Chapter 024Special ExceptionThe observatory was a large building, tall and narrow like a tower, with a large dome at the top. Marcus had spotted it when entering the city, but had not recognized its purpose. Tasloa had observatories too, but Marcus had never seen one this big or grand. Then again, he had never been terribly interested in astronomy, so maybe he was just ignorant.Once Darayaush led him inside, he found the observatory to be a hive of activity, with a small legion of workers and visitors wandering its halls. It was evening, but then again, it made sense that an observatory would get increasingly more active as night approached. Many complicated metal devices lined the walls, ticking and whirling and producing strange sounds. It reminded Marcus of the portal room Celer had explored during their first contact with this world, and was just as mystifying now as it was then. In some places, shelves full of books and stacks of paper could be seen. On Tasloa, records often included things like scrolls and stone tablets, in addition to books, but it didn’t appear like these things were in use on Sixth Manifold.The building was clearly prosperous and well maintained, and had no shortage of staff and funding. It was probably one of the more important buildings in Behis.Darayaush eventually led him to a large room at the top of the observatory. It was occupied, but Darayaush dismissed the workers inside and sent them away so he and Marcus could talk in private. He started pressing a bunch of buttons on a nearby wall.The room was initially quite dark, and got even darker when Darayaush started adjusting things. Marcus wasn’t concerned, as he could see fine, even under such conditions. The reason for the darkness became obvious when a field of stars suddenly materialized in the center of the room. Thousands upon thousands of motes of light hung suspended in the (...)