In fact, it wasn't necessary to create penicillin to cure syphilis.
Mana in the atmosphere?
Leipenthaina was home to an incredible diversity of plants and animals, and a wealth of medicinal herbs.
Raymond, in particular, was well versed in herbalism and knew many of them contained natural antibiotics.
These herbs could have been used to treat the disease, but there was only one reason to bother making penicillin.
"Herbs are too expensive. We need to cut costs.
Raymond swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall.
Money!
Money was the problem.
It was cheaper to buy moldy bread than herbs, so from now on, he would actively manufacture penicillin.
"I can't wait to make a fortune.
Raymond sighed.
There was one comforting fact, though.
[Achievement: 'I've created the first antibiotic!]
[Achievement: You have achieved 'Creator of Penicillin'!]
[Posterity will praise your work!]
[You will receive 100 skill points!]
[Gain a bonus level up!]
[You will receive a bonus level up!]
"Oh?
A whopping 100 skill points and a two-level upgrade.
And the message didn't stop there.
[You have successfully extracted a new substance for the first time!]
[Perk: You learn the skill, 'Alchemy'!]
"Alchemy?
[Alchemy].
Classification : Academic Skill
Proficiency : D
-The art of creating new substances from existing ones.
-The knowledge of alchemy allows you to extract desired ingredients more efficiently.
-Caution: Skill level is low!
[You can only work with substances that are easy to extract!]
[Extraction efficiency is low!]
[Cannot perform difficult tasks other than simple extraction tasks!]
At that moment, knowledge rushed into Raymond's mind.
Catalytic decomposition, extraction, and so on.
It was the kind of knowledge a basic alchemist would have!
"Awesome!
Raymond cheered inwardly at the knowledge.
'With this knowledge, I can extract only the ingredients I want from herbs!
Herbs contain many ingredients at once. Only the desired ingredients can be extracted and used as medicine.
By extracting only the necessary ingredients, the effectiveness of the medicine is greatly increased,
"We can use less herbs because we can extract only the extract!
The cost was also greatly reduced!
The effect is better, and the cost is less, so how can you not be happy?
Raymond was thrilled and created penicillin.
With his newfound alchemy, he was able to isolate penicillin from the blue mold much more easily and skillfully.
Soon, patients were supplied with penicillin, and when they took it, an unbelievable miracle occurred.
The spots all over their bodies began to subside!
"Oh, my God."
"The curse is disappearing!"
The patients shed tears of joy in disbelief.
"Thank you, healer."
"Hmph, Black. You are our savior."
The patients bowed their heads to Raymond in sincere gratitude.
Their joy and gratitude were indescribable as they slowly withered away in despair, awaiting death, only to be given new life.
"No, I'm glad you're getting better, too."
Raymond said sincerely.
If you're not happy to see a dying patient come back to life and get a new lease on life, you're not a healer or anything.
For this moment, Raymond felt pure joy.
"How can I repay you for this favor...."
He looked at the patients and said, "Grace.
Grace. It means payment.
He had saved their lives, and they would have to pay a huge bill.
But they are poor. They were sick and had been quarantined for a long time. They had no money.
"Forget about the medical bills. Don't bother."
But Raymond said it coolly.
They had no money.
He didn't expect to get a case.
'It didn't cost me anything but the cost of the moldy bread, so it's okay.'
If he could win the hearts and minds of the slum dwellers through this work, it would be business enough.
Instead, Raymond was determined to pull a fast one.
Raymond opened his mouth, trying to look as benevolent as possible.
"It's a life I've decided to dedicate to my patients. I've been rewarded enough for getting you better, so don't think of me as a favor."
"Ah...!"
No wonder the patients were so moved by the saintly(?) words!
"What a man.
"I thought all healers were rotten bastards.
"You really are an angel who has come down from heaven for us.
The patients all shed great tears of gratitude, and Raymond smiled a smile of conversion.
It was not his taste to let the left hand know what the right hand was doing.
If you did something good, you had to tell as many people as possible and brag about it.
"If you have any patients with similar symptoms, feel free to tell them to come to the clinic. We'll treat them the same."
"Okay, thank you!"
The other slum dwellers watching from the sidelines were equally impressed.
They couldn't look up from their shame.
"What a wonderful man."
"How foolish of us to kick him out. How foolish of us."
