Chapter 606: Children of the Stars, Returning to the Territory

Inside the temple garden, Xia Duo and Niya were discussing the Scarlet Flash Star in the northwest sky. A moment later, Aiboke's Sending arrived; he had also seen the star, but Aiboke did not know anything about it either.

As for Bishop Anbulier, he came to the garden in person to explain to Xia Duo:

"Lord Xia Duo, the *Proverbs* state: 'The stars that fill the sky are all my children, yet I cherish Selune alone, bestowing upon her a radiance second only to my own.'"

"Therefore, the temple is equipped with specialized stargazers to record the celestial phenomena of every year and season. I specifically went to ask before coming here; the temple has no records of that star in the past."

Xia Duo was no stranger to the *Sacred Proverbs of the Lord of Radiance*; in fact, he was quite familiar with them. When he first learned Netherese, he primarily learned it from the *Proverbs*, which indeed contained phrases like "children of the stars" and "cherish Selune."

However, this was the first time he had heard of a "stargazer." Xia Duo guessed it might be related to the calendar, or perhaps to Prophecy, or simply the execution of the Doctrine.

Despite having specialized stargazers to record celestial phenomena, there was no record of that Scarlet Flash Star. Bishop Anbulier's answer left Xia Duo somewhat disappointed.

He had expected the Bishop to say something different; he hadn't expected the answer to be "I don't know" as well!

Of course, this could not be blamed on Bishop Anbulier. If there was no record, there was no record; one could hardly force him to make one up on the spot. Although he failed to obtain specific information about the Scarlet Flash Star, this at least indicated one thing—

That star had never appeared in the history of the Savile Territory; it must have appeared suddenly in the recent past!

No!

It was highly likely that it only appeared during the day today, but because the sunlight was too intense, no one noticed. If it had been there before today, even before sunrise today! How could such an obvious star have gone unnoticed!

Before sunrise, he and Niya had attended the Sun Rising Ceremony of the Midsummer Festival and watched the entire scene of the sun rising. Before the sun rose, he had already arrived at the ceremony site.

If there had really been such an obvious star in the sky before that, it would have been discovered by someone!

……

After Bishop Anbulier left, Xia Duo looked again at the Scarlet Flash Star in the northwest sky. As the sun gradually sank below the horizon, the half of the sky rendered golden by the sunset gradually dimmed, returning to the true color of night.

At this time, the sky had not yet gone completely dark, but the stars could already be clearly seen shining.

The most unique among them was that Scarlet Flash Star, which was particularly conspicuous against the backdrop of the night—

It flickered, like a drop of blood that never dissolved falling into water, constantly spreading and dyeing the patch of sky around it a dull, rusty red. It gave one a feeling even more eerie than before.

Xia Duo could not help but frown, his ominous premonition growing heavier in his heart. He looked at Niya and said solemnly, "When we return to Seventon, we must make sure to inquire about that flash star. I have a very bad feeling about this."

"Do you know something?" Niya also frowned and asked.

"I don't know, but just looking at how suddenly it appeared, and that unsettling color, can you say it's normal?"

Niya did not speak, seemingly agreeing with Xia Duo's assessment. She looked at the northwest sky, revealing a trace of worry, "I will inquire carefully when I return to Giles Tower. However, I think that if we can see it here, it should also be visible in Seventon. Perhaps there is already a conclusion there; it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing."

She didn't even seem to believe her own words, and hurriedly shifted the topic by drinking tea, "The sky is getting dark, let's go to the side hall!"

"Alright!"

Xia Duo could no longer sit still here; he only hoped that time would pass quickly, letting this day end soon. So many things had happened in just this one day.

Compared to that mysterious flash star in the northwest sky, even the Drow crisis seemed like nothing.

……

Upon arriving at the side hall, priests were preparing offerings and Magic Artifacts for the final "Dormancy Ceremony" of the night. Xia Duo lost interest after watching for a while. At this time, there were still several hours until the ceremony. He said a word to Niya and left the temple through the back door.

Behind the temple was the West District of Savile Town, or rather, the Commoner District, where most of the local small Merchants, craftsmen, soldiers, and others capable of settling in the town lived.

Jibu's home was here, but Jibu was still in Daxia Territory at this time, and Xia Duo had no intention of visiting his home. He just wanted to come out to relax. Listening to the cheers and shouts coming from not far away, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

Xia Duo stopped in front of a bonfire at an intersection. The flames rose with wisps of blue smoke, and the pungent scent emitted by the cheap spices was difficult for even the air Domain on his body to resist, desperately trying to drill into Xia Duo's nose.

Ah-choo—

Xia Duo sneezed heavily and rubbed his nose. He did not expand the controlled air domain, nor did he cast any shielding Spell; he just took a slightly wider detour.

He did not dislike this kind of smoky, lively atmosphere; on the contrary, he liked it very much.

After walking around the perimeter of the Central Plaza, Xia Duo returned to the temple. By this time, the time was about right, and under the reminder of the temple priests, he and Niya walked out from the main entrance of the temple.

Then, the "Dormancy Ceremony" began.

……

After the ceremony, Xia Duo did not linger in Savile Territory, nor did he return to the Tower of Time, but instead teleported directly back to Daxia Territory.

The location he teleported back to was on the west side of the Altar Square, near the Wolfburg River. However, as soon as he returned, he discovered something was wrong; it was too quiet around here.

Of course, it was also possible that he had just returned from the noisy environment of Savile Town, and this was the contrast.

On the other side of the Altar Square was Laidun's office, facing the Lord's Villa further to the east. Xia Duo saw that there was still light coming from there, so he sent a Sending to Laidun while crossing the Warning Magic and walking toward the east.

Before he could reach the Altar in the center of the square, Laidun had already come to greet him. After a salute, he said, "My Lord!"

"No need for formalities. Why is it so quiet tonight? Was there no celebration?" Xia Duo asked.

He had given orders himself; after all, the Midsummer Festival was considered a statutory holiday in Netheril. Even Slaves could receive special treatment on this day that they didn't usually get, let alone his own subjects!

"My Lord, there was a celebration, but in the evening, a strange flash star suddenly appeared in the sky. The new batch of subjects was a bit uneasy, so I ended the celebration early. If you had returned earlier, you might have seen it."

"So that's how it is!" Xia Duo felt that Laidun's response was reasonable. If it were him, he might have made a similar decision, at most adding some comforting words in the name of the Lord.

"Since that is the case, you should go get some rest early as well!"

"Yes, my Lord!"