Chapter 376
The use of the **Plant Sensitive** skill can be summed up in one word: **matchmaking.**
For example, let's say there are two saplings of the same medicinal herb species with the same effect.
One grows well, the other poorly.
If you make potions from each of those herbs, you naturally get a high-quality potion and a low-quality one.
"Are you with me so far?"
"Yes, well, that's perfectly ordinary if you're making potions."
At my sudden dive into common sense, not only Maddeto, but also Duke Edelgard, Lotus, Lady Esmeralda, and the guards tilt their heads, wondering why I'm stating the basics.
"Now, a question for you, Maddeto-san. Do you think a low-quality herb has any good points?"
"Good points... Even if its condition is poor, you can make a basic potion from it. I suppose the point is that some medicinal efficacy remains?"
"Incorrect. I mean a good point that shines *precisely because* its condition or quality is poor."
The first question was just to establish a common understanding.
The main topic starts here.
"A good point that shines when the condition is poor, the quality is bad... I'm sorry. I don't know."
He raises the white flag, unable to find an answer to those seemingly contradictory words. I nod.
"The answer is its low medicinal efficacy."
"Low medicinal efficacy? Isn't that a bad thing?"
"Normally, yes. But there's a saying, 'Too much is as bad as too little.' Medicine isn't just about having a strong effect. It's only by having a balanced, moderate efficacy that medicine exerts its proper effect. Let's see..."
"Certainly, that's true, but..."
I tell him that the demerit itself is the merit.
"The current common sense in potion-making is to use high-quality herbs to create something with an efficacy that exceeds a certain standard line."
"Yes, that's right."
"Then, what if we add the condition that it must not fall below *or* exceed a certain line?"
"That would... Indeed, create a need to lower the efficacy. But for something like an Elixir, wouldn't you need to gather high-quality materials with good efficacy?"
"That way of thinking is the first trap."
When you think about making Elixir, the pinnacle of recovery items, it's easy to fall into the notion that you just gather the best materials, of the finest quality, with the strongest effects, and throw them all together!!
"A trap?"
"Think about it. Elixir ingredients are diverse. Among them, do you think you can mix ultra-powerful ingredients, ultra-high-quality ingredients, and ultra-effective ingredients and have them all exhibit their full effects?"
"! I see! They would cancel each other out, or the powerful effects would mix and cause a transformation! Even if you gather high-quality ones, if the balance between the ingredients isn't even, some would overpower the medicinal efficacy of others."
I thought so too at first.
In games, you generally don't mix materials in milligram units during alchemy, and there are few cases where you fuss over the quality of herbs or materials.
At most, you gather materials, prepare the number required by the recipe, then use a skill to *poof* synthesize them into the finished product! That's the standard procedure.
If you incorporated that level of meticulous gameplay, it would be too bothersome as a game, accelerating player attrition.
So normally, such a system isn't included.
No, more fundamentally, if they included such a system, server load would skyrocket and processing couldn't keep up.
It was an element with a hundred drawbacks and not a single benefit.
But in FBO, if you wanted to, you could do it.
And precisely because you could, something like the Elixir's Golden Recipe was completed.
"So that's it! You use the poor quality in reverse to adjust the overall quality, creating materials balanced as a whole. You improve where it's lacking and worsen where it's excessive. And my skill is for performing that task!"
"Exactly right."
However, while 'balancing' sounds simple, this process is 'easier said than done.'
Fundamentally, the balance between materials isn't something quantified.
The ability to discern quality becomes crucial first, requiring you to hone a vague, intuitive sense.
"Furthermore, while your skill is limited to plants, you should also be able to grasp the compatibility between materials. Haven't you had that experience?"
"Certainly, when making potions, I sometimes have the sense that adding a certain material will make the quality worse than usual."
"When making Elixirs, that sense is the most important thing. You cannot make an Elixir just by following a recipe. Only by utilizing five elements—facilities, skills, materials, techniques, and the recipe—to create the golden ratio is an Elixir born."
Having reached that answer, I can only take my hat off to the tenacity of the analysis team that managed to formulate it into a recipe.
Back then, I had a friend in the analysis team, and I helped gather materials or even created a character specialized in magical potion creation to help unravel the mystery of Elixirs.
The discovery of material quality values during that time can be called one of FBO's greatest findings.
And Maddeto's skill, which allows him to sense that quality value and compatibility (albeit plant-limited), was one that players at the time would have earnestly wished for, saying "Please implement this!!"
Maddeto has no way of knowing how much easier life became for players once they realized he would become the leading expert in Elixir creation. They would nurture him thoroughly as a support character, entrust him with managing herb gardens and Elixir production, and achieve a stable supply of Elixirs.
"Let me be clear. In one respect, I assert that a cooperative relationship with you is more important to me than one with Duke Edelgard."
"How blunt."
