Jack scanned through the different mechanisms responsible for the many functions required to produce Washing Water, while contemplating his journey so far. Before he knew it, he had been living this life for half a year, and so many things had happened. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but be absorbed in the thought that some forces were blatantly pushing things at him, one after another, even more so when he looked into the black mucus from the Shadow Lynx’s skull.
A definitive conclusion couldn’t yet be made, but his theory about the relation between the goo and the lynx’s abnormal rampage was made more evident by dissecting the substance’s component. Even though he was in the middle of quantifying the amount of Washing Water produced, he couldn’t quite get his mind out of connecting all of this to the recent increase in monster activity and, subsequently, the increase of standing quest in the Guild. Looking back at the situation he and Velia had found themself in, Jack reckoned more than a few of the creatures in those woods had been affected by this.
After confirming both the quality and quantity of the batch, Jack called for Dean to come and deliver them to Abraham. Being a mainstream product this time, with the Harper name on the outside label of each vial, Jack didn’t have to be too mindful of the business and legitimacy part, saving that time for himself and his other projects.
His experience bar was half-full after all of those monster killings and crafting. The passive production system of Lesser Mana Potion and Washing Water was helping him grow his strength by the day. At this rate, excluding any of the usual surprising factors, he reckoned his level-up would be in the next month. If that were to happen, he could consider performing his version of the Awakening Ceremony on Thomas, having acquired sufficient stat points for it.
For now, though, Moonlight Flowers and the black mucus would be his main concern.
Velia was not dissuaded from continuing to accompany Jack as soon as his request was put on the quest board. She had spent a lot of time recalling the entirety of the event during her time recovering. The fact that Jack had been hiding something was blatantly obvious, but not in a bad way at all. Escorting him had proven to be a less risky, less burdensome, and most importantly, more profitable job. He paid her three Lesser Mana Crystals for every trip, the price that surpassed many similar offers or wouldn’t come without certain catches. A business partner like that wasn’t something Velia would let slip to others. And so, the two went on with their night jobs.
It wasn’t long before Jack got to witness the significant increase in monster killing demand, be it day or night. The berserk creatures had been gradually moving away from their natural territories, seeking out nearby farms or rural areas to quell their thirst for devastation. This had become a mature concern for the local authorities, as well as various guild masters. Mocester hadn’t faced such a crisis in recent decades.
Jack’s business had a positive correlation with the situation due to the increase in demand. Still, he knew it wouldn’t be the case in the long run. The chaotic nature of the recent monster’s activity would cause widespread logistical disruption and fear amongst the populace, which lead to hoarding, inflation, and, eventually, an economic meltdown. With that in mind, Jack had been asking Dean and Velia to have their ears up for anything noteworthy. Though, for now, such information was being tightly controlled by the higher-up authority. True chaos was surely the last thing they would wish for.
One day, Jack figured he should visit Bastian and ask the old man about how to officially become a recognized Artificer. The swordsmith had been living a leisurely life ever since his ascension. The price tags on his product might have gone up, but so was the number of requests. Though, with his newfound high-end status, Bastian could afford to choose what he wanted to do. The rest, he could just throw them out of the window.
“So, I have to go to the Artificer Guild for an entrance exam?” Jack asked after listening to Basitan’s explanation about how crafting one random item wouldn’t make you a proper Artificer.
“Yes,” the smith nodded, his back resting on a brand-new lounge chair. “Troublesome, right? Why couldn’t I just declare you to be one instead of those damn tests and examinations?”
Maybe the procedure is made for people like you only, Jack thought to himself.
“Alright.” Bastian waved his throwing a book onto the crafting table, “you better do your study properly. I couldn’t care less if you fail, but my apprentice failing is another thing.”
Jack wanted to yell at Bastian’s face, reminding him about how his name was crafted by this “apprentice” of his. Of course, the boy only nodded and smiled. His emotions had been getting a bit out of hand lately, being stuck inside a body that was going to hit puberty soon.
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Ignoring Bastian’s nonchalant attitude for now, Jack picked up the book and opened it. The book contained information about the entrance exam, which mostly tested theoretical knowledge and only a small proportion of implementation. The Artificer Guild, to ensure the competence of its member, demand the general and specialized understanding of its many divisions, as well as the social understanding of its inner working. Some divisions even had questions regarding the knowledge pool of other factions.
In the afternoon, Jack brought the book to the Horvath’s empty yard to meet Thomas. The bank had rented away the Harper’s confiscated property, taking away the two’s practice ground. This new piece of training field was much smaller than the original and lacked the stakes setting. Jack could only use this place to teach Thomas about his meditation technique and Arcanist knowledge.
