- Day 15 -

Advancement

I [Warp] back to the house and head straight into the dining room, letting my nose pull me towards the astonishing aroma of Millie's cooking.

Everyone except Risk is already sat around the table eagerly awaiting whatever is responsible for the fantastic smell, including Emily who looks a lot better this morning, but still a little worse for ware.

I smile at her before taking my usual seat opposite Sybil.

I try and let the earlier events go as I watch the table being laid in front of me before cheekily sneaking a taste of the gravy pot. Seems we're having steak, eggs, and hash with a white--

Mm.

--gravy based sauce.

I’m caught by Kate who shoots me a look of warning with a raised brow. I take the hint and slink back into my seat with a slight laugh.

This is a pretty substantial breakfast, but my word Millie, how do you put so much flavour into everything! The steak, there's subtle hints of garlic, rubbed pepper, charred onion, something I don't even recognise, and it's tender, only medium-rare. Oh my, I'm in heaven!

"Millie, I don’t know how, but you've outdone yourself again!"

She gives a bashful smile, and everyone joins in with the compliments without pausing to finish their mouthfuls. Seems we’ve all forgotten our manners this morning.

...I'm so going to get fat like this... Ah well, worth it. Mhm.

After eating, I end up having to scold Emily. The crazy one only wants to go shoot arrows outside.

Her fever has be no means gone yet, so I tell her to either go back to bed or lounge around the house. No exercise is permitted at all until her fever is completely gone.

I got a little resistance at first but Kate, playing big sister, backed me up. The threat of returning to chores was a clever tactic, and needless to say, worked with her quickly submitting to our combined wills...

I took the chance to look at Emily's stats with a detailed scan. Her level is still increasing and from the looks of things, it'll be a while yet before she's wholly processed the gathered EXP.

Of everyone, annoyingly Risk looked to be the fastest at processing his EXP as he probably only needs another day from what I saw earlier. Bella's not far behind him though… Katharine and Emily are what’s going to hold the next adventure up.

With breakfast well finished, I decide to head upstairs, leaving the others to clean up. As I get up to leave the room, I notice Bella shadowing me... This must be about Risk and me.

I head upstairs, and sure enough, she keeps following only a few paces behind until we reach my room when I stop suddenly to face her.

"I assume you want to talk about Risk and I?"

"Eeh? Sharp as always..."

I can't help but shake my head at her.

“Bella, whatever the issue is, it’s not for you to get involved in, and I've nothing left to say to him anyway. Whatever his issue with me, he'll either get over it on his own, or he'll leave. I’m done trying to explain myself, but I’ll listen if he eventually decides he wants to talk about it.”

Bella sighs at me while I’m in thought, scratching her head as she leans against the wall.

“I just don’t get it, Risk doesn’t normally act like that... If he thinks the clients wrong, he’d normally just let the client go their own way, completely carefree, just counting the hours left in the contract... There’s something else going on here.”

She points at me, suggestively. Like I would know what the problem… Hmm. Perhaps I do... Could it be?

“...If I had to guess, and it is a guess, I think I know what it might be really about… Sorry Bella, it’s not my place to tell you if I’m right.”

“The hells that mean?”

“...We had a conversation after the first catacombs outing, Risk learnt something about me, while I learnt something about him and I promised him something as well... That’s all I can really say Bella, but I think that conversation has everything to do with what’s going on.”

I can see from Bella’s wolfish expression that she’s either about to hurt me or trick Risk into talking.

“Bella, will you at least let me talk to him before you try whatever it is you’re thinking of doing? The last thing we all need is for this rift to grow any bigger.”

Annoyed I’ve seen through her, she clicks her tongue before nodding dejectedly as she pushes herself off from the wall with her boot, beginning to head back downstairs.

“Fine, I’ll stay out of it for now, but don’t let this go on much longer. It’s tiresome to watch.”

It's got to be that damn promise! Either Risk's concerned I won't live long enough to see it through, or he feels he owes me something because of it. Of course, I could be barking up the wrong tree entirely, and he just genuinely cares about our friendship... Let's be honest though, I've known him for what, a week?

...Though I did get Katharine's feelings wrong, so there is that--

“There’s some guy carrying books down here asking for you Aburi?”

Before I have a chance to turn back to my room, Bella shouts up to me from the bottom step. It must be Devan, Samuels shop clerk come apprentice. He must be delivering those books Samuel mentioned at the market!

...It’s shameful to admit but I practically jumped down the stairs with glee at the thought of obtaining some new recipes.

"Devan, good morning. Are these the books from Samuel?"

"...Yes. Where do you want them?"

"Just there would be fine."

I wait until he places them down.

"Actually, over here would be better."

He stands there for a moment, looking at me as if to say 'Are you serious?'. He must have been told by Samuel to not be rude as he eventually picks the books back up and puts them down where I'm pointing without a word.

The books don't look all that heavy. It's the power I have over the little man that I'm finding so amusing--

This is rather petty...

Coming to that realisation, I stop messing with him and thank him for taking the time to deliver these for me. He nods silently and leaves respectfully, acting the bigger man... Damn it.

I may still be in a mood...

I lift the books and head upstairs to my room for some reading.

The books are thick and contain more than just mere recipes for alchemical concoctions. They include formulas for refinement, diagrams of mana essence flow in humans, medical texts for specific chronic conditions, theories on absorption enhancement and much more.

Skill Points: 125 [ 'Medical Theory' Acquired ]

[ 'Medical Refinement' Acquired ]

The books go into a lot of detail regarding the various different types of known alchemical potions there are. Breaking them down into categories and placing them into either Curatives, Enhancements, Permanent Enhancements, Poisons, Permanent Poisons, Antidotes or Divine Elixirs.

