After leaving Karupotu Mountain, Chen Chuan, Scarlson, and the Investigation Group boarded a train to head back to Seranocha Continent first.
An Esoteric Ritual expert in the Investigation Group said to Scarlson, "Captain, according to our calculations, a Star Orbit shift will occur soon, bringing a convergence of three stars that happens only once every three hundred years."
He added an explanation. "That is, the Wise Star, representing wisdom, the Fate Star, representing destiny, and the Planet Star, representing journeys, will converge.
"In the Old Era, all three were considered ritual stars because they were difficult to observe under normal circumstances. They appeared only during specific periods.
"Three stars convergence will greatly strengthen the effects of rituals. Historical records also mention six-star and nine-star configurations among Star Orbit phenomena, but neither has appeared in nearly six hundred years."
Another Esoteric Ritual expert said, "We suspect Samaruga held off on attacking the captain because he wanted to wait until then. Although we cannot determine the exact day, it should fall between the middle and the end of this month.
"At that time..."
He paused. "If he sacrificed the captain then, he should receive a greater return from the ritual."
Another member said, "Captain, since you escaped safely this time, you must have considered this beforehand, right?"
Scarlson said gravely, "I know little about rituals. I knew nothing of this beforehand.
"Rift breaches must be dealt with as soon as possible. I would not deliberately time things around this for my own safety. Besides, I owed my return mainly to Director Chen. Without him, I could not possibly still be alive."
The Investigation Group members nodded. That was certainly true. Without Director Chen's help, never mind Scarlson—even their own safety would have been far from assured if they had continued investigating.
On