In the aftermath of the crisis, hope is rekindled like stars, and there is a belief that tomorrow will be better.
Angela randomly picked a card; to call it a coincidence would be too optimistic. Therefore, Hayden couldn't help but frown, pondering the possible meaning of this "star" card.
From a general perspective, "stars" might suggest an upcoming vacation, or a period of unhurried, peaceful time—a state of "having ample time to think and act." In life, it could also represent that taking a break or a short rest now is beneficial for maintaining health.
This time, Angela's left hand was blown apart. Hayden himself was also aware of his many shortcomings. He lacked the offensive power to harm the War Gods, and had no defensive capabilities to withstand the attacks of the Vajra Warriors. If Hayden were to fight a Vajra Warrior alone, regardless of whether he was a top-tier mercenary, he would only be slaughtered like all mortals.
Frankly, it's quite tragic. Hayden could defeat ten ordinary soldiers on his own, but whether it's ten Haydens or ten ordinary soldiers, the result against a War God would probably be the same—they wouldn't even be able to break through its skin.
So, is this "Star" card suggesting that they both need rest, adjustment, and time to improve themselves? Therefore, instead of being anxious, they should maintain a calm and peaceful state of mind?
This interpretation of the card's meaning... isn't entirely unreasonable, but it feels like utter nonsense.
This is also the sad thing about divination magic. It's vague, ambiguous, and meaningless; it will never let you know what will truly happen in the future, or why you must do these things.
...And so this brings us back to the implication of the "Star" card:
"Maintain faith and hope?"
Hayden sighed and slumped into the living room sofa.
“Alright, Angela, I’ll make you a new left arm part that’s exactly the same as before. In the meantime, we can work together to figure out how to enhance both of us.”
Angela smiled and nodded, then asked curiously, "Even now, my arm would cost military-grade. Is there any problem with Master's savings?"
"Didn't that old witch give me 500,000? That should be enough."
Hayden calmly picked up his phone.
"I'll catch up on sleep after I order the parts. Damn, yesterday's battle was absolutely exhausting..."
However, before Hayden could finish speaking,
His doorbell then rang with a cruel "ding-dong".
Angela turned to look at the door and immediately reported, "Miss Abigail has arrived."
what?
What is she doing here?
Hayden felt a sense of foreboding – he did owe that dark witch a favor, but surely Abigail wouldn't be demanding repayment now?
So Hayden never expected that Abigail wasn't there to collect a debt.
She came to demand an explanation.
"You just said in my bar a few days ago, 'I will never get involved in any other messy farces until I achieve something,' have you taken that back now!?"
The Dark Witch is enraged!
Hayden opened the door for her, and (in adult form) she entered Hayden's living room, first taking out a military-grade eavesdropping and surveillance jammer produced by Mars Corporation, placing it on the floor, and activating it.
Then she took a deep breath and started screaming at Hayden.
"That brat Adam contacted me first thing this morning, demanding I confirm whether you were involved in the abandoned industrial area last night! I had to lie to him and say you spent the whole night at my place!"
what?
Hayden didn't react for a moment: "But your bar hasn't been open much lately!"
Abigail was almost driven to the brink of fainting by his idiocy.
In the end, Angela came to explain: "Master, I think Miss Abigail meant 'overnight stay' between a man and a woman."
what?
what
……oh
Realizing what had happened, Hayden had no choice but to obediently lower his head and say, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
Adam and Hayden were too familiar with each other. Even though Hayden was wearing a full bio-weapon suit last night and his face wasn't shown, Adam would still notice something was off after watching the video. If Abigail hadn't covered for him, Adam might have actually suspected (and investigated) Hayden.
"I also managed to get my hands on the video footage of last night's battle from within the Mitra Group. Do you know how much I almost fainted after watching it? Do you know how much risk I'm taking by covering for you in this situation?!"
Abigail was still complaining.
