Parallel World Pharmacy Chapter 2 Episode 4

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Marseille Province Inspection and the Future of Medicine

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 “Hmm, we finally arrived.”
 The sound of sea waves breaking on the shore could be heard.
 Three members of Falma’s family exited the carriage. One was Falma’s father, Bruno; another was his mother, Beatrice; the last was his younger sister, Blanche. Each one of them carried an appearance that showed they had been waiting for this day to come. Falma was the last to get off. He took a deep breath of the crisp and salt infused air, then stepped firmly on the chalky ground. They had disembarked near the Medioccasean Sea.
 After travelling a whole day from the Imperial Capital via carriage, they had arrived in the Archduke’s province of Marseille.
 True Era 1146, half a year had passed since the establishment of Different World Pharmacy, Falma had become 11 years old.
 A great 360-degree panoramic view spread out before the servants of the de Médicis family.
 The pure white hillsides and beaches made a vivid contrast against the blue sea that appeared to be glittering to the eyes. Stone houses of the nearby fishing village dotted along the coast, their red painted roofs and pure white walls facing alongside the hill. In the emerald green ocean, trading ships came and went busily. A ship could be seen anchored at the large trading port. A scenery that certainly resembles Southern France.
 
 “We have been waiting for you our Lord, the New Archduke of Marseille.”
 “Hmm, I see that you’ve been doing well, Adam. You’re still burnt by the sun.”
 “Yes, I did not neglect to patrol the province day in and day out.”
 Bruno greeted his butler Adam, who was the acting Governor, also known as the manager of the province and supervisor of the farmers. Bruno received a bombastic greetings from the knights, who warmly ushered him to the Lord’s Mansion on top of the hill. There, Falma’s family was welcomed and served a light meal.
 Since Bruno wasn’t a native feudal lord of the Marseille province, he assigned Adam: a young, well-behaved, and able butler from the de Médicis family (A rank lower than a Steward), as the acting governor.
 Adam had dark brown hair, dark skin, and deep chiseled features. I wonder if he’s Hispanic?, was the impression Falma had towards Adam.
 “The province has 21 villages, 47 knights, 635 farmers, and 938 medicinal plant growers. . .”ーー
 “Please have a look at this map of the province. From here to here is the area that will become the medicinal herb plantation, while the farmlands and pastures will be over here. The harvest of each district will be gathered here.”ーー
 “Compulsory labor, conscription will be done on each village in rotation. . .”ーー
 And so on and so forth, Adam reported to Bruno as he showed various documents rather quickly. It appeared he had carefully practiced this presentation. Though he also seemed to be tensed too.
 “What is the status of the harbor?”
 While Bruno was playing with his mustache, he pointed at Marseille harbor.
 There are 14 trade routes, connecting with harbors from 31 countries and 3 colonies,
 “Yes, as you know, Marseille harbor is the pride of the Empire that boasts the second busiest trading port. Trade is higher this year compared to last year, our top 10 trading partners continue to transition their imports and exports to us year after year.”
 “Hmm. Not bad at all. Both trade volume and tax revenue have increased.”
 “It is as you said, but the Nederground East Indai Company have been showing latitude. Since this was a former province of a Marquis, but is now the province of an Archduke, my Lord should bear in mind our relations with them. Because they are a company that has been granted a royal charter by the country of Nederground, they don’t comply to tax collection, they have the rights to wage war, and negotiate treaties.
 “As for foreign trade, it is desirable if there is freedom to do so. Reduce the tariff rate. But if they still don’t follow our rules, then drive them away.”
 “Is this alright my Lord?”
 “If we lower the tariff rate, both people and goods will flow in. As for the logistics. . . What are you still doing here Falma? You go play outside, the sandy beach is wonderful.”
 Bruno noticed Falma, who had erased his presence and blended in with the wall to eavesdrop. He seems to be cautious as he drove Falma outside.
 “Waa, I can see the sea!”
 After hearing what was said, he had no other choice but to go out while being in high spirits like a child.
 “Don’t go into the sea!”
 “Yes!!”
 
 Nederground East Indai Company. . . Isn’t it just like an imitation to Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.). . .?
 Falma was finally convinced that there was no doubt about how similar the geography of this world was to his old world.
 He had already succumbed to the idea that this was a parallel medieval world if he thought about it, regardless, he was already stuck in this world.
 
