Black Iron's Glory

They were within a room around 20 plus square meters large with three double windows. The room was kept really clean, especially its white walls and gray flooring. In the middle of that room was a large, white, wooden table that seemed really sturdy which took up a third of the room’s space. On it were various glass apparati of varying sizes. Had Maria not been by his side, Claude would’ve thought he found a chemistry lab from his previous life.

Against the wall on the right of the room was a black, wooden drawer which seemed to contain herbs. There were quite a few levels, each with small labels on them. There was also a 2-meter-long water tub at the left corner of the room which was laid with thin, white tiles. Claude noticed that there was a bronze tap above the tub and it seemed Maria had spent quite a bit on her lab to have access to tap water there.

“Is this your lab, Madam?” asked Claude.

“It’s only a part of it. The room’s glassware is mainly used for concocting medicines. Sometimes, I also use them for some interesting experiments. There’s another room inside and that’s the most important one for herbalists. As all the medicines we use have to first be treated and refined beforehand, there is essentially a basic alchemical formation inside the treatment room. Come to take a look.”

Maria walked to the end of the current room and opened a white, wooden door.

Claude went over to see. The other room shared the layout and size of the other room mostly, but it was far messier inside. There were tools and machines all over the place. Apart from iron and glass, most of the equipment was made from bronze. Some looked as large as furniture and they made the room look more like a garage.

“Herbalism originated from the alchemy of magi. The earliest medicines were synthesized by magi through alchemy. However, most of them were provided to nobles only and commoners weren’t allowed to enjoy such luxuries. If they fell sick, they had to rely on picking herbs for direct consumption. Not only does that hamper the effects of the medicine, it’s really slow and might even worsen the sickness.

“It was said that when a plague broke out, the magi no weren’t able to concoct that much medicines using their alchemical formations, so they had to teach the the common folk to prepare herbs properly before boiling them into medicine to save them. That was an important moment in the development of herbalism, the true beginning of our modern craft.

“In some sense, this branch of science is only possibly as a result of the magi’s alchemy. The earliest methods of treating ailments came from the results of magi’s alchemical experiments. The recipe of healing potions and antidotes came from them as well.

“But part of the reason the magi don’t care for herbalism is largely because they’ve never set their sights on the common folk in the first place.

“The ones truly worthy of our respect are the herbalists that came before us. Even though they didn’t know magic, they tried their best to understand and experiment based on the occasional tidbit they received from the magi to learn how to prepare and synthesize medicines, gradually perfecting the art of herbalism bit by bit over a long period of time.

“Even though the medicines they concocted weren’t as perfect as those produced using alchemy, and even though they didn’t know about alchemical formations, and their concoctions only worked a tenth as good, it was still a blessing to the common folk as they finally had their own method of treating sickness. They would no longer have to fear being incapacitated by diseases.”

Maria gave a brief introduction to the history of herbalism to Claude proudly. “What you see in this room here is the most advanced herb-refinement center. This is the ‘alchemical formation’ we herbalists use.”

Maria took pride in her identity as a mid-ranked herbalist. She brought Claude along and introduced him to each and every apparatus, telling him their names and usages. “This is a separation beaker. It’s used to separate medicinal mixtures by spinning it quickly. And this is the crusher we use to powder mineral substances and herbs. Here, we have a boiling beaker… a medicinal chest… a pipette… a slicer… a pressure kettle… and a distillation pot we use to dilute mixtures.”

“Madam, how do most of your machines work?” Under those machines were many axles, so  seemed apparent that they weren’t meant to be powered with human help. The crusher for example was around 80 centimeters in diameter and seemed to require lots of force to lift.

According to his understanding, steam power hadn’t yet been discovered in this world. They mostly used hydro power and wind for their mechanical contraptions. For instance, the kingdom’s gun factory in the prefectural capital, Baromiss, produced around 50 thousand guns yearly and hired up to 3000 people. Most of their machines were water-powered. As the factory was located within a valley, they were able to use a waterfall to power their machines in gunmaking.

“Open the window and look outside and you’ll know,” said Maria with a giggle.

The largest difference between this room and the one before was that this one only had one window. On the glass of the window was some paper which blocked much of the light coming through. Maria had cast Luminous Pearl when she entered.

Maria was pointing to the right wall and Claude open the window to see a large water wheel installed against the wall outside just like the water millhouses by the side of rivers. It relied on the flow of water to power the wheel, which transferred the energy to the mills within.

Even though there wasn’t a lake next to the stone building, there was a large reservoir installed on the roof. There was a pipe extending from the tank and pointed towards the water wheel. So long as the valve on the tank was opened, the water would flow along the pipe onto the water wheel to move it. That would allow the axles of the machines to start moving and activate them.

