Chương 222: Learning New Stuff

Wildfolk flesh was somewhat muscular, but in a different manner than what I was used to–Muscles turned out different based on alimentation and the kind of activities which led to their creation… I suppose these beasts in the shapes of people found themselves lacking the more refined teamwork capabilities of the sapients they looked like due to their inherently feral and aggressive minds. They should absolutely be at the top of the chain as long as they used what little brain they had to cooperate and create tools.

However, I guess the influence of the Northern Wildlands only pushed them further away from true sapiency, as very few of them had been using a weapon or even doing the bare minimum of throwing rocks. From what I had seen, despite being under the influence of a lord, their teamwork had been awful. With their numbers, they should have been able to take out adversaries significantly stronger than themselves, but they could barely even have the decency to look left and right so as not to bump into one of their allies…

Regardless, the main thing on the menu was the wolfman himself. It had been the strongest out of the bunch, and was probably amongst the strongest of the Wildfolks that could be found in this damned region–Its flesh was very nourishing, and since it was much bigger than its brethren, there was more to eat from the corpse it left behind. Once I was done, not even a single bone or drop of blood remained. Leou was right, I could really make a killing as a 'cleaner'.

A shame no job of this kind has reached me just yet, it would be the easiest thing in the world for me to do flawlessly, as I could track down anything that I could consume to add more 'flesh' to my growing reserves. Now… I couldn't help but take a close look at the wolfman's claws, and… Its claws did not correspond to those that had left marks upon the trees in the area where I had discovered the cold remains of an adventurer.

At first, I thought the thing which had cleaned the outskirts of its easy prey was just the lord and its troop, but it seemed like us running into them was nought but a fat lump of coincidence. Say, Nara, can you tell what could have left these marks? It's hard to tell, but from what I can see… These don't look like marks left by genuine claw sweeps. They looked more like what a cat would leave behind when scratching their claws against something. I see no fur or old claws, though…

For now, I settled inside this deserted area, curious about the bone spear that had mysteriously just vanished into thin air. It had gone and popped inside my Mindscape, thus, I assumed my 'Base Form', and entered my own mind to check what was up with it. It was definitely something of importance since it had manifested a whole new place alongside the Furnace, Kitchen, and Press. There was now a closet… Well, the Closet. There was a plaque above this new doorless doorway telling me that it was its name.

I certainly wouldn't have named it if I had been the one in charge of naming it. That thing was way too big for a closet… Wait a minute, it looks a whole lot like the storage area of the Bombidour residence that I had sacked. It is not the exact same, but it is indeed quite similar In this huge storage facility, there was only one item kept here, and it was the bone spear. I grabbed it again and felt an odd connection to it. I suddenly understood many details that I would normally have no clue about. …

It can go into the Furnace and Press? I thought it was just for spirits, souls, and the like. This is quite interesting. Why did this bone spear get sucked into my mind palace, though? There's nothing special about it. I can explain it now. It is actually very simple–You were able to bring this physical item into your Mindscape because it was charged with negative energy.

The spear already contained a lot due to the environment of the Northern Wildlands, but when you drove steel inside of it, you unconsciously added some of your own negative energy into the mix Since your negative energy is of far greater quality and power than the ambient kind, it devoured the energy originally inside and converted it into your own–Thus meeting the threshold required for you to bring it inside here It is quite a simple process, but since I couldn't say anything previously, and there wasn't really any good clue pointing to this possibility, it was left to chance for you to discover it…

I am happy you did, though! It is a great ability! Aherm… You don't have all of the possible equipment inside the Mindscape, but the Furnace and Press can be used.

You see, although it is a physical object, since we are inside of your mind, it isn't truly physical right now, and is thus fully susceptible to the machines present here You could put it in the Furnace to imbue it with specific kinds of negative energy, which would basically be your own personal way of enchanting an item, or you can place it in the press alongside anything else that can go inside of it to crush them together and make them fuse, which I guess is more akin to smithing, even if it can also feel like enchanting depending on what you put in the press…

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Ohoh. That is indeed very interesting! So, you are telling me that I could craft myself a weapon if I wanted to? Precisely, although, as you can imagine, the Furnace and Press aren't tools which can be wielded with precision, everything depends on the objects and other resources used, small details in how the process is done, and also a bit of luck.

Certain things at your disposal are great materials, but they aren't exactly predictable For example, you can use Ghostly Essence in the Press, which is an incredible material, but Ghostly Essence isn't quite a truly inanimate substance… As such, there are nearly uncontrollable variations whenever it is used The same is true with spirits and souls, so the process, unless mastered to an exceptional degree, has a lot of factors dependent on luck.

