Zogarth
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Chapter 914 - Back In The Laboratory
🕑 Added 2024-05-15 10:41:46 +0000 UTCFlying on the Sandy Express was definitely faster than riding the Jake Carriage, even if Sandy wasn’t in top form. After only about a day, they returned to Earth, where Sandy dropped off Jake at Skyggen before heading off to head back to the Order. Jake did end up asking how Sandy even traveled back and forth, as he usually had to use his connection to Villy when teleporting, and the answer was as obvious as it could be. The teleportation circle made by those snakes had just been altered a bit to allow Snappy to do the same thing the Viper did.
With Jake and Sandy split up once more, Jake made a quick visit to his family, who were all surprised to see him back so soon. Luckily, the moon being haunted was a universally good explanation for why he hadn’t wanted to stick around there. It did have the slight downside of Adam being very suspicious of the pretty rock Jake had brought back, and it took a lot of effort to convince him that particular rock wasn’t haunted.
Jake ended up staying in Skyggen for another day before he decided to head back to Haven. This time around, he didn’t have any stops on the way, so he just took the teleportation circle back. Honestly, the best new thing Jake had gained during all his time in Nevermore was definitely the Unseen Hunter skill, as it allowed him to travel around without being bothered by anyone. He could even take public teleporters and stuff without a whole crowd gathering to stare at him.
Plus, he could skip queues. A bit unethical, but a perk of being invisible for sure.
As Jake had already talked to Sandy about, he truly didn’t have plans set in stone. Yet it felt like he didn’t really need any plans either, as the Prima Guardian stuff was right around the corner. Having spent fifty years in Nevermore had changed his perspective on time quite a lot, and waiting not even two years was barely worth mentioning. It was a few good alchemy sessions at most.
Once back in Haven, Jake started out by quickly stopping by Arnold’s place. The man wasn’t surprised when Jake came at all, clearly able to see through his stealth skill. Truly, further proof Perception was the best stat.
“Hey there,” Jake said after he was let in as he joined the scientist in his workshop. As always, Arnold was working on stuff Jake didn’t at all understand, but a lot of it seemed themed around space exploration stuff. Jake got the feeling this was the topic the guy obsessed the most over these days.
“My satellites spotted you returning from space. Did you arrive on the moon safely?” Arnold asked with a genuinely curious tone.
“Well, we did arrive safely,” Jake scratched the back of his head. “Can’t say it ended well, though.”
Arnold raised an eyebrow, clearly communicating he wanted Jake to elaborate. So Jake did and told Arnold everything that had happened on the moon, including the presence of the Ghostvine and how Sandy believed the B-grade had merged with the core. Likely irreversibly so. He also included his future plans.
“Hm. If this was before the arrival of the system, I would call anyone wanting to destroy the moon someone aiming to doom this planet and humanity. Now, I am not even certain the gravitational forces applied to us by the moon have any tangible effects, nor that there will be any noticeable fallout should the moon cease to exist,” Arnold said after thinking a bit.
“I kind of assumed you would have told me trying to blow up the moon was a bad idea,” Jake muttered.
“I have no attachment to the celestial object. Meanwhile, I can see the risks associated with an instinct-driven antagonistic planet-sized plant living this close. Especially one that seems to carry an innate hatred for life. Getting rid of, or containing it, might be a necessity, not a matter of your vanity,” Arnold said, fully on board with Jake’s brilliant plan.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a bomb capable of blowing it up lying around, would you?” Jake asked.
“No,” Arnold shook his head. “I will not be able to make one before B-grade either.”
The way he said it made it clear the guy had already very much considered the limits of how destructive bombs he could make. Jake wasn’t sure if that should make him worried, but he decided not to be. Just to make a small mental note to not piss off the guy unnecessarily.
“Do you still have the Blackpoint Nanoblade Katar?” Arnold asked after a bit, changing the topic entirely.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I do,” Jake nodded, surprised, as he took out the weapon and quickly checked it out.
