The Hidden Valley [1]

Marth daily life was scheduled into something like this; in the morning he would train with Lin Yue, noon he would learn Dark magic with Kassandra Nagi, and in the evening, he would give short course to the slaves.

Today was Mittwoch and not Dienstag ..., ahh, if you haven't know about it yet, the Osterreich Kingdom Calendar was a solar calendar like the rest of the upper region. The only difference was that they use different wording for the days. Starting from Monday to Sunday, it will be Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, and Sontag. So Mittwoch was Wednesday, well, literally it'd mean middle of the week, but meh ... it's the third day of the week. 

He still felt something weird because he passed the day without any memories of it. But he has asked almost anyone in the mansion, and they would answer like so. And there's no way they would put a massive prank like this to him. Still, it was indescribable experience for him, to pass a day without any memories of it whatsoever.

This morning, he woke up still feeling muscle ache from yesterday training with hellish prefix on it. 

Never he thought that Lin was such a spartan woman. It was the first time he fainted from forcing his body that much until it collapsed. Though the thing he did was only running.

He walked with trembling legs into the eastern yard of the mansion. No matter what, scary thing was indeed fearsome. And for him, he saw Lin Yue as the scariest person in the world. At least he hadn't meet anyone who could bring as much terrorizing feeling as her.

Lin Yue sat down in cross-legged in the middle of the grassy field, the curved-blade was leaned on her shoulder and she closed her eyes in meditation.

"You came, huh ...?" her greeting after sensing his presence.

Just like a prey felt restless around its natural predator, he was shivering as if having a seizure. Nevertheless, Marth still answered out of politeness and compulsion.

"Y-yes." stuttering.

"Maa~~ ..., don't be scared like that, Marth-boya, I won't bite, yano~~!" she looked at him, showing her trademark carnivorous smile.

'No, no, no, no ..., I won't believe that if you show me those dangerous smile!'

He shook his head to let go of her visage from his mind. Lin Yue also shook her head slightly as if watching his reaction was somewhat cute.

"Come ..., take a seat!" she beckoned.

"..."

'Really ..., she never open her eyes, huh?' what was Marth thought after seated in front of her, somewhat rude actually, her eyes slit just narrow but that doesn't mean she always closing them, 'Is Chinese people, no matter in which world they always be this vicious? I wonder whether they're stingy or not.'

"Marth-boya ..., just now, you're thinking rude thing about me, yaka~?"

"HII!!!" he shrieked in panic, shaking his head just like a No-man --the opposite version of the Yes-man, "No, ma'am! I never!"

"I'll forgive you just this time, ..." Lin Yue opened her eyes, the brown eyes with the color of almond pierced him like a sharp sword, "But I dare you to do that in the future ..."

"I-I'm sorry Ma'am." he bowed in submission.

"Call me Master, please ..., even though I'm like this, we're technically master-disciple yano~!"

"Y-yes, Master Lin."

She nodded with a smile, "Fumu ..., let's begin then!"

Glug ...

He gulped the pre-accumulated spit and waited for her next word. He has steeled his heart, yet he still unable to calm down. Just what kind of hellish torture he would undergo today. His heart was beating in anticipation, no in wariness.

"Marth-boya, have you eat your breakfast?"

'What's with the sudden question? And is that question somewhat weird?' he mulled over her words, however could not guess what was her intention. 'Or, she want to know whether I have sufficient energy for today. So she could push me to the limit just like yesterday. That ..., isn't that too extreme?

"..., erm, yeah." his mind went into a circle thus he only nodded and curtly answered.

She sensed that his mind was somewhat distracted. She could guess what was happening on his mind, and the reason behind it. Though, knowing something was wrong and trying to fix something that wrong was two different things. 

"Your physical fitness is barely enough, but we can work on that later on. Now ...," she handed her sword, and Marth took it with questioning gaze, "Swing it, a thousand times or so would suffice."

'It's a masochistic training again, after all!!!'

