Arun and Asha searched for Louise and Shiro, bringing them into the room.
"We didn't find much. Everything is centuries old and rotten." Louise revealed their exploration results, shaking her head in disappointment.
"We found a mysterious book, but it disappeared after Julius took a nap," Arun said truthfully, not realising he was exposing the duo's secrets.
"..." Asha and Julius gazed at him reproachfully while Adam shrugged dismissively. They already knew too much, anyway.
Using his mana, he wrote, conversing with Shiro directly. "Do you know how to operate magic circles? Does this one have enough power to carry everyone?"
"Mhh. let me check." She answered, approaching the circle without triggering the barrier. As if as soon as Adam took hold of the grimoire, the defensive mechanism ceased its functions.
After analysing it for five minutes, she delivered her verdict. "The circle is really ancient. I'm in my fifth year, yet it's the first time I ever see these kinds of symbols."
She pointed at the inscriptions, hints of shock veiling her eyes as she sensed a connection with transmutation and said, "Take my words with a grain of salt, but I think its use is safe for one person. If we want everyone to use it, we need to find an energy supply to recharge it or imbue it with our mana for a few days."
Upon hearing the explanation, Asha's face paled. She was unwilling to stay in this rotten place, smelling this terrible moldy odor for a few days.
"What can we use as an energy supply?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"I can transfer energy from magic items to the circle. If you have materials carrying potent energy, I can use that, too," Shiro said, shrugging. If the young girl wanted to keep adventuring, she'd better adapt to these kinds of dirty and gloomy places.
"Can I use my gladius to power the circle?" Julius asked, hoping to help his pale friend. After all, the weapon passively absorbed and stored mana and life force.
"It's worth a try," Shiro said, receiving Julius' gladius with a frown. Upon closer inspection, the weapon seemed to be a masterpiece, combining alchemy, transmutation, and enchantment.
She considered asking about its creator, planning to commission new gauntlets as she returned to the magic circle.
She retrieved a chalk from her coat's inner pocket and drew symbols for fifteen minutes under everyone's expectant gazes.
After double checking, ensuring that her circle was flawless, she connected it to the other one and placed Julius' gladius in the middle.
Her magic circle hummed gently, its inscription glowing dimly as if awakened by the weapon. With each passing second, the glow intensified, illuminating the beautiful room in blue and white lights, drawing a breath of relief from Adam.
He had a power source, too. However, exposing it was way too dangerous, and he would rather avoid it. After all, it was the same power source used by the college to enhance mana in its territory using the two towers.
"It should have enough energy to carry us all in around thirty minutes," Shiro said, smiling happily at their success, then asked, "Where will it carry us? Can we use it to traverse the abyss all the way to the destroyed passage?"
"Even better. It can teleport us to the frozen cave above." Adam wrote, causing her eyes to bulge in shock and her legs to tremble excitedly.
"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice grave and deep, contrasting with the gentle hum of the magic circle.
"Yes." He answered bluntly, unbothered by her doubts or shock.
Shiro's hands trembled as she swiftly focused her attention back on the circle, memorising and writing the symbols on her coat.
Teleportation circles were a legend in the academy. Even Shepard ventured into this domain, abandoning it after several years of fruitless research. After returning, she was sure she could sell the circle's model for a hefty sum. After all, who wouldn't want to possess a personal, miniaturized gate?
However, Adam quickly stopped her. Anything emerging from a destroyed path posed too great a risk to be revealed to the public eye. The last thing he wanted was for their party to be labelled rogue mages and hunted down after exposing it.
Disappointed, she still listened to Adam's weird explanations, saying it was forbidden magic.
"What a shame. I'm unsure I understand everything, but I'll trust you on this one," she said before launching another conversation. "Your party only has four official members, right? Mind if I join it officially? I can bring my expertise and experience and stabilize your lineup."
She had thought about it continually since they fought the frost naga. She saw great potential in the party. Every member was an unpolished diamond with a distinctive role.
"Well, after everything we went through, why not?" Arun said, grinning. It was the first time he saw a mage fighting in melee like she did, and her versatility impressed him.
"Can you share your affinity with us? I don't understand what that blackish mana is." Louise asked seriously.
"Oh, didn't I mention it? I have a rare affinity for something we call force. Basically, I can increase weights to debilitate opponents or increase the impact of my strikes. I trained my body to reach the third tier mainly to Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!" She said with a proud smile, waiting to hear the shocked gasps of the kids.
After all, even among the rare affinities, hers was one of the rarest and most powerful. However, the expected reaction never came. Instead, everyone turned to Julius to get his opinion.
"Her affinity is really powerful. If she is sincere, she can be a fine addition to the party." Adam advised upon seeing the boy study the question seriously. After all, he was the first to understand she had a gravity affinity.
After thinking briefly, Julius nodded. "With the two of us fighting at the front, no one will reach our back line." He said, smiling gently. Despite their rough debut, Shiro acted like a genuine supervisor, helping and advising them during their journey. Her knowledge alone made her a valuable addition to the party, not to mention her battle capabilities.
Shiro clapped her hands, happy to be accepted, before throwing the gladius back to Julius.
The dim teleportation circle was now glowing vigorously, ready to be used.