Chapter 105: Cataloging Herbs
— Young Master!
— The people from the apothecary have arrived!
Jane’s voice came through the heavy wooden door.
I continued watching the tiny raindrops slide down the windowpane before answering calmly.
— Have them unload everything into the main hall.
— Then ask Kant to carry each crate up to the laboratory.
— I want everything organized before I come down.
A sharp reply echoed through the room.
— Yes, sir!
Soon afterward, I heard hurried footsteps running through the corridors.
A few minutes later came the sounds of crates being lifted, furniture being dragged, and men at work.
Fifteen minutes later, I crossed the hallway toward the laboratory.
As soon as I pushed open the heavy oak door, I was greeted by a rather satisfying sight.
The enormous room, once nearly empty, was now completely occupied.
Wooden crates were stacked in orderly rows.
Resting on long workbenches were leather sacks, glass containers, dried roots, pressed leaves, fruits preserved in salt, tree bark, seeds, and dozens of other raw materials.
There were no windows.
Only a simple chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a yellowish light that barely reached the corners of the room.
Jane immediately approached.
She bowed slightly.
— Young Master.
— As you instructed, the shop purchased virtually every herb available in the city’s markets and the neighboring villages.
She opened one of the crates.
Inside were countless bundles of plants, each carefully tied together.
Every bundle had a small handwritten yellow label.
Name.
Origin.
Harvest season.
Price.
Dormato truly knew how to hire competent people.
Jane picked up another stack of scrolls.
— I also obtained every medicinal formula used by the local apothecaries.
— They are recipes intended solely for treating common illnesses among ordinary people.
I quickly took the stack.
I skimmed through several pages.
Compresses.
Ointments.
Poultices.
Infusions.
Nothing particularly sophisticated.
I placed the scrolls on a workbench.
— Everyone may leave.
The assistants bowed.
Kant was the last to leave the laboratory.
The massive door closed behind him.
BOOOM...
The deep sound echoed throughout the room.
Without windows and with only that single chandelier, the room became much darker.
I frowned.
Poor lighting reduced the efficiency of any experiment.
I removed a small metallic object from my bag.
A Permanent Runic Lantern.
It was a fairly common portable artifact among traveling mages.
The runes engraved within it slowly absorbed magical energy, converting it into a continuous light for several months before needing to be recharged.
I secured the lantern to the wall.
As soon as I infused it with a little mana...
Fuuuum...
An extremely steady white light flooded the entire room.
The shadows practically disappeared.
I smiled in satisfaction.
Much better.
Now I could truly work.
I looked at Jane.
— Organize all the herbs by category.
— Roots with roots.
— Fruits with fruits.
— Bark with bark.
— I want everything separated and properly labeled.
— Yes, Young Master.
She immediately got to work.
Meanwhile, I walked over to the first crate.
I picked up a small purple fruit.
It was only slightly larger than my thumb.
It was completely dehydrated.
Its wrinkled skin resembled aged leather.
It weighed almost nothing.
I observed it for a few seconds.
The information I had read in the books naturally surfaced in my memory.
— Linq Fruit...
A species found in swampy regions.
Popular among healers for relieving mild fevers and accelerating recovery after prolonged illnesses.
I raised the fruit before my eyes.
Mentally, I issued an order.
— Biochip.
— Begin a complete structural analysis at the subatomic level.
— Sequence its genetic composition, chemical properties, molecular stability, and record everything in the database.
[Beep.]
[Initiating scan...]
A thin blue beam slowly swept across the entire surface of the fruit.
Thousands of pieces of information began appearing before my eyes.
[Name: Linq Fruit]
[Botanical Classification: Medicinal angiosperm native to swamp environments.]
[Genetic Code]
[Chromosomal Chains: 18 pairs.]
[Genetic Stability Rate: 99.73%.]
[Active Genes: 12,487.]
[Identified Recessive Genes: 3,912.]
[Adaptive markers for high-humidity environments detected.]
[Sequences responsible for producing medicinal compounds isolated.]
[Cellular Structure:]
[Cell wall rich in lignified fibers.]
[High concentration of hydratable polysaccharides.]
[Cell nuclei preserved at 84%.]
[Low oxidative degradation.]
[Molecular Composition:]
[Residual Water: 4.12%.]
[Carbohydrates: 31.4%.]
[Plant Fibers: 42.8%.]
[Essential Oils: 6.3%.]
[Phenolic Compounds: 8.9%.]
[Natural Alkaloids: 1.4%.]
