Olivia Smith smiled indifferently, though in his heart he still felt a slight sense of regret. This meant it would be difficult for him to get free opportunities to identify medicinal herbs again, and besides, that herb storeroom had the most complete variety of herbs.

Unfortunately, just a few minutes ago, in a moment of excitement, he had knocked over the drawer containing the bones of the winged mouse. This gave Henry Smith a reason to refuse him; after all, the friendship left by their fathers had its time limit and boundaries. And with an excuse, those so-called “close friends” of his ‘father’ would not only refrain from criticizing him, but would even praise him for his sense of justice.

—Of course, this doesn’t mean that Uncle Brooks is a cold-hearted person by nature. On the contrary, Olivia Smith was still thinking about finding an opportunity to thank him for his help. Allowing him to freely identify herbs in the pharmacy probably put Henry Smith under tremendous pressure.

In comparison, all of today’s losses were insignificant compared to what he had gained. Olivia Smith had never imagined that he would find exactly what he needed among the herbs he had the least hope for.

The so-called winged mouse is a very common and widespread low-level demon beast. It looks like a mouse, with wings on its back, resembling a bat, but its wings are feathered rather than membranous like the latter. They often move between fields, stealing rice and wheat grains and the roots of crops. If not for the existence of natural predators, they could be considered humanity’s greatest enemy.

Although the bones of the winged mouse can be used in medicine, they are mostly used for bone injuries. So Olivia Smith hadn’t held out much hope; it was almost out of habit that he intended to record the material composition of the winged mouse bones.

Yet it was precisely in this seemingly most unlikely herb that he analyzed a tiny amount of a substance he named “Bismuth Essence”—a material he had never seen in his previous life and could not place on the periodic table of elements. The reason for the name was that its atomic structure was somewhat similar to bismuth on the periodic table.

“So, young master won’t be going to the pharmacy anymore?”

Upon hearing this, William Parker actually looked a bit pleased. For him, such a boring place was better avoided. Just then, his stomach let out a loud growl, and William Parker’s attention was quickly drawn to something else—it was noon, and he was already feeling hungry.

Olivia Smith also heard the rumbling, chuckled, and quickened his pace on the way home.

When they returned to the second courtyard, the main hall already had food prepared. William Parker, almost as soon as he entered the door, sat down and began wolfing down his food. This world also values hierarchy and etiquette, and there are rules that servants cannot dine at the same table as their masters. However, William Parker’s status was different; as long as he wished, he could be accepted into the The Smith Family at any time. In fact, since Olivia Smith’s father’s time, the The Parker Father and Son had been regarded as brothers and nephews, a bond not to be taken lightly. Therefore, no one minded William Parker’s behavior.

Olivia Smith, however, could not be as casual as William Parker. The more prominent the family, the more they valued etiquette to show their nobility. He first clasped his hands and bowed seventy degrees in the direction of his mother, The Smith-Bolton Family, before sitting down. Only after The Smith-Bolton Family picked up her chopsticks did he take up his own, making every effort to remain refined in his movements.

These were rules he had learned over the past two months. At first, when he had just regained consciousness, he hadn’t paid much attention, and was then sternly lectured by The Smith-Bolton Family. Since then, he had been extremely careful in this regard, according to what he had heard. The Smith-Bolton Family herself came from a great clan said to be even stronger than the The Smith Family, thousands of miles away from the The Smith Family city. Not only was she extremely particular about etiquette, but she was also very strict with the original young Olivia Smith. Fortunately, in this world, martial strength is respected, so even though there are some rules and customs, they are not overly complicated. Within a few days, Olivia Smith had learned to behave properly.

However, although Olivia Smith ate with elegance and composure, his eating speed was not at all slower than William Parker. In fact, his overall food intake was even greater.

—The auxiliary intelligent parasitic system consumed a great deal of mental energy and nutrients every day during its calculations. Fortunately, besides its computational abilities, the system also helped the body digest food and could accurately absorb the nutrients needed, expelling what was unnecessary. In the twenty-third century, it was not only used by soldiers and martial artists, but was also a favorite among women trying to lose weight.

But today, halfway through the meal, Olivia Smith began to feel a bit uneasy. The Smith-Bolton Family seemed to have little appetite, putting down her chopsticks after only a few bites, and kept her eyes fixed on him, making him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

“Mother, is there something you wish to say?” There is also a rule in this world not to speak while eating, so Olivia Smith put down his bowl and chopsticks as he spoke.

“You’ve been eating a lot more lately?” The Smith-Bolton Family shook her head. “You used to be full after two bowls, but now it takes six, right? You must be growing—”

“Mm! I don’t know why either, I just feel like eating more lately.”