WARLOCK! You have discovered a new system assignment: Invent/Learn New Blueprints 1. Invent/Learn 5 more blueprints at level 2 or more to complete this assignment. 1/6 Blueprints Invented. NOTE: No Blueprints learned through AP expenditures count towards the completion of this System Assignment

I blink at the floating box as I wake up after having for once not spent my entire night in my VR-Dreamscape. The first question that goes through my mind is, why did this notification appear now and not when I had finished the staff? Anyway, that aside it would take me time to finish such a task. Experimenting with mystical crafting, enchanting, and magical engineering is not exactly something I can easily do. Such work requires time and resources that I am not sure will be in my possession.

The thoughts of system assignments and enchantment ideas will have to wait for now. This day and the upcoming ones will be dedicated to tedious and bitter work. I am glad my former minions back home will be unable to see me today, as having my slaves and servants see Glyphnax Blightburn reduced to a mere herb gatherer. That might be enough to undo the careful work that Namatha and I have done to heal my mind.

My new Goblin allies have done their best to procure me alchemical equipment over the last few days, and if this continues I will soon begin to lament having to leave my new makeshift work area. Unfortunately, The Goblins cannot procure ingredients for me, as I sadly will have to find them myself. Or rather find the ingredients that can serve as a substitute to what my recipes normally demands as the ingredients. Since the Goblins would have no idea which ingredients could serve as substitutes to what I need, it falls on me to at least to go on the first gathering trips.

So, after having grabbed some knives, bags, and containers for me to be able to safely gather ingredients as well as keep them alive or properly contained if needed. I walk alone into the jungle outside of the camp to seek out what I need for my plans. The damp and warm jungle is as unwelcoming as it is loud, which is to say very. I don't need any of my mystical senses to feel the teeming life that is surrounding myself in all directions, the insects are as usual the worst part of any wilderness environment I find myself.

After having stepped far enough away from the Camp, I whisper. "Eye for Reagents." And feel how mana flows into my eyeballs but also into my other sensory organs, my eyesight doesn't change immediately but after continuing my journey out into the jungle. I start noticing the auras of the plants and other notable bits of nature around me, the colouration of the auras is hard to read at first. But after a while I manage to grasp the meaning of the colours, red auras are plants and material that are completely unsuitable for magical brewing and crafting. Blue Auras seem to be material with some potential, but with a lesser one over all. I predict that Green Auras will indicate plants that are perfectly suitable to my work.

I am no fool that seek the stars when I have a lantern right next to me, so whenever I find blue auraed materials I collect them. The most abundant source of material I find is an intensely orange moss growing over a boulder, the moss has the strongest blue aura that I have seen so far. When I rather clumsily harvest the moss and examine it closer I get a feel that the moss can serve as an ingredient for my Amphibia Gel and Lesser Mana Brew. These are by no means useless recipes, but they are not the primary focus of my plans. A side effect of my active spell is that it gives me more mundane understanding of these plants, most of which is uninteresting information for me. But any knowledge can be useful so my mind absorbs it.

While I wander through the jungle my thoughts drift from the tedious work and to my future concerns on Yrga/Brynhildr. Vles has informed and by extension the rest of my crew about her main obstacles in her plans to overthrow the hegemony of the merchant princes of Shieldmaiden. Firstly, is that while her freedom fighters have spies and influence, they are lacking in mass support from their fellow Goblins. This is because all the governments on the planet are bought and under the thumb of Shieldmaiden, which means that it is incredibly hard to get the masses to rise up. As Namatha and Tlokbur had commented through our party communications, "Workers only have bargaining power when they engage in collective bargaining."

Without this collective this revolution would never be able to take off. The second issue is the lack of proof about Shieldmaidens illegal activities on the planet. If they can't get legal proof it will be an easy matter for Shieldmaiden to frame the entire affair as a small group of agitators siezing power, against the wishes of the people. I have neglected to point out that currently that is exactly what this uprising is, but that is a seperate matter all together.

