Chapter 164: Chapter 164

Because learning the ability required him to be naked, Jenkins asked Papa Oliver to step outside. After a moment's hesitation, considering that Chocolate now possessed a fair amount of intelligence, he put the cat out as well. Honestly, Jenkins hadn't even noticed it curled up to the side until just now.

He shed all his clothes and lay down inside the circle, placing the "Stardust Debris" directly over his heart.

The instant it touched his skin, a warm current spread from his heart to his limbs. The sensation wasn't like sinking into warm water, but more like being slowly rubbed by some kind of fur.

The feeling of being watched suddenly emerged, its intensity far less than the attention of a god, but there was no mistaking it. In a space parallel to reality—the Astral Plane—some exceedingly bizarre creature had discovered the naked writer.

Surrounded by gems and strange symbols, Jenkins felt like a human sacrifice in some cult ritual. Previous rituals had only required him to stand or kneel on one knee; he had no idea why this one was so peculiar.

Gazing at the starry sky through the small window, he fought the urge to jump up, instead allowing the spirit within him to disperse evenly to his limbs and then flow outward. In his peripheral vision, he could see the circle of gems and symbols—a mixture of blood, silver powder, and plant pulp—spinning rapidly. But he couldn't move his eyes, keeping them fixed on the stars.

His body seemed to be rising, the starry sky in his vision growing larger and larger. But that couldn't be real, because the window was closed.

After just five minutes, the view above him was completely filled with a brilliant expanse of stars. He could no longer feel the ground beneath him. Glancing around, he saw the boundless universe unfolding before his eyes.

This breathtaking spectacle lasted only a few seconds before three beams of intermingling silver and blue light appeared at the edge of the infinite world. In the blink of an eye, the roof and floor reappeared.

He guessed in surprise. The ritual instructions had made no mention of seeing Star Spirits. The Astral Plane had no matter, time, or space; not even the Church of Knowledge and Books could clearly explain what kind of world it was.

And Star Spirits, rather than being creatures as defined by humans, were more like pure clusters of soul. Some extremist believers in the Universal Star Church held that the Astral Plane was actually a virtual space constructed by human consciousness, and that Star Spirits were the aggregation of that consciousness.

He stood up, patting the dust from his back. Before him, a brand-new point of light had appeared.

Papa Oliver's warehouse stored a vast number of precious antiques, as well as some very convincing-looking precious antiques. For this ritual, Jenkins had deliberately chosen a small, clean patch of flat ground where he could see the skylight.

He dressed—he would bathe when he got home—and cleaned up the area. The gems had all crumbled into brittle stone at a touch, but the various jars and bottles could be washed and used again.

The moment he stepped out of the warehouse, he heard Chocolate's cry. It darted over agilely, then leaped into his arms. Supporting itself on its two short hind legs, it waved its forepaws, trying to paw at his face.

Jenkins gently smoothed the fur on the back of the cat's neck and walked over to Papa Oliver, who was gazing up at the stars.

"It went smoothly, but I think I saw Star Spirits."

He spoke hesitantly, inwardly marveling at how everything he did seemed to involve some kind of unexpected twist. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on N0velFire.ɴet

Chocolate's ears twitched a few times. It looked at Jenkins, then turned its gaze to the sky with the curious eyes of an ordinary kitten.

"Star Spirits? Don't worry about it. People who come into contact with the Astral Plane encounter them from time to time. Legend has it they bring good luck."

Papa Oliver lowered his head and rolled his neck. Jenkins could hear a distinct "crack!" sound.

"Now I can tell you why you learned this ability."

He seemed to have no intention of leaving the courtyard, even though the October nights in Nolan City were already quite cold. Though winter was still a ways off, the drop in temperature was still surprising.

Jenkins, however, didn't feel the chill. He wasn't wearing much—his coat was still on a hook inside the shop—but his undershirt was sewn with so many pockets that it effectively added a layer of thickness.

"Now, try to activate the ability."

"Yes, just standing is fine."

Jenkins immediately complied, summoning the points of light before him and injecting his mind into the newly acquired yellow one.

This was one of the very few spells that could be cast without any accompanying incantation. But as the ability took effect, Jenkins thought he heard a soft sigh in his ear.

A strange sensation arose, as if someone had poured a bucket of warm water over his head. An unexpected warmth spread from the top of his head, enveloping his entire body.

At the same time, the density of the air suddenly increased, and he felt as if the whole world were pressing in on him.