◊ ◊ ◊

In the noon before he began his magic study, he visited the refurbished servant's house.

It was a wonder, just how fast could these workers finish their work? It has been only four day(if today was really Mittwoch) since they started working. And they already finish this tedious work.

Indeed, construction workers of different world is ...different.

He entered the research room that occupy almost half of the first floor of this building. When he opened the door, the small people, the dwarves greeted him. 

"Master, good afternoon."

"Good day ..." he looked around the research room.

There weren't that much equipment in this room. He made some necessary container and test tube by [Forming] glasses he got from broken windows. But he could made the equipment in bulk because not everyday he could break a windows or glasses.

He walked to one of the wooden block with purplish butter-like something on it. Yes, it was a soap he had made yesterday with cold processing. It was already solidified into what he would call a complete sabun.

Yesterday, he has put an order to the slave aside from the three slave girls who he asked to make dictionary. The order was to start synthetizing soap, and begin soap production. He taught them the formula and ratio of the soap while also mentioning something about the reaction.

The result of that was this block of soaps.

Although the fat used was only from animal grease, he didn't have the luxury to transmute it all into the less smelly oil with his magic, it was more than enough to make effective soap that could cleanse something. And because of the lavender perfume, the fragrance was quite strong to get rid of the animal grease.

" ..., this is quite good actually."

It has the slimy sensation of a soap, there was a deep lavender smell from it. He tried the soap with water, and some soapy bubble popped out cleansing the dust and dirt on his hand..

"Oh!" the dwarves looked really interested when he tried the soap.

Though, they were interested with the curious object, they didn't dare to do anything and just watching silently. 

"You ...," he pointed at one of the dwarf, it was silver-haired middle-aged dwarf, "What's your name again, ah right, it's Mafumafu right?"

"Aye, ..., what is it, Master?"

"Continue making the soap, you've learnt the recipe, yes? Then continue following that recipe but with other fragrance agent. Try extracting fruits and flower of it's essential oil."

"Aye that, sire ..., I mean, Master."

"Great. Cut this soap evenly and package it. As for the wrapping ...," Marth silently thinking with hand rubbing his chin.

There wasn't anything such as plastic in this world, those polymer haven't yet found nor synthesized. The other possible wrapping was paper, but that itself is a luxury product because its scarcity. He wanted to do with just leaves but there weren't anything like a wide-leaved tree in this place. As for the next feasible wrapping material,

"... using wood huh?" he thought it over and over but that was the most cost-friendly material out of the possibility, "Mafumafu, make a box of wood about this size to wrap the soap."

"Hmmm ..., Master, if you want this 'soap' thing inside a small box, why not make the box first and mold the liquidy mixture into it?"

"..., make the wrapping first, that's a nice idea. Okay ..., then, half of you can continue to make the soap while the other left can craft the box. Ahh, gift this soap to the maidservants and the soldiers. if there's anything left, then tell the maid to share it with their family and neighbors."

Some of the maid of this house have family in the city and not lodging in the servant's house, and they usually returned twice a week. Well, this place never that busy anyway and their job was only consisted of cleaning. So they could return home at any given time after they finished with their duty.

He took a knife of some sort and cut a portion of the soap. It would be his first time taking a bath with soap in different world, he somewhat feel itchy with the dirt and dust on his body. Although he was of noble birth, if he take a bath without a soap, he would feel no different than that of commoners.

"And by the way, where is Diana?" it was his second reason to come into this place.

"The ginger-haired las- I mean Diana girl, she's been inside that room for sometimes." Mafumafu answered pointing adjacent room.

Today was the day when the [Turmerica Grass] delivered, the main ingredients of the [Plague Cure]. The medicinal properties of these grass hasn't discovered yet, and this grass only worth as horse or other domestic animals feed. 

And it was only a coincidence that happened in the next few years(according to the game) before this seemingly useless grass become the savior of all mankind in the continent. 

