Part 23: Crafting Craft

Update 23: Crafting Craft






Music: Spirit's Hometown

The path out of the Flawless Marvel is uneventful, as is the trip back to the Land of Mana, so let's cut over there.





We acknowledge you as a friend to Mana. Take this as proof of our trust.





The Water Chief kind of has a seizure and hands over our latest key item, the Ring of Iris.


What's going on?

All has transpired according to Iris' will. It was she who designed the test.

You may now pass through the gate to see what lies beyond.

What's in Avenberry?

A great power...The only power able to prevent the world's destruction when that Mana returns...

Um...”that Mana”? Who are we talking about, here?

A Mana of beginnings and endings...Its return has already begun.

He has sent the Growloons ahead as scouts, to gather strength.

The wheel of destiny is spinning, child. Time continues its course.

… …


I guess that's a final boss we're talking about. Maybe? That was all pretty vague. At least Delsus called them out on it, even if their elaboration was still not so great.









I did a lot of Pendelook synthing throughout this update and bought just about everything worth buying from the mana shop. This Strange Dict is another of the books we need for Yach and Veola. Also, I forgot to show it, but I found a fourth one in the Flawless Marvel. I believe that's all of the books to be found, but we'll see.

We have to return to the human world via the Gate of Change and Airfen's Tower. On our way back...





Music: Voiceless Poem


You don't get it, Delsus.

Yeah, no kidding. I can't understand it 'cause I'm not you. Don't let me interfere with your calling.

My calling...?

Ah, don't worry about it.


What?









Way to meow, Klein! It opened!

What exactly was the Lineage of Iris, anyway?


A purple field suddenly appears around Norn.


Iris had incredible talent as an alchemist. She could even handle multiple Mana at the same time.

...Zeldalia!

Those with similar talent are called the Lineage of Iris. You're one of them. You did open the door yourself, Klein. You need to have more faith in your abilities.



Meeeeooow? Suddenly I feel sooo...sleepy...

Let's get a move on. Avenberry or bust!





Bust it is, then.





I stopped by the house and got this new conversation with Norn.


You've been asleep for a while now, Norn. Is everything okay?

Of course, meow. Adventuring requires a lot of sleep, that's all.

You've been saying that for days.

Leave me alone, meow. I need my sleep. See you later...meow..._purrrrrrZzzzzzzzz....

Norn? Hey, wake up, Norn!

...She's a cat, alright.





I actually wound up lending both of my new books to Yach during this update. Let's see what he thinks.


Hmm...”Strange Dictionary”? Sounds weird, but I'll try it out.

Oh, yeah...”Complete Guide to Magic”. Sound like a challenge – cool!


Thanks, mister! That book was sweet! See you later!


I don't remember there being a direct reward for lending these books to Yach, besides that sometimes he'll give you random items later. I still kind of like the idea of Klein helping out an aspiring alchemist, at any rate.





I went on over to Arcose to stop by the mine for Pendelook purposes. Since we're here, let's see how Blaire's doing...





Atelier Blaire? A Basket Filled With Lies

Music: Fun Shopping in Arcose


New bread, meow?

Ooh, ooh, I wanna try!

Hm hm...Here, try some.

Hey...this isn't new! These are just Fluffy Rolls!

It's the same as always, meow!

You shouldn't judge things by their appearance.

Fine...I'll try some.

Meow, me too...

Oh wow, this is great! You're right, it IS different!

It's super yummy!

...Really? Heh heh...Looks like I did it, then.

…?


Sadly, that's all we can do right now – this scene doesn't add anything new to the synth menu, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see what's going on here. As for Villa...





Sorry about the other day, Villa. Can you forgive us?

The other...oh! I totally forgot about that! I'm used to that sort of thing by now. I'd made a present for him, but...I guess I won't give it to him now. Here, take it. Guess I'm still searching for an adult man...oh well.

...She doesn't care at all, does she?

Meow...she's weird.


Villa hands us two (unfinished) Love Poems. How, um, nice.





Atelier Norman: Bite Your Tongue

Music: Fun Shopping in Kavoc


I've started cooking a lot of meat dishes lately.


Ooh, cool. Let's see what we've got to work with, here...





The Bitter Steak has fairly straightforward ingredients. I used some higher quality ones just because I could but still got the same final item out of it.





Hmmm...Smells pretty good.

Now I'm really hungry, meow!

I don't really like bitter tastes...Why's it called that?

Just give it a try – you might like it. It's tough to chew, but that never stopped you before.


I can't decide if that's hilariously dirty or if I'm just immature. Let's move on to Norman's other latest recipe, it's...







Dragon Tongue! This is one of those odd little inter-store recipes. Oscar sells raw Dragon Tongue, which Norman can cook, which then goes into one of Oscar's own recipes.


I was worried...This wasn't an easy meal to prepare! But...here it is! Dragon Tongue Steak. We're all lucky to be here for this.