[Blackpoint Nanoblade Katar (Ancient)] – A katar with a nanoblade made of a composite alloy formed into an ultra-thin blade. The blade itself can cut most materials effortlessly but has little to no effectiveness against magical wards or defenses when not infused with mana. The tip of the blade appears to have been touched by the void. A coating on the blade allows it to have an incredibly high level of mana conductivity and can handle most types of mana. The handle contains a series of energy cores capable of storing mana of any affinity. This stored energy can all be released at once through the tip of the Nanoblade. Enchantments: Extreme Conductivity. Blackpoint Burst.
Requirements: lvl 200+ in any humanoid race
“Did it serve you well during Nevermore, or did you switch to another weapon?” the scientist asked, as he took the katar from Jake without even asking.
“I used it all throughout,” Jake said. “I even had it repaired… three times? All done through system stuff or on city floors. It did a good job, but – and don’t take this the wrong way – it did fall off quite a lot toward the end. Especially the Blackpoint Burst was barely worth using anymore, as I could, in many cases, do more damage without it, and the slight wind-up time made it difficult to even land. But the katar as a whole was still damn sharp and did its job the whole time.”
Jake had genuinely liked the weapon. It was a real stabber. When he first entered Nevermore, it was sharper than even Eternal Hunger, though by now, there was a vast gulf between the two weapons, with the mythical Eternal Hunger having far surpassed the Nanoblade in every area. Not surprising, considering the weapon was constantly growing the more Jake killed and the more souls it ate.
“That’s only to be expected,” Arnold said as he inspected the weapon, finding quite a few chinks in it from the many years of use. “Do you need it currently, or may I have it back for a time?”
“You’re gonna upgrade it again?” Jake said with a big smile.
“No, I’m going to melt it down and make an entirely new one,” Arnold shook his head. “The methods used during this one’s creation process aren’t up to par anymore. However, I shall analyze its Records for use in the creation of the new katar.”
“Fair enough,” Jake nodded. “I would be more than happy to get a weapon upgrade before the Prima arrives. Do you need any payment or…?”
“I already owe you for the Automaton Spaceship,” Arnold said, as he pointed and made a wall see-through, revealing the giant spaceship behind it, with robot arms poking it all over, doing science stuff. Jake had naturally already seen it in his sphere, but observing it with his eyes was still impressive.
“In that case, thanks in advance,” Jake smiled. “I’ll be in Haven for the most part should you need to contact me for anything.”
“Very well,” Arnold nodded.
Having nothing more to talk about, Jake headed out and back to his little lodge. He was still impressed by how utterly massive Haven had become, and it was honestly to the level where it made Jake a bit uncomfortable. One thing was for sure, it was good Miranda was the person actually in charge of everything and not him.
Returning to his lodge, Jake didn’t wait before heading down to the alchemy lab in the cellar. The last time he was there, he hadn’t really checked out every room, but this time, he did. One room he had remembered was the basin room or whatever it was called. It was a room with a lot of different basins Jake had planned to make and store different liquids in large quantities inside.
He hadn’t ever really used it, but now, he believed it would be perfect because he knew what he wanted to spend the next two or so years working on:
Acids.
Jake had only begun to touch upon it during the House of the Architect and realized how well his arcane affinity synergized with that particular branch of alchemy. It would be a waste not to explore it further. The large basin room, with several different square basins sectioned off by glass walls, would be a perfect place to test things out and store different acids.
This was one of the contraptions Hank had proudly shown off during his tour of the place after Jake came back from the Treasure Hunt. Arnold had helped make it with the glass walls and stuff, and it being glass walls was honestly perfect. That meant Jake only had to put down a glass bottom of every basin, and he would have perfect containers for acids.
As of right now, not all the different sections were raised, but a few were, and one of them even had water inside it. That’s when Jake remembered what he’d done when he was here way back then. Checking out this particular section, Jake saw a stone lying at the bottom of the water as he smiled and shook his head.
[Dewstone of Serenity (Legendary)] – A small stone created by the combined effort of a group of water nymphs to help heal a close friend. This stone was eventually acquired by a powerful vampire and brought to Yalsten, where it has been ever since. Will passively transform surrounding water by infusing the power of serenity into it. Effect lessens, and the transformation process becomes slower the larger the pool of water. Has many alchemical uses
“Yeah, I had completely forgotten about that,” Jake said to himself as he also checked the water itself.
