Garret’s collection of books on mixing is incredibly extensive. Apparently it was a very major part of his chorus as he traversed the ladder. Sneaking, hiding, and the strategic injection of powerful mixtures into friend and foe. It also sounds as if the only reason he practiced spacial songs was to incorporate them into these deceptions, but the nature of that is far too advanced for me right now. However, I can pilfer this new mixing song hierarchy and start practicing it immediately.

  Mixing

  

  
• Foundation


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Mixing
    
      Combination or separation of concepts into new concepts
    
      
  
  
    
  • Mixing()
    
      Concept specialization, can encompass anything the mind can imagine
    
      Examples: Material, Object, Powder, Scrap, Water, Leather, String, Meat, Vegetables, Heat, Cold, Stable energy, etc
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  
• Tier 1 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Compounding
    
      Dissolving granular material into liquids to create potions
    
      
  
  
    
  • Repair
    
      Combining material with an object to improve its quality
    
      
  
  
    
  • Alchemy (NEW)
    
      Formally using stable arcane energy during any mixing
    
      
  
  
    
  • Cooking (NEW)
    
      Using temperature to alter the mixing process
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 2 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Concentration (NEW)
    
      Repeatedly adding ingredients to the same mixture to increase its quality
    
      
  
  
    
  • Reduction (NEW)
    
      Removing ingredients (active or inactive) from a mixture to alter its effect
    
      
  
  
    
  • Catalyzation (NEW)
    
      Enabling or accelerating effects by adding inactive ingredients, especially stable energy
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 3 Synthesis


  

  

  


  
• Ameliorants (NEW)
  
    Precisely control beneficial effects in mixtures using stable energy
  
    


  
• Vitiators (NEW)
  
    Precisely control harmful effects in mixtures using stable energy
  
    


  
• Enchantments (NEW)
  
    Mixing stable energy into objects to create or repair effects
  
    


  


  

  I’ve mostly focused on potion creation songs along with anything else that might increase their effects. Although, there’s a few other interesting things added as well. This Ameliorants song must be how those miraculous healing potions were made? Also, Garret’s poisons sound very useful, which appear to at least base themselves on the Viatiators song. He’s maintained many detailed logs of when and where he successfully poisoned opponents in the past, and his exploits are incredible. Especially for tiny, little me, they’ll definitely prove useful for taking down the far larger, stronger big ones without great risk to myself.

  Along with general training tips, the books emphasize the importance of constantly ingesting your own creations. Or really, any potions you find. Garret insists that, in addition to slowly and safely increasing your resistance songs as your mixing levels go up, it also builds up the intuition used by status, invisibly integrating it into the basis of other later songs in unexpected ways. That intuition will also make you better able to identify the mixtures that others are using. Supposedly inspiration for new creations will come more easily as well.

  These songs are far, far more of a struggle to level than the arcane, especially spacial. Again, I don’t know why. It’s incredibly frustrating that my genius isn’t recognized in every song equally. However, progress is progress. Far more variety is possible after all this growth, especially since the new compounding levels now allow the combination of up to five different ingredients.

  I’ve also extensively documented all the ingredients that Garret’s kept stockpiled. This led to numerous new potion types, all of which gets drained down my gullet. New simple poisons, heating and cooling balms, much stronger sedatives, and even strong acids. The acids in particular require great care, lest they wreck all my poor leathers. It’s disorienting to constantly be under the effect of so many different potions, but I gradually get used to it. After all, it was also disorienting when first clawing my way up out of the goblin mud pit, but I overcame that too.

  In between bouts of potion making, another interesting category of songs slowly emerges from all my notes.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Mind

  

  
• Foundation


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Appraisal
    
      Infer meaning from unintentional phenomena
    
      
  
  
    
  • Reading
    
      Infer meaning from intentional, symbolic phenomena
    
      
  
  
    
  • Writing
    
      Express meaning via symbolic artifacts
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Map reading
    
      Infer meaning from intentional, visual phenomena
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Map writing
    
      Express meaning via visual artifacts
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Arcane transformation(Self)
    
      Transforms internal energy directly into useful bodily functions
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 1 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Amplification (NEW)
    
      Increase your senses by using internal arcane energy
    
      
  
  
    
  • Deduction
    
      Combining your senses and knowledge into useful conclusions
    
      
  
  
    
  • Estimation
    
      Judging the skills of others via resonance with your own
    
      
  
  
    
  • Evaluation (NEW)
    
      Gaining insights directly through status
    
      
  
  
    
  • Studying (NEW)
    
      Prolonged examination of phenomena to uncover deeper, hidden truths
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 2 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Awareness (NEW)
    
      Amplify attention within your external domain
    
      
  
  
    
  • Cognition (NEW)
    
      Amplify conscious thought
    
      
  
  
    
  • Focusing (NEW)
    
      Amplify attention within your control
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 3 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Meditation (NEW)
    
      Dramatically increase attention and thought via active guidance
    
      
  
  
    
  • Mental discernment (NEW)
    
      Interpreting another's mental state by any means, especially arcane
    
      
  
  
    
  • Mental induction (NEW)
    
      Affecting another's mental state by any means, especially arcane
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 4 Synthesis


  

  

  


  
• Precognition (NEW)
  
    Combine senses, knowledge, and thought into accurate short term predictions


  


  

  This mind hierarchy encompasses much of what I’ve already been doing while researching in the library. All this discerning of meaning from these works while taking notes for future me and perhaps my brothers. Also interesting, as with many of the other disciplines, it eventually incorporates arcane energy to greater effect.

  In particular, this Amplification song. It sounds so similar to what I’ve already been doing when channeling energy to my eyes. However, the books illuminate how extremely crude and naive my actions have been. Like taking a sledgehammer to the different parts of my body, forcing them further into their function. On the contrary, the Arcane transformation(Self) song transforms my energy into something far more sophisticated, and then the Amplification song simply finesses that ability even further. The same follows for the intuitive, forceful movement of focus along my energy channels that I’ve been doing. This will all connect back so nicely to my spacial and stable energy control, so committing myself to devote some training time to this too is an easy decision.

  The Evaluation song still eludes me. The texts only state that there’s no consistent path to acquire and develop it. Your position on the ladder must mysteriously be acknowledged by status itself. Like some kind of award for progressing higher than your stupid, big peers. Therefore, I must carefully avoid all the powerful big ones for now because they may possess high level Evaluation, causing them to see straight through my cloak and leathers. Not that I need another reason to avoid powerful big ones.

  Reading and writing came extraordinarily quickly, but the visual side of discernment is significantly more difficult to train. Unsurprisingly, I’ve found many maps of Tarnas and its villages in Garret’s collection. Also, there are some collections for other towns and one for Central City. Repeatedly studying and copying these gradually grew both Map reading and Map writing steadily but painfully slowly.

  In the middle of all this one day, I accidentally discovered that the creation of my hierarchical notes also somehow increased map writing. It inspired me to draw pictures interconnecting all the song dependencies, developing the song even faster. Similarly, I once improved the visual reading song while activating the scrying stone by the exit. Apparently trying to visualize all the energy inside the device counts as well? Everything is so interconnected, it makes my head spin!