A Hospital in Another World?

Garrett unleashed a torrential rebuke, speaking rapidly and with a high pitch, full of vigor. Master Norwood initially tried to resist but was quickly overwhelmed, managing only a faint protest:

"...I was just too tired! I’ve been working day and night on this thing for the past month, even cutting back on my meditation time! Of course, I’d feel unwell from overexertion..."

Garrett raised an eyebrow. Still not convinced, huh? Won’t shed tears until you see the coffin, right?

"Archmage Carlisle!" He leaned out from behind the patient and called:

"Do you have a mirror here? —And yes, stop the generator! Stop it first! When someone is in the room, don’t use it to generate power! I’ll explain why later!"

He just remembered! Running electricity through mercury vapor produces ultraviolet light! This, in excess, is harmful to both the skin and eyes! Think of conditions like solar dermatitis, keratitis; these troubles are bound to happen!

Cough, although acquiring a UV lamp was an unexpected bonus — adding a sterilization tool to the laboratory — now, it couldn’t continue shining!

Archmage Carlisle reluctantly ceased. A small glass vessel capable of converting AC to DC, the changes in current involved were indeed worth savoring for this Energy Shaping magician.

But, Garrett rarely speaks to him in such a tone, and when he does, it’s always about life-threatening matters, like the previous plague seed leak...

The electric motor handle stopped turning, the mercury arc rectifier’s blue light went out, and Garrett finally breathed a sigh of relief. He withdrew his head, facing Master Norwood:

"Need proof, right? —Stand still, pull down your lower lip, let me see your gums!"

The alchemist, skeptical, pinched the center of his lower lip and pulled it down. Garrett scanned quickly, his eyebrows lifting:

See, I knew it.

"Take a look in a mirror. At the junction of your teeth and gums, is there a thin blue-black line? That’s mercury poisoning, deposited in your body, harming your health! Do you need more proof?"

Actually, there were other evidences. For instance, the skin scratch test positive, which could be done on the spot;

Or mercury levels in urine and blood, ah, but without the reagents or instruments, it’s not possible now;

Or symptoms like palpitations, insomnia, hysteria, tremors, oral ulcers, loose teeth, dizziness, headaches, nausea — the patient’s recent behavior has already proven these...

But, all these symptoms need to be differentiated from other diseases. Only the blue-black line on the gums, or the mercury line, with a clear history of mercury exposure, seeing this line almost certainly diagnoses it!

Master Norwood’s complexion changed. He shakily took out a small mirror, held it up to his face, and looked. After a long while, his hand loosened, and the mirror fell silently.

Garrett caught it in time. Master Norwood was no longer concerned about the mirror, staring blankly at Garrett, pale:

"...Will I die?"

"You shouldn’t. It’s just mercury poisoning, it should be treatable..."

It definitely is treatable. If this were his previous life, encountering a mercury poisoning patient clinically, he’d immediately call for internal medicine. Even without internal medicine here, he could recite the treatment plan from "Internal Medicine":

Inject 5% sodium dimercaptopropane sulfonate solution intramuscularly, once daily, 5ml each time. Three days make a treatment course, can be repeated after a four-day interval, or alternatively, dimercaptosuccinic acid or dimercaptopropanol can be used...

But, he had no drugs.

Nothing like sodium dimercaptopropane sulfonate, dimercaptosuccinic acid, dimercaptopropanol...

"How about this... wait a bit, I’ll try a detoxification spell? If that doesn’t work, we might have to look for a high-ranking priest..."

Garrett clearly remembered, right after arriving in this world, seeing Reverend Donald of the Spring Water Temple casting a detoxification spell — though it wasn’t very effective against allergies. Now, having advanced to level three, he also learned this divine spell, thinking it might come in handy.

He learned it, but rarely had the chance to use it. What effect the detoxification spell would have in his hands, Garrett wasn’t quite sure...

After all, there are many principles of detoxification clinically. Inducing vomiting? Activated charcoal adsorption of intestinal toxins? Enhancing diuresis and altering urine pH to promote toxin elimination? Blood purification? Injecting chelating agents to form complexes with toxic metals in the body? Antagonizing toxins?

