I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 227 Astrology
"In the beginning of the multiverse, it is said that there was a chaotic void. The gods used the stars as pens to divide the planes and inscribed the first magical runes in the void."

“Every celestial body is special. Stars, also known as the sun, are natural energy nodes, and their light contains pure primal magic—this energy was called ‘Thranduil’s Light’ by the ancient elves.”

After Veronica finished speaking, she wrote a string of elegant characters on the blackboard next to her: "And the dragons call it the power of starfire."

"This may be hard to understand, but you should know that there are many suns in the universe. They are too far away from us to bring light and heat to Farron, but the powerful primordial energy they carry does exist and can even spill over to other planets."

"But dragons are too lazy. Their innate knowledge and the fact that they can destroy the world just by sleeping make them not delve deeply into the natural energy in nature. Later, the dragon civil war allowed the elves to rise to power. These slender but intelligent creatures studied the dragons' primitive, almost instinctive way of mobilizing magic, and the first specific magic system was officially born from this."

"Over tens of thousands of years, the magic system has continued to improve. When the human era arrived, in order to overcome the natural lifespan shortage of humans, many of our predecessors conducted inhuman and immoral magical experiments, and many magical beasts were born as a result."

"Although it is very inhumane, magic has also made the fastest progress in the last few thousand years. Our ancestors passed on those valuable experiences. Some were eliminated, some were hidden, and there were even spells that were personally sealed by the Magic Lady. Some people say that half of the calamities on this continent are caused by gods, and the other half are caused by mages. To be honest, that is not wrong."

"Ahem, we've gone off on a tangent." Veronica noticed that DuPont was starting to drift off into thought, so she released a tiny electric current through her finger, pretending not to see DuPont's eye-rolling as she continued, "Did the High Elves come up with a similar plan? You could say yes, or you could say no."

"The closely guarded high magic is the last stubbornness of these elves, but it is clear that even without talent, not everyone can maintain the focus of research and refinement of magic for hundreds of years. Many elven archmages have become complacent, which led to their final tragedy. Many magics passed down to this day may not be as complete as Harua, after all, there have always been elves stationed here."

"Among them, astrology is one of the wisdoms of the high elves. However, this system not only requires extremely high talent from the user, but also requires a huge amount of money. Even with the wealth of these pointy-eared elves, this discipline declined after they fled to Evergrande."

"In Harua, almost only the Speaker can be called a master of this subject. Even his disciple, Zarason, is not talented enough in this area. In the end, even Lavoisier gave up on this research and chose to hone his magical skills through combat. If I think about it carefully, I should be the most proficient in this subject besides the Speaker."

"And today I am prepared to pass this discipline on to you."

Upon hearing this, DuPont smoothed his hair, raised his hand, and after receiving approval, asked, "The eight great families can't possibly be short of money, and Harua is not short of talented young people, so why don't they study this?"

"First of all, not just anyone can become the Speaker's disciple. Although the Speaker's disciples have a lineage, there aren't many people interested in it. Many great mages themselves haven't even mastered it, so how can they teach others? Not to mention, if you learn this stuff but don't learn it well, it will delay your time for learning magic. In the end, it will be difficult to get a diploma and find a job. Without money, you definitely can't get by."

"As for the eight great families, they almost all have their own main factions that they rely on for fame. These great families left behind by Nether can release their specialized spells, and the spellcasting level is not increased by one but by three. However, to achieve this, one must first become a high-level mage. For them, learning this kind of knowledge that takes a long time and has unknown results is completely going the long way around. Anyone who is not stupid will definitely not do it."

DuPont grinned; he needed his money to buy expertise: "Mentor, I'm broke too."

"You're still poor? Even without considering your capital in the bank, your equipment alone is worth over ten thousand gold. I'm not as rich as you at your age. And money always makes money incredibly fast, and you're not stupid. Besides, investing in this is definitely worthwhile. Otherwise, why would the Speaker have every disciple study this subject?"

“This is the Cygnus constellation,” Veronica said, raising her hand. The stars on the ceiling began to change rapidly, and then a simple pattern composed of a dozen or so bright stars appeared before DuPont’s eyes.

"The most dazzling of them all is the Swan Maiden. She has now broken away from the Faerûn pantheon and become an Outer God. There are almost no worshippers of her here. But if you can connect with that unique energy through the galaxy, the casting level and damage of your spells with radiance will be increased. Its power is most easily felt every spring."

“And this is the Weaver’s Web.” Veronica said, her wand changing again, and a ring constellation of eight blue giant stars appeared before Dupont: “It is at its peak in autumn and winter. At that time, if you can sense the stellar power it contains, spellcasting will almost certainly succeed, and both the damage and the summoning effect will be maximized, achieving an effect similar to super magic. Teleportation is almost impossible to fail.”

“And this is the Eye of Annihilation.” As the female mage finished speaking, an even deeper black vortex appeared in the already dark night sky. It seemed to be consciously rotating and radiating a terrifying power that could devour everything: “This thing is not a star. Even now, there is no definitive conclusion as to what type of celestial body it is. I just call it a black hole, a name that is easy to understand.”