 “Aaa, this is just too beautiful, I’m dazzled! Don’t you think so too Lady Blanche!?”
 “So smooth! so smooth!”
 When Bruno drove out Falma from the Lord’s mansion on the hill, he saw Lotte and his sister, Blanche, greatly frolicking after they saw the white beach spread out before them. They went running down from the hill, both of them were twirling and dancing about on the sandy beach.
 Those two are really kids.
 Falma felt pleasant.
 I’m a kid too, aren’t I?
 Sure enough, Blanche ended up falling flat on the sand embankment, which covered her face with both sand and seaweed.
 “Young Lady! Let’s make a sand castle!!”
 The dry sea breeze and the smell of salt water blew comfortably through the air. The wind softly carried Lotte’s pink hair as it trailed off. Falma also followed them down to the beach not too long after. He watched as Lotte and Blanche made sand castles; while Lotte’s skillfully made her’s such that it even had a second floor, Blanche’s sand castle on the other hand broke halfway through, and she stared at Lotte’s work enviously,
 “Big brother! I want to splashy splash over there!”
 Blanche seemed to have gotten tired of playing with the sand as she tugged at the hem of Falma’s clothes.
 “Master Falma, can we go near the water and watch the waves!?”
 Lotte was restlessly hopping on the spot. Should they warm up first before jumping into the sea?, was what Falma thought.
 “I don’t think it’s a good idea to enter the sea, as neither of you can swim. Also, did any of you bring a change of clothes?”
 However, both of them took off their shoes and madly dashed along the sandy beach without caring for Falma’s words.
 
 “Really Lottelita, to have that much energy. It’s probably because she hasn’t seen the sea before. . .”
 As for the smiling Ellen who had accompanied them, she took of her coat and rested under the shade of a tree while drinking.
 “So hot. I’m sweating. Should I take a plunge too?”
 Lotte and Blanche chased after the waves without a care in the world, they seemed to be quite pleased as their feet soaked in the ocean water.
 With a thump, the rest of Ellen’s dress fell to the ground. Instead of a swimsuit, She was wearing a see through one piece tunic. This bewildered Falma, who watched as the bare legs were flaunted in front of him. Was Ellen aware that it was see-through? Falma was clearly troubled on where to look at her shapely body.
 “Come on, little Falma!”
 Blanche and Lotte played out in the tide, not too far from the beach. Nearby, Falma watched Blanche shout out “Noooo!” as she was sprayed with water, their playful fun quickly turned into a water spraying battle.
 “Haa, hahaha, that’s funny!”
 “Noooo!”
 “Now I’ve have done it, Lady Blanche!”
 At that moment, a large wave suddenly rushed toward the shore. Blanche, who wasn’t all that heavy, was carried off by the waves and disappeared into the sea.
 “Emergency!”
 Falma instructed Ellen and Lotte to move away from the shore, then he jumped into the sea. But the waves were tall, and he couldn’t see the small body of Blanche.
 “Master Falma!”
 After Ellen confirmed Lotte’s safety, she too started looking for Blanche, even though Falma didn’t want her to. Since Ellen was a Water Divine Arts user, just like young Blanche, she knew how to swim. It’s rare for aristocrats to be able to swim, but those like her had no choice but to learn.
 Falma eventually found Blanche being swept away by the ocean current as if she was unconscious. Though he swam towards her, the blowing wind and fast current made things difficult for him. The girl was steadily getting farther away, and his swimming just couldn’t keep up.
 What should I do!?
 Falma felt an aching sensation from the keloid on his right arm that was soaked in water.
 Was it being agitated? It was emitting a pale blue light.
 Should I try it. . .!?”
 He decided, then dove as close to the ocean floor as possible.
 I would have given up if I had to dive too deep, but fortunately it’s still shallow out here, despite being so far from the shore, therefore. . .!
 
 Erase
 
 He imagined the details of the states of both water and seawater in his mind, he felt the texture of the water on his skin, and was eventually able to understand the aqueous solution.
 Falma activated the skill in his right hand while taking consideration for any peculiarities in the situation.
 Perhaps the entire sea will disappear if I used my full power, was the stupid thought that crossed his mind.
 
