Chapter 98

Some hours later, the girls finished adjusting the images from the staff, ending up with a long list containing information about all the changes each star underwent to match the real images of the night sky.

"Well, I think with this we can determine that the star charts are not deliberately deformed, but are actually slight changes caused by different viewpoints," Elara commented with a concentrated expression while analyzing the data list on a holographic screen.

"Yes, it seems so; there are exactly 4 different viewpoints. I suppose we will have to calculate the distance between these points using our current position as a reference…" Liliana sighed a little tiredly as she made the magic teapot prepare tea again and took out a couple of desserts from her storage ring.

"I guess the palace is located at the intersection of these four points, so let's not wait any longer; let's find the place."

With excited smiles on their faces, the girls immediately began to calculate the observation points of the different star charts. But since all they had was a very rough and basic map of the area, when they finally found the meeting point, they realized they had no idea what the area was like.

"It seems we'll be in uncharted territory… this will be problematic…" Elara commented a bit worriedly, to which Zoe responded with a light sigh.

"We have no choice; sending a scout could alert the other participants. Plus, we are short on numbers; we must be extremely careful."

"I guess that's the only thing we can do. How troublesome."

With Liliana's words, all the ladies sighed annoyed while trying to calm their mood by drinking from their tea cups, then doing some more checks to make sure they hadn't made any mistakes in their calculations.

In the midst of verifications, midnight arrived, so Zoe took the staff and, along with the girls, left their portable shelter and headed towards the common living room. There, they found Ethan in the company of the other three students, chatting while drinking what seemed to be coffee.

"Good evening, everyone." Zoe was the first to greet, causing all the young people in the place to stand up from their seats and greet her respectfully.

"Good evening, Disciple Laverne, Disciple Faye, and Disciple Belmonte."

"Good evening" x 3

"Well, tonight we're going out, so I hope you prepare everything necessary. You have 15 minutes; disperse."

With a serious and authoritative tone, Zoe ordered the present ones, who felt a bit confused as they looked at each other, but quickly complied with the order and ran to their own shelters to prepare all their equipment. After all, they couldn't afford to have several gigantic storage rings like the direct disciples, so they stored much of their equipment in their shelters.

On the other hand, Ethan stayed in his place just as confused as the other students, so he couldn't resist the urge and asked.

"Companions disciples, isn't it safer to send a sentinel to take pictures of the sky and then analyze them? Also, I don't think it's a good idea to take the staff out at this moment..."

"Hehehe, you're right," Elara commented with a smile as, in front of her, a small flame formed words in the air. (We've already solved the riddle, but we suspect we have a traitor, so we don't want to alert them).

Ethan read the message, a bit confused by the suspicions of traitors, but wisely chose to remain silent and simply nodded his head in understanding. Fifteen minutes later, the group gathered again, now fully equipped and ready for combat, so without saying more, they walked towards the exit of the shelter.

After Zoe used the artifact to cover the entrance to the shelter again, the group continued walking through the cave, illuminated by a sphere of light above them. After walking for a while, they reached a large crack in one of the cave walls, which, despite reaching from the ceiling to the floor, was so thin that no person could fit through it.

Upon reaching the place, Liliana stepped forward with a wooden staff with detailed runes carved in her hand, which softly lit up, and soon after the crack widened enough for two people to pass side by side without feeling cramped.

Following Liliana, the group entered the crevice, which immediately closed after the last person entered, erasing any trace of activity in the area. After walking through the tunnel for a while, the group arrived at a large circular area with six arched entrances leading to different tunnels, where Elara pointed to a specific one, and they continued on their way.

The group continued walking through tunnels, encountering several intersections along the way, where Elara always chose the path, until they reached a dead end. Upon arriving at the spot, Zoe stood in front of the group and announced in a serious voice.

"Now we will enter stealth mode; we will move together at all times; remember to stay alert." After everyone present nodded in understanding, a magical circle and many runes surrounded the group, making them invisible and difficult to detect.

After making sure everything was in order, Liliana quickly waved the wooden staff in her hand, causing the wall in front of them to deform, creating an ascending staircase, which the group took, reaching the surface after some time.

Upon reaching the surface, the group found themselves in a jungle area, filled with impressive, vibrant trees. However, the group didn't waste time admiring the landscape and quickly took out their flying artifacts and rose into the air. Liliana, meanwhile, closed the hole in the ground through which they had emerged, returning the terrain to its original form as if there had never been a huge, stair-shaped hole in it.

The group spent some time in the air, always alert for possible pursuers, passing through different biomes — deserts, jungles, snow-covered areas, etc. Until they arrived at a beautiful natural canyon, with steep rocky walls composed of layers and layers of rocks in a myriad of beautiful colors, a record of the geological history of the planet Eryndor.

The beautiful natural canyon was decorated with all sorts of brightly colored vegetation, as well as a small, crystal-clear stream running at the bottom. Which brought life to the scene and created a beautiful contrast with the earthy and gray tones of the impressive canyon.

After the girls confirmed their position, the group began to study the terrain attentively, and soon after, they found a crack in one of the canyon's walls, prompting Zoe to quickly order entry into it. Passing through the crevice, the group found themselves in a not very large natural cave, which was dimly lit by luminescent stalactites on the floor and ceiling.

Once inside, Zoe took out the magical artifact used to open the shelter and activated it, causing a light to scan the entire cave. Shortly thereafter, the crack through which they had entered closed, erasing any trace that it ever existed.

As the only source of light was sealed, the place was enveloped in darkness, so Liliana created a new sphere of light that reached the ceiling. Meanwhile, without a word, Zoe activated the staff in her hand full of expectation, from which a single holographic screen emitted, no longer displaying a star chart but a written message, which she instinctively knew only she could see.

(Select up to 9 companions)

A beautiful smile adorned Zoe's face as she read the message, so she quickly selected in her mind the people around her, causing the message on the screen to change and now showing.

(Prepare for teleportation in 5 seconds)

Without hesitating for a single second, Zoe informed her companions with a serious expression.

"Prepare for teleportation."