Chapter 57: Power of the world

Waking up in my wonderful, soft bed. You don’t truly appreciate your bed until you sleep in a bad one. Last night after the date I wandered home, finding my bed waiting for me. I do believe I just fell asleep, neglecting evening tea. Would explain the ravenous hunger I have woken with ‘grumble’ “right on cue.”

Walking towards my kitchen, what should I make for breakfast? I miss cereal, mood falling slightly. It was easy to prepare and cheap. Even though it was light, it was fulfilling.

Coming to a choice, pressured by having already arrived at the kitchen. Oatmeal sounds good; next closest thing to cereal I suppose. Preparing some oatmeal, whole milk, sweetened with honey, a little jam, and mixed with a massive variety of fruits. It's likely a diet's worst enemy in a bowl, but having a clone body means diabetes is not a concern.

Resisting the urge to lick the ceramics, I move on with my day. Appreciating the fulfilling and delicious breakfast.

Soon I will be binding Chic as my familiar, although; I am unsure if I have sufficient power. It would be ideal if I could prepare a Redstone soup for my chalice. I could also improve the number of plants around the area. Honestly the pentacle, and dragon egg I simply cannot add. The first because even before reality hit Minecraft it was supremely difficult; involving slavery. And the dragon egg because I don’t stand a chance at killing that damned dragon.

Putting the issues to the side. I now seriously need ghast tears and the tongue of a dog. Finding my enchanting table, I pick it up. I craft an advanced enchanter. This allows me to customize what enchants I want rather than requiring luck.

It’s a relatively cheap recipe, given my backlog of materials. Placing it down, I open up the book floating gracefully on top. Playing with the dials I notice a large XP penalty. It seems the control comes at a cost; that’s fair.

I enchant my sword with looting… 5? That’s a thing apparently. Not one to complain I accept it. It cost a whopping 100 levels. Trying not to gulp at the cost; it just used my entire remaining XP berry supply.

Heading over to my farming area, I add a few XP bushes to automate their growth. Not as efficient, but enough. Well at least I will not struggle for XP, but I imagine that penalty would make most people unable to use this enchanter.

Pushing the potential ramifications from such a change, I prepare for my nether trip. I noticed the enchanter has a monumental list of enchants, most of which I don’t know the use of. One thing I noticed that made me laugh; flim-flam. What an enchantment. At one point I got very curious about it and googled it. It basically makes other people ‘unlucky’ during combat. Passive but very useful. Although I hope it isn’t active ‘constantly’ otherwise you would be the center of a misfortune bubble.

It would be a perfect enchant for someone you hate. Yes, they would be powerful, yet they would be supremely lonely. A sad fate, that I would happily wish on my worst enemy.

Stepping through the shimmering portal, I breathe the ashy air. “Been a while.” Let's find a ghast; I need a lot and the normal world seems to have a ghast tear shortage. Jengal pointed out to me the obscene rarity for an item that should be common. I could get that ghast tear from the auction he told me of. But I need a ‘lot’ so let's save the effort.

I am bringing a data chip so I can get more ghast tears easily without this stupid treasure hunt. Sighing at having to do this, things aren’t always easy.

So, where first? I don’t recall where they spawn other than they were very common. Yet I haven’t seen one yet, which is concerning. In my entire time exploring the nether I haven’t seen the head nor tentacle of the little bastards.

Flying around randomly, aiming for areas reminiscent of the ‘original’ nether. I stumbled across some hell hounds. Quickly dispatching them with the aid of my flight; I now have the tongue of dog I needed. Useful, but not the priority here. I could always get that from the overworld, what I really need are ghasts.

I got teased a few times. Hearing them for moments before the noise disappears; very frustrating. I eventually escaped the labyrinth-like nether my portal appeared in. Finding myself in a more open expanse.

Sitting down on the edge of a steep cliff for a moment. Just appreciating the beauty of the nether. It's not beautiful like a sea of flowers or a moonlit forest. It’s a rough, masculine beauty. The beauty of danger and fire, the beauty of lightning in a storm. Something you won't approach but love to watch.

Everything here is far more aggressive and territorial. Alien-like fauna litters the dimensions creating unique ecosystems. All the plants are as sturdy as most animals in the overworld. Yet herbivore creatures still consume them. Specifically, hell spiders and piglins. How hell spiders became herbivores? I don’t know, they still attack me on sight though.

I rested there for a while. Time has little meaning in the perpetual red mist of the nether. Once I was satisfied with the view, feeling a deeper connection to the nether afterward I jump off the cliff.

Gliding forward, I see ‘it.’ A ghast, no; 2 ghasts. It's time to go hunting. Like a bird of prey, I swoop in; avoiding fireballs like a fighter pilot. They died with a single swing, popping like an overinflated balloon. I quickly fly down and snatch the tears from the sky. I got 5 from the first and 4 from the second. Looting 5 is insane! With 9 ghast tears, I choose to leave. Although killing 2 more would allow me to get a basic data chip. I feel like this is enough for now.

