now. He also took out his pocket watch and made a rough estimate. He breathed a long sigh of relief. Although it had entered night earlier than usual, the positions of the stars were correct, which meant that everything was normal except that the sun had set early!

"There's still hope, there's still hope!" Cavendish put down his backpack, began assembling instruments on the platform, and then worked hard to map the position of Zenith.

Finally, he identified the three most prominent and brightest stars outside the moon, recording their altitude angles, with a focus on the morning star.

He had to be careful and precise. On an astronomical scale, the distance he could travel in a day was negligible even with magical enhancements, but even the slightest deviation would be magnified in the subsequent calculations.

Cavendish consulted his notes and, combining them with today's measurements, began to calculate the observer's own coordinates at that moment.

"The equation for the intersection of two planes and a sphere isn't that difficult." This is what he said to himself. At this moment, he was lying on the earthen platform, writing continuously on the draft paper, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead and the palms of his hands holding the pen.

Magic, thankfully there is magic.

Prophecy is a mysterious and profound art, whose name is often misleading. Even the masters of the Tower of Arcane Arts would never admit that they can foresee the future.

However, the existence of prophetic magic reveals a fact: information is also an element of spellcasting, and in a sense, information itself can even serve as one of the materials that drive magic.

For example, the "Anywhere Door" is a forbidden teleportation spell. A powerful mage can use this spell to teleport to a place in the same plane that he has never been before. It does not require the destination to have a corresponding teleportation array or power supply. All that is needed is for the caster to be able to imagine or describe the target space to be teleported to.

However, such powerful magic is rarely used because, unlike the penalties for other failed teleportations, if the caster's understanding of their destination is insufficient, they may be torn apart in the unstable teleportation channel; they may become embedded with existing matter in the target space after teleportation; or they may even separate. Conversely, the more information and the more precise the information gathered during the casting, the safer the teleportation will be.

Now, Cavendish's calculations showed that he had enough information to resonate with yesterday's surveying.

The gods, or some other being, would be satisfied with such an effort, which, along with its complex calculations, was a ritual of supplication for guidance. Cavendish unfurled a map of the Black Forest; he had received revelation, the starry sky illuminating his path and pointing him in the right direction—

As Thoth's alchemical ink dripped, the map gained a temporary magical effect: starlight twinkled, and the twinkling points of light indicated the locations on the map. If [Magic Stabilization] were cast upon it, it would become an expensive alchemical map.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally heard Cavendish shout, "Okay, put me down!"

Rorschach carefully manipulated the earthen platform to collapse, revealing a weary Star Tower apprentice clutching a shimmering map in his hand.

"The brightest spot indicates the map's position relative to the forest. It is connected to the symbol of the Morning Star, guiding us so that we will never lose our way," Cavendish said, calming his inner ether that had been communicating with the astral plane. At this moment, it was still "boiling," especially burning the apprentice's brain.

"That's amazing!"

"Of course, I'm an apprentice at the Tower of Stars!" Cavendish couldn't help but break into a smug smile.

"Wait, why are you all looking at me?" Luo Xia, an outstanding young teacher at the Tower of Stars, suddenly felt like he had been caught in the crossfire.

With the map as a guide, the team continued to advance cautiously even without the help of Archmage Humboldt.

Although I had taken a long nap during the afternoon break, the recurring scenery in the darkness still made me drowsy, especially for the three apprentices of the Forest Tower and Cavendish, who was quite exhausted.

Occasionally, a few strange cries would suddenly come from the darkness in the distance. Luo Xia guessed that they were probably some kind of nocturnal birds. These cries would startle even a dozing person.

"We're almost at the ruins of the elven village. Be careful, the strange changes in the forest might affect the ruins as well," Rorschach recalled Dryuyaz's warning in his dream.

"Listen, what's that noise?"

Master Humboldt, the leader of the group, once again commanded everyone to stop. Now, with the sounds of horses' hooves and the rustling of grass eliminated, everyone could hear a muffled, sorrowful female voice singing.

Having lost his means of perception, Archmage Humboldt was now slightly agitated and nervous. He frowned and cast a spell on himself to enhance his hearing.

The lingering sound seemed to echo around the tree; Rorschach couldn't hear it clearly and couldn't pinpoint its location, but it was undeniably there.

The singing is repeated!

Another monster from the first night? Rorschach suddenly realized, frantically scanning the dark gaps in the forest on both sides of the group, his spells ready to be cast.

"Ah!" A scream came from Ella, which startled Master Humboldt, whose hearing had just been enhanced.

Boom! Several large trees to Ella's right collapsed with a crash, as did the long-limbed monster, which was pierced through by a neat cut and was steaming.

"I am a graduate of the Imperial Royal Magic Academy, a researcher and lecturer at the Tower of Stars." Responding to everyone's gaze, Rorschach calmly spoke the words that had been stuck in his chest.

There will be another chapter tonight!

(End of this chapter)