The restriction that was imposed by the academy was something hard to accept for Emery and the others. This was the most disadvantageous thing an acolyte from the lower world would be facing.
When Emery, Klea, Julian, Chumo and Thrax finished their second year in the academy, this time there would be a break period of 3 years. It meant they had to stay on Earth during that period of time before they could go for their third year.
During those 3 years, all acolytes would try their best to increase their cultivation. Even though they didn't really need an item or artifact to improve, it would still be very beneficial to have some leverage of sorts against others.
For Emery, all the top magus, even the headmaster himself, thought his Dark Core would be the bane on his road to becoming a magus. Therefore, his future to be a magus laid in the hands of Kilgraga and the Khaos Space. So, it was crucial for him to bring the item that the dragon needed back home.
Julian, on the other hand, also had his own agenda. He was eager to find the answer about the special storage box.
It took the female attendant some time to bring out the item requested by them. The moment Emery and the others saw the 'special' storage box, they were shocked because of how… unassuming it looked. It was a rectangular box one meter long and half a meter wide with thickness only around 30 centimeters.
"Here is the special storage box mentioned." said the female attendant, as she placed the box on the table.
Looking at the size of the box, Julian was disappointed, "Damn! Is this really the special storage box?!" he said as he threw his gaze towards the female attendant, earning him a nod of confirmation.
Dumbfounded, Julian continued, "This is so small! I don't even think that my sword would fit in this."
"Definitely not my spear." added Thrax, as he was also surprised by the box's size.
While the others were debating about the questionable size of the box, Emery asked the female attendant just to be sure, "So each of us can bring one of these boxes home?"
"Yes, acolytes. You will be allowed to bring one if you pay for the fee." She said with a smile.
The words 'pay' and 'fee' made everyone stop their debate and perk their ears listening to the attendant's words. Emery then asked, "And that would be...?"
"One box would cost 50.000 contribution points."
"..."
The amount of points required to bring this box back home was beyond debatable. This surely and instantly made the five friends flabbergasted.
"Is this a joke?!" said Julian, half shouting. It couldn't be helped, the mind-boggling contributions points needed caused him to be emotional.
Thinking about the contribution points one would receive from the three Magus Games, it meant that only those who made it to the finals could afford such a steep price.
Taking Emery as an example, the only reason he had more than one hundred thousand points was because, not only did he reach and win the final game, he also won the first place in the second game.
Klea herself, who managed to reach the final, only accumulated no more than 70.000 contribution points.
This comparison truly highlighted how astonishing the price of this special storage box was.
"This is crazy!" Klea added, as she also felt that the price was absurd.
Knowing he had more than enough points, Emery decided to calm his agitated friends.
"Guys, don't worry. Let me buy the box and we can share it. Later, we can just meet up on Earth. How's that sound?"
Before Julian, Chumo or even Thrax had time to respond to Emery's offer, Klea beat them to it. Emery noticed that Klea was strangely excited about the matter. "That is a great plan, Emery! From Egypt, I think... it would only take one or two weeks by boat to your place. I can visit your place!"
Unbeknownst to him, Klea was thinking about a different matter altogether.
Upon hearing Emery's words, Julian seemed to calm down a bit. Alas, the next words that came out from the attendant sent him to rage once more.
"I apologize but, only 3 items are allowed to be put in the box. It is also forbidden to bring anything labeled as advanced technology."
There, Julian's plan to bring home a projectile weapon to strengthen his troop just gone, disappearing without a trace. It appeared just as Magus Minerva had explained to them, these rules were placed to not hindering the world's natural evolution process.
"This is freaking unfair!" Julian shouted furiously, before he proceeded to leave the room with loud thumps.
Emery thought about sharing the three quota with his friend, but he already had 2 items he planned to bring back. Therefore, he paused and decided to hold back his intention.
Chumo and Thrax had no intention to bring anything back to Earth as they knew the cost it needed. As for Klea, it seemed like she was still in hesitation.
The next thing Emery did was checking up the two items he had on his checklist. One was a skill called [Universal Formation Pattern - Rank 1]. Searching through the myriad of items, he finally found it. The skill cost only 2.000 contribution points.
After reading through its description, Emery believed this was the first thing Kilgraga needed, something that would help to reinforce the rock formation.
The second item he needed to look for took him a little bit of time to find. Even though Kilgraga did not mention its name, Emery would never forget its unusual, striking look.
Several minutes later, he decided to ask the attendant for help and after going through the effort of describing the item, they finally found it under the [Consumables] category. It was an egg-size black sphere, with countless tiny sparks that made it looked like a star in the dark sky. Apparently, it was known as Void Crystal.
"That's it! That's what I need." Emery exclaimed.
He checked the price tag, only to find out the item was unavailable. Even a faculty as big as the magus academy didn't have one in stock, how could Emer be able to find it then
'Damn… Kilgraga did say it would not be easy…"'
Even though Emery wasn't able to acquire the Void Crystal he desperately needed, at least the visit to the Magus Hub gave him the [Universe Formation Pattern] and the special storage box that allowed him to bring three items back to Earth.
At the moment, he was not in a hurry to trade his contribution points for those items. After all, he still had forty plus days before his return to Earth.
Thanking the female attendants for their hospitality, Emery and the others left the hub and went their own separate ways.