Chương 4: Goldsmithing Stars

"Gold is always a reliable way to manufacture spellware," Xanax's Simulacrum responded upon hearing Nolotl's inquiry.

"It is a soft and pliable metal, but magically tough and conductive, so it should do the trick. Personally, I will use Deep Ebony for my experiments and ritual for the coming alignment, but you would not be able to get your hands on a nugget of it, let alone buy it." Nolotl frowned at the mention of the legendary metal.

"You have gotten your hands in Deep Ebony?"

"It has been quite the difficult search, but yes," the archmagi chuckled. Xanax didn't mind Nolotl's informality as they currently weren't student and teacher talking, but fellow seekers of truth.

"Apparently some mermen found a vein in the Bottomless Deeps at the other side of Lon, and even with that knowledge in hand, I was only able to get a ball the size of your palm. At least it was pure metal."

"Is it as heavy as they say?" There were many questions Nolotl had about the elusive metal. Was it as rare as advertised? Could it truly hold unlimited energy inside? But the most childish question came out of his lips.

"That and more!" Xanax jovially responded.

"Can you extend your hand and open your mind?" The gnosiamancer could guess where this was going. Not many people would allow an archmagi to run rampant in their minds, but he trusted Xanax. It wasn't as if he couldn't brute force his way into the prince's mind if he wanted. As he extended his palm, Nolotl felt a force pulling it down, as if he was holding the very metal. This was, of course, a crude mental illusion.

Unlike Light ones, Information illusions could 'interact' with the world, or more exactly, make the target of the spell think they could. Light was infinitely more physical than thoughts after all. A moment later that thought of weight materialized into a sphere of pure black metal. This was still an illusion, just a more elaborated one.

"Oof," Nolotl wasn't exactly physically weak, but his biceps suffered from the imaginary weight.

"How heavy is this?"

"Deep Ebony is twice as dense as lead, so a ball this size weighs around… 150 kilograms?" Nolotl's eyeballs almost shot from their orbits.

"Why do I still have a hand?"

"I lessened the effect of the illusion so you could keep it," the projection said with a smile, though it was mostly hidden by Xanax's wizened beard.

"This damned ball has broken one desk already. I need the help of topomancers to move it because you cannot directly affect it with magic as it absorbs it, so the best next solution is distorting either the space or gravity around it." Whilst the logistics of manipulating heavy and antimagic items were interesting, Nolotl was more concerned with the muscles on his arm tearing themselves apart because they thought they were holding the weight of the world in his hand.

"Could you, erhm, dispel the illusion?" The prince asked the Simulacrum.

"Oh, sure. I apologize." A second later the pain and weight were gone. Nolotl motioned his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly, and swayed his arm around to check for any actual damage. Fortunately, there was none. Only sore muscles.

"I will be going now, but before I do," the Simulacrum's eyes were lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "I recommend you reading a book called Goldsmithing Stars. It's the notes of an ataxiamancer trying to build a handheld star, but it will give you many insights on enchanting with astromancy in gold."" Goldsmithing Stars?" Nolotl snickered at the stupid-sounding title, but before he was done with his words, the archmagi had already disappeared from the hall.

"Pulsars!" He cursed in mild annoyance.

"Can't wait to be able to turn that spell around on him..." Nothing stopped him from learning the Simulacrum spell right now. As advanced as the spell was, he could probably demand a copy of the framework with his Empyrean status, but he had more important things to do. Namely, focusing on the coming alignment. He had already lost too much time as of late with side projects that even his progression level was precariously low, making him the weakest of the Empyreans by far.

The seminar had left his brain a bit mushed, therefore putting his body in a lethargic state, so this time when he went to pick up the book, Nolotl remained in the Archives. The librarians were only useful to those who weren't gnosiamancers as he only needed a simple divination to find the book in question, not even a fully-fledged spell, just a cantrip as the local Cognition was rich and well-documented thanks to the librarians. He was greatly pleased to find that the book was only a pamphlet.

Well, a 50-page long diary, but that was basically a pamphlet when compared with the murder weapons they were forced to learn in the Information Tower. Gnosiamancy was perhaps the easiest branch of magic, but every individual spell required a perfect understanding of its inner workings unlike other branches that allowed winging spells with instinct. Huh, this is a spellware manufacturing manual. When Xanax had said the ataxiamancer meant to build a handheld star, he meant it.

