Chapter 40: The Genius Astrologer (II)

Following the instructions of Dean Riox and Archmage Grette Keynes, Professor Hodde brought Jiang Zhe and several other children to the highly renowned Mage Tower Vandel. Their purpose was to bring back Abelle Keynes—Dean Keynes’ only granddaughter and sole relative, who had studied astrology here over a decade ago—to Riox Academy.
They needed her power to track down that dangerous man, Argus.
By the time Jiang Zhe and the others arrived at Mage Tower Vandel, where was Argus?
At that moment, he was far in the north, watching the surroundings grow increasingly barren. Further to the northwest lay Altak, the empire’s northern border. What on earth was he doing here?
“Damn it, not even a person to buy some dry bread from…” Muttering to himself, Argus, dressed in his usual black long coat, leaned against a rock, fiddling with something in his right hand. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be two slightly darkened silver coins.
“Hmph,” his companion, mage Poole, took a small sip from his water pouch before shaking his head at Argus. “Sometimes, I really can’t figure you out…”
“Oh?” Argus smiled and asked, “Why?”
“Why else?” He plugged the pouch and casually tossed it to Black Knight Simonley, ignoring the latter’s resentful growl. Then he turned to Argus and said, “Argus, I know you possess the power of a high archmage, and… perhaps even more than that… I really don’t know how to explain it. You, with such great power, are asking a mere commoner for two pieces of dry bread in such a humble tone. I…”
“Hey, hey,” Argus interrupted Poole impatiently, smiling slightly. “I was planning to buy them with these two silver coins. But since he wouldn’t accept them, what could I do?”
“That’s because you…”
“Hehe, I know what you’re trying to say, but… Poole, my dear companion, even though he’s just a commoner, he helped me… You should be grateful. You ate that bread too…”
“I regret eating it!” Poole muttered resentfully before sneering, “So you still plan to destroy this country?”

Instantly, Agus’s expression darkened, and he spoke in a very serious tone, “That’s two different things, my dear companion!” With a cold smile, he said as if recalling something, “Destroying this country might not be such a bad thing for them, right?”
“Hmph!” Pur was momentarily stunned before sneering, “You don’t seem like a dark mage at all. You’re more like those guys from the Church—full of hypocrisy!”
“The Church?” Agus smiled faintly, shook his head, and looked at Pur mysteriously. “You’re right. Once, I was also a supporter of [God]!”
“……”
“But that was in the past,” ignoring Pur’s stunned expression, Agus looked up at the sky and said softly, “God said: I am your Lord… Follow the Lord’s path, never abandon His name. The Lord will open the gates before Him, and no one can close them…” He paused, then looked at Pur with an odd expression and said, “That’s a huge lie! Those gates were never opened for me…”
“Agus?”
“Later, I realized it was all a deception—some so-called Lord, some so-called God, some so-called gates. There is no God in this world. Even if one did exist and was still breathing somewhere, it has nothing to do with me.” Saying this, Agus raised his right hand, slowly clenched his fist, and said firmly, “This world is one of survival of the fittest. The weak are nothing but bones at the feet of the strong. If you don’t want to be trampled by others, there’s only one way: stand at the highest place…” At this point, he turned to look at Pur and said, word by word, “Everyone will be at our feet… including those so-called gods!”
“……” Hearing the man’s quiet but shocking words, Pur felt his heartbeat pause for a moment.
This man is dangerous! His subconscious kept warning him over and over again.
“Hehe.” Pur laughed, surprised even by himself. How long had it been since he last laughed like this, ever since he became a despised necromancer? He had forgotten.
“I’ll follow you to the end,” Pur said sincerely, looking at Agus. “I’ll watch with my own eyes to see whether you’ll trample everyone underfoot or be trampled yourself…”
“Of course!” Agus laughed heartily, then pointed at Pur. “But not you. You’re my companion. We’ll stand at the pinnacle of the world together!”