An illusion appeared, a barely perceptible layer superimposed on his normal vision. It was a constantly shifting sea of stars, moving like the tide. The sea's color was extremely faint, but the glittering stars within it were exceptionally bright.

He looked up at Papa Oliver. As the sea of stars washed over the old man, a faint white light emanated from his body and merged into the celestial ocean.

Jenkins deactivated the ability, hesitating to finish his sentence.

"That's spirit. An Enchanter's spirit. The Astral Plane, the Shadow Realm, and the Material Plane are actually superimposed on one another. This ability allows us to temporarily see a part of the Astral Plane. The living, of course, exist in the material world and don't interact with the Astral Plane, but observing from an astral perspective can reveal some marvelous changes."

"Then can we use this method to distinguish between Enchanters and ordinary people?"

Jenkins immediately seized upon this idea.

"You could see the light on me just now because I was using an ability. When not in use, there's no difference between an ordinary person and an Enchanter under Astral Perception, nor is there a difference between ordinary objects and most special items. This ability, in truth, is used by astrologers for better observation of the stars."

Papa Oliver explained, nodding slowly to himself. He glanced at Chocolate, who was perched obediently on the threshold watching the stars, and continued:

"When I was young, I traveled to many places and witnessed many different things. These experiences brought me more secret lore and more knowledge. Once, in a time that was definitely not this epoch, there was an Enchanter whose name was never recorded. He, too, was not an astrologer, yet he happened to learn this ability. One night, while wearing a necklace that increased his perceptual range—a tremendously dangerous and irresponsible act—he activated the ability while looking at the sky. When the Astral Plane in his vision overlapped with a certain region of the stars, he felt the spirit within him begin to increase."

Jenkins shot back immediately, then felt it was rude. Increasing one's spirit was an incredibly difficult task. Different believers had different methods, but aside from luck-based approaches like destroying Cursed Items or traversing Mysterious Realms, harmless methods of increasing spirit were exceedingly rare.

That method Mr. Hood had purchased from Miss Skylark must have cost him a fortune.

The common understanding among Enchanters was that a method for increasing spirit was more precious than anything besides a Bestowal.

"What are the drawbacks?"

"Your perception needs to be enhanced to a certain level for this method to be effective, and I'll teach you a ritual for that shortly, but it's not cheap. You must absolutely never look at the moon. You can use it five times a month, and I don't recommend sessions longer than two hours. Also, you must begin after sunset when the stars are visible. And finally, you won't always find a spot in the stars that increases your spirit; it takes some luck."

Papa Oliver led Jenkins back into the shop and lit the wall-mounted gas lamp.

"I couldn't find any information on what level of Enchanter this method stops working for, but it should serve you at least until you're level seven. You offered divinity to the Sage, and this is my reward to you as your guide. Don't expect a gift for the Reading Festival; this is more than enough."

A smile spread across Jenkins's face. This was the best news he'd had in a long time. Aside from the five Bestowals steeping in spirit and Chocolate, he would have willingly traded any of his possessions for a method of increasing spirit with so few drawbacks.

"Perhaps my luck has been so poor lately that the Hermit of Fate has finally decided to compensate me."

He thought, feeling a surge of joy.

Having been busy for half the night, Papa Oliver was also a bit tired. After explaining everything, he shooed Jenkins and Chocolate out, telling him he could come in a little late tomorrow morning.

As for their planned trip, it was postponed until the weekend. He said they had already missed their window.

"The Reading Festival is coming up. What would you like?"

He asked the question again. The old man, well aware of Jenkins's poor social skills, didn't show any surprise.

"I've been your apprentice for three months now, and you've treated me very well. I want to get you a gift of some substance—and I've recently made a bit of money, so I have plenty of cash on hand."

"I knew you'd just ask me directly. Since that's the case, let me think."

He held onto the doorframe, pondering for a moment. "There's nothing I particularly want. In that case, you can owe me."

With that, he unceremoniously pushed Jenkins, who was still holding Chocolate, out the door.

Even though he'd said that, Jenkins would still prepare a gift. But he was terrible at picking out presents for people. He might have to ask someone familiar with social etiquette for advice. Otherwise, he'd just have to go to a shop and buy a new wool vest for Papa Oliver. The red one he currently wore was truly hideous.

The twin moons had already risen high in the sky. The entire city had quieted down, with only the distant chimneys still diligently releasing plumes of polluting smoke.

There was a burnt smell in the air. The white fog wasn't too thick and didn't obstruct his vision. The peaceful days, he mused, would continue for a while longer.