“Boss,” Thomas called out as Jack was flipping the pages. “Look!”
He enthusiastically showed his hand out, above which was a spark of fire flicking almost harmlessly.
Jack's eyes brightened up. He had thought the skills from the system couldn’t be used by outsiders, but it seemed only the Nightblade ones had this limit.
“Good job,” Jack said, “you should work on it more.”
Seeing his friend's modest response, Thomas couldn’t help but give him a bit of a frown. Jack burst out a laugh.
“Don’t give me those grim eyes. I still have to find a way to resolve your unawakening.”
Thomas scratched his head, this time with a small smile on his lips, then stepped to the side and started practicing again. The vision of blasting out a fireball as big as Jack’s lingered in his mind.
Thomas Horvarth (Under the effect of Corrupted Awakening Ceremony)
Race: Human
Age: 10.
Rank: Unranked.
Level: 0.
Str: 2.
Agi: 3.
Spr: 1.
As a matter of fact, the ritual did enhance Thomas’ body, but with only a minuscule effect. Rather, the long-term outcome of it was what troubled Jack the most. Information surrounding the Awakening Ceremony was classified material and beyond Jack's reach for now. Even Meinhard was wary when mentioning this subject; should a high-ranking Maester find out about it without any proper explanation, the principal would find himself on their blacklist.
Jack returned his focus to the upcoming Artificer test. In his speculation, reputation would be extremely crucial in this state of his career. With an official title to his name, along with Bastian's own newfound renown, his business would be even more smooth sailing. The boy also planned to take a few minor Herald-rank orders from Bastian to ease some of the debt his adopted family was still on. After all, Jack still hasn't forgotten his original purpose. Staying in Oxdale for this long had never been his intention.
That evening, Velia, with Dean’s assistance, found Jack. The two met at a small and cozy nameless roadside eatery. Velia wore a simple plain shirt and a pair of comfortable loose pants instead of her usual bulky adventurer equipment.
“You’ll have to pay for all this because of the info I have in my hand right now,” Velia smirked, sitting down at the table.
“If it’s worth it, I’ll gladly pay for a hundred of these,” Jack said in a generous tone of voice.
Velia stared at him. She still couldn’t feel comfortable with the fact that the boy in front was even more wealthy than her.
After some small talk, the main meal of two portions of beefsteak was served with red wine. Velia dug in instantly while Jack took his time with it. As soon as her belly was full, Velia started the real conversation of the night.
“A village has just been massacred by the monsters,” the news came through her lips.
Just as I was really enjoying the food! Jack frowned in irritation.
“A small place, west of Oxdale,” Velia continued, paying Jack’s attitude no attention. “Quite a secluded one; a peaceful one, too. It used to be a trade outpost for wood and forest food. But it was wiped off the map a few days ago, just like that.”
“And what’s the Adventurer Society's response?” Jack leaned forward, asking with a serious voice.
“A group of Crusaders has already been sent. They’re expected to return with a full report in a few days.”
“Any survivor?”
“None,” Velia said with a slight frown above her eyes. “I heard that there was a Crusader station there, but it seemed he didn’t make it out alive. Everybody just assumes the Monster Den came out of nowhere and that the monsters quickly overwhelmed the poor guy.”
Jack took a moment of silence to process what he had just heard. Monster Den, according to the books, was a monster generator that somehow connected to the surface. It’s a rare phenomenon that the Magic Society usually keeps a close eye on. Specific abnormal signs and events often preceded it, which helped with the preparation. This unforeseen case, however, was not something they wrote on the pages. Jack reckoned he would find something interesting there.
“Will they take the Monster Den down?” Jack asked.
“Of course,” Velia answered, spinning the glass of wine in her hand.
“Good. I might need you to guide me there.”
“What? are you out of your mind?”
Jack responded with a decisive nod. According to the Reset Clock crafting guide, Soul Essence could be found where a high concentration of monsters was killed. Moreover, Monster Den could be another viable source of it since the generation of monsters had many connections to the material. Jack would also welcome it if he passed by any other type of essence too.
“Nobody agrees to their insanity like you did, kid,” Velia said with a mixed and peculiar expression. “Still, three crystals wouldn’t cut it.”
“You’re right. Ten times like that,” Jack said.
“Hmm, you really want me to go rob the bank with you, huh?”
A plan started forming in his mind. Even with the monsters having been dealt with, he couldn’t be too confident.