Well, I hope it was worth us risking our lives to get it...


Huh? Oh, she must mean interacting with Oscar. That's pretty dangerous, I guess.


And that's it for Norman. I have one more quick stop to make, though. Let's see if the old lady shopkeeper in Delsus' hometown has anything to say.





Well, it's the only shop in the area.

In appreciation, I'll tell you an old story.

Meow? About what?

I once knew a young boy who was quite the “player”, always in trouble for chasing girls.

Wha!? That's enough, Granny!

Yeah, that's a boring story – he hasn't changed at all.

What she said, meow.

Tch...Whatever.

Okay, okay...How about a different story, then.

I think you've already said enough, Granny.


Okay, that's enough stalling. It's Veola time!





Atelier Veola: Guiding the Dead

Music: Sadness is Whisked Away by the Wind


Uh...sure.

I'd like your help...it's important.

What is it?

Would you mind collecting a plant for me? I need a Glow Stained. There are several varieties of stained grass, but I need the Glow kind. The region around the Spring of Nelvia is probably the closest place where you can find stained grass. It's still pretty rare, though. You might find more if you travel farther. I just need one stem of the grass. Whenever you get the chance is fine.

Is this one okay?

Yes, that looks like a good example of Glow Stained.





As if I could ever say no to Veola.


Well, then...here you go.

Are you sure? Thank you...I've got one more question for you. I'm going to make the grass fly tonight. Would you like to join me?

Where?

At the top of a cliff I know in the forest nearby.

I understand – you're scared to go alone. Yeah, it's no problem.

I'm not scared!


















Yes. Glow stained releases spores on temperate nights.

… …

It should be just about time.





Oh gosh...It's so pretty!

… …

How'd you come up with this idea?

She just wanted to do something fun, Klein. There isn't always a reason.

You're mistaken.

Huh?

This is a custom in my home town. When a close friend or relative dies, we release stained grass spores to guide their way...

When someone...dies?

The glowing spores lead their spirit to a place of eternal rest. You see...

… …





Growloons...

I don't know the full details of what happened that night...I was sleeping at the time. But when I woke up, I saw my brother had protected me through the night...It cost him his life.

I want to protect him, now. So I'm flying stained grass so he knows the way...He was the only family I ever knew...

… ...

We should be getting home. It's dangerous to stay out too late. I'm sorry I dragged you all the way out here for my own personal reasons.














Music: Cute Witch


That got rather melancholy, huh? Let's have some assorted synthesis banter to cheer things up a little.


We found another book for you a few days ago.

Thank you. “Strange Dict”...This book is rather strange.

It's from the spirit world. I'm not sure you'll be able to read it.

Well, I'll give it my best shot.


Veola has yet to add any new recipes after reading it, but she did figure out a few others...





Really? That's good news.

How'd it turn out?

Ta da! Try these two.

Nano Craft...

Deka Craft...

Correct. One small and one large.

How could I forget your terrible naming choices?

Physical strength isn't everything, Lita. You should expand your knowledge a bit.

...What? Hey!

“Deka” indicates a large size. There's also Mega, Tera, and others. On the other side of the spectrum, Nano, Mini, and Micro indicate small sizes.

Yeah, whatever.

You're pretty smart.

Why, thank you, Klein. Because of the incremental size differences, naming crafts is very practical. The larger the craft, the more powerful the explosion, obviously.

And the smaller ones?

The small ones...are easier to carry.


This opens up two new synthesis recipes, for Nano and Deka Craft. We'll get to those in a minute.





You look tired. What's the deal?

None of your business. However, I was thinking of how you said I didn't have fashion sense.

Which time?

… … Since then, I've begun studying fashion design. I can create much nicer clothes than before. I've learned what's popular with teenagers, and I've built my new line around that.

So, you've studied fashion now?

Yes, and that knowledge guarantees I'll be in high demand.

I doubt you've improved THAT much.

I suppose you'll see for yourself, then, won't you?


And this adds three more recipes. Let's see what new stuff we can make!





I always found the Crafts to be a fun experiment. Basically, the Nano Craft recipe serves as a generic template for shrinking a Craft, while the Deka Craft serves as a template for making them larger. So we start with the basic recipe, turning a normal Craft into a Nano Craft...





The Nano Craft's ready. This one should be easier to carry.

Hey, this could fit in my pants pocket!

I doubt it, considering you don't wear pants. Even if you did, sitting could detonate the craft.


You know, that does beg the question of where we store all these items. I mean, I know that's kind of a concern for just about any game, but we have a LOT of random crap in our inventory, including nine Fish Islands.

At any rate, if we revisit the Nano Craft formula, but use a Nano Craft itself instead of a normal Craft...





The Mini Craft's ready. It's pretty small. It's smaller than your pinky finger, but has a blast radius of 5 meters.

