Chapter 273: Day 543 (3) – A Discussion Of Interesting Topics

Chapter 273: Day 543 (3) – A Discussion Of Interesting Topics

“What about the other things, like the tower? Can it help us?” I asked. I was curious about the tower. It was such a huge feature that it often made me wonder what was in it.

“The towers. You are dreaming if you think you can make an ascent. Before you ask, one does not lightly fly in the sky. I avoid the worst of it by hiding myself, but flying is a huge risk. Your summons are just specks of dust. Flying to the top of the tower, pointless and suicidal. One must clear it to get the reward at the top and you are far too weak for that,” the Astrologer answered. There was a reward, good to know.

I had also noted he had said towers not tower. That was interesting to know. There was more than one tower out there. Clarissa asked a question before I could follow up on this detail.

“How will Spirit help rescue you? What about the other stats?” Clarissa asked. Maybe he was trapped in a void area. That seemed like an interesting and a highly likely outcome.

“Ah, now we are discussing something valuable. Stats, skills, and energy types beyond the beginner explanation on the topic I have given you for free. All I have seen is complaining and no sincerity,” the Astrologer said.

“We are speaking with you,” I replied.

“Speaking!” he shouted and then slumped into his chair. I frowned. He was becoming unstable with these mood swings. “So, you realize it,” the Astrologer said. Clarissa looked at me.

“He is becoming mentally unstable,” I replied.

“Once again you speak and remove all doubt of your idiocy and show your lack of true understanding. Emotions are affecting me more heavily than they would my real body. To be so open and explain things without sounding like a robot, they have become a flood. One of the minor defects of a body like this. My control is perfect, but once it is loosened, there is only limited control,” the Astrologer said with a sigh.

“I just don’t understand why you haven’t guided people from the start?” I asked.

“Think Michael. Really think. How do I know who to invest my time into? How do I know who will have the drive to survive? These questions are not easily answered or risked. I pick the wrong person, then my time will be wasted. There were no second chances after the calamity. I had to act quickly to stop the Divine Empress and salvage the situation.”

“Now, you have survived and are the only one who lives, who has even the slightest chance of freeing me within the limited amount of time we have. Spirit is needed to survive the environment. Have this tidbit for free. I am sure you noticed that Spirit is needed to guard against the voids and the torrent of unfiltered energy gushing forth.” Clarissa and I nodded at this.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

“The Spirit stat also increases the energy inside of you. What is energy inside of you? Your sense of self. Anchoring your essence, energy, spirit, to your physical body. Don’t ask me how it works at the atomic or molecular level. But the simple answer is that Spirit increases oneself at the most basic.”

“And skills?” I asked curious how all of these things tied together. It was amazing having someone answer these questions and put words to things I suspected or kind of knew.

“She would sense them. Through the energy within them or her danger sense. They are crude tools at the higher levels. Her speed and reactions are unmatched. Our only hope, and I cannot over state this, is to free my original body,” the Astrologer said.

“Or unleash a new horror?” Clarissa countered.

“I am not a good person or a kind person. But compared to her tender mercies, I am a saint amongst saints. To call her evil is to be unkind to the word evil. But I can offer no proof beyond my word. For once proof comes it will be too late for all of us,” the Astrologer replied.

“I can’t believe she cannot be assassinated in some way. Even with a high Perception stat, there has to be an overwhelming attack or something?” I asked. The Astrologer just shook his hooded head.

“You are welcome to try, fail, and suffer her retribution.”

“What about using Imbue Reform to combine crystals into a super bomb?” I asked. The Astrologer paused at that before shaking his head again.

“That skill merges things at the physical level. Spreading out what is there. Using it on crystals is destabilizing. Remember energy is thought given physical form. Once the thought is disrupted enough, it is no longer valid. This means the point crystals will no longer work and break apart or explode. The same with other crystals. An interesting thought experiment, but ultimately pointless. What, thinking making a crystal sword?”

“Or merging a skill crystal and not a monster crystal,” I replied. I knew my questions were all over the place, but I was asking them as they came to mind. The Astrologer want completely still.

“Now that is interesting.” Then he shook his head. “Combining a lot of crystals would be hard physically but would be like wearing an unstable bomb. A bad idea for anything you wanted it to resist. Let me guess the Ritualist had some kind of transformation once you activated the City Shield?” I nodded at that.

“As for a skill crystal, they are immovable and incredibly unstable. You would have to remain in place and touching on skill concepts, is not simple or easy. What monsters do, is only a reflection of a skill, but without a lot of their inbuilt functions. Just raw energy manipulation. A skill is so much more than raw energy and type manipulation.” I took a deep breath before speaking up. I had reached my decision.

“I have decided. I would like to know. I cannot place my trust into something I don’t know about,” I said

“Of course, you want to know. If I tell you, I expect you to earnestly work for my freedom. I will explain things, but I want your promise,” the Astrologer said. I carefully thought about this. It would not surprise me if he had some kind of truth or promise related skill. I would pick my wording carefully.

“I will do everything in my power to free you that doesn’t endanger my life beyond a reasonable amount.” The amount would be decided by me. The Astrologer just sat there still. Maybe he was communicating with his main body?

“I know you are hedging your bets with that kind of weak promise, but it is fine. If you don’t free me, then you can enjoy her tender care. So, feel free to pick another direction than the one I suggest. It will be amusing before we all die horribly.” The Astrologer paused for a long moment just to build up suspense. The man was a showboat.

“Meta-points or god-points granted by the System.”