"What did you say?"

Looking at the woman in a black robe who barged into the observatory, demanding to see him by name, the president of the Astrology Society couldn't help but point to his nose, bewildered, and ask:

"You want to compete with me in astrology? And if I lose, I have to join your... whatever yarn ball society?"

"Yes."

The cat witch, whose face was mostly hidden by a veil, blinked her crystal-clear eyes slightly, and then said seriously:

"Moreover, not just you. Any member of the Astrology Society can participate in this wager, and even if only one of them beats me, it's considered your win."

"Young lady, this isn't just a matter of winning or losing."

Looking at the serious cat witch in front of him, the gray-haired president of the society couldn't help but chuckle and say:

"Let's not even talk about whether you can surpass me, the current president of the Astrology Society, in astrology; the wager itself is already quite ridiculous... Have you considered that I actually have no need to compete with you in astrology skills?"

"You will."

"How could there be a reason, unless you... huh?"

Looking at the transparent crystal spinning slightly in the palm of the black-robed woman's hand under the light, the president of the Astrology Society couldn't help but be slightly stunned, then spoke with surprise:

"What you have in your hand is..."

"The corpse of a dead star."

After answering the president's question, the cat witch blinked and added:

"Though it's just a very small part, it indeed once came from the starry sky above us... Mr. President, as long as one of your members can beat me, it will be yours."

"..."

The corpse of a star...

Staring at the crystal suspended in the cat witch's hand, the president of the Astrology Society silently took a deep breath, then said with somewhat dry throat:

"I am willing to accept your wager in my personal capacity, if..."

"You alone won't do."

After interrupting the president, the cat witch shook her head and refused:

"I won't hide it from you; my target is the entire Astrology Society. You can gather all the astrologers in your society, or even borrow people from the Fate Society next door if necessary. As long as one person can win against me in the wager, this thing is yours.

Of course, you must be ready for the worst outcome. If not a single one of the two hundred and seventy astrologers from your Astrology Society can beat me..."

Then the Astrology Society with thousands of years of history will completely become someone's vassal from now on...

Although the cat witch didn't finish her sentence, the meaning was obvious. Since she is offering such a precious item as the wager and doesn't mind them seeking external assistance, it proves she might indeed have unwavering confidence in her victory.

Frowning repeatedly evaluating for a moment, glancing at the sparkling transparent crystal in the cat witch's hand, the president of the Astrology Society couldn't help but clench his fist and nod with gritted teeth.

"Alright! I'll take this wager!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

Looking at the graceful and elegant, obviously young cat witch in front of him, the president of the Astrology Society boldly declared:

"If truly all astrologers combined can't surpass you alone, then it proves our Astrology Society is not living up to its name and deserves to be merged! Tell me! How do we compete!"

She's confident~

Seeing the president of the Astrology Society being convinced, the cat witch couldn't help but smile with satisfaction, then reached into her pocket to tighten the evaporating magic potion inside, and said with a grin:

"It's very simple, we'll compete in the first lesson of astrology, finding someone's life star... Come in!"

Saying this, the cat witch beckoned toward the door, calling in a somewhat disheveled young man, then patted his back and introduced:

"He is the vice president of our Yarn Ball Society. I've taught him a bit of astrology and helped him hide his life star. If your Astrology Society can find his life star, then you win~"

Finding a life star?

After hearing the cat witch explain the "competition rules," the president of the Astrology Society couldn't help but frown, then asked incredulously:

"You're not joking, right? It's that simple?"

"It's that simple~"

"..."

Looking at the confident cat witch's face, the president of the Astrology Society began to skeptically examine the man who had been called in.

Standing straight, healthy skin, handsome features, clear eyes, quite a pleasing appearance, with a presence that seemed proper... yet something is amiss?

Seeing the man, who seemed steady and reliable, yet appeared unsettlingly odd, the president couldn't help but hiss, just as he was about to ask something, he noticed the man's somewhat wrinkled clothes emitting a pungent odor.

"What happened to your clothes? What's that smell?"

"Um... soaked in onion juice..."

Hearing the president's inquiry, Leon couldn't help but turn his head, glance toward the cat witch, then add:

"Might've gotten some tears on it too."

"Tears? Whose tears?"

Whose tears... probably the tears of all the diviners in the entire Divination Society?

Having just left the Divination Society diagonally across, Leon recalled the fortune-tellers holding their crystal balls, observing him, and then got onion juice splattered in their faces by the crystal balls, collectively clutching their eyes in tears while rolling on the ground.

"Whose tears don't matter! It has nothing to do with his life star!"

Following the conversation, cutting off the president from probing further, the cat witch urged impatiently:

"Go gather people! Call all your astrologers from the Astrology Society over, we have other places to be, time waits for no one!"

Alright then...

Although feeling the cat witch might be concealing something, the thought of several hundred astrologers working together failing to uncover a hidden life star seemed unlikely, so the president nodded and ordered his disciple to assemble all astrologers in the society.

After about two hours, all reachable astrologers were gathered back, collectively ascending to the top platform of the observatory tower.

Once everyone involved in the wager was ready, Leon, having found time to change into new clothes, was unwillingly pulled by the cat witch through the crowd, standing at the very center of the platform.

"Begin!"

Seeing the vice president of the Yarn Ball Society stand firm, the president nodded, then activated the rune array at the top of the observatory.

With his actions, vast, tranquil ripples emerged from the characters etched on the platform ground, veiling the twinkling lanterns of Secret Magic City, dispersing the clouds above the observatory, revealing a splendid...

Huh?

Seeing the space behind the clouds still pitch black, as if a large hole had been burned in the night sky with a cigarette, all the astrologers in the Astrology Society felt their heads buzz collectively, like a group of frogs preparing to catch rainwater, tilting their heads up, mouths agape.

Where is the starry sky? Where is that vast starry sky?