Mount & Blade: Pendor Becomes a Dominator Starting with the Creation of a Self-Established Knigh

Chapter 76 Initial Ideas for Future Industries

To Roger's astonishment, Old Quay pulled a box out from deep within the straw mat.

The box looked brand new, with the wood grain clearly visible, as if it had been made recently.

Old Kui vigorously patted off the grass clippings and dirt, noticing that Roger was watching him intently. A hint of uncertainty and unease appeared on his face, as if he was afraid Roger would blame him for not preserving it properly.

He lifted the lid of the box and held it up, letting Roger examine it.

Roger leaned down to look, and the moment he saw the objects inside, his eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat.

He must have seen ginseng in his previous life.

My father once bought a few ordinary wild ginseng roots to make wine. The transparent wine jar was always displayed in a prominent place in the living room. He still remembers the appearance of the ginseng very well.

But the contents of the box were vastly different from the ginseng he remembered.

Inside the small box, nestled atop green pine needles, lay four ginseng roots lying quietly.

Roger took a deep breath, wiped his hands repeatedly on his clean clothes, and carefully reached out to gently pinch the top ginseng root.

Roger weighed the ginseng in his hand, his heart pounding wildly.

Although this ginseng was half-dried, it was unusually heavy to the touch, but it was short, thick, and bloated, with an irregular, bumpy shape. The ginseng body was crooked and not straight at all.

The surface is covered with fine horizontal lines, each one seemingly etched with the marks of time.

He weighed the ginseng in his hand, his heart pounding wildly.

The one in my hand weighs nearly two hundred grams!

Roger gently put the ginseng back, then picked up the other three in turn and examined them carefully.

The more he looked, the faster his heart beat and the more rapid his breathing became.

These four ginseng roots are of different sizes, with the heaviest one weighing almost 300 grams!

Even the lightest one weighs at least a hundred grams, and its shape is short, stout, and sturdy.

Four whole ginseng kings, one of which is a top-grade one!

Roger's breathing became extremely rapid, his chest heaving.

The Four Kings of Ginseng should be genuine. In a world where agriculture depends on the weather, there can't possibly be any artificially cultivated wild ginseng, right?

Roger knew very well that in his previous life, a wild ginseng that was over a hundred years old was already a priceless treasure, often fetching millions of dollars at auction!

Even though its collectible value far outweighs its medicinal value, its high price reflects the miraculous effects of this century-old ginseng king!

The ginseng king in Roger's hand, with its extremely fine texture, would have been worth immeasurably in his previous life!

However, this elation was soon replaced by heartache.

He ran his fingertips over the ginseng, and saw that almost all of the ginseng's rootlets had been torn off. The once graceful, dense, and numerous rootlets were now reduced to a few yellowish, lifeless strands.

What pained Roger even more was that one of the smaller sea cucumbers had a deep gash!

The gash was clearly dug out by a hoe or sickle, and the gash almost cut the entire ginseng in half!

"What a waste!"

Roger couldn't help but curse under his breath, his face filled with heartache.

Roger glanced up at Old Quay, who was practically gloating, and almost couldn't help but glare at him fiercely.

A significant portion of ginseng's medicinal properties are contained within its roots, but these villagers clearly had no idea how precious it was, probably mistaking it for just an ordinary "radish"!

They dug without any restraint, digging haphazardly with hoes and pulling violently with their hands, ruining almost all the valuable roots.

However, on the other hand, four consecutive ginseng kings seem a bit off in terms of yield ratio.

The world is different now, so will even the effects of ginseng be different now?

Thinking of this, Roger's heart sank. He desperately wanted to know if these "King of Ginseng" still had the effects they were supposed to have, and whether they were still "treasures".

Old Kui had been watching Roger's expression intently, noticing his shifting expressions from elation to frowns, and finally to worry, as Roger examined the radishes. Old Kui's heart pounded with anxiety, and he couldn't help but ask, "Master Roger, are these long-bearded radishes the raw material for the medicinal herb you described to me before?"

"Some time ago, I organized the hunters in the village to go hunting in the mountains. I specifically told them that although this thing is extremely rare in the mountains, you can still find some if you look carefully."

"Master Rogge, this stuff is highly poisonous! Can it really be used as medicine?!"

As Lao Kui spoke, a clear look of disgust and fear appeared on his face.

"In the village, nobody dares to eat it; everyone is afraid of this highly poisonous substance!"

"Many years ago, the village suffered a great famine, and there was no harvest at all."

"Some people who are really starving will dig up this stuff and cook it to eat."

Not long after they ate it, some people started having nosebleeds, their mouths were filled with sores, and many even bled from all seven orifices.

"What's even more frightening is that some people have gone completely insane!"

He attacks anyone he sees, smashes anything he sees, and is so strong that several people can't hold him down; he's like a completely different person.

"This stuff is extremely poisonous to the elderly; just one sip of soup made from it will kill them instantly."

Only the poorest, strongest men, with absolutely no other way to make a living, would soak this in water and drink it.

Roger listened attentively, a look of surprise and delight spreading across his face.

The symptoms described by Lao Kui are not poisoning at all; they are clearly a classic case of "being too weak to tolerate tonics"!

Ginseng is a powerful tonic with miraculous effects. During times of famine, the villagers suffered from long-term malnutrition and were extremely weak.

