Cornflower Witch

Chapter 262 When the Stars Return to Their Positions
After the banquet, Hilti told the caravan members that they would be staying in Valley City for a while.

Everyone quickly accepted the decision.

For the next few days, Hiltia stayed at the hotel reading and did not go out. Even so, with her keen hearing, she could clearly hear the conversations of people downstairs at the hotel, so she was not out of touch with the world.

While things were peaceful in Hiltiah, the situation was much more difficult for the other wealthy and famous people in Valley City. Under the constant coercion and pressure from Kachis, they had no choice but to personally go to the battlefield and join the Antian soldiers.

Hiltiya did not go out that day, but the sound of dense hooves and footsteps came from the streets. She could even hear how many people were advancing with the army and what type of armor they were wearing.

Kachis mobilized a total of 6000 troops, of which 4,000 were elite Antian troops, 1,000 were former Antian garrison soldiers who had surrendered, and 1,000 were new recruits from the local area.

They will search the Three-Forked Forest in search of Prince Steve Jobs.

After leaving Valley City, the army headed south along the road. The road ahead had been scouted by Kachis in advance and was very safe.

Three days later, they successfully arrived near the Three-Forked Forest and began to split into two groups. One group slowly advanced and searched the forest, while the other group bypassed the forest and surrounded them from the side and rear.

According to Antioch's scouts, there are now more than 800 remnants of Prince Jobs's forces in the forest. A small portion of them escaped from Valley City with him, while a large portion joined them later.

……

In the forest, elite squads of Antioch's army, accompanied by hunting dogs, moved through the woods, marking the places they passed before continuing on.

If viewed from above, one would see that the movement of these teams resembles weaving a large net, slowly filtering through the entire forest.

"Woof, woof!"

A hunting dog seemed to have spotted something and quickly ran into the grass, barking all the way.

At that moment, an arrow shot out from the forest, piercing the hound's throat and killing it.

Hearing the hound's dying howl, the Antian soldiers behind them quickened their pace, rushed to the spot where the hound had died, and continued their search in the direction the arrow had been fired.

The men who had been lying in ambush to shoot the hounds did not fire their arrows this time, but instead retreated in secret.

Deep in the forest, in a makeshift camp, Prince Jobs paced back and forth, listening to his men's reports.

"Your Highness, the enemy forces have begun to search the Three-Forked Forest. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for long." An elderly ranger quickly returned to the camp.

"I understand." He waved his hand somewhat irritably, then stopped and looked at the figure on the other side of the camp.

These people wore dark red robes with eye-like patterns on their clothes, indicating that they were all members of the 'Hundred-Eyed Cult'.

"Do you even have a way to deal with the enemy? If it weren't for your request, I would have already taken my men to other cities." It turned out that Prince Jobs and his party had stayed in the Three-Forked Forest for so long not only to avoid pursuers, but also because of the influence of the Hundred-Eyed Cult.

“Of course there are, but Your Highness, you are being too hasty. Many things cannot be solved by being impatient.” A high-ranking member of the Hundred-Eyed Cult walked over, glanced at the few remaining knights and members in the camp, and nodded slightly.

"You've all worked hard. After this battle, we will all be blessed by the stars." He seemed particularly honored and proud of this.

The blessing of the stars, what is that? The soldiers present shook their heads in confusion, and even doubted whether these cultists had any real power. If they weren't currently isolated and helpless, they would really not want to deal with this group of lunatics.

Although the Hundred-Eyed Cult is not as universally reviled as the 'Twin Serpent Cult', its reputation is not much better, after all, they are colluding with 'alien' extraterrestrial life forms that are eroding the world.

"Hold on until tonight. Once tonight, our ceremony will be ready, and we will definitely be able to turn things around for everyone." He finally revealed a crucial piece of information, which reassured those present.

“Tonight?” Prince Jobs breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then it'll be tonight, you hear me? You all need to persevere and not embarrass yourselves at this time."

Prince Jobs believed that the defeat at Valley City was entirely due to the soldiers' cowardice. He argued that if they had fought to the death, the battle would not have been such a one-sided and disastrous defeat.

After learning that the Hundred-Eyed Cult had a solution, Jobs returned to his tent and summoned his maid.

