Pendragon's Infinity Gauntlet

Page 200

"Hmm, it's probably outside the circle. Did the radio waves not reach the center? Oh dear, I haven't confirmed how many antennas there are... If it were a regular shopping street, there should be a relay base, right? Why? Although the news said that during the Daihasei Festival, the simultaneous use of mobile phones by many people would cause network congestion, there should be an increased central processing capacity to deal with such problems."

"???"

The Forbidden Book Index, dressed in a cheerleader uniform, tilted its head slightly.

Jing Shen planned to use common sense about the scientific world and the topic of cell phones, which he was least familiar with, to gloss over the matter, and it seemed to be going very well.

Jing Shen gently shook the phone next to her ear.

"I'm on the phone right now. It's the Catalogue of Forbidden Books. I'll be back in a bit. You go over there first. Um—hello? Is there anything strange on the other side?"

"No...no. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the outside, don't worry..."

Hearing such a sound, Jing Shen felt at ease.

Tyr's treatment site seemed to be outside the search magic circle set up around the Index of Forbidden Books.

The Forbidden Books Catalogue frowned slightly as it looked at the serene spirit.

"Exorcise the demon, exorcise the demon! I heard the next event is 'group gymnastics,' can you come?"

"..."

Jing Shen paused for a moment and then said:

"I'll go. I need to take care of what I need to help with here first, but I'll definitely attend. Can you wait for me, Index?"

She used a manipulative tactic, the kind that women often use to deceive.

"Ah."

The banned book list nodded without hesitation.

He hugged the calico cat, which was surrounded by colorful balls, again.

"Okay, you'd better hurry up and come. I've been really trying to remember the moves that Moe taught me so I can cheer you on. You'll be surprised when you see them!"

He smiled as he spoke, then turned his back to the God of Purification. He walked straight ahead; the next arena must be there. He didn't detour, nor did he glance at the food stalls he passed; he completely believed the God of Purification's words.

The demon-quelling spirit, unable to move, watched his figure disappear. Only after he had completely vanished into the crowd did she finally move, propelled by Fang Cun. She lowered her eyes, as if bowing deeply in apology.

On the other end of the phone, Tsuchimikado said:

"...I'm sorry, Jing Shen."

If Oriana and Lydovia hadn't come to this city, she would probably be enjoying the Daihasei Festival with her classmates. If Tsuchimikado and Tyr hadn't asked for her help, she probably wouldn't have noticed anything and would be strolling the streets with Index or Himegami. She's just an ordinary person. Even if a magician infiltrated, she wouldn't have any obligation to participate.

Jing Shen briefly considered this possibility.

"No need to apologize."

She said decisively:

"It's also painful to laugh without knowing anything. I don't want you to be suffering and bleeding behind my laughter with the Catalogue of Forbidden Books."

That's right, Tsuchimikado should have been able to enjoy the Daihasei Festival as well. Even Tyr could have come to Academy City for reasons other than fighting magicians.

They did not cause any trouble.

Moreover, even if they brought it, there was absolutely no need for them to escape.

"So, I think so too. What kind of thing is it to selfishly impose what I hate on the Index of Forbidden Books... It's so stupid. In this way, I can finally feel happy because I don't want to involve him."

"..."

Haruka Tsuchimikado was speechless.

Whether you're an expert or a novice, a magician or an ordinary person, Tsuchimikado Haruka transcends these distinctions, displaying a kind of consideration that is expressed through silence.

Therefore, only the one who was purifying the spirit and exorcising demons was speaking.

She asked the other party to relinquish their right to draw a conclusion.

"Let's finish this quickly. Then go back to Index Forbidden Books, and let's all act like idiots, eat and drink like idiots, take pictures like idiots—let's immerse ourselves in the good memories like idiots."

"...No, please, stop."

Fang Cun quickly waved his hand to stop her. Although the protagonist's halo has indeed been powerful and effective so far, Jing Shen keeps setting such dangerous flags, and one day she'll inevitably backfire and become a flower of hope.

Fangcun and Jingshen used the bus stop where they lost track of Oriana as the center point, and searched the surrounding area separately like drawing a circle.

Of course, Oriana could very well have escaped on the automated bus. However, he might also have deliberately chosen not to take the bus, contrary to their predictions. Since they couldn't track Oriana down using conventional methods, and exploring the conditions for using the "Apostle Cross" was impossible for the technically challenged Cleanse Gods, all they could do now was to eliminate such ordinary possibilities.

