Chapter 85
The old mage's face turned as dark as an impending storm. Garrett opened his mouth but was momentarily unsure whether to defend himself, flip the table, or argue his case...
Honestly, I've seen all sorts of medical disputes in my past life. Unauthorized recordings, videos, signing consent forms with fading ink, signing and then denying it, shouting that we don't understand. Human nature, always innovating.
With over a decade of clinical experience, working in the explosive environment of the emergency department, he considered himself seasoned, adept at handling all kinds of confrontations. Yet, no defense could withstand this magical manipulation of words!
Moreover, did I express this complication just a bit too bluntly? I knew people from other realms weren't bombarded with consent forms; they might find it difficult to adapt...
But now, there's no time for regrets. Besides, this isn't a matter of regret. He's the victim here, having fallen under someone else's magic spell controlling his speech. Garrett hadn't figured out how to defend himself when Elder Elwin Wilkinson pulled him behind, his face turning iron blue.
"What are you doing?! Treat him if you can, or we'll leave!"
Great, back when dealing with medical disputes, we couldn't just shout, "Treat or leave!"
Garrett felt a touch of sadness and huddled behind his teacher, looking as if the sky was falling and someone influential was holding it up. Elder Elwin Wilkinson slammed his oak staff on the ground, pointing it at the old mage, shouting with authority, causing the mountains to tremble:
"Who wants to harm your grandson?! Who would take such a risk?! If young Garrett doesn't step forward, if he doesn't say he has a solution, can you blame him?
Teacher, you're amazing. It's great to have traveled through time T_T. If I shouted like this in a hospital in my past life, with just one patient complaint, the hospital administration would have come knocking...
Garrett sighed inwardly. Elder Elwin's scolding had the desired effect, and the old mage kept apologizing, promising not to cause trouble even if anything went wrong. After much fuss, the elder finally calmed down and waved his hand:
"Alright, let's begin the treatment..."
"I don't want to—"
The boy screamed. The ten-year-old boy's voice was sharp and bright, almost reaching a dolphin-like pitch, just a little short. Garrett's hand trembled, and halfway through casting the detection spell, it dissipated.
A swooshing sound, Elder Elwin's vines retracted, transforming back into a seed.
"George! Behave!"
The old mage scolded. Unfortunately, he was previously busy apologizing to Elder Elwin and, in a moment of distraction, let the restraining spell expire. The naughty child, tied up and forced to listen all this while, was already trembling with fear. Now, with a chance to escape, he rolled on the floor:
"I don't want—I don't want—cough, cough, cough—Grandpa, save me, I'll behave—cough, cough, cough—I don't want vines poking into my lungs—cough, cough, cough, cough—"
In his terror, the mischievous child displayed astonishing mobility, pouncing onto the old mage. Tears and snot smeared over the mage's robe as the old man lifted him up, dropped him heavily onto a chair, and bellowed:
"Don't move!"
Another magic spell shot out. The boy froze on the chair, wide-eyed, unable to make a sound. Constrained by magic, even the tip of his little finger couldn't move, forced to stare with wide eyes, tears streaming, his face pleading.
This pitiful sight garnered no sympathy. The old mage's face darkened, he pulled at his beard, glaring:
"Crying, crying, why cry! I told you to behave! I told you not to roll on the floor! I told you not to put the Aen Stone in your mouth! Will you dare do it again in the future?!"
The little guy cried even harder. Garrett sighed silently and intervened, "Wait a moment."
The plea turned into a hopeful expression. Garrett, ignoring him, looked at Gelman Klaus:
"We need someone to wipe his nose. With it like this, the vines might have difficulty entering."
"Makes sense. - Blake!"
With a command, the young servant who had just escaped appeared again, holding a basin of water and a towel...
The expression on the naughty child's face changed from joy to resentment, but helpless, he was covered with a towel, wiping his face vigorously. Then, suddenly, his vision went black, as Garrett commanded:
"Cover his eyes."
The bald bishop cast a divine spell, Elder Elwin manipulated the vines, and the old mage activated the detection spell. Garrett stood beside the mischievous child, sometimes moving to the front, sometimes circling to the side, monitoring the vine's position in his meditative vision, giving constant instructions:
"Downward."
"Downward."
"Continue downward."
"Wait a moment, we're at the vocal cords. Don't rush forward. When he breathes, the vocal cords will naturally open, then proceed downward..."
"Left! A slight diagonal downward, good, that angle is just right! Continue forward, stop! Turn left, pause a moment, let me check from the side..."
"Move it inward a bit, a bit more, good, the position is right. Don't rush, let the vine slowly grow, naturally extending inside..."
"Very good, we're there! Wrap around that stone! Once it's secure, slowly pull it back, don't rush, the upper airway is thicker than the lower one..."
With one command from him and one action from Elder Elwin, it didn't take long for the dim glow of the Aen Stone to retract from the throat in Garrett's meditative vision. Without Garrett's orders, a vine separated, pushed open the boy's teeth, and gracefully sent the pale yellow stone out.
"It's done..."
Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, took two steps back, and almost sat on the bed edge. Finally, it's over. All those risks and complications he worried about won't happen now!
He spoke softly, giving orders:
"It's fine now... Bishop, dispel the divine spell, let him cough... Try to cough up the phlegm as much as possible. Then, proceed with the treatment. You all understand better than me..."
While giving commands, he stared fixedly at the Aen Stone. To be fair, he had seen quite a few foreign bodies in the airways, thanks to a respiratory medicine friend with a collecting obsession, gathering all sorts of foreign bodies in a cabinet—but certainly not including this thing!
I wish I could send it to him... A unique existence in the world, enough material for an excellent case report!
"Symptoms and Subsequent Treatment of Aen Stone Entering the Airway" - Hmm, with an article like that, I wonder if The Lancet would publish it...
Sighs of relief echoed. With the lifting of the restraining magic
and the dissipation of the divine spell, the naughty child jumped down, his high-pitched cries ringing out:
"Wow—cough, cough, cough, cough—wow—"
"Shut up!"
The old mage moved swiftly, grabbing his grandson's ears. With a forceful pull, he brought him in front of Elder Elwin:
"Bow! Thank him!"
"Wow...sniff...thank you, thank you for the treatment..."
The mischievous child, sniffling, bowed in succession. After thanking Elder Elwin, the bald bishop, and the high priest, he was then brought by his grandfather in front of Garrett. Crying and sniffing, he bowed deeply:
"Thank you for the treatment...sniff..."
"Anything else?"
The old mage urged. The naughty child was pulled by the ears again, sobbing, and bowed deeply once more:
"Sorry... I shouldn't have snatched your Aen Stone... I won't dare again..."
Ah, it would be so good if all children were taught this way. Garrett sighed quietly and reached out to support him:
"It's okay..."
He suddenly froze, his expression strange. Elder Elwin, who had just finished casting his spell, saw him standing there dumbfounded and couldn't help asking:
"What's wrong, young Garrett?"
"Teacher..."
Garrett raised a trembling hand:
"I seem to be... having a breakthrough..."
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