[5 days later]
Everybody is gathered at the local brewery after the mayor has rung the city bell for a meeting there. They had no idea what's the mayor is up to save for the people working at the brewery but even them are confused at the idea the mayor came up with.
[When Yosif entered the brewery]
Osmond has gathered the workers by Yosif's order at the Courageous Courier for him to teach them how to brew the "greatest drink in the world". I exit the kitchen with the basic ingredients needed for the process seeing about 14 people waiting in the lobby.
Me: Alright, I've gathered you here to introduce to you, an incredible drink passed down from my ancestors.
A rather muscular man steps forth with a large handlebar mustache and tree trunks like arms. He wore a worn-out apron with suspender pants with a dirty white buttoned up shirt. He seemed the most experience out of the workers too.
Man: Sir, i'm the head of the distillery, Matthew Baroki. Correct me if i'm wrong but you don't seem to have any brewing ingredients here.
Me: That's where you're wrong Matthew, these may not look like ingredients for brewing or even cooking for that matter but if used correctly, they can taste heavenly.
Matthew and his men are obviously baffled at the fact that i'm using boiled potatoes and yeast with lime to make an alcoholic beverage as science didn't exist here to explain the process for them. I guide them along the process. First, boil the potatoes for 1 hour and add 1 part wheat/malted barley to 10 part potatoes. Then i give them the instruction to leave it somewhere warm for the next five days. After the fermentation, i personally distill the vodka so the process can't go wrong. After heating it to 80 degrees Celsius and discarding the unneeded part of each brew (first and last 50ml), i took some purified water i made to dilute the brews to 40 percent. Can't forget the lemon juice for taste which leaves me with a total of 6 barrels of vodka. Knowing that this is best served cold, i spent 40 gold buying the [Frost] basic spell book from a merchant to make some ice to go with the vodka.
[present]
I walk out the front door the distillery with skeleton knights rolling the 6 barrels alongside. I also had all of the knights (71 including Sergei and the ones rolling the barrels) guard the event so i don't attract unwanted attention.
Me: It has come to my attention that our economical situation is dire at the moment with the impossible taxes the king wants us to pay. So, in order to fix that issue, Gobi will now officially be the exclusive produce of the new drink, Vodka. Mr Matthew if you would step up with your workers, you and your men will have first taste for helping in the process of making the brew.
Matthew and his 13 coworkers all grab a mug from a knight on stage before pouring some for themselves. They were astounded at the fact that the drinks look exactly like water but smells of strong alcohol. Matthew takes a sip and his eyes shed tears of joy, his men were no better off.
Matthew: Never in my wildest brewing dreams would i see such a cheap and beautiful drink! Mr mayor, this is without a doubt one of the best drinks out there.
Good, because if you, a master brewer, hates the taste of vodka then i probaly would've executed you. I also order the knights to serve some samples to the men in the crowds with some Kvass for the women and children. They have similar reactions to Matthew and praise the drink like a deity while i was starting to receive some death glares from the housewives seeing their husbands turning into a bigger drunk. I need to make an excuse before they flay me alive!
Me: *ahem* uh with that, we will start exporting right after i package the vodka into bottles with my knights, s i'll see you later.
Despite walking away into the backroom i can still feel the gazes boring holes in the back of my skulls. Are all women this scary? Shutting the door, i feel relieved that none of them followed me to verbally assault me. Packaging the bottles took 6 hours and in the end we have a sum off 1808 bottles with 750 ml each which we then load into caravans to start trading. Now i play the waiting game, adventuring is unnecessary at the moment because i don't need extra incomes with the mountain of gold stored in my ring. Maybe training would be a better idea? Physically i can't do much as lifting weights are pointless when i don't even have muscles, and to actually strengthens my physical strength i need to kill a lot of mobs. Oh that's right the diadem, i can use that to learn more spells!
After asking Osmond for help sorting the books from both the local library and the mayor's archives for ones about magic techniques, i ended up with a dozens of books in several thick stacks on my table. NONE of them are skillbooks! Which means i have to use the diadem to learn them individually one at a time by READING! God my brain is going to short-circuit if i still have it. This is going to be even worse than the time i cram my head with 2 chemistry textbooks before the test.
[2 days later]
Everybody was beginning to worry about their mayor's wellbeing although he's undead that didn't mean he couldn't die. No one has seen him left his office for the past 2 days including Osmond and Sergei though he doesn't talk. Lana Luna Derek Jacob and Roxanne all ask about Yosif but Osmond himself doesn't know as he was busy minding his own fill of paperwork. An important event is coming up as well so Osmond decides to barge into the office with the other five whether Yosif likes it or not. The knights outside the door didn't even attempt to stop them which is even more worrying. They thought Yosif's sanity has degraded or he's been cursed rather than well, whatever they're seeing right now. Books littered the floors Yosif was seen facing away from them doing some kind of crazed whispering holding a book right into his face.
