I yawn as I find myself back at the altar where I first started my [Hidden Quest]. After that great victory, I'm so motivated to work on my pen now! Of course, with some extra materials I got after a few more hunts, I know I've got a lot of work to do before the second phase of the ceremony. Just to recap, I got these materials along with the rare drops I got from beating the [Tempest Frigate] alone.
2x [Tempest Feather]
[A feather that was shed from a [Tempest Frigate]. Because of its constant use of the tornado to protect itself, some of its feathers were imbued with [Wind] mana.]
2x [Storm Fragment Feather]
[A feather that was shed from a [Tempest Frigate]. Because of how it absorbs the lightning to charge itself, some of its feathers were imbued with [Thunder] mana.]
5x [Caeruleum Melinum Petals]
[Petals plucked from the [Caeruleum Melinum]. It is well-known for creating paint and pigments.]
4x [Sky Dust Resin]
[Resin that was extracted from a [Sky Dust Butterfly]. They used it to trap their prey before they drained their blood. In some cases, the resin can be used for a variety of crafts.]
3x [Slime Resin]
[Resin that was extracted from a [Slime Vine Tree]. Its sticky texture is perfect for creating traps and adhesive material.]
Man, talk about a big haul! Not to mention I've leveled up more of my [Masteries] from all of those extra hunts! But regardless, I've got a lot to do now that I've got everything I need. I have some ideas about the [Slime Resin] from fighting that living tree, but right now, I have to focus on the main part of my ceremony. After healing up at the altar, I place everything on it as I hum while staring at them in deep thought.
"Alright. With the feathers now in my possession, I might be able to make a super-powerful pen for the [Sign Ceremony]," I mutter to myself. "But I don't know what will happen next once I finish the pen, so I've gathered more materials for a new ink just in case." I then stare at the ceiling while humming. "I know I don't have time to make another tome and I doubt I can use one anyway. But I do have some more paper from my last [Scribe] craft. So along with the ink and pen, maybe I should make another journal. My first one is only for journaling and notes, so..."
Honestly, I'm a bit lonely right now. Yur1 and Wind are doing their own thing with their [Hidden Quests], Arthur and Razul are back at <Hill Forest> trying to deal with the rest of the [Link Ants], and I'm talking to myself right now because I'm bored at this point. But if I want to finish this ceremony, I can't afford any more distractions and the whole point of it is that I can't rely too much on everyone else. So I should get this over with right now. I take out my [Beginner Bookbinding Kit] and prepare some crafts. Of course, I've been saving one more tool that Wind made during his blacksmithing training with Wally and it's a good time for me to use it!
[Reinforced Iron Pen Knife]
[A pen knife that is used to cut the tip of the feather to create its nib shape. Using it will improve the nib for the quill.
Creator: <Wind>
Quality: 19]
I'm surprised he made this for me because Ol' Wally suggested one before building the parts of his new bow after I told him about my [Scribe Mastery] and this is a huge improvement since the quality is much better than the knife I used from the [Beginner Papermaking Kit].
So first off, I should make a pen out of the [Tempest Feather] first. I don't know how will it end up, but I can try, at least, for the ceremony. I cut the barbs of it with my new knife before I cut the tip to shape the nib carefully. I'm a bit shaky when it comes to sharp objects, so I better be careful so I don't end up cutting my fingers by accident. Eventually, I got myself a perfect nib (I hope) and quickly placed it in a cup filled with sand that was already preheated. Once I confirm it, I shove it deep enough to heat the nib and the reservoir. I then decide to work on the [Storm Fragment Feather] next. It's the same way as I did with the previous feather, although I have to shove it in a second cup just in case there is a chance it might mix any mana left within them and I don't want to risk any repeats from my [Plasma Staff] crafting incident.
Once both feathers are done, I decide to work on new colored ink. Since the [Caeruleum Melinum Petals] are pretty much blue pigments, I want to experiment with some color combos along with a normal blue such as mixing one ink with [Nigrum Melinum Petals] and making the other ink more bluer with a bit of the latter than I can make with my alchemy set. I then end up with these two new colors.
[Blue Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 14]
[Dark Blue Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 15]
[Navy Blue Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 16]
They look so good! Maybe once we're done here, I might try making paint so I can draw stuff in my journal. Although, maybe I can do more than the usual methods to make my own unique ink.
Okay... I know what happens when I do something stupid without Wind's permission. But this is my [Hidden Quest] and I have to decide things for myself. Besides, they didn't say that I'm only limited to using only my [Scribe] crafting. With that in mind, I take out my [Mana Stones] along with the elemental ones that I saved from my previous builds. Since I'm using [Wind] and [Thunder]-based quills, how about I'll make some inks based on those same elements? But before I do that...
