Keldim, Astrology Apprentice

Ronan stood up from the ground and looked around the room.

There was a Star Chart on the wall directly in front of him, which gave him the same illusion as before.

But upon closer inspection, one can see that the Star Chart in front of him is merely a simple magical projection, and the rough, thin wall behind the projection reveals the identity and status of this body.

Ronan looked around; the room he was in was so small and simple that it resembled a tiny pigeon coop.

Apart from a narrow wooden bed that was only half a meter wide, there was no other furniture in the room. In the corner were two slightly different-looking jars, one for water and the other for urine, and an iron basin with some unfinished dried biscuits scattered about.

The blurry Star Chart projected onto the wall is probably the most valuable thing in this room.

"Nominal Disciple First Level Astrologer"

Ronan absorbed the original memories of this body, his eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This time, I've arrived in... the era of the Keldim Wizard Empire!"

That's great news.

This is a "world" where real wizards exist, and it is also the prosperous and powerful era of Keldim.

The bad news is that Ronan comes from humble origins. He is Nominal Disciple of a First Level Astrologer in the Keldim Wizard Empire, but in reality, he is no different from a slave.

You can tell just by looking at the environment he lives in now.

In extremely scarce material conditions, they also had to undertake extremely tedious and heavy calculation work on a daily basis, and were subjected to cruel mental exploitation by so-called "teachers".

As a result, Ronan felt an extremely strong sense of weakness from the very beginning of his "awakening".

"If this continues, I'm afraid I won't last two years; I'll die from exhaustion."

Ronan pondered that it was common for mentors to exploit their disciples, not only in ancient times, but also in the current Wizard World, where disciples were considered a kind of "consumable" by many wizards.

In addition to completing a large number of heavy tasks assigned by their supervisors on a regular basis, they also have to actively climb onto the experimental platform as "Living Material" when necessary.

Those who are lucky may survive, while those who are unlucky will be swept into a pile of corpses, or perhaps even turned into Undead Servant, to be consumed a second time in the battle between mentor and opponent.

But at least.

"This body possesses the potential to become a wizard."

Even though it's terrible, it's almost the same as Ronan's initial performance.

But this alone surpasses countless previous "dream-entering" starts.

"If I can advance to the First Level Wizard, my lifespan will be extended to over two hundred years, enough for me to break through my current limitations with 'Spirit Heart Amber'."

With his wizarding talent, Ronan has a lot more room to maneuver.

The cultivation he can perform "in dreams" is no longer limited to the memories of Primordial Spirit Writing; meditation, spells, Magic Potion Studies, and many other possibilities have been added.

Following Ronan's usual procedure for "entering dreams," the first step was to find an opportunity to escape his current life, then hide away in a place where no one could find him, and cultivate in solitude.

However, this time, the dream took place in a "world" where wizards existed, and it happened to be during the time of Keldim.

Ronan was filled with curiosity about this powerful empire that had been "forgotten" in history, so his thoughts changed slightly.

"The Keldim Wizard Empire seems to value the development of astrology quite a bit. The importance of astrology to Keldim wizards even surpasses that of traditional wizarding skills such as potion making, alchemy, and enchanting, and is second only to runic writing."

So much so that the times and circumstances gave rise to the special profession of astrologer.

"Each astrologer maintains a large number of Astrology Apprentice to assist in their daily astrological studies..."

As Ronan was sorting through the simple, pitifully scarce memories left behind by his predecessor, he suddenly heard a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Thump thump thump—thump thump thump—"

Someone was banging on the door of Ronan's little house.

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he slowly stepped forward and opened the small door.

Damien!

Standing outside the door was a boy about the same age as Ronan, around fifteen or sixteen years old.

He had gray hair, blue eyes, and a pale, malnourished face. He wore the same gray linen robes that Astrology Apprentice wore.

Both in appearance and temperament, the young man in front of me bears a striking resemblance to A Nan De of the Astronomy Society.

Ronan was still searching his mind for the other person's name when the gray-haired boy grabbed his arm and said anxiously, "Damien, what are you still doing here?"

Just before the hourglass, the instructor announced the assembly time; we were going to be late!

A Nan De.

Let's just call him A Nan De for now.

Ronan was dragged out of the room by a gray-haired boy who looked just like A Nan De. They walked through several long corridors and finally stopped in a grand hall engraved with patterns of the sun, moon and stars.

The main hall was already filled with apprentices like the two of them. A middle-aged man, dressed in fine clothes and with a dignified face, stood in the center of the hall, in front of a huge metal sundial that was more than ten meters tall, casting a cold gaze at the two of them.

A Nan De, like a quail, tugged at Ronan's sleeve and quietly sat down among the apprentices, then listened to the middle-aged man continue speaking.

"Starting tomorrow, I will assign each of you new calculation tasks, which will be about two to three times the workload of the previous ones."

"Of course, your standard of living will also be raised to two Silver Coin per day!"

