Six years pass current age 15

I’ve spent most of my time the last several years working on project heartbeat. I take breaks every once in a while, to work on other stuff to keep getting materials. The people of the other clans think I’m… crazy? For asking for scarping from their female servants. I’ve gotten some weird looks from people when they don’t think I’m looking. I’ve also spent a long time in the library and the royal library. I actually finished my first quest in this world. It was a hidden personal quest.

Title: Bookworm

Description: You have read every book within the royal library of the largest country in the world and still feel wanting for knowledge.

Active title effect: Upon seeing a book instantly know if you’ve read it’s contents previously.

Passive title effect: Understand all language.

At first, I was really excited. Then I realized I got the title for having finished the book available in the library, so the active effect doesn’t really do anything here. The passive effect also isn’t as good as I expected. While I can understand any language I read or hear, it doesn’t mean I can write it. When I go to write a word, I need to reference what it looks like and even then, I make mistakes in my penmanship. It will probably help learn languages in the future at least. Considering ‘on record’ there are only 3 languages spoken on this continent and I needed to learn them to read all the books available I can’t really put it to practice here. Though I have my doubts our records are to be trusted.

The only reason I was even allowed full access to the royal library is assisting the emperor as his health declines. This is due to him drinking mercury as part of a ceremony for ‘good health’ as it’s considered ‘quicksilver’. Their old traditions claim it is the purest most powerful drink to be made of liquid metal that does not burn the mouth. Really, he’s dying from heavy metal poisoning, and it makes sense why this country is falling apart since he’s likely going insane.

My treatments have helped but he refuses to even acknowledge that the mercury is the problem. Stating that it is a tradition from generations of previous emperors and has helped the leader remain strong and fit for rulership… Yeah, it’s a wonder why the rule of any emperor only lasts about 16-20 years. My treatment skill has reached level 99 just keeping the guy healthy enough to walk around. I’m not sure how much longer he will be able to make it…

Shaking my head at the inevitability that is his death… At least I shouldn’t have to worry about my father’s plan. Whatever fathers plan is probably won’t matter after he dies right?

Putting it out of mind I pull up the notes for today’s project. Today is the day I finish it… Well, today is the day that I perform attempt number 742… it’s uh been a bit harder than I initially thought doing this without any technology. I may have also overestimated my ability to make the cells grow the way I want them to without DNA sequencing software… It’s been a long 6 years… I could have more easily made a vitro baby be born then make a beating heart tissue of an 8 year old with the cells.

Walking into the room I have a large array set up for the circle. It’s gotten progressively larger and more complicated the more I worked on it. Each minor success lined up on the walls as a picture for what I’m aiming for. Small machines working cardiovascular tissues muscle to get a feel for the differences between the original substance and worked tissue.

Setting down the folders on the outside of my circle I turn to Xin. “Xin, go grab the materials.” He quickly flits away. He’s has also grown significantly larger thanks to his Chi training. He’s a head taller than me and I’m already above average in height. Su says she didn’t do anything special, but I can’t help but feel like she put him through something hellish to make him grow more.

Shrugging off that line of thought I turn towards the circle.

An erratic series of lines of various depths seems to have almost no meaning but when viewed from above the depth and angle of each line holds a meaning. The deepest lines are cut in a spiral pattern with each element found within the human body organized by the quantity found within the body. Then lines drawn directly towards the middle from each element that are shallower. In the middle is a full circle which within speckled with the Ankhs made of gold upon a silver mist shape formed like a person. The smokey figure holding a silver snake with golden eyes eating its own tail over their heart.

Once Xin comes back with the materials, I gently place the chamber heart container full of cells and nutritional fluid on the snake Slowly arranging the other materials. It’s… taken a while to fit as much symbolism as I could into all of this. 28 Eron diameter circle, 496 silver pock marks of the soul, center circle is a perfect 6 Eron diameter while each element has a circle 3 Eron in diameter. 3 eyes of gold pocks each 28 exactly.

Sighing I gently move to the edge and place my hands in the awaiting circles.

“Alright Xin, take notes. Attempt number 742. Trial change, position of ouroboros changed to be over the heart rather than center of mass.” I still cringe at the idea of the mass I’d made last time when I attempted adding two circles and was knocked on my ass for several days.

“Starting trial attempt now.” I focus, the muscular tissue. I start with the development process of the stem cells moving through the cycles in creation of the material. Then visualization of cardiovascular muscle tissue moving progressively from micro to macro within the beating machine I’d made.

Eventually… it’s done… I feel the chime of overcoming a hurdle in the engineering skill. With a widening smile I open my eyes I see my machine gently moving… The muscles beating with slight assistance from the container… I’d done it! I’d created a beating heart from cells…

“Xin! Write trial success! Let’s see if it lasts though. It may require slight adjustments…” I quickly move over to the container… The heart… It’s so small it looks fragile… beating within the clear solution… a beating heart… now… now what? I hold the container for a moment longer as the situation seeps in.

I turn towards Xin again. Hoping I’m misremembering. “Xin?”

He looks up from the notes he is organizing for me. “Yes, young lord? Did everything work out?” I look at the heart for a moment longer.

“Yes… I think it did just… did I ever mention what to do with it after I made it?” I can see his eyes look at me in confusion. He then slowly starts going through the notes he was just organizing searching for that. My mental self is also searching…

“It appears I missed it young lord. I shall punish myself for missing your words of wisdom.” Xin starts moving towards the exit.