Veronica looked at DuPont's wide-open mouth with great satisfaction. She had also felt it was just as exaggerated when she first came into contact with astrology: "According to the records of the elves, this is the surplus left over from the gods' final project in creating the world: the Abyss and Hell. It is specifically designed to devour the messy things in the universe. If you can sense the energy it spreads, your spells will be given a super magical enhancement effect."

"However, the movement of this celestial body is irregular, making it very difficult to determine in which season communication is possible. But according to my tests, it is best to contact it in winter."

“These are legitimate star systems, but there are some sinister things among them.” The female mage said, moving her fingers, and a dark green planet appeared before DuPont’s eyes: “This is an Outer God from another world that came here. According to the records, it is a planet called Cthulhu. This Outer God has no physical form in our universe, but its incarnations and beliefs occasionally spread to villages along the coast. Its followers will turn into a kind of fish-man-like monster. It looks disgusting, but it is not a big threat.”

"Based on the calls and knowledge collected by those cultists, I predict that this star may be the incarnation of that evil god. He uses it as a medium to spread his power and spread his faith and legends in many worlds. Of course, this is just a guess. I have not been there and cannot be sure."

Upon hearing this familiar name, a hint of nostalgia flashed in DuPont's eyes: "Cthulhu is an Outer God? Then how powerful is he exactly?"

The female mage shook her head: "I'm not quite sure, but I guess it's somewhere between a weak god and a god-like being? After all, this guy's true form should be in another universe, so he probably doesn't have the ability to cultivate particularly powerful followers. Right now, he's mainly popular among some sorcerers. There aren't many real priests like the Raven Queen."

"If we're talking about faith levels, these Outer Gods are practically invisible in Faerûn. They basically only affect ordinary people and low-level adventurers. The murlocs they transform into are probably about as threatening as the lizardmen."

It seems we still suffered from not being the local deity: "So, if we use astrology well, being able to cast spells within a certain timeframe can be considered a super magic technique?"

“Of course not. It’s not just those special stars; celestial cycles also affect arcane magic.” The female mage said, as the ceiling began to change, and two double moons overlapped in the night sky. “This is a celestial eclipse. If you don’t prepare in advance, you may make mistakes when preparing spells at night. Conversely, the accuracy of divination spells during this period is also surprisingly high. The council always gathers together to divine the unpredictable future during these celestial phenomena.”

"There are also comets with a green glow, which we in Harua call the Tears of Karthus. Their fragments, ground into powder, are an important material for making high-level spell parchment, but there may not be one every year."

“Then there’s the celestial ritual.” Veronica’s wand automatically waved in mid-air, forming a nine-pointed star: “When you can’t necessarily connect to those celestial bodies, you can use meteorite powder and magic blood to draw a magic circle for the corresponding constellation. As long as you add a gem with the corresponding energy when the constellation rises to the zenith, you can activate the desired celestial power 100%, and the spell’s effect will be extended. However, this method is rather wasteful, and it can only activate celestial bodies in specific seasons. It’s a method that requires practicality.”

"However, it's best to avoid such rituals. After all, it requires your spirit to connect with the heavens. If you do this for too long, who knows if it will attract some strange extraterrestrial visitors? In that case, it might be better not to do it at all."

DuPont nodded. It seemed that this method also had certain limitations. At that moment, a prompt appeared in front of him.

[Successfully acquired astrological knowledge; special astrology skill now unlocked]

[Current Astrology Level: 0] [Ability Not Activated]

You can use 10,000 gold coins to purchase basic knowledge of the Astrology specialty and unlock the initial power of the stars.

[Intermediate astrology required: 3]

Note: Every syllable chanted by the spellcaster is the afterglow of a star billions of years ago.

Damn, the beginner level costs me 10,000 gold coins.
Just as he was lamenting that the system was acting up again, a faint electric current made him shiver. When he came to his senses, the female mage's eyes were filled with displeasure: "Don't get distracted. I'm going on a business trip soon. You'll have plenty of time to waste after I leave!"

DuPont scratched his head awkwardly, but fortunately the female mage wasn't really angry: "Actually, it's not just us. Some astrologers can also use the power of the stars. However, to do this, in addition to extremely high intelligence, one also needs almost extraordinary charm. Both are indispensable, which is why astrology is difficult to popularize."

As she spoke, she placed an ancient-looking booklet in front of her: "With your magic equipment, you can barely learn now. Try to observe the celestial phenomena for an hour every night, even if it rains. I estimate that your attributes will show initial results within three years. If you want to stabilize them, you can meditate in the stargazing room, which will probably make you progress even faster."

“Three years.” DuPont wiped imaginary beads of sweat from his forehead. “Mentor, what’s your level in astrology?”