[Concentrated Serene Water (Epic)] – This water calms the mind of anyone who consumes it, allowing them to more easily focus while suppressing the effects of most mental afflictions. Will restore a bit of mana, health points, and stamina upon consumption. Continued consumption will help heal some soul injuries. Has many alchemical uses
“And I’m pretty sure that was only rare rarity before. I guess it grew more potent over time, hence the “concentrated” tag,” Jake continued muttering.
This was a nice little pleasant surprise that really shouldn’t have been a surprise at all, but Jake blamed the way the system improved memory. You had to think about something to remember it, and Jake sucked at thinking about stuff not related to his immediate surroundings or current situation.
“Hm, maybe I should clean up my spatial storage at some point,” Jake said to himself before quickly dismissing the idea. That sounded way too much like work. Better to just leave everything in there till he randomly remembered something. It wasn’t as if he had anything important stored away that he should really be remembering, right? Yeah, definitely not.
After inspecting the basin room and taking a swig of the Serene Water for fun, Jake finally went to the large glass bubble serving as the main lab. Inside, things were as pristine as ever, and he was happy to be back in the laboratory. Thus, he gladly sat down and got to work, as it was time to finally make some proper acids.
Well, more proper acids than what he’d made in the House of the Architect, anyway.
--
“Thank you for your assistance, miss,” the big man said.
“Ree,” the noble bird answered.
“The upper layers of the sky are difficult to cover, especially as many of the more powerful beings are nomadic in nature and rarely stick to a single area for long,” the big man that Sylphie knew was called the Whaleman said.
“Ree?”
“Even if I am a Sky Whale, I cannot cover the entire sky on my own, and I am still more of an aquatic animal rather than an aerial one,” Whaleman shook his head.
After Sylphie returned to Earth, the bird really didn’t know what she wanted to do. So, the first thing she did was find her parents, whom she hadn’t seen in a very long time. In the process, she ran into Whaleman, who knew a lot of stuff and helped track them down. The wind also helped a lot when she got closer. After Sylphie had gotten that Authority skill, the whispers of the wind were even clearer than before, and sometimes even offered hints without Sylphie asking, so that was nice.
Reuniting with Mom and Dad had been nice. Both of them were getting close to becoming big and strong C-grades like Sylphie. It was a bit slow, in Sylphie’s opinion, but Sylphie did know that Sylphie was awesome, so maybe Mom and Dad were just more normal? No, they were definitely better than normal. They were her Mom and Dad, after all.
Sylphie ended up spending about three days flying around with them before they split up again. She was too strong to help her parents in battle, and the two hunted best as a pair. They did have a good time together, but they also all had their own things to do. One thing was for sure: her parents were happy Sylphie was doing well, which made Sylphie happy, and she hoped that her parents would also do well.
With the reunion done, Sylphie had flown back to Whaleman, who was hard at work preparing for when the big boss called a Prima Guardian arrived. He was doing that by ensuring the many powerful beasts spread across the planet wouldn’t become too big of a problem, through ensuring they were either killed, made into allies, or pacified through special contract magic stuff the Whaleman could do. Something with him being blessed by a guy called Karroch.
Sylphie, being the best bird she was, volounteered to help Whaleman do stuff. She was super fast and good at finding strong bad guys, and she was also super good at negotiating! Plus, she was strong enough to do stuff only Whaleman or the Whaleman’s most powerful allies could do. Whaleman was very convincing when he appeared… because Sylphie was pretty sure Whaleman was the highest, if not one of the highest-leveled creatures on the planet.
[Sky Whale – lvl 333]
Also, even if Whaleman was strong… Sylphie wasn’t afraid because Sylphie was also strong.
“Can you handle this area and scout it? It’s rather large, but I believe you are more than capable,” Whaleman asked, recognizing Sylphie’s greatness. “The Crimsonfang Darkbat Lord was last seen in the area east of there, and with its trajectory, we believe this is where It’ll be. Also, if it proves too strong, feel free to-“
“Ree,” Sylphie interrupted.
“Right, you know,” Whaleman nodded. “Just be careful, alright? I wouldn’t want to face Lord Thayne if anything happens to you.”
Sylphie nodded, understanding him perfectly, as she offered some words of warning. “Ree, ree.”
“… why would he hit me with a cauldron that smells?”
“Ree,” Sylphie shook her head as she took off to find the bad guy bat, leaving Whaleman behind to mutter again by himself.
