009. Automatic Dispensing System
Having finished everything I could do, I stared blankly at the medicinal herbs before me.
The remedies I wanted to make first were Paeonia-Glycyrrhiza Decoction and a warming ointment made from devil’s claw…
Muttering to myself, I placed the devil’s claw and chili on a clean cloth together. A sudden sparkle lit up in my mind.
“Ah! What’s this! Ah-choo!”
Startled, I fell backward and landed hard on my bottom.
Rubbing my sore backside, I realized what had appeared before my eyes was a status window.
[Select the formulation you wish to prepare.]
[1. Poultice 2. Cream 3. Ointment]
[※ Warning: Using the automatic dispensing system will temporarily alter the most beautiful part of your body. Once you proceed, this warning cannot be viewed again.]
I read the text calmly, yet my mind churned once more.
‘Which part of my body is the most beautiful?’
In my eyes, there was no part of Nadia that wasn’t beautiful.
Her lake-blue eyes, delicate nose, full rosy lips, fair skin, and long, glossy blonde hair—
All were equally stunning. This warning seemed ridiculously vague.
‘Wait, it says the change is temporary… That means it will revert back, right?’
Sitting there with my chin in my hands, I thought it over and made my decision.
“I’ll give it a try!”
After all, there was no other choice. I couldn’t perform various experiments to extract medicine with a child’s body, and my available herbs were limited.
If the system could dispense automatically, I had no reason not to trust it.
‘Let’s see… For practical use in this world, I should skip the poultice. The nurse can’t apply medicine frequently while working, so an ointment that lasts longer would be best.’
With trembling fingers, I lightly tapped option 3, “Ointment.” The status window blinked and displayed a new line.
[Dispensing started.]
[Expected output: 600g]
[■□□□□□□□□□]
“Oh, it’s producing more than I expected!”
Clutching the elephant plush I had tossed onto the sofa, I watched the gauge blink and gradually fill.
I wanted to see how it was made and take notes, but nothing was visible. The moment dispensing began, a small cleanbench appeared on the cloth, and all the ingredients were absorbed into it.
Before I knew it, the gauge had almost filled, leaving only one bar empty, and a new command appeared.
[Please prepare containers for the medicine.]
“Containers… I guess I need them myself!”
I hurriedly searched the room and found three glass jars about the size of an adult palm. Each could hold roughly 200g comfortably.
When I placed them beneath the status window, the jars were also drawn into the cleanbench.
A few seconds later, the cleanbench vanished, leaving three jars of orange ointment on the cloth where the ingredients had been.
[Devil’s Claw Warming Ointment has been successfully prepared.]
[Efficacy: Relieves joint inflammation and pain, promotes blood circulation with warming effect]
[Usage: Apply an appropriate amount 2–3 times daily to affected areas and gently massage until absorbed]
[Side Effects: Skin irritation at the application site]
“Wow! This is amazing!”
I leaped up and down with excitement.
Then I heard someone outside the door.
I must have been making too much noise in my excitement, so a servant came to check.
Quickly, I closed the jar lids, hid them behind the sofa, and climbed onto the bed to lie down, scratching my scalp nervously.
The next morning, I awoke at dawn without anyone rousing me.
I wasn’t tired at all, perhaps due to the adrenaline from discovering my new ability the day before.
“My medicine!”
I leapt from the bed and ran behind the sofa.
My first ointment from last night was still exactly where I had left it.
Relieved, another worry crept into my mind.
‘Wait… The ointment is made, but the dispensing process wasn’t transparent, and there’s no regulatory approval. How could I trust it on a patient?’
Yet, the status window had clearly listed efficacy, usage, and side effects. If I couldn’t trust that, what could I trust?
Status windows are supposed to be neutral and factual, after all.
‘Still… to be safe, maybe I should run a clinical test on myself first.’
I carefully opened one jar, sniffed the ointment, and detected the faint, sharp scent of capsaicin.
Using a small wooden spoon, I applied some to both knees. A child’s skin is more delicate, so I chose the thickest areas of the joints.
“Ah! It burns!”
Even so, the moment it touched my skin, my knees tingled fiercely, and I bounced my legs in pain while sitting.
Hearing my screams, the nurse rushed in.
“Miss! What happened?”
Seeing me tearful, she was shocked.
But upon noticing my shiny, ointment-covered knees, she quickly picked me up and ran to the bathroom.
After washing off the ointment with water and soap, the burning sensation subsided slightly.
“Miss, what is this? What did you put on your knees?”
“I… hic… made it… to give… hic… to you…”
“Pardon? For me?”
Tears and hiccups made it hard to explain, so I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her toward the sofa.
One jar, still uncapped, lay on the floor.
“You applied this?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where did you get it?”
I was speechless. At the pharmacy, no patient ever asked where the medicine came from.
It seemed the nurse didn’t care about its efficacy; she just wanted to know if I’d caused trouble by bringing it here.
“It’s from my… friend!”
“Friend?”
“Yes… the master’s son!”
I decided to lend authority to make the nurse trust the ointment.
If I said I made it myself, she might dismiss it as a child’s play.
“Did your household have a little boy around my age…?”
I glanced at her as if recalling something.
So she didn’t believe me at first? Time to redirect.
“It’s very effective! Perfect for knee pain!”
I added a hint of placebo effect, giving her reason to believe it was genuinely helpful.
Only then did she examine the jars more closely.
“This ointment really helps with knee pain?”
“Yes! Nadia made it especially for you, using a very special recipe.”
“Miss…”
The nurse looked more moved than she had when she received ice packs last night.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I tried to act nonchalant.
“Here, try it now.”
“Great! I’ll apply it immediately!”
Excited, she rolled up her skirt and spread the ointment generously on both knees.
Watching her rub it with her strong hands, I tensed slightly, remembering my own earlier pain.
Finally, she spoke.
“Oh my, it’s warm and feels wonderful!”
“Really? For real?”
“Yes! It probably burned you a little, but for me, the warmth seems to ease the pain in my knees.”
“That’s great. Then you can use the rest.”
“Are you really giving it all to me? It’s so much, I can take it all?”
“Yes. No need to ration. Apply generously.”
“Miss, thank you so much. Between this and the ice yesterday… I don’t know how to thank you for thinking of your juniors like this.”
Seeing tears well in her eyes, my chest felt tight.
Perhaps because she was the same age as my mother would have been in my previous life, I always felt concerned about her.
Feeling like I might cry, I hugged her tightly.
“I like you, nurse! Don’t hurt yourself!”
The nurse swayed, caught off guard, but laughed heartily.
Patting my back repeatedly and thanking me, I finally had to let her go.
Alone again, I busied myself.
‘I need to record the details of this ointment before I forget.’
On a new sheet, I wrote the name, ingredients, selected formulation, and all the information displayed in the status window.
Looking down at the densely written page, I added a big “1” before the ointment’s name and smiled.
This was the first medicine I had ever created in this world.
