The ceremony was an outstanding success.

Interface You have raised your Preach (Novice) to Preach (Budding) You have raised your Orate (Novice) to Orate (Budding)

I felt that mysterious energy once more emanating from the people’s prayers. It swirled inside me like a vortex, empowering me before vanishing once more. Faith was something tangible, and I Yantago must be gathering it for his revival.

Seeing the invigorated faces of goblin and man alike filled me with confidence. I ended the sermon, and everyone returned to work with renewed zeal. On some days, I would see a goblin, maybe even a human, praying to Yantago’s statue in the centre of the mine.

But I wouldn’t hold another union until I figured how to consistently craft the same spell from Torchite. I worried that if I gave spells that had varying strengths, it would inspire discrimination between the goblins.

“Voglo, I wish to know something.” I approached him. “Do you know of a method, to precisely control mana?”

He was somewhat taken aback by the question but soon began to cackle. “My Holy Guide, potion-making does need exact mana proportions. I know of such a method, follow me.”

The shaman led me to his chambers, which he fashioned into a personal apothecary. A green fog obscured the floor. In the centre of the room stood a large stone pot. In it boiled a dirty green ooze, which released a pungent smoke that pooled on the floor.

I covered my nose. “This smells disgusting,” I said out loud.

“Don’t breathe in too deeply, you’ll get a hole in your lung!” Voglo laughed.

“How are you okay then?” I mumbled through a rag.

Voglo grinned, “[Shaman] gives me poison resistance.”

"But you only got your class recently.”

“Guess I’m used to poison then.”

I shook my head. “Maybe it doesn’t put a hole in your lung, but your brains.” I thought to myself.

He beckoned me to approach a clay distillatory. A fire burned under a clay pot, which was connected to a tube that was fed by water. The end of the tube poured a dark blue liquid into a rock bucket.

“Is this how you make your mana potions?” I asked.

Voglo nodded. “In essence, mana potions are a liquid with high amounts of mana in them. Of course, you need to add something extra, if you don’t want the potion to eat through your stomach.” He took a stone jug filled with light blue liquid and poured it onto the ground. The liquid bubbled a bit before vanishing, revealing a tiny hole in the floor.

“And you figured this all out on your own?”

Voglo shook his head. “I don’t know how this stuff comes together. My master died before he could teach me, so all I have to go by are recipes and intuition.”

“I’ll get the smiths to make the equipment I promised you.”

Voglo revealed a toothy grin and bowed down. “It would be my honour, your Holiness.”

“Now, teach me how you make these mana potions.”

The process was much less involved than I had expected. The first step was burning the goats’ moss, which we affectionately called Blue Moss, to ash. Doing so released a wispy teal smoke. The next ingredient was the villagers’ alchemy crop. They called it Thorn Yam, a very descriptive name. Much to my dismay, this crop wasn’t edible even when cooked. Apart from the disgusting soapy test, it also inflamed your tongue.

Boiling the Blue Moss ash gave the corrosive blue solution, then adding diced Thorn Yam to it, darkened the liquid. After which, you simply distilled it.

After 3 hours I produced a shot glass worth of mana potion. Taking a sip of it restored 5 points of mana.

Interface You have unlocked a new skill: Alchemy. This is a passive skill that improves the quality and the efficiency at which you produce alchemical products.

The notification surprised me, and Voglo laughed at my reaction.

“Did you get [Shamanic Concoctions]?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No, I got [Alchemy]. Is there a difference?”

“Maybe? Perhaps not in function, but class and profession determination.”

I nodded, the details were not important. Afterwards, I ordered for the production of Iron equipment. 2 sets of wrought iron cauldrons, 2 sets of iron distilleries, and a bunch of metal pots and pans.

My biggest concern was ventilation. It was clear that all those fumes had severe side effects. However, the gas was denser than air, which meant I could simply funnel it into a floor grate.

Thus, construction began on an above-ground tower. One in which I could experiment in secrecy and have a fantastic view over the camp.

Human and goblin alike carried slabs of stone up the hill with great gusto. I planned the layout of the tunnel with safety in mind. Thick walls to prevent anything from breaking in, a solid foundation to prevent tilting, and an internal fire escape.

While everyone else was building, I constructed the underground gas storage with [Stone Shaper]. The floors of the tower had iron grates, which lead down to a dark underground room. I made intricate mechanisms out of gears, to prevent the backflow of gas. The waste room was located above our treasury. I connected in such a way that if I pulled on a chain, valves would open, releasing the poisonous gas on the invaders. A rather morally dubious trap, but one I felt would serve well against any greedy thieves.

After a week of constant work, the tower was complete. Its presence loomed over the entire camp, casting an intimidating shadow. It was constructed out of a particularly dark stone, with metal bars for windows, and a dark wood roof. I was displeased by how evil it turned out, but the work was already completed. All my equipment was hauled to the tower under blankets, to hide their function. It was time to experiment.

Following Voglo’s recipe, after hours of work, I produced a litre worth of mana potion. I took a small piece of cut Torchite and placed it inside it. The gem sparkled in the liquid, causing it to bubble and emit steam. After a few minutes, the gem absorbed all the solution, leaving a dirty brown liquid behind.

Picking up the Torchite didn’t reveal a skill. The crystal was nowhere near as bright as the time I injected mana into myself.

Interface A migrant tribe has arrived in the northern parts of your territory. They are seeking refuge from an enemy that’s chasing them.

The notification disrupted my thoughts. The north of my land was the swamp, had frogs arrived again? A wicked grin spread across my face. “Time to test out these new skills,” I thought to myself.

“Warriors assemble! To the swamp!” I cried out.