Chapter 81: Chapter 23: Cultivating Spirit Medicine Fields
The Earth’s Blood Potion, despite its somewhat gory name, is anything but strange. On the contrary, the emerald green potion glows brightly in the transparent glass bottle, exuding energy and vitality at a glance.
Listening to how Vandar emphasized the difficulty of making this potion, Su Li took the rugged wooden box made from raw wood from him, and looked at the glittering and translucent potion inside, asking, "What’s the value of this potion?"
Vandar carefully held the wooden box for Su Li, fearing he might accidentally drop it and break the three precious potions.
"Each of these potions is priced at least 100 gold coins apiece."
"That expensive?" Su Li and his surrounding guards couldn’t help but exclaim. 100 gold coins per vial could almost buy an elite-level knight!
Vandar patiently explained, "Not only is this potion difficult to make, but the key is that even the most skilled pharmacists in the potions workshop cannot produce it."
Su Li quickly understood why Vandar insisted that a monastery was necessary to produce the potion. He wasn’t exaggerating. "So this divine potion must be crafted in a monastery?"
Vandar shook his head and said, "It’s not that simple. Even in the monastery, the priests and nuns who know how to make potions usually cannot produce this potion. Only if one day they sense the divine grace of the Goddess will they be enlightened enough to create this Earth’s Blood Potion."
"Because only divine grace can summon the power of the earth. I was able to make three Earth’s Blood Potions because our monastery was newly built, catching the eye of the Goddess, and our territory is thriving, very much aligned with the Goddess’s teachings, so the Goddess bestowed her divine grace."
The Dawn Goddess is indeed a generous goddess, unlike some self-proclaimed green tea goddesses.
Curious, Su Li asked, "So since the monastery was completed, has the Dawn Goddess granted any other divine graces to our territory and church?"
Vandar’s answer was a delightful surprise for Su Li. "Yes, one of the three apprentice nuns in our church was granted divine grace to advance and become an official nun, mastering a divine magic known as Geysers."
"Once the divine magic is cast, it can cause a geyser to erupt from the natural soil in a chosen area, knocking down (and possibly blasting away) anyone within the range in the place chosen by the nun. After the initial eruption, a small pool forms in the specified area, providing fresh water for the next hour."
This is a divine magic that serves both combat and production purposes.
Its significance in production is indisputable; it’s basically a mobile irrigation facility that can water any farmland in need of irrigation.
Even in battle, it isn’t without impact. If it erupts among enemy troops and beast herds, perhaps an entire squad could be knocked down. Although the damage might not penetrate their armor, being knocked down on the battlefield is deadly nonetheless.
If used effectively, deploying this two or three times in a battle could have a considerable impact.
But it requires replenishment with Vitality Potions, as Su Li knows neither official knights nor official nuns can use extraordinary abilities more than twice.
Vitality Potions can enhance their physical and mental vitality, thereby increasing the usage frequency of their extraordinary abilities.
So Su Li instructed Vandar, "Since the monastery is now built, we can start full production of other potions as well, without conserving medicinal herbs."
Vandar nodded in agreement, saying, "I’ve checked our medicinal herb reserves, and they are not very sufficient. Of course, I’m not complaining; our territory is just developing, and everything is in shortage. I’ll make the most out of all our herbs, and we should be able to produce 5 bottles of Vitality Potion, 3 bottles of Purification Potion, and 10 bottles of Healing Potion."
These two potions also have excellent effects. Purification Potions can be used to purify water sources or treat mild poisoning, and Healing Potions, as the name suggests, can heal wounds. The materials for these potions are uncommon, requiring herbs like Swift Grass, Falling Grass, and Calming Flower.
Of these herbs, the first two are relatively easy to find; hunters can collect dozens of pounds of them while hunting and gathering, but the Calming Flower was something Su Li gathered bit by bit based on intelligence.
So Su Li said, "Since we can produce the potions now, we must secure the supply of herbs. Relying solely on collection won’t meet the pharmaceutical needs. My Minister of Agriculture, agriculture is the best source for a stable supply of herbs. Have you not considered cultivating Calming Flowers?"
Vandar’s spirits lifted, and he asked, "Lord, are you thinking of setting up a farm specifically to manage spirit medicine?"
Su Li immediately waved his fist, spiritedly saying, "Compared to leaving it to fate, I certainly prefer to have control over my own destiny. My Minister of Agriculture and Religious Advisor, do you think my idea is feasible?"
Vandar stroked his beard, pondering for a moment, then said, "It’s not easy. Calming Flowers rarely gather in clusters, even in the wild they are very far apart, scattered everywhere. Generally, in a forest, you have to go several miles to find a place brimming with life where a single Calming Flower blooms."
"This is because they need to absorb sufficient Wind of Jilun energy to grow and bloom. The Wind of Jilun, also known as the Wind of Life, theoretically is present in every place where life is born because the Wind of Jilun has blown through it."
