Chapter 52 Incident Erupts In The Wheat Field
After dinner, Sara entered the same study room as yesterday, and the maids had already prepared tea.
Eliza, the head maid, stepped forward and guided Sara to her seat for the day. Behind the seat was a large blackboard, with 2 maids standing by, one writing on the board and the other taking notes.
If she looked closely, Robert's book (doujinshi) had been put away on the bookshelf.
'They're working fast. Is it the owner or the maids?'
After waiting for a while, Rebecca and Robert also arrived.
"Good evening, Uncle, Miss Rebecca."
"Hey Sara, sorry to call you out every day."
"It's true. Yesterday, we had a meeting until Ms. Sara fell asleep!"
"I apologize, but the bureaucrats wouldn't listen."
As we were chatting, the bureaucrats entered the room. There were 5 of them today. With the maids added, the room felt cramped with so many people.
"Today, we have Mr. Castor, Mr. Pollux, and Mr. Wasato joining us, don't we?"
Wasato replied, looking surprised, "You remembered my name, didn't you?"
"There's not much time, so shall we start the meeting? I fell asleep halfway through yesterday, so... I apologize."
"No, no, it's us who are troubling Miss Sara."
James looked nervous.
"But there must be a reason you called me here, right?"
"That's correct."
James looked at his notes and began to list the agenda.
"First, we received permission to have maids in the office. Second, we got a request from the Alchemist Magician Guild and the Pharmacist Guild to allow a visit to Paracelsus's laboratory. Third, it's about Miss Sara's merchant guild establishment. Fourth, the wheat harvest is expected to exceed previous predictions. And fifth, there's a suspicious variant of wheat mixed in. That's all."
'Wait, the last one might be the most dangerous...'
"Mr. James, I'm really worried about the last agenda item, so let's discuss it first."
Then Pollux took out a long, thin box and pulled out some wheat that was slightly yellowing.
"This is it."
As Sara approached, she saw black protrusions on the wheat ears.
'No doubt about it. This is ergot.'
"Mr. Pollux, where did you find this? How far has the damage spread?"
"Sara, do you know what this is?"
"To be precise, we should ask the Alchemist Guild to analyze it, but it's likely wheat infected with ergot, Uncle."
"Ergot?"
"It's like a fungus that infects wheat, you see."
Pollux, looking worried, began to examine the black protrusions on the wheat ears.
"Is this part...?"
"That's the fungal nucleus. But the entire wheat plant is already toxic. We need to remove all the wheat from the affected area. There's also a high possibility of soil contamination."
"What's going on! Sara, can you tell us more?"
"I have some knowledge, but I'm not an expert, Uncle. Yeah... let's hurry and call Ms. Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Ms. Amelia the Pharmacist Girl. They might know more than I do."
"Got it, can someone go call them?"
Then the 2 maids left the room together.
"Those ladies can ride horses, so they'll bring Ms. Alicia and Ms. Amelia here by carriage right away, Sir Robert."
"Thank you, Eliza. That's a big help. For now, until they arrive, Sara, can you at least tell us what you know?"
Robert and the other members in the study room turned their attention to Sara.
"What I know is that ergot is a type of fungus, like a mushroom. If you eat wheat infected with ergot, you can get symptoms like muscle spasms, blisters, intense pain, gangrene, and mental illness. Also, if a pregnant woman eats it, it can cause miscarriage or premature birth."
"What, what's going on!"
"Since it's wheat, a lot of people will consume it around the same time, like in bread. That's why it's often mistaken for an epidemic. And to make matters worse, as it grows, the black fungus spores will fall onto the soil and contaminate it."
The entire meeting room fell silent.
"Miss Sara, even if we bake it into bread, the toxicity will remain, won't it?"
"Yes. It's heat-resistant, so even bread can cause poisoning symptoms. Of course, I might be mistaken, and this might not be ergot or something similar. I think we should hear the expert's opinion before taking action."
However, Pollux cut off Sara's opinion abruptly.
"No, we should take the utmost safety precautions. Even if it's just a misunderstanding, we can't afford to lose a portion of the wheat harvest. If we leave it alone, it'll spread to the entire wheat field in the region, and we won't be able to contain it. This is a crucial grain-producing area for the country."
Pollux spread out a large map of the region on the table and pointed to the southern end with a stick he was holding.
"This area has poor soil quality, and ordinary wheat can't grow well. That's why we've been cultivating rye for several years now."