Once I got home, I distilled 5 ghast tears into refined evil. While I waited for that to process, I improved my altar area. Increasing the plant density with the largest variety of plants I could find. When I touch the altar, I don’t feel a number but a size. It's hard to calculate so I just have to guess for now. I can calculate the exact amount of power with determination and math, but that’s boring.

I also placed 2 demon hearts next to the altar and prepared more mutandis. Using some of it I gather an even larger supply of unique fauna. I now have all witchery plants and a massive quantity of unique plants and flowers. Planting it all, I feel a hum in the air around the altar, the power like a static taste. I hope that’s enough.

I check my cauldron, placing the power focusing white chalk circles around it. I prepare mutandis extremis. A cheap and easy recipe. With everything in place, I begin producing a ‘drop of luck;’ just saying it in my head makes me shiver.

Having all the ingredients: Refined evil, mutandis extremis, tear of the goddess, mandrake root, and nether wart. Not a cheap recipe that’s for sure. Slowly adding the ingredients to the bubbling cauldron, I hold my breath. As I add each ingredient a hum of power reverberates with the magical circle.

Upon placing the 5th and final ingredient. Power rushes towards the cauldron, circling above it. Compressing, further and further; air wobbling like heat rising as it becomes visible to the naked eye with its density. Suddenly the ball of energy launches down into the cauldron. The liquid floats into the air, shrinking at steam leaves the mass of liquid. Suddenly a golden thread generates from the air, falling into the bubbling mass of liquid.

After what felt like a century the bubble of water disappears, revealing a small clay bottle with black markings all over. A drop of luck. Grabbing it before it falls and breaks, cradling the item in my hands like a baby.

Heading over to my altar, I feel a notable difference in the amount of power it holds. Pitiful compared to its glory before the ritual. It will regenerate, but it will take time. I will be producing 4 more drops of luck today.

Checking the recipe for Redstone soup, I realize I neglected one ingredient; wool of bat. Heading right back into the nether I go hell bat hunting. It's fine as my altar requires time to regenerate.

Searching the labyrinth-like tunnels quickly bears fruit. Finding the small bats blending into the ceiling. They are far more passive than I recall, but when riled they still have ‘explosive’ personalities.

With my looting sword, it was easy to gather the materials I required. Finding my way back home, I prepare 1 more drop of luck with my full altar. More carefully appreciating the magical energy required for such a small ingredient. I took special care to look at that golden thread that enters the mix during the process.

I would hazard a guess that this whole process is not to make the ‘drop of luck’ but to summon ‘luck’ to be bottled. Perhaps the ingredients are a combination of items to summon it and to seal it safely. The whole process is very interesting.

Finding my kettle, I made previously. A simple iron and attuned stone recipe. I hover it over the fire, filling it with water; I begin. I did consider making witch robes to increase the number of potions produced, but due to extensive testing previously, I realized Redstone soup is an exception. Always only making 1 sadly.

Adding the ingredients one by one. Unconcerned, the ingredients are very cheap… excluding the drop of luck. This recipe requires 1/7th of the power the drop of luck takes to produce. I wouldn’t have noticed energy being siphoned towards the kettle if I had previously experienced the intense pull of energy before.

It's odd, after witnessing it I feel the power around the witchery area far more clearly. I can feel how much power the altar has far more accurately. I can also feel how the energy moves, like ebbing and flowing waves in the air.

I find it hard to describe. Like trying to explain déjà vu, you knew something was going to happen, and even you don’t know how you did it. A color no one else can see, a feeling unique to you. An unexplainable sixth sense. Not accounting for the fact humans have over 30 senses. For example, the sense of temperature, pain. Many more examples exist but they are less obvious ‘senses’ so yes we, in fact, have more than five.

Once the energy stopped flowing towards the kettle, I moved it into a glass bottle. Which shifted into a jar. Strange, at least it worked. I then poured this liquid into the chalice on my altar. I should have been more careful; it was like a tsunami of wild energy rushed towards my altar. The filled chalice doubles the energy capacity. Allowing the static filling my ears to settle, I wobble away. Feeling the pulses of energy from the altar; like a heartbeat. It must have 14 thousand energy now or more. If I had an infinite egg this would be crazy. I checked the recipe; I don’t stand a chance to craft it any time soon.

Crafting the final 3 drops of luck over the cause of the remaining night. Taking great care to analyze the interesting process. With a higher energy capacity, I could do 2 at once, and then I just had to wait a short while for the third.

I noticed the plants around the altar are more colorful and showing signs of strength. I hypothesize the energy is making them stronger and changing them slightly. I wonder how they will change over a long period.

Having finished the final drop of luck, exhaustion fills my body. Deciding its best, I head to bed. I quickly fall into a restful slumber. Peace filling my mind as I listen to the soft hum of energy in the background.