"What level?" Veronica poked DuPont's forehead with her slender fingers, annoyed. "There are probably no more than 20 people in Fauren who know this stuff. Do you think there's a hierarchy? Anyway, Lavoisier's level in this field is definitely not as high as mine."

"As for the third-circle spells you need to learn, I've already prepared them for you. For the fourth-circle spells, you can learn Stone Shaping. Tomorrow I will give you the book on the optimized Advanced Invisibility spell module. If you can finish learning these spells this year, then your mission will be complete."

As she spoke, she remembered something and threatened with a fierce look: "Your innate attributes are very compatible with astrology. Even if you can't find a way to learn fourth-circle magic, you can't neglect this. When I get back, I will check some basic knowledge. If I find out that you are slacking off or busy flirting with those female elves, be careful, I will summon a few succubi to give you a good time, so that you will be weak in the knees whenever you see a woman in the future!"

DuPont was shocked: "Isn't summoning a succubus illegal?"

"Breaking the law is relative. Those wild mages don't understand binding arrays and don't have much experience, so they just act recklessly. It's normal for them to either summon the wrong demon or get stabbed to death right after they summon it."

But who am I? Isn't it normal for an archmage to summon some abyssal creatures to dissect and learn about their special effects? Otherwise, how can you do anything if you go on a business trip to the abyss without knowing the local inhabitants' habits, not to mention what if you get ambushed? Better safe than sorry.

Veronica glanced back instinctively, then suddenly realized something was wrong and burst out laughing in exasperation: "What's wrong? Did you read too many erotic books in the library and want to try it out?"

"Just pure curiosity." DuPont waved his hands repeatedly, looking like a good boy: "Besides, I don't think that succubus is even as pretty as you, mentor. Why would you risk your life to summon a bunch of deadly women?"

"Hmph, so glib at such a young age, I wonder where he learned that from." The female mage gave him a disapproving look, but didn't pursue the matter further. "By the way, I'll be very busy from now on, and you'll probably have to study on your own for a long time. If you have time, you can try contacting that mermaid you mentioned at dinner. Who knows, you might actually find a way to make money."

"Don't we trade with the underwater people?" DuPont asked, somewhat surprised. "That shouldn't be the case. I saw the navy at the port earlier."

Veronica scoffed dismissively: "Harua's navy is all show. With airships that can come and go as they please, who would want these big toys that can only wander the seas and depend on the whims of the Storm God?"

"Well, aren't airships expensive? This fleet made of wood should be cheaper than magic ships, right?"

"It saves money, but we don't need sea routes. Those caravans that leave on magic ships have space bags, which are much more efficient than this. And those foreign merchant ships can prepare their own naval forces."

The female mage sat down and summoned the animated teapot to brew herself a cup of rosehip tea. The rich aroma filled the living room. "Besides," she said, "there aren't any foolish pirates around Harua who would dare to rob us. We rarely go to war, so what's the point of having a navy? Are we supposed to keep them to go fight penguins on the Great Iceland in the south?"

"I think it's more profitable to hunt seals and whales, at least they have more meat and are easier to sell."

"Look at you, so unreliable." Veronica poked DuPont's chest; this brat's flesh seemed tougher than dragon skin.

"Study hard and practice hard. Once you become a Grand Mage, you will never lack girls who like you. Right now, your mind is at its most active and your thinking is most open. Don't waste this precious youth on love. When the day comes that you need to use the longevity potion, you'll be lucky if you can even maintain your original spellcasting ability, let alone improve your magic further."

DuPont nodded slightly. Although the female mage had a fiery temper, she spoke the truth. However, he suddenly thought of something: "That mentor, everyone says the Speaker has lived for over 800 years, so what about his strength?"

When this matter was brought up, Veronica's expression was somewhat complicated. She gently shook her head: "The Speaker's situation is rather special, but in any case, his strength has not improved for hundreds of years. But who in Harua is stronger than him now? Even among the lady's voters, I'm afraid only her most beloved lovers and daughters are stronger."

"But what if an individual is strong? The Speaker hasn't made a move for hundreds of years and Harua is still unharmed. It's much stronger than the country protected by that Silver Hand. Unless you reach the level of a god, you still need power and background to live a good life."

As she spoke, Veronica pinched DuPont's cheek, finding it surprisingly pleasant to the touch: "Maybe one day I'll need you, this heartless guy, to make a living. You won't take the opportunity to get revenge on me then, will you?"

"How could that be?" DuPont chuckled. "If I had the ability, I would definitely build a huge mage tower myself, and I would definitely reserve the biggest room for you, my mentor, with the same access privileges as me."

"Tch, I'd rather stay in your tower and wait until you become an archmage. I doubt I'd even be able to get an interest-free loan from the council by then." Veronica's tone was disdainful, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "By the way, I saw you and that moon elf princess wearing the exact same rings. They're practically legendary items. What, are you being kept by that pointy-eared princess or have you made a secret engagement?"

A bead of sweat rolled down DuPont's cheek.

"This one, haha."

(End of this chapter)