“I guess you’re right… I wouldn’t want to find out…”
Comments
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Jonathon Corralejo Levotch
I need a book centered around sylphie just interacting with people.
sen
I don't know if this has already been mentioned but this acid angle has an unmentioned alkaline/base angle. In fact the way the acid was explained in originally functions more like a base doing underlying body harm that isn't as visible on the surface of the material. Even if the acid doesn't change how it functions in this story, it would be cool to have something that can neutralize/react as an opposite function of how acids work
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
female person type thing
Would a planetary sacrifice ritual not work to destroy the ghost vine because they are in C grade and the ghost vine is in B grade? I mean it's conected to the planets core you would think that would work better than blowing up the moon with bombs. Villy stated many times that he could teach Jake the ritual.
Lonnie Sizemore
It's sad the last part of the chapter won't be done correctly on audio. Travis is just going to say she screeched, which is longer than going ree! With different inflections 😄 oh well, the rest will be golden.
Karim Saadi
We will never see the labyrinth dungeon on earth 🥲 what's the opposite of Chekhovs gun?
Karim Saadi
Tbf, most creatures have been shown to be a bit...unique in their personality and what she "says" is not necessarily the best gauge on what actually understands or how mature she is
TwistedVanity
I don't believe you did that!!! But good call bird brained
Luke Scheffe
She might be early teenage equivalent? That's what feels right to me.
Peter Smith
Ooh or maybe it consolidates records. So that they are really dense but still at their same level. Kind of like how is arcane mana is stable and unstable, its both very dense, but not very powerful beyond in a simple way. So like he could put a bunch of sky flavoured cores together and when the acid melds them it becomes condensed sky records without any of the special details from the animals they came from.
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Dashiell
Jake is a hunter to be fair
DirePants
It’s why we love her lol
DirePants
Nah, you’re thinking in pre system human terms. They did a whole chapter explaining how aging works for different species. She’s still a kid. A juvenile. Until she reaches her minimum class, she’s a child.
Daniel
The man wasn’t surprised when Jake came at all, clearly able to see through his stealth kill. ----> The man wasn’t surprised when Jake came at all, clearly able to see through his stealth skill.
Brian Small
Don’t you she will always be a little bit….bird-brained? Heh? Heh? …..I’ll see myself out.
Daniel is ŁØNE
Lmao, Sylphie definitely doesn't think Jake is actually weak as ditsy as she is sometimes she is probably aware that he is really strong but it doesn't really change her view much since knows unconsciously that Jake is likely never gonna put her at any risk. From her perspective overly respecting or fearing jake makes no sense since Jake is Jake.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Silent Otter
Since there seems to be interest in suggesting different kinds of acid... How about an acid that dissolves Records? Quality or quantity. Makes gaining levels incredibly hard/makes victim loose levels. Have the acid integrate and become 'part of' the victim's Records. Uses Jake Bloodline stuff to "be superior" to other Records, thus eroding them away.
Jordan Jones
Nah, she’s still listed as juvenile sylphian hawk. Like dragons, a sylphian hawk is naturally a higher tier existence and should have been born a B grade. I doubt she will actually “grow up” until her level catches up with her existence.
MacMahon Wenzl
Umm, she's at least 51 years old. At that point she is grown up. It's just who she is. Small, spunky, with child like wonderment.
Hunter Thornton
Ok I think Arnold just became numero uno when it come to playin fafo, and there’s a lot of stuff that Jake has in that storage that’s he’s completely forgotten about. What a pack rat.
Nick Bond
Even catalogued there's still going to be all the stuff he looted which we never saw...
DirePants
Sylphie is the best lol I’ll be sad when she grows up 😭
Tom Riddle
Also remember she is half elemental so she will always be a bit ditsy
Blackened
Thanks for the chapter!
KenTX325
He has a Manga dungeon and a Coliseum if I remember correctly. Not sure if the coliseum is portable or permanent when set up. Could help Havens economy and help people level.
Frederik
my condolences
Yeslek Nnamhctits
Hear me out, cursed acid. It consumes your emotions to get stronger over time or something like that.. I think that's the scariest part. This path synergizes perfectly with eternal hunger. Also, whaleman should watch out, smelly pot is not a very good bathtub at all. Sylphie is benevolent as always.
