Free Web NovelThe small airship cut through the clouds, descending toward the land below. From high above, the ground was a mottled expanse of sandy yellow and dusty gray.
The once-majestic buildings still stood, but their crumbling, wind-eroded appearance easily reminded one of stone tablets recording the past.
The airship gradually descended, and some small, blurry figures became clearer. Those on the airship could now make out the occasional passersby below.
"I didn't expect anyone still lived here." Og stood on the deck with his arms crossed, the muscles of his shoulders straining against his mage robe.
"Of course people live here. It's abandoned, sure, but there are plenty of old buildings left. The orthodox mage schools look down on it, but those small, unaffiliated schools love it here." Another apprentice walked over, sporting orange-yellow hair. It was Stuka, originally from the Gemor District.
"Hey, you two, don't just block the way here. Others want to see too." A female apprentice in a black mage robe walked over, disdainfully pulled them apart, and revealed an open space.
"Oh, so this is Branuir. It feels like some kind of countryside." She pointed at the various multi-colored cloth tents set up below.
"That should be the market. I wonder what they sell there. Just basic daily necessities?" someone asked curiously.
"There are daily necessities, but I hear there are also some things of dubious origin. In short, a 'black market'."
"Under broad daylight, it doesn't look like a black market at all," someone complained.
"It's unregulated. This place is too huge. It used to be a metropolis housing millions of people. Now the authorities only maintain law and order in certain areas."
"The core area is much better. Our airship will dock there."
Afterward, the airship passed over the city and slowly entered a more prosperous district. The streets here were noticeably cleaner and neater, with many well-furnished buildings lining the roads.
Inside a room on the airship, Sylutia sat on the bed reading a book. The book in her hand, titled *The Nightless Capital of Star-Gazing*, recorded the most prosperous days of Branuir centuries ago. At that time, a traveling scholar had settled here for three years, recording a wealth of observations, which were later compiled into this book.
*Knock, knock, knock.* A crisp knock sounded at the door.
"One moment." Sylutia closed the book, went over, and opened the door. A female apprentice with hair tinged with black and purple stood outside.
"Chief, the airship is about to land. The instructor asked me to inform you."
"Mm, I understand, Peline." The girl nodded, thought for a moment, and put the book away for now before walking out with Peline.
The airship was now getting closer and closer to the ground, finally landing in a scenic manor.
"This is the inn we've booked. Everyone, bring your luggage down first," the instructor told the group of apprentices.
Since they were only staying for seven days, Sylutia hadn't brought much. Everything was stored in the spatial space on her key, so she didn't need to carry anything.
After arriving, the apprentices first checked into the high-end inn on the side before gathering in the lobby downstairs.
Here, Sylutia could also see mages from other schools. Some sat at small tables in the corners, discussing their recent findings.
"The sandstorms are getting worse. This place lacks vegetation, and it's especially dry during the Gale Season," one of them complained.
"The 'Yellow Sand Lizard' I've been looking for is almost in my grasp. Once I get it, I'm leaving."
"You seem to have good luck. The 'Wind-Orange Core Stone' I want still hasn't shown up. If I don't get a lead by next week, I'll have to give up this common path and switch to another."
Listening to their conversations, Sylutia realized this place was also a trading hub for rare resources. Materials and items that couldn't easily be found through official Mage Alliance channels might be found here by chance.
As for why those rare resources existed outside the system, the reason was simple: their origins were mostly illegitimate. Selling them through official Mage Alliance channels made it easier to be reported and tracked, while this place was much safer.
However, this place was ultimately a fringe area. The so-called "rare resources" were at most 'Second Tier'. Treasures of 'Third Tier' or higher could only be found in the core regions of the Mage Alliance, like the "Tetis District" where their academy was located.
Most people on the streets were Mage Apprentices of First or Second Tier. Official Mages of Third Tier were relatively rare, and of Fourth Tier mages, Sylutia had only seen one passing by in the distance.
After settling in, the apprentices couldn't resist dispersing into the streets, wandering around and sightseeing. Sylutia also looked at the map in her hand and headed toward the famous landmarks marked on it.
After about a twenty-minute walk, the girl stopped, looking up at a massive statue before her. It was about six stories high, shaped like a cracked eggshell, now only half remaining. The eggshell was completely empty inside.
According to *The Nightless Capital of Star-Gazing*, every day around four or five in the afternoon, the eggshell would, under a specific angle of sunlight, reflect light from its interior to form a faint outline of the eggshell, making it whole. That outline would then display a rainbow of iridescent colors, quite beautiful.
