Chapter 2.18: The Importance of Storage

Chapter 2.18: The Importance of Storage

Broken Tusk would repair itself with the newly added materials, despite the lack of raw metal. Uharis tip about there being metal in the southern reaches of the town gave him hope for complete independence. There was also the hint about infusing copper for sale, which the alchemist had little hope for. The Archmage was trying to help, even setting aside his other dubious intentions he seemed to be on the level. That left his other hanging projects to attend to. With Banu finally broken by the crushing weight of new taxes, hed speed up the farms productivity beyond a reasonable level.

Double output? Perhaps, Theo said, standing over his workbench in the lab. Triple is more likely. If not more.

The alchemist knew, based on the description of his [Alchemic Soil Enhancer] and the resulting [Enhanced Arable Soil], that their yield would increase. The description said significantly, which was all he could ask for. Things tilted further in his favor with the recipe to create the soil enhancer. Since it followed the detergent-style recipes, it produced large quantities of end product for little input. The 50 units of [Rejuvenation Essence] he made was more than enough to fertilize every field twice.

Theo started kicking off his reactions inside, a task normally reserved for the gravel yard. His confidence in his abilities was soaring at this point, making the work simple. He reflected on the agreement with the farmers. He expected nothing in return, except that theyd increase their output and pay their workers better. His intuition said that closing the gulf between the lowest earning and highest earning people in the town was wise. It had nothing to do with the disparity of wealth, and everything to do with making sure everyone could keep up. If the farmers couldnt afford to live in Broken Tusk, theyd miss out on a massive boon when the tax finally fell to Theo himself.

Everyone is furious about the new taxes, Tresk said, laughing into Theos mind.

They should be, but we cant do anything about it. Were short a few thousand gold, Theo said. I double-checked. 3 spiritstone coins get us out from under Qavells thumb, but I have a bad feeling about the result.

What kind of feeling?

My contact said that paying the coins gives us a different status in the kingdom, not complete independence, Theo said.

Thats a scam, Tresk said.

What made it more of a scam was the fact that hed have to pay the money directly. They would essentially buy a title from Qavell without knowledge of the impact. Theo needed to do more research on the subject and find a way to make the mountain of coins. Until that point, growth was the defining factor of Broken Tusk. He examined the mayors screen to inspect the requirements for growth.

[Broken Tusk] can be upgraded to a [Large Town] when the following conditions are met:

Medium Population: INCOMPLETE

Expanded Land Ownership: COMPLETE

Hed flipped the tables since last time. The last time he went to increase the towns size, he didnt have the land required to expand. Now he didnt have the population. And it wasnt expanding as rapidly as hed have liked. Theyd received a single citizen over the past month, that of Zankir and his family. Each person counted toward the population, but it wasnt enough.

I have a plan, though, Theo said. The first step is to get my [Governance Core], then we can make deals with other towns. I want to export to the Khahari people, but thats a long term hope.

Were gonna need boats, Tresk said.

Big boats. So, we need to expand the town all the way to the ocean, Theo said. It's another 3 or 4 expansions to the ocean, so this is long term.

Well, let me know if I can stab anything for you, Tresk said. Politics, trade, those arent my strong suits. Stabbing is. Im a good stabber.

Yes, youre the best stabber I know, Theo said.

Yes, I am.

With the ingredients already distilled, creation of the [Alchemic Soil Enhancer] was simple. He spent an hour or so carefully measuring everything out before he found himself with several 200 unit flasks of the liquid. The massive glass flasks were more like small barrels, weighing an absurd amount. Without the strength bonuses from his items and the Tarahek, he wouldnt be able to lift them.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

As with Pergs tannery job, he held back a flask for future use. Something about handing everything over to the farmers at once didnt sit well with Theo. He wanted to make sure to have some on reserve, allowing him to appear more competent than he was. This was the kind of failsafe the alchemist enjoyed, preparing for future failures which were inevitable. He waded through the piles of junk downstairs, bidding farewell to Azrug and trudging out into the falling rain.

Theos new robe seemed to be water resistant, although the description didnt mention the feature. The magic that ran through the garment must have been repelling the water, leading him to the conclusion that he needed a magic hat. Once he had the hat, hed be completely waterproof. Just in time for the Season of Blooms to end, giving way to the Season of Fire.

Banus mouth hung open when Theo delivered the potion. Already? Banu asked. You said todayI didnt think you meant before midday.

I dont mess around, Banu, Theo said. Theres a lot of work that needs doing and not a lot of time.

Banu nodded, casting his eyes over the fields. Are there going to be any adverse effects from the potion?

Well, I havent thoroughly tested it, Theo said. But you can be assured that Ill cover any lost crops. The likelihood of that happening is almost zero.

I dont mean to insult your work, Banu said, laughing. Farmers are superstitious people, alchemist. Were weary of most things that arent the same. Ill appreciate the help when I see results.

