Chapter 3.12: Dreamwalk Tour

Chapter 3.12: Dreamwalk Tour

Where are you? Tresk asked. I suddenly feel a sense of overwhelming smugness.

Theo couldnt suppress his smile, trailing Throk back to town. He met with Tresk outside of the Marshwolf Tavern. Xam had taken to holding the festivities outside. After the pair took a seat, the alchemist explained the source of that smugness. She didnt have an opinion on the new idea, shrugging it off to await whatever the cook made tonight. It was another variation, unsurprisingly, on Zee-based bread with cheese and wolf meat. The more the days rolled on, the more delicious the dish became.

More people gathered outside than normal, a fact of the recent wave of migrants. Alise was keeping up with placing them all in homes, but there would be a breaking point. The only thing Broken Tusk didnt lack was space. Before Theo arrived in town, it was sparse beyond belief. That was something that amazed him, even today. How those people clung to life in the unforgiving swamp before the introduction of Drogramaths power. But it was a problem for the young administrator to sort out.

There was a look in Tresks eyes as everyone ate their meal. Theo recognized it as her plotting his demise in the Dreamwalk. He finally had a solution for that, although she might consider it cheating. In his mind, it didnt matter as long as he got away unscathed.

Zarali joined them at the table after a time, settling in opposite the pair and awaiting her meal. She had a sour look on her face that vanished after only moments.

I wish you hadnt revealed my coin-pressing idea, she said, letting out a labored sigh.

Theo shrugged. It was a good idea, but he sensed enough problems to temper his expectations. A more attainable goal was his plans for a shipyard near the ocean. That required some research, since hed have to stretch the boundaries of the town a significant distance. There were more issues, compounding the problem. He needed at least 2 rare seed cores, one for a port and another for a shipyard, although that might have been an attachment to the port. Someone would need to build the vessels, then sail them. But the alchemist was never one to worry about doing every step at the same time. He was ponderous in his accomplishments, only worrying about what was right in front of him.

A massive share of his [Living River Water] would have been done brewing at the lab by now. He turned to Zarali, gaining her attention.

First, we need the metal, Theo said. I have Throk Well, perhaps hes stretched too thin, but hes working on a few projects. Im brewing potions with the [Dissolve] property tomorrow. Hopefully, I can make some tunnels with those.

It should work, Zarali said idly. Dig deep enough. Youll find silver and gold.

How about spiritstone? Tresk asked, flashing a grin.

Not a chance, Zarali said. Im not sure if you can craft spiritstone coins.

So, how does this influence the economy? Theo asked, picking at his food as he rolled ideas around in his head. Making money out of thin air sounds suspicious.

Zarali shrugged at that, dismissing his concerns with a gesture. It seems to work. Both Qavell and Veosta mint coins.

Think about it, Tresk said. If no one made the money, even with the system generating coins from dungeons, quests, all that, theres no way thered be enough to go around. High-level crafters wouldnt operate. Wed be doomed.

That was an oddly intelligent thing for Tresk to say. Her most complex thought usually boiled down to the best way to stab something, but she was right. If the coins were consumed at the end of their lifecycle, and the dungeons and quests couldnt keep up, someone needed to generate enough to meet demand. Theos mind wandered to the next logical step. Most places didnt have a high concentration of energy in the air. Perhaps the mint was worth pushing up before the docks. Still, he wanted to pick anyones brain who would listen.

So, I have a problem, Theo said, patting Tresk on the shoulder. I want a dock, but the ocean is too far.

Thats not really within my realm of knowledge, Zarali said.

Tresk shrugged. Dont look at me.

Fenian should know, Theo said, nodding to himself. Hell be in town soon enough.

The rest of the meal passed without incident. No interesting topics came up, so Theo spent his time in his mind, thinking about the way the town system worked. As the mayor, he could buy two types of land. There was incorporated land, and unincorporated land. Most seed core buildings couldnt be built in unincorporated land, but that option was significantly less expensive than the other. With his current finds, he could buy a snaking, unincorporated path to the bay, but then he was stuck. His logic ended there. That path of land needed to be connected to the primary territory, linked with the expensive option. He let out a breath and gave up for the evening. The moment he entered the Dreamwalk, his mind would feel refreshed, as though he slept the entire night.

Ready for bed? Tresk asked, her eyes flashing with malice.

I am, Theo said.

The pair retreated, bidding farewell to anyone who would listen, and fell asleep quickly. When the dream world sprung up around then, Theo turned to Tresk.

Youve been to the ocean, right? Recently?

I have, Tresk said with a nod. He remembered her going there to inspect the monsters from the [Ocean Dungeon].

Take us there, please, he said.

In an instant, they were standing on a sandy shore. Mountains rose to the south, and a slow rise of earth to their north. To the east, it was nothing but the endless lap of waves. It was breathtaking, even in the Dreamwalk's haze.

Unreal, Theo said, taking a steady breath. How close is this to town?

