Chương 12: Skill Transfer

I stared at the notification for a moment. I, of course, chose not to learn the skill. But I thought about what it probably meant. The skill would very likely increase my knowledge about herbs, potentially highlight them inside the forest, and maybe even increase their potency. It would be important to have somebody w ho could use that knowledge. Not me, however.

"Do you guys have an alchemist or something similar here?" I asked Gerald. If somebody knew, then him or Samuel. He nodded.

"My wife, Julie–""I am an herbalist," came out another room, followed by a frowning woman.

"Yes, I already tried curing the famine. No, I wasn't able to. No, I can't make any health potions or similar. I know herbs. That's it."

"Julie, please," Gerald said.

"It's fine. I understand your apprehension when it comes to nobles," I told her.

"But please understand that I only have the best interest of the town in mind. All I ask for is a chance. Would that be alright?" Julie was about to explode again, but the pleading look of her wounded husband seemed to have softened her heart.

"What do you want to know and need me for?" She sighed. I didn't hold back asking. And surprisingly, she didn't hold back with her answers. For the next few minutes, she and I simply spent discussing her skills and what she could do. It turned out that she actually had an Uncommon Class she received at Wood Rank and was at Level 9 right now. I was shocked by her low level but understood it after hearing her Class. First, Uncommon Classes take more experience to level.

Secondly, her Class is special in the regard that she doesn't level by creating pastes or anything but optimizing recipes or even creating them. Now came the problem, or rather the limitation, of her class. She wasn't provided with any raw knowledge. She had no idea about herbs, their properties, let alone any potions or other recipes. Her Class only increased the potency of her creations. Without that knowledge, she had to learn everything by trial and error.

Not only was that an expensive process but also a time-consuming one. This was the reason why she remained this low level. Simply stated: Julie was lacking knowledge. I could tell she resented her Class. Yet, I couldn't help but grin wildly, but quickly hid my expression after seeing the weird look she gave me. I knew I had to show her my goodwill first. Then I could recruit her.

"I want to prove to you that I only have the best intention for the Town in mind," I said.

"Would you please come with me for a moment?" Julie hesitated for a moment, but relented eventually. Underneath her suspicious gaze, we walked through the city. Sebastian stayed behind to continue the conversation with Gerald.

"How did your husband lose his arm and eye?" I asked, trying to learn more about the couple. The steps behind me ceased. I turned around. The woman's face was pale. Her hands trembled and her jaw clenched. I could see her eyes turn glazy as she used every ounce of willpower not to start crying.

"I am sorry I–" I started.

"He lost his arm and eye because of me," Julie said. Then her face turned cold and she walked past me, not speaking anymore. I didn't bring up the topic again. The rest of the walk was silent until we reached our makeshift camp. I felt bad for starting this conversation. At the camp an excited Samuel ran towards me.

"My Lord," he screamed to my surprise.

"My lord. It worked. The clay! It worked. The weed is not poisonous. I ate everything!".

"You did what?!" Julie exploded, and glared at me. Then she went over to Samuel with hurried steps.

"Open your mouth."

"It's not–""Now!" The man relented and I let Julie do her job. She looked inside his mouth, before moving on to questioning about how he felt. How long ago he ate the poisonous weed and whether or not he was experiencing any symptoms. He did not. As more and more time went by her eyes widened until she just stared at me.

"How?" Julie said. I explained the full process in detail and the theory behind it. I didn't hold back. The more she listened the more she seemed shocked.

"To think the solution was this simple all along," Julie said in a trembling voice.

"If I had continued to experiment... No, it's good that I stopped. More people would have gotten hurt." Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! As she continued to mutter, she went over towards the clay and observed it. I let her do it. Instead, I turned to Samuel.

"Thank you," I said. Judging by his reaction, he didn't expect that. A smile formed on his wrinkled face and he nodded.

"It was my duty." I thought for a brief moment about my next moves. There was a lot to take in and honestly, I just wasn't equipped to handle it all. Luckily, it seemed that I had found the perfect candidates. The famine was still going wild with the locusts, but the herbs I brought should be able to fix that. Even though I was not sure if they would–I looked at Julie. If there was someone who could fix it, it was her. The immediate food problem was solved with the clay.

But I had to gather the whole Town and somehow make them trust me while enforcing order–I looked at Samuel. Afterwards we had to defend against the beastwave, then Goblins. And these were just the threats. The Town also had to prosper. And I had to focus on my own power. I sighed. It was a lot. But then I realized I also had pretty much a plan for everything. I could handle it. No. I would handle it. Where the old me would have crumbled, the new me will shine. This was a promise. An oath to myself and nobody else.

"Samuel," I said with newfound energy.

"I need you to do something for me." Over the next few minutes, I began to explain to him the situation we were in and what was happening. His face turned ugly, but he didn't interrupt me. Instead, he listened and nodded along.

"I need your help to solve this problem," I said, looking him in the eyes. At the same time, I extended my hand.

"Are you willing to work with me?"

