One must know that throughout all of Greece, only the Theonian League—with the full support and assistance of Archon Davos, who came from the future and was steeped in over 2000 years of medical knowledge—vigorously trained doctors, established hospitals and medical schools, and conducted in-depth research into treatments and medications. This caused the medical enterprise of Theonia, especially Thurii, to flourish, far surpassing other city-states and nations of this era in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the Medicinal Herb Street in Thurii’s port market was unique in the entire Mediterranean world.

However, although this street was very famous in Southern Italy, it did not teem with customers like other streets. After all, most who purchased medicinal herbs were doctors and pharmacy staff. Patients basically picked up medicine from pharmacies within the city; rarely did anyone come to the market to buy these unprocessed herbs. And high-quality talents like doctors made up only a small proportion of Theonian citizens.

Therefore, Nicostratus and his companions, having just squeezed through a sea of people to arrive at this street, instantly felt much more relaxed. Curious, they visited, observed, and inquired at the shops one by one.

As they walked, they arrived in front of a relatively large herb shop and discovered the owner was actually a Bruttian. He was bargaining with a customer in stiffly pronounced Greek: “Lord Olivers, I know you are from the Ministry of Military Affairs, and it is true you buy a large amount of ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’ from me every year. But this year you came to buy too early, and in such large quantities… You must know the snow on the Consentia Plateau hasn’t completely melted yet. Only the Horse-Chew Grass growing in lower terrain has borne fruit, so the quantity is inherently small, and the price naturally higher. If you think it’s too expensive, why not wait until summer to buy? By then, the price of this ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’ will come down…”

“Wait until summer to come back?… I’m afraid before that day comes, Lord Capus will tell me to get lost!” The customer sneered. “I’d better go buy from another shop.”

After speaking, he turned to leave.

“Wait!” The shopkeeper hurriedly called him back. Hesitating repeatedly, he finally gritted his teeth and said, “For the sake that our Bruttian warriors also participate in training regularly and also need this fruit soaked in water to quench thirst, I am willing to lower the price by another obol! Lord Olivers, I am truly taking a loss this time!”

Olivers immediately turned his anger into a smile. “Agum, isn’t it just one obol less per pound? This stuff covers the mountains and plains of the Consentia Plateau; it doesn’t cost you a single obol, you just pick it up for free. What’s there to feel distressed about!”

Agum smiled bitterly. “Lord Olivers, picking ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’ isn’t as easy as you say. As soon as spring warms up, the women of our tribe have to tread on slippery mountain paths to pick them, risking injury from wild beasts searching for food and competing with other tribes. Just up to now, two women have broken their legs and are lying in the hospital! After picking the fruits, they have to be dried. But spring often sees consecutive rainy days, so we can only dry them with fire stoves… The money we earn so hard has to support the lives of over a thousand people in the entire tribe. It’s really not easy!”

Olivers paid no attention to his complaints and said abruptly, “Do you care about your tribe? Or is it that with less money, the number of times you go to the brothel will also decrease?”

Agum’s face changed suddenly, and he hurriedly said, “Don’t speak nonsense!”

Olivers patted his chest and whispered, “We are all men; I understand.”

Agum looked around and stopped talking.

“Brothers, pick out 300 pounds of ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’, ready to take away!” Olivers shouted, and immediately a dozen sturdy soldiers entered and began squatting on the ground to pick and choose.

Agum couldn’t help saying, “No need to pick; they are all genuine ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’, good quality! The Port Market Management Department doesn’t allow us to fake it, and I want to do business here for a long time!”

Olivers looked at him and smiled. “That’s true. Just for Chief Saru’s sake, I should believe you. Then weigh us 300 pounds of fruit.”

Olivers then said to the soldiers, “I’m going to look around elsewhere. After the fruit is weighed, carry it directly back to the training camp.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Walking to the shop door, Olivers remembered something and turned back. “Agum, yesterday Lord Davos chatted with me and specifically mentioned the gathering of medicinal herbs. He believes, ‘The gathering of mountain herbs cannot be excessive, otherwise it will lead to the reduction or even disappearance of these plants!’“

At the mention of Davos, Agum immediately showed respect. “Lord Davos indeed has long-term vision, incomparable to others! However, Lord Olivers, you underestimate us Bruttians too much! We have lived on the plateau for generations. The streams, trees, flowers, and grass on the mountains are all generous gifts from the Plateau Goddess Amara to us Bruttians. If we take excessively from the plateau, we will surely face Amara’s wrath!”