Well, Tresk said, turning south and pointing at the sudden rise of mountains. You could spit and hit the mine from here. Not literally, but you get it.

Theo turned north again, watching the river empty into the bay. What he understood of ideal launching locations for sailing vessels included the need for a bay. It would break the fierce waves of the open ocean, giving them a steady place to build their boats. He filled his inventory with a few items as he surveyed the area, still dazzled with how perfect it was. A singular issue stuck out to him.

This is entirely undefended, Theo said. Far enough from the walls to be dangerous.

[Theo Spencer] receivedexperience (0.083%).

Without Tresk bothering him all night, he was able to do a weeks worth of brewing in a single night. He learned a few things about reagent production, but it was mostly going through the motions. The feeling of being refreshed after a night of work was still alien to him, leaving him feeling disoriented when coming out from the Dreamwalk. It reminded him of when he first traveled through Xolsas portal, only to a much lesser extent.

There were tasks to accomplish for the day, but Theo had finally fallen into a decent rhythm once again. This is when things normally blew up in his face, either as interlopers or monster waves, but as he attended breakfast none of those things happened. Tresks confidence in his ability to defend himself was at an all-time high. He could feel it seeping through their shared core, pulsing in his chest. The Marshling pulled out a dagger for him to inspect, part-way through breakfast.

[Marshthorn]

[Dagger]

Epic

Dagger made from the thorns of an infected Troll.

Effect:

Increase the effects of poison.

[Effect Locked]

[Effect Locked]

It looked less like a dagger, and more like a giant rose thorn with a handle. It was curved, and dripped with poison. That must have been poison applied by Tresk, since the item made no mention of having innate poison. Theo took a moment to read the description again before letting the dagger fall to the table with a clatter.

Thats disgusting, Theo said, wiping his hand off on his robe.

Chill, Tresk said, taking her dagger back. It dropped as loot. Hey! Youre one to talk. Youre always Always digging in the mud and stuff. Thats gross.

True, Theo conceded. At least Im not shoveling Karatan poop at Mianas ranch.

Theo hadnt exploited half the resources that Mianas farm would provide. Hed only tested the cheese and the horns, but there was still more to explore. The Karatan would provide wool, which he had a feeling would be alchemical, and the Pozwa would lay eggs. The idea of those goat-like things laying eggs was strange, but if he could turn it into a potion, he didnt care.

The rest of their meal was shared in quiet conversation. Tresk was interesting in his ideas, but that only went so far. She was a person who tackled problems when they came, possessing none of Theos foresight. Over the month, which the alchemist was learning was the entire Season of Bloomsthe words were interchangeablehed improved his ability to plan ahead. The woodcutting operation was a means to build his boats. Dead Dog Mine was a way to supply his smelter, it all fed into something else.

Were going to need cloth, Theo said.

Hey! Tresk shouted, slamming her hand on the table in mock rage. Then, her face shifted. Not a bad idea. More exports?

Sails for the ships, Theo said, finishing the last of his tea. Ships, or boats?

If your boat aint big enough for another boat to fit inside, its a boat, Tresk said, gesturing with a fork. She never even used the forks to eat. Otherwise, its a ship.

A sudden, suspicious burst of knowledge, Theo said, leaning on to the table.

Tresk let out a long sigh. Theo could feel her building herself up, preparing to regale him with some constructed story.

When I was young, I read a lot of books, Tresk said. Mostly about pirates, and their adventures.

You can read? Theo asked.

She narrowed his eyes at him, and he held up his hands defensively. I can read two languages, you Towa zana.

Theo didnt understand the words, they sounded strangely guttural. Through his core, he understood they meant something close to bumbling ass, although he couldnt tell if she meant donkey, or his actual butt.

What language is that? Theo asked.

Tresk straightened herself up. Bantari, she said, looking proud. I can teach you, if you want.

Theo nodded. Tresk was a Bantari Marshling, which he took to mean she was a Marshling from the southlands. The whispers he got, both through his core and gossip around town, was that this breed of Marshling was a splinter group from somewhere else. They joined the Ogres in the early days of the region. It was all fuzzy, passed down through the generations through oral traditions.

Tresk taught many words, which were effortless for him to pick up. His superior memory made the task easy, but their core also shunted information to him at an instinctual level. She could rattle off a list of words and their meaning, conjugations and grammar structures, and hed keep the information as if he were a native speaker. That frustrated the Marshling at first, but once she recalled his stats, she was alright with it. When they were done playing their language games, the alchemist departed with a few words in Bantari, which made his companion smile.

The thing on Theos mind was the mine. Throk should have completed a few orders for him, including the copper cages for his construct experiment, but he wanted to dig deeper in the mine. The defensive emplacements should have been the priority, but the way the blacksmiths mind worked would have him turning his full attention to the water problem. The alchemist approached the Newt and Demon, thoughts of the [Dissolve] property lingering in his mind.