[Trace Minerals: Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and Zinc.]
[Identified Active Compounds:]
[Linquine-A.]
[Linquine-B.]
[Polyphenol P-17.]
[Natural Anti-inflammatory Complex LQX.]
[Alchemical Compatibility:]
[Compatible with 74 known compounds.]
[Moderate instability under excessive heat.]
[Can partially replace the ingredient "Salor Green Root" in 18.6% of simulated formulas.]
[Banco de dados atualizado.]
That absurd amount of information was processed in less than a second.
I nodded subtly.
— Excellent.
I placed the fruit on another table.
I picked up a dried root.
Then a leaf.
Then a seed.
Then another piece of bark.
And continued.
Each item went through the same procedure.
While Jane organized the crates, I continuously fed the database.
That was precisely why I had founded that apothecary.
After years of studying under Professor Totil’s guidance, I had acquired extensive knowledge of magical ingredients.
However...
The herbs used by ordinary people were rarely of interest to mages.
As a result...
The Biochip had enormous gaps in that area.
Now I was filling in every one of them.
Besides...
There were still the two ancient potion formulas given to me by Totil.
One of them used ingredients that had become completely extinct.
The other remained stalled at 78% analysis.
Without suitable substitutes, both would continue to be useless.
Unfortunately...
No computer in the world could simply invent ingredients.
It was necessary to experiment.
Mix.
Test.
Fail.
Repeat.
Countless times.
Even so...
Using common herbs cost only gold coins.
Magical crystals were another matter entirely.
I would never waste such valuable materials while there was an alternative.
As I analyzed another plant, I smiled faintly.
Even if I carried out thousands of failed experiments...
It would still be far cheaper.
As for the mission assigned by Arcangrove Tower...
It had been completely pushed to the bottom of my list of priorities.
There was still about a year and a half left.
More than enough time.
And in the worst-case scenario...
Totil would probably help me out of that situation and charge me magical crystals as punishment.
Nothing truly concerning.
The days passed almost without my noticing.
The laboratory remained silent.
The only constant interruptions were the sounds of crates being opened.
The scraping of herbs across the wooden tables.
And the Biochip’s metallic voice.
Two days later...
I finally heard what I had been waiting for.
[Beep.]
[4,326 plant species successfully cataloged.]
[Would you like to create a dedicated directory?]
I smiled.
— No.
— Merge everything with the previous records.
— Create a new folder named: Herb Compensation.
[Command accepted.]
[Creating directory...]
[Transferring chemical models.]
[Initializing medicinal compatibility simulations.]
I crossed my arms.
Now came the truly difficult part.
Finding possible substitutes.
Cross-referencing chemical properties.
Simulating reactions.
Then reproducing them in the laboratory.
Even with all of the Biochip’s computational power...
There would still be countless tests.
But that had never bothered me.
Research required patience.
At that moment...
Soft knocks came from the door.
— Young Master...
It was Jane.
— Dinner is ready.
I hadn’t even noticed the time.
— I’m coming.
When I worked...
I worked with complete focus.
When I rested...
I rested the same way.
I had never understood those mages who spent days without eating or sleeping just to finish an experiment.
Tired minds make mistakes.
And mistakes in a laboratory led to explosive accidents.
I carefully tidied up my workbench.
Only then did I leave the laboratory.
Before stepping through the door, I looked at Jane.
— Whenever I’m conducting important experiments, I’ll hang a notice here.
I pointed toward the entrance.
— If that notice is hanging, no one is to enter.
— It doesn’t matter if I remain inside for days.
She gave a flawless bow.
— Understood, Young Master. No one will disturb you.
I nodded in satisfaction.
As we walked through the mansion’s corridors, I asked,
— What’s for dinner tonight?
Jane smiled faintly.
— Roast veal, purple vegetable soup, and strawberry-apple pie.
Nothing extravagant.
But sufficiently nutritious.
I entered the small dining room.
As usual, I ate my meals alone.
Several dishes covered with metal lids rested on the round white marble table.
Jane carefully removed each lid.
Immediately, a pleasant aroma filled the room.
The meat was perfectly browned.
The soup released a gentle stream of steam.
The pie was still warm.
I nodded in satisfaction.
— Excellent.
Jane carefully placed a napkin around my neck.
I picked up my fork.
Then my knife.
As I cut into the first piece of meat, a single thought occupied my mind.
The more complete my database became, the greater my chances of finding a substitute for the mana potion formulas.
....
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