There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 437 Guiding Stars

"Revelation?"

The old prince narrowed his eyes. "You want to create a 'miracle'? Zoya, manipulating the will of the gods is dangerous."

"No, Grand Uncle."

Zoya shook her head, a strange expression on her face, a mixture of awe and determination.

“I am not ‘creating’ it, I am… guiding people to ‘see’ it, to see the suffering that has already existed, to see the hope that has been ignored.”

"If the God of Stars truly favors the Kingdom of Boyu, then His revelation may have long been hidden in the cries and desires of the people; it simply needs someone to interpret it and reveal it."

These words actually carried a hint of the "modern hermeneutics" that Li Shuchen had instilled in her, but in this context, they were strangely persuasive.

The old prince fell silent again, his gaze lingering on Zoya's young yet resolute face for a long time, as if assessing and weighing his options.

Finally, he let out a long sigh, as if he had aged several years in an instant.

“I’ll be at the observatory tomorrow night,” he said, making no promises, but that was enough.

A great weight was lifted from Zoya's heart, and she bowed again.

"Thank you, Grand Uncle. No matter what the future holds, the Savar family needs a pillar of strength like you. The Kingdom of Boyu also needs someone to remember what it was like and what it should be."

The night breeze was cooler as we left the manor.

Umur, who was hiding in the shadows, whispered to her.

"Princess, is it done?"

“The first step is complete,” Zoya tightened her robes and looked towards the royal palace's observatory, where lights were already being set up. “Next, we'll see if the ‘stars’ will ‘cooperate.’”

Meanwhile, in a secret corner of the inn...

Li Shuchen was making final adjustments to several metal tubes that he had purchased from the system—tubes that looked like large firework tubes but had much more complex structures—along with some shimmering powder and lenses.

She muttered to herself, "...Height, angle, refractive index, time-delay fuse...it should be fine, Zoya. The stage is set up, and I've done my best with the lighting and special effects. Whether you can 'perform' this play well and get the old prince and everyone else 'in character' depends on you."

She imagined what might happen at the observatory tomorrow night, a hint of anticipation playing on her lips.

This is much more exciting than just talking your way out of a treasure appraisal event.

A clear night under the stars

Observatory

The night sky was like a piece of deep blue velvet, and the stars were exceptionally bright.

On the highest observatory of Suleiman's Palace, torches stood in rows, illuminating the white marble surface as bright as day.

King Ardan, dressed in his most solemn star-worshiping robes and wearing a golden crown inlaid with enormous moonstones, received the homage of nobles and envoys with a reserved smile.

Prince Bazaar followed closely behind, exuding confidence. His gaze frequently swept over the women in the delegation, lingering particularly on Ye Bingli with undisguised possessiveness.

Prince Suleiman stood slightly behind and to the side of the King, his expression solemn, his eyes gazing intently at the starry sky, as if searching for something.

The Purple Star delegation was positioned in a location with a very good view.

Liang Yuying remained calm, while Princess Changning displayed an arrogant demeanor that seemed to say, "I'll see what you're up to," though her entire body was actually tense.

Ye Bingli kept her head down, seemingly indifferent to everything around her, but her fingers were unconsciously curling up.

Li Shuchen waved a small folding fan, his eyes darting around, and whispered to Gu Ziying beside him.

"The stars in Jade Kingdom are really bright these days, I just wonder if there will be a meteor shower tonight."

Ruan Jingshang stayed by Princess Changning's side, exchanging pleasantries in hushed tones with several officials from Boyu Kingdom, while keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

The sacrificial ceremony was lengthy.

The white-robed priest chanted ancient and obscure prayers, sprinkling a liquid mixed with spices and water in all directions.

King Ardan accepted the symbolic star staff and bowed towards the brightest star in the north.

The whole process was solemn and somber.

Just as the sacrificial ceremony was about to conclude, and the king was preparing to deliver his routine speech praising the prosperity of the nation...

Strange phenomenon suddenly appears

First, in the northern sky, a previously still, moderately bright star suddenly began to flicker violently without warning.

One flash, two flashes, the light flickered on and off, its speed increasing, as if transmitting some kind of signal.

"Look! That star!" someone on the observatory exclaimed.

"What's going on? I've never seen the stars twinkle so brightly!"

King Ardan's speech abruptly ended, and he looked at the star with astonishment and uncertainty.

The Pasar prince also frowned.

Then, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.

The star that was flashing so intensely suddenly burst forth with a light several times brighter than usual.

Immediately, a clearly visible "starlight" with a slightly pinkish-purple halo appeared, as if drawn by an invisible force, and slanted downwards from that star, suddenly streaking across the night sky!

It wasn't an ordinary meteor, because it didn't fall in a completely straight line; its trajectory even had a slight curve, under the watchful eyes of countless people.

That dazzling starlight, trailing a faint tail of light, streaked across the sky at a breathtaking speed, and finally seemed to fall precisely in the southwest direction!

That place is the legendary ancient Tear Valley, which has been dry for hundreds of years and is considered an ominous place.

At the end of the starlight's fall, the remaining light and shadow seemed to vaguely form a totem outline resembling a bird spreading its wings, which lasted for two or three seconds before slowly dissipating!

"A miracle! The stars are warning us!"

"A star has fallen in the southwest! Pointing to Tear Valley!"

"That light and shadow... it looks like... like the ancient 'sand sparrow' totem? Isn't that the guardian emblem of the western desert tribes?"

The observatory was in complete chaos!

Exclamations, whispers, and prayers mingled together.

The nobles' faces were filled with shock, fear, and bewilderment.

The priests stared in disbelief, nearly dropping their ritual implements.

King Ardan's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He forced himself to remain calm and shouted sternly.

"Silence! It's just a shooting star! Don't panic!"

"Father," Prince Basha pointed southwest, his voice hoarse, "that direction... Tear Valley... and that shadow in the sky just now, I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."

He vaguely felt that the totem looked somewhat familiar.

"Shut up!"

Ardan glared at the boy fiercely, his heart filled with both shock and anger.

This sudden "star change" completely disrupted his plans, and the direction of the fall and the interplay of light and shadow gave him a strange sense of unease.

Just then, a clear, yet trembling, voice rang out, cutting through the noise:

"Grand Uncle! Did you see that? The stars... the stars are guiding us!"