Chapter 281: Day 624 – The Astrologer’s Advice

“Michael,” the Astrologer was waiting on a hill in the flower fields that had the city of Truth in sight in the distance to the West. I didn’t want to go through the forest, since I wanted a clear view in every direction in case something showed up.

“Astrologer, this the Divine Empress?” I asked.

“No. It is something new. Something different.” He raised a gloved hand in the air. “The energy shifts unnaturally. I have never seen anything like this before.” That was not good.

“Want to go poke the city with me?” I asked him and he stood there in silence with his gloved hand in the air. A minute passed, but I waited.

“Whatever is happening, it is drawing energy from the lower layers, but filtering it. This area is destabilizing. But that doesn’t make sense,” the Astrologer muttered, not focused on me.

“So, you weren’t spying on me and found this?” I asked.

“Oh I was certainly keeping an eye on you. Your fast return intrigued me.” I blanched a bit at the casual agreement from the Astrologer about him tracking me. “Don’t look surprised. You know it. I know it. It is pointless to lie.” The Astrologer turned and faced me while lowering his hand. “What do you know about this?”

“That’s it. Spying on me is okay now?” I asked and he let out a sigh.

“What? You want cake and apologies? Besides doing a sweep along the border. It gets very boring. I routinely check out interesting people and places. You are on that list. I can’t grind up points and I don’t truly sleep. What else is there for me to do?”

“Get a hobby? Interact with people?” I suggested.

“I am a figment of one man’s will. What I experience doesn’t matter, only the end result. I was created with the knowledge of my eventual death and purpose.” That was good to know. No way to turn this Astrologer against the original. That idea was quickly tossed out as a possible way to flip the tables when he finally sprung his trap.

“Fine, it is creepy,” I countered.

“As is everything. I am invested in you now Michael, more than ever before. I will not have you trip and kill yourself. Now, what do you know of this?” I explained what I had been told in the letter from Governor General Gerold and the recent lack of communication. The Astrologer began to pace back and forth.

“This is not good. A deviation from the map should not be possible,” he muttered.

“Don’t you already know the map?” I asked.

“I know many things. But after the calamity, many things were also shifted about or altered. A lot of the lower-level zones suffered this fate. I haven’t recatalogued everything and it isn’t that important. Also the area you describe is near void zones, things that effect my Astral Projection,” the Astrologer explained.

“Could it be the center of the calamity?” I asked.

“Perhaps. It stretched from the West edge of the East Bastion’s territory, just past the boarder with the Divine Empress to the West. No idea on the range South, but it wiped out Normandy to the far North. I had put the epicenter of the calamity on what you call Heaven,” the Astrologer said.

“This is too far West then,” I said.

“Perhaps. The land changed quite a bit after the calamity. Quite a bit. It could be anything, but the fact that it is a level 2 zone, is what really concerns me. It is a mistake,” the Astrologer said.

“By the Almighty System? Why is that concerning. It let’s lots of nonsense through like summoning and consumption?” I asked.

“That is just kids hitting rocks together to make sparks. The effects are localized and created by a person doing something stupid with energy. What you described is an error. A fundamental error in how the layout of the Systemic Lands works. It is one of those rules, that seem immutable like gravity, but now we are seeing it isn’t.”

“In addition, as you clearly like to say, the System is almighty. I don’t disagree with that. Whatever is happening might be beyond the System or external to it, for such a flaw to occur.”

“Then the void zones? What are they?” I asked.

“Holes to the deeper layers churning with energy. I personally suspect they were zones that suffered too much damage in the past. Perhaps a city that wrecked their pillars, or an insanely high-level monster. I have long searched for the true start date, but the oldest recollection is only five years before my arrival,” the Astrologer replied.

“So, push forward?” I asked the expert of energy.

“I would prefer to say no, but we must. You take the lead, I will remain above you keeping a look out,” the Astrologer suggested. I would prefer him to go first, but I wasn’t going to say that. He didn’t have to help.

I set off for Truth’s East gate. I noted the towers, but there were no people, guards, or soldiers. We passed through the gate into the city. “You sense anything?” I asked the Astrologer.

“Nothing new. Let’s go to the plaza,” the Astrologer replied, and I nodded. I set off at a light job. There was no sound, or anything within the city. It was a complete ghost town.

I made it to the plaza, and there was no sign of anyone there. I put my hands on the store pillars. The buildings were still owned. So, Governor General Gerold was still alive. I told this to the Astrologer who was floating above the pillars waving his arms about.

“There is still the strange energy fluctuation. But nothing new,” the Astrologer said.