It was now half-past four in the afternoon, exactly when the scene described in the book should occur. Unfortunately, there was nothing. Only the lonely, broken eggshell stood there, filled with windblown sand and dirt.
"Nothing there," the girl murmured, slightly disappointed as she lowered the map.
Afterward, she continued to the next location. This was Branuir's "Star-Dotting Tower." According to legend, during the peak of the "Star-Gazing School," there were sixteen "Star-Dotting Towers" arranged here. They collectively outlined a grid of square frameworks, dividing Branuir into different sectors. Mages living here could use the "Star-Dotting Towers" to move quickly, similar to teleporting from the continent to the Shadow World.
More than ten minutes later, Sylutia arrived before another tall tower. This should indeed be a Star-Dotting Tower, but it had been repurposed by the remaining local residents into a brightly lit building, filled with various shops.
Walking inside, Sylutia browsed as she went, seeing many bizarre items for sale. Among them were common gem shops, material shops, and special ones selling relics, archaeological finds, antiques, and more.
"Miss, would you like to take a look at the ancient scrolls we have in our shop? These are genuine goods from the Star-Gazing School of the past." A shopkeeper enthusiastically tried to drum up business.
"Genuine goods? Are they really?" Sylutia was skeptical but still curiously stepped inside.
Inside the shop, sealed scrolls were displayed in glass cabinets. It seemed they contained some kind of secret art.
"These don't look ancient. They look like they were made last week," the girl commented critically.
"Hehe, miss truly has a good eye. You're right, these were made recently. But the secret arts sealed inside are indeed from the ancient 'Star-Gazing School,' rarely found elsewhere."
"And they're not expensive. Ten gold coins each. Guaranteed value for money."
"Is that so? Give me one to look at." The girl took out ten gold coins and placed them on the counter.
"Coming right up!" The shopkeeper quickly produced a beautifully crafted scroll, handed it to Sylutia, and pocketed the gold coins.
Opening the scroll, Sylutia blinked, and a faint glow appeared in her eyes as she carefully examined the content recorded on it.
**[Spell · Rainbow Orb]** An inspiration gained from observing the Astral Plane, capable of twisting ordinary white sunlight into a myriad of colors.
Although Sylutia hadn't expected to find anything valuable, this useless spell still surprised her. Calling it a spell seemed excessive; couldn't something like this be done with a simple triangular piece of glass?
Wait. She suddenly realized something.
It seemed that sunlight in this world indeed couldn't directly scatter into a rainbow of colors.
This discovery felt like a long-familiar world suddenly having a dark corner revealed, telling you that everything before you wasn't real, but a beautiful illusion viewed from a certain angle.
A faint chill rose in the girl's heart. She took out several dozen more gold coins, bought the other scrolls, and also asked the shopkeeper about the ancient secret arts texts of the "Star-Gazing School."
"Well... I do have replicated copies here. But these books aren't easy to make, so the price won't be cheap." He feigned hesitation, trying to make the girl pay even more.
In response, Sylutia shook her head and directly placed a Third Tier gem on the counter.
"This gem is worth at least 150 gold coins. Is that enough?"
"Enough, quite enough. Miss, you are generous and wise. You saw right through my clumsy little act." With that, he pulled out a stack of books from under the counter, quickly packed them up, and handed them to the girl.
Ordinary printed books sold at this price were indeed exorbitant. Fortunately, Sylutia didn't lack gold coins now, so she paid generously.
After obtaining the books, Sylutia brought them back to the inn and flipped through them continuously.
Although the records were quite fragmentary and many key parts were missing, Sylutia still gleaned some thought-provoking information from them.
*'The creatures we observe in the Astral Plane are monsters. But in our communication with them, they also think we are ugly and strange.'*
*'A fish's form is suited for swimming. In most worlds, one can swim, whether in the sea, the sky, or the void of the Astral Plane. But beings like us, who walk on land, are the minority.'*
*'If a world only has "me" existing, then "I" would perceive no difference or distinction. Until one day, an existence that is not "me" appears. Then, all things have a point of observation and comparison. Concepts of tall and short, big and small, beautiful and ugly, all come into being.'*
*'The Astral Plane, another world—those existences utterly different from us—act like mirrors, reflecting the truths we have overlooked.'*
*'Was humanity once a "Star-Gazing Beast"...'*
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