Olivers laughed heartily. “That’s good! That’s good!” After speaking, he glanced at Nicostratus and turned to leave.

Agum ordered slaves to weigh the ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’ for the soldiers. Nicostratus, Stasippus, and Lycas took the opportunity to step forward and observe the small, hard red fruit.

“May I ask what medicinal use this fruit has?” Stasippus asked politely.

“Oh, this fruit is called ‘Horse-Chew Fruit’. It used to be everywhere on our plateau, and no one cared about it; only horses liked to eat it when they were tired from running. Later, doctors in Thurii studied this thing and said boiling it in water to drink can quench thirst and eliminate fatigue, so it became valuable. In the past two years, the Theonian Ministry of Military Affairs has bought hundreds and thousands of pounds of fruit from me each time for citizens to drink after military training. It’s very effective! You shouldn’t be Theonians, right? Buy some to take back and try,” Agum patiently promoted to them.

“We are from Croton!” Nicostratus interjected abruptly.

Agum gave an “Oh” without any particular emotion, as if the hatred between Croton and Bruttians had long passed and vanished like smoke.

“How much for a pound?”

“Six obols.”

“Give me a pound,” Stasippus said, taking out his money pouch.

Agum scooped a large handful of red fruits with both hands and poured them into a straw bag. Seeing the weight well exceeded a pound: “Including this bag, I’ll count it as seven obols for you.”

“Fine.”

“What is this grass for?” Nicostratus stood beside a pile of withered grass that looked like thorns and asked curiously.

“That is Thorn Grass. Thurii doctors found that mashing it and soaking in hot water for a bath can relieve skin itching. It’s good stuff!”

“This stuff can cure skin itching?” Nicostratus carefully touched the sharp thorns on the grass with a skeptical face.

“Those doctors in Thurii are students taught by your… um, Lord Davos, descendant of the God of Death. Each has superb medical skills, just like… just like your Greek God of Medicine… As… Cle… pi…”

“Asclepius.”

“Right, that Greek god. Could the words of these magical Thurii doctors be false? Besides, we specifically tried it, and it indeed has such effects. Now pharmacies often order this grass!… Nowadays, whatever ancestral healing methods various Bruttian tribes have, they run to tell these doctors in Thurii, hoping they will be verified as useful. I heard Lucanians do the same… Lord Davos is worthy of being a descendant of God; he turned the wild flowers and weeds in our mountains into treasures!…” Agum said with both gratitude and emotion.

Nicostratus and Stasippus looked at each other, their eyes full of awe. Through these few days of study, they learned that the Theonian Medical School was far ahead of other city-states in medical theory research, diagnosis and treatment experience, and surgical development. They didn’t expect so much work had also been done in pharmacology!

At this moment, Lycas ran into the shop, speaking somewhat excitedly, “Teacher, there’s a shop next door selling what you mentioned last time… surgical tools!”

“Really?! Take me there quickly!” Nicostratus threw down the Thorn Grass in his hand and ran out following Lycas. Stasippus subsequently picked up the straw bag and went out too.

Only after watching the three leave did Agum mutter, “Crotoniates… hmph hmph…”

The shop selling surgical instruments located next to the Bruttian herb shop occupied a small area, but it was filled with a dazzling array of exquisitely crafted iron and wooden tools of various kinds, meticulously arranged by category.

After Nicostratus and the others entered, they had just looked happily for a moment when the shopkeeper asked, “Are you Theonian doctors?”

“No, we are from Croton.”

“Then you can only look, not buy!”

“Why?!” Lycas looked at him indignantly.

“These tools are styles designed by Thurii Hospital and sent to the iron workshop specifically for production. They made such a request, and the Port Market Management Office is responsible for supervision. We can’t help it!” The shopkeeper shrugged helplessly.

“Is it not possible even if we pay extra?” Stasippus asked tentatively.

“Don’t harm me; I don’t want any stain on my file at the Thurii Household Registry Office.” The shopkeeper rolled his eyes.

“Stasippus, come look quickly!” Nicostratus picked up a sharp knife the size of a leaf and said loudly, “This is the small knife Teacher Herpus uses to cut skin during surgery. This is—”

Nicostratus picked up another small tool and said, “I remember this is called forceps, used to pick up linen cloth… um, disinfected with boiling water… and this… this curved needle, used to suture wounds. Look, how exquisitely they are made!” Nicostratus touched every tool, unable to put them down.

A reader once said this book couldn’t exceed a million words. Now it has surpassed a million.

One million words! I cheer for myself, and then march on towards two million!