"Just because of that potion you might not even be able to make! I could be arousing suspicion from Adam and the Mithra Group! And all because you willingly jumped into that mess of [Mar]'s] affairs! Did I pay you 500,000 to make this?!"
Ah this
Strictly speaking, in what Hayden told her, he promised, "After this is over, I will seriously help you research the magic related to controlling physical age, and I will never interfere again until I have achieved results." So Hayden didn't actually break his promise—but Hayden wasn't stupid; nitpicking at this point would only add fuel to the fire for the dark witch. She was the employer, the one who was paying for it; Hayden knew what he should and shouldn't say.
"Until you produce something that can be called research results, if I find you getting involved in any other messy things, I will consider it that you broke the contract first!"
Abigail is still roaring.
"I'll personally rip your intestines out then!"
The credibility of this threat was actually quite questionable, but Hayden had no intention of challenging her for it.
Because he was thinking about the implications of the "Star" tarot card and Abigail's words.
Perhaps this is the "rest period" hinted at by the Tarot cards? This seems to be an opportunity for Hayden and Angela to calm down and take a break in order to improve themselves.
Besides, "stars" also represent tranquility, peace... um...
"Thank you for covering for me, ma'am."
Since that was the case, Hayden decided that he should be kinder to the old man who had helped him, and thank him first.
"To be honest, I do have some results in hand right now."
Upon hearing this, Abby Galen's eyes widened immediately, and the anger that had been overflowing just moments before vanished.
"What results?"
She asked. This anger was clearly at least half feigned, merely a way to put pressure on Hayden.
Hayden immediately pulled a small bottle filled with a clear, emerald-green liquid from his robe.
"This is a magic potion that can permanently change one's appearance after drinking it. Although it cannot actually change one's physical age, it has the function of blocking sympathetic connections through alteration."
That's right.
These were the transformation potions that Professor Albion had given to Hayden and the other students outside the city. Hayden not only took two extra bottles, but also got the recipe from the professor before leaving.
The professor probably wouldn't care how Hayden used the formula.
Upon hearing this, Abigail immediately realized the value of the potion—her physical age was currently only a little over eleven years old, and she usually had to use arcane tools to transform. However, if she drank this potion, although her physical age would remain unchanged, at least she would look like an adult.
On the other hand, Abigail also remembered the consequences of her last time indiscriminately eating Hayden's cream puffs, so she immediately raised her eyebrows: "What about the side effects? Have they been tested?"
“No one else has had any problems after drinking it,” Hayden said honestly. “But we should definitely test it on you a bit more. After all, your health condition is more complicated.”
The Dark Witch nodded. After all, she was a powerful witch over four hundred years old, and she immediately began to discuss the details of the potion with Hayden.
Angela, however, stopped paying close attention to their academic discussion and turned to look at the rising sun outside the window.
Because last night's battle dispersed the pollution clouds over New Jersey, the weather in the Bay Area is surprisingly good today. The sky is almost cloudless, and a huge golden fireball now hangs high above the horizon, its incandescence warming everything in its path and illuminating the city brighter and brighter.
"Yes, the feeling of life is wonderful."
The robotic doll said happily.
Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus: The Moon
This day was exactly halfway through autumn, with the moon full in the sky.
The weather in New Jersey has been quite nice lately, and there are no clouds tonight. This is because the Mitra Group has recently been redeveloping a previously abandoned industrial area. Their new production lines and equipment have higher requirements for air cleanliness, so until this revitalized industrial zone is completely drained by the Mitra Group again, the surrounding residents may be able to enjoy relatively good air quality for the time being.
...Of course, once the spiritual veins are fully exploited by the company, the pollution will retaliate. The situation will only get worse then.
However, Hayden can't manage that much right now. We'll just have to figure out a solution later.
In any case, such a beautiful moonlit night should not be wasted. So after dinner that night, Hayden built a small altar in his yard with stones and silver, placed Alastor's Dragon Ball on it, and basked in the moonlight.