 Shortly after, Falma’s imagination was materialized as seawater in a 10 meter radius around him disappeared. Within the space he had created, Falma fell hard onto the seafloor. At first a gaping hole in the sea appeared in the shape of a crater, then a column of space without water formed.
 On the bare sandy floor at the bottom of the sea, fish squirmed and flopped around, while seaweed that had stood tall went limp and fell down.
 All right.!. . . But what the hell is this!?
 Falma was amazed, and, despite having done it himself, it was still absurd even to him.
 He took Blanche, who had also gotten caught up in his skill, and carried her back to shore. As to prevent the inflow of water, Falma created a wall of divine power as he continued to remove the seawater in his path. He walked one step at a time while dividing the sea, until he arrived back at shore.
 He looked like Moses parting the Red Sea, is what would a Christian from Earth would say.
 
 After he laid Blanche down on the sandy shore, she started to cough up water.
 “Blanche! . . .”
 Both Ellen and Falma moved to provide treatment. After applying CPR, Blanche resumed breathing and cried loudly. Falma was still worried, so he examined her using Diagnosis Eye to see if there are any abnormalities. She could’ve gotten pulmonary edema, but fortunately she didn’t drank too much seawater.
 Thank god. . . with this childish body, it would’ve been impossible to save her just by swimming
 Falma felt relieved and exhausted as he sat down on the sandy beach. Lotte, who witnessed the series of events, had been trembling and quivering so much in fear. Blanche leapt to Falma as she wailed.
 However, Falma noticed something.
 That. . . Even though I eliminated the water, the salt didn’t separate and fall to the seafloor. I didn’t only eliminated the water molecules.
 Now that he had thought about it, he might not have designated just “water molecules”, as he had been in a hurry. He wasn’t certain that he could’ve entirely erased seawater, so he thought it would only be natural for a large quantity of salt and minerals to separate from the seawater. In other words, the salt and minerals didn’t accumulate on the seafloor. . .
 That can’t be, how could I entirely eliminate seawater, including even the salt within it?
 
 “Master Falma. Do you think perhaps it’s the ability of the “Negative” attribute?”
 Ellen asked timidly.
 “I think that might be the case, but. But what do you think it really is, Ellen?”
 “Not the “Negative” attribute, that’s for sure. The ability to completely eliminate seawater does not exist. This is because the ability of the negative attribute can only go as far as reducing volume. To put it simply, the domain of erasing substances doesn’t exist.”
 Ellen had been practicing Divine Arts together with Falma, but she’d never seen the ability of the Negative Attribute. As for the time when he obliterated some uninhabited islands, he submerged those islands with the Positive Attribute of water. This was the first time she’d seen the Negative Attribute, and she was unable to comprehend the truth of the matter. Her face was twitching.
 She became increasingly convinced that her theory that Falma wasn’t human anymore was true.
 “It would be nice if I could give a better explanation, but I don’t even understand it myself, sorry.”
 “In the end it doesn’t matter, you saved her.”
 No traces remained of Falma’s ability, other than a huge whirlpool that could be seen offshore.
 
 A small black shadow could be seen at the top of the hill, looking down upon the beach.
 
  

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 The next day Falma was brought to his father by Cedric, with the attending Knights accompanying them on 3 carriages. They went off to inspect the medicinal herb plantation closest to the Lord’s mansion. There, many medicinal herbs were planted in the arable land that was compartmentalized. The farmers who were working in the fields had stopped to respectfully greet the new feudal lord and the young nobleman.
 “Is the production of the medicinal herbs going well?”
 “Oh, yes. We were able to supply our annual tribute as usual.”
 It seemed it was very unusual for a feudal lord to come directly for inspection, the farmers felt very much obliged.
 “Very good, continue to work hard. Cedric.”
 “Yes, my Lord.”
 Cedric came down from the carriage with a wand and rolled up his sleeves, then he placed both of his hands on the ground. After he lightly psyched himself up with a Hmph, his hands began to give out a warm orange light.
 
