Chapter 29: Hunt for animals

Excerpt from the book “Dimensions” By Seng

The nether! Most if not all of you should have heard of it. By the common folk's belief, it’s where the evil goes after death. Now, I don’t think that’s the case. I at first avoided this dimension. Both because it's outlawed in the holy capital, also the fact children's stories tell of it being evil. After I finally visited this place, I was surprised. At first by the simplicity in producing the portal; I also found Is weird how tame such an “evil” place was. Don’t mistake tame for safe, that’s only in comparison to the hellscape stories paint.

In actuality, it’s a very dangerous environment. Many plants and animals have adapted to the place. That aside, it's truly a unique place. If you ever plan to visit it and the unique ecosystem that inhabits it, do take heat protection.

“Ouch” I've cut my hand again. Finding my knife skills very rusty I spent the early morning chopping large quantities of vegetables. Placing them to be frozen until I need them. ‘placing the final bag of fine onions away’ “Had to eat 2 golden apples solely from cutting myself, crazy.”

Having had a large breakfast, I was pleasantly surprised going for a morning jog. Several sheep look bloated, I do hope some lambs are coming.

‘Flying around my castle I continue chipping away and improving it. Adding doors to the balconies to keep the draft out; while at it I enlarge the windows to let light in.

Happy with my progress; I head on over to the farm. Finding it still working, “not too many diamond hoes have been used, good” Don’t need to replenish it yet. Something is mesmerizing about watching the plants automatically get harvested. It's true, ‘sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’. Which holds a whole new meaning, giving magic exists here.

With that thought, I wonder what spell I should aim for. Some spells, especially spatial magic is outside of my skillset – for now. But something small should be attainable. I have the magic bug today. I have two in mind: Telekinesis and Light. Both very useful, but I think telekinesis even a novice spell may be too advanced. With that thought, I will learn light then worry about being lazy with moving stuff.

Settling into a comfortable position I start writing down the spellbook. Visualizing it on paper helps. Being a base sorcery spell, it doesn’t have an attunement; raw mana should work. I know what it looks like as well. Focusing 10 mana and ejecting it like a fireball, actually worked. They are very similar after all. One has an attunement which is the main difference. They are both the same size, shape, and speed. It only took a few attempts and a mental image shift to make it. I did use a previous spell base after all. I guess if I was a programmer it would be me, reusing code.

“Too easy,” ‘grabbing a second book’ I begin to work on telekinesis. The spell I have in mind will need a continuous flow of mana; being a massive pain because mana is slippery. Also, a base sorcery spell; lacks attunement. With a goal in mind, I focus, slowly tweaking the amount of mana flowing out of the wand at different rates. Having to go over each rate often; me being rather poor at keeping the flow consistent. While doing this I had a rather annoying surprise; out of mana. Drawing my face into a thin line ‘heading over to the arcane workbench’ I refill the wand, consuming more of my limited supply of crystals. Need to get some more soon.

Continuing on, I finally get a semblance of a functional spell. Sadly, it's very rough; dropping things often. Having an idea, I focus on it creating a hand, using my knowledge of muscles and bones I create a “real hand” in my mind. After testing out the spell I find it far more dextrous. Truly, clear images are superior. Diligently writing the spell book I consider what else I should do.

I could potentially start another form of magic; I have my eye on witchery or I could go looking for magical materials. More crystals and Ars Magica materials. Of course, other mods exist but I feel like blood magic would be troublesome in the future. In fact, I know of over a dozen magical mods. Not including hybrid mods which have magical elements. Truly the world is vast.

Actually, let's do some botania. Getting it set up at least is a good idea. Selecting a small area of my island I begin. Using Bonemeal on the ground with a scarily large quantity of bonemeal. I get all the required flowers and a massive variety of unknown seeds. “So glad I made skeleton seeds recently” Taking those flowers I break them down into petals; bonemeal the petals, which grows new flowers. Generating a large number of flowers. With this, I have a great foundation.

I make a petal apothecary; the most fundamental block in the mod. Using it I place a wheat seed and some white petals inside. This creates a pure daisy; I make a couple. Placing them down I surround them with a combination of wood and stone; 4 flowers can convert 32 blocks at a time. Gathering additional blocks to continue converting I wait patiently. ‘preparing the ingredients for day blooms’ the first true flower you make: 2 yellow petals, 1 light blue, and 1 orange. I prepare to produce 8; enough until I can make endoflames.

By the time I have all the ingredients, the materials had started to convert; living rock and living wood. While they convert, I craft the flowers. It is annoying having to put a bucket of water inside every time but nothing to be done. Placing them in a circle with a space in the middle. I take some living wood and craft a ‘mana spreader’; it moves mana from flowers to mana pools. Primarily composed of living wood; an easy craft. I also make a mana pool, using 5 living rock. With that in hand, I place the mana spreader within the circle of flowers, and the mana pool is directly in line with it. Watching the pool, I quickly spot a beautiful glimmering blue liquid drip down the side. ‘drip, drip, drop’ slowly accumulating mana, excellent.