They simply cannot withstand such a potent tonic!

The elderly are already exhausted and their energy and blood are depleted, so they cannot withstand such drastic supplementation. It is only natural that they would die suddenly.

He was now convinced that these "long-bearded radishes" that the villagers regarded as a monstrous threat were actually wild ginseng, and that they were ginseng kings that had grown for at least a hundred years!

People in this world, from top to bottom, unanimously regard this priceless treasure, capable of prolonging life, as a deadly poison and squander it at will.

Rogge increasingly realized just how great the medical wisdom of "Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs" was in the ancient Chinese civilization!

Countless thoughts flashed through Roger's mind in an instant.

Wild ginseng can replenish vital energy, restore pulse and prevent collapse, benefit qi and control blood, and has remarkable effects on those who are recovering from serious illness or whose vital energy has been greatly depleted.

With these life-saving artifacts, his wounded soldiers could receive the best treatment and quickly recover their strength.

More importantly, a bold idea flashed through his mind like lightning!

What amazing effects would occur if these ginseng kings were combined with one's own unique "experience candy"?

Previously, he had already tried dissolving the experience candy in alcohol to make a corresponding medicinal wine.

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Experience candies can directly improve overall physical fitness, while ginseng can prolong life and restore vitality.

If the two are combined and made into a real "life-saving medicinal wine", its value would be immeasurable!

In this world where human life is cheap and strength reigns supreme, what could be more precious than Dragon Tear Gems than this life-saving medicine?

Rogge seemed to have already seen the future:

When he was no longer afraid of any conspiracies or schemes, hunters dug up ginseng kings from the deep mountains and delivered them to him.

He built a specialized medicinal wine workshop to mass-produce all sorts of miraculous medicinal wines.

It brings not only money, but also power and status!

Crisis and opportunity coexist!

If the ginseng in this world truly has such miraculous effects, Roger can't even imagine what a tremendous fortune that would be!

Seeing that Roger remained silent for a long time, but his face was full of undisguised excitement, Old Quai finally felt relieved.

He could tell that Roger was very satisfied with these "long-bearded radishes," and his heart warmed as well.

After a moment's hesitation, Old Kui spoke cautiously, his tone earnest: "Master Roger, I know that your 'miracle drug' must be a priceless, closely guarded secret."

"I, Lao Kui, am not an ignorant person. I dare not expect you to teach me the prescription."

Roger finally came to his senses and realized that he had been showing too much importance on these wild ginseng, so he quietly looked at Old Kui.

Old Kui looked up at Roger in front of him, his voice choked with emotion: "I'm just a rural doctor, I don't have any great skills."

I've witnessed too many partings and deaths in my life. Many times, people who could be saved were forced to slowly die in despair because there was no good medicine.

That feeling of helplessness was worse than death!

"In previous years, people in the village would scold me for being a quack doctor, saying that I couldn't even cure minor illnesses!"

I don't blame them; I can only blame myself for being incompetent!

As Old Kui spoke, he bowed deeply to Roger: "I beg you, if possible, I will organize all the able-bodied men in the village to regularly go into the mountains to search for this medicinal herb for you, as much as you need!"

"I only hope that after you create the 'miracle drug,' you can occasionally give me some—"

"With these medicines, I can save many more people. Please, Master Roger!"

Roger frowned slightly, somewhat surprised as he watched Old Quay pour out his heart.

But then he thought again that he didn't even have a place to stand, and his expectations were nothing but a mirage, a castle in the air.

Those industrial plans are simply not going to be realized in the short term!

He's currently constantly traveling, so making small-scale medicinal wine is manageable, but he simply doesn't need that many "Ginseng Kings!"

Thinking of this, Roger paused for a moment, looked at the earnest light in Old Kui's eyes, and softened his tone: "And as you can see, I don't even have a fixed place to stay right now. Let alone large-scale drug production, I can't even store medicinal materials stably."

He paused, watching the light on Old Kui's face gradually dim, and continued, "So, I can't give you the finished medicine right now, nor can I teach you the formula."

Hearing Roger's words, Old Kui looked utterly dejected, his whole demeanor instantly wilting like a frostbitten eggplant.

He wanted to try again, so he continued, "Master Roger, are you still missing any ingredients? Tell us, and we'll do everything we can to get them for you!"

"Sometimes it's not a lack of raw materials, but a lack of production capability, do you understand?"

Old Kui looked bewildered, but he knew perfectly well that Roger had directly refused, leaving no room for negotiation.

Old Kui looked increasingly disappointed and no longer intended to persist.

"Master Rogge, I understand. I was presumptuous! Please don't mind!"

Please keep these; we don't need them here, but we hope they're of some help to you!

As Old Kui spoke, he handed the small box in his hand to Roger.

Looking at the small box handed to him, Roger paused slightly, glanced up at Old Quay's disappointed back, and after a moment's thought, said again, "Wait!"

Old Kui suddenly turned around, a faint glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Master Rogge, is there anything else?"

"I can't give you medicine directly—but I can help you improve your medical skills!"

Old Kui was stunned, his face filled with disbelief: "Help me improve my medical skills? This—how do I do that?"

Looking at the bewildered Old Quay, Roger's tone was unwavering: "It's simple! As long as you're willing to join my team and become one of my men!"

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