Andri eagerly pulled Gauss into his room.
"Let me see."
Her curiosity was overwhelming.
Seeing her tilt her head back, eyes shining with desire.
Gauss didn’t keep her waiting.
He quickly took out the White Magic Wand from the Storage Pouch, previously known as the White Bone Staff.
"Oh~"
Andri immediately leaned in for a closer look.
The magic wand in Gauss’s hand was about fifty centimeters long.
Unlike the old staff with visible bone joints, the current wand was sleek and polished, its sharp edges smoothed away.
Its color was a smooth, jade-like white, with no flaws visible to the naked eye.
The grip of the wand was slightly thicker than the shaft, naturally forming subtle indentations and rises that fit the hand, its color a deeper shade than the rest. Upon closer inspection, dense, almost imperceptible natural golden patterns could be seen within its texture, like veins of leaves or feathers.
It resembled a perfect piece of art more than a weapon, reflecting a mesmerizing glow under the light.
The most eye-catching feature was the gem at one end, glowing brilliantly, with silvery-white flecks flowing inside, emanating a serene yet powerful aura, as if it could draw the gaze and mind of anyone staring at it.
Light subtly bent around it, beautiful, elegant, mysterious, powerful....
This was Andri’s first impression of the reborn White Bone Staff.
"So beautiful..."
After a long while, she swallowed and slowly offered her evaluation.
Even with her experience, she couldn’t discern the wand’s origin.
And because she had often toyed with it over the years, she felt its transformation more keenly.
"Can I hold it?"
She looked up at Gauss and asked.
Though the White Bone Staff originally belonged to her, since she had handed it to Gauss, it was no longer related to her; she was clear on this.
"Go ahead, give it a try?"
Gauss bent down slightly and presented the White Magic Wand to her.
What does this mean? Andri was puzzled, but having received permission, her curiosity about the wand prevailed. She put aside her questions for the moment and reached out for the wand with her small hand.
"Eh?"
Just as her fair fingers were about to grip the wand, a powerful resistance emanated from its surface.
Her fingers were forcefully repelled.
What was happening?
Andri wasn’t one to give up easily.
Increasing her effort, she reached for the wand again.
However, the resistance grew even stronger this time.
The wand seemed to sense someone trying to take it from Gauss’s hand, releasing an even greater force to resist.
"Huff—"
Andri’s attempt to grasp it failed again, even causing her to retreat half a step.
She tried various methods, even using magic.
But she was never able to hold it, let alone use it.
She had to abandon the idea of experiencing the wand firsthand.
Watching Gauss casually wield the White Magic Wand with ease, she couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
It seemed the wand had already bonded with Gauss, and only he could use it.
Though he was indeed the wand’s destined owner, as its previous owner, was there truly no room for nostalgia?
"Can no one else touch it either?" Andri sat on Gauss’s bed to rest.
"No. My two companions tried as well but failed," Gauss said, seeing her frustrated disappointment, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Well... that’s fair enough."
Hearing that others couldn’t touch it either, Andri felt slightly consoled.
"Have you identified it yet?"
Gauss looked at Andri.
When he first obtained the White Magic Wand, he had used the Identification Technique on it and tried many times afterward, but without exception, it was always unsuccessful.
He hoped that, given Andri’s higher mage level, she might achieve a different result.
"No," Andri shook her head. "My Identification Technique doesn’t work on it anymore."
She was at a loss as well.
Back when it was the White Bone Staff, her Identification Technique at least had an effect on it, even if it couldn’t produce a result, but now it outright blocked her technique.
Gauss was slightly disappointed, but not entirely surprised.
Clearly, the origins of the White Magic Wand were anything but simple.
"Did someone help you complete the forging?" Andri asked, looking at the flawless, seemingly natural White Magic Wand.
Seeing such craftsmanship, she somewhat hoped to find the craftsman for herself.
Gauss shook his head.
"I don’t think so. I’m not quite sure what happened."
He wasn’t entirely clear on the specifics.
He vaguely remembered entering some mysterious space, and upon exiting, the wand was in its current form, but he lost all memory of the experience.
After hearing Gauss’s description, Andri sank into contemplation.
Just as she was about to speak, a commotion erupted outside.
The silent night was suddenly filled with the sound of footsteps.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
Three urgent chimes rang out.
The sound was heavy and pressing, sweeping across the sky above Outpost 11, heard by nearly everyone immediately.
"This is...."
"Enemy attack!!!" Andri’s face changed instantly, and she leapt off the bed.
The three short, rapid chimes were a common signal of the highest level of alarm, generally sounded when a city, town, or human settlement was under attack.
No one would joke about something like this.