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Chapter 373: Apothecary

If there is one trait that describes the inn best, it would be the intense service from the staff. In any case, Hauron is here with us, so the plan is to pin everything on him in case things go south or out of hand.

You guys must’ve anticipated right from the start that I might make a mess of things and assigned me to this room…!
Oh well, bummed as I was, I just settled with asking the servant, who wanted to serve me even while I’m sleeping, to stay outside and guard the door.

Can’t they at least stop going around half-naked and only wearing a waistcloth?

***

I【Teleport 】 back to the 『 House 』 at dawn.

「 Riche.」
I let Riche sniff me to his heart’s content as usual before petting and fluffing him all over.

He rolled over and showed me his tummy, and when I reached out to rub him, his tiny paws paddled in the air a couple of times while he grinned with his tongue lolling out.

My baby is so cute.

We went on our stroll and patrolled the fields and orchard while at it. I harvested cardo, a plant with leaves that resembled those of radishes but bigger.

The broad bean flowers were in bloom. The broccoli would probably take longer — I tended to the plants that seemed to need it, greeted the spirits and went around once.

I resisted the temptation to have some ochazuke and 【Teleport】back to the inn in Es.

The breakfast menu consisted of steamed and grilled veggies cut in uniform sizes.

The ground meat, although not as minced as a hamburger patty, were lumped together and skewered and grilled like barbecues. Both the veggies and the meat were mixed with herbs.

It was delicious flavor wise, but for someone used to Canum’s dishes made with lumps of meat and whole roasted vegetables, it was way too crumbly. Dean looked dejected. Right, it’d be nice to have something to chew, huh, like pickled radish or something.

We’re going sightseeing tomorrow night. Until then, we’re free to explore the place. Based on the itinerary, we’re going down the river at dusk tomorrow, enjoy some time there then we’ll 【Teleport】back to Canum, so that’ll be a total of three days and two nights here in Es.

「I’ll just buy some medicine to restock my inventory. 」
Said Hauron, so Retze and I decided to tag along.

Khan would continue strolling in the town together with Bayliss, who rendered herself invisible. There’s a lot of things he wanted to see, apparently — some things were still familiar to him, while others had changed.

When we arrived at the apothecary, date palms, rush, tamarinds — the name is different here, though — wild peas, corianders, figs and other various stuff lined the shelves in drawers, bags and some were hanging from the ceiling.

Some of the goods seemed tasty too.

「What do they use the figs for? 」
「If I’m not mistaken, the fruits are good for boosting stamina and it’s effective against hemorrhoids, while the leaves are used as insect repellents. 」
Hauron.

Since the leaves are also used to wrap cheese, I wonder if they have the same effect as mulberry leaves. It also turns up in【Appraisal 】— the hemorrhoids might be a bit tricky.

「Figs can also be stewed together with anise, ochre and honey to make heart-cooling potions. 」

Es medicinal recipes seemed tasty from the sound of it, so why did they have to add soil in there?

The four fundamental humors, or bodily fluids, used for medicine in this world are blood, mucus, (yellow) bile and black bile. These four are also categorized in two opposing groups — hot and cold, dry and wet.

The balance of these four humors is said to be the key to good health, and that balance depends on the individuals and the regions they live in.

That’s the reason why sweat carries heat, and how the heat of the heart can be cooled — The apothecary also explained with the terms that Hauron used.

There’s also fantasy elements mixed in because of curses resulting from the spirits’ pranks. There are instances when the doctor can’t diagnose the symptoms so he’ll chalk the illness as the spirits’ doing, but there are also cases when it’s truly their fault.

The medicinal herb I’m unfamiliar with is called Hemayu Teh** and it’s relatively expensive. It has round leaves characteristic of the pea family, with slender, elongated fruits.

It is mainly used for treating stomach disorders ranging from diarrhea to solving magical spells.

Retze also bought some herbs that are expensive in Canum, as well as those that are very effective and not bulky, perfect for his own use as an adventurer.

「 Buy a few pieces like an ordinary adventurer. 」
「Yup. Which one should I get? 」
I heeded Retze’s advice and got some of the ones that work on cuts and gashes for the meantime.

「 The herbs Canum deals with are cheaper and more effective than the ones over there. These ones here are effective as antipyretics and laxatives and in treating magic-related conditions. 」
「I’ll treat you guys if you ever catch a magic-related disorder, so both of you go put those back. 」
Hauron interjected.

「The Grand Mage’s magic potions are quite effective, it seems. 」
It’s quite amazing.

「It’s just normal. 」
Hauron replied, but I totally bet they’re really amazing.

「Then I’ll take your word for it — ah, no, we’re already here, so might as well give these to others. 」
Retze already put the herbs back, but he picked them again and bought them all.

I checked everything from A to Z with【 Appraisal 】 and memorized their effects. Actually, rather than memorize, it’s more like the 【 Appraisal 】 turning up more detailed information the next time I check them again. If there is something weird with the apothecary’s explanation then I’ll just Check it with Hauron!

We had a simple, light lunch of kebabs, The other two didn’t seem to have an appetite because of the sweltering heat.

We spent the hottest hour of the day back in the inn napping. We’ll set out again in the evening.

I wasn’t sleepy so I decided to go upstream and check out the riverhead of Es. And so, I pretended that I would go sightseeing again, left the inn and then 【Teleport】.

The place I went to is said to be the ‘birthplace’ and source of the river Es, so I thought it would be the place where headwaters feed into the river’s beginning, but that is not the case, apparently. It is a place where the waters form two whirlpools.

It’s the first time I ventured around here, but I spotted a monster so I went the other way. The land around the River Es is fertile despite being in the middle of the desert.

Whenever I found herbs that I learned were expensive, as well as vegetables or should I say spices, I gather them.

The spirits born from River Es don’t venture far from it since it’s the head of their kin. Most of them other than the water and wind spirits don’t like moving, so even if I named them, the scope of my map didn’t expand that much.

The water and wind spirits tend to go downstream or else move from the river to the land so my goal of expanding the scope upstream isn’t working out well.

I probably won’t get there within today, but I could try again as long as the map expands so I continue diligently moving onward.