"... Everyone must remember this: this is an unprecedented and magnificent project! It concerns the prosperity and development of Keldim for the next ten thousand years!"

"If we succeed, not only my name, but also yours, every single one of your names will be recorded in history!"

For hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years to come, the people living on this continent will be grateful for every precise piece of data you have provided!

"This is an unparalleled honor and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

After a brief but impassioned speech, the middle-aged man hurriedly left, leaving only a group of teenagers standing in the hall, excitedly discussing what they had just heard.

"Did you hear that, Damien!"

The gray-haired boy A Nan De, was clearly "brainwashed" successfully by the speech; his face was flushed with excitement, and his blue eyes shone [Shine] than the stars in the sky.

"The Empire's Astrology Master have predicted the existence of the 'Core Hub'!"

It resonates with the stars in the sky and the tides on the ground!

Once we find it, we will be able to [Harmony] the waters and energy of the entire continent and restore the power and prosperity of the ancient Wizard World.

"Then it won't just be the adults; we, everyone on this continent, will benefit!"

A Nan De clenched his fists tightly with excitement, as if his thin, frail shoulders already bore the fate and responsibility of an era.

Almost every Astrology Apprentice performed much like A Nan De.

"So this was before the construction of the Keldim underground sewers began, and before the Quivada Oasis was discovered."

Ronan stood quietly among the excited and thrilled teenagers, lost in thought.

The news of the "Core Hub" spread throughout the country after being announced by the Empire. It was an unprecedented grand plan, as well as an unprecedentedly large and complicated project.

Wizards need to know precisely the trajectory of every star in the sky, the flow of every river on earth, the patterns of tides, the movement of wind, and the distribution of energy.

Only then can the location of the "Core Hub" be determined.

Countless manpower and resources were invested, and countless airships and carriages were dispatched to every corner of the continent. Almost all the astrologers, large and small, in the entire empire were summoned to observe, deduce, and calculate day and night.

Each astrologer has a large number of Astrology Apprentice who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the cause.

Three months later, due to a series of errors in the calculation of star orbit data, Astrology Apprentice Ronan Damien was severely punished and unceremoniously expelled from his class by his astrologer mentor.

In a dilapidated hut in a remote alley in the Imperial Capital Keldim.

Damien

A Nan De looked at the pale-faced boy lying on the bed, his body wrapped in layers of bandages, with red-rimmed eyes.

"I will try to plead with the teacher on this matter. In astrology, your talent has always been much better than mine. He shouldn't give up on you so easily."

Ronan shook his head; his lips were chapped and he was so weak that he seemed unable to speak.

"Twenty-five lashes, that's too harsh a punishment. It's almost enough to kill a horse... What mistake can't be redeemed?!"

A Nan De gritted his teeth, his tone indignant; in fact, he wasn't in much better shape.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess, and he had a strong, unpleasant odor from not having showered for months.

No need.

Ronan spoke in a hoarse, low voice, "It's my own problem. I really can't do this job."

"No!"

A Nan De shook his head vigorously, his emotions running high, and said, "No matter what, you should try again. You know, someone has already received the meditation method taught by the teacher... This is hardship, but also glory and opportunity!"

Damien, we've always wanted this opportunity, and now it's right in front of us!

Ronan didn't speak, but A Nan De hurriedly stood up.

"I will try to help you, you should focus on recovering first."

I only have two hourglasses left to go out, and now I have to go, Damien. I'll come see you again next time!

After saying that, A Nan De carefully took a small cloth bundle from his pocket, placed it next to Ronan, and then quickly went out the door.

After A Nan De left, Ronan's dull eyes quickly began to light up.

He slowly sat up in bed.

The twenty-five lashes he endured for deliberately making a mistake to escape control almost completely shattered the fragile body and will to live of a sixteen-year-old boy. But for Ronan, with his extraordinary will, this pain was not enough to push him to the brink of death.

On the contrary, his true "spiritual practice" is only now officially beginning.

Ronan picked up the small cloth bundle left by A Nan De, opened it, and saw that it was full of imperial copper coins, with some scattered Silver Coin mixed in.

Ronan put down the bag, calmly sat down on the bed, and then slowly assumed the body-strengthening posture of "Ascetic Body Forging".

The wizard's training was progressing faster than he had imagined.

Although this body's soul aptitude was poor, thanks to the characteristics of the Character Panel and the bonus of the Master Level Basic Meditation Technique, in just three months, through meditation in his spare time, his mental strength had already increased to the level of a third-level apprentice.

Once you reach the standard for performing a basic Star Chart Deduction, you can switch to the [Primordial Star Meditation Technique] and your progress will be even faster.

Now, Ronan's goal has become very clear.

—Memorizing Primordial Spirit Writing, meditation, cultivation, and

Stay here, in the heart of this powerful empire, and silently witness... a dramatic change of the times taking place!