"Quickly, prepare some delicious food and wine for me. I'm going to have a good meal today."

Upon hearing the prince's request, the maids carefully agreed and then left the tent to prepare.

Upon hearing Prince Steve Jobs' voice, another blonde woman in a black dress walked out from the side tent.

After more than half a month of fleeing, Princess Musa was somewhat tired, but she still retained her captivating charm, and her black silk dress made her skin appear even whiter.

"How is it?" She sat down in the seat next to Jobs, looking worried.

"It's alright, sister, don't worry." Jobs yawned, propping his head up with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. He had stayed up very late last night and was planning to catch up on sleep during the day, but the Antirians' attack made it hard for him to fall asleep. Now, however, he was indeed sleepy again.

Seeing that she couldn't get any information, Princess Musa could only shake her head helplessly. Although she was Steve Jobs' older sister, her status in the royal family and among his subordinates was far inferior to that of her younger brother. In fact, some people had even coveted her beauty and proposed to Prince Jobs, but Prince Jobs didn't think much of them and refused.

In this world, there is no shortage of queens, but in this vast land in the south of the continent, most of the thrones are still inherited by human men, while princesses are generally just tools for political marriages and decorative objects.

She had originally planned to marry a nobleman from Regas, but things changed too quickly. Now that Regas was destroyed, her value as a princess was no longer what it used to be.

Fortunately, she still possesses a reasonably outstanding appearance, which could be used to marry her off if necessary, thus securing an ally for the royal family. However, if the restoration of the kingdom ultimately fails, she and her descendants will likely fade into obscurity, losing their noble bloodline.

As the people in the camp gradually calmed down, the hunters who were blocking the way in the forest fought and retreated, constantly shrinking their lines. Although they were no match for the Anti people in terms of numbers, they were familiar with the environment and had laid an ambush in advance. As long as they weren't too unlucky, they wouldn't be caught by the searching soldiers. As darkness gradually fell, the search party slowed down more and more. At this time, many Anti soldiers also felt somewhat tired. After all, moving through the complex terrain of the mountains and having to be wary of ambushes by arrows at all times was extremely taxing on their energy and concentration.

At night, under orders from their superiors, the Antirian forces finally ceased their search, began setting up their nighttime defensive lines, and then set up camp and lit fires.

The flames ignited in the wood, and thick blue smoke slowly rose until a full flame ignited, at which point the smoke faded and dissipated.

When the Antichrists stopped, special magic circles were clearly drawn on the ground inside Prince Jobs's residence. Then the cultists picked up candles, placed them in the designated positions on the magic circles, and lit them.

After that, they placed several special silver ritual objects in a circle in the center of the magic circle. At this time, they also tied a special fat man to a circle in the magic circle and made him lie there.

When the fat man saw his surroundings, he began to struggle violently even though his mouth was gagged. Unfortunately, he had not received rigorous combat training and did not have any ability to unleash his strength. His struggles were meaningless against the thick ropes binding him.

"Your Highness, please lead the others back 20 meters. The ceremony is about to begin," the leader, whose back was to the prince, said in a low voice.

"Yes, yes." Feeling the terrifying pressure of his rank coming towards him, Jobs retreated repeatedly.

Flames crackled and burned as members dressed in dark red robes surrounded the magic circle, chanting a distant and eerie song in unison.

The voice sounded like a prayer, yet also like madness, a fervor tinged with a hint of resolve, slowly spreading throughout the camp.

For the first half hour, nothing changed, but the believers didn't care. They even became more devout, with many slowly kneeling on the ground and continuously chanting the strange songs.

'Singing in unison' is a part of many rituals. By singing together, people's emotions resonate at that moment. When immersed in that state, the boundaries between people gradually disappear, as if they are all merging together, and everything in body and mind gives way to a sense of unity that returns to the heart.

This feeling is so intoxicating and sweet that it makes one forget one's loneliness, insignificance, and lack, and gives rise to the sweet aroma of belonging to a group, making one willingly indulge in it and forget all troubles and pain.

This is the allure of religion: it absorbs all the suffering of the mortal world, promises people a bright future, can tell you the answer to any question, that it is all the will of the gods, that it is the necessary path, and that everything will be saved by Him.

