Episode 7: Medicine and Magic
I live a life of leisure, but I can’t completely abandon work. There are taxes to pay, like the poll tax, church tax, and city wall maintenance fees. Since I live in the city, I have an obligation to earn a certain amount.
So, I work around the beginning of each month…
But it’s not like I’m doing anything too difficult.
I just use magic to make medicine in a workshop with the windows and curtains closed.
『לשמור על החדר קריר(Keep the room cool)』
『התחבר לתת-חלל ולזמן סיר(Connect to subspace and summon a pot)』
『שומרים על הסיר חם(Keep the pot warm)』
When I speak, a pot appears and automatically heats up.
『שופכים מים טהורים, מחממים אותם לרגע לפני הרתיחה ושומרים על הטמפרטורה(Pour in pure water, heat it just before boiling, and maintain the temperature)』
While the water is heating up…
『חיבור תת-חלל, לגן הקוסם(Connecting to subspace, to the Magician’s Garden)』
I go to the “Magician’s Garden” to collect Medicinal Herbs…
“Whoa there… I never get used to Teleportation magic, even though I created this world myself…”
Yes, I’ve arrived at the “Magician’s Garden.”
It’s one of the ultimate magics that all Magicians in myths were said to have mastered.
The creation of a small world convenient for oneself…
That’s what this garden is.
…Or so Margot-san said.
…Of course, my Magical Power is limited, so even though it expands every year, it’s currently only about four Tokyo Domes in size.
Someday, I’d like to make it a 100-acre forest, but that’s a story for decades from now. It’s not even half that yet.
…So, about a third of my garden, excluding the warehouse space, workshop, small-scale coal mine, and bookshelves, is farmland.
There’s also a livestock barn with cows, sheep, birds, and pigs.
It’s a wonderful area full of genetically modified livestock and crops, but there are still many undiscovered organic materials, and many things simply can’t be prepared in an area that’s only about 30% of four Tokyo Domes.
For example, migratory fish like tuna couldn’t be prepared due to space issues. There are fish tanks, but only small ones.
I use Magical Power for other things as well, so I can’t use the ingredients here too much. Rather, I use it as a storage for genetically modified livestock and crops, and only harvest a portion when I eat, multiplying it instantly with magic.
So, I collect Medicinal Herbs from the Medicinal Herb area, multiply them, harvest them, and bring them back.
And then I use them to make medicine.
Well, I don’t do anything too difficult.
『דפוס ייצור תרופות 1, מופעל(Medicine production pattern 1, start)』
Automation!
…The medicine in this world, if made well, has effects that are completely different from those on Earth.
There are various reasons for this, such as the process of pouring Magical Power into the medicine during production and the fact that the Medicinal Herbs used contain Magical Power, but the efficacy of the medicine is strong and fast.
Even a small amount of bleeding will stop slowly if you chew on a hemostatic Medicinal Herb. If you drink a refined Potion, a shallow cut that would take about a day to heal will close in less than a minute.
I’ve heard that the highest quality Potions, which are national treasures, can even cause lost limbs to grow back. I can actually make such Potions…
However, there’s no such thing as a “panacea” or “cure-all,” and even that Potion can worsen injuries if used by amateurs.
Detoxification and disease Potions, like Earth’s pharmaceuticals, require specialized knowledge.
Overall, medicine is “very effective,” but prescriptions and manufacturing require as much knowledge and skill as on Earth.
Yes, Potions require a complex process to make.
Especially difficult, aside from Magical Power management, is the management of “temperature.”
In this world, there are no gas stoves or electric heaters, so things are always heated with a bonfire…
It’s extremely difficult to keep the temperature constant with a bonfire.
The firewood can collapse, burn out and weaken the fire, or the amount of oxygen supplied can increase or decrease depending on the wind, changing the fire power. It’s difficult.
If I can easily control such temperature adjustments with magic, then everything else is fast.
I use magic to dry the Medicinal Herbs, crush them into powder, dissolve them in water just before boiling, and stir for an hour.
I add several other types of Medicinal Herbs in a prescribed order, simmer them without burning, and mix in mint oil for flavoring to make them easier to drink…
Then, I put the medicine in pottery bottles made from the mud of the “Mud Golem,” which is said to be resistant to cracking.
“Tris, please put these out in the store.”
“Okay!”
Display them, and that’s it.
Soap is the same.
I use magic to mass-produce it and stockpile it.
I decompose salt water with electric magic to make caustic soda, move it without touching it with magic, and mix it with oil taken from coconut-like plants…
I use magic to support drying, aging, and component stabilization, thoroughly shortening the time.
In a few hours, hundreds of medicines and soaps are mass-produced.
Unlike ordinary Apothecaries, I use industrial mass-production methods, which reduces labor costs and allows me to sell the same quality of medicine in large quantities at a lower price than others! That’s it!
I put the medicine I made on the shelves in the store…
Now, it’s open!
I’ll be in the store today.
It’s not good to be away from the store too much.
Now, the pharmacy.
The main customers are, of course, sick or injured people who need medicine, or the elderly…
“Hi, hello, Sensei?”
But actually, I have many female customers.
The reason is…
“Ah, hello. Cosmetics?”
Because I sell cosmetics.
No, I don’t sell full-fledged face powder or lipstick. There are other proper cosmetics sellers for that. It’s not good to interfere with business.
I sell Skin Ointment that is effective for rough skin.
It’s a medicine that works well for rough skin, chapped skin, acne, and burns.
To put it bluntly, it’s basically like Ointment O◯ain.
When I sold it to housewives whose chapped skin was severe from working with water, word of mouth spread and it sold like crazy.
The amount used at one time is small, so it has good cost performance, and it works well for skin problems, acne, and boils in addition to injuries, so it was especially popular with women.
“Skin Ointment, please! And Mint Toothpaste too!”
I also sell Mint Toothpaste, which is also selling well.
There are no toothbrushes in this world, and people wrap cloth around their fingers to brush their teeth… but that doesn’t clean them very well, and it doesn’t improve bad breath.
So I started selling toothbrushes and toothpaste with mint kneaded into it…
This has become a hit, especially among prostitutes who are concerned about bad breath.
Now, some people come all the way from far away to buy it.
“Sensei! Give me Honey Candy!”
“I’ll take Medicinal Molasses Soup!”
I also sell a few of these medicinal food-like items.
I prepared candy made with honey and ginger, and syrup made so that small children can drink powdered medicine.
The price is high, but surprisingly, it sells quite well…
Still, it’s tough.
Is it because people in the city know that I make medicine like this at the beginning of the month?
Everyone comes to buy in bulk before it sells out, so there’s a line in front of the store…
I keep telling them that there are reserves, so the medicine won’t run out. That part is still medieval.
Anyway, today was a great success…