"In matters of pharmaceutical production, Your Excellency, do you have personnel who can act as his substitute?"
"I am not so senile as to assert I can make Elixirs. In fact, having heard this, I cannot even let other nobles, let alone His Majesty, hear of this matter."
Because of such circumstances, my evaluation of Maddeto is higher than he likely thinks.
It might be rude to compare them right here, but purely from the perspective of pharmaceutical production, his value surpasses that of Duke Edelgard.
In fact, in reality, Duke Edelgard understands this point as well.
So there's no sense of him being offended.
"...... Liberta-dono. If I take your words at face value, it sounds as if you are asserting that having this skill alone means you can make an Elixir."
"You can't make it with just that skill. But I believe it *can* be made because this skill is combined with you, Maddeto-san, an expert in pharmaceutical production."
"You rate me quite highly. Are we truly meeting for the first time?"
As Maddeto's expression changes, sensing I'm not just flattering him but speaking earnestly, he exudes an atmosphere of questioning my sincerity. As a noble and a pioneer in medical affairs, he must have had no end of people trying to deceive him.
"Your knees and your hands tell the story. More than anything, I could tell from the moment you arrived at this field that you were someone who strives yourself. The decisive factor is your hands. They are the hands of a researcher who never neglects his work."
Not wanting to be lumped in with those deceivers, I present the evidence that led me to believe Maddeto must be working hard in this world as well, based on my FBO and real-world comparisons.
A noble kneeling without hesitation is something that rarely happens unless under extreme circumstances.
Moreover, getting one's clothes dirty in front of a host you've come to greet is behavior that could rightly be called discourteous.
Of course, it speaks to how engrossing this field is, but it also serves as proof of the depth of his knowledge and interest.
Furthermore, the roughness of his hands is different from a writer's or swordsman's callus.
It's the chapping that comes from handling chemicals during alchemy or magical potion creation.
They are not the hands of a typical noble, but very much the hands of a hands-on researcher.
"I see. It seems you observe closely."
At that reason, Maddeto's wariness eases, and he shows a smile.
"Anyway, if we are to make Elixirs, I will provide the funds for materials and facilities. What I want from you is your working time."
Once the foundation for making Elixirs is established, you could make them even without Maddeto.
But reaching that foundation requires immense patience and effort.
"So you purely value my skill?"
"Yes."
"I see. Duke Edelgard. He truly seems to be a charmer. He says such purely complimentary words, exactly what I'd want to hear. For a moment, I even considered renouncing my noble status and moving here."
"Please don't. If that happens, I, who introduced you, will incur His Majesty's wrath."
At the moment, Maddeto is the only person I believe can accomplish that task.
Even I, seasoned as I am, find the prospect of preparing that Elixir production foundation daunting.
"Indeed. First, I must follow the proper channels and lay the groundwork so I can cooperate with him under the best possible conditions."
"In that case..."
"Yes, I would like to take a chance on your dream-like proposal. Of course, I cannot just abandon my post, and there is also the support for the north. I cannot come immediately, but I promise I will definitely come here."
"So it would be cooperation through diplomatic channels. But I think I can trust you."
The ideal person will help with such a tremendous task.
Relieved by that, the next problem becomes the route for him to come here.
"Your Excellency's matter is related to that, correct? I heard from Esmeralda."
"That's right. Hearing such an outrageous story about Elixirs, I almost forgot. I wish to proceed with that matter as well."
For Maddeto, who wants to spread medicine throughout this entire kingdom, his noble rank as a source of authority still holds value.
I have no desire to forcibly rule this continent either, so spreading medicine from here would be difficult.
So, just getting his commitment to come here as a dispatched official from the kingdom is a gain in itself.
There is a concern about the Elixir production method leaking, but we'll handle that with a proper prior contract to minimize information leakage.
Well, even if it did leak, I doubt that country could prepare the required facilities.
"Regarding the diplomat matter, I wish to dispatch my daughter, Iris, as the head, along with assistants."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, serious. The pretext is that for you, dealing with Iris would be easier in various ways."
"A pretext? I had a feeling there was a real reason. Is something fishy going on around her?"
"Fishy is an understatement. Nobles desperate to connect with you by any means are coming to visit every day, not just sending letters."
It seems there's a problem we need to deal with before the Elixir matter.
Originally, the diplomat discussion involved an agreement to exchange personnel when I received this land, but it seems things have become more of a quagmire on their end than I expected.
"But is that okay? Sending Lady Iris to my place... Strange rumors will start about us, you know?"
"Since Esmeralda is here, it shouldn't be a problem. We can say on the surface that she's studying at her older sister's side. There will be those who make odd conjectures, but let the gossips imagine what they will."
"I'm afraid I can't give an immediate answer on this matter. Let's change locations and discuss it properly. We also need to talk a bit more about Maddeto-san's situation."
Well, if you build a town like this, it's only to be expected, I suppose.