Aaron J
I don’t think Sylphie will mature till she’s at least in B grade. She’s still a juvenile syphian Hawk I believe
TwistedVanity
Sylphie is what 52years old now? Should she still be a clueless infant? Shouldn't she have matured a bit? I mean she's oblivious to more than she should be at 52. Like she's mentally deficient. At least let's have a teenage sylphie, that still uses overwhelming cuteness as a weapon but now it's weaponised and deliberate. Plus 50years in nevermore with Jake, should she still be thinking of him as her weak uncle whose only weapon is a stinky cauldron? Shouldn't she now be in awe of his power and battle prowess?
TwistedVanity
I have said before a good light hearted chapter would be miranda and Lillian going through his inventory to caterlog it. There stunned amazement, then stunted bollocking, they would want too scream at him but can't, for the important stuff he's forgotten about whilst he looks sheepish would be hilarious. However after 900 chapters I imagine that would be a hell of a lot for zogarth to collate and organise unless someone volunteers to read back through and make a list for him? Had i thought about it i would have ive just finished rereading the wholse series via audiobook then on here again. Or we could all ignore earlier chapters, just see it as fun, and let zogarth have full poetic licence with it. Which would be my choice. There could be some wow factor revelations then, that just hadn't been mentioned before.
Jeff McCulley
At the very top, according to Minaga. It would be funny if Minaga was just waiting for it to open, to teleport there with Vesperia or something. And the mini-Colosseum.
Jeff McCulley
I feel like a slow acting acid isn’t going to be on Jake’s list of priorit—wait. Maybe for the B grade?
Decibel790
Something about the mental image of Jake making post system LSD to poison his opponents is just hilarious.
Dungeonborn
Pretty sure that the system would categorise the bio weapons, diseases and such as plagues So pretty much forbidden except for the chosen of the danger noodle
Luke Scheffe
So. Destiny was right. Moon’s Haunted.
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
James Faulkner
Tftc!
Dungeonborn
But he remembers the cradle and box xD
Talon Michaelis
The minagas labyrinth is one
Quyan640
I bet Sylphie is going to snap a lot of bad guys necks and save the day
Rita Limehouse
Sylphie and her never-ending obsession with the smelly pot 😂
Korrasis
Nooooo I caught up!!!! :'( amazing series, thank you.
ItWasIDIO!!
Finally
Clint
I’m guessing post-system “acid” has as little to do with chemical acids as post-system neurotoxins have to do with neurotransmitters and membrane channels. It’s going to be about destructive arcane mana and concepts and intent.
Michael mann
Damn, chemists are scary. Great info though
Justin van mele
Sylphies parents should use the tutoring formations that Jack got to improve there magic to get a better c-grade evolution.
Sushi
Or maybe she will participate and get some sort of upgrade
KenTX325
Could also consider bio weapons, disease, things that accumulate in the body slowly but are hard to remove.
Xarow
Yes has come up a few times. Was also in charge of Jake’s Tutorial. There is a special chapter about him if you look here on Patron. Do a search for ‘side story’.
KenTX325
Could also look at flammable, explosive, reactive chemicals.
Johnny_B
He'll probably dump it all in Miranda's backyard and ask her to sort it.
KenTX325
For acids look at hydrofluric acid or HF. Toxic as hell but slow (12 hrs). Strong acid and oxidizer. Acids donate a proton or accept an electron allowing acids to break some chemical bonds. You could also look at strong bases.
Archmage37
Soul Flame cradle, puzzle box, gift for Miranda specifically, minaga clone thing for training, plus a bunch of gifts from the party.
KenTX325
To Zog- Some ideas for toxins from a chemist. Vomiting agents, blister agents, mutagens, sensitizers (cause allergic reaction), persistent neuro toxins. (To deny an area or equipment), radiation, drowning agents (lungs fill with water), hallucinogenic chemicals like LSD. I will leave out carcinogens and things that cause birth defects. Severe rashes, itching, cosmetic changes are fun ideas. Sleeping, taunting, and other effects could also work.
Steven Myer
volounteered to help Whaleman -> volunteered to help Whaleman
Martín Ballesteros Arias
So anyone want to do a recap of all the completely not important things inside the inventory?
