Chapter 282: Day 624 – The Astrologer’s Advice

Chapter 282: Day 624 – The Astrologer’s Advice

“Michael,” the Astrologer was waiting on a hill in the flower fields that had the city of Truth in sight in the distance to the West. I didn’t want to go through the forest, since I wanted a clear view in every direction in case something showed up.

“Astrologer, this the Divine Empress?” I asked.

“No. It is something new. Something different.” He raised a gloved hand in the air. “The energy shifts unnaturally. I have never seen anything like this before.” That was not good.

“Want to go poke the city with me?” I asked him and he stood there in silence with his gloved hand in the air. A minute passed, but I waited.

“Whatever is happening, it is drawing energy from the lower layers, but filtering it. This area is destabilizing. But that doesn’t make sense,” the Astrologer muttered, not focused on me.

“So, you weren’t spying on me and found this?” I asked.

“Oh I was certainly keeping an eye on you. Your fast return intrigued me.” I blanched a bit at the casual agreement from the Astrologer about him tracking me. “Don’t look surprised. You know it. I know it. It is pointless to lie.” The Astrologer turned and faced me while lowering his hand. “What do you know about this?”

“That’s it. Spying on me is okay now?” I asked and he let out a sigh.

“What? You want cake and apologies? Besides doing a sweep along the border. It gets very boring. I routinely check out interesting people and places. You are on that list. I can’t grind up points and I don’t truly sleep. What else is there for me to do?”

“Get a hobby? Interact with people?” I suggested.

“I am a figment of one man’s will. What I experience doesn’t matter, only the end result. I was created with the knowledge of my eventual death and purpose.” That was good to know. No way to turn this Astrologer against the original. That idea was quickly tossed out as a possible way to flip the tables when he finally sprung his trap.

“Fine, it is creepy,” I countered.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

“As is everything. I am invested in you now Michael, more than ever before. I will not have you trip and kill yourself. Now, what do you know of this?” I explained what I had been told in the letter from Governor General Gerold and the recent lack of communication. The Astrologer began to pace back and forth.

“This is not good. A deviation from the map should not be possible,” he muttered.

“Don’t you already know the map?” I asked.

“I know many things. But after the calamity, many things were also shifted about or altered. A lot of the lower-level zones suffered this fate. I haven’t recatalogued everything and it isn’t that important. Also the area you describe is near void zones, things that effect my Astral Projection,” the Astrologer explained.

“Could it be the center of the calamity?” I asked.

“Perhaps. It stretched from the West edge of the East Bastion’s territory, just past the boarder with the Divine Empress to the West. No idea on the range South, but it wiped out Normandy to the far North. I had put the epicenter of the calamity on what you call Heaven,” the Astrologer said.

“This is too far West then,” I said.

“Perhaps. The land changed quite a bit after the calamity. Quite a bit. It could be anything, but the fact that it is a level 2 zone, is what really concerns me. It is a mistake,” the Astrologer said.

“By the Almighty System? Why is that concerning. It let’s lots of nonsense through like summoning and consumption?” I asked.

“Energy to varying degrees,” I answered.

“Exactly. Energy. But energy is thought made manifest. What watches and knows everything?”

“The System, you are saying this is the Almighty System’s mind?” I asked.

“Nothing so crude. But I have speculated that the world is a projection brought into being by the System focusing energy in certain ways. Vast quantities beyond scales we could comprehend. A level 100 or something ridiculous. It is settled and moves in specific patterns. But what is coming up from another layer is different and there is a conflict with the System’s energy. Hence things are degrading.”

“And people should be okay since they have their own energy?” I asked.

“Yes, it is tied to the System, through skills and stats. A person’s energy is heavily concentrated. Like a plastic bead in an ocean. The water will not consume it. But now we are beset by an oil spill, and the water is churning,” the Astrologer explained things with a metaphor. “Worst of all, I believe it to be spreading.”

“Spreading?!”

“Yes. If not spreading then it will eventually cause permanent damage. You might not have noticed but the terrain was altering around the city. The ground was soggier? The sky darker over the forest?”

“Maybe,” I said. I hadn’t caught that.

“The ambient level of energy is increasing.”

“Wasn’t that what happened during the calamity?” I asked.

“It was sudden. An immense wave of pressure, energy, and so much more. But it happened in an instant. This is slow and prolonged. Not alike at all from what I can tell,” the Astrologer explained.

“So, we can either retreat and hope this goes away or push forward? Not trying to get me a meta-point?” I asked.

“No. But the real risk is that this phenomenon intrigues the Divine Empress and she sends someone to investigate. It wouldn’t show up to her diviners, since it isn’t a spike of energy. It won’t send out ripples, but it is a whirlpool. The effects will only spread and invite curiosity,” the Astrologer said.

“So, we have to push on?” I asked but already knew the answer.

“I will go on regardless, but your help and insight would be appreciated,” the Astrologer answered. Great, I was teaming up with the most untrustworthy person to investigate why an entire city was missing caused by something that was unraveling the underpinnings of the Almighty System itself.

“If we do this, speak up. No holding back because you aren’t sure. The only reason I am even thinking of doing this is your blunt honesty, even if reality itself is melting,” I said and jabbed a finger as the Astrologer.

“Don’t worry, I am invested into you. If need be, I will sacrifice myself to save you. Don’t look surprised. I am not a real person. I was created with the intent of free my creator. You are the only chance my main body has before the Divine Empress crushes any chance I might have.”

“Well, no one is going to be sacrificing themselves today. Who knows, maybe it is some kind of super weapon we can throw at the Divine Empress and blow her into the void. That should kill her, right?”

“Yes...”

“You don’t sound sure?” I asked.

“Never underestimate that woman and you will only be slightly surprised. I didn’t think she would figure out my living tumor, but she has and is working to remove it. It should be impossible, but that is how she is. Shall we?” I nodded at the question. Time to go confront whatever horror was out there and hopefully not die or disappear.