With a touch of curiosity, Yao Lao floated over to the strange tube. One end was wide and the other narrow, and transparent lenses polished to an exceptionally smooth finish were set into it.
He followed the tube's angle upward with his gaze. Its opening pointed straight into the depths of the night sky. What is this? Intense curiosity stirred within Yao Lao. Having lived so many years, he had seen and learned much, and he immediately recognized its resemblance to something the "pirates" of legend supposedly used.
Recalling those tales, he brought his spectral eye close to the lens. At first, his field of vision held nothing but pure darkness. But when he adjusted his angle slightly, aligning his gaze perfectly with the tube, an astonishing sight suddenly appeared before his "eye."
Against an endless black backdrop, a bright sphere hung quietly, radiating a gentle, sacred glow. It was so clear that it seemed within arm's reach. More incredible still, a beautiful ring encircled the sphere perfectly, like a god's crown.
That brilliant ring revolved silently in the boundless darkness, bearing a grandeur and solitude beyond the mortal world, and etched itself deep into Yao Lao's spiritual vision. To think that such a soul-shaking sight lay hidden above this familiar sky. This had already gone beyond ordinary Astrology. It was more like... a glimpse into the very origins of the world.
Only after a long while did Yao Lao slowly draw his gaze away from the lens. His spectral figure drifted aside, and his eyes fell on a stack of papers beside the wooden stand. Intricate charcoal lines and densely packed black dots formed a star chart on the papers, annotated with strange symbols and numbers.
"This boy... could he really know Astrology, something scarcely recorded even in ancient