"Of course, my Lord," he shook my hand. I smiled and immediately started sharing with him my first few orders. He was to gather my knights and any men and women with enough energy to collect clay and weed. Then they would boil it and cook it under my, Samuel's, and Julie's instructions. All while wearing safety equipment. I made sure to reiterate that fact. Also, they were to test the mixture on the rats and mammals first, just to be sure.

Once that was done and we had a large amount of food, Samuel would gather the rest of the town and share the food with them. I also wanted to share the news about the beast wave with them, but Samuel was against it. He said it would only cause panic. For now, they would have to regain their strength first. Then once people had the power to work, we would share the news. I agreed. The man left once all of that was clear. I had never seen an old man walk so fast and with so much purpose.

Just a day or two ago, he was kneeling and begging for forgiveness for some bullshit. Now, we were working together to save a starving town. Most knights followed him without complaint. A few remained for my protection. I couldn't help but smile.

"What do you have planned for me?" Julie suddenly asked, after inspecting my mixture.

"I need to help." My smile turned into a grin, then I motioned for her to follow me. We walked through the mansion's outer courtyard and arrived within the mansion. Julie, having been excited, walked a step faster than me and arrived first. She froze.

"Yeah, I know it's dirty, we will–" the words died in my throat. I stared wide-eyed inside the welcoming area. The dirt and grime were gone. The cobwebs were nowhere to be seen, and furniture was clean. None of the animals and insects we had seen before were there. It looked like straight out of a horror movie. I was just waiting for the mansion to dissolve into nothingness and turn into a giant monster. As I questioned how this was possible, an old and hunched-over woman walked out of the kitchen.

She looked frail and small. But her eyes were filled with pride, and she walked around as if she owned this place.

"Magret?" Julie's unsure voice rang out.

"Ah, Julie, you are here too," the old woman called out.

"It's wonderful to see you. How is Gerald?"

"He is fine... but what are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh, you know, this and that." Magret said, "The Lord's butler has recruited me and the other girls to clean. Boy, what a nice fella he is. Handsome too. We cleaned this place and made it look like none of the—as the butler called them—pests were here to begin with. My god? Are you the new Lord? Welcome!" The woman was like a machine that couldn't be stopped. I smiled as I appreciated her attitude. Finally, not somebody that treated me like I was the king, or full of suspicion.

"Did you clean the mansion?" I asked, impressed. She nodded.

"With the help of two other girls."

"This looks amazing," I said.

"I never thought this place could look this good. And this quick? Truly great."

"Well," Magret grinned, her missing teeth showing.

"I am not a Bronze Rank Cleaner for nothing, am I?"

"Bronze?" I asked, slightly shocked. This time Julie answered.

"Magret is one of the few Bronze Ranks in this town. I am not sure if the others are alive, however. Gerald would have been too if it hadn't been... for his accident..." I nodded, even more impressed now, almost missing the look of pity Magret shot Julie. Both women recovered quickly, however, and continued to act as if this topic had never been brought up in the first place. I didn't continue to dwell on it.

"Then it's a pleasure to have you working for me," I said, and Julie and I started going, leaving Margret alone. I could tell the Herbalist was excited. We walked through the mansion and inside a small office area. In there, we had found a small treasury. It was empty, of course, but it was also safe from any animals and dirt. I had put the herbs into it so the knights didn't have to keep watch. I opened the metal doors, and immediately Julie's eyebrows shot up. The smell was putrid.

The inside of the treasury was lit up by a small crystal hanging from above. At the far end, multiple herb-filled bags lay against the wall.

"Ferula-Weed, Hag-Clove, Star-Anisole, and multiple other herbs I don't recognize," Julie went off. I grinned. I knew I had chosen right. I immediately began to share my plan with her and why I had bought these herbs specifically. Her eyebrows shot up even further as I mentioned I planned to fight the Locusts with this concoction. And her frown only rose as I explained to her my working theory.

"I mean," Julie said.

"I don't know. To create an aphrostenic from these herbs should be possible. But to use that to lure the Locusts into a trap is quite frankly... insane. How did you even come up with this?" I grimaced. It was better not to tell her. Old Ivor's memories were part blurry and part a bunch of bullshit.

"I don't understand how I would be of help however," Julie said.

"If you only have a theory, I can't help you with much. It seems like you have more knowledge than me, considering you figured out the weed solution and know the properties of the herbs. My Class only helps with the potency of the stuff I create." I nodded.

"That's exactly what I need. And I have the perfect gift for you to fill in gaps."

"Gift? What do you—" I used my second Class Skill. [Skill Transfer] Out of thin air, a leather-bound book plopped into my hands. It was heavy and thick. An intricate runic symbol was carved on the front cover. The spine of the book was filled with letters or symbols I didn't recognize. They reminded me of hieroglyphs. Out of curiosity, I tried to open the book. Do you wish to learn [Herb Knowledge - Common]? No. Instead, I pressed the book into the woman's hands.