Rowan brewed Daelin a fresh pot of anchor weed tea. Daelin had never tried it before and remarked that it had a medicinal taste.
Still, there was a reason a high-grade herb like anchor weed cost so much.
Anchor weed was a perennial herb. Its leaves and stems never withered, regardless of the season, and it could adapt to a wide range of environments.
It could be found as far north as the Waning Glacier or along the perpetually warm coast of Old Drust. Yet there was a pattern to its growth: any two anchor weed plants would always be a considerable distance apart. The exact reason was unknown. Rowan had once asked Broll about its growth habits, and Broll had explained that anchor weed relied heavily on the power of nature. As a plant rich in high-level natural energy, it consumed enormous amounts of Nature Energy to grow. That was why it was so rare and could not be cultivated artificially.
After two cups, Daelin found that the Anchor Weed Tea went down smoothly and grew increasingly refreshing the more he drank. By his third cup, he noticed that it even restored his stamina and soothed his mind, though he could not be sure he was not imagining it.
"I'll have the old butler pack some for you to take home later." Seeing how much his father-in-law enjoyed it, Rowan could hardly make Daelin ask. Admiral Daelin had looked after him a great deal over the past six months. Rowan could certainly afford to give him a little tea.
Daelin waved a hand and declared loftily, "It's certainly good stuff, but it doesn't suit soldiers. Drink too much, and you'll become psychologically dependent on it. You should drink less of it yourself."
It could indeed become psychologically habit-forming, though