Shout out to my new patron in the Respected Reader Tier
Code_Verendus
Red felt like a shaken can about to blow his top. Trees didn't have shock absorbers or hydraulics, for that matter. He knew that was a well-known fact, practically a scientific fact with endless testing by burly men who enjoyed pancakes. What other reason could there be to chop down perfectly good trees other than to investigate their internal workings and prove that these vehicles of travel did not, in fact, have built-in hydraulics and shock absorbers to prevent him from nearly shaking his bones into powder?
"You don't have to be sarcastic about it, and what was that about cutting down trees to see if they had mechanical parts? That's rude."
They were backtracking toward the lake for one reason and one reason only. The lake was full of fresh water, and he added a reservoir rune to hold water. With sunlight, blood, and water stored in the golden tree, he didn't expect it to have trouble in cold areas.
Reservoir runes worked with resource points. A well-crafted rune could store 1000 points of a resource, and of course, the larger the surface, the more runes that could be placed. A tree could have an array filled with reservoir runes.
Why would he risk backtracking? Didn't he have a limited amount of time? There was a difference between his walking and running speed and the walking speed of a massive tree. Giving the tree eyes significantly changed how it moved. While other trees moved jerky like undead on crack, his tree tracked movement and had gained a measure of fluidity.
"Awe shucks, thanks for the compliment."
Of course, the issue was that while he connected to the tree, it was connected to him. His thoughts flowed to it, giving it an easy view of his intentions. Well, that wasn't a problem. It was a tree, and trees didn't precisely have complicated motivations.
"I want to grow until my leaves reach the great heat. Then, I'll wrap around it and choke out all the other trees."
"Let's handle my problem first," Red said
He hid his true feelings in the deepest pit of his mind. The tree was disturbing.
"Ok," They arrived at the lake where the remnants of the Lake Serpent lay still exploded.
The tree's roots rose up and struck out like ravenous snakes. They dug deep in the river bed, and Red could feel it drink the contents.
Red held onto the trunk tightly for his part, and he was blown back and forth as the tree moved. The monster was unstable at the best of times, and he wasn't having a great time.
Then, the tree dipped its roots into the water, and enchantments activated. Water levels depleted as Red watched thousands of gallons of water vanish. The tree seemed to glow after that as its reservoirs filled completely. He heard bark crack as the tree's golden sheen brightened further. It had a vast amount of resources to use, which was good. They would need them.
He watched the tree wind its roots into an approximation of legs as it watched a deer jump through the wheat fields as they traveled through the summer area.
A Wendigo jumped on a leg, rapidly climbed it, reached the tree's new knee, and jumped. A limb swatted it out of the air. Red watched the creature's two halves spin before it bounced off a hill.
Red stared at the limbs wrapped around each other and coil-like muscles. Primitive hands and fingers stretched out as the tree adapted.
"Make my claws strong. I need them to rend and cut to spill the blood I enjoy, " the tree said.
He hadn't given the creature a name. Red tried to block off his thoughts from the tree even while he gave it what it wanted. Fingers became deadly spears of uncommon tier through material and runes alone. He even gave it fire resistance to cover one of its weaknesses, allowing it to channel its solar reservoir better.
Its leaves had changed color as they marched toward the canyon where summer became fall toward the Wendigon.
The moose-skulled creature noticed immediately that it stood tall even as the shadow of the golden tree fell upon it. Massive hooved feet crushed stone beneath it as the golden tree shifted with every step as it prepared. Red tightened up his enchanting, adding runes to the legs to further strengthen them.
Red hadn't thought about what would happen when the two clashed. He felt like a squirrel as the tree bent back, limbs cracked, and the reservoirs depleted to feed the changes the tree made to itself. A piece of bark shot off the tree, and sap gushed out before closing as the tree trunk shifted, shrinking in on itself and widening.
It seemed the tree was learning more from him than he thought. With a strong set of shoulders and hips, if he wasn't mistaken, the tree reared back and punched. What were once fingers have become knuckles, turning the spears. Red had made the tree's fingers into brass knuckles.
The Wendigon moved slowly compared to the fast, stealthy Wendigos. In exchange for speed and stealth, the Wendigon seemed to gain superior bulk and physical power. Unfortunately, few things were as large and bulky as a summer golden cherry tree.
He heard a crunch and felt his bag grow heavier.
Sap rained like blood from cracks running up the tree's arm from the impact. It had thrown its punch so hard and powerfully that it had destroyed a large part of its body upon impact. Red felt the tree scream in agony, and its mind retreated from the pain.
It retreated so much that Red could feel where it had been in his head. He gripped it then.
"What are you doing? I'm hurt?"
"You agreed," Red said.
Red added more enchantments, like a circle containing the tree in its mind so it couldn't read his thoughts. A few fire-channeling runes told the solar energy where to go for weapons that used those enchantments. He found the tree's mind contained in its heartwood so Red could direct the solar energy to suddenly explode there with little effort. He placed a rune of breaking normally used to allow armor to break, but instead, he placed it in key places where sap ran through the tree. When activated, the tree dumps all its stored liquids and dries out in moments. It wasn't that he didn't trust the tree, but he wasn't the type to make investments without receiving a return. The tree had been a little too happy to read his mind.
