She glanced at the seed, then to the crumbled altar.
Selina thought momentarily and after conceiving a solution, she left.
About half a minute later, she returned with a copper can.
No, it actually a miniature brassware pot, a small hinge encases the lid to the body. Its utility, as Selina had used it, was mainly to store cloves for cooking.
After emptying and rinsing it, she have brought the small pot to her bedroom.
Selina then sized up the seed from a distance. It was fitting and it took her only three seconds to cover it with the pot, sliding it to the edge and made the pot caught its fall, safely containing it.
Upon closing the lid. She sighed.
Alright... Now for the table and the rest...
The cleaning took her about a minute to finish. Afterwards, she trudged forward and landed on her bed.
Restless is she that her attempt bore no fruit. In grievance, she buried her face on a pillow.
I couldn't even use the seed if I'm not in the dreamworld... What's the whole point of having it then?
Only my followers could use them and even then, it requires me to be in the dreamworld... she rolled over on the sheets and sat up.
"Dreamworld..." she murmured softly. "Perhaps I can sense the seed's whereabouts in my visit? In that way, I can monitor my followers if I bestow them each!"
With this in mind. Selina puffed her chest then subsequently fell unconscious on her bed.
...
Inside the dreamworld.
Selina gaze around the meadow and almost instantly, she processed that a piece of herself, relating to the dreamworld as a whole, was inside of a cold surface.
Cold and damp, it contradicts the warmth of the sun and the soothing glides of the wind.
"Is what I'm sensing, the seed that I had stored in the brass pot?" Selina started reckoning her situation.
What the stimulation brought her was vivid. It was clear that some part of her, a finger, a skin or a nerve was transferred out of the dreamworld.
Now what made her confused is how she could perceive a small piece across an endless expanse of meadow, that if it were taken, she would instantly know.
Selina intertwined her hands just beneath her waist, tightening anxiously before loosening.
Sensing the illusive dreamworld meant she can instantly become aware of anomalies within, gaining an advantage if ever it tries to act against her.
On another note, she also figured out that if she can process the seed as a part of a whole, the illusive dreamworld, this meant she can also exert her will into it!
Without wasting any time, she pinned the missing piece as if reclaiming it. Upon doing so, as if extending her arm, she willed it to sprout.
...
Inside Selina's bedroom. 16 Daffodil Street.
A brown stem wreathed itself out of a brass pot, perched by the dresser.
It extended outward, completely in the open.
Selina within the dreamworld finally grasped the connection between her and the seed. In doing so, she managed to sensed the surrounding as if she were the object.
The room had a wardrobe and a dress. The former was placed in near the veiled window while the latter faces the bed embracing a woman, her.
This is her bedroom and the lady resting by the mattress was but her body devoid of consciousness.
How mystical... Selina softly murmured underneath her breath.
Wondering the extent of her abilities, she willed the stem to further advance its growth.
From just a palm's length, the stem crawled outward. However, it stopped shortly after.
She can extend it further, but only to a height of an average person.
Its tip became sharp due to the overextend of the stem's body. She is also capable of ladening it with thorns in compensation for its length.
Slowly, she realized its akin to a javelin.
Selina assessed it and concluded that she could only extend, retract, which can be instantaneous or gradual and finally remodel its growth structure, which can be made to construct a ritual.
Contrary to its past abilities within the dreamworld, the seed is extremely limited to its current physical body. The only mystical thing it have is its connection to Selina, enabling her to monitor and eavesdrop without needing a prayer's scenes.
This will prove to be useful in listing her members, intimately guiding them to a favorable morality.
On the other hand, the extending of its roots to form a spontaneous javelin can be weaponized to either defend or to keep them in check. Selina can also leverage this since she's able to will the javelin's trajectory to her desire.
Finally, a reliable weapon she can utilize even at distances!
While lost in her thought, Selina had been unknowingly shifting the stem's figure. From a straight javelin to an occasional "Z", "S" and inverted "L".
"I guess my attempts are not all in vein..." suddenly she spoke.
Casting her back to the dreamworld. The vines relating to her followers beckoned her to recall the bestowments she had promised, a chance of new life.
"How should I tell them to begin a pharmaceutical company?" during her self-inquiry. The stem growing from the brass pot began retracting.
It closed the lid before returning back into its shell.
Selina's mind whirred in thought.
"Perhaps I can use a context that in such a way, they can establish a lawful background whenever they attempt an activity regarding the faction. Building connections, facilitating a safe sanctuary for them to meet and a source of income."
Her eyes glint with luster. "Yes, I can then assign them to a mission. Kothe Warren wishes to retrieve his wife. Their location seems to be in a ship heading to the Tree of Flesh and Blood. I'll have to consult Mr. Hanged Man regarding it as well the ships that had resupplied in Backlund. Once I have intel, I can slowly guide Kothe in rescuing his wife supported by the faction.
"A few can I utilize in gathering intel since the majority of my remaining followers have to operate the company. However, I should consider increasing the members of the faction... It's fine that their faith belong to other deities, it wouldn't be right to force them."
Turning her gaze onto the meadow. Selina took a whiff of the breeze before consummating her stay.
...
In her room.
Selina's eyes fluttered open to see the refined wooden ceiling.
She propped herself and sat upright onto the bed's railings.
After committing her plans for today, she stood up from the bed, retrieved her alchemy set back from the lounge and laid them on the table.
Ensuring that all her needs are present. Selina lifted her hair strands up with both hands, coiling them as her arms flailed in the air.
The result was a loose, braided-bun. Enough for it to avoid meddling her sight.
"Alright." she declared in preparation.
Just before she begin her contact with the herbs. Her thoughts strayed toward the miniature brassware pot.
