"Poro? Is that its name? Such a cute sound!" Mira seemed to really like the fluffy little Poro.
Rhode also thought Poro was cute, but... what's the use of just being cute, he wanted a super strong hero!
Rhode held the Poro up to his face, looking into its big, shiny eyes. Can this thing fight?
The Poro's big tongue came licking, and Rhode instinctively leaned back, successfully dodging a face wash.
Makarov asked, "Do you know this creature? Does it have any special abilities?"
"It's called Poro, lives in a very cold place, abilities..." Rhode thought carefully,
"It can eat, and when it eats, it grows larger. Eats too much, and it might explode. Besides that... it's good at being cute?"
Mira praised, "Such an interesting ability! Seems like a great contract creature."
Rhode said dispiritedly, "Ah, thanks for the encouragement."
"I see, so it's a kind of ornamental creature? Don't be discouraged; among Star Spirits, there are ornamental ones too, like Nikola of the Canis Minor Constellation."
Makarov said, "Having such a cute creature with you is pretty great, isn't it?"
Poro seemed to feel Rhode's disappointment, and the pair of small horns on top of its head slowly drooped down, withdrawing its tongue, looking pitiful like an abandoned puppy.
Rhode scratched its chin, "Let's treat you as a pet then."
"Whoo-hoo~" Poro snuggled into Rhode's palm, making a comfortable sound, its little horns perked up again.
Rhode pinched Poro's small horns, patted its head, and rubbed its heart-shaped belly, gradually enjoying the soft, fluffy feel.
Poro seemed to enjoy it too, lying on the counter with its tongue sticking out to the side.
"It looks like a little sheep, but its personality is more like a puppy." Mira picked up a slice of chopped apple, "Wanna eat?"
Poro flipped over from Rhode's massage service, heading straight for Mira's treat, its agility was beyond imagination.
Is this thing set to recognize food but not people? Rhode pondered.
Makarov cleared his throat to get Rhode's attention, saying:
"Regardless of Poro's strength, did you feel a loss of Power when you opened the door just now? That's the Magic Power."
Rhode thought about it, "Now that you mention it, I think I did..."
"Generally, when a Star Spirit Mage opens a gate, maintaining a Star Spirit's presence also consumes Magic Power. You must be the same."
Makarov said, "Now meditate as I instructed, feel the slowly draining Magic Power, find its source, then see your own Power."
"Yes!"
Rhode sat down on the spot, closed his eyes following the President's guidance, and focused on sensing the slowly draining Power within his body.
The noise in the tavern gradually disappeared, and the sounds of Poro and Mira playing drifted away, leaving the world quiet.
Rhode saw himself sitting cross-legged in the darkness, with tiny blue misty light spots.
Outside his 'body', there was a thin blue light line, formed by blue points, curving towards the side, which should be the connection to Poro.
Rhode focused on the blue misty Magic Power spots within himself, there was a small, prominent vortex in the center, slowly rotating like a miniature Milky Way.
It seemed that all the Magic Power in his body was emanating from there, while sporadic light points seeped in from outside, gathering towards the vortex.
Magic Power was being consumed, but it was also being restored.
Rhode easily sensed this.
He could even feel the rate of Magic Power consumed to maintain Poro's presence compared to the rate of restoration.
In terms of common online game parlance:
MP-1
MP+99
The excess part probably goes to replenishing the Magic Power used to open the door.
Upon realizing how low Poro's Magic Power consumption was, Rhode completely gave up hope on its combat prowess.
Putting Poro aside, Rhode focused on observing 'himself', trying to direct the light points, which was the flow of his Magic Power.
Though somewhat unskilled, he indeed could simply control the direction of those light points, the Magic Power.
In the real world, as Rhode mobilized his Magic Power, his hair lightly swayed as if blown by the wind, moving left and right.
The tavern was much quieter than usual, because the President was watching.
If anyone started a fight, which might disturb Rhode, the President's palm would land on their heads.
When Rhode opened his eyes, Makarov showed a satisfied smile, this kid has good talent.
"That's it for today's Magic Power training; you should pay attention to Poro now."
Makarov reminded, "Generally, a Star Spirit Mage needs to make a contract with Star Spirits and maintain a good relationship. In your case, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
"Alright, thank you, President." Rhode stood up and looked at Mira, only to find Poro was no longer with her.
"There." Mira smiled and pointed at the little guy running around in the tavern.
Rhode followed her gesture and realized... his social skills were no match for a dog's.
In less than an hour of meditation, Poro had already gotten familiar with many people in the tavern.
It stuck its tongue out, continuously weaving between tables, occasionally rubbing its fluffy body against people's calves.
When picked up by those who loved cute things, it would act sweet, fixating its big eyes on the food on tables.
Almost as if it had "feed me" written on its face.
The best part was, after getting food, the little guy would immediately run off to the next target, highlighting a certain... ruthlessness.
In a very short time, everyone in the tavern remembered this cute creature, but only a few remembered its owner's name from Mira and Laki's introductions.
Rhode waved his hand.
Poro trotted over on its short legs but accidentally tripped, rolling like a yarn ball to Rhode's feet.
It decided not to get up, simply laying down, flipping over, and exposing its belly, getting more efficient at its business.
Rhode couldn't help but rub its heart-shaped belly again before placing Poro back on the counter, "You understand what I'm saying, right?"
"Woo-hoo~" Poro tried hard to nod.
Rhode asked, "Do we need to make a contract or something?"
Poro shook its head vigorously, nearly toppling over.
"Then if you go back, will I summon you again the next time? I remember there are many Poros in the Wailing Abyss, right?"
Little Poro nodded, then shook its head, showing a pleading expression.
Rhode guessed, "It will be you, but you don't want to go back?"
Poro displayed a cheerful expression.
Rhode looked at the President with difficulty.
Makarov said, "If Magic Power permits and neither side objects, you can stay as long as you like."
"However, if it affects your ability to open the next door, you should send it back then."
Rhode nodded, "Since you like it here, you can stay for now."
Little Poro twirled around with joy.
Mira suggested, "Why not give it a name?"
Rhode said, "It's called Poro."
"But Poro is a general term, right? Like a type, such as dog or cat, I mean its own name."
Poro looked expectantly at Rhode.
"Hmm... I have a hard time naming things..." Rhode thought for a while looking at Poro, "Little White? Dumpling? Fluffy?"
Poro's little horns began to droop, feeling somewhat indifferent.
Rhode was stuck, "President, Mira, do you have any suggestions?"
"How about Warm?"