“Let’s check Gerold’s office,” I said and made my way to his building. He had Purgatory’s eight white dot flag on a black background hanging above the doorway. It was one of the few three-story buildings I saw. I smiled at that. I entered the building and made my way upstairs to the top floor and soon found his office.

Nothing was disturbed. I poked around the papers, and the most recent date was from six days ago. Nothing suspicious, no clues, no convenient journal as to what happened to everyone. I really didn’t like this. I left the building, and the Astrologer was still floating and waving his arms.

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“Everything dated, stops six days ago. No notes or anything on what happened,” I said.

“I have made some progress. Whatever is occurring is happening on a lower layer for sure and is emitting vast quantities of energy. If I had to guess it is level 7 or higher,” the Astrologer said.

“You have seen a level 7?” I asked.

“No. But I have faced level 5 monsters and a level 6 monster. I suspect there is another massive power jump up to level 7, similar from level 3 to level 4. Whatever is emitting this much energy is penetrating through multiple zones. Since we are two zones from where this eldritch horror is, it has to be a level 7 at the very least,” the Astrologer said.

“Then we can’t do anything,” I replied.

“It isn’t that simple. The effect is degrading the terrain. Poke a building.” I did as the Astrologer said and pushed my finger against a building. It deformed easily. “Whatever is doing this…I am afraid,” the Astrologer said.

“Energy is coming from a lower layer and is deforming the terrain, will we be, okay?” I asked.

“You should be fine. But I can feel the slight scraping and am having to work to maintain my shell. But think, really think. What is energy?”

“Thought.” I paused and tried to think through the implications, but didn’t understand what the Astrologer was trying to tell me. He let out a sigh.

“What permeates the Systemic Lands?”

“Energy to varying degrees,” I answered.

“Exactly. Energy. But energy is thought made manifest. What watches and knows everything?”

“The System, you are saying this is the Almighty System’s mind?” I asked.

“Nothing so crude. But I have speculated that the world is a projection brought into being by the System focusing energy in certain ways. Vast quantities beyond scales we could comprehend. A level 100 or something ridiculous. It is settled and moves in specific patterns. But what is coming up from another layer is different and there is a conflict with the System’s energy. Hence things are degrading.”

“And people should be okay since they have their own energy?” I asked.

“Yes, it is tied to the System, through skills and stats. A person’s energy is heavily concentrated. Like a plastic bead in an ocean. The water will not consume it. But now we are beset by an oil spill, and the water is churning,” the Astrologer explained things with a metaphor. “Worst of all, I believe it to be spreading.”

“Spreading?!”

“Yes. If not spreading then it will eventually cause permanent damage. You might not have noticed but the terrain was altering around the city. The ground was soggier? The sky darker over the forest?”

“Maybe,” I said. I hadn’t caught that.

“The ambient level of energy is increasing.”

“Wasn’t that what happened during the calamity?” I asked.

“It was sudden. An immense wave of pressure, energy, and so much more. But it happened in an instant. This is slow and prolonged. Not alike at all from what I can tell,” the Astrologer explained.

“So, we can either retreat and hope this goes away or push forward? Not trying to get me a meta-point?” I asked.

“No. But the real risk is that this phenomenon intrigues the Divine Empress and she sends someone to investigate. It wouldn’t show up to her diviners, since it isn’t a spike of energy. It won’t send out ripples, but it is a whirlpool. The effects will only spread and invite curiosity,” the Astrologer said.

“So, we have to push on?” I asked but already knew the answer.

“I will go on regardless, but your help and insight would be appreciated,” the Astrologer answered. Great, I was teaming up with the most untrustworthy person to investigate why an entire city was missing caused by something that was unraveling the underpinnings of the Almighty System itself.

“If we do this, speak up. No holding back because you aren’t sure. The only reason I am even thinking of doing this is your blunt honesty, even if reality itself is melting,” I said and jabbed a finger as the Astrologer.

“Don’t worry, I am invested into you. If need be, I will sacrifice myself to save you. Don’t look surprised. I am not a real person. I was created with the intent of free my creator. You are the only chance my main body has before the Divine Empress crushes any chance I might have.”

“Well, no one is going to be sacrificing themselves today. Who knows, maybe it is some kind of super weapon we can throw at the Divine Empress and blow her into the void. That should kill her, right?”

“Yes…”

“You don’t sound sure?” I asked.

“Never underestimate that woman and you will only be slightly surprised. I didn’t think she would figure out my living tumor, but she has and is working to remove it. It should be impossible, but that is how she is. Shall we?” I nodded at the question. Time to go confront whatever horror was out there and hopefully not die or disappear.

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