Chapter 442: The Path Belonging to the Starry Sky

Ao Ermo's words paused briefly, then he continued in a flat tone:

"Your aura is rather complex; I seem to sense the favor of more than one great being, apparently from the gods of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Earth Mother, and even the True Creator and the Hidden Sage."

"In the millennia I've lived through, this is the first time I've seen such a case; you are special."

In his Sage state, Rekton gave a faint, expressionless nod, his gaze curiously turning to the brass astrolabe placed on the table to the left of Duke Yuan Yue.

Through the Eye of Secret Insight, he could clearly see that the surrounding gravitational and electromagnetic anomalies originated from this hand‑sized astrolabe.

From the astrolabe he beheld a dazzling starry sky, seeing the trajectories of the stars' rhythms.

Buzz—

The semi‑real illusion formed by the fusion of gravity and electromagnetism suddenly destabilized, phantom booms rang incessantly, as if the stars themselves were babbling, and even a demigod felt a wave of dizziness.

Rekton's heart hammered wildly, and he sensed an inexplicable, heartfelt yearning.

Even though his spiritual intuition kept warning him, he could not tear his eyes away from the astrolabe, as if something of great importance lay behind it.

He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes; the deep‑blue‑purple glow spreading across his pupils quickly receded.

Without the Eye of Secret Insight, he felt that the inexplicable, almost instinctual desire had waned considerably, though he still couldn't help wanting to examine the astrolabe.

What's happening? Why am I reacting so strongly to this astrolabe?

Rekton forced his curiosity down, fixed his gaze on the equally surprised Duke Yuan Yue Ao Ermo, and said in a hoarse voice:

"It comes from the starry sky?"

Deprived of his Sage state, his expression and voice became much more vivid, no longer as cold and flat as before.

Ao Ermo glanced at Rekton in surprise, thought for a moment, then chuckled lightly:

"Yes, this is something I accidentally summoned through the Summoning Gate when I was still a Summoning Master; it comes from a peculiar creature, possessing power unlike the twenty‑two divine Paths."

"Perhaps you know, a Summoning Master's 'summon' can sometimes produce uncontrollable anomalies, causing strange beings—neither from the spirit realm nor bound by any contract—to appear in reality, and these beings are all linked to the boundless, dark cosmos."

As he spoke, he lifted the astrolabe on his left; a flash of brilliant light swept the room, and gravity went awry—tables, chairs, dishes, even Tu Ba Ge perched on Rekton's back began to float uncontrollably.

"Whoa, boss, help! I'm flying!"

Tu Ba Ge flailed his limbs in the air like a beached fish, no matter how hard he twisted his body he could not change his situation.

Gravity? And the starry sky. This seems like a Path close to the Perfect One; among the outer star deities there is a being whose authority approaches that of the Wilderness of Knowledge, capable of devouring and containing each other?

Thoughts kept flashing through Rekton's mind; he had a vague feeling that his earlier glimpse at the astrolabe had already drawn the other's attention.

"Heh, no need to worry; I merely weakened the surrounding gravity considerably."

Ao Ermo let out a light laugh and casually reassured Tu Ba Ge.

While speaking, he brushed his hand over the astrolabe, erasing the floating azure glow; the surrounding gravity instantly normalized, and all tables, chairs, dishes, and the hovering Tu Ba Ge fell back down.

Ao Ermo placed the astrolabe back on the table and, with a light laugh, introduced it:

"The creature I summoned from the anomalous Summoning Gate has a peculiar name; translated, it should be called 'Navigator'."

"It possesses profound understanding of space and dimensions, able to locate hidden routes in the void; for a Navigator, guiding ships on the sea would be a very easy task."

"As for this astrolabe, it is an item formed from its traits after I killed it; from the information I've gathered, it appears to correspond to a Path called 'Astronomy Enthusiast'."

"As a patron of Knowledge and Wisdom, I wonder what your view on this is?"

Navigator and Astronomy Enthusiast? I don't know whose Path they belong to; the names actually sound closer to a 'Gate'. He whispered to himself, then, after a pause, Rekton looked at the Duke Yuan Yue Ao Ermo opposite him and said:

"The divine Paths far exceed twenty‑two; it's just that this world only has those twenty‑two and their corresponding traits. Yet the Astronomy Enthusiast Path does sound somewhat similar to a 'Gate'."

"The topic seems a bit far off; perhaps we should discuss the matter of the Original Moonlight Believers. Of course, if you are selling this astrolabe, I'd be happy to continue the conversation."

Ao Ermo fell silent briefly, then let out a light laugh:

"Members of the Church of Knowledge often enjoy collecting odd items; it seems you, as a Prophecy Master, share that hobby as well."

"If you can retrieve the Bloodline traits from those thieves who stole the Moon's authority and power, I can trade you this astrolabe; it holds little use for me, merely its odd abilities kept it by my side."

Thieves, huh? In a sense, the Primordial Moon is the true master of this Path, he thought, and Rekton gave a noncommittal nod, effectively agreeing to the proposal.

After a brief pause, his curiosity prompted him to ask:

"Does Duke Yuan Yue plan to act personally?"

"No, those minions of the Primordial Moon have deep ties with the Rose Sect; my rash action could invite interference from that Divine Scion."

"I will keep watch here, ensuring the plan proceeds smoothly."

