Translator: SumTLMan
Although the sweet spring nourished inspiration——
What in the world had Maya just seen?!
In a lush forest, a flower fairy sang by the lake in melodious tones!
While she couldn’t pinpoint the forest’s location, there was no real need to determine it anyway; it was just another meaningless fragment!
To label it “meaningless” might be a bit hasty, as, after all, it’s a glimpse of the future and, in some way, a piece of data. For an apprentice of prophecy, more data aids growth; however, for Maya, such information is like bland food, offering no nourishment to a truly extraordinary being.
Resigned, Maya continued to watch the star map above her.
As time passed, she felt like a trash can, her mind crammed with pointless fragments. Most were like the “flower fairy’s song,” devoid of value or interest.
Occasionally, a fragment would catch her attention.
For instance, she saw a corner of a city unlike any she had experienced, seemingly from a completely different world.
Maya paused to ponder this city. But the future’s fragments offered scant details, and she could only shake her head and dismiss it from her mind.
There was another fragment, still of a city, but this one was filled with fantastical beasts. A man in formal attire knelt before a lady in a white gown, amidst the cheering and howling of the mythical creatures, conducting a magnificent and beautiful proposal ceremony.
Maya’s interest was not in the outcome of the proposal but in this city brimming with mythical beasts. She had never seen such a spectacle before; it was as if the fantastical beasts had become citizens.
Although these two fragments slightly caught Maya’s attention, they did not truly capture her interest. She didn’t know when these events took place or where this otherworldly city and the city of mythical beasts were; even if she knew, they didn’t seem to have any particularly valuable appeal.
Thus, these glimpses of the future were as good as unseen.
She would rather watch the Drama Shadow Box that Liana brought her from Sky Mechanical City; at least the stories in the box were more complete and tragically beautiful.
Maya sighed. She still hadn’t received any valuable information, and even after the Star Observing Day ended, she had no prophecy fragments worth sharing with others.
This made her somewhat embarrassed, as her nickname was “Measure the Stars,” specializing in celestial prophecies. The Mystery of Starlight perfectly suited her strengths, but if she gained nothing, she would feel not just unable to explain to Rhine but also profoundly disappointed.
Facing the stars, Maya knew she must not be impetuous.
Once again, she forcibly calmed her slightly emotional heart and looked up at the stars drifting above her.
This time, Maya didn’t immediately feel inspired but traversed through the dense stars until her thoughts collided with a particularly bright one.
After a burst of brilliance, Maya saw a fragment.
When she saw the scene in the fragment, her heart suddenly began to beat faster.
After experiencing many inexplicable Future Fragments, this time, she finally saw a scene related to the Savage Grottoes!
Under the dimming sunset, the serene Snow Agate River was bathed in a blush, its shimmering ripples like a cape of red clouds draped over this melting ice river spanning the Paramjit Plateau.
However, the red glow that dusk draped over the Snow Agate River suddenly marred by a shadowy blemish at one moment.
Looking up, it was a steam airship, clanking with the sound of its motors, spewing copious white smoke from a dozen chimneys, sweeping across the sky above the Snow Agate River, casting a shadow over the river’s surface.
Maya recognized this nearly derelict steam airship; it was from the sky port in Windmill Town. Judging by its flight direction, it seemed to be heading toward the entrance chasm of the Savage Grottoes.
However, Maya didn’t know what this scene meant.
While Maya was puzzled, the fragment kept flickering, and her gaze reached the high skies, observing the situation atop the steam airship.
On an open deck of the steam airship, a youth, his right hand tightly wrapped in bandages and clad in a tattered black cloak, was surrounded by a group of people, both men and women. They were saying something to the youth.
Judging from their lip movements, it was likely no kind words, probably berating the young man.
Maya could see that the youth’s eyes carried a mix of grievance and fear, yet his expression contradicted his inner emotions, showing an indifferent front, extending his right hand, defiantly taunting the crowd.
It seemed his right hand held a secret. The people surrounding him hesitated for a moment before stepping back a few paces.
When a young man was slightly proud, the door to the open-air platform was pushed open, and a girl who looked as thin as a paper figure walked out. She came among the crowd with a cold face, ignoring everyone, and walked directly to the railing, her gaze solemnly looking into the distance.
After the girl appeared, the people around seemed to have seen a demon, all showing fear. After whispering to each other for a moment, they quickly left the open-air platform.
For a time, only the oddly emotional young man and the silent girl remained on the platform.
Suddenly, the scene began to disintegrate. Maya understood that this segment was fading away. She opened her eyes and returned from the future to the present.
Maya’s expression was slightly odd.
This segment, rare as it was, seemed related to the Paramjit Plateau and the Savage Grottoes, but it didn’t seem to have anything to do with Angel and the Bud matter.
Maya could tell that the people on the open-air platform were all mortals, or rather, mortals with talents.
They seemed to be heading for the Savage Grottoes.
So, most likely, these young men and women were the new talents who would eventually enter the Savage Grottoes.
With this thought, Maya rubbed her temples in some annoyance.
Talented individuals are indeed important, forming the foundation for the development of a wizard organization. But seeing this now was meaningless; knowing in advance who the next generation of talents was couldn’t lead to an early selection, unless they possessed the gift of prophecy. And those with the gift of prophecy wouldn’t be contended for by other wizards in the Savage Grottoes, because currently, only Maya was a prophecy witch qualified to take on prophecy apprentices.
So after watching, Maya’s expression was so strange. It was rare for a future segment related to the Savage Grottoes to appear, yet it still held no value.
Maya pondered: “Well, at least it shows that my Star Observing is progressing and starting to relate to the Savage Grottoes. Perhaps next time, my wishes will come true.”