Nuowa finished telling her story, and Ed listened very attentively.
But... clearly, this former prince, now the Elf King, seems to be a bit too talented, even giving Ed a vague sense of déjà vu.
"So many things, you came up with them all by yourself?"
Ed didn't hide anything and asked what was going on.
He found it hard to imagine that a frail, sickly ten-year-old boy with no life experience could accomplish so much in ten years.
Whether it's learning medicine, speculating on luxury goods, promoting futures and stocks, expanding into the underworld, cultivating diplomatic relations with the elves, or even recruiting soldiers to prepare for a rebellion...
Ten years is a period in which most people can only imagine doing one thing to the extreme.
Nuowa not only accomplished all of this, but also added an extra element: he elevated his strength from that of an ordinary person to High Tier, making assassination attempts on him virtually impossible.
Thinking of this, Ed frowned slightly:
Isn't a day in Nuowa 24 hours?
Or is there a semi-transparent light screen in front of this guy that guides him to do unconventional things and rewards him for it?
Seeing Ed's bewildered one eye, Nuowa explained:
"It really wasn't my doing."
He reached into the spatial pocket at his waist and took out an ancient book that was clearly worn out from frequent use:
Ultimately, it was the protection of our ancestors.
"This is?"
Ed looked at the ancient book in Nuowa's hand and had a general idea in his mind.
"This is the journal of my ancestor, Stral, the first emperor of the Starlight Empire."
Nuowa said with no small amount of confidence:
"Our ancestors transcribed the contents of the notes into multiple languages, making them appear as if they were the soliloquy of a mentally ill person."
"But as long as you can find the pattern, you can see what's written inside."
"If I were to say that I am a genius in any field, it would only be in the field of languages."
"For example, the secret passage that allowed us to escape has its opening method recorded on the title page of this notebook."
Ed was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this:
Even if the royal family is at its worst, there will always be a few exceptionally talented individuals in each generation, right?
"But no one has been able to decipher this notebook for so many years. It seems like... it was prepared specifically for you. Isn't that a bit suspicious?"
Nuowa showed no displeasure at Ed's doubts; on the contrary, she became even more proud.
"My ancestor Stral was able to conquer all and eventually build the behemoth that was the empire on the southern continent, all thanks to his astrological skills, which could predict the future to some extent."
"So, perhaps our ancestors foresaw the difficulties their descendants might face, and that's why they made arrangements in advance."
Ed for a moment, then finally nodded.
Although the empire's history is equally long, by the time Nuowa's ancestor Stral stepped onto the historical stage, Ed's true form and his Tree God costume had long since disappeared into the annals of history.
Therefore, that Stral must have truly possessed considerable skill, maximizing his talent to achieve the Nuowa we know today.
As for why astrology can actually predict bits and pieces of the future, that's actually Ed's own fault.
The World of Disorder is essentially a world suspended in an endless Sea of Psionic Energy. Ed's predecessor didn't have much experience in creating the world, so this world isn't as vast as depicted in some works of art about another world.
The starry sky that people in this world see is not the same in nature as the starry sky in another world.
I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but anyway, those glowing things in the sky were actually some randomly gathered Psionic Energy from the Sea of Psionic Energy.
Psionic Energy is the underlying nature of the world. By observing the flow of Psionic Energy outside the world, it may indeed be possible to make judgments about the future of certain things in this world.
"So, your brilliant ideas..."
Having figured out the astrological matter, Ed asked another question, to which Nuowa, as always, made no attempt to hide her admission:
"That's right, much of my knowledge about the turbulent world also comes from this notebook."
I see.
By this point, Edd had a general understanding of everything about Nova. Looking at Nova, who still appeared to be a twenty-year-old, he asked:
"I already know the whole story, so... what exactly do you want from me?"
Since Nuowa was willing to reveal her entire background, she naturally needed Ed's help.
He said earnestly:
"There are two main things I wish to do in cooperation with you. One is about the Empire, since I am, after all, the son of the previous emperor, and I have responsibilities to bear there; the other is about the Elves, since they honor me as the Elf King, I also have an obligation to help them."
"If you are willing to help us with these two matters, then we will also be of assistance to you."
Nuowa's tone sounded very sincere, a stark contrast to his joking manner in the Great Labyrinth City.
However, upon hearing this, Ed narrowed his eyes:
"There's still one thing I don't understand—why did they specifically target me?"
"Because of astrology."
Nuowa said without hesitation:
"I learned a great deal from my ancestors' notes, including that magical art of astrology. Although its effects are far less than my ancestors', I can see something special in you."
These words reminded Ed of what Willow had once said about what he saw after opening his Psionic Energy vision—a pure Psionic Energy black hole.
"And for many years, I have been able to glimpse fragments of the future through stargazing, and your figure can be vaguely seen in them."
When the topic of astrology came up, Nuowa's tone became noticeably sincere:
"As our ancestors wrote at the end of their journals, the opportunity to change the future, save the world, and continue the Stral lineage lies in finding a star that has fallen into the world."
"My ancestor's astrology was a hundred times better than mine; it seems only you match his records."
"I see."
Ed nodded thoughtfully, but seeing that Nuowa seemed to have not finished speaking, he asked:
Are there any other reasons?
"Yes."
Nuowa nodded and added:
"Although my life experience is not extensive, I have planned two world-changing events, but unfortunately, neither of them was fully successful."
"If I learned anything from this, it's only one thing: --"
Ed seemed to be deep in thought:
"Don't make plans too perfect?"
Nuowa shook his head:
"Helping others execute a plan is much simpler than coming up with one yourself."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Liya:
"Just like her, who only focuses on execution, seems happy every day."