Chapter 370 : Astral Array
Chapter 370: Astral Array
After stepping out of the library, the cool night breeze allowed Janna’s overloaded brain a brief moment of clarity.
“But before I ask for guidance, I’d better first look up some of the difficult terms in the 《Dragon Language Dictionary》—”
Generally speaking, a formal wizard’s time was extremely precious. If a wizard apprentice wanted to ask a formal wizard questions in private, they had to pay in Academic Credits or in Gold Surrel.
Therefore, whether to save money or out of respect for Professor Uta himself, Janna did not want to trouble him with low-level questions that could clearly be answered just by checking the dictionary.
“It’s time to go back to meditate.”
The moonlight was bright, and the cool wind gently swept across the silent academy. Seeing that no one was around, Janna, wearing her wizard hood, no longer wasted time and walked quickly toward the dormitory.
Autumn passed into winter, and the withered leaves fell. On a mid-November night, Turin finally welcomed this year’s long-awaited first snowfall.
“It’s snowing.”
As dawn broke, Janna awoke from her deep meditation. The very first thing she did was to cast 【Wizard’s Hand】 to open the window and bring in the crystal ball placed on the windowsill.
“Not bad, the energy storage effect is better than I expected.”
Receiving the crystal ball from 【Wizard’s Hand】, the moment her hands touched its surface, a silver-white brilliance burst forth from within. Janna couldn’t help but narrow her eyes slightly against the light.
“It’s just a pity that although using starlight for charging can maximize the protective effect of the 【Astral Array】, the efficiency is far too low.”
After months of tireless effort, Janna finally succeeded in casting the advanced 《Guardian Studies》 witchcraft that Professor Uta had gifted her—【Stellar Guardian】.
In truth, even earlier Janna had already grasped all the principles of 【Stellar Guardian】 thanks to her 【Extraordinary Comprehension】. The reason it took her several months to truly cast it was because the preliminary process of this ritual witchcraft was excessively long.
Not only did she have to spend nearly half a month carving nearly a hundred 【Astral Arrays】 into the crystal ball—the key medium of the ritual—but she also had to spend even longer charging the arrays within the crystal ball before she could properly activate 【Stellar Guardian】.
“Fortunately, although the preparation cycle of this ritual witchcraft is long, once it is ready, it can instantly generate a barrier.”
Unlike normal ritual witchcraft, 【Stellar Guardian】 required no complicated casting process. As long as one recited the chant and made the corresponding gestures, it could be instantly cast.
This was exactly what Janna found most satisfying about it.
“I command you by my will—summon the Celestial Finch.”
Buzz—a milky-white light flashed, and the Celestial Finch, carrying a small cloth bag around its neck, appeared within the Contract Array.
“Aph, how did the task I gave you go?”
“Master, I’ve completed it.”
Saying this, the Celestial Finch, still in its parrot form, placed the cloth bag onto the bed, then dove inside.
A moment later, it rolled out a crystal ball glowing with a milky-white brilliance.
“Well done, Aph.”
Still in her pajamas, Janna sat on the bed. As she felt the purifying power continuously flowing from within the crystal ball, a smile naturally formed on her face. She then picked up the second crystal ball as well.
“Compared to starlight charging, using the Light of Purification as the energy source may not fully match the 【Astral Arrays】 inside, but it suits my current situation perfectly.”
The core principle of 【Stellar Guardian】 was actually to use light energy to construct a barrier space filled with active energy, thereby isolating external forces.
At the same time, since the inspiration for 【Stellar Guardian】 came from the various 【Astral Phenomena】 of the night sky, using starlight as the energy source was the method that could maximize its effectiveness.
Of course, changing the light source would not prevent the barrier from activating. However, it would affect the spell’s attributes and performance.
For instance, if candlelight was used, then because candlelight created a “fire attribute” charging environment, only 【Fire Astral Arrays】 could be charged.
Thus, a crystal ball charged with candlelight would produce a 【Stellar Guardian】 barrier leaning toward the “fire element”. While it might perform surprisingly well against specific energies, its resistance to counter-element attacks would be relatively weaker.
This was precisely why Janna had tasked the Celestial Finch with charging her second crystal ball using its ability to emit the Light of Purification.
Her purpose was to prepare in advance a casting medium for 【Stellar Guardian】 imbued with the attribute of “Holy Light”.
After the enormous crisis that had erupted in Turin last time, Janna had grown even more aware of the strategic importance of purification abilities.
Especially in Turin, where shadow creatures frequently invaded and plagues often spread, a barrier that could not only protect but also purify on a large scale might prove even more effective than a purely defensive 【Stellar Guardian】.
Knock knock knock—
Just as Janna was holding the two crystal balls and deep in thought, a sudden urgent knock on the door broke her concentration.
“Janna, are you awake?”
Hearing the familiar voice outside after the knocking, Janna quickly put away the two crystal balls, dispersed the Contract Power, and sent the Celestial Finch back into the 【Spirit Realm】.
“Vivian, why are you here so early today?”
Opening the door, she saw Vivian, dressed in an icy-blue wizard robe with her silver hair tied into a high ponytail, standing at the entrance holding a takeout bag.
“Of course I came to head to the assessment point with you for the preliminary evaluation. I even brought you breakfast.”
At these words, Janna glanced at the mechanical clock on the wall—it was not even half past six—and sighed helplessly.
“Vivian, I remember today’s preliminary evaluation starts at eight o’clock, and the assessment point is set inside our academy.
You really didn’t need to come this early.”
“I couldn’t help it. It snowed last night, and whenever it snows, I get too excited to sleep—”