5 Chapter 5

After eating with Ifer, Scarlet brought the ilex purpurea to the Medicine Hall to plant it. An extract of the leaves of an ilex purpurea can be made into a solution and used for treating burns and ulcers. As for the ashes of the leaves they can be used as a dressing for skin ailments and poisoned wounds. After she finished planting it, she heard the System.

Ding!

[Points gained from cultivating a medicinal herb: 10 points]

[Points deducted because of Host's debt: 10 points]

[Remaining debt: 80 points]

"I can get 10 points from cultivating a medical herb, while I will get 20 points from a spiritual plant." said Scar to herself, "I need to end this debt soon, otherwise I won't be able to buy acess to any information, to unlock a book I need 20 points. And I also will have to eat only meat, since I can't buy any ingredient to make a side dish. Hey, System. What happens when and If I get enough points to get acess to every book? Why would I still need points? After all, since I don't charge money but herbs and information, in exchange for treatment, food and other information, and they are the best out there, I am bound to have a lot of clients." Scar asked the System.

[I doubt it will happen since there is a lot of books, but even if it does you will still need more points, because higher grade ingredients are more expensive. The Host also hasn't unlocked all the System's functions.]

"You have more functions? How come you didn't say anything abou them sooner?" she asked

[The Host doesn't have the necessary qualifications yet.]

".... And what are the necessary qualifications?" Scar inquired

[Someone in debt shouldn't worry about things out of their reach.]

****

Next morning

As Scar didn't have anything to do, she made a workout program for her to do and she started rereading the books she had acess to, while she waited for Ifer to bring his prey.

After a few hours, Ifer appeared with a carcass of a White Golden- horned Antelope.

"I will make some seasoned grilled antelope, good thing I still have some spices from the last bach I bought from the System." Scar said

After Scarlet brought the food outside, she found the Blue Tiger and Ifer (Phantom Cat) in fighting stances, seemed like they weren't a fan of one another, felines are said to be territorial. But, since the Blue Tiger is also inside the perimeter, that means it doesn't mean any harm to me, maybe it saw what happened yesterday with Ifer.

"What is going on here?" asked Scar

They both ignored her question, as they got ou of their fighting stance and each went to a different side.

"I have also broght a prey, as well as an herb." the Blue Tiger said, bringing out a Moon Rabbit (6 times the size of a normal rabbit) and a lavandula angustifolia.

"This is fantastic! I was going to ask them to try and find something for my scars and to hydrate my hair and skin, but I can use the oil extracted from the lavandula angustifolia for hydration and the herb can be used to treat skin blemishes. I need to cultivate more of this one, the terrain in the Medicine Hall already makes them grow 2 times faster than a normal soil, so I just need to plant a few more." Scar said excitedly inside her head while taking the rabbit and the herb inside.

"It is good that they brought so much food, I will be able to keep more for me to eat later. But how I wished for some wine, rosemary and garlic sauce, it would make the meat taste much better. Maybe I should have the clients bring the meat and I only have to buy the vegetables, grains, spices... I would still gain points anyway, after all, asking them to bring food, technically counts as me acquiring them." said Scar whilst cooking the Blue Tiger's dish.

When Scarlet got out, Ifer had already finished eating and was lying with his eyes closed below the shade of a tree.

"I guess I should already be content that he didn't just tak off after finishing." she thought

As she gave the food to the other beast, she asked "So, what is your name?"

"Azula." the Blue Tiger answered me

Ding!

[Points gained in total: 15 points (good quality and grade of the meat, but the dish is extremely simple, without any notable ingredients to accentuate the flavor, the System is ashamed to consider it as one of its recipes).]

[Points deducted because of Host's debt: 15 points]

[Remaining debt: 65 points]

And after Scarlet planted the herb Azula brought, her debt fell to 55 points.

****

A week later

Scarlet has already paid all her debt 3 days ago, and since then she has been cooking with ingredients from the System, making full dishes and side dishes according to the recipes, which resulted her in receiving more points. Still, sometimes Ifer or Azula brings some of the prey they had hunted, as they are coming more frequently, more than one time in a single day. Scar has even teased them about not being able to eat raw meat anymore.

The relationship between them, got much better in this period of time, Ifer and Azula even transform into their human form now, when they are going to eat. It could be said that they have become friends.

Scarlet has also started unlocking some of the books about different types of spiritual herbs and their uses, as well as books wih more complex cooking recipes. She has 55 points accumulated in total now.

She has been spending her time leisurely, working out, treating her scars, hair and skin, sleeping, eating, talking with Ifer and Azula, reading books. Considering how she had previously studied both modern and traditional chinise medicine, it was much easier to assimilate the medical information on the books.