Which I don't find great, but I suppose that it also has the odds of bringing out something exceptional, regardless of how good the creation process actually is I see… Say, these things are created inside the Mindscape, right? Can I bring them in and out as much as I want? Or once taken out, they can't go back inside? As far as I can tell, you yourself, when you create something physical, you can't place it back in, but the same isn't true for my sisters and the other ghosts.

If they are holding one of these items when they return to you, the item will go with them Huh, I feel like this is information you wouldn't be allowed to tell me usually. Indeed, I suppose my restrictions were loosened a bit, or maybe this particular subject is less restricted? Regardless, in essence, the items can be taken in and out as much as you desire, so you can send them back to the Furnace or Press if you want Mmh…

So, this means that I could–For example–Build a suit of knight armour and a weapon for Elowen? Yep I am not quite sure what the others might like. Their clothes are still connected to their ghostly form, so making clothes for them wouldn't work as it would for a suit of armour… Apart from Ophelie, who uses needles and such to make plushes, no one really uses any items at all. I'll have to think more about it, and also run some tests, obviously.

I need to get myself some experience operating the Mindscape machines in this manner. I know fairly well how to use the Furnace on spirits and souls, but the Press was still a bit unpredictable to me. Most of what I had created with it was either defective or pitifully useless. I lacked the finesse that I had with the Furnace. For now, I exited the Mindscape. I had bigger fish to catch.

I needed to find the Blood-Cursed Tree, which was going to be a bit harder than expected, with the thickness of negative energy and negative emotions in the air. My senses for finding cursed snacks were a bit dulled, but Leou had given me a pretty clear set of directions and landmarks to follow, so it should be fine. Also, I needed to gorge upon said negativity hanging in the air. It was a great opportunity for me to accumulate absolutely ridiculous stocks of the stuff.

I tried willfully absorbing some of it, and the effect was much stronger than I expected. The moment I focused on actually pulling it toward me instead of just draining what was around passively, I felt like that one monster that creates a whirlpool… Or is it a whirlpool itself? I don't remember. In any case, it is a legendary, voracious creature that devours anything that comes close in the portion of the ocean it inhabits. Everything is dragged into its maw by a powerful whirlpool.

This is basically what happened the second I put even a small amount of focus into absorbing the negativity all around me, it all came surging my way with such strength and speed to the point that I became visible to the naked eye and possessed actual concussive force for a brief instant. Oh my… I quickly stopped. I had barely tried, and only for a few pitiful seconds, and already I could tell that I had drained a lot…

Yet, it did not seem to even put a dent in the density of energy directly around me, so the region itself had definitely not seen any change whatsoever. If I actually go all-out, I'll probably get thrown around. How in the hell does it generate such force? And why does it seem like the negativity is rushing to get inside of my non-existent belly? I know that I have some effect on the things I devour, case in point, spirits become helpless once in my grasp, and curses do not affect me whatsoever.

Negative energy and negative emotions are also affected by being dragged to me, but previously, it was never this strong, despite me actually trying way harder to devour… Unfortunately, I don't have a single clue what this could possibly mean. Does the negativity want to be eaten? No way, it doesn't have a mind of its own. It doesn't think… Perhaps something is the source of it, and this thing wants the negativity gone? It would make more sense, individuals can influence their inner energies unconsciously.

Still odd, what in damnation could possibly produce so much negativity to the point that what they produce becomes inseparable from the region's ambient energy itself? Or are the Northern Wildlands themselves creating all of it? Mmh… My curiosity is being piqued. Alright, I'll focus on finding the tree first.

Then I'll check just how much negativity I can drain from this place, and perhaps even figure out the true source–Who knows, maybe I'll find even more goodies if I can discover why the Northern Wildlands are such an awful place. Ah, isn't a little adventure nice? I even came prepared. My knightly form's torso had been made hollow so that I could put the special container Leou had given me inside of it, but also clothes to wear while in my 'Base Form'.

It wasn't that I cared about wearing something or not in this form, but I had grown used to my stylish cloaks, hood, and pretty attire. Style is of great importance, after all. It will also help me not pass off as a monster if I run into other adventurers. Creatures here don't wear much clothing, and when they do, they are dirty and torn. Nothing like my great self and immaculate fashion sense. Alright, Leou told me to go north-east and then find an area filled with tall stones protruding from the ground…