With so many

pathways and no animal clinical comparative experiments conducted, Garrett wasn’t very confident in his divine spell...

Fortunately, Master Norwood was lucky. Despite Garrett’s lack of confidence, his mastery of divine spells was fairly solid. After one detoxification spell was cast, Master Norwood felt significantly lighter, and the headache and irritability that had plagued him for months were much alleviated. He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked profusely:

"I feel much better, thanks to you..."

Garrett persisted, casting another detoxification spell. After two spells, when Master Norwood opened his mouth again, the mercury-induced bad breath had significantly faded, and the blue-purple line on his gums vanished.

This detoxification spell worked surprisingly well!

Garrett silently praised. The disappearance of the mercury line meant that half of the toxins in the body had been removed, turning a moderate mercury poisoning into at least a mild one!

Of course, the patient might have completely recovered. But without having tested blood mercury, urine mercury, or observed over some time, Garrett couldn’t be sure...

Should he persuade him to stay for observation?

Before he could speak, Master Norwood was already expressing his gratitude profusely. After confirming the rectifier’s acceptance with Archmage Carlisle and securing 5000 contribution points, he immediately offered Garrett 1000:

"It’s not that I’m stingy, saving my life means I owe you all 5000 points. It’s just that I’ve borrowed quite a bit for this project, and after paying off debts and adding to my daughter’s dowry, all I have left to use is these 1000 points..."

His spirits lifted, he clung to Garrett, his calloused hands almost peeling off a layer of Garrett’s skin in their grip. Struggling futilely, Garrett switched tactics to persuade him:

"Your mercury arc rectifier — oh, mercury rectifier, I need several for my Mage Tower, and others might need them too. If you want to repay me, why not help me make a few more? Don’t worry, I’ll provide the materials, you just handle the labor. Meanwhile, you can also study the relationship between the rectifier and current..."

Master Norwood was rendered speechless, nodding rapidly. Behind him, Aurora rolled her eyes and muttered:

"There he goes, recruiting again..."

That’s how he was recruited too! All sorts of innovative ideas, never lacking topics, providing research conditions, offering methodological guidance! Originally agreed to work for three years, now it seems like he’ll keep working for the boss indefinitely...

And then there’s Mage Lynn, who seems to have been half-recruited too! But it’s nice, getting to pet a cat now and then, feels like happiness levels have risen ^_^

Regardless, Garrett ended up taking Master Norwood, his mercury arc rectifier, and the hand-cranked generator connected to the rectifier, back to the Mage Tower. Without taking a breath, he started guiding Master Norwood up and down, inspecting the pre-laid electrical conduits:

"Here I need to install a rectifier! And here! And here! And here!

—Oh, and make me a steam engine too! Use the fire elemental pool of the Mage Tower for heating and the water elemental pool for water supply. I’ll draw you the blueprint!"

UV sterilization, ah!

A staple for operating rooms and bacteriology labs! Running it for 30 minutes a day, along with disinfectant, feels like the safety index has risen again!

Master Norwood diligently studied the blueprints. The rectifier was one thing, but the steam-driven generator, propelled by steam to turn the axle, was merely an idea for Garrett. Asking a few more questions, Garrett suddenly pulled out a set of breathing machine pumps, showing the water-driven transmission mechanism:

"Why don’t you consult with the dwarves?"

Master Norwood: "..."

Dare this young master of the Mage Tower be any more unreliable?!

If it weren’t for the lifesaving grace, he’d leave the Mage Tower tomorrow!

Despite saying this, Master Norwood remained grateful for Garrett’s lifesaving grace. On the third evening, seeing Garrett listlessly emerge from the laboratory and collapse on the dining table like a deflated balloon, he proactively inquired:

"What’s wrong? Research not going well?"

"Penicillin extraction... still can’t be purified..."

Garrett sighed heavily. Without chemicals, without solvents, the road to purifying and extracting penicillin seemed endless...

"Can’t be purified?"

Master Norwood’s knife slipped, making a grating noise on the plate. He leaned forward, concerned:

"Why don’t I give it a try?"

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