Besides, such a full moon can also be used for many ancient magical rituals. So Hayden cut a branch about a meter long from a rowan tree, removed the leaves and bark, and left it to dry in the full moonlight.
He did all of these things himself. On the one hand, this was because many ancient magic rituals required the caster to prepare their own equipment, which was more conducive to the operation of the magic; on the other hand, it was because Hayden was reflecting on what had happened half a month ago.
Two weeks ago, Angela's left arm was damaged in the battle with the Vajra. Hayden helped her repair various pipelines, magical simulated nerve pathways, and all kinds of damage, but her left arm, which had been completely detached by the Vajra, could not be temporarily reassembled.
Although Hayden quickly ordered a new left-hand part from an acquaintance, and although he quickly reattached Angela's arm to the same one as before, Hayden was still somewhat uneasy.
Angela had been by his side for almost four months. The various powers she had displayed in those three months had even given Hayden the illusion that she was omnipotent.
However, it turned out that Angela was not omnipotent. When fighting the entire five-member [Vajrapani] team, Angela was clearly overwhelmed—although this was likely largely due to the fragility of her doll-like body.
However, Angela is not omnipotent.
So Hayden is reflecting on himself.
He needs to improve himself, he needs to train himself again, he needs to find a way to become stronger, he... has many things to do.
"Master, what are you doing?"
After washing the dishes, Angela curiously peeked out of the house. She looked at the moon in the sky, then at the altar and the dragon ball on the ground, and finally at the rowan wood staff that Hayden was flattening with his silver dagger. She tilted her head and said, "Soaking the rowan wood in the magic of the full moon... is this some kind of protective magic?"
Hayden nodded: "My old wooden staff was destroyed by the backlash of the primal wishing magic the night I created you. I usually use a metal staff, so it doesn't really matter to me, and I'm not in a hurry to make a new one. But now I feel it's necessary to correct my past practices."
In ancient magic, different types of "staffs" made of different materials had different properties and functions. Unlike those depicted in novels, anime, or games where everyone simply carries one fixed staff, a professional ancient magician would, rather tragically, need to prepare a vast array of different staves for use in various spells and rituals. This is akin to a modern worker needing different tools for different tasks.
Hayden is making a new wooden staff because he is reflecting on this.
The scepter he was used to carrying, in the Arcana (or Tarot) magic system, symbolizes fire, one of the four elements, representing the power of will, courage, passion, anger, and intuition—a proactive and outward force. Hayden's magic power was insufficient, certainly not compared to that of the wealthy. Therefore, he relied on the elemental symbolism of fire to enhance his spells, increasing their explosive power or offensive capabilities.
His scepter was made of bronze. In modern alchemy, bronze corresponds to Venus, and its elemental attribute is wind, representing thought, reason, intelligence, and judgment. Like fire, it is an active and outward force, but clearly possesses greater control.
The scepter symbolizing fire, combined with bronze symbolizing wind, creates a composite element known in Tarot magic as the "Page of Wands." The scepter emphasizes the power of fire, but is also manipulated with the refined thinking and judgment of wind, thus producing a supportive and synergistic effect, further enhancing its destructive power in battle.
However, this fancy combination proved utterly useless against the War God race.
So Hayden decided to get himself some new gear and try a different approach.
"The moon is closely related to the element of water."
Hayden, in fact, is quite fond of teaching. If he really had that idea, perhaps it wouldn't be impossible for him to teach at his alma mater after studying for a few more years.
"In many ancient myths, water is subject to the moon, because the waxing and waning of the moon affects the tides of the sea. Therefore, the light of the full moon is considered to contain the purest essence of the water element. Water, rain, life force... the waxing and waning of the moon is closely linked to these areas of change. Every month, the moon waxes and wanes once, and this cycle is seen as a symbol of life force that is constantly dying and resurrecting."
