Divination

  In the streets of Tianzhong Continent, a joke has been circulating among the people. When those noble divine spellcasters cast their spells, they are not only showcasing the power of the gods but also competing to see who can splurge more money. A simple staff usually requires at least one ordinary divine stone inlaid, and if it's a rare high-grade staff, converting its value into currency would be enough to bury an opponent.

  Amon didn't hand the staff over to Link immediately, but put it away for the time being. He would give it to him as a gift when he left, after Link had become a third-level magician.

  ……

  After the thunder, the heavy rain continued for seven days and seven nights before it finally stopped. The floodwaters reached their highest point, just a few feet away from the lowest part of the city walls of Syria. When the rain finally ceased, the sun broke through the clouds again, and the waters gradually receded, saving the city! Tens of thousands of people cheered, their voices bursting into the sky and echoing on for a long time.

  Ge Lie finally walked down from the city wall, almost exhausting all his magic power. The fingers and joints of the hand holding the staff had turned white, and he couldn't help but want to tremble, but he tried his best to control himself not to show any weakness. At this time, an ordinary person could knock Ge Lie down with just one finger, he found it difficult to walk, but insisted on not being supported by others, taking firm steps back to the temple.

  The people who rushed to the streets cheering saw Ge Lie approaching, and they voluntarily made way for a road. The crowd automatically parted to the left and right like waves, and everyone was shouting: "Thank you, God! Thank you, Enlil's blessing! Thank you, our great godlike mage Ge Lie!"

  The sound in the city was like a mountain call and sea tide, rising and falling one after another. The flood outside the city was receding in the sound waves. Thanking the gods had become a habit, like a natural prefix in pronunciation, everyone shouted out unintentionally, but thanking God was heartfelt, it was the common voice of tens of thousands of people.

  Kor was revered by all before because of his position and achievements, but today he received cheers as if welcoming a divine being, for the first time not only because of his position but also his merits. Whether there is divine protection or not is unclear, let alone seeing it with one's own eyes, but without Kor, the city of Treia would absolutely be lost, this point everyone understands.

  Ge Lie Chao smiled warmly at everyone, looking both humble and noble. He walked slowly but firmly up the long steps into the grand Enril Temple. After disappearing into the shadows of the temple gate, he suddenly stumbled and almost fell over. He reached out to his disciple Hua Leite and said: "Quickly take me to the back and set up a healing divine array, I need to rest properly... For the disaster relief and various matters after the flood recedes, you assist Xiao Mozhou, I appoint you as temporary High Priest, and after a while, please ask the imperial capital to issue a formal appointment."

  The Syrathian Temple, apart from the High Priest Goler, had three other high-ranking priests: Kausman, Jeremiah and Governor Xiao Mo. Jeremiah was killed by Gabriel during the ambush on Lord Dick's convoy, while Kausman was beheaded by Goler for abandoning the city in a time of crisis. If Goler were not present, apart from Governor Xiao Mo, who held a symbolic position as high priest, there would have been no one left to manage the temple, so Goler temporarily appointed his student, Hua Leite, to take charge of the temple.

  The High Priest is the highest position in the city-state of Xyash, aside from the Prime Minister and the Chief Official, requiring a royal appointment. Therefore, Galen can only temporarily appoint Hilarry as the acting High Priest. However, if Hilarry handles the affairs of the city-state and the temple well, it's likely that Galen and Xiao Mo will jointly recommend him to become the official High Priest, leaping from an ordinary divine technician to one of the most respected figures in Xyash.

  Walter presided over the grand magic array on the city wall, helping Galen to keep Syria City and earning the respect of the people and all mages. It was only natural for him to replace Cosman, who had fled in a crisis, so Galen gave his student this opportunity. Walter was also appointed in an emergency, and after the cheers of the people gradually subsided, there were still many specific things to do.

  How to rescue and arrange the refugees who flooded into Syria, help them return to their devastated homes, distribute enough food and seeds in batches to support this year's disaster until next year's harvest, and also apply for relief and assistance from nearby city-states and kingdoms, count the losses caused by the flood, etc.

  The refugees received some supplies as relief from the city-state and kingdom, while others had to be registered for future repayment. Another part was a loan from the temple. This is a rescue work after the disaster, but it is also a fat job that is absolutely an opportunity for personal gain. If a greedy or incompetent official were in charge, it would likely trigger public resentment and even rebellion, so it is also an opportunity for Huarui to prove himself in front of Song Lie.

  Fortunately, the flood swept through more than half of the territory within the city-state of Xuya, but most of it was the desolate forest and desert on the east side. Only one blow was the heaviest, Du Ke Town was gone, and the mining family that had been able to mine divine stones for generations also completely disappeared, which was an irreparable loss for both the city-state and the entire kingdom. However, for others, the loss was not great, and the number of disaster victims who really needed relief and comfort was not too many.

  Even so, Huarui was busy and overwhelmed. The financial officer Morton was dissatisfied with Huarui's meticulous attitude towards everything, and had privately complained that the high-ranking divine masters were out of touch with reality and had no concept of money. It was clear that he was talking about Huarui, but it was unclear whether he was complaining that Huarui spent too much or supervised the funds too closely. However, he only muttered a few words to himself and did not dare to openly criticize Huarui, compared to his previous collaboration with Kausar, which was even more painful.