Having more grid power than I need I create a simple automation system, pumping coal into a resonator that outputs red coal; which is 700% more efficient. While that works, I create 4 endoflames. It creates 1.5 mana every tick using fuel; hence the red coal.

some trivia, coal ticks 1600 times. The endoflames halves that so 800 ticks per coal. Which represents 40 seconds. So, 40 seconds times 7 equals 280 seconds. 4 min and 40 seconds. So that means I need to automatically drop 4 red coal every 4 minutes and 40 seconds. 5 minutes I’ll make it.

Placing the 4 endoflames separately; I create a dropper over each. Following a line of Redstone each to the middle; in the air. Using that mana, I create mana steel. Iron soaked in mana. I craft a floating hourglass with it. After being filled with 5 soul sand it creates a 5-minute Redstone pulse. Going to my resonator I collect the stack of coal that it's generated and divide it between the droppers.

With that done I now have an automatic mana producing setup; mostly. I still need to manually move the coal around but I don’t need an unbelievable amount of mana. It's all feeding into a second mana pool. I should build a wand of the forest; later. I don’t feel like it.

Taking a step back I can just appreciate the mana setup. Dayblooms and other passive generating flowers; without interference die after 3 days. Massive pain in the arse. The only way to stop this; magic soil. Made from overgrowth seeds. A very, very rare item. Found in dungeon chests and dropped by the Gaia guardian. Needless to say, I won’t have any for a while.

Just to make sure I don’t waste mana I create a quick overflow system. Simply a mana spreader directing mana from the pool it's touching to the pool it is looking at. Filling the latter and when the pools full the former will fill.

With that done, I stick the resonator nearby and have the red coal pump straight into the 4 droppers. A simple setup with a middle chest having red coal drawn through all 4 at the same time; effectively dividing it between all 4.

Satisfied; I head off to do something else. Having realized I forgot to reinstall my smeltery; I get to work. Digging to the right front of my castle I create the smeltery set into the ground. This allows it to have a large capacity without its size being an eyesore. ‘setting down the final parts’ at least it's here now. I can use it if I need to.

Heading back over to my botania area; I find a quickly forming pool of mana. From a couple drops to a steady trickle. Excellent; not very fast but enough. I start placing a large amount of iron inside, I don’t have enough mana but if I leave it when I come back a bunch of manasteel will be here. ‘promptly placing a stack neatly inside the pool, I go to do something else.

I will need to produce runes for botania so I may as well prepare the ingredients in advance. With the mana steel being produced it's mostly the odd ingredients. I have all of the ingredients excluding feathers and enough brown mushrooms. The former I will fix by finding chickens and the latter now by making a mushroom farm.

Taking my single brown mushroom, I create a small enclosed stone room in the cavern. No light other than a warm glow coming through the entrance. Placing the mushroom down; I start watering it. Quickly it spreads across the floor. Gathering the surplus, I take it back to the botania area. Now improved with 2 diamond chests. After I finish the manasteel I will need mana powder. Simply mana-soaked Redstone.

With preparations adequately done; I head over to my home. Collecting gear for another unstable door adventure.

‘stepping through the door with confidence’ I find myself; thankfully in the overworld. ‘casting my gaze over my surroundings’. “dry” not a desert, but a dry arid biome. Grey trees dot the horizon; acacia. Without waiting I quickly head over and collect a portion of the trees and saplings; respectively. Always want new materials. Now that the builder in me has been satisfied, time to appreciate the surroundings a bit. Even dry it’s a very flat biome, with tall grass and scarily scarce amounts of other vegetation.

Taking flight; I head in a random direction. Being rather directionless, the biome is very similar in all directions. I see no signs of moisture or changing terrain. Water means animals, so that shall be my goal.

Flying away from the sun, simply to avoid the bright light. I continue on in that direction. Seeing the same sandy earth and grey trees. If I didn’t already know I would be surprised these trees produce such a beautiful almost maroon wood.

I have yet to see signs of civilizations, but with the randomness of the dimensional door; it's only a matter of time now. Far better than just wandering around my home, hoping to get lucky.

‘flying at a steady pace’ I wonder what signs civilization would leave? Buildings and roads are the most obvious. But maybe trodden in paths, well-worn earth. Fires? Perhaps. Maybe I am going about it all wrong and they all live underground like mole people for safety. So many possibilities I suppose. Nothing to be done but keep looking. I am starting to miss civilization. People don’t appreciate how much a good conversation is worth until you are isolated from it.