"Of course, this doesn’t mean Calming Flowers can’t be cultivated at all. If we can gather enough life energy on a piece of land, Calming Flowers can also appear in clusters. They rarely gather in clusters in the wild, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I’ve seen a large number of Calming Flowers blooming around an ancient tree in a forest before, which I suspect might have been due to the energy from an Ancient Tree of Life."
An Ancient Tree of Life?
Su Li was also stumped by this condition; it’s a high-class plant only present in many Elf towns or even Elf cities, and many Elf Race kingdoms, tribes, and towns are built around Ancient Trees of Life.
According to ancient Elf legends, it could continue to advance to become an Ancient Tree, Era Tree, Eternal Tree, and World Tree.
Of course, other races believe this is just an Elf Race fantasy. In this world, there is only one Eternal Tree in the Wood Elf’s royal court, and the World Tree has never been seen by any race or Divine Spirit. Most Elves do not believe the World Tree truly exists, only some fanatics insist it does. It’s just that the Eternal Ancient Tree still lacks certain conditions, so it has always been unable to ascend to a World Tree.
In the Elves’ religious lore, if someone could help the Elves successfully cultivate a World Tree, according to the ancient covenant, the Elves should become his closest ally, honor him as the Master of the World, help him ascend to the divine throne, and follow him into wars across different planes.
Myths are indeed too far from Su Li’s reality, as his current power isn’t even enough to take down a Green Dragon, let alone conquer an Elf Kingdom and seize their Ancient Tree of Life.
Su Li opted for a more reliable approach, recalling some information from the Daily Intelligence System. He remembered a brief occurrence of an energy-rich spring due to an earthquake in Thorny River Valley.
Perhaps using this spring water for irrigation could also meet the energy demands of the Calming Flowers.
Thus, Su Li said to Vandar, "First, bring the nuns and serfs to cultivate a few acres of medicinal fields, plant some Swift Grass and Falling Grass, and then prepare the Calming Flower seeds. I’ll think of a way to solve their energy supply. If I find a solution, we’ll plant the Calming Flower seeds immediately."
Vandar nodded promptly and replied, "No problem, I’ve already collected over three hundred active Calming Flower seeds, stored in the monastery’s warehouse. As soon as you notify me, I’ll plant them right away."
Having finished discussing this matter, Su Li then asked curiously with eager interest, "So, my Minister of Religious Affairs, what divine magic did you receive from the Dawn Goddess?"
"I possess two divine magics. One is the combat-oriented [Reya’s Fury], which allows you to chant scriptures and feel the power of the Goddess of Life, Reya, surging within you, to protect those who need protection. This divine magic can only be cast when safeguarding children, homes, or inhabited farms, providing psychological immunity and painlessness, while enhancing melee, strength, and resilience."
"The other divine magic for spreading the Goddess Teachings is [Life Weaving], which can breathe vibrant life into a previously lifeless area or object. Much of the development in our territory is due to its effects. It can manifest in various forms, such as: water flowing again through a dried-up riverbed, clean, fresh water being drawn from previously polluted wells, ripe fruit appearing in withering orchards, and fresh milk being produced by sick or non-capable cows. Oh, and the prior survival of the Light-Scaled Fish was also thanks to the effects of [Life Weaving]."
Truly a magical world, the more Su Li understood, the more he felt the world was filled with bizarre and wondrous colors.
Given that he himself was still a Transcendent, he couldn’t help but turn to Hilude beside him and ask, "You believe in the Sun Goddess and have become an official Knight; you should have acquired a first-layer divine magic, right? What’s your divine magic?"
Hilude said, "I obtained a combat-oriented divine magic named [Blade of Flame], which allows you to chant the Sun Goddess’s hymns. If using a Rune Weapon, it will be imbued with a layer of sacred flame, causing any struck targets to suffer from burning and a prone state."
"And what about our Commander-in-Chief, Knight Oerstein? Is his divine magic just [Eagle Eye Perspective]?"
"Yes. The Sun Goddess we believe in is a goddess of tactics and strategy, so Knight Oerstein’s abilities are tactical—[Eagle Eye Perspective] and [Shield of the Scorching Sun]. I heard him say that the Grand Leader of the Red Night Knight Order, Master Ouldred, possesses the divine magic [Torch of Justice and Virtue]. If Knight Oerstein could visit the Sun Goddess’s Divine Hall once more, he would likely receive this ability."
"With [Torch of Justice and Virtue], as long as Knight Oerstein loudly prays in the name of the Goddess, holy righteous fire would pour into his body. All allies in his line of sight would have the states of collapse, fear, and frailty removed, and while within sight, during the duration of the divine magic, they would temporarily gain fearless and heroic traits with a significant boost in attack power. Meanwhile, any Green Skin or Vampire in his line of sight would be affected by fear."
"That’s incredibly powerful," Su Li couldn’t help but ask, "does every believer gain such powerful divine magic abilities?"