Recovery

Arthur stood amid a patch of flowers and grass, looking somewhat bedraggled. He had no idea how much time had passed.

His movements looked strange. Though his body was covered in wounds, he would occasionally bend down, pick up leaves or roots from certain plants, and put them in his mouth to chew.

Fortunately, few people ever came here, so Arthur did not need to worry about anyone seeing him like this.

After continuing this for some time, Arthur finally stopped and frowned at his surroundings.

The garden was not especially large, but it still covered seven or eight mu, with no shortage of plant varieties. In his current state, with his mobility impaired, it would be difficult to try every single species here.

"I remember there are people specifically responsible for purchasing and tending flowers and plants here. I can just have them gather samples of these plants and send them over later." Arthur looked around and thought helplessly.

"Fortunately, what I have now is enough."

He withdrew his attention and recalled the potion formula in his mind.

These were the results of his efforts this time.

As a descendant of nobility and a Knight Apprentice, Arthur did not spend all his time training. He had also studied wild herbs and several common potion formulas. Though he had not delved deeply into them, he at least possessed some understanding.

With the information in his mind, combined with the properties and ingredients of these plants analyzed by the Chip, the Chip's computational ability could easily produce a usable potion formula.

"Ding! Using Naiye Root, Moduo Leaf, and other materials as the primary ingredients, combined through specific procedures, a complete potion can be obtained. Estimated effects: accelerated wound healing, removal of certain toxins..."

"Name it Healing Potion!"

Arthur gave the order in his heart, naming the potion. Then he turned to look over the garden, selected enough materials from among the plants before him, wrapped them in a piece of cloth, and barely picked them up with his injured left hand.

Supporting himself with his right hand, Arthur had no interest in staying here any longer and headed straight outside.

After walking some distance, Arthur entered the kitchen and ordered everyone else out.

The servants and cooks in the kitchen were somewhat bewildered, but they did not dare defy Arthur's orders. They promptly withdrew, leaving Arthur alone.

He set down the bundle in his hands, took out the materials within, and looked toward several utensils that had already been prepared nearby.

The method for making the Healing Potion was not overly complicated, and the kitchen possessed nearly everything required.

Arthur processed the materials one by one according to the method provided by the Chip, then began concocting the potion.

"Chip, determine whether the potion meets the requirements."

After finishing, Arthur looked at the steaming black broth before him and asked the Chip.

"The target potion deviates from the projected result by more than one-tenth. Concoction failed."

Hearing the result, Arthur showed no reaction and merely ordered, "Analyze the cause of failure."

"Some materials were added in excessive quantities. During boiling, certain components failed to take effect in time..." The mechanical voice continued echoing in his mind.

Within Arthur's mind, the process of his previous potion-making attempt replayed continuously. Every erroneous movement was carefully marked and repeatedly played back.

Arthur pondered for a while, then picked up the materials at his side again and began another attempt.

With the previous failed process replaying before him and the Chip assisting him, this concoction went very smoothly. Though there were still slight deviations, it was considered successful.

"Method of use: drink directly."

The Chip's prompt sounded in his mind. Arthur looked at the pitch-black potion before him without the slightest hesitation, stepped forward, picked it up, and swallowed it.

An overwhelmingly nauseating sensation rose within his body, making Arthur feel faintly like vomiting.

He stood there with his right hand against the wall, forcing himself to endure the sensation without allowing the slightest expression to appear on his face.

"Wound healing speed increased. Use once every three days. Estimated time until complete recovery: thirty-three days."

The Chip's mechanical voice rang in his mind, filling Arthur with delight.

"It shortened the recovery time by a full two months. This Healing Potion is quite effective."

As he thought this, a certain trait brought from his previous life instinctively prompted him to explore the potion's further value.

"Though the knights of this world are powerful, medicine seems quite underdeveloped. Most of them still rely on their strong physiques to endure injuries. In a place like this, a potion with such obvious effects should be very popular among warriors once its effects are proven. Especially Knight Apprentices—every one of them is a noble, and none of them lack money."

At that thought, Arthur's eyes lit up.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Early one morning, a middle-aged man dressed in light brown clothes and smeared with dirt cautiously approached from outside, carrying a large leather sack in one hand.

His face bore humility and caution as he carefully lowered his head, moving with great restraint. He seemed afraid of drawing attention or being rebuked by others.