The [Black Pox] was a fearsome disease that plagued the entire continent, it killed almost half of the population. The disease stormed everyone, rulers, nobles, commoners, and slaves. Be it magician, warrior, adventurer, farmer, baker, no matter what profession they took, the risk of contracting this disease was high. 

It contagious, and there wasn't any known cure for the disease. Even [Cure Disease] of the [Light] healing magic was ineffective. And it took about two years of bloody research before the cure was to be found. It even made these researchers desperate enough to try combining every herbs and concoction until they found the hidden medical properties of the [Turmerica Grass].

The one who discovered the formula and recipe of this medicine was also character that could be recruited in the game. And no, it's not a heroine or cute female character. In fact, it was an old man alchemist with long white beard and eyebrow like those you would probably see in Monkey King: Journey to the West.

He could start the production of the [Plague Cure] now. And with that, he needs Diana to do the compounding for him. She was at the moment ..., the only person who has the [Compounding] skill, after all.

Like previously explained, a skill only enhance the result of the final product. If it's a combat or magic skill then it will increasing the damage or reducing the MP cost needed to activate the skill. So there isn't something like a must, even the dwarf uncle could do the compounding if Marth told him to.

The difficulty of compounding was to find the perfect ratio of the ingredients and how to treat those herbs. If one didn't knowledgeable about that, then he need to train them from zero. That's consume too much of his time.

And with that, he choose to delegate this job to other person, that was Diana. If she could master the concoction process of the [Plague Cure], which the recipe already available in the tablet, and then teaches it to the other slaves, it would be perfect. He would gain his free workforce consisted of slaves.

Marth opened the door leading to the other room, there was Diana wearing sleeveless dress and a white cooking apron. She was ..., washing something with the soapy bubbles.

He walked to her, but she didn't notice his presence. Still with her own business. Sometime she picked up a quill pen and writing something on the scroll of paper. 

Marth took a peek of the writing, and surprise enough, she was already writing with the Latin alphabet.

Soap (name given by Master Marth)

It's synthesized by mixing animal grease with wood ash. Adding perfume oil will remove the pungent smell of the grease. It has slimy texture and whenever it touch water, there'll be something like ripple-like bubbles or something. When I wash it back with water I feel light, my skin that is. It has the cleansing properties just like rice barn and sadelp leaves. But this is the best cleansing agent. I never been this clean before.

Primary usage: cleansing, lubricant,

Caution: do not consume and don't ever let the bubbly water enter your eyes!

Marth was amused with the simple description of soap written by Diana. Although it was somewhat true, there's too much thing to retort in that description. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Hya!" she was jolted in surprise because of his sudden question, "M-master Marth?"

"Yeah ..., so, what's this?" he asked while tapping the paper scroll. 

 "it's ...," she tried to say something but then eventually shook her head slightly and then said, "I'm sorry."

"Huh, why the sudden apologize? I'm not mad at you or anything."

"No, I'm at fault because I didn't do the task you've given to me, and using the paper for my personal uses." she bowed her head deeply, almost 90-degrees angle bow, "That's why I'm sorry. And I will receive your punishment."

Curiousity is fuel to knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge is begin with a single question lingered on human's mind. With her being this curious with the soap, why would he feel mad at her. He would gladly shared his knowledge if she ask for it.

"Don't sweat on it. You're surprisingly talkative today, what a rare occurance ..." Marth waved his hand right and left, "I'm getting straight to the point then, I want you to concoct this medicine. This is the recipe."

He wrote down the [Plague Cure]'s recipe in another paper scroll.

"Turmerica Grass ...? But that is a horse feed though?" asked the herbalist girl in puzzlement.

"Yeah, that's true, but it contain a substance that could cure a disease, not some normal disease though."

"..." she went silent and creased her brows, unable to believe his word.

"You can play with the soap after you've done with this. And don't mind over the paper, soon enough I will build a papermaking plant."

With that word, he left the herbalist girl and returned to the main building.