When Shade met the nun at the entrance to the Sacrificial Ground, hidden among spring trees sprouting green leaves, an odd question came to mind. Come to think of it, he usually had not made an appointment before visiting the nun, yet he had always been able to see her.
"This is Gillar Stone. Even in the Fifth Epoch, it was a very precious material."
At the lowest level of the Sacrificial Ground, the nun wearing a Silver Eye Patch sat on the second-to-last tier of stone steps beside the open space, running her fingers one by one over the seven "stones":
"In the Fifth Epoch, Gillar Stone was one of the core materials for making spatial Alchemy Items. Yes, exactly what you are thinking of—a small pouch capable of holding an entire carriage's worth of goods."
Shade's eyes widened at once:
"Then do you—"
"Such Alchemy Items no longer exist in the Sixth Epoch. It is not because the crafting methods have been lost, nor because the materials have completely vanished, much less because no Alchemy Items from the past have survived. It is simply because space in the Sixth Epoch is more unstable than it was in the Fifth Epoch. Therefore, apart from special objects such as relics, any other attempt to create an independent space is equivalent to making a bomb that could explode at any moment."
The nun spoke softly, her clear voice echoing through the Sacrificial Ground:
"Although Alchemy Items cannot be made, using these stones in spellcasting makes it easier to employ abilities related to 'creating space.' Mystic Locks, for example."
She handed the string of stones back to Shade. He nodded in understanding; This way, the gift was even more valuable than he had imagined. As for the weekly task he had received