"We are well-stocked, my lady."
Harl said to me as we were inspecting the main storage.
The newly-appointed manager was giving me a rundown of everything we currently possessed.
The third Quintal Trial was approaching and I wanted to have an exact idea of what we had in disposal.
"1,253 regular arrows. 757 wind arrows. 339 exploding arrows. 86 exploding throwing spears. 51 regular throwing spears, 144 advanced health potions, 228 intermediate health potions, 46 mana potions, and 20 vials of cure-all antidote."
The main storage manager reported.
I nodded to her in approval.
"It's definitely more than what we prepared for the tenth floor."
"As per your previous order, my lady, the supporters have been working hard to supply ten parties for the upcoming Quintal Trial. Given the fifteenth floor actually only requires one party, it's natural that we already have more than enough supply."
"That may be right. Though I shudder to think if the fifteenth floor were to actually require ten parties."
"The chiefs were starting to worry after you climbed the fourteenth floor. They feared they could not fulfill the amount you requested in time."
I inspected the supplies more closely. Making certain they were of the same number reported.
"I heard from Trudy and Gerrits that master has been supplying the second floor trainees with the enchanted weapons."
"No need to worry, my lady. I've been reminding the chief gatherer and the chief crafter whenever master took some supply for the trainees. We always recovered the number by the end of the week."
I nodded yet again in great approval.
It was the right decision to appoint the girl in this role.
She understood well what the raid team needed.
"I see that the throwing spears are not as abundant as the arrows."
I told the honey-haired manager.
"Throughout the entire lobby, only Jonah and two second floor trainees uses throwing-spears in combat, my lady. I heard from Instructor Calle that it is quite a difficult skill to learn."
"That may be so. But put in an order to increase the throwing spears supply. Especially the exploding ones. Coordinate with the chief crafter and the chief gatherer."
"As you wish, my lady."
Harl said with a bow. It had been long since I gave up making the girl call me by my name.
As I nodded back to her, I noticed Sharine standing at the storage's entrance.
The magic hall's depository manager would usually come to the main storage to escort the health potion delivery done by the third floor servants.
However, today's batch delivery had already been done earlier in the day.
So why would she be here now?
"What's the matter, Sharine?"
I asked as I approached the magic hall's depository manager.
Given how promptly the woman turned to bow to me, it was apparent that she came just to see me.
"Sir Laogang is requesting your presence in the magic hall, my lady."
I raised my eyebrows curiously.
"Yuxia called for me? What's the matter?"
"Sir Laogang wouldn't tell me the details, but he said it relates to the formula simulations you've been ordering him and the other mages to perform for the past while."
My brows rose even higher.
"Bring me to him."
The depository manager bowed once more and escorted me out of the main storage, leaving Harl to continue with her own duty there.
The two of us then climbed back to the third floor of the lobby and made our way to the magic hall.
Sharine escorted me deeper into the facility until we arrived inside the alchemy lab.
Jansen was in the middle of brewing more advanced health potion in a corner of the room.
I taught him the preparation method after we climbed the fourteenth floor, since I was certain I would be busy training for the Quintal Trial after then.
I ignored the timid-faced herbalist for now and turned my attention to Yuxia who was standing by the enchantment pedestal.
Vallerynne and Matrias were with the elementalist. All three were expecting me.
I soon discovered the clue as to why I was summoned here.
The crystal we got from the tenth floor subquest was placed on the enchantment pedestal. While the cryptic grimoire was laid on a small table beside it.
Having escorted me, Sharine made another bow and gracefully retreated to the library.
I walked toward the three wildlings waiting for me.
"Aren't you all supposed to be working on the simulations? What are you doing here with that crystal and the grimoire?"
I asked them directly.
Yuxia exchanged a nervous glance with his fellow pupils before replying.
"About the simulations... Well, Serafina, I think we discovered something about the formula we've been researching."
His tone was doubtful. But I entertained the idea.
"Is that so? What did you find out?"
The smooth-haired eastern man suddenly turned to the disheveled middle-aged man next to him.
"Matrias, tell her! This whole thing started with you after all!"
The sub-elemental mage flinched upon the calling.
But then he sighed and bent down to grab the grimoire on the small table.
He cleared his throat and showed me the page where the single formula we were all researching this entire time was drawn.
"You see, Serafina, after you taught me about the formulas used in the sub-elemental magic, I can't help but notice something in this grimoire formula."
Matrias began pointing to various parts of the complex runes which represented the grimoire's magic formula.
The sub-elemental mage went on.
"These small patterns that kept repeating in the magic circle, I think they are synapses often used in a sub-elemental formula."
I immediately frowned at his statement.
Sub-element was actually composed of several prime elements.
In case of lightning, it was fire, wind, and water.
Which was why several elemental formulas were involved when casting a sub-elemental spell.
