All the territorial possessions of all the political establishments in the earth--including America, of course-- consist of pilferings from other people's wash. No tribe, howsoever insignificant, and no nation, howsoever mighty occupies a foot of land that was not stolen." ~ Mark Twain

Moving deeper towards the core, and following the path I'd found, I wasn't really finding much evidence of whatever creature had been disturbed by my explorations. The slow steady absorption was allowing it to easily stay ahead of my approach, and I got the sense it had been disinclined to stay within an active dungeon. That seemed reasonable enough and was certainly the reaction a number of other creatures had had. I did pick up some organic compounds from the air, but alas, my knowledge of organic chemistry was too limited to allow me to guess what might have left them. Sadly, the dark stone through this section was quite hard, and there was no chance that I was going to happen across any convenient footprints. Still, it was a living creature, I was guessing, and while a sapient being intending to hide from me could probably do so successfully enough, any sort of sub-sapient creature (or even a sapient one, in many cases) was likely to leave SOME clues behind.

That guess turned out to be correct, but it wasn't until I'd expanded a fair distance that I happened upon a useful clue – in this case a large scale, probably 4 or 5 cm across. It was significantly smaller than the majority of May's scales but still suggesting a rather substantial creature and one that presumably wouldn't fit into the narrower gauge tunnel leading to the gnomish city. It was predominantly black with some limited dark yellow coloration along the edge and with a ridged keel running down the center. If I was remembering my faunal analysis correctly, and the memory skill made me confident that I was, that made it reptilian, and in my old world would have probably indicated a massive snake. The fact that I had just a single scale here, rather than an entire shed skin suggested it was either the result of some damage, or from something else entirely. There was no sign of a struggle in the hall where I'd found it, though, and my sense was that the dull, worn specimen was likely shed by rubbing it against a nearby stone outcropping. I liked the mental exercise of pondering its origins, but in the end, I simply absorbed it to see what the system would tell me. The news wasn't great.

Blueprint acquired: Lesser Deep Dracolisk Scale (Black)

It wasn't a creature I'd ever encountered in an actual campaign while playing D&D, but as I recalled, they were a crossbreed of dragons and basilisks, as the name suggested; they were generally dangerous and ill-tempered with the ability to both petrify with their gaze and to use breath weapons, though less intelligent than dragons of an equivalent size. At least, that was a reasonable summary from the Monster Manual II, though I doubted it was truly accurate; if nothing else, the color of the scale didn't really match the description. I'd hope that the part about it being unable to use magic was correct, at least. I wasn't sure if they were likely to be sterile, like many hybrid creatures, but the possibility of a breeding population was concerning. More to the point, it seemed like yet another thing I'd have to follow up on with May before committing to any particular plan of action. It wasn't immediately pressing, since I didn't really see how it could be a direct threat to me – lacking direct access to the dungeon. Nor could it really prevent me from expanding my domain.

Still, it was enough to get me to pause in my advances for the moment and shift my attention to expanding on the surface in the direction that May had indicated. To be fair, I'd been going to do that soon in any case, but further annoying one or more draconic types seemed like a poor way to start the day on general principles.

And as such, I returned my attention to the surface part of my domain, really for the first time since I'd been pondering how to accommodate the Redcrests.

**Let's see. What exactly did May say again?** The eidetic memory was proving its worth as I didn't have to bother with anything as crude as written notes. **300 meters south and 25 meters down**

**Of course, her frame of reference is a bit obscure. Is that 300 meters south of my core, 300 meters south of the center of my surface domain, or 300 meters south of the edge of my domain? Well, she did use the verb "expand", so I'm going to assume it's probably the latter. Question is, do I want to try to maintain an even expansion or just move directly towards the goal? There's not really any specific time pressure, but I also don't want to waste time; for all I know, it might take years to learn how the mana gathering arrays work and to try to fix whatever the problem turns out to be. No real percentage in delaying.**

Having basically talked myself into what I'd already wanted to do, I began pushing my domain steadily towards the south, albeit across a pretty broad front. I could push faster in a narrower wedge, but I had no way of knowing where exactly to the south it was, and while I was willing to not expand in a purely symmetric fashion, shooting a narrow wedge of domain out 300 meters and then widening to search for the array was too much for my dungeon instincts. I was already feeling a bit of strain from pushing my domain below ground towards the core of the sky island; expanding erratically on the surface as well, was only going to exacerbate that issue. It was bad enough that I wasn't going to claim down 25 meters the whole way, and I could already predict that at some point I'd want to fill in that gap, but it could wait until after the array was located. That was something else I was going to need to check on; it seemed like a potentially bad idea for me to claim the array itself. There was no telling (at least by me) whether my doing so would disrupt the mana flows of the island in unsustainable ways. I was assuming I'd have been warned if it was going to be an issue, but I wasn't willing to make that bet.

