Chapter 519: The Secret within the Stars


    Trantor: TransN Editor: TransN


    Rnd shook his head with a smile as he watched Yorko excitedly bowed and left.


    He did not mind helping the people who had helped Prince Rnd in the past, as long as they did not have any bad intentions.


    "Where’s Wendy right now?" He turned around and asked Nightingale after taking care of this matter.


    "She’s probably on the top of the tower practicing her ability. Do you want me to summon her?"


    "Yes, and get Sylvie, Lightning, and Maggie as well... we’re going to visit the astrologers," said Rnd. "And we’ll be flying to them."


    "I understand." Nightingale’s eyes lit up.


    "Even if someone wants to attack me, they can’t pose a threat against a hydrogen balloon, so this is the best way to travel."


    Rnd had learned via carrier pigeon that Kyle was on his way, so he postponed his visit to the Alchemist Workshop. He was very curious about the Astrology Association, the other main academic organization in King’s City.


    Rnd also had a great point of confusion that needed to be confirmed.


    ...


    The Astrology Association was located on a mountain in the northern area of the outer city, and it was only the second in height to the twin towers of the pce. The Astrology Hall had a pretty unique design and it looked like a hexagonal stone tower with a t top from above. It had a wide base and narrow top, and its silhouette was precisely symmetrical.


    Rnd knew what symmetry implied in that era.


    Without advanced measuring and positioning methods, it was nearly impossible to build such arge yet perfect stone structure, a process even more difficult than building a giant city wall.


    The guards had left earlier and surrounded the stone tower. As the hydrogen balloon released the air and slowlynded on the tower roof, its passengers were immediately greeted by Brian, Sean and Alva Taber.


    "Your Majesty, this area has beenpletely sealed, and I promise that not a single rat will escape!"


    "We have also confiscated all the astrologers’ God’s Stones of Retaliation, allowing Miss Sylvie to use her magic power, so you can interact with them freely."


    "Good job. Stay alert." Rnd nodded in approval and shifted his sight to the row of men in gray robes standing behind the guards. They were all aged over 30 years old, and they kept peeking at the hydrogen balloon in panic. They were obviously still rattled by his sudden appearance from the sky.


    Rnd turned to Alva. "Who’s in charge around here? Tell him toe see me."


    "Yes, my lord!" Alva spoke briefly with two old men in robes, and one of them cautiously walked to Rnd with him. "Your Majesty, this is King’s City’s Chief Astrologer, Astrologer of Dispersion Star."


    "Your Majesty Rnd Wimbledon, your honored presence makes all the stars shine brighter."


    "Why don’t you use your real name?" asked Rnd, raising an eyebrow.


    "It’s a tradition of the Astrology Association," exined Alva hastily. "Every astrologer dreams of naming themselves after a star image... and only people who discover new star images are allowed such an honor."


    "So you discovered... the Dispersion Star?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty," said the old man with his hand on his chest. "It forms a Dispersion Star ring with three other Dark Stars, and it represents death and rebirth."


    "What about them?" Rnd pointed at the other men in gray robes.


    "These eight are star image masters of the Astrological Station, so they all made their own discoveries." Dispersion Star respectfully described them one by one. "They can exin the meaning behind anything from changes in the stars to dusk and dawn... of course, so can I."


    "I’m not here to have my fortune exined."


    The old man paused in shock. "Then... Your Majesty, may I ask why you’re here?"


    "I’m here to explore the stars." Rnd shrugged. "Let’s continue this conversation indoors. By the way, bring the diagrams of all the star images you’ve discovered. You have records for these, right? Mark the brightest stars and connect them with a thin line—yes, those things."


    ...


    Stacks of parchment piled up on the table in the hall, some tinged with yellow due to their age.


    Rnd took a deep breath and used a pen to draw a "spoon" and "hourss" on a piece of paper, and connecting the bright stars with lines ording to the stars diagram.


    "Your Majesty, what’re these?" asked the schr confusedly.


    "They’re two star images." He picked up the paper and showed it to the group of astrologers. "Have you ever seen images like these before?"


    They all shook their heads.


    "Search for simr images in all of these parchments," ordered Rnd. "Everyone, takes a pile, and be sure to look at every single one."


    His great confusion was: "Am I on a different side of the same?


    It’s not surprising that this ce also has a sun and a moon. The sun is just a regr fixed star. There’re billions of fixed stars in the Milky Way, and there’re billions of gxies like the Milky Way in the universe, so it’s not unlikely that there’s another fixed star system in the infinitelyrge universe.


    However, I’m not sure about species’ simrities. Biological evolution urred by the coincidental outbreak, so there could bepletely different organisms produced in the same environment. Whether it’s demonic beasts or demons, I don’t think they evolved from the same natural world as earth’s."


    He decided to use star images to address this confusion.


    Fixed stars had life spans of billions of years, and their location barely ever changed, so they had always been used to determine the direction or hold symbolic meaning. Rnd only remembered two star images: themonly-known Big Dipper, and Orion. If he could find them among the constetions, he would be able to determine his location.


    After an hour, no one had found the constetions.


    Rnd also used this time to ask Astrologer of Dispersion Star about a few of this world’s most famous star images, but he had never heard of any of them. The Kingdom of Graycastle astrologers also did not know of the Zodiac star images.


    In general, the Bright Stars on these star images were far denser than the star images he knew, which meant he was closer to the center of the gxy. This was because fixed stars were closer together towards the gxy’s center.


    Then it’s very likely that I’m not on Earth.


    This answer slightly disappointed Rnd. He sighed and nced around the hall. "How many members are there in the Astrology Association?"


    "Your Majesty, there’re 9 astrologers, 156 apprentices, and 67 handymen and masons," replied Astrologer of Dispersion Star.


    "I n to shut down the Astrological Station. Pack your bags and return to the City of Neverwinter with me."


    The words instantly changed the expression on everyone’s face. Alva said in a terrified tone, "Your Majesty, how, how could you..."


    "I don’t believe in astrology. I only believe in personal choice," said Rnd nonchntly. "And I’m the King of Graycastle, so I can shut this down if I wish to. You’ll learn the truth about star images in the Western Region, and you won’t see them as the meaningless pathways for fate anymore."


    "With all due respect, Your Majesty Wimbledon, you can’t do this." The Chief Astrologer slowly rose and said, "We have to watch the stars at all times without interruption—this order was passed by your ancestors."