Mathematics was the foundation of nearly all magic, especially divination spells.
Arithmancy, numerology, spiritual mathematics, astrology, Zi Wei Dou Shu, feng shui, Qimen Dunjia, Six Lines, and other divination spells all required the caster to possess extensive mathematical knowledge and formidable mental calculation abilities. Salomon could say without false modesty that, nurtured by Kamar-Taj's many books, he excelled at such magic and stood among the finest of Kamar-Taj's many Arcanists. Though they were all guesses, that did not prevent him from repeatedly casting multiple divination spells to eliminate wrong answers—yet prophecies had always been vague. Salomon did not insist on obtaining an exact prophecy. Instead, he divined the degree of fortune and misfortune, then used a small number of detection spells to determine the nature of the portals, arriving at the answer he wanted through statistical methods.
"I can't quite understand why some people always like appearing behind others," the Arcanist muttered to himself. "Does putting on this kind of mysterious act make you seem impressive?"
A rhomboid object encased in blue crystal-like material emerged from the void. "Since you've already discovered me, I can be honest with you."
"If this is a cutscene, you should at least dress like a person." Salomon put his helmet back on and turned toward the figure. His armored hand rested, deliberately or not, above his sword hilt. If anything changed, he could draw and slash in an instant. This postmodern style, with its blurred gender boundaries, reeked of a modern American fashion runway. As a lover of Baroque style, he found it utterly unbearable, and his impression of the figure had immediately sunk to rock bottom.
"First impressions are important. Yours hasn't gone very well. Who are you?"
"You may call me the Prophetess." The thing smiled mysteriously, as though everything lay within