The diary expounded on the details of how to create a structure—a hollow sphere of gold with a small opening at the front—to contain a star. According to the author, creating a star wasn't difficult by any means. The trick was in impeding it from collapsing or exploding. In case that one of those scenarios came to light, the spellware would lead the star to collapse harmlessly instead of frying anyone in the vicinity.

Nolotl couldn't comprehend why anyone would want a handheld star—he could get behind a normal star, but a handheld one? —but by all accounts, the blueprints made sense. He wasn't an ataxiamancer, but his knowledge of astromancy was greater than most, and whilst his experience was more on divination than unbalanced star-making, that knowledge told him that the spellware should work. Okay, so most of the enchantments are for the purposes of containing a star.

The Empyrean meditated as he lazily skipped through the pages after having read all the contents of the diary. But the enchantments of the opening device… that's where the meat is. The blueprints showed the drawing of a somewhat lantern-like object, with the opening frontal section being the equivalent of a lantern's light. Not only does it need the opening part to let escape a mere fraction of the star but contain the whole from overwhelming it. These security locks are exactly what I am looking for.

He grabbed ink and paper from the Archives and started scribbling notes, inspiration striking him. Most considered gnosiamancy to be boring and tedious, but all those critiques didn't even reach the Empyrean's ears whenever he found something worth dissecting. Knowledge was a beautiful thing, especially when manually unraveling the insides of the beast called the unknown. It was this streamlined, laser focus that made Nolotl dedicate four whole days to making these security measures.

Yet again, side projects being the bane of his productivity. The desk at his alcove was full of notes and scribbles, books were littered on the ground, and many desecrated artifacts were broken and separated into two bowls classified by their gold contents.

"Simulation test of compiled spellware failure," Nolotl announced in a monotone and methodical manner. There was a reason why many enchanters were gnosiamancers even if enchanting was the generic school of Arcane as he was able to send a signal to the enchantment that it would make it interpret as if the spell framework it was connected to had failed, virtually testing it before the whole system was finished, allowing him to test individual modules.

The small inscription on the gold plate shone when Nolotl sent the signal, and the paper that was next to it burned.

"Nice!" He fist-bumped at the sight of flames.

"The mana has been redirected to the paper fuse successfully!" Suffering a short-circuit whilst one was mentally connected to a spell was a big no-no, so being able to shovel all that load to a piece of paper as a sacrifice was a must. Thanks to hot-point pens, engraving in soft metals like gold was easy, and gnosiamancy provided him with spells to steady his pulse along with his tattoos, so it hadn't been hard to prepare the plate.

The same couldn't be said for the multiple hours of learning he dedicated these last days. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Now, I've got a sure-fire fuse, but I still lack the most important component: something to use it with." Nolotl rested the back of his head on his chair.

"Yeah, perhaps I should have found a ritual before even testing the safety features…" Wandering minds were truly the bane of gnosiamancers.

"I need to search for difficult rituals, if dangerous, better." He had gone overboard with security measures, so he would do his best to strain them. With any luck, that wouldn't come to bite him in the face.

"We are talking about an increase of Alignment in the hundreds of times for nine seconds, so if I can get a ritual on my hands that is either a powerful spell that I can study after it has been cast or a permanent enchantment, I'll be set." Of course, his sights were set on the latter. Permanent enchantments like his tattoos were expensive and didn't provide much in terms of augmentation. At least the safe ones.

But the total celestial alignment would provide not once in a lifetime chance, but once in a star's lifespan chance.

"Permanent enhancement ritual, difficult and dangerous…" He pondered his options… and came empty.

"Eh, I don't know why I bother. I'll ask Xanax this afternoon." The prince continued to experiment with goldsmithing until the promised hour came, then he calmly attended the seminar. The Information Tower's master truly had a way to overload one's mind with his explanations, even if today's lesson had focused on the upcoming alignment.

Which positions were better to observe it, what sectors to focus on during the total and partial alignment, and of course, to not look directly at the sky during the event as it would be a total eclipse amplified tenfold if not more in potency.

"Quite the interesting trinket," Xanax commented once Nolotl sought him out and showed him his work during these days.