  Gale had no psychological preparation for these events, he disappeared like a ghost, hiding in the temple and never showing his face again, nor asking about anything, even the regular sacrifices were presided over by Hua Leite. If someone else did this, they might be seen as disloyal to their post and disrespectful to the gods, but in the city-state of Xuya, no one would say that Gale was not.

  It wasn't until three months later that Galatea officially appeared in a public ritual, symbolically fulfilling his duties. His complexion looked paler, the wrinkles on his forehead were deeper, but his eyes seemed clearer and more profound than before. At this time, Raphael had already returned from the capital after completing his mission, and the relief work after the disaster was almost completed. Galatea then asked Raphael if he would be willing to stay in the city-state of Syria as a high priest?

  Raphael was very young, only a fourth-grade divine spellcaster. Although he had no position, his status was not that of an ordinary noble. He was the son of the former prime minister of the Hatti Kingdom and came from a very powerful family. If he were to enter politics, he would have a bright future in the capital. However, this young man was naturally indifferent and perhaps because he grew up in such a family, he had seen all sorts of intrigue and struggle since childhood and felt tired of it, so he was not interested in politics and only devoted himself to cultivating divine spells.

  Due to his family status, he was able to find a great wizard like Galileo as his mentor and became the youngest disciple of this Hattie Wizard Academy elder. Becoming the High Priest of the Syracusa City-State is an opportunity that others would consider a dream come true, but it's not what Raphael wants. When Galileo proposed this suggestion, Raphael didn't want to agree but also didn't want to disappoint his mentor, so he appeared very hesitant.

  Ge Lie looked at him and smiled, "You are my youngest disciple. Among all the students, you are also the only one I have personally taught from the initial awakening of your powers to now. I understand your temperament very well. You're not interested in power or position, and you want to use cultivation as a way to escape the struggle for benefits within your family."

  But people living in the world have to do something, and cultivating divine techniques is not just for a kind of illusory achievement. Moreover, if you want to cultivate divine techniques to the highest realm, all kinds of hardships in the mortal world are also necessary experiences, otherwise there will be too many things that you can't understand! The city-state of Xuya now needs a high priest, and you also need the tempering of the mundane world, just like Huaileite, to help the city-state deal with everything after the flood.

  Since the teachers all said so, Raphael also nodded in agreement. A mere fourth-level divine magic user was appointed as the high priest of the Syua city-state, apparently lacking in seniority. However, after Garet submitted a report to the royal capital recommending both Hwa Ryung and Raphael at the same time, it was immediately approved without any questions or discussions, clearly showing that Raphael's family had an important influence.

  Walter and Raphael replaced the original Cosman and Jeremiah. The first thing Glore wanted Raphael to do was to venture into the muddy swamp and the wilderness where the floodwaters had not yet receded, to investigate and collect all the data, including changes in topography, using divine instruments to record complete information without any omissions, and then hand it over to Glore.

  This job is quite arduous, with unpredictable dangers, and requires going deep into desolate and uninhabited areas. After the flood, there are muddy roads everywhere, landslides and mudslides in the mountains, and terrified beasts that have survived the disaster roam about. Ge Lei took out a batch of his own collection of magical instruments and scrolls and handed them over to Raphael, letting his disciples defend themselves in times of crisis.

  It's necessary to go through the ordeal, but Rafael can't be allowed to get into trouble. It's a daunting task for a fourth-level divine spellcaster to complete this task alone. Four months later, Rafael returned, his boots leaked and his clothes were worn out, except for a few high-level air divine spell scrolls that could be used for flight, almost everything else was untouched, ready to return to the teacher.

  Ge Lie shook his head and said, "Your actions have made me feel very pleased, exceeding my expectations. You can keep these divine artifacts, they might come in handy someday, I plan to return to the Imperial Capital's Divine Academy next month, and it's possible that I won't be back for a long time, so everything here will depend on you all."

  Korah took away all the information recorded by Raphael with divine technique, and then closed the door without going out. For a whole month, the people of Syria City-State did not see this chief priest, who was doing something very special. Korah recorded all the information on the Earth's Pupil on his staff, and then activated it with magical power. In front of him, a light shadow scene appeared in the void, which was the overall terrain of Syria City-State flooded by the flood.

  At first glance, the terrain indication in the light and shadow looks like a military sand table used by generals during battles, but it is not a physical object, but rather a divine technique information, extremely detailed and clear, every local part can be enlarged separately, even the wind in the air and the airflow between mountains are recorded by divine techniques, and the water in the river is also flowing.

  Kale performs the same actions with his staff every day, and if someone observes him, they will find that the divine technique's information image changes every day, like the natural evolution of rivers and mountains, but much faster than the external world's dynamics. Kale is casting a special divine technique - the legendary Great Prophecy Technique.

