The Newt and Demon

Theo couldn’t simulate the creation of new cores within the Dreamwalk. It allowed him to do things that worked with his cores, such as creating golems. But new things like cores just weren’t possible. What it did allow him to do was mess around with energies. This gave him a chance to consider the relationship between realm energy and the mortal world. He found an area in the market, imagining people going about their days to make it feel more like the real world and got to work.

His first step was to recap what he understood about energy.

Energy, or power was like a cloud that seeped through from the ascendant realms to the mortal realm. It could be consumed by various things, like mana collectors or buildings, and transformed into mana. The alchemist thought about what other things could absorb this energy. Plants and animals could do it—especially those right outside of Broken Tusk. Depending on the affinity of that energy, the thing that absorbed it would change. His mind felt like it was going into overdrive as he attempted to make a link between the things he knew and the things he wanted to know.

Perhaps it was his heightened wisdom, or his constant exposure to these meta topics, but he thought he had proof for his theory. His potions got large bonuses from the building they were created in. A lot of those bonuses were borne from the alignment it held to Drogramath. But Drogramath’s energy had waned recently, eclipsed by the energy of Tero’gal. They were now aligned with Tero’gal alone, although Drogramath’s shrine remained. The building had absorbed enough energy to change alignments.

“And what is it that drives a building?” Theo asked, smiling to himself. “A seed core.”

Looking into his chest, Theo saw his various cores hovering in nothingness. He always had a sense for them—especially the aligned ones—but focusing on them helped him visualize. The cores in his soul weren’t absorbing energy on their own. They were soaked in whatever mana floated through his soul. It could have been as easy as opening his soul to the power of Tero’gal, or replacing his Drogramathi mana with Tero’gal mana. But he was certain this was the way forward. As Alex had added an affinity, he could change his alignment.

“I really hope Drogramath isn’t mad… How could he be mad? He’s gonna die if he doesn’t join my realm…”

It might make things awkward, but Theo wanted Drogramath to join his realm. He wanted to shatter the barrier between ascendants. Perhaps if they were driven off their collective high horse, things would get better for the world. That was Khahar’s plan, anyway. While the alchemist hoped it would work out in the end, it was hard to predict how others would react. He laughed to himself.

“Dad is home. Put away your toys,” Theo said, shaking his head. “No jumping on the sofa. No, you didn’t play fair. I’m taking your realm away.”

Void didn’t feel like a benevolent god. No, he was more Old Testament than that. Things were gonna get ugly in the heavens, and Theo was happy he was out of the way. All because they shoved Tresk’s throne in there. Which meant he should find his own throne before Void caught on. There was enough for him to do outside of this godly stuff. He tore his thoughts away and focused on the most exciting development in recent memory.

Three new potions and two Potions of Significance. Theo had gained 50 points in Wisdom recently, taking him from 32 to 82. The increase was massive, leaving his head spinning every time he got more. Every ten levels brought a new level of insight, or a fraction of a second’s worth of foresight. Of course 50 points meant 50 effective levels of attributes, making him more like someone at level 80. And there were no signs of stopping. He resolved to make as many potions as he could before he figured out the core problem. Perhaps he could further exploit it from there.

Precognition might have been the most visible effect of Wisdom, but the other effect was foreknowledge. They were related, but different. Since Theo had taken the Wisdom of the Soul potion, that knowledge came as screens that gave him information. When he was at 30 Wisdom, it seemed to be mostly guesses based on what he already knew. At 70—before his newest upgrade—the messages were more pointed, extrapolating information he shouldn’t have known. What would happen when he brought this attribute over 100? That’s when things got interesting.

Theo thought about this as he worked on his willpower exploit. Zaul was a weird guy, and his realm could vanish any day. The alchemist wasn’t interested in being left without his new favorite core. He couldn’t even estimate the amount of golems he could pull under his control now. 300? 500? He didn’t have the resources to test it in the real world, but the Dreamwalk allowed him to create an actual army. A field of metal golems sprawled into the distance, standing in orderly rows.