Lana: uh Yosif? are you feeling... well?
Lana cautiously approaches the maddened mayor in his chair who suddenly stops. Lana could feel her own heart beats faster and faster as Yosif slowly raises from his seat and turns to face her. At the sight of the the two menacing demonic red orbs where Yosif's empty eye sockets are supposed to be, Lana's party screams while Osmond looks like he had a heart attack.
Me: oowww could you guys pls not scream, my bloody head hurts.
[what really happened]
Just 20 minutes into reading and i'm starting to regret my decision. "having knowledge" for a spell apparently meant every damn thing about it, not just the technique but the unrelated history and myths as well. I couldn't learn how to make lightning after studying its property and chanting movements no, i have to also read about how Radovik the Thunder Blade made barbeque out of a griffin using lightning.
[5 hours later]
I just finished reading 3 books that didn't give me a spell at all, the only thing i've learnes is the basic [sparks] and [earth blast] spell which i have no use for whatsoever. I still have more than 40 fucking books to read! I swear if the next ten books have shit spells/no spell tham i'm torching all of this garbage.
[16 hours later]
Useless, useless, useless,... Pooh a spell wait i already have [flame] dammit! This is so mind numbingly frustrating, come on 10th book you gotta have SOMETHING useful. I read the title 'divine lightning palm strike' and realize something. Is this what i think it is, have i really found treasures among this pile of trash.
[divine lightning palm strike]
Rarity: rare
Description: a combination of martial arts and magic. The user imbues their palms with lightning and divine power to deliver a devastating blow, though as powerful as the spell is, it's easy to be dodged or deflected.
I try using the spell as i see my hands lit up in a golden light as lightning crackled along the surface of my palm. Though it hurts a bit, presumably because the spell have some divine power in it which goes badly with an undead like me. But i paid it no mind as i felt immense joy at receiving this technique, it isn't known for its strength but instead is known for its meme value. Easy to be dodged and deflected but not if the opponent didn't see it coming. And i have the perfect way to use it, dash at the opponent with blinding speed and hit them with it like a Chidori... YOU FELL FOR IT, YOU FOOL! THUNDER CROSS SPLIT ATTACK! There is no way in hell that i'm going to pass out on a jojo reference opportunity, i can't wait to see the look on someone on the receiving end of the attack. Maybe thesr books aren't so bad after all, maybe there are more powerful spells hidden here.
[27 hours later]
And finally done with the final book, i got my hopes too far up but at least the results weren't that bad. I now have the ability to make all sort of elemental attacks, heal major wounds, cure disease and the best ability out of this was true sight. With it, i will be able to see any and every entity as long as they're not under a powerful protection from a god or belong to outside space and time itself. Invisibility, wards, reality warp, i can see through all of them. And hey as an added bonus, the red "eyes" i gained from it look pretty cool. I was finishing the last book up before i heard Lana behind me adking if i was ok. The moment i looked at her, everybody screamed save for Osmond, and that combined with the splitting headache i already have, ouch.
[present]
Me: ARGH, MY HEAD! WHY DID YOU SCREAM SO LOUD?
Lana: i'm sorry i thought you were possessed
Me: jeez don't do that again, my head hurts a lot already.
Jacob: how did you get the eyes?
Me: an ability and leave it at that, i'm too mentally exhausted to explain further.
Osmond: well i hope you'll get well soon as an important even is coming up and you need to be there.
Me: huh? What event?
Osmond: well once a year, the representatives of the 4 kingdoms will meet at a selected location to discuss businesses and partnership. Madam Margaret of Canvastor was supposed to represent Novistud but she fell ill so you'll be representing instead. That's not all, it appears that the agreed location is Gobi too so we have to be ready!
Me: how long is it until the meeting?
Osmond: by my calculations it should be around 1 and a half day.
Me: Ok... Wake me up after a day, i need a lot of sleep right now before my mind go in a full meltdown.
Total inventory:
Brigand's greatshield
The iron castle
Warp dagger
Diadem of supreme arcane might
Helm of clairvoyance
Old knight captain's armor
11 slime essence
130 bone powder
10 scrap metal
Crystal of decay
7 healing potions
Greater ironskin potion
Captain Lambert's journal entry #1
76 copper 53 silver 45754 gold
Current familiars:
- Sergei the Skeleton Paladin