Meanwhile, the protagonist, Tsuchimikado, is trying to pinpoint the location where the "Apostle Cross" has been used based on Oriana's current behavior patterns. This part of the knowledge is entirely left to specialized magicians, and Shizuru and the others can only continue to wait for reports.

Running with a clear mind, my skin felt the air at 4:30 pm.

The streets remained hot as the afternoon progressed, though the sun's rays felt less intense on the skin. The only constant was that Jing Shen continued running through the crowds of people buying souvenirs and heading to the arena. Along the way, fluffy blonde hair could be seen among the crowds.

(…!? No, no, that person isn't Orianna.)

With many students having dyed hair and foreign spectators present, it wasn't unusual to see people with blond hair.

In order not to disturb the people passing by, Jing Shen ran to the side of the path and stopped.

(It seems Oriana didn't hide and wait for me to leave... but that's only if he's not inside the building.)

With that thought in mind, she slightly raised her gaze from the walkway. The glass windows of the concrete buildings, varying in height, reflected the blinding sunlight.

(It seems a bit difficult to inspect everything... but it's better than doing nothing. Okay!)

Chapter 359 The Location of the Observatory

Chapter 359

Jing Shen gently patted her cheeks with both hands and headed to the building of a nearby large electronics store.

She walked through the automatic doors and looked around at the spacious and bright storefront.

The air conditioning was just right, and the well-lit store made even the skin, which usually felt the passage of time, feel less sensitive. Jing Shen slowly surveyed the store, checking for any sign of Oriana, occasionally glancing out the large windows.

At 4:30 PM, the blinding light in the sky had subsided slightly. Although it hadn't turned red yet, the deep blue seemed to have become lighter. In another hour, it should turn into an evening sky.

Then the first star began to shine.

Before the curtains of night are completely drawn, the constellations with the strongest light should reveal themselves first.

"...If the previous assumptions are correct, the time limit is only two hours left."

Just as Jing Shen couldn't help but sigh, her phone rang.

The image displayed was not of Tsuchimikado's name, but rather an unknown caller ID.

She answered the phone; it was Tyr Magnus calling.

"I asked Tsuchimikado for your phone number, but I don't plan to log in." I could hear occasional hissing as she spoke, perhaps from smoking. "The matter with that boy is settled. Where are you now?"

Jing Shen's breathing stopped for a moment.

She hurriedly grabbed her phone and said:

"!?! How is Himegami now?!"

"...I'm a pain to be a perfectionist. That was my first time performing a healing spell using an unfamiliar method, so it's impossible for everything to go smoothly. To be honest, I don't want to use that kind of spell again. I was just referencing what I learned as a novice, carefully trying to find the magical meaning contained in those ambiguous words, and then organizing them into a healing spell. It was like walking a tightrope. I was constantly sweating, wondering when I would be dragged into something out of control, and I'm still shaken by it."

Tyr said unhappily.

The fact that such a proud woman would say that indicates that it was a rather dangerous act.

Jing Shen felt a heavy weight sinking into his abdomen.

"In short, I've reinforced her blood vessels to increase blood flow and eased his pain signals, bringing him out of shock. Now it's the doctors' turn... The paramedics are quite confident; they've heard there's a remarkable doctor at a nearby hospital who seems to perform even better in the most serious situations."

The voice sounded quite embarrassed.

It's like when a thug rescues a stray kitten on the street, and then it's seen by ordinary people.

"you……"

"Huh? What's that listless voice? I've told you so many times, I can't possibly get along with someone like you... Waaaaah!!"

*Thump!* An alarming sound came from the other end of the phone.

The voices other than Tyr's.

"Waaaah! Teacher hasn't thanked you yet! Waaaaahhhhhhh!! If you weren't here, Himekami... Himekami would—!!"

"Stop...stop!! Why are you crying and hugging me?! And I didn't guarantee I could cure him. If I can't restore his strength, he'll just collapse again...Do you hear me?!"

With her ear pressed against the phone, Jing Shen secretly worried that Little Meng, who seemed to be clinging to the magician, would one day be burned to a crisp. However, Tyr was unexpectedly unable to use her full power. It seemed that she would become hesitant and restrained whenever the other party was a little boy.