Theo could feel the strain of the 300-some-odd golems on his mind. Keeping them in order would have been impossible if he controlled them as individuals. But as his willpower grew, so did his ability to issue complex instructions. If only they didn’t need such expensive workings to operate on their own. Without Throk’s mana collector, each golem would run out of power in a day or two.

The design of his golems was something he would change if he could make his own core.

Morning came and Theo woke, finding his mind jumping strangely as he lost command of his imagined golems. He felt the soothing pressure of his real golems, going about whatever tasks they were doing. Some patrolled the underground area, others farmed, and one tended to his greenhouses. Before even rising from his bed, the alchemist reached out to his realm. He touched the power there in an instant, feeling it sting his fingers. He pulled his hand back, unsure how much it was supposed to hurt.

“Play with fire, ya gonna get burned,” Tresk said, jumping from her bed and dashing down the stairs.

Theo sensed she was off to feed Alex. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. The poor goose was forced to spend her days and nights outside without cover. With a sigh, he rose from bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sarisa and Rowan had created a breakfast that had become a classic. Pozwa eggs, sausage made by Whisper, and zee grits. Local food hadn’t agreed with him completely when he had arrived, but he now expected it.

After breakfast, Theo went to the Newt and Demon to give Salire some orders before heading off to the market. He counted his coins as he went, finding that he didn’t have enough to buy anything worthwhile. But he could dip into the town’s fund if he wanted to. It was his town, after all. Why not?

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When the port had first opened, they saw a few people arriving every week. Now it was always packed with people, coming to sell their wares in the market. While they hadn’t found a market seed core, that didn’t stop the locals from creating a sprawling bazaar. Even in the early morning hours, it was packed with merchants from abroad. The alchemist inquired with a few before being directed to an elven trader near the market’s center. And he was surprised to see the man selling cores.

“What do you know about Coresmithing?” Theo asked, rummaging through the seed cores on offer.

“I’m just a merchant,” the elven man offered, bowing his head. “Not worthy of entertaining the archduke.”

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Theo gave him a flat look, a sour taste forming in his mouth. “Or you don’t want to give up their secrets. That’s fine. I’ll take this.”

Theo presented the [Barn Seed Core] to the merchant, who sold it to him for ten gold. The alchemist didn’t need to pull money from the town, as he had expected the price to be higher. But it was only a barn, compared to an entire ranch. The town already had a barn somewhere, but Azrug might have built that one by hand. Didn’t he hire someone to build it? He shook the thought away, picking up some Monster Cores before heading back to his manor.

It might have been selfish, but Theo had restricted building in his area of town. It was only his lab, his manor, Herbalist’s Workshop, and Zarali’s Enchanter’s Workshop in the area. That left more than enough space for Alex to have a barn right next to the manor. And it would be large enough for her growing body. He saw Tresk riding on her overhead and smiled. They would be surprised when they returned.

Theo found a decent spot to plant the seed core. He placed the seed south of his Herbalist’s Workshop. He wanted to keep the other side of the road clear for more residential use. The roots sprung from the ground, wrapping around themselves and growing to become a barn-shaped tangle. When the roots were done, they formed the shape of a large red and white barn. Just like back on Earth. Which was weird. The alchemist shrugged, taking a tour of the building before upgrading it.

Alex could fit inside the barn no problem. No upgrades were required for her to live in comfort. There were no stalls for animals in here, just a wide-open floor with large doors on both sides and a hayloft. The ground was dirt, but he doubted Alex would mind. He could even put a big air conditioner in here if she wanted. He considered asking her, but dismissed the idea. It would be better if he showed her the completed barn when she returned from her adventures. Her excitement would be worth the wait.

