Chapter 895: The Paramel Observatory

The magical static boundary layer… the turbulent layer…

High King wasn’t an expert in these concepts, but he was certainly familiar with them.

Over a thousand years ago, scholars of the Gondor Empire had already begun studying the sky above their heads, compiling a wealth of valuable knowledge. In this world where magic governs all things, these scholars classified the atmosphere into layers based on the magical environment and physical atmospheric structure. Without delving into overly technical or detailed subdivisions, they roughly divided the atmosphere from the ground up into the following layers: the magical static boundary layer, the turbulent layer, the theoretical steady-state limit layer, and the hypothesized outer space.

The magical static boundary layer is the region where nearly all living beings on this planet survive and can access. It extends from the surface up to about thirteen thousand meters. Within this zone, the magical environment is stable, and atmospheric movements are relatively orderly. Whether it’s the realms of mortals or the wild birds and beasts of nature, all are bathed in this gentle, nurturing cradle of magic. Mortal civilizations flourish with their arcane arts, and birds soar freely in the skies.

But above the magical static boundary layer, the planet reveals a different face—the magical energy in the air suddenly intensifies, with readings skyrocketing, turning this region into a “rich zone of energy.” Yet this abundance is turbulent and restless. Ubiquitous magical storms make the turbulent layer extremely dangerous. No mortal can survive to draw magic from this boiling sea of energy—nor can any ordinary bird fly at such altitudes. It is said that only a rare few powerful magical beasts, and legendary dragons, can soar through the turbulent layer, but even they cannot linger for long.

The turbulent layer was the highest point that the mages of the old Gondor Empire could directly observe and “touch” through their technology. Beyond that lies the steady-state limit layer, existing only in scholarly theory.

Ancient scholars believed the entire planet was “immersed” in a high-energy cosmic environment, and that the planet’s magnetic field and magic interacted to form a kind of “protection.” This protective force compressed a thin “shell” at the top of the atmosphere, fiercely resisting the forces of outer space. This created a relentless, violent storm—a boundary of order for the planet, representing the extreme limit of magic that mortals could understand and control. Though the steady-state limit layer might be thin, even legendary dragons found it nearly impossible to breach.

As for the vast “outer space” beyond the steady-state limit layer… even the most advanced scholars of the ancient Gondor Empire could only imagine.

These inherited insights surfaced in High King’s mind, and he couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Even after all these years, even after growing accustomed to life here, the strange rules of this world kept reminding him again and again—this is not Earth, this is not Earth…

“Your Majesty, one day we will solve the mysteries of the turbulent layer,” Kamail, misunderstanding the reason for High King’s sigh, stepped forward eagerly. “The Ley Network and anti-gravity mechanisms have more potential than we imagine. Scholars of the Gondor era faced the limits of flesh and blood and the energy supply issues of the Deep Blue Well at the turbulent layer, but magical technology often proves effective in overcoming such challenges…”

“No, that’s not what I’m sighing about,” High King shook his head, unsure how to explain. After a moment’s thought, he said slowly, “I’m just a bit wistful… We knew so much in the Gondor era…”

“Yes… we were once so glorious… but it all vanished with the magical tide,” Kamail said, his voice tinged with melancholy. “Now, times have changed, and much knowledge has become fragmented, scattered across the world… But thankfully, we’ve managed to collect some of it and made some progress. At least… now I can teach students at the academy every week about what a planet is, what an orbit is—knowledge that was once common in the Gondor Empire is finally being heard again.”

Hearing Kamail’s words, High King raised an eyebrow. “I know Santis invited you to lecture at the school—how’s it going?”

“Outside the lab, my appearance still tends to startle ordinary people—just last week, a gray elf lady jumped out the window when she saw me enter the classroom,” Kamail said with a hint of a smile. “But overall, it’s going well. The students at the Imperial Academy are more eager to learn than I expected. When faced with knowledge… they’re full of curiosity.”

“Curiosity… that’s humanity’s most precious trait,” High King smiled. “As long as there are curious people like that, we will always move forward.”

…

Curiosity—humanity’s greatest treasure.

The sun gradually sank below the horizon, a faint glow tinged with dark red spreading over the rolling hills in the distance, casting its light across the entire Paramel Highlands. Lanterns had been lit throughout the camp, their bright magical crystal lights far outshining any candle from the old days. At this twilight hour, the lights illuminated the whole camp, stretching from the nearby watchtowers all the way to the desk of Morgan Hugo.

The white-haired, gaunt old man slowly ran his fingers over the papers spread out before him, his lips moving silently. Around him, a dozen sheets of draft paper and quills floated in midair, busily performing complex calculations and records. Pale blue runes shimmered between the papers and the desk, the soft scratching of writing echoing gently in the room.

After a while, the flurry of calculations came to a pause. The drafts and quills neatly settled on two wide desks nearby. Morgan Hugo lifted his head and gazed toward the depths of the camp.