“…Huh!” Letting out a long sigh, Poole shook his head and said, “You know, Argus, you’re really a terrifying guy. Your words are always full of temptation…” He paused for a moment, glanced at the barren land around them, and frowned, saying, “But I don’t understand. Why did we come to this place?”
“No, no, no—we’re not there yet,” Argus waved his finger and then pointed at Simmonley. “Clark, introduce that guy to our companion!”
“Yes, master!” The black knight clad in thick armor nodded, gave Poole a look tinged with dissatisfaction, then turned around and pointed northward. “The master’s ambitions require the power of Lelajin. That guy is just as good at starting wars as that damned pigeon… That damned pigeon only uses inferior tactics to deceive others, but Lelajin’s power can make people feel violence and desire to kill from deep within. Wherever he is, war breaks out… Moreover, Lelajin himself is extremely powerful—completely beyond comparison to that damned pigeon!”
“Lelajin?” Poole frowned, trying to recall. “I know that name. The fourteenth-ranked demon god—very powerful indeed…”
“Powerful?” Poole’s words reminded the black knight of something. He glared at Poole angrily and said in a low voice, “Humans, the ranking of demon gods isn’t based on strength. Don’t be fooled by that damned pigeon being ranked thirty-eighth—I could crush him with one hand!”
“Hm?” The black knight Simmonley’s harsh tone didn’t anger Poole at all. Instead, Poole became filled with confusion and asked curiously, “I’ve also never understood this. What exactly determines the ranking of your demon gods?”
The black knight hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Argus. With his left hand, he removed the armor from his right arm, revealing a number, ‘66’, tattooed in black on his muscular right arm.
“My memory has gaps. I don’t remember anything from the beginning. It must be unbearable to be the only one left alive.”
“I see now,” Poole replied with a half-smile. “Just like Hampa. He destroyed the glorious ancient kingdom of Seraland because he was too idle…” He pointed at Argus and asked Simmonley, “So why are you chasing this guy?”

Ximmonley frowned and glanced at Pule, then said in a low voice, “Firstly, I am a warrior. The battlefield is where I truly belong. And… my master promised me he could help me conquer the Land of Death!”
“The Land of Death?” Pule looked shocked, staring at Argus in disbelief. “Are you joking, Argus? It’s impossible to conquer that place!”
“Why impossible?” Argus asked back with a smile.
“Do you even know where the Land of Death is? As a dark mage, you shouldn’t know less than I do! It’s impossible to conquer!”
“The gods say they are eternal, but according to legends, they fell, didn’t they?” Argus sighed deeply, clapped his hands, and said nonchalantly, “Perhaps you’ve misunderstood something, my dear companion. By standing at the pinnacle, I mean the very highest place!”
“…” Pule stared at Argus in disbelief for a long time, shaking his head repeatedly. “I think you’re going mad, Argus… I’m going mad too for agreeing to follow you…” He added irritably, “Alright, alright, shall we hurry up and find that Lelarkin? Don’t forget, the Church’s agents have already arrived in Sassen. If they reveal your plans, things will get troublesome…”
“Hahaha!” Argus laughed heartily, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, there’s no rush. As I said, they won’t press us too hard until they understand our goal. By then, it will be too late… Besides, even if we find Lelarkin, we still lack one companion…” As he spoke, Argus suddenly stopped, stood up solemnly, and stared blankly at the sky around them.
Noticing Argus’s strange behavior, Pule asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong?”
Argus scanned the surroundings sharply and whispered, “I feel like someone is watching us…”
“Watching us?” Pule was stunned. He looked around, but there was only barren land—no place to hide. Out of caution, he used his mental senses to detect any living beings, knowing that necromancers have extremely keen senses for life.
But in the end, there wasn’t a single living being around them.
Frustrated, Pule frowned and said, “At a time like this, why are you joking, Argus?”

