At dawn, while the sky was still faintly brightening, Barty Jr. stood at his front door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, resting in his palm.
The pocket watch Manus had given him now had a chain attached to it, chosen by his mother. It was the same silver color as the watch case, a fine chain.
He pressed the button, and the cover sprang open. Inside, the second hand moved in endless circles, ticking away.
There were also things about this pocket watch that Manus had not explained, such as the fact that it did not need winding.
Earth's Astral Force—the celestial power within the Star Magic System, named by Manus—provided energy and calibration for the pocket watch.
As well as positioning within the Astral Dimension.
These were all byproducts of developing [Manus's Astral Vestment], and were themselves fairly practical mid-tier spells.
Naturally, Barty Jr. could not understand them yet—or rather, could not learn them. There was little point in even knowing about them, so Manus had not told him. For now, Barty Jr. only knew that it was a protective item.
Manus's instructions from that day seemed to still echo in his ears.
"Be careful on the road."
His mother's voice came from behind him. Barty Jr. turned around and saw that his mother, dressed in pajamas, still looked somewhat weary.
"Mom, did I wake you?"
"No, I set an alarm."
Mrs. Crouch shook her head and opened her arms to Barty Jr. He stepped forward and gave his mother a hug.
"This is your first time traveling far from home, and you have to cross an entire ocean... Do you really not need me to come with you?"
"It'll be fine. There are a lot of us, and you can't leave the