Even so, I wasn't going to get there today, assuming May was correct in her estimate (and I wasn't about to bet against her). Well, if nothing else, a couple of days of steady expansion on the surface was likely to help me advance a few of my naturalist quests that I'd been ignoring. Plus, it would give me a chance to check in with my draconic overlady – both about the array (when I located it) and the probable dracolisk in her basement. For that matter, I should likely warn the Redcrests at least of my planned expansion; they'd likely notice on their own, but it was still neighborly to alert them to significant changes. Hakdrilda was unlikely to notice, I judged, but I'd warn her too, in case I needed to ask her for help with the array once it was located. It wasn't really her field, but I was confident she'd want to take a long look at the ancient magic keeping the sky island aloft.

I started with the easier contacts, figuring I could at least leave May's update for a day or two, as she'd surely note me expanding in the direction she'd pointed. I wasn't sure how she knew a location, as I still couldn't make out any difference in the mana flows in that direction. I assumed she had a better form, or at least higher level, of Mana Sight, but I couldn't really say anything for sure at this distance.

The Redcrests had priority, since they were going to be at least marginally affected by my expansion on the surface. I didn't really expect it to impact any of the limited infrastructure I'd put in for them on the surface, but it might impact their hunting parties as my domain expanding generally scared off anything sufficiently mobile. I located Orentha working away in a crafting space she'd revamped for alchemy, apparently devising potions utilizing local resources from some of her base potion repertoire. I imagined I'd get blueprints for those sometime in the near future.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

**Orentha. May I have a moment?**

She paused in her work, taking her current concoction down from a boil to a low simmer.

**Of course, Vay. Did something happen?**

I gave her a reassuring mental shrug. **Not exactly, but I'm about to expand on the surface in a generally southerly direction, and I thought you, and your hunters in particular, would appreciate some notice before things begin to change.**

She cocked her head, clearly smiling in the general direction of my core. **You are correct, of course. We are kind of on edge concerning unannounced changes of any sort at the moment. I will let everyone know. How soon will you be starting?**

**In just a few minutes, after I notify Hakdrilda as well. It's not a massive expansion, but if all goes as anticipated, I'll push a wedge of domain south about 300 meters from the current border over the next few days. After that, I'll likely claim the territory between the cliff edge and the new border to try to tidy up my edges a bit. There'll be some subterranean work too, but nothing I'd expect you to notice.**

She nodded in acknowledgement. **Very well. I'll suggest our hunters and foragers focus their efforts to the north and east for a week or so, then. I don't know that it would bother them, but I'd assume it might impact the resources they're trying to collect. But, by all means, let us know if you locate some additional resources in the new area you think we could use.**

**Deal. I'll let you know. For that matter, I might place some additional things, even if I don't find anything useful.**

************************

The conversation with Hakdrilda had a rather different focus.

I used the logbook to inform her I was following up a clue from the dragon looking for a mana gathering array from the original builders, and I was hoping to locate it in a few days.

"Oh, very cool! You won't have time to work with me, then?"

**YELLOW**

"Maybe, huh? Depends on what you find?"

**YELLOW**

"Depends on how much time I need you for?"

**GREEN**

"So you can probably still spare me an hour or two?"

**GREEN**

"Is the mana gathering array going to be a secret?"

**YELLOW**

"A lot you won't know for sure until you get there?"

**GREEN**

"Can I come look at it?"

**YELLOW** **GREEN**

"Probably, huh? Barring a lack of surprises and allowing for the possibility of limited direct physical access?"

**GREEN**

"Well, if you do decide you want my opinion, I'm happy to take a few hours to look it over with you. You can pay me back with a bit more attention to my work, if that's okay?"