"It is fast on activation; I will give you that. Unless you intend to suck all the power from the heavens, it will be more than enough during the celestial conjunction for all intents and purposes." The Simulacrum touched the plate and displaced it with his fingers. Nolotl couldn't help but wonder how it was interacting with the Physicality. A being of pure information could only affect the Cognition, so it meant there was something else in play.

But that was a question for later, what mattered now was the coming alignment.

"Master Xanax," the Empyrean formally referred to him and the archmagi stopped playing with the gold plate.

"I found myself unable to decide what ritual to perform during the total celestial alignment. I am aware that I should perform a difficult and dangerous one thanks to the mythical opportunity and the security measures I have taken, but I do not know of any ritual that would fulfill those metrics."

"Well, it highly depends on what type of enhancement you are looking for," the Simulacrum clarified.

"Of course, an enchantment to your body based in Life is no longer possible as that spot is taken by your tattoos, but if I were to offer one that is nondescript and objectively useful in every scenario, the Second Mind ritual may be just what you are looking for."

"Hmm…" Nolotl hummed in thought.

"I have heard of it before. Are the rumors about the ritual true?"

"I cannot know which rumors you have heard, but they are most likely true. Both good and bad," Xanax admitted.

"It is a ritual that is deeply rooted in the mind, so any… setback may be prejudicial at best. Not even Resistance to Cognitive Harm helps in those cases. But the positive outcomes lead to the most knowledge-hungry to try the ritual either way." A spellcircle and a projection of a brain manifested on the palm of the projection. The framework was a bit complex, but with a quick glance Nolotl could tell how closely the ritual worked with the mind. Far more than he had expected."

Second Mind is more literal than most might think. It truly boosts the mind's computation capabilities by a whopping 100%, literally creating a second brain capable of thought." The student understood why people would risk such a ritual.

"Normally with these types of rituals you would wait until you were at the apex of your capabilities to make the base number as big as possible as that mind will remain mostly static in size unlike its Boon counterpart. But unlike body rituals, at your age your mind should already be fully developed." Some would argue that the mind could be trained, but findings in gnosiamancy found that the brain—between most races—tended to not deviate from form.

This meant that once fully developed, the only real changes were neuronal pathways, rather than more presence of grey matter. After all, unlike the muscles in extremities or the torso, the brain had no capacity to expand outward. The cranium was its protector alongside its cage. With this in mind, Nolotl processed Xanax's suggestion.

"Duplicating my mental capabilities truly sounds appetizing, but are you sure I can realize this ritual alone? I have heard even archmagi have trouble with it."

"If there was one student that could perform Second Mind flawlessly, it would be you, Nolotl Xocoyotzin," Xanax the Wise expressed with the might of a Tower Master.

"Your Alignment will be severely boosted during the total celestial alignment, you have a failsafe more secure and complex than I have seen even in the work of my peers, and you also are familiar with astromancy, right?" Nolotl nodded even if it was a rhetorical question.

"In a way, you are more qualified for the celestial alignment than me. The only thing that I can provide counsel with is the ritual framework." Nolotl's focus on divination and astromancy was normally seen as a waste of time—especially because he didn't dual-wield Light and Information like real astromancers did—but for the first time in his life, the total celestial alignment presented the opportunity to validate his choices.

"That would be more than enough, yes." The Empyrean slightly bowed. Of course, he was highly qualified in the art of dealing with the stars and the cosmos but boasting that knowledge in front of one of the most capable gnosiamancers of the world was foolish. Nolotl wielded ancestral knowledge, but as the student he was, he had yet to fully comprehend it all.

The archmagi sent him away as the Second Mind ritual wasn't something that could be given freely, not by virtue of being a forbidden spell, but out of safety as the failure rate was high. For the time being, Nolotl went to his room and took a nap. Sleep was always elusive when his mind thought as fast as it did, and exhaustion was rapidly catching up with him.

He forced his body to catch up on to the lack of sleep as the time for the alignment was nearing—less than seven weeks remaining—and he needed to be at the top of his mental faculties. Later on the day, or more exactly the next one, a student knocked on his door at two in the morning. Unsurprisingly, the woman sported copious bags under her eyes." Tower Master Xanax asked me to bring you this tome," the gnosiamancer's voice was shallow and faint, yet sweetly harmonious.

