Why did Damon send Artemis for ingredients that he really didn’t need?

Damon sent Artemis for ingredients that he didn't really need because he knows he (Artemis) couldn't stand the blood. So, he had to send him away on purpose so as to save the young man from the gory sight.

Explanation:

The historical novel "The Wadjet Eye" by Jill Rubalcaba revolves around the character of Damon and his journey to Spain to deliver the news of his mother's death to his father who he barely knows. The journey took them through various encounters, be it shipwreck, or being attacked by sharks and many interferences from Cicero, Cleopatra, and Caesar.

The initial chapters of the book reveal the death of Damon's mother and that they need to embalm her body to be buried. The embalmer had refused to do the embalming as he believed she died of the plague, leaving the act to be done by the grieving son. His best friend Artemis accompanies him but was unable to stand the sight of blood, making him go weak. So, in order to let Artemis stay away from the gory sight of seeing the dead body be embalmed, Damon sent him away on the pretext of getting some ingredients he would need for the embalming.

answer; proximity;

they could have terrible tropical storms which will destroy the crops in the colonies