As the three of them were getting ready to eat like usual, a Fenrir (a monstrous beautiful wolf) suddenly appeared, its presence alone was sending shivers down Scarlet's spine and an overwhelming pressure of what seemed to be bloodthirst, made it so that Ifer looked like he wanted to run away but a force was stopping him, while Azula stayed rooted on the ground.

When the Fenrir crossed the safety perimeter Scarlet sighed in a huge relief and it seemed that her knees would give out. She had momentarily forgotten that she was safe inside the perimeter thanks to his immense presence and pressure.

"You, human, I heard you can treat people in exchange for herbs, is that right? So, you know medicine, right?" the Fenrir asked while affirming at the same time as he looked straight at me.

Before I could even answer, he had already started talking again.

"You are coming with me, and if you can cure him, I, the ruler of this forest, will give you any herbs you want, be them spiritual or not." he ordered me, and it seemed like he would drag me out of here if I dared to delay.

"I need to know what happened to the patient fisrt, though it would be good if you could bring him here." Scar said the last part almost whispering

"He will not be moved. You will go to him." the Fenrir said

"Ok, let me just get something." Scar said as she made her way into the Knowledge Hall, and when she found the abou Fenrirs in the Magical Beast category she unlocked it. It would help to know about the morphology, physiology... anything that could be useful and how it differs from humans. So that, as soon as I identify what is wrong with it, I can already operate.

[Remaining points: 35 points]

"I am ready, lets go." she said to the Fenrir

Scarlet still couldn't believe that it was under this circumstances that she would explore the outside of the safety perimeter.

Ifer and Azula stayed behind. They would probably take off as soon as we got out of sight.

****

The Fenrir stopped outside a gigantic cave entrance, and its interior looked like an underground palace, without furnitures and ornamentation.

At the end of the underground passages laid a young Fenrir with a ragged breathing.

When Scar started aproaching the youngling, she heard a warning growl behind her which made her pace slow down as she started aproaching with caution.

As Scarlet obeserved the beast in front of her she found out that he was injured in his belly with a large slash and was poisoned with more than one type of poison. This was crearly a rush attack from cultivators, they had to have done this while this youngling was alone, and it had to be quick so that they could escape, so they couldn't choose fighting, explaning the choice of poison. This young Fenrir only has a little less than half a day to live, his father probably sensed this as well, so he actually brought a human that knew medicine here as fast as he could.

"I need to go back, so I can find what poisons were used and their antidotes." Scarlet said after closing the young Fenrir's wound.

"You can go, though I hope you know that if he dies you will also die. There is no longer any human besides you in this innermost part and the Magical Beasts won't attack someone under my protection." the Fenrir said after warning me.

As Scarlet got back to the Heaven Courtyard she was surprised to find that Ifer and Azula were still there. After greeting them she got some of her ilex purpurea, since it can be used on poisoned wounds, and went straight to the Knowledge Hall.

"System, you can help me identify the poisons, just like you did when I got poisoned, right? I need you to tell me what these three poisons are." she said.

[Ricin is obtained from the beans of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis), and it is a glycoprotein that interferes with protein synthesis in the cell, causing cell death.]

[Maitotoxin is a cardiotoxin, it exerts its effects by increasing the flow of calcium ions through the cardiac muscle membrane, causing heart failure.]

[VX is a synthetic compound, it stops the enzyme acetylcholinesterase from working, so muscle contractions go out of control and you die of asphyxiation.]

"I will unlock the book with the antidote for VX, the other two I can slow their effects down, so that I will have time to unlock their antidotes or counter them, since they are not synthetic. How can someone even cure those without knowing modern medicine?" she questioned.

[Remaining points: 15 points]

"I will bring some food to the Fenrir, so I can gain the necessary points. Who knows maybe I will even be able to make him into a regular, it will be good to have someone as strong as him and the ruler of the innermost forest on your side." Scar said full of expectations, but not before asking Ifer and Azula to find the herbs for the antidote for VX and to counter the other two, so it slow downs its effects.

****

After Scarlet gave the the antidote, dressed the wound with herbs and slowed the other poisons, she turned around to face the Fenrir and gave him a dish of Braised Shredded Pork doused in rice wine, sugar and soy sauce, accompanied with fried rice and a few vegetables.

As a rich flavor permeated the cave, the Fenrir took the dishes and devoured everything.

Ding!

[Points gained: 25 points]

[Total points: 40 points]

"Your youngling still isn't totally cured, but his condition is now stabilized and out of immediate danger. I will come back to tell you the herbs I will need to make the antidote for the rest of the poisons." Scarlet informed him.

"That is fine. The food was also acceptable, no wonder you have magical beasts sharing a same space to eat it." he said

"You are welcome to come eat anytime. May I know yours and your son's name?" Scar asked

"Ragnar, and my son is called Nifret." the Fenrir answered

****

Scarlet, upon totally curing Nifret, received from Ragnar her first Spiritual Plant.