Thats fair, Theo said. Ive taken people at their word for too long, I think.

But thats why we like you, Banu said, placing a firm hand on Theos shoulder. Youre honest to a fault. You didnt ask me for anything in return.

At-cost prices for some grain, Theo said, smiling. The Karatan are going to be hungry.

I heard Miana is heading that project, Banu said. I saw her scouting the area near the river.

Theo shook his head. News travels fast.

Naturally. So, I just sprinkle this on the earth? Banu asked.

Yes. You can inspect the soil after youve done so, making sure everything is covered. The potion seems to spread out on its own, only infusing the fields, Theo said.

Banu nodded. As the owner of the farm, I can designate which sections of the farm are active fields. Weve already cleared away the requested section for the millit wasnt hard. That field was fallow for some time. We couldnt get the mud to take.

Good, Theo said. Ill get the appropriate seed cores when I can.

Banu bid farewell and Theo made his way back down into town. He reached his goal, Throks blacksmith, finding the Marshling fiddling with things in his workshop. The pressure vessel was mostly assembled at this point, a wild tangle of pipes, valves, and gauges. It didnt look much like what they initially planned, but the blacksmith had a mind for creating something better than requested.

This is coming together faster than expected, Throk said, setting a gear in place. Purple light issued from the strange device. It didnt fall apart this time.

Because youre the best, Theo said.

Hah! Flattery will get you everywhere, boy, Throk said, looking up and squinting. Even though my [Artificers Core] is only at level 5, the skills it provides are valuable.

I have another request, once youre done with this, Theo said.

Youre going to single-handedly fund my retirement, Throk said.

I know.

What do you have in mind?

Nothing fancy. Not like this monstrosity, Theo said, patting the thick copper tank. Just some transfer and storage tanks for my essences.

[Solidify]

[Essence Modifier]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

10 units (liquid)

Add to a completed potion to add the Solidify modifier. Solidify has unpredictable effects and varies wildly from potion to potion. Typical effects include solidification of the potion itself.

This was a wild card modifier. Unpredictability and potions rarely mixed well, and he reserved this one for experimentation later. He imagined a solid potion and grimaced. Next was the modifier essence created by the [Swamplight Spider Silk].

[Web]

[Essence Modifier]

Uncommon

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

10 units (liquid)

Add to a completed potion to add the Web modifier. Web applies weak binding effects to offensive potions and weak bonus-sharing to restoration potions.

Another vague modifier. The offensive potion effect was easy enough to understand, it should root the target for some amount of time. The bonus-sharing effect for restoration potions was a bit of a mystery. Theo withdrew a [Lesser Stamina Potion] from his inventory, the items description was simple enough to understand. He transferred it to a 4 unit vial and added equal parts of the [Web] essence modifier. It bubbled, and steamed before thick webs worked their way through the potion. He inspected the result.

[Lesser Stamina Potion]

[Web]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

A lesser stamina potion. Drink to restore stamina.

Effect (modified):

Creates a web between you and the nearest friendly target. The web restores 35 stamina for both targets if unbroken for 15 seconds.

Now that was a weird modifier. It was the first modifier he encountered that changed the nature of the potion so drastically. This was also the first example he found of potion-sharing, something that must have been coveted. Theo imagined a team of adventurers, the tank fighting in front while the support crew hid behind, where someone ran around and spammed web potions. It might be something worth selling in the shop.

Next up was the [Flame Roses] modifier essence. Theo expected something that enhanced strength.

[Embolden]

[Essence Modifier]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

10 units (liquid)

Add to a completed potion to add the Embolden modifier. Embolden triples the effects of beneficial potions while adding a debuff on the opposing stat/resource.

This modifier could be amazing, or horrible depending on the context. Once again, Theo found himself curious about the effects and withdrew a [Lesser Healing Potion] from his inventory. He transferred it to a 4 unit vial and added equal parts of the [Embolden] essence modifier. The result was interesting.

[Lesser Healing Potion]

[Embolden]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

A lesser healing potion. Drink to restore health.

Effect (Modified):

Instantly restores 135 health points. Instantly drains 65 mana. For every point of mana the imbiber doesnt have, 0.5 health will be drained to make up for the difference.

It was the first potion Theo crafted that was downright dangerous, aside from the bombs. It restored 135 health, sure, but if the user didnt have the mana to make up for the secondary effect, theyd die. If the user of the potion had 30 health and 0 mana, the potion might restore 135 health, putting them at full, but then it would drain 32.5 health, killing them. The alchemist concluded this was an advanced-use potion if ever hed seen one, filing it away in his mind to run by Fenian when he had the chance.

With his discovery session over, Theo was left with mixed feelings about the essence modifiers. The clear winner was [Web], which seemed wholly good with no drawbacks. He set his sights on the next task, rubbing his hands together as he approached his [Dimensional Storage Crate]. It was time to do a big run of [Lesser Healing Potions], the bread and butter of his alchemy shop.