In the twentieth year, he was promoted to a Level 1 Wizard, and the following year, he successfully passed the examination of the Imperial Astrologer Guild, becoming an official First-level Astrologer.
That night, Anand found Ronan, happily drinking a lot of wine with him. Usually, because he needed to keep his mind clear for calculations and ditation, he didn’t even bring any hangover Potion, and he shared his joy with Ronan, also telling Ronan that he had found a cute and trustworthy partner.
In the fiftieth year, the shop owner of "Ding Nan Potion Workshop," the limping Ding Nan, passed away, and Ronan naturally took over the small workshop, still using the original signboard, but was finally able to "endure" his way from a small Magic Pharmacy Apprentice to an owner.
On a July afternoon of the sa year, Anand, full of spring in his step, wearing the distinctive elegant robe of a Second-level Astrologer, walked into Ronan’s small shop.
Before he could speak, a loud noise from outside drew both of them out.
Ronan and Anand stood side by side on the street, surrounded by bustling crowds, all looking up.
In the sky above Keldim Imperial City, several giant dragons as massive as mountains spread their wings, soaring and spiraling. Wizards exuding great spiritual power surrounded these dragons, summoning powerful Spells, colliding with the sporadic dragon breath expelled by the dragons, bursting into various lights and fireworks.
It was like a mysterious and grand celebration ceremony.
"Do you know what it’s for?"
Anand looked at Ronan with burning eyes, "All our efforts have finally reached a significant breakthrough at a stage...
The center’s location has been pinpointed to a small area, only a little more ti before it’s found!"
"You would never guess where the ’center’ actually is? Damien!"
"It’s not in the sky, not in the valley, nor in the ocean..."
"It’s underground! Perhaps right where we are standing now..."
The fireworks from the dragons and Spells reflected in Anand’s green eyes, and Ronan heard him murmur, "That day is approaching soon, both of us are witnesses, witnessing how the history of this continent is being changed... Damien..."
Ronan’s eyes flickered slightly, but he did not respond.
....
"Selfish! You are too selfish! Damien!"
Anand, with bloodshot eyes and reeking of heavy alcohol, stood firmly before Ronan, staring at him with heavy breath.
"Because of selfish people like you, the Empire’s great plans have never truly arrived!
Your talent and accomplishnts in astrology clearly surpass mine, yet you prefer to hide in this shabby little shop, fiddling all day with those useless roots, powders, and Potion bottles!"
Anand suddenly beca agitated, rushing forward and forcefully toppling the shelves displayed in the shop.
The fragile rune prohibition couldn’t withstand his powerful spiritual power as a Second-level Wizard, and amidst a series of crisp shattering sounds, the muddy Potion mixed with crystal shards slowly seeped into the old floorboards, the entire room filled with a pungent Magic Potion scent.
Ronan stood to the side watching Anand’s behavior, his expression calm as if it wasn’t his well-tended shop being smashed.
"Perhaps you’ve forgotten..."
After Anand vented his frustration, Ronan spoke calmly, "After all these years, who helped you solve those tricky problems?"
"Exactly because I rember!"
Anand roared, "I need you, each one of us needs you! Damien!
You don’t know what we’ve encountered, it’s been exactly seventy years since the day of the celebration! But in these seventy years, the progress we’ve made is even less than a tenth of the first ten years!"
The room remained silent for a long ti before Ronan softly said, "Anand, you’ve drunk too much.
If you feel tired, rember to rest."
With that, he walked out of the room, casually closing the shop door behind him.
Behind him ca Anand’s suppressed, sorrowful yet painful wails.
...
After that day, Anand never ca to see Ronan again.
Ti flowed like water, seemingly the only unchanging thing was the starlight that descended every night.
One snow-covered winter night, in the dilapidated little house, Ronan casually conjured a fireball, using the light of the flas to examine a piece of grey stone slab.
Since moving into this small house in the first year, Ronan would mark a white line on the stone slab every year.
Now, the long and short white lines, asured as if by a ruler, almost densely covered the entire stone slab.
"One hundred and eighty-three..."
Ronan slowly put down the stone slab, lost in thought.
Because he practiced Ascetic Body Refinent, this body of his was still considered strong, yet his soul had already reached its end.
"When striving to beco a Level 1 Wizard, because of poor qualifications, I burned too much of my soul, so the lifespan I gained was much shorter than that of an average Level 1 Wizard..."
Ronan had seen many Level 1 Wizards living beyond three hundred years, and compared to them, he could almost be considered "dying young."
However, it was enough.
It was even more than his two previous "Reincarnations" combined.
Ronan could feel his Life Force gradually slipping away, like an Hourglass about to run out.
Ronan thought for a bit, walked to the room’s only table, picked up a nearly bald quill on the table, and scribbled sothing on a piece of paper.
After completing all this, he pushed open the door, braved the wind and snow blowing into the room, and walked step by step until he completely disappeared into the snowy expanse...
Three days later.
The sa snowy night.
An elderly figure with a head of white hair staggered into the house.
"Damien! Damien!"
An elderly Anand, hardly resembling his forr self, excitedly called out Ronan’s na, "We did it! We finally succeeded! This historic mont, I said we would witness it together!..."
Anand’s excited, trembling voice received only the wind and snow in response.
Anand looked around the little house but did not find the figure he wanted to see.
He quickly noticed a piece of white paper pinned under a stone slab full of white marks on the long table.
Anand removed the stone slab and gently picked up the piece of white paper.
Upon seeing the contents written on the paper, Anand’s aged and almost muddled eyes instantly froze.
His lips trembled, and the wind and snow pouring inside slapped wantonly on his face and body....
After a few breaths, he knelt to the ground slowly as if his soul had been lost.
"So... you had already calculated the result long ago..."
"Damien..."
.....
"Whoosh—"
Ronan opened his eyes.
The 183 years of hardships were slowly washed away in his eyes.
It was still that classical yet old room, and the Star Map embedded in the wall opposite remained unchanged.
A strong hunger swept through Ronan’s body, and he took out so uneaten Wind Snake Jerky, tearing it and placing it in his mouth, chewing slowly to replenish the energy his body had consud over six months.
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