The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The cold, rough texture of the rock beneath him was palpable, and the dry air, carrying a faint astral energy, filled his lungs, bringing a refreshing coolness. Leaning against the cold cave wall, Luo Wei slowly opened his eyes. The intense dizziness and the tearing sensation from the spatial teleportation hadn't completely subsided, but the newly formed core of the star runes deep within his soul continued to radiate a warm power, stabilizing his condition and accelerating the recovery of his injuries.

He escaped successfully. He miraculously broke free from the deadly trap between the Tower of Discipline and the Abyss Demon, guided by the Key of Star Language and through a last-minute breakthrough.

Instead of acting immediately, he focused on concealing his aura and spreading his "Star Domain Perception" outwards like the finest spider web, carefully exploring this unfamiliar place of refuge.

The cave wasn't large, about half the size of a classroom, and its irregular shape suggested it had been naturally formed and then roughly man-made. The cave walls were a dark blue-black, studded with faintly glowing, quartz-like crystals. These crystals emitted weak astral energy fluctuations, providing a small source of light. The air was stagnant, filled with the ancient smell of dust, clearly indicating it had been abandoned for a long time.

The only exit from the cave was a narrow crack in the ceiling, through which a small patch of dark night sky and a few dim stars could be vaguely glimpsed, but it was impassable. In the center of the cave stood the ancient teleportation array that had brought him there. The array's base was constructed of some dark material, neither gold nor stone, and was covered with complex and ancient runes. Many parts were worn and broken, and the energy crystals embedded in its core were dull and lifeless; the entire array was in a semi-dead state. However, Luo Wei could sense a faint spatial coordinate imprint remaining deep within the array, subtly echoing the Star Language Key in his palm.

Darkmoon Academy World Encyclopedia (Extended): Astral Energy and Ancient Teleportation Arrays

Astral energy is a special type of energy that permeates the space between the material plane and the astral plane. It is relatively mild and stable, and easy to guide, but its concentration is usually extremely low. Certain special minerals or locations can gather and store trace amounts of astral energy. Ancient teleportation arrays were creations of the glorious era of previous wizarding civilizations, using complex sequences of runes to manipulate spatial rules and achieve ultra-long-distance teleportation. Their core typically requires a high-quality energy crystal to operate and has extremely high requirements for spatial coordinates. Due to technological gaps and resource scarcity, the modern wizarding world finds it difficult to build and maintain large-scale teleportation networks.

"A safe house...or a transit point... left behind by an ancient star speaker?" Luo Wei speculated in his mind. It was no coincidence that the Key of Star Speech had led him here. Although the astral energy here was weak, it gave him a strange sense of comfort and security, as if he had returned to the womb. His newly generated astral power recovered significantly faster in this environment.

He examined his condition. His injuries were steadily improving under the nourishment of the stellar power, but his stellar energy was almost depleted. The newly formed core of the stellar runes was like a newly sprouted seedling, requiring a great deal of time and energy to consolidate and nurture it. His realm was stable at Quasi-Wizard (Star Speaker Path), but his strength was less than one-tenth of what it used to be, and he urgently needed rest.

Current status: Rowe (quasi-wizard - Star Speaker path, in a weakened state)

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Strength assessment: The realm has been initially stabilized, but the star power is depleted, the core of the star rune needs to be nurtured, and the actual combat ability is at a low point.

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Situation: Temporarily safe, currently in an unknown astral cave, out of contact with the Academy and team.

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Resources: One ancient, damaged teleportation array, and a trace amount of astral energy environment.

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Primary objectives: Recover your strength, consolidate your realm, explore the secrets of the cave and teleportation array, and attempt to contact your companions.

After confirming that he was temporarily safe, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. But he dared not fall asleep. Forcing himself to stay awake, he first set up simple warning and protection measures. Using the luminous crystal fragments scattered on the cave walls, combined with his preliminary understanding of the stellar runes' "tranquility" and "isolation," he placed several miniature starlight warning runes around the cave entrance crack and the teleportation array. These runes consumed almost no energy, yet they could alert him to any intrusion or abnormal energy.

After completing these tasks, he relaxed slightly, took the last bit of the nourishing potion prepared by Lilith, leaned against the cave wall, and used the basic meditation method from the Star Speaker's inheritance to restore his star power while sorting out his chaotic thoughts.

What was the meaning behind that earth-shattering explosion at the end of the Tower of Slumber? Did the Abyss Demon finally break free? Or did Elder Anderson and the Casper faction perish together? What's the state of the Academy now? Did Barton, Lilith, and Lina escape safely? Will the pursuers from the Discipline Tower track us down based on the teleportation fluctuations?

Countless questions and worries gnawed at his heart. His concern for his companions, in particular, made him restless. He had to find out what was happening outside as soon as possible!

He tried to sense it through the "Silent Heart" beacon, but the distance was clearly too great, and there was no response. He thought of the fragile network of trust that Lena had built, and of Annie, the trainee administrator who had delivered the crucial note—would they be implicated in the upcoming purge?

"We must find a way to obtain information..." Luo Wei's gaze fell upon the damaged teleportation array in the center of the cave. Perhaps the secrets of this array could provide some clues?

After resting for several hours and allowing his star power to recover somewhat, he walked to the teleportation array, carefully extended his right hand, and gently pressed the key emblem in his palm onto the core of the array. At the same time, he infused a wisp of star power into the key, attempting to communicate with it and stimulate its connection to its shared origin.

hum...