Not wanting to discuss magic battles in detail in front of Teacher Xiaomeng, Jingshen casually said "We'll talk about it later" and was about to hang up, but—

"Contact Tsuchimikado."

Amidst the stalemate, Tyr said the following:

"She seems to have gotten some clues. I'll go to her place after I shake off this guy."

Tsuchimikado is located in a corner of the 7th school district.

This is the place where the goddess of purity and her class monitor first met Oriana.

This is an ordinary main street. Large department stores line the area, and gas cylinder-shaped security robots move along the sidewalks, weaving through the rotor blades of wind turbines. Students in gym uniforms pass by as usual, but onlookers in casual clothes stop to look at the robots. It's a common, ubiquitous spot, but also one where it's easy to get lost.

The tattered gym uniform had been replaced, and the bandages underneath were no longer visible. Even so, they couldn't hide her bloodless complexion. Despite the absence of wind, her body swayed, and her breathing was unnaturally shallow and rapid. And Lv.0's lack of physical regeneration could at most repair damaged blood vessels. Even so, without such abilities, she should have collapsed long ago, right?

Even in this state, Haruka Tsuchimikado still stood in a corner under the bright sun.

The reason is very simple: she still has things to do.

(After actually confirming it with my own feet like this...)

Tsuchimikado looked at the airships and hot air balloons floating in the blue sky:

(...I've learned quite a bit, meow. So that's why Oriana risked walking the streets?)

She is a practitioner skilled in Onmyōdō, a major school of Japanese magic.

Although it uses the terms "Yin and Yang," the techniques to be learned are numerous, including feng shui, divination, alchemy, incantations, prayer, calendrical science, and water clocks, with diverse purposes and directions. The true skill of the Yin-Yang school lies in managing everything, from methods of time calculation to the survival of nations.

Tsuchimikado's specialty is feng shui, but her knowledge extends far beyond that.

You'll understand if you just look at the sky.

The sky was partially obscured by the deep green leaves of the roadside trees, but that had nothing to do with this.

By simply confirming today's date and coordinates, she can see which stars are currently positioned in the blue sky. Even without using a celestial globe or astrological chart, she can accurately align the positions of the constellations with the knowledge she already possesses in her mind.

(If it's a banned book index, even without looking at the sky to confirm, you could probably guess the answer just by hearing the words, meow...)

Tsuchimikado thought to himself with a wry smile.

The idea of ​​trying to compete with that boy using sheer knowledge is flawed in itself.

Regardless, she rallied and came to a conclusion.

(I see... Meow. Using constellations... that seems to be the right answer. It seems that, based on the autumn constellations, meow... no matter from any location... one can interpret certain constellations with the exact same magical meaning... that's the effort the other party put in... Ouch.)

Tsuchimikado twisted his face and pressed his side, sorting out his thoughts one by one.

Following the path Oriana had taken, she learned something.

No matter where you look at the starry sky, it looks the same.

At first glance, it seems like a self-evident theory, but things change when you include the meaning of magic.

Chapter 360 Dilemma

Chapter 360

What we call constellations are, frankly, just a temporary appearance as seen from Earth. The stars appear to be aligned, but this is merely an illusion created by the concept of distance. To put it extremely, the constellations as seen from Earth would look completely different.

In a more precise sense, if you observe a constellation from slightly different locations, the constellation will appear "slightly" distorted. This is a change imperceptible to the naked eye. Therefore, many novice sorcerers who misinterpret constellations fall into chaos. This is the reason why Greek and Egyptian sorcerers, seeking to harness the power of the stars, built enormous temples in pursuit of more precise observatories.

The starry sky itself is not rare; it's a resource that anyone can utilize. However, the preparations for receiving the power of constellations are quite time-consuming, which is a characteristic of constellation-based techniques. While Tsuchimikado previously stated that "constellations can be used in various techniques," each technique requires the separate construction of observatories. This is similar to the concept of polytheistic Greece establishing separate temples for "war gods" and "guardian gods."

Even so, the three or four observatories that Tsuchimikado bypasses today all serve the same purpose.

(This is no coincidence, meow. In other words—it can be confirmed that Oriana and Lidovia used the autumn constellation to activate "Apostle Cross"...)

Tsuchimikado looked at the vast sky before him.

She squinted through her sunglasses.