The third and fourth matters are less dire over all, but still need to be adressed to ensure success. The Rebellion lacks a convenient avenue to attack the main Shieldmaiden facility. Vles also lacks the other command modules for the Cyberbeasts and other modern armaments capable to countering the defenses that Shieldmaiden has. Especially a counter to the orbital weaponry on the space station in orbit around the planet, and the many small ships that Shieldmaiden has in their possession. Even if a ground assault is succesful there is a significant lack in countermeassures to handle threats from the air.

If I am lucky in my efforts to gather plants, there will be a solution available for the first problem. Mortal leaders are easily swayed at the end of the day and with what I have in mind, even the proudest king will be forced to bow in supplication before the revolution. As for the third issue, I have pondered up a strategy related to my summoning anchor, as the Goblins apparently have equipment meant for digging tunnels. But they haven't used it in fear of Shieldmaiden discovering "noticeable seismic activity", apparently they have ways of detecting unnatural fluctuations in the earth.

My thoughts are interrupted as I chance upon a fallen tree under which are several blue mushrooms, and I grin as I see their shimmering green auras. As I kneel down to examine them more closely, the grin transforms into a laugh as I learn about their potential uses. With the mushrooms collected I decide that it is prudent to return to the camp and begin implementing my assorted plants in my preparation process.

As I walk back towards the camp, I am luck enough to chance on a pack of orange boar-like creatures. For what I have planned blood would be a necessary component, and it is far more convenient to collect blood sources from animals rather than harvesting my own blood for the purpose. I cast my lesser dominate spell on the two largest creatures as the rest of their flock leave the clearing.

The two creatures stand eerily still as I approach them and without much ceremony blast them in the legs with my staff, the attack breaks the effect of my magic on them. But with the hind legs damaged on each of them, the two creatures can only squeal in pain and drag themselves towards me. I am sure these beasts would be fearsome and fierce in a fight, but it is easy for me to shock them into submission with jabs from my staff. With that done I cut their throats individually and let their abundant blood, that pulsates with a green aura in my magic enhanced eyes. I fill several jars worth of their blood, until I have no jars left. When that is over I realize just how heavy my bag will be to carry now.

So, if I were a witch sweat would be another ingredient that I could have harvested, when I finally manage to reach my sanctuary in the camp. I feel embarassed for having to engage in such menial physical labour, but with the samples I have gathered it should be easy to get Goblins to gather some of these at least. But as much as I am tempted to leave this to them, I know I will have to go on more forrays into the jungle. Green Auraed ingredients are just too high of a priority, and there will be more potions that I am going to have to brew in the future.

One of the pieces of equipment that Vleses agents had procured for me turns out to be the most useful one. A "refrigiration box", it is similar to the closet on the Incredulous. In here I can store the blood and the plants that have to store fresh until it becomes their time to brew them. Before, I begin with the brewing projects I can do now I take a notable portion of the Orange Moss with me, along with the smallest jar of blood. To make the Amphibia Gel I need to ferment the moss.

With that In mind i messily drench the moss in the blood while also adding sugar to the strange mix, as my recipe advises when making this concotion. I then take several leaves and intertwine them with the moss before I close the jar and place the jar outside in the warm envrionment, unlike it's sister jars that are kept cool. The moist mixture should ferment given enough time and with that base ingredient I can then make the gel.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the Mental Skill: Botany at level 1. Botany is a skill that covers your understanding of flora, both theoretical and practical. Among possible specializations are: plant taxonomy, practical application of theory, identification, fungi, sea-plants

CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the magical skill: Mystification of the Mundane at level 1. This skill governs the ability to treat mundane ingredients to make them viable replacements for magical ingredients. Among possible specializations are: Mundane Plants, Ores and Minerals, Combining the mundane and mystical.

As I blink away the notifications and the knowledge that the NVR pours into my brain, I turn my attention towards brewing. I sigh as my thoughts go into the long hours I will have to spend to ensure I am ready on this front as well. With these dark thoughts in my mind I walk slowly over to the equipment I have been given, and begin the process of brewing magical potions that will take me several days to get a proper feel for again.