Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 763 Military Pharmaceutical Company
Two days later, Egno once again entered the Emperor's office with the clinical trial report of the Rejuvenating Agent.

"Oh? Of the drugs deployed to the army this time, only one Starfire Warrior experienced an adverse reaction?"

Harvey only glanced through a few pages before immediately noticing a newly added page in the report, which contained the information of Santas, a Starfire warrior who had participated in the Leroux Canyon operation a few days earlier.

Egno bowed and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, after repeated testing and examination, we found that only this Starfire Warrior who fused with the Beast Soul experienced side effects after taking the potion, which we call... Soul Proliferation Phenomenon."

Harvey nodded. He was naturally more aware of the power of rules contained in the newborn fragments. The magical plants catalyzed by it would inevitably have this characteristic. Not only could they promote the rapid healing and growth of flesh and blood, but the soul of the test subject would also be enhanced to a certain extent.

"The side effects are negligible. Compared to the slight beast-like reversion on the surface of the body, the strength of the soul can help them better control the magical armor beast soul and exert a stronger combat power."

Harvey raised his hand and tapped the report on the table, saying calmly, "In that case, inform the special forces' commanding instructors to add a small dose of regeneration agent to the nourishing medicines provided to the soldiers on a daily basis."

Egno bowed in agreement, then continued, "Your Majesty, the feedback from the military regarding the new potions from the Potions Research Institute has been excellent, and there are concerns about the establishment of a military pharmaceutical company..."

"You plan to recruit and gather all the priests in the Papacy who are involved in the development of auxiliary potions using this method?" Harvey raised an eyebrow and asked directly.

The exiled papacy of the Holy City of Goris sent a group of priests and clerics of varying ages and qualities. Although they were all guaranteed to be of commoner origin as required, at least 40% of them were elderly men over 50 with gray hair and beards, and the vast majority of them could not withstand the intensity of battlefield medical work.

As other young priests were successively dispatched to various military bases, these older priests who were selected and "eliminated" were forced to remain in the capital. Only when the Magical Medicine Research Institute needed divine magic to assist in experiments would Egnor send someone to bring them over.

Egno felt it was a waste not to fully exploit the value of these papal personnel.

"If they cannot join the military medical system, then they should be hired through the Ministry of Health's normal medical talent recruitment process. Military and civilian pharmaceutical companies should be separated so that the drugs they produce can be targeted."

Harvey nodded, immediately understanding the meaning behind it.

Most of the magical potions used among the common people are mild in nature... Apart from a large number of vaccines used for prevention, many medicines for chronic diseases that require long-term use can reduce the side effect of magical erosion to a negligible level.

The medicines deployed to the army are designed to be fast-acting and able to immediately assist medics in saving the lives of the wounded, with side effects not being a primary consideration... After all, only by surviving can one have the opportunity to deal with the subsequent problems caused by the backlash of the medicine.

Therefore, in addition to the Rejuvenation Potion, the Potion Research Institute also successively released a kind of psychoactive potion into the army... personally named "Short-acting Stimulant" by Harvey, and conducted clinical drug tests on a small scale among bloodline warriors and frontline army soldiers.

Initially, most samurai and soldiers who received the potion regarded it as a substitute for anesthetics, primarily for reducing pain after injury. However, after several battles, many soldiers who used the potion suddenly discovered its unique and powerful effects—the biggest difference between this "short-acting stimulant" and anesthetics was that it did not paralyze or induce sleep in the wounded; instead, it completely isolated the pain for a short period, while also masking the fatigue, anxiety, and fear caused by intense combat.

Some soldiers were even able to attempt a ten-hour forced march through the wilderness after taking medication, and still remain energetic upon reaching their designated combat location.

Of course, as the effects of the drug gradually wear off in the body, the soldiers who were once so energetic will become extremely listless... This side effect has a huge impact, and the Academy of Magical Sciences raised questions about it when it was first developed, worrying that it would make the soldiers dependent on and addicted to it.

There were also spellcasters in the new alliance who keenly saw traces of the involvement of papal priests in drug development... The effects of this thing had a really strong "flavor" of blessing and holy prayer!
Fortunately, with the support of His Majesty the Emperor, Egno successfully sent the first batch of trial units into the army despite pressure from all sides, and obtained positive clinical reports.

"We could try hiring these church priests on short-term contracts, evaluating them during their tenure, and then, depending on their performance, issuing them formal employment contracts..."

In any case, whether they joined the army or went to work in a factory, as long as they were integrated into the kingdom's system, it was equivalent to undergoing "labor reform"... Harvey was basically satisfied with the performance of the first batch of believers sent from the holy city of Goris over the past six months.

Egno was overjoyed and couldn't help but ask, "Then the large-scale production of short-acting stimulants..."

According to the kingdom's regulations for the research and manufacture of magical potions, he needed to obtain permission from both the New Federation and the Academy of Magical Sciences; otherwise, even with the emperor's personal support, the drug development process could only remain at the clinical trial stage.

Harvey paused, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "Doping certainly cannot eliminate physical injuries and pain; its only effect is to provide rapid pain relief and postpone the onset of all the negative symptoms caused by the injury..."

"It may seem like a useless thing, but it is actually very important! No matter how strong a soldier's will is, he is still a mortal with flesh and blood. The great pain from serious injury and the deep fatigue from marching and fighting without sleep will make him mentally scattered and unable to respond effectively in critical moments. Especially for the seriously wounded, I hope that they can use drugs to stay awake and calmly treat their fatal injuries themselves, rather than going into shock due to the great pain and not being able to hold on until the medical personnel arrive."

As for the subsequent side effects, Harvey always maintained the same statement: "Only by surviving can one have the opportunity to withstand the side effects of the drug."

In the past, many soldiers of the Northern Army died because they were unconscious and went into shock from the pain after being wounded. They were unable to help themselves and could not wait for medical personnel to arrive. In the end, they died in the trenches due to excessive blood loss.

Harvey only hopes that this regrettable situation can be effectively improved once military drugs, mainly short-acting stimulants, are mass-produced.

“Go to the Academy of Sciences and the Federation in person and convey my words to them… I believe they will understand. I also fully support the establishment of the military pharmaceutical company and the large-scale production of stimulants.”

(End of this chapter)