Chapter 62: The Deliat Revival Project
"It\'s almost like picking up a gold nugget on the street. Should I call it Cordyceps sinensis rather than Cordyceps militaris?"
It was like the Himalayas in Tibet, so many people had to crawl on the ground to find it.
They were so rare that they were quite difficult to distinguish from a distance.
After wandering around all day, I only found two Cordyceps sinensis.
This wasn\'t even enough to make a test sample.
I\'ll need at least a few hundred units to figure out the growth conditions.
\'First, let\'s check the efficacy.\'
I immediately called the locals together. I wasn\'t just any random person; I was an official working for the Government-General. They started drooling as soon as they saw Cordyceps sinensis.
It seemed to be quite a precious item to the people living here.
"Where did you find that?"
"I just picked it up while wandering around the desert over there."
"Huh? That dangerous place?"
The managers who turned their heads to the place I pointed to opened their eyes wide.
On the outside, it looked like an ordinary desert, but I couldn\'t understand why it was considered dangerous. But when I heard the explanation, I found myself nodding.
"The scorpions of Deliat have a habit of leaping. They sting their prey regardless of its size."
"Oh, it was really fast."
"If you go into a scorpion colony, you have to wrap yourself up tightly. That\'s the only way to survive."
They said that you should wear protective clothing, like when removing a wasp nest.
But I didn\'t have to.
Because of my superhuman senses, I can block scorpion attacks.
Either stomp on them before they jump, or dodge and hold them down with something like a cane. The methods were plentiful.
However, that\'s something only someone like me can do. It was a skill that ordinary people could not even imagine. However, it is not possible to ask someone with great skills to do something like this.
"Then could you please get me that protective suit?"
"What are you going to use that for all of a sudden?"
"If you don\'t like it, you don\'t have to do it."
"What?"
"You guys have to go to the scorpion habitat, but if it\'s not necessary, there\'s nothing we can do. We\'ll just have to hit them with our bare hands."
"..."
The officials stood silently, speechless.
Since I gave such a strange order out of nowhere, it\'s inevitable that their minds would be in turmoil.
But they had to run so hard that the soles of their feet were on fire. The amount of money that would fall into my hands was much larger than I thought.
"I will give one Cordyceps sinensis to the first person who enters. And I will give 20% of the harvest."
Originally, there was no compensation for being mobilized by the Government-General. Because no matter what job they do, they were only given a salary.
Of course, it has been delayed by half a year now. Anyway, I\'ll be giving them a whopping 20%.
It was an enormous reward, one that had never been seen before. A strange longing appeared in the eyes of the managers.
But then, the person standing at the very end raised his hand.
"I have a question."
"Tell me."
"Can I mobilize my family members?"
The economy of the Deliat Autonomous Territory is on the verge of collapse. There were few jobs, and quite a few families stayed home. It was natural that such questions would arise.
I answered with a big smile.
"Any means and method can be used, as long as it is not a crime."
Soon, the managers disappeared in an instant. Even though I only blinked for a moment.
\'The father who builds a family must become a superman.\'
It was a scene that made me feel a strange sense of sadness.
After a few days, enough Cordyceps sinensis were collected for the experiment.
The efficacy was also confirmed. I ate it pressed in the traditional Deliat way and it kept me up at night.
Yet, there seemed to be almost no side effects.
Of course, I\'ll have to wait and see what happens in the long run.
"It\'s almost better than the blue pill. Even if you bring it to modern times, it\'ll sell like hotcakes."
But there was a problem with mass production.
The traditional method was too labor-intensive. Moreover, there was a shortage of craftsmen who could make them.
This was because the number of Cordyceps sinensis plants collected was extremely small.
Even though it may be profitable, how many people would actually enter the Scorpion Zone?
Everyone is so poor that they can\'t even afford proper protective gear.
\'So the only people who could make money from this were the nobles.\'
But, things will be different from now on.
Now that I am the governor, all practices will be broken. Besides, there was no need to risk one\'s life entering the scorpion zone anymore.
If we knew the conditions for Cordyceps sinensis to grow, we could cultivate it and mass-produce it.
That doesn\'t mean I had any intention of selling it all.
"We need to refine it further to extend the storage period." I intended to send it to nobles on the other side of the continent.
Since we don\'t have it to begin with, we can\'t eat it, so is there really a need to have a low-price policy?
I have to sell it at a high price, including the shipping cost. I immediately called together all the Dan-Hwan craftsmen of Deliat.
Then I wanted to buy the know-how.
Knowing how to make it will allow you to simplify the process and work the magic of division of labor.
But it met with resistance from the start.
"Even if a knife is put to my neck, I won\'t give up my skills."
"You want to reduce useless processes? Where is that? Everything is a necessary process."
"That\'s right! If you simplify it like that, the efficacy will be reduced."
From those who absolutely cannot reveal their information to old-fashioned craftsmen. They were just a bunch of old people with all sorts of weird personalities. But I had countless ways to stimulate them.
"In the name of the Governor, I will select the best single ring craftsman in Deliat. The person who creates the most effective single ring will be awarded a plaque of honor and a prize of 100 gold."
"...!"
The impact of 100 gold coins was enormous.
Wasn\'t this a time when the country was on the verge of bankruptcy? Where can you get such a large sum of money in these troubled times?
Even if you make a hundred-day coin, it will only fill the stomachs of the nobles. Because they provide most of the raw material, Cordyceps militaris.
"Is that true?"
"Of course. I\'ll also give 50 gold to the second best person. So please try hard."
"Ah..."
The craftsmen looked at each other.
Even those who were making a fuss about not being able to leak the technology were able to get their appetites tickled.
Because it was a reward that was worth it.
Besides, competition has a way of shaking people\'s hearts.
\'Everyone must have thought at least once in their life that they were the best.\'
The governor from the empire has officially recognized it. How many craftsmen would not turn a blind eye to this?
It is the process of becoming a true master.