'Rye, huh? There are a lot of plants with similar names, like medicinal herbs and such.'
"Is this rye?"
"Yes. We were experimenting with it, but this year's wheat is growing slower than usual, and these black seeds have appeared."
"Then, please inform the farmers immediately that they absolutely cannot eat this wheat, and also tell them to dispose of it all."
And then Sara turned to face Robert.
"Uncle, the farmers will lose all their wheat. Moreover, with the current soil quality, they won't be able to plant wheat next year either. They won't be able to make a living without financial compensation."
"What do you want to do, Sara?"
"Although we should discuss it with the parties involved, can't we just have the merchant guild buy up all the wheat?"
"But it's poisonous wheat, isn't it?"
"Handling it will require careful attention, but poison can also become medicine. I'll discuss this with the maidens, and if it's impossible, I promise to dispose of it safely."
The ergot fungus is used in medications that induce labor pains and treat migraines. In reality, it's also a material for the hallucinogen LSD, so it's a really dangerous substance that requires careful handling.
"I don't think we should compensate them. Once we've figured out what's going on, I'll discuss it with Father. As for whether we'll use this as a material for medicine, we'll get opinions from the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild before making a decision."
"Understood. Then, I'll leave the response to Uncle."
Wasato hesitantly asked Sara,
"Lady Sara, does the ergot fungus only infect rye?"
"Unfortunately, there's a possibility it could infect other types of wheat as well."
"Then should we inspect the other wheat as well?"
"It's true that inspecting the entire territory would be a huge task. But I think we should do it. We might need to ask for the cooperation of all the wheat farmers."
Wasato thought for a moment, then replied, "In that case, I'll send out a messenger early tomorrow morning to gather the heads of the farming households and hold a meeting."
Just then, a knock was heard, and after permission was given, Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Amelia the Pharmacist Girl entered the room.
"We were summoned by the lady with an urgent request."
While the older Amelia the Pharmacist Girl greeted them, Alicia the Alchemist Girl bowed her head behind her.
"Please, both of you, take a look at this. There's something I want you to see urgently."
""Understood.""
Wasato pushed a box of ergot-infected rye in front of the 2 girls, and their faces simultaneously contorted.
"This, this is the black wheat! Has the devil come to Grandchester territory as well?"
Amelia the Pharmacist Girl's voice rose in alarm.
'Oh, the devil, you say...? Does this world still not know about the ergot fungus?'
"Ms. Amelia (the Pharmacist Girl), that's not it. 'Black wheat' refers to wheat infected by a disease. It's not the devil's doing. A few years ago, a research paper was published at the Academy, and now many alchemist magicians are studying it."
"Well, it seems there's such research. I'd definitely like to read the materials."
According to the pharmacist and alchemist, even if they see the same thing, they might not come up with the same answer. Sara felt that was very appealing. Having diverse perspectives is very important.
"I'd like to read it too. Based on my knowledge, this is a rye infected with ergot fungus. Ergot fungus is a type of fungus like mold, and this black thing is the fungus core. Does that match Ms. Alicia (the Alchemist Girl) knowledge?"
"I've never heard of ergot fungus before, but it's probably a type of fungus, as written in the papers."
"Do you know what kind of symptoms it causes?"
Amelia the Pharmacist Girl answered.
"If it's the ergot-infected rye I know, it causes blisters on the skin and severe pain. In some cases, it can even cause gangrene or hallucinations."
"Yes, that's what I know too. Additionally, it has a uterotonic effect, which can cause pregnant women to miscarry or give birth prematurely."
"I've heard that in areas where people eat ergot-infected rye, there are many cases of miscarriage."
After hearing Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Amelia the Pharmacist Girl's words, the atmosphere in the conference room became heavy. It seemed that Sara's wish to clear up the misunderstanding had not been granted.
"Uncle, it seems there's no mistake. Since they've identified it at a glance, please gather the alchemist magician guild and pharmacist guild members by tomorrow. We can't afford to waste any time. Let's take action before it's too late."
"Alright, Sara. I'll send out an emergency summons right now. Let's hold the meeting tomorrow morning."
Sara thought for a moment and asked the maid in the office.
"How's the cleanup of Paracelsus's laboratory tower coming along?"
Eliza replied, "We've finished cleaning the library and laboratory. The meeting room in the library is also clean."
"Then, let's hold the meeting in the tower to resolve the second agenda item as well. If they're enthusiastic, we can let them observe as much as they want."
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