Ch.122Pioneers

January of the 30th Year of Amurtart.

With the arrival of the new year, Amurtart was buzzing with excitement.

Priests were secluded in their temples, offering prayers of gratitude for safely passing through the 29th year and wishes for protection in the 30th year.

Whether these prayers would actually be answered was questionable, but at least they would feel refreshed, so I didn’t bother to stop such activities.

Above all, the powers of angels were real in this world, so it was better to avoid antagonizing them whenever possible.

Meanwhile, people were returning home with lighter wallets and heavier bodies after taking advantage of year-end (or new year) discounts.

“There’s been a lot of snow this winter. At least we won’t have to worry about water.”

The white snow piled high was material for snowmen to children, but to old folks like me, it was an auspicious sign.

Heavy snow meant abundant water, which meant we wouldn’t have to worry about water resource issues at least until summer this year.

It would be nice to have a couple more seawater desalination facilities… but they’re so expensive that we haven’t been able to consider it yet.

Still, with official mages sprouting up like mushrooms in the magic tower now, if we wait a little longer, prices should come down somewhat according to the law of supply and demand.

And in the distance, a convoy of carriages heading south came into view.

In that procession of over thirty carriages, massive logs were being transported on cargo wagons, which would become the foundation for stabilizing the ground.

Now, several years after the swamplands were opened, people were gradually moving southward, and the “land” being created over the swamp continued to expand.

The southern population had already exceeded 200,000, proving that people could somehow survive even in that foul-smelling swampland.

“Aren’t you looking forward to what discoveries might come from the south?”

“Well, I am certainly looking forward to it… but as an administrator, relying on unpredictable factors is not particularly advisable.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Administrators who run state affairs based on objective statistics must necessarily reject elements of chance.

For example, who would lend money to a beggar saying, “I’ll pay you back when I win the lottery”?

Unless there’s collateral or at least a plausible business plan, those holding the purse strings won’t budge.

“But in the end, an investment is only an investment if it succeeds. If it fails, isn’t it just speculation?”

“Your words are wise, but what’s happening in the south is officially a systematic pioneering project conducted by companies approved by the court and two guilds that likewise serve under Your Majesty’s authority. It seems inappropriate to dismiss such systematic development efforts as mere gambling.”

The aide said this while beginning to review reports on the development progress in the south.

The construction of commercial districts to support the growing population, and the partial destruction of wetlands to create sustainable living environments…

All of these actions were diminishing the value of the swampland, but since people needed to live there to explore the swamp, both the aide and the monarch were turning a blind eye to some environmental destruction.

It was inevitable—without clearing these trees, there would be no sunlight, and without filling in the swamp, farming would be impossible.

The swamp was vast and the population small, so transforming this swamp into people’s homeland would require more money, more people, and more time and effort.

*

Clatter… clatter…

In a laboratory in downtown Amurtart.

In this facility owned by a pharmaceutical company, the development and improvement of various reagents was in full swing.

“Who’s using Laboratory 3?”

“Dr. Henrietta is using it. Why?”

“Well, there are people who reserved it, but she still hasn’t come out.”

“Use Laboratory 5. It’s empty.”

The researchers working diligently had disheveled hair and lifeless eyes.

These people, who had been continuing their arduous work for days, were investigating newly discovered plants from the swampland.

They needed to determine whether these were medicinal herbs or poisonous plants, and if they had any effects, how they worked in the body, under what conditions they were effective, what benefits they provided, and how to extract their components.

It was an overwhelming amount of work just to hear about, but the researchers never rested.

Not particularly due to ethical motivation, but because their performance was directly linked to their income.

“We’re already running out of specimens…”

“Oh, about that. The supervisor said more will be coming soon.”

“Really? The adventurers must be having a field day.”

Despite bringing plenty of the new plants, they had quickly run out due to their continuous experiments.

Since they hadn’t yet properly identified the pharmacological effects, they needed to continue experimenting, and as if hearing their wishes, adventurers were already rushing in with plants, having accepted the company’s request through the adventurers’ guild.

“By the way, what’s the name of this plant?”

“Don’t know. It’s newly discovered.”

“Can I name it then?”

“How could you? The original discoverer is right there.”

In this world too, the right to name an undiscovered species belonged to its first discoverer.

Usually, adventurers exploring unknown areas had the most opportunities, and researchers who received and organized specimens rarely got to name anything.

“Tsk. Maybe I should become an adventurer… then I could at least name some weed.”

“Hey, Miller. Stop talking nonsense and bring more reagents.”

“Adventurer, my ass. I bet one gold coin you wouldn’t last a week before dying of tetanus.”

“Oh, I’ll take that bet.”

The researchers pounced on their colleague like hyenas. Their humanity, already eroded by years of academic study and thesis defense, had far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

*

Three months later. The plant was named, and it was proven to have excellent fever-reducing effects.

Subsequently, the pharmaceutical company extracted the medicinal components from the plant to produce pills, and submitted patents for the name and manufacturing process to the court.

A few days later, the patent was approved, and under Amurtart’s law, only those holding the patent could compound and sell the new antipyretic for about 30 years.

The pharmaceutical company invested a large sum to extensively advertise this new antipyretic, and many sick people flocked to buy this inexpensive fever reducer.

From families with sick members to people stocking up on medicine for emergencies, and adventurers and soldiers who routinely suffered from colds and body aches—such affordable medicines were as good as gold to them.

Having achieved the remarkable feat of selling over 500,000 pills in just two months, the pharmaceutical company didn’t stop there. They invested four months and considerable capital to add a process that maximized the preservation of the pills.

Next, they submitted a request to the Amurtart court for approval to sell the medicine overseas. After a few days of thorough review by court inspectors, the pharmaceutical company obtained approval for foreign sales of the antipyretic.

Subsequently, by subcontracting to merchant groups traveling to and from Amurtart, the pharmaceutical company exported numerous pills overseas and earned even more money. The company’s chairman, not wanting to miss this opportunity, significantly increased the R&D budget by issuing requests to find new medicinal herbs and expanding laboratories, investing enough funds to potentially acquire the adventurers’ guild.

Afterward, adventurers who saw these requests thought of the antipyretics in their own bags and, enticed by the glory of naming herbs, the honor of exploring unknown lands, and the wealth the company offered, began frantically combing through the swampland. Some of them never returned.

“Herbs!! Where are the herbs!”

Some wandered around all day without rest.

“You bastard! I said I was exploring here first! Where do you think you’re trying to get your undeserved spoon…!”

“You’re talking nonsense! Is this your land?! Stop acting high and mighty when you probably won’t find anything!”

“You damned fool! Draw your sword! I’ll kill you and find the herbs myself!”

Some attacked others.

“Heh. Let those fools die obsessing over herbs. Thanks to them, ants like me can make a living…”

Some even mocked those seeking instant fortune and steadily built their wealth by handling other requests.

In this swamp, those who die become one with the swamp, and those who succeed earn the right to drive logs into it. Thus began the era of pioneers in the south.