Night was falling. Within the lantern-lit camp, piles of materials lay stacked at construction sites alongside partially completed facilities. At the center stood an especially large building frame—a cylindrical main structure whose base and first floor were finished, while the steel framework of the upper floors stood silently against the encroaching darkness. Bright floodlights illuminated the jagged steel skeleton, revealing many moving shadows and construction machinery. The builders were still hard at work, adding flesh to this giant’s bones.

After watching for a moment, Morgan Hugo couldn’t help but smile, the wrinkles on his face gathering into a joyful expression.

Magical technology… truly a marvelous thing.

The old methods of the past would have struggled to erect such a massive structure in such a short time—even if mages themselves had taken part, their need for rest would have made it impossible to match the tireless strength of these machines.

“Master,” a voice interrupted the old mage’s thoughts from behind. “I’ve brought the materials you requested.”

Morgan turned to see a middle-aged mage, his apprentice and assistant, standing at the door. Several neatly organized scrolls floated before him.

“Place them on the second shelf from the left. Don’t mess up the other things,” Morgan said casually. “Also, bring the blueprints from the right desk and hand them over to Mr. Fischer in the camp.”

“Yes, Master.” The middle-aged mage responded immediately and busied himself with the tasks.

“What a wonderful place…” Morgan withdrew his gaze from his apprentice and looked out the window at the night sky. Before the first stars appeared, the master astrologer from Saint Suniel sighed softly. “The sky here is far clearer than in Saint Suniel… After centuries of change, the old royal capital’s sky is no longer as suitable for stargazing. Abandoning it and starting anew here seems the right choice.”

The middle-aged mage, having finished arranging the materials, couldn’t help but speak up. “But… this place is too close to Typhon. I heard there was a conflict here on the Paramel Highlands before. Isn’t it a bit unsafe?”

Morgan Hugo frowned and glanced at his apprentice. “Has your curiosity and spirit of exploration not given you even a shred of courage?”

The middle-aged mage immediately grew nervous. “I… I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Forget it, I understand you,” Morgan scolded lightly, then snorted, his tone softening. “I know you worry about this old bone of mine… but I’m not as useless as you think.”

Shaking his head, the old mage sighed. “It’s true this place is close to the border, and our relations with Typhon have been tense. But this is the best location in the entire southeast region—there’s no other choice.

“Magic envelops the whole planet, and the elemental forces in the atmosphere are carried by magic, creating a ‘polarizing lens effect’ that interferes with our observations. That’s why natural ‘windows’ ideal for stargazing are so precious. No matter how advanced the magic or equipment, they only work at their best when the ‘window’ is right. According to my calculations… this is the perfect window.

“Of course, there are also good windows near White Sand Lake and Frostwind Hills, and observatories will be set up there in the future, but…”

Morgan suddenly smiled, a youthful light shining on his face. “As the country’s finest stargazer, I must stand at the best observatory!”

The white-haired old mage spoke with full pride and confidence—words that might sound arrogant or brash to the uninformed—but the middle-aged apprentice was used to it. He knew his master’s nature. When it came to his specialty, to anything related to the stars, this usually calm and respectable old mage would always be like this.

“At the current pace, the main observatory’s lens assembly should be ready for installation by the end of this month,” the apprentice relaxed with his master’s enthusiasm, recalling the news he’d heard during the day. He smiled and said, “I heard the first batch of enchanted crystals has been roughly polished at Grant’s crystal forging factory and will soon be sent by magical train to Tamdool for fine polishing and rune engraving. The observatory’s primary power spine was assembled yesterday and is currently undergoing… oh, pressure testing. It should be delivered from Kant’s factory next week.”

Hearing the good news, Morgan’s face first broke into a smile, then deepened into a wistful expression. The wrinkles on his face softened as he murmured, “The Empire era…”

The apprentice didn’t catch it at first. “What did you say?”

“Remember the stargazing tower we had in Saint Suniel?”

“Ah, of course,” the apprentice nodded immediately, then showed a hint of regret. “Unfortunately… when the city shield collapsed, the magical surge destroyed all the runes and the mana pool in the tower…”

“Yeah, that old companion has served far too long… It should have been retired many years ago. But back then, every one of us treated those worn-out, patched-up rune stones like precious treasures,” Morgan sighed. “Master Kamail once told me, when he was urging me to leave Saint Suniel, that in this age of magic, I’d see more than just the stars in the sky… Now, I think I finally understand what he meant.”

The apprentice looked on, puzzled.

Clearly, he hadn’t quite grasped it yet.

But soon, the apprentice remembered something else and brightened up. “By the way, Master, I have good news for you.”

“Hm?” Morgan raised an eyebrow. “What news?”

“There’s confirmed word that the Paramel Observatory will receive additional funding—meant to speed up construction on the main building and install more advanced equipment,” the apprentice said, beaming. “They say it was a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor himself…”

“His Majesty the Emperor himself…” Morgan paused, then a slow smile spread across his face. “That’s good news. Very good news indeed…”

(End of chapter)