[One gathering session later...]
There! I got everything I need!
5x [Flavus Melinum Petals]
[Petals plucked from the [Flavus Melinum]. It is well-known for creating paint and pigments.]
5x [Viride Melinum Petals]
[Petals plucked from the [Viride Melinum]. It is well-known for creating paint and pigments.]
Along with a few extra petals, this is all I need to get ready for my next craft! First off, I decide on the shading of my magic ink. It took me a few minutes, but here's what I got again.
[Green Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 14]
[Blue-Green Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 15]
[Dark Green Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 15]
[Bright Green Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 14]
[Lime Ink]
[A handmade ink created from a variety of ingredients.
Quality: 16]
Okay, that's a lot more green than I'm expecting. It's so much that I'm worried that I'll have to go out to farm more petals to refill them. Regardless, I do what I can and decide on what to craft next. But first...
[Another gathering session later...]
Once I gather more petals, I start crushing three [Viride Melinum Petals] and 2 [Caeruleum Melinum Petals] using the mortar and pestle from my alchemy kit. After that, I take out some [Sparking Gemstones] I got from the [Tempest Frigate] along with some new ones from the same monster.
4x [Gale Gemstone]
[A special stone that is well-known for creating a strong gust of wind. Proceed with caution.]
I've never used a [Gale Gemstone] in one of my [Magecrafting] builds before, so this might be a first. The main problem now is how to mix these stones into the ink without losing their power. If I crush them into powder, there's a chance they will lose their power even if I use the [Enchantment] skill. If I crush them into small pebbles, they might have power, but there is no way they will mix well into the ink. This might be a problem...
Hang on... That [Book of Presence] might have some info on ink, so I decide to check on it while waiting for the last few minutes until the quills are ready. I flip a few pages until I find a certain page that might answer my question.
[The Art of Signs]
[Creating a [Sign] is similar to [Magecrafting]. By using a [Mana]-infused quill, they can create a special rune of their own making that allows them to summon any spell stored within them or create one of their own depending on the limits of their [Mana] and their imagination.
While optional, using a [Mana]-infused ink can enhance the potency of your [Sign]. While it's difficult to create your own due to how much [Mana] you can activate through a crushed [Mana Stone], it is said that mages and scribes with profound knowledge in [Alchemy] and [Magecrafting] may able to create their own inks exclusively for their [Signs].]
A profound knowledge... Wait, I have [Scribe], [Alchemy], and [Magecrafting] all rolled up into one! I don't know if my levels are enough to help me, but they should be considering I spent a lot of time using all of those [Masteries] to craft some items and equipment I need for our hunts and [Quests]. If anything, my only concern is if I'm lucky enough to successfully make my custom inks without blowing up right in front of my face. So I might as well take the risk and chance for the sake of my [Sign].
Before that, I quickly take the quills out of the sand glass cups, and after adding the [Gale Gemstone] and [Sparking Gemstone] in the middle of their reservoir, they are finished! And I'm amazed at how they turn out.
[Tempest Quill Pen]
[A quill made from the [Tempest Feather]. Imbued with the [Wind Mana] of the [Tempest Frigate], it can create [Signs] based on that element.
Creator: <Kazu>
Effect: Imbued [Wind] element
Quality: 19]
[Volt Quill Pen]
[A quill made from the [Storm Fragment Feather]. Imbued with the [Thunder Mana] of the [Tempest Frigate], it can create [Signs] based on that element.
Creator: <Kazu>
Effect: Imbued [Thunder] element
Quality: 19]
Wow! They are a bit better than my ol' [Quill Pen] and both of them have the imbued element effect. So there is a chance I can pass the test with flying colors! All that's left is the ink.
Of course, crushing the stones might not be easy with just a mortar and pestle. I can do it since the pestle is enchanted even weak mages like me can use it, but this might take some time. At least I have some time until Sentio comes back. Right, time for another experiment! I hope Wind is doing well with his [Hidden Quest]...
-----
Current Quest: Sign Creation Ceremony ***
Type: [Hidden]
Status: In Progress
Party Members:
[Kazu]
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Kazu's Masteries
[Arcana] Level 21
[Thunder] Level 18
[Wind] Level 15
[Alchemy] Level 18
[Magecrafting] Level 15
[Magical Affinity] Level 20
[Scribe] Level 20
[Earth] Level 10