“It really is a stroke of genius. Who designed this?” said Claude as he thumbed up in awe.

Maria’s teeth showed through her grin. She gladly answered, “It’s all my idea. I have another lab like this in the capital. Originally, we used work horses to power the machines there by fastening a wheel for them to pull. But then, we’d need one coachman to look after the horses during the whole process. Sometimes, the horses would throw a tantrum halfway and cause me to lose lots of precious ingredients. After that, I came up with this water-powered solution. All I have to do is to install a reservoir on the roof and siphon the water to the roof and supply it with water from the pipes. This is far more convenient and I don’t have to worry about the horses going on strike any longer.”

“Madam, you’re far too smart. It’s no wonder you were able to become a mid-ranked herbalist,” praised Claude.

“It’s nothing. My achievements pale in comparison to those of the forefathers of herbalism,” Maria said with a wave of her hand, “I’m not being humble. This is simply the truth. This set of machinery is akin to a basic alchemical formation and they were made possible when the forefathers analyzed what the effects of the alchemical formations on herbs were and tried to recreate it painstakingly with tools the common folk could use, allowing future herbalists like us to be able to synthesize good medicine even without relying on alchemical formations. They are the true greats.”

“Madam, I have a request that might sound excessive. Can you teach me herbalism?” asked Claude with a serious expression.

“Do you want to become a herbalist?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

Maria gave it some thought and shook her head. “Sorry, Claude, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you. I just don’t have the time. I will only be staying in Whitestag for another half a month and there’s no way I can teach you much about the craft in such a short time. Also, you have to attend school, right? You can’t possibly have time to learn alongside me…”

“I can self study, Madam,” Claude pleaded, “I’m already in the third year of middle school and I’ll be graduating in another two or so months. Currently, the classes pose no problem to me and I can even get away with taking leave from school. Also, I’m not asking you to tutor my one-to-one. I only need you to guide me on which books and material on the subject I need to go through by myself step by step.”

“If that’s the case…” She lowered her head in thought and nodded. “Follow me.”

Claude followed her into the outermost room where the niros crocodile was placed.

“Behold, Claude. The books on this shelf are all related to herbalism. I’ll permit you to come here to read these works during the next two weeks. You may come here as you please when you have time. I’ll give you a test after those two weeks and if you don’t pass, that’ll mean you aren’t suited to become a herbalist, so you’d better give up if that’s the case,” said Maria as she pointed at the large shelf against the wall.

Claude realized that he had ignored the shelf when he first entered the room because his attention was caught by the niros crocodile on the ground. His back was also facing the shelf when he was having tea with Maria, causing him to completely ignore its existence.

“Ah, there are so many books here… Can I read any of them?” Claude was feeling tense with joy. Reading was his favorite pastime.

“Yes. You like to read too?” Maria found herself liking Claude more and more. Normal people would feel their head hurt at the sight of so many books, especially those that weren’t novels, which were common among average folk. Being asked to read so many books on herbalism was supposed to be a daunting task, yet Claude looked like a kid who found his new toy. He stared at the shelf and couldn’t wait to jump at the books.

“That’s right. I’ve already finished reading the hundreds of books in my father’s study, and there aren’t many interesting new ones in the bookstores in town. The ones that come in are usually novels or some inspirational biography and they’re far too boring. I wasn’t able to find any book to my liking at all.”

“Most of the books I have here are from the imperial capital. It’s my collection, in a sense. However, they’re mostly related to herbalism and only a small number of them deal with history and geography. Since you like to read, you may come to visit as often as you like as long as you don’t feel bored,” said Maria with a smile.

“Thank you, Madam. Can I start now?” He was feeling impatient already.

“Of course. Let me pour you some tea while you read.”

At that time, Rodan came and eyed Claude. He reported to his lady, “Madam, the wild boars are here again. They’re quite close to us as well, being just across the slope there. You’ll be able to see it once you go out.”

“Oh, is that so? Bring me there,” said Maria.

He knew that it wasn’t time to read and had to do something about it. Part of the reason he was there was to hunt wild boars after all. He followed Maria out of the building.

They stopped not far away. Claude looked in the direction Rodan pointed in and saw a dozen of wild boars running around the slope with joy. There was tilled land across the slopes where some crop was planted and the boars were skipping about there.

“Do you want to hire a few hunters from the town to chase those boars away, Madam?” asked Rodan.

“Let me take care of it. There’s no need to call the hunters,” offered Claude on his own accord.

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