Bombs are getting smaller and smaller these days.


And if we revisit the formula yet again, but substitute the Mini Craft in, we get...






I've done it at last...Micro Craft is the smallest bomb in the world.

… ...

… ...So where is it?

Right here.

I'm tired of your pranks, Veola.

I'm not joking – watch your step, or you might set it off.

How are we supposed to carry something we can't even see?

I already thought of that. I have a special tote bag, complete with a Craft Cozy to hold it, free of charge.

A tiny bag isn't going to be any easier!

...What a spoiled brat. Fine, I'll put it all in a paper bag.

Why didn't you just do that in the first place?


Craft Cozy. I smile every time I see that. Craft Cozy.





Okay, now let's start making larger Crafts. These require a different gear, thus the two different recipes.





The Deka Craft is ready. It has even more destructive power.

So, the larger the bomb, the more powerful it is.

Of course. There would be no other reason to increase its size. The Gear inside this explosive allows the bomb to diffuse. Therefore, the gear's size directly affects the radius of the explosion. So, if you want a bigger bomb, you'll need a larger gear.


Despite what Veola's suggesting here, we don't really need larger gears right now, just increasingly larger Crafts. Once again, let's use the same recipe but substitute in a Deka Craft for a normal one.





Mega Craft is ready. You'll notice it's larger.

Anything bigger than this will be hard to carry around.

I'd like to at least try making bigger bombs.


And another substitution makes the Craft ever larger...





Giga Craft is ready. This is getting exciting...

What's so exciting about it?

It's great as long as they're still small enough to carry. It's more powerful, right?

Of course.


And one more time...





I love how we've created something so large that it has separate reviews for “enormous” and “ginormous”.


The Tera Craft is ready. We're getting a little close to the maximum size.

You can say that again...The enemies will see us coming.

You'd be better off throwing the bomb before the enemy can see you.

Isn't that a a little unfair?


That's it for Craft for now. I think there are actually one or two more variants, but I couldn't figure out how to make them out of what I have.





And now we have Veola's, uh, Playboy series of garments. The Bunny Ears require flax cloth and some kind of meat (?). I used one of Norman's Bitter Steaks because I thought that was funny.







Going a little overboard, don't you think?

I forgot how much Lita enjoys cute things.

You might as well put it on, then.

What!?...Sure it's cute, but I could never wear it out in public!

How insecure...





The Paw Gloves require an Animal Paw. For some reason I always have trouble finding these. Some beast type monsters drop them. They're really not THAT rare, but even so I only had one by this point. Oh well, I'm sure I can find more.

On a different note, that item really freaks me out. It looks like it's not really the paw itself but just the paw pad, complete with separate parts for the palm and the fingers.





CUUUUUUTE! Paw Gloves!

I should have expected this.

Lita really likes those gloves.

Mmmm...they're so soft and fluffy!

I'll be honest...this is creeping me out. But since you like them so much, feel free to wear them out.

Whoa – I'm not wearing these out in public. I'd look like a freaky furry!

...Whatever.





The Bunny Suit requires Bunny Ears, a Sexy Swimsuit, and some sort of snowbug...





dangerous


This one's a Bunny Suit.

I think that's a little...excessive.

You'd look like a super heroine in an outfit like this.

_{...Excessive in several ways.}





The Paw Gloves are a pretty decent equip. Honestly, Lita probably benefits more form the stat spread the provide, but she has all my top tier accessories already so I gave this to Norn.





...

…

…

...no.





We're basically finished with Atelier Veola proper, but I want to take a moment to show off another oddity of how the Mad Libs NPC reaction to stores works. This is the full statement from “Loser”.


You like this place, too, right? I wish their Pendelook wasn't so super clean. They need to listen to the customer! This is worthless. Are you mocking your customers? I may set up a fanclub for this place.


How bonkers was that? Here's another one.


I'd like to award this store with honors. Have you heard the complaints regarding Pendelook? I'm not a big fan of the cleanliness of that thing. I can't believe they sell something this bad. Hm...what should receive my praises?


Some other people standing outside give straight praises for the store (and the Pendelook and it's cleanliness). It's kinda weird. But hey, since I'm synthing Pendelook anyway, maybe I can change around the ingredients and make a different one without the super clean trait.





By using a Pretty Stained instead of a Glow Stained (which apparently is worth more review points to begin with), I get a whole new set of reviews!





The Gogo Suit at this store is unmatched. Oh man...This Gogo Suit couldn't be any sweeter. I'd like to fill my house with this scent. I may set up a fanclub for this place.

This is the coolest store. This store has great Gogo Suit. I made the Gogo Suit part of my daily routine. This smell could lull me to sleep. Are you a fan of this place, too?


...What a weird game.












That's all for today. Join me next time as, uh...oh screw it, I don't even know what I'm doing next. Probalby Avenberry or whatever.