The Way Ahead

Chapter 82b: Daily Dallying

Chapter 82b: Daily Dallying

The next day, Edwin was far more successful in pulling (well, floating) himself out of bed at a reasonable hour, and following a quick breakfast (a surprisingly good bowl of what looked like oatmeal but tasted like pudding), he set off into the city to do some shopping. With luck, hed be done by lunch!

Edwin ended up missing lunch and nearly missing dinner by the time he had gotten the first few things on his list- namely a decent satchel and new belt. His backpack and current belt were perfectly serviceable, yes, but Edwin had in his head what an alchemist should look like, and darn it, he was going to try and mimic that!

Hed never really gotten into cosplay or anything back on Earth; but that was more a limitation of his time and resources than an actual lack of desire. Now that he was on an actual fantasy planet, though? He could live out all his dreams of a belt full of glowing potions and a satchel full of bombs! Plus it would all be practical, not just decorative! This would be amazing.

The belt ended up being custom-made, which did make it more expensive, but he still only spent two ager on the whole thing, plus five ves on a maintenance kit. It was almost worth the price he paid just to watch the Experienced Currier make the entire getup in front of Edwin in about an hour. Now, he had dozens of (mostly empty) pouches in varying sizes, and several loops and leather strap ties that he could hold or insert vials and potions into. Said straps were mostly concentrated on Edwins left, and pouches more on the right, so his new handbag could hang without running the risk of crushing any of his potions.

All of his pouches and bags were bigger on the inside, naturally, but only- heh, only, who would have thought hed already start taking something so fantastical for granted- three times bigger than their exterior would suggest. Improbable Arsenal already doubled the size of what it worked on, so he imagined the inherent amount of extra space in his packs would be swiftly overwhelmed by his own Skills.

Apparently the aging man had upgraded his Efficient Space when it was level forty or so, trying to push to the Refolded Leather skill instead of bringing Efficient Space to the nineties or even higher the truly dedicated pushed it to. It had served him well in his youth, apparently, but now that he was working as a malemaker (in the mailbag sense, apparently), he somewhat regretted the decision. After all, he had

It was somewhat interesting, sure, but Edwin had only half paid attention as the man talked about his lifes story, more interested in watching the incredible display of Skills he had been working with, something that had very much paid off.

Level Up!

Improbable Arsenal Level 1619

Skillful Assessment Level 2930

With the newest milestone in the Skill, Edwin was starting to ever so slightly be able to distinguish colors associated with different Skills being used. He needed to look really closely, yes, but it was still a massive improvement over what hed had before.

Regardless, Edwins biggest takeaway from the whole thing was still just how awesome he looked. Once he got back to his room, he filled in all the potion slots with Sappers Arsenal rods shaped like potions, strapped his knives in place, and admired himself in the mirror that was Visualization.New novel chapters are published on

If his imagination was accurate (it should be), he cut a pretty good figure, albeit one with haphazardly cut hair (Inion was never getting close to hair shears and him ever again). He did make an Almanac note to get a few more safety equipment/accessories, though. He might be able to get away without some PPE thanks to Feys Caress and Fresh Air, but it never hurt to be overprotected. Goggles, a mask, and gloves were all must-haves, and he should visit the tailor to see about getting them made.

Tomorrow, he thought. Today, hed finish packing up his outfit with alchemy stuff.

It was on the fourth day after the incident that Edwin was finally approached by a messenger to inform him he ought to report to the garrison- that word was becoming more and more inaccurate as he learned more and more about the building, but Polyglot kept translating the word the same way- for an unspecified reason at his first opportunity. He gave the Junior Skyling a ves for a tip, which the young avior seemed to be totally unprepared for, jetting off in happiness and bringing a touch of a smile to Edwins face.

Well he supposed he ought to head over now. After all, what could-

Nope, not thinking that. Not after last time.

Edwin didnt end up seeing the governor at all, an arrangement which he was perfectly content with, and was instead shuffled around until he met with a Lirasian Secretary, who in turn directed him to find where his cart would be.

Much to Edwins surprise, it was actually pretty nice! Small, yes, but it was everything he would realistically want from his cart. Well, it was more of a carriage in all honesty. Wooden walls and ceiling, tall enough to stand up in, and some oh, ten feet long on the outside, more like fifteen on the inside? It had loads of shelves and some sort of Skill on them that would that would

Ah, forget it. He wasnt good enough with Skillful Assessment to tell what a Skill did, just whether or not it existed and what it affected.

Best of all, it came with a pack animal- specifically, a Mature Therassan Pony- to pull it! He barely came up to Edwins shoulder, but was more than strong enough to haul the carriage along the road without even a hint of strain. The secret was visible with a bit more examination- a Skill ran from his four hooves (which had their own ongoing Skill, presumably in place of the missing horseshoes) up through his body and into the cart. It vaguely reminded Edwin of Packing, though it had a number of distinct differences.

Every night, as he drifted off to sleep, he wondered which of those might still exist, off in the eternal nothingness of space, and what further, exotic structures might exist when magic was added into the equation.

One day, he promised himself, Ill see the stars.

Maybe Ill feel at home out there.

Despite the interesting things he encountered, Edwins days were frequently nothing spectacular. When he didnt want to practice Flight, he usually sat on the carriage and experimented with his other Skills. He found that Prototyping could either include or ignore the motion of the road beneath him depending on what he wanted, that Fresh Air leveled best when it had something to filter out, Health meant he never got blisters, and Adaptive Defense kept him from getting sunburns altogether.

Currently, he was seeing how fine of a chain he could make with his Sappers Apparatus. Consistent use and practice had helped him lower the time required to summon his creations- the Skill leveling did nothing in that regard- but large or intricate creations made that shoot right back up. Chains, depending on how long he made them, met both criteria, and he was practicing summoning them one link at a time, which might well-

Stop right there! a voice broke Edwin out of his experimentation. His head jerked up to see a figure standing above him emerge from the surrounding light woods, seemingly melting away from the treeline, Give me all your valuables!

Well. It looked like he might have a bit of excitement today after all.

Level Up!

Skill Points 486522 (Average Level: 33)

Flight Level 2328

Outsiders Almanac Level 128129

Longstrider Level 2227

Prototyping Level 1316

Fresh Air Level 811

Numeracy Level 1519

Adaptive Defense Level 2425

Arcadian Elixir Level 811

Watchful Rest Level 1015

Basic Thermokinesis Level 1416

Improbable Arsenal Level 1920

Sappers Apparatus Level 2932