Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1053: Section 666: Sudden Turn (Part 1)

Chapter 1053: Section 666: Sudden Turn (Part 1)

"Whether we, the Astrologers of the Westland, or the Diviners of the Eastern Land, those of us who make our livelihood by observing the heavens are profoundly devoted to Fate. Fate guides our path forward, as exemplified by the Astromancers of the Eastern Land—an exceedingly rare profession..." Constantine Julius, standing at the podium, swept his gaze over the young students in the lecture hall. These youths, his juniors, had all sworn to become Sages. Yet among them, perhaps none would live long enough to achieve that day. Still, Constantine held deep respect for their courage.

"What’s the difference between Astromancers and us Astrologers?" a curious child asked.

Constantine had a soft spot for such inquisitive youth: "We, Astrologers, are but a minor branch under the Sage Sequence—a replaceable existence. Astromancers, however, belong to a rare and independent Sequence discovered only in the Eastern Land. The greatest difference lies in this: Astromancers only appear among the disabled."

At that point, Constantine recalled his own shock upon first learning of this, a sentiment mirrored now on the astonished faces of these students.

He sighed: "Astromancers are likely fragments of some Legendary Sequence, an independent shard of sorts. Some disabled children are born carrying this fragment. To this day, the Thanans remain puzzled as to why this occurs. They only know that when a child becomes disabled, they are already a potential Astromancer."

"That’s so strange. Mr. Constantine, does such a Sequence fragment even have a purpose?" a young voice posed the question, perplexed.

Shaking his head, Constantine admitted he had no answer: "There seems to be no purpose. Thus far, it’s been confirmed that Astromancers can perform divination under the night sky without relying on any form of Transcendent ability. However, this process severely taxes the mortal mind. For an Astromancer who overuses this power, surviving to adulthood becomes a near impossibility. They become a coordinate—a coordinate for Chaos. As a result, for a long time, the Thanans hunted down Astromancers."

"Astromancers are too dangerous. I think the Thanans were right," one child commented.

Many other students nodded in agreement, but Constantine refrained from telling them that the Thanans had ceased killing Astromancers centuries ago. This was because they discovered that Astromancers’ abilities were, in fact, incredibly powerful—they are the only beings unaffected during deep diving. Astromancers can remain unobservable by and imperceivable to all chaotic entities during such sequences.

Today, every Astromancer is a student coveted beyond measure by the Thanan Sages.

After undergoing specific surgeries, these children become entirely insulated from Chaos and Subspace. No matter the time or place, they are excised from the perception of all Subspace entities.

However, Astromancers are extraordinarily rare—decades or even centuries could pass without a single one being found.

At this thought, Constantine noticed a young man entering the classroom. A Northerner, he removed his hat apologetically and bowed in respect to Constantine, his mentor.

"Ansel, why are you late?" Constantine asked. Fond of this promising student, he decided not to appear overly strict, especially before understanding the reason for his tardiness. He thought it irresponsible to scold a young man without due cause.

"My apologies, Professor Constantine. A letter just arrived—my elder brother has fallen in battle against Chaos in the North," replied the young son of a Northern Earl, tears still lingering at the corners of his eyes. It was clear he had been crying, softening Constantine’s gaze even further.

Earls of the North—or rather, Earls across this world—often sired enough offspring to warrant two hands, or even twenty, to count their children, provided their doctrines permitted it. They would marry multiple wives without hesitation.

Only in this way could their children have any chance of surviving the brutal theater of war.

Thus, the elder brother this young man spoke of was not some half-brother threatening his path to inheritance, but his true sibling—born of the same mother and father.

Fate never forgives anyone. How many times had Constantine heard Lord Malin utter those words? How many times had he witnessed the verdicts that Fate passed upon mortal lives?

With this thought, Constantine descended from the podium and embraced the boy. "Child, if you feel sorrow, take some rest. I am willing to excuse your absence, and you won’t lose any marks for this leave."

Constantine offered the compassion expected of an elder. But the boy, unmoved, gave a reason that left Constantine with no refusal.

"No, sir. If I stop learning now, I will fail to become of use to my family. There will be more brothers who, someday, will die like my elder brother."

Constantine nodded at the young man’s reply. Patting his head, the professor returned to the podium. "In that case, let us pick up speed. Today, I will teach you the preparations required before a deep dive. You should take notes—this knowledge concerns your very survival."

......

Finishing the lecture for the day, Constantine returned to his office, where he noticed over a dozen faculty members—those without teaching duties—gathered around a massive map, confirming strategic objectives.

The Northern Kingdom had just suffered a devastating defeat along the Słupsk front, losing a quarter of their forces and a substantial amount of equipment. Their military units were retreating toward Merno. However, as per the Mage Tower’s assessments, Merno was currently preoccupied with port construction and had made no defensive preparations. Although the warming weather facilitated such defensive efforts, the Northern Kingdom faced dire challenges. Chaotic pursuers relentlessly hounded their remaining forces. Meanwhile, their second corps of trainee soldiers, numbering two hundred thousand strong, awaited shipment of armaments from Lord Malin’s workshop at Port Benz. However, the fleet carrying these supplies reported that they needed at least four more days to arrive. Compounding this, a Chaotic Fleet had appeared in the waters of the Kattegat Strait, where the Northern Kingdom’s Royal Navy and the Giant Kingdom’s fleet were seeking an opportunity to engage in a decisive naval battle.