Chapter 27: The Bonus from the System Task Reward

“Chapter One of Herbalism,” George shook his head reluctantly as he looked at the scroll in front of him.

George’s first reaction upon seeing it was, “It’s actually this kind of thing. Wait, why do I think that? Maybe the previous reward was so precious that it created such a huge contrast.”

Thinking about it, that made sense. “Primordial Qi Great Grappling” could be said to be the product of stacking rewards from three tasks. Judging by the look of it, the reward for the first night battle task was likely the latter two ancient scrolls. Even ignoring the difference in difficulty between the tasks themselves, just comparing the 6-to-1 ratio of the rewards was enough to show the gap between them.

“I just wonder if there is any content that can complement what Mr. Coke has learned. At least that would count as making use of waste,” George couldn’t help but complain. After all, it was Herbalism, and just the first chapter. George had not held high hopes for the specific content inside, but he decided to take a look first to see if there was any concrete value. If it was useful, George planned to memorize it in his spare time to use as supplementary material for the children in his Territory who were currently learning herbalism.

Following the usual routine, he pressed the scroll against his forehead, and the learning was completed instantly. Perhaps because it was pure knowledge, no changes occurred in the tower. He briefly recalled the knowledge that had just appeared in his mind. First came the seven common methods for processing and using herbs: decoction, infusion, maceration, ointment, poultice, tincture, and wash.

Decoction: Add one ounce of herbs to one pint of water. Pay attention to the order: always add the leaves before the roots. After the water begins to boil, cover the pot and simmer for 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the type of herb. Then, let it cool down naturally until it is completely cool. Once made, pour out the liquid medicine for use.

Infusion: A primitive method of making medicine, similar in nature to brewing tea. Pour boiling water over the herbs. The ratio is one pint of water to one ounce of herbs. Wait for 15 to 30 minutes.

Maceration: Soak the herbs in oil, just like making ointment. It is best to use almond oil or sesame oil. Heat one cup of oil over low heat, wrap half an ounce of herbs in coarse cotton cloth, and place them in the oil to soak. Continue until the herbs lose their original color and the oil emits a strong herbal scent.

Ointment: A solid fat mixed with herbs. Choose herbs that carry the power you desire, or cast Magic on the herbs, or do both. For medicinal ointments, select the herbs according to the patient’s needs. The ratio is three teaspoons of herbs to one cup of oil. Vegetable oil is better, especially almond oil and saffron oil. The ointment should be stored in a cool, dark place and sealed tightly. In magical rituals, applying specially made ointment to the pulse points can maximize its effect.

Poultice: Soak the herbs in an equal amount of boiling water. Once the herbs are completely soaked, pour out the water. Wrap the herbs in thin gauze or coarse cotton cloth and apply them directly. This might be a bit messy, so keep a clean handkerchief nearby. It has good medicinal effects, especially for minor ailments like rashes.

Tincture: The proper way to make it is to soak four ounces of herbs in eight ounces of alcohol for about 14 to 21 days. During the soaking process, the bottle should be sealed and kept in a dark place. Once made, pour out the liquid medicine for storage.

Wash: A type of infusion for external use only. A mild wash is generally made by adding a quarter ounce of herbs to one pint of boiling water, then letting it cool naturally.

After that came several practical practice potions. For decoctions, there was Elderberry Soup, which helped the body recover after injuries. For infusions, there were leaves from the Quinine tree, which helped keep one awake.

For maceration, there was a medicine made by combining mint leaves with Quinine tree branches. Applying it to the joints could reduce the pain caused by sprains and help with recovery.

As for the ointment section, there was a potion that required the cantrip “Ice Ray” to create. Besides common herbs like violets, it also included expensive ingredients like Ghost-Withered Vine and the fruits of Mertasak. Of course, its effect was not small either. It could not only relieve muscle fatigue after intense exercise but also nourish the muscles to a certain extent. This was somewhat useful for George, and for other melee-oriented professions, it was an item that could effectively reduce the possibility of hidden injuries during training. The method for making such potions was often kept secret by the inventor or the holder. It looked like it could be sold for a good price in the future.

For poultices, there was a mixture made from aloe vera with its skin removed and a white mineral called Costa, used to treat severe skin itching caused by allergic reactions to mosquito bites.

The tincture was made using old ginger combined with ingredients like Edelweiss, mainly used to treat high body temperature caused by severe colds. The problem was that there was no large-scale production of alcohol in this world, although it might exist in some Mages’ laboratories. The distilled wine produced in the Territory had an alcohol concentration of only about 30 percent. It was impossible to know exactly what concentration of alcohol was needed to make the tincture. If the concentration was too high, the cost with current technology would simply not be worth it.

