"You're not joking with us, right?" Noah asked.
"He's not lying! My brother is the greatest magic engineer in the continent!" Ruby stood up for Shane, a bit offended at Noah asking that question.
"We're not doubting him! Just that we're genuinely shocked." Luke said.
"If you're this good, you should be quite famous! What's your name man?" Noah asked.
"I'm Shane! I'm not famous at all! you're thinking quite highly of me! I just love making magic tools and machines!"
Noah was more confused now. He really hadn't heard of any famous magic engineer named Shane.
"I'm Luke!" he introduced himself to ease the doubtful and tense environment.
"I'm Ruby!"
"I…I'm Noah."
"You two are damn strong! Are you adventurers?" Shane asked with glowing eyes.
"Thanks! Yes! I'm an E rank and started just recently. Noah here is a D rank though!"
"Amazing! You seem more like B rank! Are both of you a team?" Shane asked.
"Yes! Though we haven't registered as a team since we are a member short." Luke said.
"Really? Can I join your team? I registered today! I'm an E rank too though." Shane asked excitedly.
"You're an adventurer? I thought you were a Glaskow magic engineering university student! Why be an adventurer when you are so talented in magic engineering?" Noah asked in surprise.
"I didn't get admission there."
"Why?"
"Because I was born without a magic circle. I can't use magic."
Luke and Noah were left speechless. They couldn't believe what they just heard.
"How did you use that weapon then?"
"Because he's that talented! The university is filled with thieves. They even took credit for the scanning device he made for the entrance test." Ruby blurted out, anger was visible on her face.
"What!? you made the scanning device?" Noah asked in shock.
"Yaa! I couldn't do anything since I'm magicless and no one would believe my claim."
Luke listened silently. A rage boiled inside him hearing Shane's plight. He could understand how Shane felt. What it was like to be magicless and get those scornful looks from the people all the time.
He sighed and with a wide smile on his face extended his hand towards Shane.
"Welcome to the team Shane! Let's show those who have cheated and underestimated you! Let's look down on them from the top, which we will reach together!" Noah was not surprised as he understood what Luke felt. He was same as Shane a few days ago. A smile crept on his face as he agreed with Luke.
Shane's eyes got wide. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Even after knowing that he was magicless, Luke was inviting him into the team.
His lips parted into a wide smile as he held Luke's hand, joining the team that will create legends in the future.
"No! I can't accept this!" Ruby interjected.
"Why?" Noah asked.
"Because I don't want him to keep adventuring! You saw how dangerous this is! how can I let you keep risking your life again and again."
"Why don't you join the team too then?"
"I can't!"
"Why?"
"Because…because…"
"Because she's a priestess in the holy temple." Shane said.
"Shane!! Didn't I tell you not to say this! You…you've made my disguise useless!"
"You brother and sister are full of surprises! I'm not even feeling surprised anymore." Noah said with a stoic face.
"Why don't you join us on this mission we're going on? See if he's safe with us or not! You can decide after that." Luke proposed this solution to Ruby.
Ruby went into thought and Shane was getting nervous with every second passing. After a few minutes of contemplation, Ruby finally agreed.
"Ok! But whenever I feel that he shouldn't be with you guys, he'll not be teaming up with you!"
"No problem! You'll have to change your mind! I promise you we'll convince you on that."
"Let's see!" Shane was ecstatic as a smile spread on his face seeing his sister agree.
"By the way, what mission are you guys on?" Shane asked.
"We're in search of the noon bloom for the count!" Luke said.
"Oh! I saw that mission on the board too. But isn't everyone searching for that?"
"They are, but we think we've cracked the location where we believe the chances of finding it are very high!" Noah said.
"Really!? Where is it?"
"Sword mountains! We know its towards the south, but knowing the direction and going on the correct path is quite difficult! We were lost many a times. The forest confuses a lot."
"I have a way though!" Shane said as he pulled out a round watch like object with two needles in the dial from his pouch on the waist. "We can use this compass."
"You have a compass!? Damn man! You people are quite rich huh!" Noah exclaimed.
"We don't have that kind of money! I made this myself."
"Haha! Alright! It's not surprising anymore." Noah laughed out acting not surprised but his expressions were betraying him.
Luke and Ruby chuckled seeing Noah's reaction.
"Alright! let's move than!" Luke said. "Check your mechanical weapon, Shane. We don't know when a fight knocks on our doors."
"Give me a minute!" Shane pulled a mana stone from the pouch. It was intricately cut to fit the hollow socket in his mechanical arm. He placed the mana stone in it and turned towards his sister.
"Can you charge it sister?"
Ruby nodded and golden mana started flowing out of her into the mana stone. But after a few seconds the mana connection broke and she wobbled, feeling lightheaded. Shane held her from falling and supported her to keep standing.
"She has mana exhaustion. She will recover with some rest, but right now she can't use any mana." Noah said.
"I'll help you! Let ruby rest." Luke said as Shane helped her to rest against a tree and passed her the water bag. He then moved towards Luke.
Luke condensed prana into his hands and passed it to the mana stone in Shane's mechanical arm. the prana was accepted easily as it kept flowing, but after just a few seconds the stone started glowing bright amber.
"STOP!!" Shane screamed as Luke immediately withdrew his prana.
"What happened?" Luke asked in shock.
"What kind of mana do you hold? It's so pure and condensed that it filled the stone almost immediately. Any more and all the channels would have fried!"
"It's because of my cultivation method! I can't tell you more though!"
"Test it! Let's see if Luke's mana changes anything." Noah said.
Shane nodded and pulled his arm up. His palm morphed into the cannon and pointed towards the corpse of the Screelowa.
An amber ball of light started forming in front of the cannon and when he released the shot, it zoomed away, pushing Shane stumbling down towards the ground because of the recoil.
The shot hit the corpse and passed through making a hole through the body. The places it touched started burning up and flames covered the area.
"Damn! You have the most amazing mana I've ever seen! You're responsible for the charging from now on!" Shane exclaimed in joy.
"Gone my precious gold coins!" Noah cried out as slowly the flames burned the whole corpse.