'Those who have nowhere else to turn, return to that gentle embrace; in His embrace, everything will be reborn…'

The chorus grew louder and louder, and the emotion even spread to the other members of the camp. Even those who had never heard of the Hundred-Eyed Cult before joined in, humming along slowly, and kneeling down with devout eyes as they gazed at the burning campfire.

They yearn for some kind of spiritual support to alleviate their anxiety and unease, and to salvage their lives that are heading towards ruin.

Finally, after breaking through a certain critical point, a dark red and transparent beam of light, as clear as mist, pierced the sky and shot straight up to the distant world above the clouds.

However, this thin mist of light did not stop. They traversed tens of millions of miles, and the huge pillar of light that was originally hundreds of meters wide became extremely weak, leaving only a tiny dot smaller than an ant.

This red dot eventually reached the edge of the world, where an incomparably magnificent golden array awaited.

At the very edge of the world, golden, transparent dragon scales covered everything. They were arranged closely together, layer upon layer, like impeccably disciplined soldiers, overlapping and riveting each other to create an endless wall that made the world sigh in awe, protecting this world and isolating it from the comings and goings of the stars.

This is the barrier of the world, the legacy left by the dragons of the Six Laws, and also the majesty and responsibility of the dragons as the overlords of the world.

Characteristic [Dragon Eyes]: (The scales and majesty of the world, the watchful guardian of the world)
The tiny red dot darted swiftly across the Sighing Wall forged from dragon scales. With its power, it was utterly unable to penetrate this incredibly strong barrier. However, this world was not as perfect as it was before the Sixth Era. That earth-shattering war had never ended, and even today, it could still be said to be in the aftermath of that great battle.

The red dot swiftly traveled hundreds of miles and finally found a flaw in the Wall of Sighs. There, dragon scales were missing, strange purplish-red mist swirled, and wisps of alien power seeped from the gap, eroding and twisting the surrounding dragon scales, making them impossible to heal.

Once the target was finally located, the red dot shone into the gaping hole. It pierced through the hazy, unknown mist and finally conveyed some kind of information to the distant other side of the star realm.

Time passed second by second, and within the Three-Forked Forest, some believers began to collapse unconscious, unable to withstand the power drain from the ritual.

In the center of the magic circle, the royal ceremonial artifacts that were originally displayed have lost their luster, and the 'castle' elemental power that was once gathered on them has gradually dissipated.

The sect leader who presided over the ceremony frowned deeply. He looked up as if his gaze could traverse endless distances and reach the edge of the world.

However, it was just an illusion. Even he could only rely on luck, searching for possible weaknesses in the world barrier, sending out certain information, and then praying for a response from life within the astral plane.

Fortunately, over the centuries, through countless sacrifices and searches, the previous generations of the 'Hundred-Eyed Cult' members finally identified several specific star positions.

The use of these star positions has extremely strict conditions. It must be during a specific windy season, on a specific continent, and in a specific year and time to find the location that was observed and recorded by predecessors through rituals and communication.

If they miss this opportunity, their sect will have to wait for the next Storm Season, which means it will be 54 years before they can have the same opportunity again.

He couldn't wait that long, and neither could the Hundred-Eyed Cult. The world was undergoing drastic changes, and the Hundred-Eyed Cult's power was far less than before. Now they no longer had the ability to independently find star positions and could only rely on the experience and locations left by their predecessors, carefully investing resources to carry out rituals.

When the stars align, great lives will traverse the galaxy...

The leader silently recited an ancient prophecy, praying in his heart that the ceremony would succeed. His years as the leader had long since given him perfect control over his emotions and expressions.

Everyone thought the ceremony would succeed and believed that the deity on the distant other side would respond, but only he knew that such a response was not always possible.

Flames burned in the night, and time passed second by second under tension and pressure.

One by one, figures fell within the magic circle, ceasing their breath, but the sounds from the scene did not cease. They were singing with the last breath of their lives, welcoming that distant and incomparably beautiful future.

at last
The flames began to twist, the wind began to subside, and an invisible aura gradually spread through the forest, as if everything was in absolute stillness before a thunderbolt.

The sect leader, standing in the center of the magic circle, opened several pairs of eyes. In his turbulent sea of ​​consciousness, a vague will began to converse with him.

(End of this chapter)