You All Have Extraordinary Talents

At dusk, quite a few scholars and students from Constantinople gathered around several large pots in the square with bowls in hand, waiting for the cooks to finish the noodles.

These days, the Kingdom of Sardinia was where noodles were eaten most often. They rolled the dough flat, cut it into strips, and then dried them.

In Wessen Territory, noodle-making machines were already in use. A feed screw pushed the dough forward, squeezing it through a mold at the top of a cylinder. Round and flat noodles emerged, as long as someone turned the handle beside it.

The freshly made noodles went straight into the pot. Once cooked, they were ladled into bowls, and each person could go to the side for a spoonful of garlic sauce, a spoonful of vegetables, and a serving of sliced sausage.

After finishing their noodles, they could also ask for a bowl of noodle soup by the pot.

For travelers exhausted in body and mind after a long journey, a hot meal was no different from a lavish feast.

Elsewhere, Frederick invited Manuel and several scholars of noble status to dine together at the town hall.

There was no time to prepare luxurious food. Tonight's staple was noodles, while the main course was roasted pork knuckle with sauerkraut, accompanied by chicken soup with seasonal vegetables and fine wine brought from the Weissenburg cellars. The only dessert was "Black Crystal Eggs" arranged like flower petals. At least there was plenty to eat.

Manuel and the others had been starving for some time. They rarely got off the ship, and every day they had eaten nothing but Black Bread and mush cooked from all sorts of things.

No one at the table had any interest in talking. It was rare for a local lord to be willing to entertain them; the proper thing was to bury their heads and eat.

Only after the meal did Frederick ask Manuel, "May I ask what plans you have for the future?"

Manuel's eyes were filled with confusion. Helplessly, he said, "I don't know. All we can do is keep traveling and see who is willing to take us in."

After saying that, he raised his glass and drained the fine wine in one gulp. Since there was good wine to drink, he might as well drink more.

Frederick gestured for Ah Fu to refill his glass. Once it was full, he asked, "I have a question. You are all great scholars rarely seen in this world, men people could not have invited even if they tried. Why have you fallen into such circumstances?"

Manuel fell silent. He exchanged glances with the other scholars, then finally let out a deep sigh. "The few of us harmed everyone."

"I am a Necromancer. Others avoid me whenever they see me. Why would anyone take me in?"

Then another scholar, Friedrich, shook his head and said, "I am a Poison Master among alchemists. If someone took me in, they would probably not even dare drink water."

The third scholar, Diesel, said with a bitter smile, "Perhaps you have not heard of me, but your steward should know. My Explosion Magic is immensely powerful, but it cannot distinguish friend from foe."

Hearing this, Frederick looked at Ah Fu in surprise.

He knew very little about this steward. All he knew was that Ah Fu had been saved by his father long ago, and had served the Weissen Family ever since. No one knew anything about his past.

Ah Fu merely nodded.

The fourth scholar was named Aumert. Spreading his hands, he said, "I study Golem Puppets. But in recent years, destructive magic has advanced with every passing day. The high-defense advantage of Golem Puppets has become less and less apparent, their intelligence has never matched that of humans, and they are expensive. No one is willing to use them anymore."

The fifth scholar, Matthias, covered his face and said, "I am a Plant Manipulator, but the plants I cultivate are too fat. They are not very agile in battle."

The sixth, Monoflo, pointed at Matthias and said, "I am a Beast Tamer. I am the same as him."

Finally, Manuel said, "The several of them traveled from the Rhine Alliance to Constantinople to study when they were young. Now they are returning to their homeland to try their luck."

After listening to the six of them, Frederick said seriously, "I can tell that every one of you possesses extraordinary talents."

"I am not being sarcastic or mocking you. I truly believe that."

"I have always believed that there is no useless magic, nor is there magic inherently evil. There are only people who do not know how to use it in the right place."

"Sir Manuel, if you and the other scholars do not mind, I invite you all to rest and recover at the manor by Brombach Lake."

"What I hope most, of course, is that you can remain here and continue your work in education and academic research."

The room instantly became especially quiet. No one spoke. No one here was a fool; everyone understood the relationship between what one gave and what one received.

Manuel looked deeply into Frederick's eyes, trying to see through his intentions. For the moment, he could not tell whether this eight-year-old child had simply been moved by kindness or had some other motive.

"And besides that?" Manuel asked. "Is there... anything else you need us to do?"

Frederick picked up his cup and took a sip of fruit juice. After thinking seriously for a moment, he said, "I plan to dig a canal through the territory to connect the Danube River and the Rhine River. When the time comes, this place will become an emerging commercial center."

"If you establish schools here, you will surely be able to recruit many students. Their food, clothing, housing, and travel will also provide Tax Revenue for the territory."

"You have also brought many books, which I believe are mainly written in Imperial Script. So I plan to sponsor you in translating them into Rhine Script."

"When the time comes, I will sell the Rhine Script editions and give you a share of the proceeds."

"Of course, I will also ask you to do some things. I will find some young people for you to train, and whenever I encounter difficult magical problems, I will seek your advice as well."

Then he said to Friedrich, "You are a Poison Master. I plan to fund your research into an inexpensive medicine that can drive out Ascariasis without harming people."

Ascariasis was an enormous problem these days. Around ten percent of people in towns were infected, while the infection rate in villages exceeded half. Livestock had even higher infection rates.

Frederick had discovered that the roundworms in this world were fiercer than those in his previous life's hometown. The heat from composting manure could not kill their eggs; only boiling water could. The eggs even had an indigestible outer shell like some plant seeds and could spread through bird droppings.

Fortunately, this world had a kind of green Acid Slime. The acid secreted by their digestive cavities could not only dissolve the armor and clothes of female knights and female mages, but also digest both the outer shell and the eggs of roundworms while breaking down organic matter in soil and fertilizer.

In theory, throwing Acid Slimes into manure piles could reduce the spread of roundworms. But manure piles were meant to be used as fertilizer in the fields, and the slimes' acid would harm the plants.

Frederick had no choice but to plan on using deworming medicine to get rid of them while the roundworms were still little lolis and shota boys. At that stage, the parasites would die during composting, reducing their spread.

If they could truly develop an affordable deworming medicine with no side effects, or even merely mild ones, it would be like lying at home and watching gold coins rain down from the sky.