A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 567: The Blood Coins Underfoot

Even if Garrett Nordmark doesn’t like Viscount Joann, he wouldn’t joke about a patient’s life. He could refuse an apprentice, refuse money, but he must see patients.

He patiently listened as Viscount Joann described the location, number of people, and the condition of the outbreak. Then he politely declined Viscount Joann’s invitation to a banquet, stating he would prepare and visit tomorrow.

“No, wait! For someone of your status to return, there should at least be several banquets!” Viscount Joann was somewhat anxious. He counted off on his fingers:

“Elder Elwin, Mage Gelman, High Priest Holna, Bishop Barkley, Baron Vaughn, Knight Nolan…”

He rattled off a dozen names:

“These people, you must meet them! I’ll arrange the banquet, whenever you’re available—”

“After I’ve seen this batch of patients…”

Garrett smiled, took his leave, and fled the scene. What a joke, he had just escaped from a diplomatic banquet, and now another banquet here? Please, he had traveled miles not to attend banquets!

How boring!

Leaving the lord’s mansion, Garrett immediately sought Elder Elwin. The village with the strange illness was in a remote location, on the edge of the viscounty, nestled in a small valley. As Viscount Joann said, "They are all poor people..."

Since they were poor, expecting the Grand Priest of the Spring Temple was unlikely. The Bald Bishop probably couldn’t be counted on either—wrong expertise. But his teacher, who had traveled every corner of the viscounty, might have heard something…

And indeed, Elder Elwin knew. Garrett had only described half the situation before he replied:

“I know this village. About a year ago, the villagers began falling ill one after another. I treated them, and it alleviated for a while, but then relapsed. Since the lord has asked you, let’s go see them together tomorrow.”

Garrett couldn’t have asked for better. How great to go with his teacher! Someone to lead the way, an experienced healer to guide. There were many higher divine spells he still didn’t know!

He arranged to meet his teacher tomorrow at the medical center, and set off with the guide sent by Viscount Joann. After calming himself, he headed to Uncle Karren’s house but was stopped halfway there:

“Um... Mage Nordmark... Are you available now?”

“Ah, oh!” Garrett’s brain clicked for half a second, then he realized. “Knight Robert?... You said yesterday about bringing your son for treatment, right? — Has he arrived?”

“He’s here! Waiting at the medical center!”

Poor Knight Robert, who had scheduled the treatment for the afternoon, had gotten up early in the morning to wait. Wanting to arrive early, yet afraid of disturbing Garrett; after hurriedly eating lunch early, he rushed to the medical center, only to find Garrett had gone to the lord’s mansion.

Afraid to leave, and worried about missing the appointment, the agony was enough to push his hairline back a millimeter.

Garrett turned 180 degrees on the spot and returned to the medical center. Upon entering, he saw a tall, skinny teenager sitting uncomfortably in the lobby, twisting and turning as if the chair had nails on it. Hearing footsteps, the boy turned his head to look, then quickly twisted back.

With that twist, Garrett saw that the boy’s chin was covered with seven or eight pimples, the largest on his nose, red and shiny like a little light bulb. So… this was for treating acne?

This I can’t do! Acne is dermatology, hormone regulation is endocrinology, neither of which are my specialties!

“Ivan! Come here!”

Knight Robert called out.

The boy hurriedly supported himself on the back of the chair and limped over. Garrett immediately noticed that he was reluctant to put weight on his right foot, walking on either the heel or the side of his foot. Occasionally, when he carelessly put weight on the front of his foot, he grimaced in pain.

“What happened? Is there an injury on your foot?”

Garrett casually pulled out an oak wand, transforming it into a staff of eyebrow height with a few branches sticking out at the top, and handed it over as a makeshift crutch. The boy gratefully took the crutch, limping along with them into the consulting room. Knight Robert sighed beside:

“This boy, always serving as a knight’s attendant at the lord’s mansion, was learning well and nearly caught up to me. Who knew, half a year ago while hunting in the woods, he got injured…”

As he spoke, he gestured for the boy to take off his shoes and socks. The moment the sole of his foot was placed on the chair, Seraina, who had crowded in to watch, immediately recoiled and covered her nose:

It stinks!

A mix of

sweat sourness and odor, mingled with a scent of blood! For a dragon race with sensitive smell, it was torture!

She turned and ran out of the consulting room, gasping for air, then cast a 【Bubble Spell】 on herself. Knight Robert was very embarrassed, slapping his son hard:

“You! I told you to wash your feet first, wash your feet…”

Garrett remained unfazed. Sour stench, so what? This bit of odor, compared to diabetic foot or the like, was nothing. He even stopped Knight Robert with a smile:

“Hey, it’s alright, let me see what’s going on…”

He bent slightly and immediately saw a flat, purplish-red swelling under the big toe of the boy’s right foot. It was raised about 1-2 millimeters above the skin, about the size of a 5-jiao coin. The surface wasn’t the thick skin typically found on the sole, and looked rather fragile.

“At first, we bandaged it to stop the bleeding, and it seemed alright, but then this growth appeared. It doesn’t hurt unless touched, but walking hurts, and running or exerting force is unbearably painful. Sometimes it even bleeds…”

History of foot trauma, swelling on the sole lasting over six months, painful upon pressure, history of bleeding. Garrett silently recorded the medical history, listening as Knight Robert rambled:

“Let’s get it treated, it was better at first, but then quickly relapsed. I was determined, took him to the temple to have it cut off, and the knife went down—blood spurted everywhere, and it just kept growing back… If he’s to become a knight!”

Garrett nodded silently. With such a growth on his foot, walking was awkward, let alone exerting force or running. A child on the path of knighthood, this was a career-ending setback. But cutting it off and having it grow back, this was a deep issue!

“Who has treated this patient before?”

Garrett raised his voice and called out. Immediately, two heads popped out at the consulting room door:

“Me!”

“Me!”

Priest Anthony, Little John. One from the Church of the Nature God, the other from the Temple of the War God. Garrett waved them over:

“Come here, I’ll teach you a spell that can see what’s underneath. First, clean this foot, then, this bottle of oil, apply it thickly for me—don’t skimp on the oil, the effectiveness of the spell depends on how well you apply it!”

Two cleansing spells quickly followed.

A thick layer of glycerin was applied, and Garrett placed his hand on it, initiating an Ultrasound spell. The branching pattern of blood vessels immediately unfolded in his mind’s eye.

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