“No no stop! Just come sit here with me… Let’s think of what to do next.” I’ve been so tied up in this project so much other stuff has fallen to the wayside. Many of my siblings are currently warring over the throne with the emperor’s health still declining. I guess I can use this method to help make natural transplant hearts? But probably only for kids and it may not function as well on it’s own until it builds up muscle…

“You can attempt to make a person young lord?” He looks at the heart with almost disinterest. Likely used to seeing all the cardiovascular tissue by now.

I consider if for a moment… It wouldn’t be that hard…“I guess… but I could also just have a kid? I hardly have time enough to take care of wiggles let alone a child…” I think back to my work rooms aquarium that has slowly become more luxurious over time.

“Young lord… you’re getting distracted again.” I snap back to it.

“Right, right. Let’s just take a short break for now…” The next couple of weeks are spent checking up on the progress of the heart. Su was mildly impressed but it doesn’t let much of any chi so even though it beats it may not actually function in a person. Mom was also fairly impressed but she doesn’t have a background in Chi or medicine so she just thought it was interesting. The Alkahestry workers that saw it on display were speechless. Soon after I showed my results rumors started going around that I’d created a person from nothing. There was another one that I’d killed a kid and kept his heart alive?

Eventually a small celebration in honor of the emperor’s health occurs. They are happening more often lately, like a desperate attempt of showing the public that he’s not dying. Normally I’d be in my lab, but I don’t have anything else to work on at the moment… It’s annoying because despite all my accomplishments my engineering skill is still only 51… Perhaps I should work on something more mechanical rather than biological for my next large project… Reading has also shot up significantly, but the bonuses overlap too much with some of my current skills so while nice they aren’t really contributing as much as they normally would.

Skill: Engineering level 51

Description: Improved crafting process speed of things you have made previously by up to level %

Lvl 25: Parts fitted together are lvl % less effected by sheer force.

Lvl 50: Once schematics for a project have been drawn up create a visual ghost image of the object to see if it functions before creation. Ghost image limited by users understanding of mechanics of the object.

Unfortunately, the level 50 bonus does not apply with Alkahestry. It seems to only function on mechanical schematics based on mundane materials. I can’t even use it on chemical substances since it’s purely a physical representation and doesn’t show its properties.

Skill: Reading level 99

Description: Improve reading speed by 2% per level.

Lvl 25: Sense Relevant information: You are able to sense whether or not something has information relevant to a specific subject.

Lvl 50: Improve comprehension of read subjects by .0001% per unique book read on that subject.

Lvl 75: remember everything you have ever read.

They are… nice? But ultimately less useful than most of my other skills. If I didn’t already have Mindscape, it could be useful, but I do… It has a large potential depending on how many lives I’ll live to always grow in comprehension. But not enough to really warrant the effort into progressing it since it seems to be a long growth-based effect.

Walking into the banquet hall I place the heart in front of me at my seat and rub Wiggles head slightly on my shoulder. He’s been extra clingy lately since I started spending more time with him. His venom doesn’t really do anything anymore after a long process of slowly exposing myself to it and grinding up poison resistance levels.

The usual talks go on, many people are looking my way most of which are directed towards the heart on the table with me. Mom convinced me to bring it along to show off a bit but it’s kind of ruining my appetite. But all my siblings are staring at me many with anger in their eyes. They know I’m helping father live longer. They also know I’ve accomplished things that they never could… I’m probably going to get another round of assassination attempts in the coming weeks.

While lazily poking around my food Li Lin runs up to me. “Hey brother! How have you been?” She’s just a bit younger than me but is about 2 feet shorter and looks almost 9 years old. She shares a lot of features as another sister Mei Chang which is probably why they hang out.

“I’m doing fine. I finished my long standing project. I’ll likely start a new one next week or so.” Hmm I could work on that idea of a inscribed crossbow bolt with a transmutation circle for ranged alkahestry explosions… but that seems like… Oh right I was talking to someone.

Looking up Li Lin is patiently waiting for me to regain my attention. “Sorry about that, how has your clan been Li?” She smiles and gives me a small hug.

“It’s been doing much better! At first we were concerned about your methods but we are actually earning profits again! See this it’s a new dress!” She does a small twirl in her new silk dress… such a waste of money that they just started getting back.

“Are you sure you should spend that now? You may want to fix the clan compound up a bit more first.” I flick her forehead.

“Well…. Yes, but we already set aside money for that, and I wanted something nice…” She pouts slightly. It’s no wonder though, she’s likely not used to being about to afford nice things. They have been slowly rebuilding their stores of goods the last couple of years. It takes time for fields to replenish their nutrients so they have been stuck rotating less profitable crops until this last season.

“It will probably be fine so long as you don’t go overboard.” Patting her head we talk about their plans for the next season and herbs for medical supplies for a while before I head out. While leaving I feel the sight of several people follow us out of the main banquet hall towards my clans compound. It’s easy enough to tell where they are Chi is hard to hide and I can feel their eyes tracking me.

“Xin, likely assassins following.” He nods and we are on our guard for the rest of the way home. Strangely they don’t attack they just watch us go inside. Once there we prep for bed but maintain vigilance. The Chi signatures stay around for a while but leave after some time. I guess while I was at the banquet a package was also delivered for me. Xin goes off to pick it up. I settle into a chair waiting for Xin to bring whatever it is here.

BOOOM!....

A loud explosion permeates the compound from one of the corners… I feel the presence of a bunch of Chi signatures disappearing… That could be… Xin? He didn’t come back yet… Grabbing a rudimentary first aid kit from some of my supplies I run towards where the explosion occurred. I might not have everything I’d like but I should be able to help better than most others in this world…