Duke Yuan Yue Ao Ermo shook his head slowly, his hoarse voice offering an explanation.

Rekton gave a gentle nod and said casually:

"When it comes to the Primordial Moon, most divination and prophecy methods are disrupted; our planning must rely on known data. I need time to gather information—how shall we contact you afterward?"

"A Bloodline will come looking for you soon," Ao Ermo replied gravely.

As his words fell, his figure and the surrounding semi‑real illusion both turned transparent, vanishing in an instant.

Moments later, the surroundings reverted to the inn's original state; sunlight streamed through the windows, making the once‑messy room appear dazzling.

Rekton glanced casually, then raised his hand, scattering brilliant starlight that stirred a starlight storm within the room, returning all items displaced by the earlier gravity anomaly to their proper places.

"Astronomy Enthusiast," Rekton murmured softly as he stood by the glass window, gazing at the street outside.

His eyes suddenly turned profound, resembling the sea just before a storm.

Soon a vague vision rose in his mind: a dazzling cluster of stars moving along their own paths in the dark void, their starlight reflecting each other, accompanied by phantom babble echoing in his ears.

The mental image formed briefly before shattering, as if further viewing would summon some terrifying entity.

Rekton exhaled, his gaze cleared again; faint fragments of broken starlight still lingered in his eyes, giving them a deep, profound look.

"Power linked to the stars can, to a degree, affect and manipulate physical laws; at a certain level, they can even fashion a black hole with bare hands."

"When aligned with the Perfect One, one can absorb and contain corresponding high‑rank traits, uniqueness, and essence."

"It seems to be rushing toward the Wilderness of Knowledge; it must become a Knowledge Demon, lest it become a tasty dish on the opponent's table at the Apocalypse."

Rekton strained to digest the information just injected into his mind, a nameless yearning and urgency sprouting deep within.

Calming his emotions, he lifted his gaze to the white clouds and blue sky, his sight seeming to pierce layers of obstruction to glimpse the dazzling starry heavens—was this not the Hidden Sage's knowledge infusion, but a warning from the Wilderness of Knowledge?

It seems the seal left by the Celestial Venerable is gradually weakening its effect on it; it can now freely convey messages to me. If this continues, perhaps even without waiting for the Lord of the Mysteries to appear, it could break the seal in some way and descend upon the North and South continents.

After a moment of silence, he walked to the desk pressed against the wall and sat down, casually tore a blank sheet from a notebook, took out the Witch Card that bore a seal and examined it carefully for a while, a malicious smile curling his lips, and began to write a letter to Beiernadai.

Dear Ms. Beiernadai:

I must apologize for something; the Wheel of Fate Card I borrowed from you last time was damaged by an accident. As compensation, I have obtained the Witch Card from the Defilement Card, hoping to make up for the lost Wheel of Fate Card.

Recently, the primitive Moonlight Cultists in the Xi Bai Lang Pa Si River Valley have been very active. I plan to clear them out along with the hidden cultists here. Do you have any suggestions?

There is another matter I feel obliged to inform you about: I have uncovered some information about the Lu En Royal Family's previous scheming with the Witch Sect, and I have formed some conjectures.

Someone within the Lu En Royal Family is preparing to ascend to Black Emperor, most likely the current king George III. As for how he concealed this from the Night and Storm Church, I suspect other forces may be involved, perhaps even driving the affair.

I have examined the Black Emperor (Item); it contains a description of the Black Emperor's ability to rise from death, stating that only when a new Black Emperor is born does the previous Black Emperor die completely!

Lei Ke Dun chuckled lightly as he set down the round‑bodied fountain pen, then folded the letter paper and sandwiched the Witch Card between its pages.

He then rose from his seat, hurriedly rummaged the room for ritual materials, and set up a simple summoning‑messenger ceremony.

After lighting a candle and adding essential oil and hydrosol, he stepped back and whispered the incantation to summon the messenger:

"I; I summon in my name:"

"The formless being that roams the Upper Realm, a strange spirit friendly to humanity, the messenger belonging solely to Beiernadai·Gu Si Ta Fu."

A sudden cold wind swept through the room, and this time Lei Ke Dun's eyes clearly caught Beiernadai's Speedster messenger:

A centaur‑like strange creature materialized at an incredible speed, its six legs leaving rings of silvery‑gray afterimages. After circling Lei Ke Dun twice, it reached for the letter paper clasped with the Witch Card on the desk, and through the channel created by the ritual, returned to the spirit realm.

When all this was over, Lei Ke Dun saw the candle flame flicker in front of him before it could even sway.

No wonder it's a Speedster; at that speed, even a demigod would struggle to react.

As thoughts turned, Lei Ke Dun used the Eye of the Secret to record the image, then reproduced it through mystic imprinting; he then summoned a Knowledge Rabbit to deliver the imprinted image to the Prophet's Avatar, attempting to develop some speed‑enhanced techniques.

Gah~~ Boom!

Outside the window came a caw of crows, followed by a crisp thud against the glass.

Lei Ke Dun glanced at the crow Anu sliding down the window, lightly twisted his fingers, and created a "door" beneath it that linked to the inn's room.

The crow Anu's form fell straight from the ceiling, crashing with a 'pop' onto the small round table by the window, momentarily seeing stars and unable to stand.

(End of Chapter)