Miss Orland smiled and reached into the ice coffin, touching her student's cheek, her fingers brushing past her lips:
"My student really doesn't make things easy for me. When the blizzard turned into black snow, we were outside looking for other entrances to the library. I had erected a barrier to shield us from the black snowflakes, but she just had to wag her tail..."
The smile on her face became more pronounced:
"Shard, when I open a barrier, I certainly don't account for the length of a tail."
This description was quite vivid.
Miss Orland slapped her forehead, sighing over her apprentice's troublesome nature. Miss Samuel, who wore round glasses, laughed and extended her hand to pick up the seemingly limp tail, pointing to a black spot at the tip:
"Look, right here, this young lady unfortunately came into contact with the black snow. Fortunately, her Red Dragon Bloodline granted her strength beyond that of a human, so she was rescued in time and I was able to temporarily seal her using the secret technique of Zaras Academy – the 'Slumber Ice Coffin.' After we leave this place, we will be able to wake her up."
Having said that, she put down the tail and signaled Shard to close the ice coffin.
"Oh, so she's just asleep."
Shard was relieved to hear that this ice coffin technique seemed even stronger than his "False Immortality." After all, False Immortality had a duration, but the ice coffin could exist for a long time.
With great care, they closed the ice coffin lid, and the three of them sat back down by the fire. Shard still chose to sit with his back to the door and the black snow outside, while the other two witches avoided the old pile of books with a shrine on it.
"How long have I been gone?"
As he spoke, Shard started to undo the buttons of his bulky coat. After taking off his heavy coat, he first reached out his hands towards the campfire to warm up, then took a small toy out of the inner pocket of his coat.
To make transportation easier for Shard, Miss Galina had packed all the supplies in wooden boxes, which could be covered with canvas and turned into toys. The canvas itself, once folded, also became a toy.
"Like the Forest of Thousand Trees, space-time here is not uniform and continuous," Miss Orland said:
"Sometimes, it's just a short rest with eyes closed, but when you open them again, it feels like a long time has passed."
"Temporal disorientation is also commonplace in places . The Academy has specialized research on this subject," said Miss Samuel, also wearing round glasses, as she stood up to inspect the boxes Shard had taken out. As the only Thirteenth Rank Witch in the team, Miss Orland didn't move, continuing the conversation with Shard:
"Aside from the task given by the deity."
She carefully glanced at the shrine:
"We have our own mission here. Every book scattered around in the ruins of the Gadis Library could profoundly impact the study of the Ancient Era. If Teacher Feliana did not have more important matters to attend to, she would have been leading this adventure."
Shard subconsciously wanted to ask what those "more important matters" were, but felt that it was better to try and not get involved with things he wasn't supposed to know about in the past.
"Oh, these mustn't have been cheap, right?"
A voice came from beside him, Miss Samuel was touching the fabric of a hooded robe:
"Look, although it's not silk from an Eris Silkworm, it's definitely not ordinary fabric either."
This caused Miss Orland by the fire to frown slightly:
"Shard, how much did you spend?"
"No money was spent."
Shard immediately said,
"It was sponsored by a witch from my era, she said she greatly admired you all."
Raising his right hand to the flames and utilizing the power of Sorcery "Flame Molding", he let the image of Miss Galina's luxurious estate appear in the fire:
"The witches from my era are quite wealthy."
"Then, have you slept with them?"
Miss Samuel asked teasingly with a smile, as she pulled out a pair of boots, then muttered,
"Look, these boots are really stylish. I just didn't expect there to be mag..."
Her words were only half said when Miss Samuel froze as if struck by thunder. The boots in her hand fell back into the box, and her eyes, mouth, and nose began to bleed a faint golden color. Behind her, the Eleventh Rank Golden Steps automatically appeared, albeit faintly and covered in cracks.
"The witches from Zaras Academy, didn't they attend the 'Time Stability Theory' course? She even dared to probe into the future."
Miss Orland said with a mix of helplessness and annoyance, as she stood up quickly and walked to Miss Samuel's side.
"She's about to lose control, Shard, stabilize the time."
"Witches can lose control? Wait, how do you stabilize time?"
Shard only has the "Spatial Stabilization Aura", not a "Time Stability Aura".
"What exactly is being taught in the future Saint Byrons?"
She was quite dissatisfied with the education Shard had received, grabbed his wrist, and pressed it against Miss Samuel's forehead:
"Summon the Ring of Fate, and shine the Spiritual Light on her. At the same time, use the power related to time, and with the Spirit of the Circle Sorcerer's order, guide the disordered time."
Shard now understood. It was a simple technique. The Ring of Fate belonging to a Three Ring Sorcerer appeared amidst the whistle and tolling bells. As the Spiritual Light shone on the three below, Miss Orland reached out to hold the trembling witch. More precisely, she bent her neck and held her head.
The guiding light that symbolized the power of the Yellow Moon flickered, assisting Shard in helping the Eleventh Rank Witch from Zaras Academy stabilize her own powers.
After a long while, the intermittent Golden Steps behind the witch that looked as though they were about to collapse finally stabilized. Regaining her senses, Miss Samuel's face was deathly pale as she softly thanked the two before sitting back down next to the campfire, looking in very bad shape.
"One after another, you're all so worrisome; I understand now why Teacher Feliana doesn't like taking students on adventures. However, I was very well-behaved in the past."
Miss Orland shook her head, glanced at the haggard Miss Samuel by the campfire, then took an apple from the box nearby, rubbed it on her clothes, and took a bite, a smile appearing on her face:
"Is this an autumn apple?"
"Yes, autumn, just after deep autumn. But, can you perceive the season from the fruit?"
Shard curiously asked.
"Yes, the power of my lineage allows me to sense the growth stage and date of plants. Before I met my teacher, I survived as a flower seller using this power. Speaking of which, my lineage is even a distant branch of the Elven Royalty."
Miss Orland, who had one-eighth Elven lineage, tossed another apple to Shard and then returned to sit by the campfire. Shard also sat back down.
"Shard, I know your time is short, so let's get to the point. Your Arcane Technique "Silent Moonlight" is very effective; indeed, this primitive and unrefined power has exceeded my understanding of moonlight."
She reached up and rotated the solid, pale yellow moon suspended above the campfire, which began to spin slightly:
"With 'Silent Moonlight' to assist us, after you leave, we can continue to explore the ruins of the Gadis Library. You might have noticed that there are more old books here, all of which are the books Teacher Feliana and Zaras Academy are searching for. And the book needed by the sage in gray, we've also found it but haven't gotten it in hand yet."