"Ah, the brilliant stars!
Oh, your light is filled with great virtue and ability!
Under the illumination of this bright lamp, I recognized all my talents, no matter what they are,
The father of all creatures in the mortal realm rises with you and descends with you,
And at that time, I first breathed the air of Tuscany,
And thereafter, I received a blessing from Heaven.
I was granted entry into the high wheel that revolves around you, blessed to come to your heavenly realm.
At that moment, a gentle female voice resonated within Ronald’s mind.
Having been through many trials, Ronald immediately realized that this was the result of the activation of the eighth trial of the "Divine Comedy - Paradise," the "Starry Heaven" trial.
The requirements of this trial soon became apparent.
—From universal ignorance to transcendent wisdom.
Ronald raised an eyebrow.
Based on the last summary of the trial requirements, the demand of the "Starry Heaven" Angel of Universal Wisdom, was clearly to use his wisdom to decipher some perilous situations limiting him, thus achieving ultimate success.
This happened to be in line with the situation that Ronald and Bapulor were currently in.
The struggle before Little William’s death had brought an unclear change to both of them, and now they needed to be extremely careful with every step they took.
As Ronald was receiving the information from the trial in his mind,
The cult Magician, likewise floating on the surface of the sea, had already cast his gaze toward the shore, clearly pondering Ronald’s recent suggestion:
"I’m not particularly opposed to the idea."
"However, Ronald, first we need to understand one thing. The two of us are clearly affected by Little William’s previous Spell, so what exactly is the principle of this Spell? Understanding and responding to it, we must not forget."
Ronald nodded slightly, supporting Bapulor’s idea without any issue.
Indeed, the most pressing matter was to understand their own situation.
As for Ronald himself...
The ability held by "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide" had just been made clear; if the last Spell cast by Little William was of the space-time variety, then the train that Ronald had only just ridden should have already appeared before him.
The Spell from "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide" had not produced any effect.
Given this, the space-time interference-type Spell was initially ruled out.
Then, could it possibly be a mental interference-type Spell?
Was there some Spell at work in secret affecting both of their minds, causing their perception of the world to be skewed?
From the previous understanding, Ronald knew what kind of Caster Bapulor was beside him.
Spells within the mental realm were exactly within this cult Magician’s area of expertise.
Thinking of this, he immediately asked:
"Bapulor, we haven’t been interfered with by some mental Spell, have we?"
The cult Magician’s response completely lived up to Ronald’s understanding of him.
Almost the instant the question was posed, Bapulor confidently nodded and answered:
"You can be completely assured on that count; we’re absolutely not under any level of mental interference. My Spells are constantly monitoring our minds, there won’t be any exceptions."
"Truth be told, I think it’s more likely that Little William used some kind of special space-time Sealing Skill, or perhaps there’s some trap we haven’t detected?"
A special Sealing Skill...
Ronald now had a significant trust in the "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide" that had just done a great deed in saving him from the space-time Seal, so he doubted he could be under any space-time Spell’s influence.
So, were the two of them trapped in a special snare?
Ronald was still confident in his own investigative abilities. During the entire process of their encounter, he hadn’t noticed any Magic Fluctuation that would inevitably occur before such a Spell was cast.
So... what was going on?
The three most likely possibilities were listed one by one.
Yet, none of the inferred outcomes matched the current situation.
In such an environment,
Ronald suddenly had an idea that sprung to mind, as if by divine inspiration.
Or rather, he remembered an ability he hadn’t used in a while.
—The first ability of "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide".
—To determine one’s location and time.
This passive original Spell was extremely convenient to use, and just as the thought emerged in Ronald’s mind, the original book on the back of his hand immediately responded.
Such information emerged in Ronald’s mind.
—The Infinite Negative Realm.
—The seventh of September, in the early morning.
—Four sixteen and thirty-one seconds.
The Infinite Negative Realm?
The first thing Ronald realized was the unusual place name.
From any angle, this name did not match any location or region within the knowledge of Gride’s national borders.
Even on a grander scale, on the continent of Latoia or on any place on the planet, there should not be such a name.
Was "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide" wrong?
In the history of its use, these originals had proven their reliability with actual ability. Unless there was a very strong Caster taking specific measures, this kind of error was virtually impossible.
So, were he and Bapulor
Currently in a place called the "Infinite Negative Realm"?
Thoughts flitted through his mind as swiftly as a horse crossing a gap, and Ronald quickly analyzed and pondered everything.
However, at that moment, a new change made his expression shift once more.
The passage of time was bizarrely rapid!
Just a second ago, the time provided by "Bradshaw’s Railway Guide" was four sixteen and thirty-one seconds. But the next second, time had leaped ten seconds ahead, to four sixteen and forty-one seconds!
What was happening now?
Ronald’s gaze hesitated, but he also knew that this was absolutely not the time to keep things from his companion. Even if the person at his side was Bapulor, it was the same.
The issue of time passing quickly.
It was definitely the most important information for both of them at the moment!
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ronald immediately turned to look at the cult Magician beside him and burst out with his discovery in the magical feedback:
"I have a Spell that can monitor the flow of time, and the time in our environment is passing rapidly! In fact, ten seconds of time has passed for us, but we’ve only experienced a second!"
Then, Bapulor, who was still observing the surroundings of the sea, was also stunned.
"Ro... Ronald, what did you say!"