The last category is the stuff of legends, rare and only ever found in dungeons. No one seems to have ever managed to derive a complete copy of one found even though so many have tried according to these books. I ponder on the effects of such a potion would be until I turn the next page and see something familiar.

Yep, the EXP recipe that Samuel bought me was most likely an incomplete reverse-engineered recipe and my Alchemy skill, combined with Herbalism, took over and damn well mystically filled in the blanks...

Having thoughtlessly created this in front of Samuel is a testament to my stupidity, but then to subsequently proceed in giving him half and promising him sole proprietary? I've no doubt created a huge problem here as news of the item will spread far beyond Sinki's own borders...

Though according to the text, the version I've created isn't as powerful as the divine one mentioned here. If it were, you'd get ten times EXP for an hour. Mine only gives four times but for three hours so maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion? ...It also means there's room for improvement in my tonic, but I already knew that.

*blink*

There's a full list of known Divine Elixirs noted here, so I take out the journey and take notes for later... How I miss my laptop so.

[ 'Anatomy: Human' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Human (Advanced)' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Human (Advanced)' overwrote 'Anatomy: Human' ]

The texts on anatomy aren't all that interesting. Most of the human anatomy I already roughly knew from my old life, but the overlay of essence veins and that 'Wave' organ probably explain why I didn't automatically start with those skills.

The 'Wave' organ is apparently essential to life on this planet due to a toxic substance, most likely in the atmosphere, that breaks down matter. The 'Wave' organ regulates the flow of the substance and converts it into essential, and I quote here, 'sludge required to fuel the hapi-material conversion process'.

Uh-huh, sure...

I did get the advanced skill from reading that tripe, so I guess it is, in some form at least, true... It might explain Mana and HP. That's pure speculation though…

I guess this sort of conflicts with my ‘Gaia’ notions, but I guess they could have genetically modified each species they planted… Anway.

[ 'Anatomy: Dog-kin' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Dog-kin (Advanced)' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Dog-kin (Advanced)' overwrote 'Anatomy: Dog-kin' ]

[ 'Anatomy: Cat-kin' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Cat-kin (Advanced)' Acquired ]

[ 'Anatomy: Cat-kin (Advanced)' overwrote 'Anatomy: Cat-kin' ]

-- 'The Cat-kin males penis is located in a protective pouch inside the anus'

...Huh. Well, that's enough of this book I think.

[ 'Alchemical Absorption' Acquired ]

[ 'Alchemical Enhancement' Acquired ]

[ 'Alchemical Enhancement (Advanced)' Acquired ]

[ 'Alchemical Enhancement (Advanced)' overwrote 'Alchemical Enhancement' ]

[ 'Alchemical Dissolution' Acquired ]

The next two books are thankfully about alchemy processes. They're very complex and much to my enjoyment, actually required me to do some math in the journal to ensure I actually understood what was written. If my understanding is correct, it should be possible to create some pretty cool stuff... but, as with most of my plans, will require significant money and time.

There are still two books left, but I'll save them for another sitting as the day's getting away from me. Besides, I've only glanced at these, and they also deserve another pass later.

I skilled up as I went putting points into all of what I acquired.

Medical Theory Lv 10 / 10

Medical Refinement Lv 10 / 10

Alchemical Absorption Lv 10 / 10

Alchemical Enhancement (Advanced) Lv 20 / 20

Anatomy: Human (Advanced) Lv 10 / 30

Anatomy: Dog-kin (Advanced) Lv 5 / 30

Anatomy: Cat-kin (Advanced) Lv 5 / 30

Alchemical Dissolution Lv 10 / 10 [ 'Mastery of Medical Theory' achieved ]

[ All curatives have +20% effect ]

[ 'Mastery of Medical Refinement' achieved ]

[ All compounded curatives have +20% effect ]

[ 'Mastery of Alchemical Absorption' achieved ]

[ Alchemical concoctions are 30% less toxic and are absorbed 50% quicker with the effect lasting 25% longer ]

[ 'Mastery of Alchemical Enhancement' achieved ]

[ Compounds are 60% stronger with 20% less source materials required ]

[ 'Mastery of Human Anatomy' achieved ]

[ Anything that targets something on the human body precisely will be 20% more effective. This effect is not limited ]

[ 'Mastery of Alchemical Dissolution' achieved]

[ Increases chance of successful separation of compounds inside a tonic by 20% ] [ Knowledge acquired ]

[ 'Alchemy' became 'Alchemy (Advanced)' ]

[ Essence infusion is possible ] Alchemy (Advanced) Lv 20 / 20 [ 'Master Alchemist' effect enhanced ]

[ +40% Creation potency and effect ] Skill Points: 35

And I was starting to worry about a surplus of skills points... That seems rather silly now.

In my defence though, at the time I wasn't aware skills evolved into advanced versions of themselves, offering further additional levels of advancement, so it was natural to feel that...

I'm really not sure how I feel about the wording of "Master Alchemist" considering I got that at [Alchemy] level ten, and yet the base skill is still advancing. At least "Master Alchemist" gets buffed seemingly every ten levels of the base [Alchemy] skill.

I would just ask AE but.

[** Cannot access. Requested information restricted. Intervention Detected **]

As we already know, there are some things I apparently have to work out myself.

I also noticed that some skills I picked up on my along my path to the Capital were missing from my available skills list. AE wasn’t able to answer why, but it’s probably tied to how I acquire them in the first place. I assume that should I not put a point into the skill, it will eventually be forgotten and have to be picked up again.

It felt like a kick in the balls to see that, and I really wish I had noticed this earlier as a number of useful skills like [Wind] magic are gone. Live and learn I guess.

Anyway, a discussion for another day!

*Zip*