Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

Eleutherococcus senticosus, Cinkberry, Rhamnus, Arnica...

As the Frostfang wolves traveled, more and more herbs were dug up from the snow and delivered to Lind.

Inside the sled, Lind sorted through the harvest.

These fully excavated experimental samples were planted in flowerpots.

"The gains are much greater than I expected."

He looked at the herbs and smiled with satisfaction.

The North is sparsely populated, and the land is covered with snow in winter.

A vast expanse of white can easily trigger snow blindness, causing dizziness and lightheadedness.

But beneath the snow lies countless natural treasures.

Herbs are one of them; Acanthopanax senticosus can be used to strengthen the body, and cranberries are rich in proanthocyanidins, which have antioxidant and anti-aging properties.

Rhamnus can treat edema caused by cold and heat, while arnica contains plant essential oils that can treat bruises and blood stasis.

Linde planned to take them back and cultivate a herb field in the Demon Field to grow them.

Even if subsequent trait mutation experiments fail and we are unable to cultivate a more effective magical plant, it doesn't matter.

These herbs are valuable in themselves.

Once the components are extracted and made into medicine, it will be enough to elevate the territory's treatment methods to a new level.

Linde recalled the so-called treatment methods currently being used at the manor.

They simply wrap the patient's wound with gauze and rely on their immune system to tough it out; they survive entirely by sheer luck.

This is understandable for the residents, as the church in the territory originally served as a hospital.

The church priest was one of the few people who knew about herbal medicine, but he had already left before the Icefield Demons attacked.

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Without the church's restrictions, Linde's takeover of power went more smoothly, avoiding many potential problems.

As for hospitals, they are not difficult to build once the drugs are available.

These are just the outermost gains.

Linde looked into the distance, towards the direction of the Ice Mist Forest, filled with anticipation.

The area is now shrouded in ice storms.

Under the influence of magic, the outer perimeter of the forest withered and became barren.

But deep within, countless magical plants and powerful monsters must have been nurtured, making it a natural treasure trove.

However, this also makes it fraught with danger, and even extraordinary knights dare not easily step into it.

Before his army was fully developed, Linde decided not to venture too far, lest he provoke monsters he could not resist.

The Frostfang Wolf continued running.

Pulled by ropes, the sled sped across the ice field.

The swirling snowflakes refracted a dazzling, shimmering light in the sunlight.

Lind looked up, away from the blizzard, and the lower Mecca River came into view.

In the frigid cold, the river is covered with a thick layer of solid ice.

Like a winding white python, the layers of cracks intertwine like scales.

The Mecca River is a tributary of the Agate River.

The latter is the largest main river connecting the North and the Kingdom of Rosa.

Flowing down from the snow-capped peaks of the far north, it travels south to the port of the Principality of Hella on the southern coast, crossing more than half the continent.

The Mecca River, which branches off from this point, is wide and teeming with a rich variety of cold-water fish, and has always been the lifeblood of the kingdom's northern provinces.

By the time we arrived, it was already getting dark.

The group lit a fire and set up tents to rest on the riverbank.

The next day, dawn broke.

In the orange-red light of the sky, the soldiers came to the river.

They used awls to carve twenty ice holes along a 500-meter-long arc, then submerged hemp rope nets soaked in pine resin into the bottomless waters.

The net, with its stone weights attached, sinks continuously, working in conjunction with the float to spread the wide fishing net.

It was morning.

Twenty soldiers and five knights stood in two rows and began to drag the rope.

The frozen ropes scraped against the edge of the ice cave, kicking up bursts of ice shards.

Suddenly the entire net trembled violently, and a rumbling vibration came from beneath the ice.

The immense resistance passed to the soldiers, hindering the pulling up of the fishing net.

The soldiers were not surprised but delighted, and they pulled even harder.

The Frostfang Wolf, lying next to Lind, twitched its nose as if it had smelled something, and excitedly darted over to the soldier.

It put the rope net around its neck and pulled itself up.

As the fishing net is gradually pulled up, countless cold-water fish rise to the surface, thrashing about violently inside, their silver scales shimmering.

Overjoyed by the harvest, the soldiers sang loudly as they pulled the fishing nets.

Amid the lively atmosphere, Linde approached the fishing net and peered inside with curiosity.

Arctic char, whitefish, large pike, brown trout, etc., are caught in nets with wide mesh, and the fish are almost all over half a meter long, plump and tempting.

Once out of the water, these fish thrashed about desperately.

As the cold wind blew by.

The whitefish remained stiffly arched, the pike's gaping mouth was frozen in place, and frost formed on the surface of each of its large eyes.

After sorting through the catch, the rough estimate is over 16,000 pounds of fish.

There is no doubt that this ice fishing trip was a great success.

The soldiers cut down trees on the spot, expanded a simple wagon behind the sled, tied the catch with ropes and nets, and loaded it onto the sled.

It was already evening when we returned to Sunflower Manor.

The stove was set up, and the rich aroma of fish soup filled the manor. Soldiers and residents gathered together to celebrate the harvest.

Beside the fire, Linde tasted a sip of the slightly cloudy fish soup.

The fish soup is made by simmering salmon, along with its internal organs, cut into pieces, to retain the maximum amount of oil and nutrients.

The trade-off is that without spices, it tastes very fishy.

Linde didn't mind. After drinking rye porridge for more than half a month, he felt that his skin was emitting an unpleasant rye smell.

At this moment, what more could one ask for than a bowl of hot fish soup?

He looked toward the warehouse.

The Icefield Ghost Flesh and Blood obtained earlier, besides being used to ripen Higher Sunflowers, also included a large portion used to ripen Rye again.

The warehouse currently holds 20,000 pounds of rye and 15,000 pounds of frozen fish.

It's enough to feed more than two hundred people in the territory for three months, allowing them to say goodbye to the troubles of food shortages this winter.

The first sip of fish soup brought a sense of satisfaction.

After taking the second sip, Lind became dissatisfied and started wanting more.

He wanted to drink delicious fish soup sprinkled with white pepper and taste white bread made from finely ground wheat.

He was dissatisfied with the low walls and dilapidated houses of Sunflower Manor and wanted to replace them with tall granite walls and a pure white marble castle.

The army was poorly equipped, and the populace was small.

"After eating and drinking to your heart's content, did your desires swell?"

Linde said softly, feeling the desire within him, and gladly accepted it.

The survival crisis has passed.

If he wanted, he could relax, lie down, call a few young girls from the town to have some fun, and enjoy the wonderful life of a manor lord.

But this is not what he wanted.

Everything before him now was so unsatisfactory.

Since that's the case, then he should personally transform them, level all the decay of the past, and rebuild the beautiful world he desires.

Survival has been secured; now it's time to embark on the path of development.