But to his surprise, Argus still had a serious expression. He kept scanning the surroundings before suddenly fixing his gaze on the upper right part of the sky, a teasing smile on his face as he said in a low voice, “It seems you were right, my dear companion… If we don’t hurry, we’ll really be in big trouble…”
Hearing that Argus didn’t seem to be joking, Poole frowned and said, “Is there really someone? But why…”
“Nobody’s here,” Argus interrupted Poole, narrowing his eyes at that spot in the sky before suddenly smiling at it. He then whispered to Poole, “Poole, have you ever heard of astrology? A type of divination…”
“Astrology?” Poole was stunned and quickly understood, exclaiming in shock, “How come Vandel is involved too? The others don’t matter much, but those old guys are not easy to deal with…”
“Hehe.” With a smile, Argus glanced at that spot once more before suddenly turning around, his smiling expression turning serious.
“It seems we don’t have time to wait here for someone to bring us food… With Vandel involved, we really need to hurry. Let’s go!”
“Mm!”
Meanwhile, in the mage tower, Eber, who was with Vandel, sat at the long table in her room, eyes closed, holding the crystal ball on the table with both hands. Suddenly, she frowned and said in a tone of surprise, “He… that guy actually discovered me?”
“What did he discover?” Professor Hodde, standing worriedly beside the table, asked urgently, “Did he find you?”
“Mm… it seems so… That damned guy even dared to smile at me,” she muttered, gently stroking the crystal ball with her hands while saying softly, “One, two, three… He’s not just one person like you said… If your descriptions are correct, it was Argus who found me. He has two companions—one wearing green-gray armor. I’ve only seen this style in very old books; it must be a warrior or knight. I can’t see their faces… The other is covered in a gray magical robe; I still can’t see their faces…”
“Companions?” Professor Hodde frowned. After all, he had fought against Argus and could confirm that the other’s strength was clearly above his own… Above his own meant at the level of a grand mage…

A guy like that is already very difficult to deal with, even if he’s the only one around…
“What are those two names?”
As Professor Hode asked, Abell slowly opened her eyes and shook her head. “It’s strange. I can’t hear them talking. Maybe they’ve used a barrier to block out sound… How cautious!”
“You can’t hear them?” Professor Hode opened his mouth and asked, “Then do you have any way to break through that barrier?”
Abell looked up at Professor Hode and said irritably, “Other than keeping asking, can’t you say something nice? You know? That guy’s real name isn’t Argus at all. Do you know how much effort it took me to find him? First, I had to examine the situation when you first met him, and then predict his current situation. Do you realize how much mental energy astrology requires? All you know how to do is demand!”
“…” Professor Hode looked embarrassed, stunned for a while before stammering, “Um… thank you for your hard work, Abell…”
“Hmph! I won’t accept insincere thanks!” With that, Abell rubbed her forehead tiredly and waved at Professor Hode. “Is that it? I’ve already done what you asked. Those three are heading north. It must be Altak or Brisco—surely not to the dwarven lands, right?”
“That’s true,” Professor Hode nodded awkwardly. “But Altak and Brisco are in almost opposite directions—one in the northwest, the other in the northeast. It’ll be hard to find them… Maybe…”
“Maybe what?” Before Professor Hode could finish, Abell slapped the table angrily. “Hode, you damned jerk! Are you going to drive me crazy before you’re satisfied?”
“No, no… that’s not what I meant…”
“Then what do you mean?!”
“I… I…”
Watching Professor Hode stammer, a hint of triumph appeared in Abell’s eyes. Seeing his guilty expression, she said compassionately, “Alright, forget it. But I can’t do it these next couple of days. That guy has already noticed. He’ll be even more cautious from now on. Also, that guy is a dark mage, right? Finding one dark mage might be possible once, but twice or three times will make it hard… You know that dark mages are the kind who hide in the shadows to harm others. They know how to ‘hide’ themselves…”