Only after reaching a certain place did he let out a breath of relief. He carefully looked at the room before him. "Lord Arthur, are you there?"

He called softly, as if afraid of disturbing someone, looking cautious and restrained.

Click!

With a soft sound, the door was opened from within. A pale-faced youth dressed in fitted black clothes emerged. It was Arthur.

Compared to more than half a month ago, his condition had improved significantly. Not only had most of the wounds on his body healed, but he could now walk freely on his own, whereas he had once been unable even to stand alone. Other than his still somewhat pale complexion, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

"Come in." Arthur looked at the man by the door and directly let him enter.

The middle-aged man answered respectfully, lowered his head, and entered Arthur's room. He then opened the large leather sack he carried, revealing several items inside.

There were three smaller bags inside the large sack. One contained insects that crawled around within, looking extremely disgusting. Another held wild flowers and plants gathered from the wilderness.

As for the last bag, it contained several plants with golden blossoms blooming on them.

Arthur gave these materials a casual glance, then immediately frowned. "Why are there even fewer Agave plants this time? Didn't I tell you to bring me one hundred plants last time?"

The sack contained golden Agave plants. Yet compared with the ones carefully tended in the garden, these Agave plants were not only ugly in appearance, with damaged stems and leaves, but generally looked underdeveloped. They lacked all the poise of the previous ones.

However, Arthur did not care much about these superficial differences. What concerned him was that there were far fewer Agave plants before him than he had expected.

"My apologies, my lord."

Upon hearing Arthur's dissatisfied words, the middle-aged man's legs weakened instinctively, and he nearly dropped to his knees. A terrified expression appeared on his rough, dark face. "Agave grows everywhere in the wild, but the blooming season is still far away. There are very few that meet your requirements."

"Please give me another two days, my lord. This time, I will definitely bring you enough."

After explaining himself, he looked utterly panicked and hurriedly promised Arthur, afraid of being blamed.

Seeing the middle-aged man's appearance, Arthur's originally gloomy expression softened somewhat.

He understood that he had been too idealistic before. Just because something was everywhere in the wild did not mean suitable specimens were easy to find.

"Forget it. Together with what was left from before, these should be enough."

With that thought, Arthur took a small bag from nearby. It was filled with golden coins, and he tossed it directly to the man.

"I'll overlook this mistake for now. But if there is a next time, I imagine many people nearby would be happy to take over this job."

As he watched the man hold the money bag with delight on his face, Arthur did not forget to warn him. His eyes stared at the man coldly.

This man was actually a hunter from the surrounding area. Arthur had hired him to regularly bring materials that Arthur needed.

These things were mostly wild flowers and grasses found in the wilderness and were practically worthless. Yet here, they could be exchanged for rewards that were extremely generous in the eyes of people like him. Naturally, plenty of people were eager to do the job.

Hearing Arthur's words, the middle-aged man's expression tightened. He had five children at home waiting to be fed and desperately needed this well-paying work to support his family. Naturally, he could not afford to lose it.

He also knew that, given the terms Arthur offered, countless people would be waiting to see him make a mistake so they could take over his position. He absolutely could not let them have their way.

In an instant, a flattering expression appeared on his face. He kept making promises in a dialect mixed with local slang, only stopping when Arthur told him to leave.

After the man left, Arthur closed the door, took several materials he had not seen before from the large sack, put them in his mouth, and tested them one by one.

Only after he had tested every new material did disappointment appear on his face.

"There are no materials that can improve physical attributes."

He looked disappointedly at the pile of materials before him, then turned his gaze toward his own attributes.

Name: Arthur Falkus. Strength: 2.4 (2.8). Agility: 1.9 (2.3). Constitution: 2 (2.5).

After taking Healing Potion for a long time, Arthur's injuries had nearly recovered, and his various attributes had mostly begun returning to their healthy state. However, the maximum values for Strength and Agility had both increased by 0.1, taking a considerable step forward.

The increase in Agility naturally resulted from his long-term consumption of Agave during this period. As for the increase in Strength, it came from a black plant root he had discovered some time ago. Long-term consumption of it could increase Strength by 0.1.

However, by now, that black plant no longer had any effect on him. It seemed Arthur's body had developed resistance to it. No matter how much he used, it could no longer increase his Strength by even a single point.

Agave, on the other hand, had already increased Arthur's Agility by 0.1, but according to the Chip's analysis, it had not yet reached its limit. Continued consumption would still provide some benefits.