Chapter 1 Prologue
Chapter 1 Prologue
The faint light from the gently swaying candle flame imprinted a hunched shadow on the clean white wall.
This was a room within the Bachelor’s Tower in the capital of the Gabella Empire, where the old man with white hair was buried in a large pile of books and scrolls, carefully flipping through page after page, seemingly retrieving some kind of information.
Outside came the sound of the bells of the Great Bell Tower, the ancient and melodious sound echoed over the entire city, announcing the arrival of midnight, but the old man continued to bury his head in the piles of books as if he didn’t hear it.
Not far away, the door of the room quietly opened, and a young man holding a candlestick walked in, saying softly, “Mentor, it’s already midnight, you really should rest.”
“What, is it already this time?”
The old man then closed the large part of the book in his hand, took out a handkerchief and rubbed his sore eyes, “It’s time to get a good night’s sleep, well …… help me, this body is becoming less and less useful.”
The young man put down the candlestick and slowly helped the old man up.
“At today’s imperial council, everyone was very curious about what you’ve been doing these past few days, and even His Majesty asked me again in private.”
“Haha, it must be quite scratchy for you to play on the spot to make up a suitable excuse for me, right?”
“Uh……” the young man named Mond mused in slight embarrassment, “Is that meteor from a few days ago really worth that much attention?”
Just after saying these words, the smile on the old man’s face immediately froze, and his slightly furrowed brows showed that his heart was no longer calm.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
Seeing the old man’s grave expression, a look of shame appeared on Mond’s face.
“Alas, Mond, I am not blaming you, being able to question boldly is a good quality.”
The old man hurriedly consoled, “Indeed, this meteor has always put me at ease, and I do hope that I am being overly concerned. If, unfortunately, it does bring disaster as recorded in the ancient scrolls, then based on the descriptions of the previous times, the havoc will be far greater than we can imagine, let me tell you about the previous times first.”
Then, he spread out a roll of parchment and began to slowly narrate what he had gained in the past few days ……
……
In the middle of a dark alley next to the Imperial Capital’s Great Bell Tower, along with the still echoing sound of the bell, a dark shadow walked in silently, wearing a cloak and walking slowly towards the depths of the alley with the moonlight at his back, his face always shrouded in the shadows under his hood. At the first corner he stopped.
“Why are you so late today?”
A rough voice rang out, and another cloaked man had already been waiting there, his face similarly hidden under a hood, revealing a thick, bushy beard.
“It’s going to be windy, make more preparations.”
“What preparations have been made?”
“Twine, canvas and harpoons.”
The bearded man nodded and said, “With these, it is safe to go to sea. Go, and we will pray for you at times in the church in the harbor.”
He then flashed into the shadows and disappeared, and the cloaked man who came first followed suit after confirming that there was nothing unusual around him.
……
In the Maester’s Tower, the old man’s narrative had been over for some time while a cold sweat oozed from Mond’s forehead.
After a long period of silence, Mond finally spoke, “If that’s the case, shouldn’t we immediately report to His Majesty and warn the world.”
“No, we don’t know anything about the disaster itself right now, we don’t know what form it will take, nor are we clear on exactly when it will arrive, and we lack effective countermeasures, so instead of being useful, revealing it prematurely will cause widespread panic, and even give some people with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of it.”
“You are right, I was too reckless.”
The old man’s disciple was slightly ashamed.
The old man opened the window, and a rush of fresh air quickly flooded the room. He looked out of the window at the low night sky and said naively:
“It’s going to be windy ……”
(End of chapter)