Magic Ink
| Magic Ink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Collection |
| Location | Witch's Hut |
Magic Ink is the bottle of stolen ink that unlocks the Wizard's catalogue of buildings. The Witch took it from him, and it sits on the table in her hut in the swamp until somebody walks in and picks it up. Handing it back earns no gold and no item, only the Wizard's thanks and the stand of magical plans beside him, which is where the Junimo Hut, the four obelisks and the Gold Clock are sold. Those plans are the difference between walking everywhere and warping, so this small errand quietly reshapes the whole farm. The ink also opens the dark shrines in the hut it came from, which handle the things no other building in the valley will touch.
Overview
Getting into the swamp is the hard part, and none of it can begin until the Community Center has been restored or every Joja project bought. The Wizard's request comes after that, the sealed passage at the Railroad has to be opened, and the Henchman standing outside the hut will not budge for anything except a jar of Void Mayonnaise, which is the Goblin Problem the quest log names. Once he steps aside the hut is open and the bottle is there for the taking.
What the ink buys is a list rather than a thing. The Wizard keeps a book on a stand in his tower, and returning the ink is what lets anyone read it. The Junimo Hut comes first and cheapest, and it puts small helpers to work harvesting the crops around it. Then come the obelisks, each an enormous bill in gold and iridium: one warps to the mountain, one to the beach, one to Calico Desert and one to Ginger Island, with the island version needing a visit there before it can be ordered. The Gold Clock is the last and most absurd purchase, and it keeps the farm free of debris and stops fences rotting for good.
The dark shrines in the Witch's Hut open at the same time. One takes a large sum of gold to wipe an ex-spouse's memory and reset the friendship, one takes a Strange Bun to switch monsters on the farm at night on or off, and the third asks for a Prismatic Shard and turns the farmer's children into doves. They are the game's blunt tools for undoing decisions, and the hut is the only place that offers them.
Two shortcuts make the swamp less of an expedition afterwards. A rune on the hut floor links to the basement of the Wizard's Tower, and the Shrine of Illusions down there rebuilds the farmer's appearance, name and pet for a small fee. Four hearts of friendship with the Wizard is what opens that basement.
Notes
The ink is filed under Special Items And Powers in the player menu and oddly stays listed there even after the Wizard has it back, as though the bottle were still in the bag.
The obelisks and the Gold Clock all count towards the perfection score, so a farmer aiming at a complete file has to read that book sooner or later. Starting the chain early, rather than leaving it until the gold is in place, means the plans are ready when the money arrives.
All Collections
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