"Is the royal blood different after all? He's nothing like the ugly Raymond when he was a child, and he's grown into such a fine man."
"He's no match for the cheap princes who came before him."
"I'll use his healer from now on. I have great respect for him."
These were all the reactions Raymond was hoping for.
"With all this good word of mouth, we'll get more patients. We're on our way to the big time!
Just then, a message popped up.
[Quest: 'Turn the hearts of the wounded slumlords around!']
[Achievement: 'You helped the slum people']!
[Gained a bonus level up!]
[Gain 30 bonus skill points!]
[Perk: Gain some favor with the people of the slums!]
Hearing the message, Raymond smiled wryly.
He could see the wealthy movie in front of him.
Soon, he'll grab it and marry it.
* * *
Needless to say, Raymond's healing practice took off.
The slum dwellers were so impressed by the saintly behavior of the patients that they began to visit the clinic one by one.
"Hello, is this a clinic? I'm here because I'm sick...."
To the patients who walked in with awkward faces,
"Welcome!"
"What is bothering you?"
Raymond tried his best to treat them.
[You've cured a patient! You get experience!]
[You healed a patient! You get experience!]
Raymond knew his subject well.
Even with his mystical abilities, he was still a novice.
He had a long way to go before he could overcome the limitations of being a bastard and succeed with distinction. He had to work hard.
No matter what kind of patient came to him, he did his best to treat them, which impressed people once again.
"I came here on a whim, but you're so nice."
"What, friendly? The therapist?"
"Yes, not only is he nice, but I've never had a therapist work so hard in my life."
A kind therapist!
They were as rare as dragons in legend.
It was obvious what kind of attitude the healers had towards the poor, especially the poor like this one.
It was a culture shock for them to see someone as warm as Raymond.
"Thank you so much. Thank you."
Raymond shrugged as he looked at the patient who couldn't hold back his gratitude and kept saying it over and over again.
It was embarrassing that every patient he treated was so overly grateful.
"I'm just doing the basics, and they're so grateful.
The therapist made a fortune, but there was a problem.
"...Why does it seem like I'm getting richer and richer?
Raymond looked at his books.
The financial situation was showing no signs of improving.
In fact, the deficit was getting bigger and bigger.
"There are so many people who can't afford to pay.
Raymond frowned.
He wasn't treating patients for free.
He charged for his services. He wasn't doing charity work.
But the nature of the slums meant that many people couldn't afford to pay even the minimum.
"I had an idea, but it's worse than I thought.
Raymond sighed.
He knew the slum dwellers were poor, but this was worse than he'd expected.
"But we can't kick them out for lack of money.
Raymond sighed heavily.
"If they don't get treatment, they're going to get worse, and I can't turn them away for lack of money.
Finally, Raymond thought.
"I'll consider it an investment for now. I'll build up my skills and reputation, and then I'll be able to pay for it when I start treating rich people.
Who cares about money when you're treating the rich?
In this era, the price of treatment is the price.
When rich people come, you'll be able to make a lot of money by putting a lot of bullshit on them.
Before that, I had to work harder to build my reputation and skills.
Once you have a reputation and skill that surpasses other therapists, rich patients will flock to you.
"I need to build my skills and reputation first, and then I'll be able to make a lot of money one day.
With that resolve, Raymond did his best.
"Welcome, what's bothering you?!"
"Patient, you shouldn't be pushing yourself like this, you must be careful."
[You've healed a patient! You get experience points!]
[You get experience points!]
And so Raymond worked his fists to the bone, and though he was strapped for cash, his healing practice cruised along.
But all is not well with the world.
There were those who didn't like Raymond.
They were the healers from the Bay Area.
They'd been making a living off the backs of the poor, and now that Raymond was getting patients, their income was suffering.
They grunted and flocked to him.
* * *
"Who are you?"
Raymond looked puzzled at the sudden influx of people.
"We are the Bay Area Association of Healers. We're here to speak to your lordship."
"Go ahead."
Raymond put down the herbs he was trimming.
Something in the air was off.
Hanson stepped up beside him, his face rigid.
"I won't make this a long story, but what you're doing, my lord, is disrupting the established order of the marketplace, so stop your misbehavior right now."
"What do you mean wrong behavior?"
"You are charging ridiculous treatment fees! Either raise your treatment fee to at least 100 pesos, or leave this Bay Area."
Raymond made a face.
"What kind of puppy dog talk is this?