Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 250 Astrologer

Transporting Cedrus out of the city was a difficult task, but it didn't deter the bandits.

Wayne bribed a caravan from Vatra to smuggle a shipment out of the city. On the day of departure, Wayne created some unusual noises, attracting the attention of the city's garrison commander, who then relaxed his search.

The goods were still thoroughly inspected, but the item itself was fine. Wayne disguised Cedrus and sent him out of Vatra City as part of the caravan, replacing the original passenger.

As for the remaining thieves, they left in batches and retreated in different directions. Only he returned to Kuraki with Cedros.

As I said before, in the Arcane Empire, having a large number of people is useless; you have to rely on your ability to hide and gather intelligence.

By using the Thieves' Guild, his whereabouts would naturally be revealed, but with so many Silver Snow Thieves scattered, the other side had no way of determining Cedros's true location.

Once they successfully crossed the border and returned to the north, they traveled overnight on horseback.

Levin possesses advanced reconnaissance skills, which are very effective against disguise skills; however, their targets are small, and the opponent is unlikely to notice them.

Wayne only breathed a sigh of relief when he brought Cedrus back to Bearhold.

Sederos was placed in a magic tower to continuously restore his magic, barely managing to stay alive.

The Ring of Life has been triggered, and Cedros's condition is extremely poor. The Light Priest and the Healing Tent are all on the scene, and even Orin, a hero proficient in water elementals, personally casts healing spells on him, but they can only keep Cedros alive and cannot eradicate his poison.

“The poison in Cedros is strange; it’s like a living thing, completely integrated with his magical power. To eradicate it, all his magical power must be abolished, including the source of his magical abilities.”

All heroes and units that master spell magic need to combine it with special spell circuits within their bodies. In fact, the bodies of extraordinary beings are themselves a special kind of mutated magic, just like treasures. Extraordinary beings are also magical materials, only they can move.

In this situation, removing the curse power would be tantamount to crippling Cedros.

From now on, he will be unable to use magic, observe spell power, or access alchemy, which is worse than death for him.

Sumu and Maggie both came to Bear Castle to visit the sage on whom they had placed high hopes.

"A decision must be made quickly; I'm afraid Sederlos won't be able to hold out for much longer."

Listening to the words of the pastor of light, Su Mu fell silent.

All the heroes turned their attention to the lord; when it came to making important decisions, only Su Mu could make the final call.

Honestly, if they were in that situation, they probably wouldn't choose to give up their magical powers and become ordinary people instead of heroes; that would be worse than death.

"I'll go talk to Cedros and tell him to give up his current magical power; saving his life is the most important thing!"

To clear magical energy, the hero must cooperate; the Light Priest can only assist from the sidelines.

Su Mu walked into the house for a while, and only after about half an hour did he slowly walk out. Then the priests entered, and a huge wave of magical energy surged through the tent, completely wiping out the alchemist's proud talent.

There was good news too: Cedrus's life was saved.

This toxin was extremely rare, even Su Mu had never heard of it. But considering the triggering method Wayne described, Su Mu suspected it was a curse from the genie, and a curse from a legendary hero combined with the power of the throne.

It directly erodes the power of the curse, making it impossible for the person to break free.

Why use such a terrifying curse on Cedrus? Even if he is exceptionally talented, he hasn't fully matured yet, there's no need to rush.

Unless the opponent intends to use Sylaros to poison a key hero.

Perhaps Sederlos was just taking a bullet for someone else.

News came from the north that the anti-war movement within the Arcane Empire had been severely suppressed. The lord of the Void City personally intervened, arresting all the anti-war protesters; the previous leniency had merely been a ploy to lure them out. The Arcane Empire unified its thinking and decided to join the war.

Nominally, they were there to help Elton, but they only stationed troops on the border and never actually went to war.

Esidor's troop deployment did not avoid the other side, leading Sumu to seriously suspect that the two empires had reached some kind of agreement.

Congress was pleased for a while, but its reliance on external forces proved unreliable.

It seems the North is about to change hands.

……

Su Mu entered the magic tower, where a weak and aged man was holding a magic book and reading it. He was desperately trying to write down some content, muttering incantations, but he got stuck while reciting it and could not continue.

The man could only stare blankly out the window, lost in confusion.

This person was none other than Sederlos. The rupture of his magical power caused immense damage to both his body and mind, far more severe than an ordinary person losing a vital organ. Although Sederlos survived, he lost his prized talent.

