As the prompt appeared, a stream of energy cool as brook water flowed through Ron’s entire body, taking away the mental fatigue and tension.
The connection gradually weakened and eventually broke completely.
The starry sky returned to its normal state, that sense of distortion and dimensionality vanished as if it never existed.
Ron slowly opened his eyes and found himself still standing on the balcony, his clothes soaked in cold sweat.
"Within certain limits, the adventure’s effect isn’t bad..." he sensed the change in the magic power within him.
The magic pool not only expanded faster than usual, but its quality also had a subtle improvement, as if infused with a more refined energy.
The harvest wasn’t limited to this; he felt a deeper understanding of the "Hermit Star," as if he had established a more solid bridge between his spirit and the starry sky.
["Star Eater’s Ravings" (Mastery) Experience Points + 1]
["Star Eater’s Ravings" (Mastery) Experience Points + 1]
[Current Progress: "Star Eater’s Ravings" (Mastery 23/500)]
At the current rate, in a week or two, he could light up the first star node symbolizing the "Hermit Star,"
achieving the first phase breakthrough of the Morning Star Level and gaining the special astrological effect granted by the "Hermit Star."
Ron calmed his disordered breathing and began contemplating another question:
Since the Astrologer’s astrology can establish a connection with the Meditation Technique’s "Star Projection" trait,
then can the Historian’s historical research skills produce a linkage effect with his current system?
This thought, once born, spread like wildfire, unstoppable.
The Historian and Astrologer are theoretically regarded as two ancient professions that complement each other.
One peers into the past, the other gazes at the starry sky, and only their combination can reveal the full picture of the universe.
Eve’s words still echoed in his mind:
"History is not just a mere record of past events, but active nodes in the river of time..."
Ron walked to his desk and sat down, taking out the booklet Eve had given him from the shelf.
He perused its contents once again and meticulously studied the foundational techniques about historical sensing.
Different from traditional methods like archaeological excavations or literature verification, historians use a more mysterious sensing method:
Directly contacting "historical nodes" to acquire pure historical information.
"If improper methods are used, it can easily attract the attention of Time Hounds."
He began to calculate carefully:
"The key is how to maximize benefits while keeping risks within acceptable limits."
Ron’s gaze swept across the various collections and research materials in the study, suddenly stopping at a small box in the corner.
Inside it were a few "rare artifacts" he had collected.
A bold hypothesis formed in his mind:
Perhaps, the skills of historical research could help him unearth deeper secrets within these artifacts?
"Rare artifacts" and "Glory Legacy," as their names suggest, carry the imprints of ancient civilizations.
If through the techniques of historical research, he could directly "read" the historical information contained within these items, wouldn’t he be able to glimpse their true origins and potential functions?
Once the thought started, it was irrepressible.
Ron swiftly took out a few rare artifacts he had collected from the box:
The Pocket Watch of the Time Guardian, Thousand Transformations, and the Stand-In Puppet.
After pondering for a moment, he decided to start with the Stand-In Puppet.
Compared to the other two, this artifact was noticeably more "young," and perhaps it would be easier to sense the historical information within it.
"Historical research requires an ’anchor point’ to connect the observer with specific historical fragments."
Ron recalled the description in the booklet:
"And some antiques themselves are the most ideal anchor points, having personally experienced those past events, they retain the most direct time imprints."
He placed the Stand-In Puppet on the desk, gently placed his right hand on it, and began to adjust his breathing and spiritual waves, attempting to enter the special sensing state described in the booklet.
This state was different from ordinary meditation and from the previous starry link.
It was more like projecting consciousness into the river of time, becoming a pure observer.
At first, there was only a chaotic darkness.
It felt like standing in a starlit deep night, surrounded by an endless void.
Ron maintained patience, continued to deepen his sensing, and slowly, some nebulous images began to emerge in the darkness.
Like bubbles rising slowly underwater, yet extremely unstable, prone to breaking and dissipating with the slightest mishap.
Initially, there were just some scattered fragments:
A dimly lit basement... the hoarse sound of spells... the process of a puppet being carved into shape bit by bit...
Also, that mood filled with malice and greed, clinging to the surface of memories like viscous mud.
As the sensing deepened, these fragments gradually connected, forming more complete scenes.
Ron saw a gaunt old man meticulously carving the puppet under candlelight, chanting spells in a low voice while smearing some kind of black liquid on the joints of the puppet.
His eyes were bloodshot, his body on the verge of collapse, clearly suffering from severe curse rebound.
And this puppet was a tool he created to escape death.
The scene continued to shift, the puppet being injected with a kind of black energy after completion, gaining preliminary vitality.
The image became blurry, as if some force was interfering with the historical sensing.
Ron tried to explore further but felt his intuition beginning to issue a strong warning.