Robert continued his journey onward.
After crossing a low hill, a small town gradually came into view. This was Long Valley Town.
The Hobbits of the Southfarthing in the Shire were renowned for their skill in cultivating pipe-weed, and Long Valley Town was the most representative among them. It served as the center of pipe-weed cultivation and trade for the entire Shire. The pipe-weed produced here was sold far and wide and was highly favored by Dwarves, Rangers, and travelers alike. Even the Grey Wizard Gandalf was a loyal enthusiast, never seen without his pipe filled with Long Valley tobacco.
The Hobbits of Long Valley Town were even more leisurely than those of Hobbiton. As Robert passed through the streets, he constantly saw two or three Hobbits sitting in front of their homes, smoking their pipes and basking comfortably in the sunlight. Even the women held pipes in their mouths, exhaling clouds of smoke with relaxed expressions.
When they noticed Robert—a clear outsider and definitely not a Hobbit—they merely glanced at him with mild curiosity. There was no hostility, nor any real desire to investigate or question him.
Robert drove his carriage into the town. As he reached the town square, the system's familiar notification appeared.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Location confirmed — Shire, Long Valley Town. Do you wish to sign in?]
"Sign in," Robert replied without hesitation.
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining the first-year Herbology textbook: One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi!]
Robert froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected the sign-in reward to be a Herbology textbook.
For an instant, disappointment surfaced in his eyes. After all, Herbology was primarily a subject focused on identifying, cultivating, and maintaining magical plants. It did not directly enhance one's combat strength or magical power. More importantly, this was Herbology knowledge from the Harry Potter magical world. Many of the magical plants described within it were unique to that world.
Robert seriously doubted whether such plants could even be found in Middle-earth.
However, when he opened the book and began flipping through its pages, his eyes slowly brightened.
As a compulsory course at Hogwarts, Herbology was the study of both magical and ordinary plants and fungi. It taught students how to care for plants, understand their properties, and utilize them properly. It was a discipline closely tied to Potions.
At first, Robert had assumed that One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi was merely a reference book introducing various magical plants. To his surprise, in addition to detailed descriptions and care instructions, the book also recorded methods for cultivating ordinary plants into magical ones.
That discovery immediately changed everything.
For example, Dittany Essence—commonly used throughout the magical world—was extracted from the Dittany plant. It possessed astonishing healing properties and was considered a household essential potion. When Ron had splinched himself during Apparition, Hermione had healed him using Dittany Essence.
Yet the Dittany plant itself was not rare.
In fact, it was common even in the Muggle world, where it was used as a medicinal herb. The reason Dittany Essence exhibited such miraculous healing effects in the magical world was because wizards cultivated ordinary Dittany plants into medicinal materials imbued with magical properties.
The book further explained that most magical herbs had corresponding plants in the ordinary world. The difference between them was not their species, but whether they possessed magical properties.
And that difference lay entirely in cultivation.
According to the textbook, magical plants came into being through two main pathways: natural growth and artificial cultivation.
Naturally occurring magical plants typically grew in areas rich in magical energy, such as the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts.
Artificial cultivation, however, was divided into several methods.
The simplest method involved collecting the feces of magical creatures such as dragons or mooncalves. When ordinary plants absorbed these substances, there was a high probability they would transform into magical plants.
The second method involved cultivation using Potions. This approach was fast and had a high success rate, but it required advanced potion-making knowledge and significant material costs.
The third method involved wizards directly irrigating and nurturing plants using their own magic.
This final method, however, was extremely time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient. It consumed large amounts of magic while producing minimal results. As a result, very few wizards were willing to use it, and over time it had been largely abandoned by the magical world.
Ironically, for Robert in his current situation, this very method was the most suitable.
If he wanted to brew potions in the future, magical herbs would be indispensable. Since he lacked access to magical creatures, potion ingredients, and large-scale facilities, direct magical cultivation was his only viable option.
Originally, Robert had planned to leave Long Valley Town immediately after signing in. But after obtaining the Herbology textbook, he changed his mind.
Long Valley Town was not only skilled in growing pipe-weed, but its agricultural trade was also highly developed.
Robert entered a pipe-weed shop and purchased a large bundle for later use. While paying, he casually asked the shop owner, "Boss, do you know where I could buy living Dittany plants?"
"Dittany?" The shop owner stared at him as if he had heard something ridiculous. "Why would you want that? No one even wants it as a gift."
Still, adhering to the principle that the customer always came first, the Hobbit pointed him in the right direction. "If you really want it, there's plenty growing in the shady valley on the eastern hills. It's everywhere over there."
"I see. Thank you for the information," Robert replied politely.
When Robert left Long Valley Town, his carriage carried an extra bundle of pipe-weed and two small pots containing Dittany plants.
The Dittany was still in its sprouting stage and looked somewhat wilted, having just been transplanted from the hills.
Robert's next destination was Frogmorton, located in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. The town sat near the Great East Road, right beside the Brandywine River, making it a considerable distance away.
As a result, Robert spent his first night traveling outdoors.
At midnight, the moon rose to its highest point.
Bathed in silver moonlight, Robert gently pinched a Dittany sprout between his fingers and slowly channeled magic into it.
According to the cultivation methods described in the Herbology textbook, the Dittany needed to be irrigated with magic every midnight, when moonlight was at its strongest. This process had to continue until the plant reached full maturity, after which Dittany Essence could be extracted.
This was also the only potion that could be produced without the use of a wand or cauldron.
As Robert's magic flowed into the plant, the Dittany visibly regained some vitality. Its leaves straightened slightly, and the wilted look faded.
Still, Robert knew this was only the beginning.
For the next several months, he would need to repeat this process every single night, under the moonlight, until the Dittany fully transformed into a true magical herb.
It was no wonder this cultivation method had been abandoned by the magical world. Compared to using magical creature waste or potion-based cultivation, this approach was absurdly time-consuming and exhausting, with very limited yield.
Magical families who specialized in herb cultivation measured their harvests in acres. Even if a wizard drained every last drop of magic from their body, they would never be able to irrigate such a scale of plants manually.
The carriage traveled through the night, finally arriving in Frogmorton at dawn.
Frogmorton lay directly beside the Brandywine River and enjoyed convenient water transport. A dock stood nearby, allowing passage to Buckland on the opposite bank.
Exhausted from traveling all night, Robert headed straight for the Floating Log Inn upon entering the town.
As its name suggested, the inn floated directly on the water and was one of Frogmorton's most distinctive landmarks.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Location confirmed — Shire, Frogmorton, Floating Log Inn. Do you wish to sign in?]
"Sign in," Robert said quietly, placing the two pots of Dittany on the windowsill of his room.
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining the first-year Potions textbook: Magical Drafts and Potions!]
Robert opened the Potions textbook, skimmed through a few pages, then closed it again.
He wasn't exactly disappointed, but the book was currently of little use to him.
Potion-making required ingredients, but more importantly, it required a wand. The most crucial step in brewing potions was stirring with a wand to guide the magical reaction.
This was why, using the same materials, wizards could create wondrous potions, while Muggles would only end up with foul-smelling black sludge capable of poisoning someone to death.
If Robert wanted to brew potions, acquiring a wand was essential.
Unfortunately, that was far beyond what he could pursue at the moment.
He didn't believe that simply stuffing a snake nerve into a wooden stick would produce a real wand.
If it were that easy, the Ollivander family would not have monopolized wand-making in magical Britain for over a thousand years.
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