Chapter 112: Knowledge of Herbal Medicine

After much consideration, James finally allocated his skill points to Herbal Knowledge.

Herbal Knowledge offers an in-depth understanding of herbs' properties, allowing one to cultivate and use them to craft various potions.

Only after learning this skill would the herbs he gathered truly possess medicinal effects, rather than the initial awkward bonus of just +1 HP.

Although potion-making still required unlocking the Alchemy Laboratory skill and constructing specialized functional buildings, basic herbs already had certain benefits.

“Let’s go! We’re going herb gathering!” James said excitedly as he took Wolf with him to the forest outside the city walls.

Once he unlocked Herbal Knowledge, his vision changed.

By using this ability, various colored plants immediately appeared around him.

Just like locating ore veins, the colors of these plants indicated the positions of different herbs.

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Green Herb!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Red Herb!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Yellow Herb!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Blue Herb!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Purple Herb!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Blackblood Vine!

[Notification] You used Gather and obtained Rotcap Mushroom!

The forest was practically teeming with herbs; he could easily pick a great many.

Green Herb: Instantly restores 5 stamina points upon use, +1 HP, with hemostatic and basic detoxification effects.

Red Herb: Instantly restores 5 HP upon use, with hemostatic and bruise-removing effects.

Yellow Herb: Clears the mind upon use, with hemostatic and pain-relieving effects.

Blue Herb: Instantly restores 5 mana points upon use, with refreshing effects.

Purple Herb: Temporarily increases strength by 2 points upon use.

Blackblood Vine: Highly poisonous; death is guaranteed within 12 hours of ingestion!

Rotcap Mushroom: Highly poisonous; causes uncontrollable swelling all over the body upon ingestion.

This was just the area around the city; the deeper forest held even more herb varieties. The presence of two deadly poisons startled James, and he was grateful he hadn’t encountered them before—otherwise, he might have died without even knowing how.

Though the attribute boosts from these herbs were modest, their abundance was their advantage. Unlike honey, these effects were instantaneous!

James frantically gathered herbs around the city, collecting every herb he could spot.

By the time he returned to the city, his backpack held 243 Green Herbs, 134 Red Herbs, 177 Yellow Herbs, 151 Blue Herbs, 10 Purple Herbs, 8 Blackblood Vines, and 18 Rotcap Mushrooms.

A level one Alchemy Laboratory allowed the crafting of potions from any two herbs, with a chance of failure but also a chance to produce some beginner potions. If he had potion recipes, he could follow the exact herb ingredients and guarantee successful creation of the corresponding potions.

Therefore, upgrading next time, James planned to unlock the Alchemy Laboratory first and then mass-produce potions.

Back at his residence, Tina’s mother, Landis, was carefully tending to her daughter.

Because Tina’s mana was completely depleted, she was extremely weak and unable to move freely.

Perin stood by the bedside like a statue, expressionless and motionless.

“Tina!” Seeing his frail young wife, James felt a pang of heartache and hurriedly took out a few Blue Herbs from his backpack.

“Lord Keen!” Landis rose respectfully upon seeing her son-in-law. She and her husband dared not treat James as an ordinary son-in-law, as he was the city’s lord and a mighty warrior capable of subduing dragons. Though Tina was married to him, they maintained a respectful distance.

“No need for formalities, mother-in-law,” James nodded to her. “You should rest now. I’ll take care of Tina.”

“Yes, Lord Keen!” Landis gently stroked her daughter’s hair with a warm smile, then turned and slowly left.

“Keen…” Tina tried to sit up but was utterly weak.

“Don’t push yourself,” James quickly approached and steadied her shoulders, holding a Blue Herb to her lips.

“What’s this?” Tina looked up at him, puzzled.

“An herb that will help you,” James said with a smile. “Try eating it.”

“Oh!” Tina trusted him completely and promptly chewed on the Blue Herb. The bitter taste almost scrunched her face. “Ugh, it tastes awful!”

“Yeah, the taste isn’t great,” James admitted, pulling out another Blue Herb. “But it restores your mana, even if only a little at a time.”

“Do I have to keep eating this?” Tina frowned.

“Be good! For now, just bear with it. Once I build the Alchemy Laboratory, I’ll make some better-tasting mana restoration potions for you,” James coaxed her.

“Oh!” Though she disliked the bitterness, Tina obeyed. Under his hopeful gaze, she grimaced but ate several more.

“How do you feel?” James asked anxiously after feeding her the herbs.

“I think I’m regaining strength!” Tina was surprised. “My mana is about half recovered too.”

“Really?” James breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the herbs worked, that was enough.

Tina tried sitting up again, this time succeeding on her own.

“Want some more? We can restore you to full!” James produced another Blue Herb.

“No, no! I just need a good night’s sleep,” Tina hurriedly shook her head.

“Is that so? I just want you to get better quickly because I don’t want to go to bed so early tonight!” James scratched his face sheepishly.

Tina blushed. “Keen, you can go to Perin’s room first! Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll…”

“Perin?” James glanced at the impassive, blue-haired girl and sighed. “Well, although her face never changes, I guess we’ll have to make do for now. Perin, what do you say?”

Perin stood up stiffly and bowed mechanically: “At Lord Keen’s command, I obey.”

“Tina…” James looked back at his wife in exasperation. “She really has no sense of fun. I still prefer sleeping beside you.”

“Don’t say that!” Tina’s cheeks flushed. “Let Perin keep you company tonight. Tomorrow, you can do whatever you want.”

“You said it yourself—whatever I want?” James’s eyes lit up as he began to imagine exploring new intimacies with his newlywed wife.

Perhaps thinking the same, Tina instantly turned as red as a steamed lobster and shyly buried her face in the covers.