"Actually, the fact that [Source Essence] is in Windless Canyon isn't much of a secret within the family.
Even if Grandfather would never tell us about it outright, and didn't want us revealing certain secrets to the public, we Halflings sometimes have a hard time keeping our mouths shut. We share our feelings with our companions.
So Grandfather's one and only rule was this: no one was allowed to go to the Calm Belt and take the Source Essence without permission.
My father was the only one who crossed that line."
[Keen, friendly, and warmhearted—while we're celebrating all the wonderful social qualities Halflings possess, let's not forget their tendency to speak without thinking.
For a bard, that's a good thing. It might help you learn some juicy gossip.]
Tang Qi took notes as he asked, "Because of the [Circulating Spell Storage Ring]?"
At this point, there was no need to keep the secret any longer. Halahar pulled her blanket tighter around herself and nodded. "The reason House Hal can cast spells in the Wasteland is that our ancestors developed the [Stabilizing Disc]. It's like a wristwatch, with a glass ball on its face.
Whenever we cast a spell, the Source Essence stored inside the watch is automatically drawn into the spell, stabilizing the sequence of formulas."
"I saw one on that dead member of House Hal."
"But Source Essence serves as an anchor in the formula, helping the spell formula find its target. It doesn't actually repair the damaged Magic Web. So it can only guarantee a certain degree of stability, with a success rate of about ninety-nine percent.
That means there's always a one percent chance of something going wrong, which can trigger a Magic Surge. Luck is conserved, after all. Even Halflings can't avoid every misfortune, and that's