"Then, regarding plants, rowan wood has very strong protective properties. Ancient Celtic druids often used it to cast defensive spells. In addition, there is a strong organic connection between the moon and plants. So I used a knife made of silver, the metal that represents the moon, to trim this rowan wood staff and then let it be soaked in the light of the full moon. In this way, it can become an excellent tool for casting life and protection spells."
Hayden hesitated for a moment after saying this.
This is only a basic step. To think he could use this to fight the gods is clearly wishful thinking. He'll probably need to find some suitable rare treasures to attach to this piece of wood before he can create a truly powerful white magic staff.
But let's talk about that later.
"So, you placed Mr. Alastor's Dragon Ball on this stone and silver altar in the hope that he could absorb some of the essence of the full moon?"
Angela turned to look at the altar and asked with great interest.
“I suppose so. But it’s not just about life force.” Hayden frowned. “If it were just about life force, your breath would already have a very strong life force.”
"In fact, today is a special festival in some ancient civilizations. According to the legend of this festival, in ancient times there was an old god called 'Hengwo' who stole the elixir of immortality and flew to the moon to rule it, becoming the moon god. It is said that the elixir of immortality still remains on the moon. Therefore, people in ancient times would worship the moon god on this day and pray for blessings."
Long ago, Hengwo stole the elixir of immortality, fled to the moon, and claimed it. The name "Hengwo" is almost a condensation of this myth: Hengwo means "to make me eternal."
"It is said that this ancient god called 'Hengwo' is a giant toad, but that's not surprising. Many ancient gods are animals, and those associated with immortality are often related to animals like toads and snakes. In many ancient myths, snakes are immortal because they constantly shed their skin. This molting phenomenon is linked to the waxing and waning of the moon. As the ancients said, 'What virtue does the moon possess, that it dies and is reborn?' Both the moon and the snake are symbols of the cycle of life and death."
Toads, snakes, the moon, the cycle of life and death, resurrection—these elements are closely linked in ancient magic and mythology.
To modern people, toads might seem disgusting and ugly. However, this is not the case in ancient mythology. In some regional legends, the moon has been associated with toads since ancient times. Ancient books often contain phrases like "The moon shines on the world, but is eclipsed by toads" and "There is a fierce bird in the sun and a toad in the moon." This shows that the connection between the moon and the toad has existed since ancient times, and the association with the fierce bird in the sun is not derogatory. In fact, in the minds of some ancient people, the toad was highly divine. The moon was the god, and the toad was the moon.
Emerging clearly from all these diverse symbolic systems associated with snakes is the characteristic of the moon—namely, the power of regeneration and immortality gained through transformation.
Indeed, shapeshifting and immortality are deeply connected. A snake's molting is considered a form of shapeshifting, and amphibians like toads can transform from tadpoles. And the moon, as we all know, can also shapeshift. It transforms once every month. This concept of "shapeshifting = immortality" is even related to the shapeshifting potion Professor Albion gave his students to avert calamities.
By transforming, one can avoid disaster.
By transforming, one can achieve immortality.
Myths, magic, legends... all of these are connected.
“Alastor is now a dragon god formed by the fusion of a human and an underground water dragon vein. To put it bluntly, he is also an existence closely related to transformation and snakes. I was originally thinking that letting him bask in the moonlight, to absorb some of the moonlight’s immortality and transformation energy, might help him revive… Well, I know that’s wishful thinking.”
This Alastor situation isn't so easy to resolve. It would be ridiculous to think that simply basking in the moonlight would solve it.
Hayden couldn't help but sigh as he spoke.
This holiday was once a day symbolizing family reunion. However, Hayden lacked the ability to heal Alastor and send him back to see his parents on the [Blessed Pure Land] server. Incidentally, Alastor had paid for his parents' server rental for a considerable period before carrying out [Marsh's] plan. As for what would happen next, Hayden's current plan was to leave it to Yolanda's fanatical followers.
After all, it was Yolanda and the others who said they would help make money. You should go and earn back the expenses of maintaining your God's parents first.