"Right. The seed."
To use the seed to its extent, she'd have to carry it with her at all times. Having a pot, albeit small would be too inconvenient to pocket.
Considering this, she took the brass pot and tilted it so the seed fall by itself.
Sure enough, when it landed right beside her chosen glass vial, its size fits almost perfectly.
Selina didn't hesitated from containing the seed using a stick to force it in the vial.
Due to the vial compact body, she was able to store it conveniently in the pocket of her trouser.
"Okay, now let's begin... Now where's that cauldron?"
...
As she safely procures each potions. One she stumbled that requires a ritual.
This is to pray to a power far into the distance. The only reliable entity that Old Neil had adviced her.
The Evernight Goddess.
The Goddess's Gaze requires an abundant of spirituality, which wouldn't be an issue if her materials are mystical. But in regards to a conventional herbs, she had to beseech a powerful existence.
In just several seconds, Selina had prepared a ritual.
She had set a bottle of fine-nightquil oil, slumber flowers and night vanilla extract all on the table.
And finally, a grounded petals of Night flowers for the Goddess's Gaze main ingredient.
With the three candles lit, dripped with oil and the wall of spirituality established.
Amidst the lingering scent, she began citing:
"The Evernight Goddess stands higher than the cosmos and more eternal than eternity...
"The Mother of Concealment, The Empress of Misfortune and Horror...
"Mistress of Repose and Silence...
"I beseech you...
"I pray for you to bestow this powder the essence of your gaze...
"Nightquil oil, please bestow your powers to my incantation...
...
Soon after, the surrounding turned tranquil.
The flames burgeoned and somehow, Selina felt the air stirred.
On the grounded petals of the Night flower, specks of light transformed.
It was a success!
After this, Selina stood up and drew a crimson moon to her chest, saying, "Praise the lady!"
...
At eleven in the nearing lunch.
Selina had succeeded in making five medicines which are all from the Church of the Earth Mother's documents safely stored in her room.
Two these is known as the Goddess's Gaze. A therapeutic drug that is common among the Nighthawks mentioned by Klein after their operation against Ray Bieber.
Its main function is to stimulate the spirit and squeeze the potential of the body until it wore out. Since it can maintain the person's state for a short period of time until they return for treatment, Selina saw it as a best use for a last resort.
The next two are called Wellspring. The document details of its ability to bring about a surge of spirituality to heal minor injuries and wounds. For this, it required her to store her own spirituality which required her to conduct another ritual.
And the last was the Serenity Agent. Able to maintain the user's calm and rationale under pressure.
Not much of the formulas she had seen could properly be used for defense. So it left her no choice but to allocate in her survivability.
And since lunch is nearing, Selina decided to set the next few sets of drugs she planned to make for later.
While walking down the stairwell, an intense premonition suddenly spiked her.
...! Her eyes darted around the path.
However, instead she began hearing layers of voices, seemingly calling into the distance.
Who's prying to me?
Selina tried hard to focus her intent in discerning the voices. Then slowly, it clears.
She was hearing a deep voice, a familiar one.
"The Beginning and Ending of the vines...
"Nature's Balm, I beseech you to bestow your powers to my incantation...
...
At the dining table.
Selina had finished preparing a scrumptious meal, served on the table are Beef Loin smeared with barbecue sauce followed with a salad and hash browns on the side.
After taking her seat, she forked at the tender main dish and gulped. Her mouth had been drooling while she work.
"Mmm..." her hand rose to her face as if it's natural.
The Beef Loin was tender, packed and drench with the sauce that explodes into the mouth. Couple that with stuffing your cheeks with the hashbrowns made it seem like she's at a fast-food restaurant.
In her savory time with the salad, Selina leaned her ears to the still murmuring voices.
"Sanctuary Sage, a herb of nurturing, I beseech you to bestow your powers to my incantation..."
This has been going on for quite some time now. I wonder what's the occasion? Selina gulped her mouth-full of lettuce with eggs.
She saw the empty plates laid around before her but not the ending of the prayers from Yesir.
"Just how devout is he?" Selina creased her brow. "Is he going to... ask something of me?"
This was natural guess, due to the fact that this young priest had been adding herbs, essential oils, powders and even materials she's not aware of until now.
Much to his devoutness, these were all unrelated to Selina.
Fearing that if she were to sit through this and an entire hour would be wasted, she exerted herself to stand up.
Just as she was about to collect the stained plates, Yesir's prayer shifted from listing ingredients.
"I pray for your grace to accept these sacrifices and held onto them."
Selina raised her brows in surprise. Held onto them?
Is he planning on making me a storage for the entire organization?
"I pray to relay to your grace that our artifacts lend to us are the primary factors of our rapid decline in members...
"I pray for this to be resolve in a manner your grace see fit...
"I pray..."
Amid the stacked voices. Selina noted to herself after some thought.
I guess it was understandable that they would beseech me for protection and artifacts that have owners are susceptible to divinations...
Lend artifacts? Sacrifice? Wait. Doesn't this essentially gives me an opportunity to use them? And it's even in the form of a good deed! Selina's heart palpitates.
However, upon consideration. She shook her head.
This is great but... Doing so much as like this wouldn't be befitting for a Goddess. Regardless of benevolence, they should still respect me...
I'll overlook for now as they're clearly in a pinch. If what I observe from here onwards are teetering to abuse of leverage, then I will exact proper punishment...
And if it persists, then I won't hesitate to abandon the identity and focus on understanding the dreamworld... Selina finally settled after nearly a minute.
It didn't take her long to bring the stained plates to the counter and wash them. This took her several minute before leaving for her bed again.