25 Encyclopaedia Herbis

The book Nick left for me to memorize, was really something else. I only read a few pages, but the details of the drawings and descriptions impressed me. Moreover, the book mentioned uses for each plant, or rather herb as the book called it. There was an introduction, in which plants and herbs were differentiated. A plant would be a flower or cabbage. A herb could exist in a form of a flower, but the difference was it's properties. Hence everything inside that book was called a herb.

These properties had great importance. Some herbs were used for medicine, but others for poisons, antidotes or even as catalysts. There were even some notes what herbs could cure what, and even in what concoctions they were used. Though no recipes were present, it was a very detailed book. '... He want's me to memorize that? That's quite a lot of herbs', I thought. It was too late to continue reading, I had to be rested for my work the next day. After hiding the book, just like Nick told me to, I went to sleep.

The following morning, I carried out my tasks as usual. Nick left me some food during the morning, as well as noon. The food was much better than what they provided, and most importantly included meat. On each break, I'd read the Encyclopaedia Herbis that Nick left with me. There were hundreds of herbs inside, which made me wonder how long it would take me to memorize everything.

During my work at Nick's house, we acted the same as before. I'd treat the patients with less severe<msreadoutspan class="msreadout-line-highlight msreadout-inactive-highlight"> injuries or illness, and call him only when <msreadoutspan class="msreadout-word-highlight">necessary</msreadoutspan>. The day passed smoothly and they even gave </msreadoutspan>me my dinner, which was the same old porridge. That didn't matter, food was food. More frequent and balanced meals, would aid my body's recovery.

Day by day, I'd complete my work, read the book and eat my fill. A week went by, before Nick visited me at night once again. "How do you feel?", he asked. "Much better. Thanks to the meat you provided, my body doesn't feel that weak anymore", I replied. "Recover for another week or two, then we'll start. For now, focus on the book. Did you memorize anything?", he asked instead.

"I guess some things remained in my head. The book is big, it will take some time to memorize", "That being the case, let's test your knowledge", he said then asked the first question. "What's the name of the herb used for common cold?". That question was an easy one, "It's called Plain Vine". Nick didn't nod or anything, he simply asked the next question. "When would you use Harvest Grass?". That question was a bit more tricky, but I recalled something and said, "When trying to deal with upset stomach... I think".

Nick didn't ask another question, as if waiting for more. 'Was there more... Oh, yea!', I thought and added, "It can also scare away some bugs when burned". Nick continued to his third question, "What's the name of a herb that's poisonous, but doesn't affect humans?". I tried to recall, and there were a few weak poisonous herbs in my mind, but I wasn't sure. "I'm not sure, but my guess would be Poisonous Grass... Though the book stated that even the weakest poison in huge quantities could harm anyone".

"Good, but don't guess next time. This will be the last question. What herb or herbs can be used in order to produce Vital Liquid?", he asked. "I know there's the Vital Grass, but nothing else comes to my mind. That's my answer", I replied. "Not bad, you almost got it right. To make Vital Liquid, you'll also need Wetland Reeds. You'll learn how to make this in the future too", he said.

"So? How's my knowledge so far?", I asked expecting some sort of praise. "Shallow at best. These were the herbs from beginning pages. You did alright, I suppose. We'll test your knowledge every week from now on. I'll leave you to it then", he replied before leaving my house.

'...Well, he's not wrong. Anyway, back to the book I guess', with that in mind, I tried to memorize some stuff again. The following day, I was surprised to see Grond preparing something inside the smithy. 'What's he up to now?', I asked myself. He wouldn't stay without a reason, and there was a reason indeed.

"You're here kid. Today, I'll show you how to create purified steel. The process is a bit different compared to normal steel. Most important is this...", he said while pointing at a crate with glistering ore. "That's pure iron, and that's exactly what we use to make purified steel. I'll show you the process first", he added.

Grond took two cups of the purified iron, added two spoons of powdered coal and that was it. He didn't add the white powder. Once the mix melted, he poured it into a thicker mould, and worked on it in similar way to iron. He'd flatten one side of the bar, curve it and hammer it back together. What he didn't do was heat up the metal during this process.

After two cycles, he was already sweating and took a break. That didn't bode well for me, 'This must be even harder than steel'. The metal cooled down in the time Grond took to rest. He reheated it until it became red hot, and worked on it for another two cycles. I thought he'd start a fifth cycle, but he didn't. He took out a metal mould, and punched the metal into it, until it formed an ingot.

Grond was out of breath at that stage. He took a while before speaking. "This is your task from today. The amounts are roughly the same when making normal steel. There's only four cycles, because the ore is purified. Now the most important part. You can't stop once you began the cycle. You have to finish one cycle, then reheat the metal to work on it again. On the fourth cycle, you must not reheat the metal anymore. It's vital not to introduce any more heat at that stage. You'll have to pound it into this mould. If you are quick enough with your fourth cycle, this should be easier. Alright, I'll leave you to it", he explained.

I followed Rand's instruction, but the purified steel was on another level. The first and second cycle's weren't that bad, but the third and fourth tired me out like hell. "This took me a bit less than two hours. I'm not going to start another one before my break", I said to myself quietly. Grond returned about half an hour later, and asked me for the ingot.

"Hmm, not bad... You are coming back after the break, right?", "Yea, but my hands are tired, and I'm not getting proper food. I'll be back, but don't expect another ingot", I replied to curb his expectation. "Would you make a second one, if I sorted out some more food for you?", "I think so. With enough energy, I'd probably make another one", I replied. Grond nodded, and told me to go for my break.

'Seems like that purified steel is quite important for them. One more ingot done, means less work for Grond, and the work is tough indeed', I thought. My mention of food to him was on purpose. I could tell Grond was surprised that an ingot was done. That was my haggling card, because Nick would only provide food for me to recover. After that period, I'd require more food anyway. If he managed to get me more food, I'd make one more ingot.

After a meal and a break, I headed back to the smithy. Grond was there again, and he had good news. "You'll get something better for the work you are doing. Starting tomorrow, you'll get breakfast before working at the smithy, and your lunch will be after the work at smithy. Once you finish two purified steel ingots, you'll have your break", he said. "I'm happy with such arrangements", I said albeit lied about the 'happy' part.

"Work on another ingot now, and I'll finish it of if you don't manage", he added, before leaving the smithy. 'I wonder where he goes. He doesn't really drink'. Either way, I grabbed the tools and began my work. I didn't finish the ingot on purpose, though Grond seemed happy with the progress. "So you finished the third cycle. Good, I'll finish it up then", he said and I left the smithy.

'My situation with the food should improve, though working harder isn't the best outcome', I thought. Still, two ingots were still manageable. Though it would tire me out a bit, my next task was at Nick's place, and it wasn't hard work.