Theo cracked his knuckles, pulling a Monster Core from his inventory. He began shoving the cores into the building, expanding it lengthwise. The ground rumbled slightly under his feet. After getting Level 5 on the building, he realized cooling would be an issue. If there was an option that popped up for cooling or comfort, he would select it. For now, he reviewed the first three options.

[Hay Dispenser]

Automatic hay dispensers appear on the sides of the barn, distributing whatever food is loaded into them. These dispensers require power to operate.

Alex was intelligent enough that she didn’t need a feeder. She could withdraw items from a Dimensional Storage Crate if she needed food. This upgrade would be awesome for someone like Miana, who had to care for so many animals. But the barn was built to house a giant, intelligent goose. Not animals who didn’t know how to feed themselves. Theo dismissed this upgrade, reading the next one.

[Stalls]

Creates a row of stalls, depending on the length of this barn, that can house animals.

Theo smoothed his hair out, feeling his horns as he grumbled. This was another upgrade that would be lovely to have for normal barn purposes. But Alex had no need for a stall. If anything, it would take away from the space she had to roam around. He dismissed this one too, moving to the next.

[Muckraking]

Any animal filth that appears on the floor of this barn will be automatically removed at the end of every day.

Alex was good about not pooping inside. But this was the best of three dud upgrades, so Theo picked Muckraking. He fed the building cores until it reached Level 10 and considered the single new upgrade.

[Automatic Deposits]

Animal products, such as eggs, will be collected and deposited into a container of your choice once a day.

“Does Alex lay eggs?” Theo asked, scratching his chin. He saw this as another bad upgrade for his purposes. Maybe a barn wasn’t the right pick… He selected Automatic Deposits, because it was the best of the three. The alchemist continued adding cores until the building reached Level 15. He finally got an upgrade that was great.

[Tero’gal Empowerment]

Latent energy, aligned with the Dreamrealm of Tero’gal, will be drawn from the air to enhance animals stabled in this building. Energy density affects improvement rate.

Maybe it was because he was planning to do the same thing with himself, but Theo found this upgrade very appealing. He selected it without hesitation, moving on to get a few more upgrades. The building rose to Level 20 shortly after, presenting another good option.

[Comfort]

Animals within this building will experience an environment suitable for them.

It was a simple description for a simple upgrade. Theo selected it, breathing a sigh of relief. This was likely the best upgrade he would find for Alex. Having a place out of the boiling sun was good, but if she could experience the perfect temperature, it was even better. Now the barn wouldn’t feel like a sweltering box for her, allowing her to rest better than in the open air. While Theo planned to do two more upgrades, he only had enough cores on him to do one. But after getting the Comfort upgrade, he doubted anything else would compare.

Theo inspected the last upgrade of the day.

[Restoration]

Animals sleeping within this building will become well-rested and have their wounds heal quicker.

This was a good upgrade. Compared to something like the feeders, or stalls, it was a flat effect. If Alex was injured, she could rest up and heal quickly in the building. Easy pick. Before Theo called it a day with the barn, he gave it a name and inspected the building. It was always best to name a building before Tresk got to it.

[Barn]

[Alex’s Personal Mansion]

Owner: Theo Spencer

Faction [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 25 (13%)

Rent Due: SUSPENDED

Expansions:

[Muckraking]

[Automatic Deposits]

[Tero’gal Empowerment]

[Comfort]

[Restoration]

Theo was proud of what he had done for Alex. He felt excitement bubbling inside him as he thought about showing it to her. She wouldn’t say anything about it, but sleeping outside must have been annoying. She had also enjoyed coming inside to eat with everyone else, but that was off the table. Tresk had kept the small box she used to sleep in within their room, refusing to throw it out. It was hard to imagine the marshling being sentimental, but she could be sensitive at times.

“Well, that’s that.” Theo sighed as he looked at the barn. It was nice to take in something so understandable. Especially considering his next move for the day. With one last breath, he slipped through the cracks of reality. Entering the new maelstrom of the void.