 “Blessings of Mother Earth (Bénédiction de la terre nourricière)”
 
 Burbling sounds could be heard as the ground rose up to form concentric circles, like a chain reaction..
 “Let’s see, perhaps. . .”
 Falma noticed the undulation of the earth as it moved along the ground.
 “Falma, don’t tell me you forgot it already?”
 “Hahaha, it’s because I haven’t shown this to master Falma before, mainly because I forgot to. Since I am a Divine Art user with the Earth attribute, I was able to give the blessing of Mother Earth to the ground just now.”
 Cedric Luneau was also a respected Divine Art user.
 “I entrusted him with the important duty of promoting the growth of the herb garden in our mansion.”
 “I see.”
 I can’t smell any manure being used as fertilizer, and the medicinal herbs are also growing at such an amazing speed, is there really such a thing? Falma was surprised. He thought some kind of fertilization would’ve been carried out but. . .
 The farmers showed their gratitude to Cedric, because of him their work had become easier. This year’s harvest is going to be quite bountiful, don’t you agree??, the villagers said many optimistic things such as that. Few nobles had the Earth attribute, and those who did were quite valuable.
 “Are there any other problems?”
 Bruno asked them.
 “We had a slight drought this year due to a lack of rain.”
 “Is that so?”
 “Well then, this would be my gift to you all.”
 Bruno drew a simple Divine Art formation with his wand and then started to do his questionable dance, causing a haze like a mirage to envelope his entire body.
 
 “Blessed rain of healing (Pluie bénie de la guérison)”
 
 With a wave of his wand, Bruno’s divine skill brought forth rain clouds to grace the land. It gave vitality to the medicinal herbs, it seemed these herbs would end up being quite potent. Bruno performed his dance, strengthening the effectiveness of both the divine power and divine skill, it was his rare personal ability. It was said that medicinal herbs under the effects Bruno’s Divine Art would fetch a high price.
 “With this, everything should be good.”
 Falma watched Bruno, who had brought the rain. It had certainly been the work of a divine skill.
 “We humbly thank you our Lord!”
 The farmers leapt up with joy as they thanked the blessed rain while they sang and danced.
 
 I must verify the effectiveness of the Divine Art too.
 Divine Arts exist in this world, and Falma was considering whether or not they could be applied to pharmacology. As for Falma’s Divine Art, if he doesn’t know what the outcome of using it might be, he would rather not use it
 If he dissolved medicine in water created by a Divine Art, will the therapeutic effect increase? He started to recognize his father’s expertise. Since Bruno was an excellent Divine Art user, he was able to create high potency potions by mixing medicinal herbs.
 Will Divine Art increase the effect, and change the physical properties, and nature of an object? This was the vague hypothesis he had arrived at.
 After the graceful rain ended, a vivid rainbow containing divine power formed a large arch.
 
 “Look at that.”
 Bruno wore his cloak after he finished dancing and then called out to Falma, as he pointed to the other side of the farm. His father was not pointing towards the farmland, but to a land that was previously a pasturage. A wide plain that was bathed in sunlight spread out before them. It also overlooked a nearby highway.
 “Now then, that is the best piece of land that Adam chose at the other side.”
 “Yes. That is a good place.”
 “In addition, you will be able to produce any medicinal herbs you want over there. If it’s up you to decide, what would you do?”
 Should it be a medicinal herb orchard? That was what Bruno was asking. While taking advantage of the local industry, it would also create new employment opportunities.
 At this excellent location, what can he do for the future, for the sake of the people of this parallel world? Taking all of this into consideration, it was only natural what Falma’s answer would be.
 It would be a radical thing to do.
 
 “If it was me, I would construct a pharmaceutical laboratory or factory, and use it to both research medical supplies and manufactur medicine”
 He would construct a pharmaceutical factory, employ the locals ,and arrange a system for pharmaceutical production. The goods would then be transported to the Imperial Capital, where they would be sold to each and every apothecary and pharmacy, not just to Different World Pharmacy.
 “Why would you do that? You’re already making good profits at the pharmacy. Do you still intend to make more money?”
 “It’s not for the sake of making money. Even after I disappear, the people of this world will live on. I don’t want anyone to suffer from diseases, so the appropriate treatments need to be available.”
 
 Borrowing the body of a child, the business of the Medicine God will begin.
 Bruno felt strongly the signs that the world would change.
 
 “It’s as though I have seen medical treatment hundreds of years into the future.”
 The words that Bruno said to Falma disappeared into the wind and was masked by the background noises of the grassy plain.
 
 “Do try whatever you wish. I will help you out in any way I can.”
 The son looked at the vacant land while the light shone down upon him, he thanked and nodded his head vigorously.

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