Red adjusted the trunk, making a seat for himself, and let the tree back in so it knew what Red had done.
"Why do this?"
He let the scene play out through his mind of someone he helped before. Darian had taught Red a lesson he wouldn't forget.
The tree twisted around and stepped mechanically back toward spring. Fall, Winter, and then the Winter court was still too much for Red to handle. Fighting with such a dangerous creature like The Summer Golden Cherry Tree wouldn't end well for him. So he was pulling out before he got himself killed. He gained far more than he thought he would, but moving further wouldn't work.
He still needed to acquire a weaver, but it wouldn't be from the current world. Fall or Winter probably had the monsters he wanted to invite to his shop. Red wasn't strong enough and lacked the skill to communicate with them. He could come up with something to help with that in the future, but that would have to wait until he was a little better.
…
After 2 hours, Red arrived at the door to his shop. The glass door looked like heaven's gates. He could just see where Saint Peter was to act as a bouncer. That's right, his T-rex was in another dimension while he used the key.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
He climbed down from the tree and ran for the door. The shopkeeper ducked as a massive hand swept over where his head had been, and he heard a mighty crack. Boiling sap slashed the ground, rose like high tide, and splashed the glass door before him.
Red turned around.
The tree screeched, the bark ripped open, and flames erupted. It was just a tree. Even if it had a mind, it was no different than the other trees Red had harvested. Without the ability to commune with it, the tree would be no different than the others hunting down anything with warm blood in the cold.
Other trees climbed out from their ambush positions and stalked toward the tree. It was twisted to face them as they struck out with myriads of roots. Red stepped inside and felt his bag of holding empty. Vicky fluttered over to his side and watched the trees battle one another as Red's tree burned from the inside out. Every tree it destroyed added more wood to Red's bag of holding and was immediately transferred to storage.
Red had gained much from this venture and would gain much more in time. He had seeds from these unique trees in his bag that he was dying to try. He would raise his octopus tree once his wood crafting was in the epic or higher tier.
"So don't be mad."
In man's history, those words have never been uttered in a good situation.
"What did you do?" Red asked.
"I loaned money to some people. But don't worry, I also cursed them, so if they don't pay, they'll be sorry." Vicky said.
Right, that couldn't go wrong in any way possible.
As employees, Red hadn't given them a limit on how much of the store's SP they could use, which could have been a problem. Later, he decided.
With his improved control over wood, he needed to get some quick wood crafting levels if possible. And he was a little sick of making crossbows. It wasn't until he stood in his shop that the feeling of revulsion settled in. Sure, he would return to them eventually, but he wanted a break from crossbows, or he would burn out.
He was also staring down the barrel of an order and needed to meet with Mary's parents.
Red looked back at the simple, instant dungeon and instantly missed the simple survival setting for what it was.
"Vicky, just make sure they pay us back alright." He checked his wallet.
Wallet: 50,000SP
He needed to do inventory before he did anything else and purchase aquaponics or something similar. Red imagined that would work better than just a greenhouse.
The shop didn't really care about the space surrounding it. Red suspected that the shop existed in its own dimension and didn't care much about silly things like natural laws.
Using another perk was an option. His Eagle Eyes Perk improved, but he didn't want to push too much on himself. Doing too much too quickly was bound to have some consequences.
"I wanted you to have a nice even number. Don't worry, I made a sign to attract customers. We need more money to loan out. If we put enough silver on the market, we can crash its value and open a world where silver is more valuable. We can buy things there that are more valuable and sell them here for even more silver, rinse, and repeat." Vicky said.
That could too easily be abused. "Vicky, if we did that, an angry mob would come in and kill us," Red said.
"Oh, that's too bad. I thought it was a good plan." Vicky said.
"How did you know we can open a new front?" Red asked.
"Oh, we can access the menu but can't buy anything from it. Mom tried strength training in the attribute gym, but she says it's too easy." Vicky said.
"I imagine it would be for her. Do you have written down the names of who you loaned money to?" Red asked.
"Nope, it doesn't matter. I put a curse on them." Vicky said.
Somehow, he kept the grimace from his face. Red counted the SP as lost then and there. He would make his SP back in his next crafting section. Losses were unavoidable, but he had other advantages. For one, he had a teacher; for two, he had a herbalist and alchemist. It was worth it if all he lost was a hundred thousand SP in exchange for that.
He pulled a golden mushroom out of storage and placed it on the desk. The fungus's many long roots kept it upright and stable. This thing would be the key to ultimate power.
"Is that a golden yang mushroom? I know what it's for and can't make it permanent. I need a lot more practice and more ingredients for research." Vicky said.
"Can you grow it and make pills with it that will last, let's say, an hour?" Red asked.