ChRiAn
First that comes to mind would be the Minaga dungeon. Along with countless treasures he pocketed on and off screen. I honestly expect him to hit the capacity limit of the necklace at one point.
Arieh Sochaczevski
TFTC! How pissed-off is Minaga going to be?
Tyler S.
His shop is massive probably 20/30 stories tall and 4/5 square blocks and hes expanded down. He could have that ship full size if he wanted to
Tyler S.
It does kinda flow better with them reversed
Michelle Maurice
I’ve missed sylphie. TFTC
Syf0
Lilian won't be happy... If she ever was tbh
Jonathan
Sylphie was pretty sure Whaleman was the highest, if not one of the highest-leveled creatures on the planet. Sylphie was pretty sure Whaleman was one of the highest, if not the highest-leveled creature on the planet.
Jason Hardman
It'd be sad for anyone with a path related to the moon or moonlight if it was destroyed. Maybe there'll be a more moon friendly option by the time they're strong enough.
Phasmatic7
Thankies for the chapie zogie, this one was really fun
Valhazstromoz
REE! (sylphie is to powerful to ever be hurt by some dumb rat with wings)
Valhazstromoz
They beast tamer dude that created Jake's tutorial
Darshar Griffonmane
The important take away from this chapter is that Arnold and Jake are going to blow up the moon. That is going to be so much fun to read.
Ty Cooper
Why? What did Jake forget to get her riled up? I am ginuwinely confused.
SinCinnamon
Yes! Beast bond orc? Troll? Who was “in charge” of Jake’s tutorial.
Ty Cooper
He was the God in charge of Jake's tutorial. Had whale give gift of sea urchin neurotoxin to Jake and pearl to sandy while getting back to haven with whole EH situation on earth.
Abdulaziz ALRumaih
If I’m not mistaken he was the god that sponsored the tutorial that Jake was in We already found this out many books ago
Alex Cox
I forget if he even had anything in his pallet still
Alex Cox
Karroch is the one who oversaw Jake's introduction, was an enemy of Brimstone Hegemon, and Villy reached out to him so the Skywhale could be the beast representative on the world council
Ty Cooper
Woo. Void Katarina upgrade! I had been wondering why Jake never uses the burst point skill. I think it's awesome Arnold can get the records already in it to be forged into the melted down and reformed Katar. Also funny Arnold has the spaceship right behind a wall. For a second I forgot it could shrink. I just pictured the huge spaceship surrounded by his million projects going trying to squeeze a big ship in a "tiny" lol shop. I know it is a huge shop that takes up the center of the fort, but in my head there is zero extra space with millions of projects and contraptions everywhere.
Christian Basso
Do we know a god called Karroch?
Gavin
Lord hammercy......if anyone touched Sylphie.....😩
Cory Sauls
Tftc
Bob of Doom
I think it's set up for Miranda to yell at him. Hopefully Sylphie is there at the same time so she can chew both of them out for not organizing their inventories. It would be funny.
Athena
tftc :) "through his stealth kill." -> "through his stealth skill."
Mohammed Sheekh
I'm 99% sure jake will go to space after prima arc, its been hinted so many times
Jeff McCulley
Just wait ‘til Miranda gets back!
RonGAR
Hmmm Sylphie must have some kind of 'charm' skill that she doesn't even know about. EVERYONE LOVES HER! 😊 ----- Wish Jake cared about the stuff in his inventory more. Would've liked to have seen what was in there without having to go back to read all the Nevermore chapters. 😰 Maybe he could make a 'memory improvement' potion??? OR a Memory/records destruction potion for use against his foes. Ppl stop fighting real-quick when they forget why they are even there or who they are. ------ Whale looks like he will be the first one to hit B-grade. Or maybe Scarlett will if we ever catch up with her and see what she and the mangrove vipers have been up to.
Tristan
Ah the Smelly Pot Jakes ultimate weapon
Catherine Jones
Jake would never toss something important into his spatial storage and then forget about it, surely.
Strato Junon
Tyfc!
Tilen Praprotnik
Thanks for the chapter
C0bra$
Thank you
Sayjinlord
Thanks for the chapter 🙏
Tommy
Thanks for the chapter! :)
