Back at my apartment, I set down my newly-acquired items. It was time to take a full inventory and pack.
Of the options Lars had offered me, I’d picked out a single item that I considered essential: a real, functional return bell like the ones we’d used during our tests. According to him, it wouldn’t work in certain rooms in the tower — apparently they had varying degrees of protection against teleportation — but it would work in some of them.
I’d considered picking up something with more of a direct combat application or something to enhance my attunement, but honestly? Getting out of this with my friends and myself alive was my highest priority.
One important thing was that unlike the ones we’d used during the test, this return bell would require channeling a considerable amount of gray mana into it to activate.
This was good, in some respects. I didn’t want to ring the bell accidentally while I was walking and end up by myself outside. But it did mean that it might take an extra second or two to activate the item, and I knew that could be dangerous. I’d have to be ready for that.
The return bell came along with a second item - a metal rod that served as an anchor for the bell’s teleportation destination. I hadn’t seen anything like that during our tests, but presumably they’d had something similar built into the main room. My current plan was either to leave the pole in my room or to plant it just outside the tower. I’d probably talk to Professor Orden before deciding.
After I’d picked up the bell and rod, he’d “sold” me three more items that he considered essential — a flask that refilled itself with ordinary drinking water every four hours, a cloak that regulated the wearer’s body temperature, and a mana-powered lantern that generated heatless light.
They all sounded more like camping supplies to me than preparation for a dangerous journey in the tower, but when I considered that the average tower journey lasted days, it made a lot of sense. Moreover, the lantern would be handy in any pitch black rooms similar to the one we’d encountered in our first test.
Even accounting for his usually-inflated prices, I owed Lars quite a bit for practically forcing the things on me. If I made it out of this alive, I’d find a way to repay him eventually.
Aside from that, I’d picked up a large ordinary backpack. I stuffed the cloak inside along with the lantern.
After that, I packed a couple extra sets of clothes... and several extra pairs of socks, as Lars had insisted.
After that, enchanting supplies. I didn’t have a lot of gems left. Just a handful of Class 1 gray ones, a Class 1 mind gem, and the Class 2 universal gem. Better than nothing. I packed my engraving rod and my etching rod, just in case.
Finally, food. I attached a bedroll to the bottom of the backpack. I’d do without a sleeping bag or pillow. There wasn’t room for other large items.
The supplies I was more likely to need immediately went into my normal belt pouch. Those started with the book that put me in contact with the Voice of the Tower. I didn’t plan to show it off to the others, but I wanted it handy in case of an emergency.
I stuffed the demi-gauntlet in my side bag, along with my ten remaining silver coins. Finally, the bell, along with the anchor rod that went along with it. I really hoped I wouldn’t have to use it, but given my luck? It was probably more a question of when I’d need to evacuate.
After a bit of consideration, I put the self-refilling waterskin in my side pouch, and then stuffed the waterskin containing the enchanted water I’d taken from the tower in my backpack. I did not want to mix those up.
I had two shield sigils now. The school-issued one went on my uniform as usual, and the phoenix sigil I’d made for myself went onto my pants to prevent them from interfering with each other.
I’d considered making a third, but that ran a much greater risk of interfering with all three. I’d probably get that sorted out eventually, but I didn’t have time to experiment.
I kept the ring of regeneration on. I’d need to ask Orden about how long it was safe to use it.
While I was thinking about the ring, I inspected the runes on it. They were etched on the inside of the band; it looked like delicate work. The ring had to be made of some kind of rare material to hold that amount of mana in such a small object.
Most of the runes weren’t ones I was familiar with, so I looked them up. There were two fairly standard life runes: one for the actual healing effect, and another to cause the ring to naturally recharge. Next to them, a life mana capacity rune to prevent the recharging rune from overflowing it.
Another couple runes required mental mana. I presumed one was for detecting the user’s injuries. I recognized the one next to it, which was designed to recharge the mental mana required for the other rune. The next one was probably a mental mana capacity rune, but it was a slightly different design from the one I usually used — probably because it was for a higher capacity.
The last one I recognized even more easily: a standard activation rune that required the user to channel gray mana into it. Unlike the variant used on dueling canes, this required the mana to come from the person wearing the ring.
All in all, it was simple enough to make, it just required too much mana for me to fabricate one on my own. I also didn’t have any life mana crystals.
After finishing my research on the ring, I took my mana watch, too. I never left home without it these days.
I checked my mana before putting the watch away. 48/48. Apparently, yesterday’s exertions had helped me improve a bit. I was still a ways off from Carnelian, though. Most people seemed to reach Carnelian at around 60 mana. I’d have to survive without a shroud for a while longer.
Before leaving, I briefly unpacked my book to write a quick message to the Voice of the Tower. I didn’t know when I’d get another chance.
Dear Voice of the Tower,