Vicky crossed her arms and turned her nose up. "Who do you think you're talking to? I can make it last a day. I'm the daughter of Viviane, not some fairy playing at alchemy."
She flew around his head, and he took a deep breath and let it out. He was about to make SP hand over fist, and it was a pill that could be sold in any front. It almost didn't matter where he opened the shop. A pill that increases the size and makes a man hard would sell.
"How quickly can you make them, and how many can you make in a batch?"
"Is this that important? I don't know why you would want me to make pills intentionally worse."
He didn't know why she was being difficult or acting like she had a conscience; maybe her professional nature caused it.
"Oh, Vicky, you sweet, gentle fairy. An hour is more than enough. If they need more time, then they can buy more pills. We'll sell it for a low price too. How about one silver per pill? How many can you make in a batch, and how long will it take you to grow more mushrooms?" Red asked.
She poked at the shroom and flew around it. Vicky pulled on her striped stockings while folding her wings. "You harvested it almost perfectly; it's big. You can open an alchemy room and fungi farm for me." She tapped her chin and tugged on one of the fungi's lips. "Maybe 100 pills per mushroom at about 25 mushrooms a batch, so 2500 pills," Vicky said.
He had dollar signs in his eyes. 25,000SP a batch. It would take some investment, but the return would be practically passive on his end. That was also from a single product. He could buy anything, including factory equipment, with SP to hasten production.
"What do you normally use to make a batch of a potion?" Red asked.
"Um, a cauldron?" Vicky said.
He pictured an iron cauldron used by witches. Then again, fairies and iron didn't exactly mix. But he could make wood fire-resistant thanks to one of his skills. It was just enchantment, which was broad. When he gained the enchantment skill, all his other enchantments became a part of it. They were more or less parts of the primary skill, like specializations. In the short term, could he make a cauldron that would work best for Vicky?
"Vicky, how well do fairies handle iron?" Red asked.
Vicky gave him a look before sighing. "Touching it burns; it can cause hives when it's near, and seeing it can make our eyes swell," Vicky said.
"But you use a cauldron."
"Alchemy is my passion, and Mom has been dealing with iron longer than humans have used tools," Vicky said.
That sounded about right. "How would you like a wooden cauldron?"
"I would rather something dangerous that works over something safe that doesn't."
"Give me a few days, and I'll get you something safe that works," Red said.
Vicky smirked. "I'll believe it when I see it."
…
Viviane watched Red enter his workshop and place a log on two sawhorses. He touched the log, and it shifted like liquid. She was privy to more information than a mere guest as an employee. She saw a screen appear, and she read it easily.
Wood Crafting (Common) lvl8
Further text was invisible to her, but she knew his skills were undoubtedly less than hers by at least two tiers. With that information, she knew that Red was weaker than nearly everything in her version of the wilds, but he managed to reach the lands of summer. He would have dealt with numerous windigos and maimed fairies piloting wooden puppets. They were the humans superior in speed, strength, and cunning, but he beat them.
Maybe she would give being a teacher a shot.
…
What he wanted was something simple. He slowly pulled the finished product free as he manipulated the Blood Log(Trash++). It was a solid piece of a needle with a handle. Nothing more than a stake a vampire killer. He added runes etched in like a vampire reversed for the vampire killer effect, Solar and Blood reservoir with a circled triangle with another circle in the middle for transmutation. It was his first attempt at a vampire killing weapon, and he focused on a weapon that drained their very blood and transformed it into solar energy to be used by the gun further. It was simple and effective.
Transient Blood Needle (Common)
Damage 40 + 1D20
Solar Damage 20 + 1D10
Blood 0/1000
Solar 0/1000
Enchantments
Vampire Killer(Common)
Reservoir (Common)
Transmute (Uncommon)
Star Pierce (Common)
Value: 50,000SP
Achievement
From Trash To Common
Craft a common item from trash resources
Reward
+1CON
+2 DEX
+1 INT
Wood Working Tools (Common)
Red (Shopkeeper)
Shop lvl3
HP 40/40
MP 14/14
CON 20 (Common)
STR 13
DEX 17
INT 14
WIS 7
CHA 10
LUK 17
He wanted to scream as it felt like his body burst into flames for a few heartbeats. Each slow beat felt like an eternity as his body slowly embraced the change. Common doubled his HP and doubled his body's durability. Who knew how stronger an uncommon or rare entity would be if the next tier doubled it again?
He saw an uncommon creature with over 1000HP. Maybe some perks and achievements had some effect on HP or the multiplier.
"System, can I open another location for the shop on this planet."
Would you like to purchase a catalog of opening options?
"How much SP can open another location on this planet?"
150SP
"How much to close a shop location?"
1200SP
If he could close his current location and open another one, it would give him better odds of settling his debts. Except Vicky loaned money to some locals. It was all a balancing act to him.
Hey guys I hope you're enjoying the chapters I have more on my patreon. There are 3 up and I might get 4 up tomorrow. But 1 ahead is only $1 and 3 ahead is $5. Don't feel pressured I have a day job this just helps and its a little something for ya'll. Link