Shade tried lifting the black metal scales for inspection, while the boy, who had not dared speak all this time, carefully supported Mrs. Miles and said:
"Maybe we can determine the direction by observing which side is lower, like a compass."
The boy was right. The scales were not balanced. As he held them and turned in place, the left side remained lowered, and the degree to which it dipped varied depending on the direction it faced.
So Shade turned in a full circle and found the direction in which the scales dipped lowest. It pointed to the front left, so the group held up their torches and walked several dozen steps along the path between the stalls, fully entering Black Mist Camp. During this time, the witch made the scales float from Shade's hand and rotate slowly at a steady speed, helping everyone adjust their direction more precisely.
Thus, after only a few dozen steps, they confirmed that the location indicated by the scales lay deeper within the camp, rather than to the left of the road ahead.
"Mrs. Miles, can you still keep going?"
Once they went deeper into the camp, getting back out would take much longer. Moreover, the oppression and cold in the depths of the camp were even harder to bear. That was why Miss Higgins asked her employer in advance. Though exhausted, the latter still nodded:
"No problem."
The boy, An DeEr Ade, was a little bolder. He continued supporting the old woman of his own accord. Though no one had asked him, he nodded shakily as well.
But at a glance, even within the range of their vision, the path from the camp entrance was already narrowing. The stalls would become even denser deeper in the camp, and based on what they had