  Divination magic is the ultimate form of detection and information magic, not the high-level magic that people usually talk about, which is said to be mastered only by gods. However, in reality, an ordinary mid-tier magician can use it, but it doesn't make much sense, either because the magical power is fundamentally insufficient to support long-term continuous consumption, or because the result of divination is too far from reality.

  The basis for exercising prophecy requires collecting as much detailed information as possible about the prophesied things and detecting the laws of their movement and change, and then inferring the future changes of these things under certain hypothetical conditions in a very intuitive way. The high priest Kausman, who abandoned his post in times of crisis, also used prophecy when the flood came, but ultimately the facts proved that his prophecy was wrong.

  Given the momentum of the flood and the state of Syria City, this city will be completely flooded and destroyed. Cosman predicted this, so he escaped, but did not expect that Gao Lie would decisively order his execution and then keep Syria City safe. After all, a person's knowledge is limited, and it is impossible to foresee all unknown information interference.

  Although a mid-tier mage can cast divination spells, true great divination is not something that ordinary mages can master, and even high-level mages cannot. It requires extracting a relatively independent model from various complex changing information, which has extremely high requirements for the integration and selection of information detection. It is said that only 9th-level great mages can cast part of the magic of great divination.

  The great prophecy seems incredibly magical, but the principle is simple and clear. For example, one of the most accurate prophecies - all mortals will die.

  Eighth-level divine technique master, Galen, used the Great Prophecy Technique today. However, the conclusions he wants to infer are less likely to be interfered with by other factors. It's just that a large amount of information needs to be collected, a huge amount of magical power is consumed, and it takes a long time. Galen had almost exhausted his magical powers some time ago. After three months of recuperation, he has fully recovered. He feels that after this arduous struggle, his divine technique power has actually increased significantly compared to before.

  Gale spent a whole month in the secret room protected by the divine array, and finally came to a conclusion about the changes that would occur in the geographical environment and climate around Keltown after the flood. He finally thoroughly understood why Enriel said the flood was a gift from the gods.

  The most direct impact of this flood was the temporary severance of overland traffic between the Hittite kingdom and the Egyptian Empire, as well as with the Mitanni kingdom. The northern part of the Syrian Desert had become a muddy swamp, impassable for chariots and trade caravans; all exchange of goods and trade between the Hittites and Egypt would have to be by sea for perhaps one or two years.

  The commercial economy of the city-state of Xoá may be affected, but on the other hand, it is absolutely safe in military terms during this period. It was originally located at the land border between Hatti and Ahhiyawa, and if enemy countries launch a war from the sea, the city-state of Xoá should be the last to be affected, and its outcome is already insignificant.

  The impact of the commercial economy can be fully compensated for many times, because the future land and watershed climate around Deke Town have completely changed. The flood formed a large swamp in the low-lying area, a tributary of the Yuji River was cut off, and it rushed southwest through the valley, passing through the Hei Huo Forest, forming a huge inland lake in the low-lying area of the northern Syr Darya Desert.

  Large amounts of silt deposits filled the low-lying areas of the Black Fire Forest, forming a fertile soil layer. The northern part of the Syr Darya Desert also grew into vast grasslands. This change was not short-term, as the flood had such a significant impact on the terrain that local climates would undergo fundamental changes. Due to temperature differences and rising evaporation currents, annual precipitation in the area from the Black Fire Forest to the edge of the Yubari River Valley Mountains would also increase.

  This forms a stable cycle, and with the emergence of new rivers that can provide irrigation, centered on the disappeared Duketown, a vast area of several hundred miles east-west and nearly a thousand miles north-south will appear. It has hills, mountains, plains, lakes, pastures, and can be cultivated and grazed, suitable for large populations to settle. And there was originally only one Duketown, which barely guaranteed the basic living standards of more than 2,000 people.

  The miners' clan in Duketown may be gone, but the mines remain, at the foot of the mountains near the northern edge of Wolin, still rich in iron and divine stone deposits, the most valuable resources on the entire continent. Mining iron is a given, but just mining divine stones alone would make this fertile land a coveted prize for all nations.

  Every country on the continent of Tianzhuan has laws that slaves are not allowed to touch divine stones. This is also acceptable, but in the last step of extracting divine stones from mine cores, a power similar to divine techniques is required, which is usually done by low-ranking divine technique masters elsewhere. However, the geographical environment of Du Ke Town was too desolate and remote, and the living conditions were really too harsh, so it did not form a prosperous city-state with a large population, which is why the Du Ke Town miners have always existed.

  Now the situation has changed, and it is no problem for tens of millions of people to live in that area. If a person who is good at management and operation leads it, it can even accommodate millions of people for long-term residence and establish a home. If this really happens, it means that a strong and powerful new country can be established on the mainland! Although its territory does not seem too large.

  However, the possibility of establishing a new country is small, because the surrounding countries will not give up this piece of land that is strategically and economically important. In the foreseeable future, there will be years of war here, with countless people's blood flowing, and it is unknown how many lives will be buried.

  This uninhabited land is currently mostly within the territory of the Hatti Kingdom, under the jurisdiction of the Syrian city-state, but its geographical location is very special, a "detached land" that is precisely inserted into the central part of the Heavenly Axis Continent.

  **

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  Goodbye!

  **