“Hmm, you’re right!” Professor Hod nodded in agreement.
Taking advantage of this moment, Jiang Zhe, who had been standing quietly aside, saw that the two seemed to have finished talking and stepped in to ask the question on his mind.
“Professor, is the Argus you’re looking for really the person we met?”
Not only Jiang Zhe but also Allen, Scott, and Ravia were deeply skeptical. In their minds, that Argus was just an extremely ordinary person—very poor, with the only valuable things he had being two silver coins hidden in his pockets…
How could he be the most dangerous man the professor described?
Seeing the confusion in the kids’ eyes, Professor Hod nodded and said solemnly, “Children, remember that judging people by their appearance is never wise. That man is extremely powerful…”
“I didn’t notice…” Allen twitched his lips oddly.
“He’s stronger than me!”
“…” Scott stared in disbelief at Professor Hod before saying thoughtfully, “Has the professor ever fought against Argus?”
“Hmm,” Professor Hod nodded, recalling, “I had used almost all my strength by then, but still couldn’t do anything to him… Not only that, I couldn’t even hurt him. Do you know? He was already severely injured before fighting me…”
“Is it really him?” Ravia covered her mouth in surprise. She remembered Argus saying he was being chased by eight or nine powerful people, and she thought he was lying. Now it seemed it might be true…
“Professor, is he a bad person?” Allen asked, tilting his head.
Professor Hod opened his mouth as if to say something but held back. He nodded and then shook his head before saying, “The concept of good and evil isn’t absolute. For example, back then, he was friendly to you. After accepting your food, he even protected you secretly… But at the same time, he slaughtered the villagers of Salonia, trading the souls and blood of innocent people with demons to gain power… Sigh!” He let out a long sigh.
Seeing the somber atmosphere in the room and Professor Hod constantly mentioning Argus, Abell clearly felt stifled. She bit her red lips slightly, her eyes flickering, before suddenly laughing softly. She smiled at the kids and said, “Kids, do you want to see what you’ll look like in the future?”

“Later? In the future?” Jiang Zhe looked puzzled and asked in surprise, “Can astrology really predict what will happen in the future?”
“Of course,” said Abell, resting one hand on her cheek and giggling. “Astrology is a form of predictive magic. Use it to find people…” She glanced at Professor Hodde, sighed, and shook her head, leaving Professor Hodde extremely embarrassed.
“Um,” Allen stepped forward, pushing Jiang Zhe aside, and pointed at himself excitedly. “Can it show what will happen in ten years? I want to see my future wife… Hehe!”
“How old are you, kid, already thinking about such things?” Abell glanced at someone else and said meaningfully, “Wait until you grow up… Of course, don’t follow your professor’s example. He’s so old and still single…” Before the awkward Professor Hodde could say anything, she turned to Allen and said, “Alright, I’ll do it for you this once. Ten years might not be possible, but seven or eight years should work.”
“Abell, didn’t you say astrology is the most mentally exhausting?” Professor Hodde asked with a strange expression.
“…” Feeling a surge in her heart, Abell forced herself to say, “Yes, but to fulfill these kids’ wishes, I’m willing… Who’s like you, always talking about Argus? Does he owe you money or something? Are you annoying?”
“No,” Professor Hodde shook his head helplessly and explained again, “The dean also said that Argus is a very dangerous person who might cause harm to the empire, even to the world itself…”
“So what? What happens to the empire or the world has anything to do with me? I’m not an imperial royal mage. Why should I, a woman, worry about such things? Hmph!”
“That’s not how it works…” As he spoke, Professor Hodde saw Abell’s resentful and angry gaze and was at a loss. He shook his head and said, “Okay, okay, as you wish!”
“Giggle,” Abell chuckled satisfactorily, then turned to the kids and said softly, “So, who wants to go first?”
As soon as Abell finished speaking, Allen quickly raised his hand and said, “Me! Me first!”
Such rude behavior displeased Scott greatly, but with Abell around, he couldn’t say much. He only muttered under his breath, “No one’s competing with you… Be careful!”
Obviously, Allen didn’t have time to listen to Scott’s complaints. His entire focus was on the crystal ball.

“Then you go first, little guy. Oh, right, your name is Allen, right? Let me make it clear upfront—what exactly happens in this future vision isn’t something I can control. It depends on your own luck. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see your future wife. Alright, close your eyes and relax…” As she spoke, Abell stroked the crystal ball with her left hand while slowly raising her right hand to touch Allen’s forehead…
In an instant, Allen felt a dizzy spell as if he were weightless. And when he opened his eyes again…
“Wh-where… is this?”