I did feel a bit bad at mostly leaving her to do her own thing. Not bad enough to really do anything differently, but enough that I agreed to her terms after a short pause to consider.

**GREEN**

"Alright then, I won't expect you around for a couple of days, but after that, with luck, we'll take a good look at the mana gathering array and then work a bit more on some airflow experiments, okay?"

**GREEN**

I supposed I couldn't blame her for being focused on her own work, especially if she was still hoping to get her tests all done within a few months and head back to her own land.

********************************************

I turned my attention back to the surface, deciding I'd give Mayphesselth another day or two at least before I notified her of my progress. I sent the bronzed hawk eagle out for another quick peek at the target area, but there was essentially nothing at surface level to indicate anything important was going on. If anything, I suppose I could say that the grass there was a bit greener, so maybe the mana flow was impacting growth, but it was certainly possible there were other causes for that, or I could just be exaggerating minor variations. I'd find out in a couple of days.

**Might as well get started.** And with that, I began slowly expanding southwards from the rocky outcrops towards my southern edge. I didn't bother trying to adhere to the cliff edge or any sort of natural topography, I just started a 25-meter-wide expansion from the rough center of my southern border claiming the territory in a one-meter deep surface level. That had me absorbing an array of blueprints as I went, and I used the hawk-eagle to identify species of birds and terrestrial animals as they fled my advance like I was a slow-moving forest fire.

I'd long since claimed the majority of the local plant species, though I continued to pick up minor ones here and there – mostly small grasses and shrubs with no obvious alchemical properties. Still, they were enough to trigger the completion of my next plant quest, once I'd identified an exception – a Tier 2 plant.

Blueprint Acquired: Cleansing Carex

It didn't look like much, but the low, yellowish sedge was mana absorptive and created compounds useful in low-tier antidotes and anti-parasitic potions.

Quest Completed: Spot Plant Species; Reward: Choose One: Lesser Stranglevine and Poison Dart Flower, or Creeping Caltrop (Paralytic).

Quest Reissued: Spot 25 new plant species, including 1 T3 species or 3 T2 species; Reward – Two T3 plant species.

It had been a while since the system had offered me a choice; I assume options got narrower for quests later in a progression. They all sounded interesting, but in the end, I opted for the Tier 3 Creeping Caltrop (Paralytic). As you might expect, the name was pretty literal. It was a slow but mobile vine which created thorny, mana-toughened caltrops that oozed a rapid paralytic compound. While strong enough to stop the heart of smaller creatures, anything bigger than a rabbit would simply be paralyzed, with the effect's duration tracking inversely with size primarily. It seemed that in nature, they tended to work symbiotically with certain monsters who would kill and eat the paralyzed creatures, leaving blood and scraps to be absorbed by the plant. The plant used a certain amount of earth mana as well, largely in the form of additional resistance to slashing damage and as a penetration aid. You'd need a pretty thick boot sole to resist it. It was also a bit cheaper than any of my other T2 options and would likely make a good defensive option for certain areas that were either poorly lit or densely vegetated.

In the end, it took me nearly three days of on again/off again expansion to get out to the denser patch of vegetation marking where I suspected the mana gathering array to be. I had, with close attention, managed to complete the final quest given to me on Day 1 – that of spotting terrestrial animals. I imagine I could have done so, sooner, had I been trying or even paying a modicum of attention, but it was also clear that non-dungeon affiliated creatures fled my domain as soon as it encroached upon them. The species I'd managed to spot had all managed to avoid being assimilated, though given they were all smaller creatures (moles, voles, mice and squirrels all being represented – along with a lone turtle that somehow made pretty good time), I hadn't worried about it much.

Quest Completed: Spot 3 Terrestrial Animals; Reward – Alpine Dome Tortoise, Silver Squirrel or Lesser Elven Desman

The choices were, as I'd often found before, taken from the species I'd identified. Since I already had burrowing rodents, I ruled out the desman (a kind of mole, apparently), leaving me to choose between the mostly arboreal squirrel or the tortoise. It was basically a toss-up, as neither seemed to have any immediate use, but I opted for the tortoise on what amounted to a whim.

Having reached the target location and secured a roughly 20-meter patch centered over the presumed array, I started heading down.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.