Often, people believe that talent or knowledge is permanent, but this is a misconception.

When eighteen-year-olds possess extraordinary memory and insights, they feel it is an innate talent that makes them superior to others. In fact, as they enter middle age or even old age, they will find that their memory is constantly declining and they may even find it difficult to think about a thing with complete logic.

The same applies to magical abilities, which are even more dependent on physical and mental conditions.

In his current state, Sederos is completely unable to use alchemy, and naturally, he cannot observe any so-called knowledge.

After all, magic is the most mysterious thing, and it cannot be controlled by experience alone.

Sedlows didn't even hear Su Mu approaching; he buried his head in his book, lost in grief.

Su Mu stepped forward, put the book away, and looked at the aged Sederlos, who had completely lost his previous spirited demeanor and whose eyes were filled with despair, as if he had a death wish.

"You were exceptionally talented before and had a smooth journey without experiencing any major setbacks. No problem, this is how geniuses grow. With your talent, as long as you advance smoothly, you will be a sage that comes along only once in a century."

"But if that were all, you would only reach the pinnacle as a legendary alchemist, capable of utilizing your special abilities and becoming an indispensable hero of the Tower. Now, fate has played a cruel joke on you; you have lost everything you were proud of and are now left with nothing."

I'm not making sarcastic remarks, but few people can bear the pain of falling from the clouds.

You might be completely devastated, or you might appear cheerful on the surface but be secretly heartbroken.

"You have done a good job for Kuraki, and I promised you that I would help you restore your hero abilities. But I am not a god, and I need your cooperation. How much I can restore also depends on your personal will."

The abilities you've mastered are like genes etched into your bones; they won't be lost due to temporary forgetfulness. But this time, you'll have a different choice; the genie's curse might be a new door.

"Going forward is dangerous. Your lifespan and body can hardly withstand the fluctuations of magical power, and you could collapse at any moment. If you take a step back and stop contacting magic, I can understand. I will help you find a quiet manor to spend your old age in peace."

The choice is yours!

Su Mu looked at Cederos, stretched out his two hands, and let him decide the future.

Magical training is cruel; there is no stagnation, only progress or regression. In terms of talent, countless brilliant geniuses have perished on their path to maturity.

Without a firm resolve to keep going.

Without the mindset of smiling and moving forward even in the face of failure and being fooled by fate, continuing to study magic and elevate oneself, one will never reach the end.

How should I choose Sederlos?
He slowly stood up, his eyes filled with tears, and placed his hand on Su Mu's palm, which was filled with magical power.

Even though sensing the power of the spell was as painful as being pricked by needles, he never thought of letting go.

"I will not give up magic!"

Su Mu smiled, pulled him up, and his powerful governing skills began to take effect, connecting the Eight Kings Hall to erect a statue for Sederlos.

The toxin from the genie still remained in his body, but it was so weak that it had completely merged with his body, which was why Cedros couldn't recover.

In that case, the art of governance uses poison as the source of its magical power, transforming it into the power of Sederlos.

If Sederos were on his own, he certainly wouldn't be able to suppress this powerful energy. But with the help of the Governing Arts and the Eight Kings' Palace of Prison, he was barely able to maintain a balance.

As for what path to take next, that's for Sederlos to explore on his own.

The moment Sederlos came to power, a continuous star map appeared on the dome of the magic tower, with each point of magical power outlining shimmering starlight and triggering a mysterious and unknown force.

The genie's curse is both the erosion of nothingness and the embrace of the starry sky.

Those who look up at the stars are also being looked up at by the stars.

【Sidelos (Astrologer): Attack 1, Defense 0, Spell Power 1, Knowledge 1.】

Loyalty: 90, Charisma: 92 (Mystery +10, unpredictable and undetectable)
Features: A sage reborn, a prophet under the starry sky.

Astrologer: For every 6 points of Spell Power Knowledge a hero possesses, selected units (including upgraded units) gain 1 point of attack and defense, and 1 point of damage. The hero also gains a 20% increase in casting range and casting speed, and at the start of battle, applies an undispellable spell to their troops. The hero possesses the special spell Astrology.

[Basic Astrology: Predicts celestial phenomena for the next month. This ability can be activated and has a 50% chance of altering celestial phenomena in a specific area, though the coverage area is relatively small.]

(End of this chapter)