She was way older than most gnosiamancers he was used to seeing by virtue of the woman not being a student. A postgraduate or perhaps even a teacher.

"Thank you so much," Nolotl reached for the book, but as he pulled, the woman didn't let go of the item.

"Is there something wrong?"

"You are the Empyrean of Information, right?" The volume on the woman's voice was inconsistent, even if she didn't stutter as such. Yet. But what was in Nolotl's mind was how a gnosiamancer didn't know who he was.

"Are you a postgraduate by any chance?" He inquired.

"Enala Pril." The woman bowed. Perhaps it was the gesture, but once Enala's dead and tired eyes disappeared from Nolotl's line of sight, he noticed the woman wasn't exactly bad looking. She possessed a jet-black mane that almost rivaled Cillin's and contrasted a lot with her pale white skin. Still, Nolotl preferred women with more color in their skin and life in their eyes.

And just like Cillin, Enala wore the tower's uniform, which was only composed of a shirt with a sleeveless linen doublet on top and a long brown skirt.

"Postgraduate of the Information Tower and enchantress of printing presses," the gnosiamancer finished her introduction.

"I see," the Empyrean added as he peered into Enala's deadened cyan eyes.

"Printing presses are quite the uncharted field, are they?"

"We are still ironing out the k-kinks, yes." When a gnosiamancer started stuttering, you had to worry about their health.

"Right now, we are only using them for the standardized Alignment sheets b-b-because it is hard to make different designs and patterns, but our hope is that w-we will be able to print books en masse in the near future."

"What can I do for you then, Miss Pril?" Nolotl politely asked as he feared that if the conversation prolonged, the woman would faint on his doorstep. It wouldn't be the first time a gnosiamancer did. This month.

"This is the framework for the Second Mind ritual, am I wrong?" Alright, she didn't stutter now, that's good.

"Indeed." He affirmed.

"Uooough…" And that's bad. What in the cosmos was that?

"Are you alright, Miss Pril?"

"F-fresh as a babe," said the walking undead.

"Is that all you wanted to inquire about?" Nolotl did his best to send the woman away. She was nearing a seizure or a stroke; he could tell it." Tower Master Xanax doesn't tru-uh-st me with the spell, even though I am more than qualified," she spoke, making Nolotl wonder if she was even hearing herself.

"So I was w-wondering it if you could lend me the book once you are done with it. I w-will be the one return it in any case."

"You are asking me to go against the decision of an Archmagi and Tower Master."

"You are t-the Empyrean of Information," Enala said as a matter of fact.

"You could yourself recommend the book to me."

"Even if I did," which I don't want to, he left unsaid, "there's nothing in it for me. What can you provide me with, enchantress?"

"I c-can give you my b-bo-body," she said without blinking and portraying a disturbing smile. That proposition instantly made him scowl. It's always the same shit; he gritted his teeth. It wasn't few the times he had been called a manwhore for the simple fact of the clothes he wore. Clothes that had significant religious and cultural meaning. And most disregarded them as skimpy clothing. Perhaps he wasn't the best priest around, but that still made his blood boil without exception.

"Okay…" Nolotl elongated the last syllable, trying his best from controlling his bestial side as it urged him to rip that woman's throat out from such an insult to everything he stood for.

"Miss, I fear I must show you out. And please, visit a physician." The Empyrean snatched the book from the clearly unstable gnosiamancer. If he had learned something from the foreign cultures was that they valued their body and chastity more than in Tezlan, so having a clearly celestial-bred woman sell her body like that meant that she wasn't in a right state of mind, no matter if she considered him a manwhore or not.

"W-wait!" Enala reached for him and the book, but Nolotl closed the door right in her face. Before he could hear a single word from the woman, he disconnected from the Cognition and cast a sound-dampening abjuration cantrip on the door, as much mana as it cost him. The diviner heard some cries at first, but they quickly faded. Perhaps the woman had collapsed on the floor from exhaustion, but he couldn't bother to care.

"What an awful way to start what should have been such a wonderful day…" Nolotl scowled before sitting in his desk and pouring himself into the blueprint of the Second Mind ritual. There were three things Nolotl Xocoyotzin hated above all else: misinformation, speeches of right and wrong, and libidinous people.