Chapter 358 Failing at Astrology
Calond listened without comment and began to set up his divination tools. He and the Lord of the City had a purely transactional relationship, taking money and doing a job, without any other internal conflicts.
He set up a telescope on the rooftop of the RV to observe the starry sky, while a smaller telescope was aimed at the site of the fire.
Astrology had a very strict set of processes and steps, requiring adjustments to corresponding star positions based on the date, event, and subject of investigation.
This expensive astrological equipment was also purchased with the Lord of the City’s funding for Calond. The Lord of the City felt it was a worthwhile expense. Since acquiring the astrological instruments, Calond’s predictive abilities had greatly increased, helping him solve many difficult problems, which made the Lord of the City very confident in him.
Finally, Calond adjusted the star positions and focal length. The two telescopes, one large and one small, formed an angle. At their intersection, he placed a crystal ball, and then said to the Lord of the City, “My Lord, I am ready.”
“Excellent, quickly find the arsonist for me!” the Lord of the City said happily. He always found Calond’s astrology to be particularly fascinating and often asked to watch when Calond performed divinations.
“Understood,” Calond nodded. It was precisely because the Lord of the City wanted to watch that he used it as an excuse to procure this expensive set of astrological instruments. He raised his staff and began to chant, “Stars wandering in the heavenly universe, please clear the mist for me and reveal the truth!”
As he chanted, a ray of starlight was captured by the astrological instruments, projected onto the telescope, and continuously concentrated, finally being projected onto the crystal ball.
The Lord of the City watched the crystal ball with excitement. According to past practice and experience, an image should now appear within the crystal ball, possibly even an image of the future, which was quite magical.
The other wizards also watched. Although they inwardly disapproved of Calond’s subservience to the Lord of the City and his use of noble magic to curry favor, they were, after all, in the same profession. Moreover, Calond’s astrological skills were indeed excellent, and observing more would allow them to learn. Even if they couldn’t learn astrology, it could still offer tangential reference value for other types of magic.
However, the scene they expected did not appear. The crystal ball reflected nothing but a white haze. The wizards were confused, but being no experts in this field, they didn’t understand what was happening.
“Mr. Calond, why is there still no result?” the Lord of the City asked.
“Uh? Wait a moment, let me check. Perhaps there’s an issue with the star positions or the light intake. Allow me to adjust,” Calond immediately adjusted the astrological instruments. He rotated the golden dial that fixed the two telescopes and adjusted the lens focus using the knob next to the telescope, even leaning in to observe through the lens himself.
However, after all that fiddling, there was still no result. No image appeared in the crystal ball.
“Mr. Calond, perhaps there’s a minor issue with the equipment for now. After all, the Lord of the City just wants to know who the arsonist is. You can personally divine his identity and tell the Lord of the City. You can adjust the equipment later,” one of the wizards reminded him.
“Alright,” Calond said. He still didn’t understand what was wrong with the astrological instruments. However, as the wizard said, even without the instruments, he could divine the result himself. It just wouldn’t be as direct as with the instruments, allowing others to see as well.
He removed the crystal ball, placed it into a recess on his staff, and began to divine personally. Starlight was continuously drawn down from the sky and into his staff.
“Mr. Calond, have you got a result yet?” the Lord of the City was getting impatient. After fiddling for so long without finding the culprit, his useless guards who went to investigate the scene had also been gone for a long time without reporting back.
Calond was sweating profusely. He had tried adjusting his divination several times, but there had been no result. This situation had never occurred before. He couldn’t help but increase his magical power, trying to observe deeper and further into the starry sky.
“My Lord of the City, perhaps the arsonist has the ability to disrupt celestial phenomena. He might be powerful. How about… ah! What is that?!” A wizard was about to advise the Lord of the City against taking drastic measures when he saw a strange scene appear in the crystal ball.
Everyone present, the Lord of the City, the wizards, the advisors, and the servants, saw it too. Within the crystal ball embedded in Calond’s staff, a mysterious red sphere appeared, composed of countless hexagonal blocks.
Just as they were trying to get a clearer look at what the red sphere was, the crystal ball suddenly exploded. Not only that, but the metal staff in Calond’s hand also shattered into pieces, rendering an expensive staff useless.
“Ahhhhhh!” Calond let out a piercing scream. Seeing his current state, everyone else felt a chill and terror. Both of his eyes had exploded, leaving only empty sockets. Two streams of bloody tears flowed from where his eyes should have been.
“He! What happened to him?” the Lord of the City asked in terror. His appearance was too horrifying.
“The other party is a terrifying existence that should not be spied upon. My Lord of the City, let this matter end here, otherwise, it will bring great disaster!” one of the wizards said. Calond’s current condition could only be described by one phrase: he saw something he shouldn’t have.
“Y-yes, are they those lurking terrifying beings?” the Lord of the City asked somewhat incoherently. He also knew that there were many terrifying things in the world that should not be meddled with.
“It is likely so. This should only be a warning, perhaps they do not wish for us to continue investigating. Continuing to investigate might incur their displeasure,” an advisor suggested.
“Then what should I do?” the Lord of the City asked.
“You can announce to the public that the fire was caused by charcoal heating, then provide relief to the citizens whose houses were burned down, and rebuild the neighborhood, as if nothing had happened,” the advisor suggested.
“I have to spend money to compensate those people? And rebuild the neighborhood?” The Lord of the City’s focus immediately shifted.
“Uh, it’s not like you must use your own money. You could also sell the land to the construction merchants under the guise of reconstruction, and make another profit. As long as you don’t continue to investigate and show an attitude that this matter has concluded,” the advisor explained.
“Oh, I understand. This ends here. Tell the scribe to issue an announcement, stating it was a charcoal heating fire. Also, provide relief food to the affected commoners daily, and then have merchants come to discuss reconstruction. Furthermore, take Mr. Calond to be treated and find the best doctor for him.”
Although a bit foolish, he had been the Lord of the City for many years, and he issued commands smoothly and reasonably.
The wizard who offered the suggestion breathed a sigh of relief. He was actually one of the masterminds behind the underground trading fair. Fortunately, the Lord of the City did not intend to pursue the matter further; otherwise, the trading fair might have been affected.
It seemed he needed to lie low for a while. However, who exactly was this powerful figure who went to such lengths as to fight within the town?