The Star Key emblem emitted a soft glow, resonating faintly with the remaining runes of the teleportation array. A fragmented stream of information intermittently flowed into Luo Wei's mind:

[Detected a low-level node of the same origin, 'Stargazer's Outpost'... Coordinate records incomplete... Energy pathway interrupted... Last active record: Stellar Calendar 7377 (approximately 350 years ago)... Associated master nodes: 'Starfall Observatory' (damaged), 'Slumbering Tower' (status unknown)... Warning: An abnormally high-energy reaction has been detected recently at the 'Slumbering Tower' node, accompanied by fluctuations in abyssal pollution...]

Although the information was scarce, it confirmed many of Luo Wei's guesses. This was indeed a node in the Star Speaker Network! Moreover, the key sensed the upheaval in the Tower of Slumber! However, specific details and the current state of the academy remained unknown.

He tried to convey his intentions to the key to "find other Star Speakers" or "connect with a specific soul imprint," but the key did not respond, seemingly lacking such complex functions, or perhaps his authority/power was insufficient to activate it. It was more like an "identity credential" and a "node navigator."

Undeterred by the unsuccessful communication, Luo Wei began to carefully examine the damaged teleportation array. The array's core rune system shared the same origin as the Star Key, but many crucial components, especially the energy transmission lines and coordinate positioning modules, were severely damaged. With his current rune proficiency and strength, repairing it was simply impossible.

"However... perhaps a complete repair isn't necessary..." A thought flashed through Luo Wei's mind. He recalled Carlson's notes on "information sedimentation" and "energy traces," as well as his own "stellar perception" ability. Although this array was paralyzed, had any energy imprints or information echoes left by its users over the long years remained? Especially recently, had anyone tried to activate it?

He calmed his mind and focused his attention, raising his star field perception to its limit. He no longer focused on the structure of the formation, but meticulously scanned every inch of the formation base, capturing those extremely faint historical echoes.

One day, two days… time slipped away in silent exploration. While consolidating his realm and recovering his star power, Luo Wei tirelessly sensed his surroundings. His efforts paid off; late on the third night, as his star power reached a small peak during meditation, he finally detected a faint, almost nonexistent trace of energy near the damaged coordinate positioning module!

This trace did not belong to astral energy, nor to the Law or the Shadow, but to a kind of battle aura energy remnant that he was somewhat familiar with, carrying a trace of heat and explosiveness! Moreover, the trace contained a faint spiritual imprint that was of the same origin as the "Explosive Flame Amulet" given to him by Barton!

"Barton?!" Lowe was shocked! It was Barton! He had been here? Or rather, he had tried to activate this teleportation array? Just a short while ago!

The traces were too faint to discern the exact time and details, but they were enough to prove that Barton was still alive and had been to this cave! Why would he come here? Was it a coincidence? Or had he also received some kind of guidance? Where has he gone now?

Countless new questions arise, but at least this is fantastic news! Patton is alive and may be active in the vicinity!

This discovery greatly encouraged Lowe. He continued to expand his field of vision, leaving no stone unturned. Half a day later, in a secluded corner of the cave, he discovered a faint, deliberately concealed inscription. The inscription was fresh, shaped like a simplified, winged flame emblem—Barton's usual personal mark! Below the emblem were several barely legible numbers and arrows drawn with fingernails.

Lowe examined it closely, his heart racing again. There were a few simple coordinates and an arrow pointing northeast into the cave! Next to it was a cross symbol signifying "Danger"!

"This is... a message left by Patton! The coordinates are... distance and direction? The arrow points... in that direction? The danger symbol... does it mean there's a threat in that direction, or that he's going on a dangerous mission?"

The information was limited, but invaluable! Not only was Patton alive, but he also left clues! This at least indicates that Patton believed Rowe might have found this place and hoped to contact him!

A spark of hope was rekindled. Lowe quickly regained his composure and analyzed the situation. The coordinates and directions left by Barton were his only clues about the outside world. But danger lurked everywhere: the Discipline Tower's pursuit, the potential spread of the Abyss threat, and unknown threats all existed. To venture out in his current state would be tantamount to suicide.

He needs time. He needs to recover his strength as soon as possible, at least enough to protect himself. This astral cave is currently the safest refuge.

He devised a short-term plan: First, to fully restore his stellar power, solidify his near-wizard status, and gain initial mastery of several practical stellar spells; second, to continue researching teleportation arrays and the Key of Star Language, to see if he could find more information or functions; third, to stockpile necessary supplies (food and water could be extracted from rocks using simple spells); and fourth, and most importantly, to attempt to grasp an application of stellar runes—ultra-long-distance faint light signals. This was a secret method recorded in the Star Speakers' tradition for transmitting extremely simple information using specific stellar resonances. Although the transmission distance, the amount of information, and the conditions for use were extremely demanding, it might be a glimmer of hope for contacting Barton!

Having made up his mind, Luo Wei cleared his mind of distractions and began his first deep seclusion cultivation since entering the cave. Nourished by astral energy and meditation, the core of the Star Rune gradually solidified, radiating a soft and pure starlight. His control over stellar power also became increasingly adept.

On the seventh night of Rowe's recovery, as he was trying to sketch a complex "Starlight Shield" rune, the Starlight Warning Seal placed at the crack in the cave entrance suddenly emitted an extremely faint but peculiar fluctuation!

It wasn't a living being approaching, nor an energy surge, but rather a kind of... intermittent starlight fluctuation, seemingly from a very distant place, carrying a certain specific pattern, that pierced through the crack and caused the rune to resonate!

Luo Wei suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing in his starry gaze. This fluctuation... was strikingly similar to the fluctuation characteristics of an emergency distress signal described in the "Ultra-long Distance Micro-light Signal" secret technique he was researching!

The direction from which the signal originated was vaguely... northeast, as indicated by the arrow left by Patton!

The flames of war have already been lit in the distance!