Finally, there was the wash, a product made from bay leaves, mint leaves, and other ingredients. If George understood correctly, its function was to temporarily eliminate body odor. Where did this even count as medicine? It should be a type of perfume or cleaning product.

And then… there was nothing else.

“This is a scam,” George felt an urge to flip the table. Wasn’t this supposed to be “Chapter One of Herbalism”? Besides a few methods for processing medicines and a few recipes, there was nothing else. Where was the knowledge about foraging and identification in the grasslands? Where was the pharmacology and properties of the herbs? Where was the information on environmental planting of herbs? This was not Herbalism! It was clearly just an introduction to medicine making.

After finally calming his mood, George thought to himself, “I hope the next reward doesn’t disappoint me this much.”

He turned his gaze to the last ancient scroll. “Secret Art — Qi and Blood Separation” was the content written on it. The so-called “Qi and Blood Separation” was somewhat like a method from the martial arts he knew before crossing over, allowing the user to freely adjust the Qi and Blood throughout their body. At the same time, a symbol of a drop of blood appeared on the southern wall painting of the first floor of the tower. From George’s perspective, this secret art had three main functions.

First, by interacting with breathing and muscles, it makes the body’s supply of Qi and Blood more efficient. This can effectively slow down the feeling of fatigue during exercise and also make fatigue recover much faster. However, George already had a few methods of the same type. Although they did not work on both states simultaneously like this one, he would experiment later to see which one was more effective.

Second, it was a method of sinking the Qi and lowering the Blood, putting a person in a half-asleep, half-awake state. This overlapped with the “Turtle Breathing Method” George had already learned. He would also need to experiment to compare the pros and cons of the two.

Third, it was a method that made the Qi and Blood surge. This was very similar to the “Qi and Blood Explosion” in martial arts, allowing the user to comprehensively improve their physical qualities for a short period. According to the text, it could raise the user by one Rank. In data terms, this meant Strength, Agility, and Constitution would all increase by +2. The duration was between 15 and 30 seconds. The overall improvement effect was not as good as the Barbarian’s Frenzy, which could raise Strength and Constitution by two Ranks from the start, and even reach four Ranks in the later stages. The duration of Frenzy could also last around 18 to 50 seconds, which exceeded “Qi and Blood Separation.” However, “Qi and Blood Separation” had one advantage: there would be no period of weakness after using it, and the cooldown interval was relatively short. Overall, its applicability was quite good.

Just when you need something, it comes to you. George was exactly lacking this kind of self-enhancement ability right now. After all, most of the Taoist martial arts he had learned before were mainly for strengthening the body and health. Data on killing enemies and driving away demons was not that easy to come by. The newly acquired “Primordial Qi Great Grappling” was powerful, but he probably could not use it skillfully in the short term. Moreover, until he reached the Heart-Mind stage, it would be difficult to integrate with George’s current combat style. He certainly couldn’t expect George to switch careers to become a Mage. So, although “Secret Art — Qi and Blood Separation” was not very strong, it could be said to be the most useful reward for George at this stage.

After looking at the three rewards, George suppressed his curiosity about the newly appearing staircase, which had just popped up again. After all, that was the staircase leading to the second floor. George had not been to the second floor yet. Since the System called this tower the “Tower Reaching the Sky” as George’s path of transcendence, wasn’t this staircase the “Ladder to Heaven”? The wooden ladder was simple and elegant, with no carvings at all. The brownish outer paint covered the natural grain. Stepping onto the stairs, his feet felt a slightly elastic touch, but there was no sound like wood should make, just like stone.

Touching the handrail with its round, jade-like texture, George slowly took steps, climbing up bit by bit. It was not that George did not want to speed up; rather, every step forward consumed a huge amount of his mental energy. Fortunately, this was the consciousness space. If this were reality, George would have been sweating profusely by now. He absolutely could not have maintained his current state of a red face and unlabored breath.

“So tired! It’s not just tired; this feeling should be a combined fatigue of body and mind. What is this heavy sense of weariness and drowsiness?” George felt his body becoming heavier and heavier, and his steps became more and more difficult and slow.

At the same time, it seemed like a voice nearby was shouting: “Stop! Take a rest! There’s no need to push yourself so hard. If you want to go up and see, there will be plenty of time in the future. If you feel tired, just rest now.”

This voice seemed to be hypnotizing him, making George’s eyelids grow heavier and heavier. A strange thought popped into George’s mind, “Should I take a rest? Wait until tomorrow to recover my energy and come back?”

“Damn it, why do I have such thoughts? Do I not have the confidence and courage to overcome even this small difficulty? How could I possibly have such a thought of giving up so easily?” George felt that his previous state was a bit off. “Endure hardships to become a man. Hold on.”

After a difficult journey, when George reached the second floor, he felt as if his whole body had collapsed.