A synapse was needed in order to connect those separate elemental equations together and align them to create the desired sum.
The synapse itself was a variable composed of either a pure magical value or a whole equation in itself.
And due to sub-elemental formula's restrictive nature, synapse was very unique since often one synapse could only be used for one specific sub-elemental formula and nothing else in sorcery.
There was actually an entire list of synapses existed in sub-elemental sorcery. And it was well known in magical society just like how Barrachian Index was.
Which was why I found it odd to hear Matrias said those words.
"These small repeating patterns are the Jamaga Denominator, Matrias. The Jamaga Denominator is not a synapse. It's not even used in a sub-elemental magic. It is actually used in the transmutation phase for elemental enchantment magic. The spell that allows us to imbue elemental attribute to our equipment."
"I know it's not included in the Synapses Index. But if you look at how the patterns are spread throughout the circle, don't you think they could serve as synapses for this particular formula?"
I examined the magic circle upon his words.
My frown persisted.
"Assuming the Jamaga Denominator is used as a synapse for this rune, there is still the question regarding the formulas the Jamaga Denominator is connecting together. There are dozens of different formulas on each side of the synapses. How are you supposed to connect them together with a variable that isn't known to be a synapse to begin with?"
Matrias kept silent this time.
But the man suddenly turned to Yuxia, expecting him to take over.
The elementalist sighed and took the grimoire from the middle-aged man.
"Matrias told me about his suspicion, so I tried to analyze the jumbles of formulas on each side of the synapses."
"What did you conclude from your analysis?"
I asked him.
"I found that the jumbles are consisted of formulas used in elemental magic. And not just one element either, all the prime elements are present. Even the ones specific for the sub-elements."
Yuxia said.
He was not the only one who identified them. I was also aware of those formula compilations.
But there was still a problem.
"So you identified those formulas. They are still jumbles. A compilation of complex values that doesn't equate to anything. It meant nothing if you can't make the entire collage of equations produce one single value properly."
I said to him.
The elementalist nodded. His mulling expression remained, however.
"I can't explain it with word, Serafina, but I think I know how to make each of the jumbles make sense."
"Care to elaborate further?"
"All I can say is that I think I can arrange all of the elemental formulas together using the 2nd and the 6th Barrachian Formulas. You taught me how those two Great Formulas are used for fusion spells."
I nodded to his words.
It was true.
And despite the many restrictions which limited the use of those two Great Formulas, I was still quite intrigued by the idea.
My frown persisted still, though.
"You're still forgetting one important thing, Yuxia. Even if you can reduce the jumbles into singular equations and connect them through the synapses, you'll notice that the jumbles are actually not all connected together. They don't make a full circle."
Yuxia nodded regrettably this time.
"I know. The magic circle won't be complete and the spell won't get activated."
The elementalist suddenly turned to Vallerynne next to him.
The enchanter then let out a burdened sigh like her fellow pupils and took the grimoire.
She carried the explanation over.
"Yuxia pointed out how the jumbles aren't all connected even after they were simplified. How they stood individually instead of making a complete circle. That was when I got an idea."
"And what idea that would be?"
I asked the enchanter.
"Well, Serafina, during our composite enchantment lesson, you taught me how I must properly cast the enhancement spells separately before combining them together. How each enhancement spell needed to stand on their own first, equally as well, so their runes would not waver upon interacting with each other."
The girl explained.
She went on.
"So I thought it must be the case for these jumbles. They are separate spells that had to be combined together."
My frown curved deeper upon her statement.
"Are you saying this grimoire formula is a complex composite enchantment spell?"
"Yes."
The girl nodded promptly.
"But how do you plan to combine them? To begin with, these are not enhancement runes you're fusing. These are elemental runes. And the only formulas used to combine elemental runes are purposed for expelling incredible force, for assault. Not for imbuing attribute on an object."
That was why it was dangerous to imbue two elemental attributes on a weapon.
One element was already dangerous, two or more would simply cause the weapon to disintegrate. To explode.
We were using this fragile nature of sorcery to create the exploding projectiles.
It required a high level sorcery and incredible grade of material to imbue multiple elemental attribute on a weapon or equipment without causing any disintegration.
If we recklessly combined the elemental runes on the grimoire formula, we would risk blowing up the entire lobby.
Vallerynne turned uneasy.
I knew how far along she was on her enchantment lesson. She was aware about those concerns I pointed out to her.
"It's better if I just show you. I don't know how to put it to words yet."
The cream-haired girl said.
She turned to Yuxia.
"Do it just like we discussed earlier."
Yuxia promptly nodded to her.
My frown curved deeper than ever. My upper head was starting to ache from all this frowning.
Just like they discussed?
Dear Goddesses…
These pupils of mine wanted to kill us all didn't they?