Thanks for the chapter!
Those kids are cute. But MC mistaken, just pulling the stem and leaving the roots is the wrong way to do it. Right way is to carefully dislodge the plant from the ground so whole plant isn't damaged and roots have some dirt still stuck on. That way the plant stays alive and fresh for much longer. Besides, would whoever is using the plants want to use a plant that looks beat up, damaged here and there, leaking and breaking off bits that were needed to make medicine, and has a much shorter shelf life due to damage and missing roots? Or a whole, undamaged plant where nothing need is missing, in good condition with longer shelf life, looks good and can use whole plant? Don't believe me get a couple of flowers, one with the roots cut off and the other with roots and a little dirt. Wait a day or two and the cut off flower will start wilting much sooner than the one that still has roots. Also, should carefully bundle the plants with tops facing the same way rather than tossing them randomly in a bag. Easier to sort and count while decreasing chance of damage occurring during transport. Important thing to remember is not to harvest everything in a patch but to leave a fair amount behind. Don't remember exact scale, might be 1/10 or 1/4 but by leaving a fair amount behind the plants harvested will be replaced faster by the ones left behind allowing person to harvest more again later at a known spot not too deep into the forest. Problem if take whole patch is in a few months might find an odd plant or two here and there but will have to go farther and deeper into forest to find any which increases time spent looking and chances of encountering monsters or higher level monsters.
@flannan Might not be so much owning the forest as living near it. Granted having to kill the monsters every now and then to prevent build up is a pain, but if wiped them all out wouldn't be able to harvest any materials that can be used and/or traded. Also, paying adventurers to help cull numbers allows money to circulate and provide income. Take the red wolf MC killed for example. Whoever disassembles it into parts would earn money, a tailor or armor maker would earn money by making the fur into clothes or armor which could keep someone warm or protect them, the meat would feed whoever bought it, allowing them and MC to earn money to pay taxes, pay for food and shelter, etc. allowing multiple people to survive and flourish. However, if all monsters wiped out then the subjugation adventurers would move somewhere can earn a living, materials would have to be bought at a higher price from travelling merchants, and unless the place had a means to attract merchants and outsiders to come and buy/sell things the economy would stagnate or fall taking the city with it.