ALL NOVEL Chapter 63
Chapter 4: Strange Illness, Strange People
“Hospital?”
Miss Vilyric stared at the huge sign above the entrance of the building, clearly reading the two large characters.
Although the Translation Tool could only convert sound-based languages, Vilyric hadn’t spent over a month in this world just for fun… With Liliya’s help, she had properly studied the common script of the United Kingdom.
Compared to just starting out where she could only read with the help of tools, the time-traveling young lady could now relatively smoothly recognize those not-too-rare words.
This was probably a convenience brought by the body of “Vilyric.” Mastering a language in a month would be quite a feat back on Blue Star…
This hospital was located in a quiet, remote area in the east of the city; judging by its size, it was even larger than Nastaia’s city lord’s residence.
Moreover, the sign had no prefix—it was simply called “Hospital.” The guards weren’t security or attendants but two soldiers from Flame Dragon City, dressed in bright red armor and holding long spears.
There was no doubt that this was an official medical facility.
“My Lord City Lord!”
As soldiers saw Nastaia, they immediately stood at attention and saluted her, their respect evident in their demeanor. It seemed that this city lord was quite beloved in Flame Dragon City.
“So, how are things inside?”
The soldiers exchanged glances; the one on the left, who seemed to have more leadership quality, lowered his voice and spoke: “Things aren’t great. It’s said we can barely suppress the symptoms, but it continues to worsen. You know, Dragon Blood Disease is not…”
“And… we just brought in another patient, an old man from the central district. No more talking, hurry and take a look inside.”
“Central district? Why there too…?” A thread of worry and confusion knitted Nastaia’s brow.
“What about close contacts?”
“According to regulations, they’ve all been kept for observation, and so far, there have been no signs of secondary transmission.”
“Well done.”
She nodded to Miss Vilyric, “You two, please come in. Inside are the patients needing your treatment.”
“Dragon Blood Disease?”
“Yes, Dragon Blood Disease. By the way, there are currently no known cases of recovery from this illness. Besides the ones who are still lingering, the rest have already… Please be cautious when you come in contact.”
As Nastaia stepped through the hospital’s front door, the sound of muffled groans and coughing filled Vilyric’s ears.
It wasn’t that the people here were especially high-quality or knew to keep quiet in public places; rather, they didn’t even have the strength to shout. The sounds reflected their weak breaths and diminishing vitality—most showed clear signs of being beyond cure.
Although Vilyric wasn’t a conventional healer, her high attributes and level of perception allowed her to understand this at a glance.
Inside the hospital hall, there were rows of white beds and simple partitioned single rooms, with most of the beds already occupied. There were probably at least a hundred patients here.
Dozens of doctors and priests dressed in protective suits were scurrying back and forth. The entire space was filled with a pungent smell of medicinal residues mixed with a burnt odor that resembled blood.
Strange, what kind of illness smells burnt?
Nastaia put on a heavy isolation suit hanging by the door and handed two new sets to Vilyric and Xiao Guang.
“Put this on. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’s specially imported from the capital with great protective effects.”
Seemingly afraid that these two newcomers wouldn’t understand the seriousness, the city lord patiently explained once more.
“Dragon Blood Disease is a contagious disease; while its infectivity isn’t strong, prolonged close contact—especially where the patient’s blood comes into contact with your own mucous membranes or wounds—greatly increases the infection rate.”
Nastaia paused.
“I’ll remind you again, there’s currently no precedent for recovery with this disease, and it can be fatal.”
“Well… fine.”
Although she didn’t feel that there was any virus capable of breaking through her multiple resistances and protections, as a true pureblood giant dragon, Xiao Guang was even less worried…
But looking at Nastaia, she seemed to be a very serious and responsible person. Refusing to wear this could mean she wouldn’t allow them to treat the patients, and to avoid pointless arguments, it was better to just put it on.
Being cautious wasn’t a bad thing.
Also, whether it was just her imagination, Vilyric felt like Nastaia became particularly verbose when introducing the contagious and fatal nature of the disease, as if emphasizing something on purpose.
Am I overthinking…?
Throwing an eye at the reluctant little dragon daughter beside her, the latter reluctantly took the suit that looked almost identical to a chemical protective suit from Blue Star and clumsily put it on.
Who knew how this average medieval civilization got such modern things?
While thinking casually, Vilyric also donned her “work uniform” and moved closer to the patients with Nastaia.
“Oh great Goddess! City Lord Nastaia, you arrived just in time! A few patients’ symptoms are becoming uncontrolled and urgently need your help, hurry…”
Before Vilyric could start closely observing the patients, a tall figure in protective gear, even speckled with dark red blood, charged over, almost causing the little dragon daughter to claw at him, but thankfully the priestess managed to stop her in time.
The newcomer appeared to be a priest from the temple. Despite looking somewhat disheveled because of the blood and sweat, the holy seal on his wrist and the holy emblem around his neck were easily recognizable features.
It appeared that Nastaia casually raised her hand to block the man’s approach, gently soothing him with her tone.
“Bishop Isaac, please don’t rush. There’s an old saying in the temple: ‘A blacksmith must first possess a sturdy forging hammer to craft excellent weapons.’ Rushing will only worsen the situation.”
“Huh?”
Vilyric frowned, what kind of strange other-world version of “to do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools” is this? Surely it can’t be that a certain time-traveling senior adapted this for easier understanding!
Of course, the city lord couldn’t hear the internal complaints. She gracefully stepped aside, revealing Vilyric behind her.
“This is Miss Vilyric, the latest recruited healer. I can tell her medical skills are quite high; how about you let her check on the patients first?”
This Bishop Isaac from the temple appeared to hold quite a high status in Flame Dragon City; even Nastaia, as the city lord, spoke to him in a tone that was more of a negotiation rather than issuing orders.
Vilyric sensed that if Isaac shook his head at this moment, things could get a bit troublesome.
Is the temple not an external organization under the Holy Empire? How did it reach such a level in a city of the United Kingdom?
Fortunately, the other party didn’t seem to be unreasonable or bossy.
“This little girl? Has she reached adulthood… Well, since the city lord said so, I will give her a chance.”
Saying this, Isaac shifted his tone.
“But to speak frankly, those so-called doctors and priests you brought are pretty unreliable; they’ve wasted time more than once, and to be honest, if even the temple cannot handle this disease, I really don’t hold much hope for ordinary people…”
“I don’t understand why you insist on not seeking help from the higher-ups of the kingdom, but… if this time you can’t produce any meaningful progress, I will have to report to the higher-ups of the temple and request stronger priests to provide support. Otherwise, Dragon Blood Disease will spiral out of control and lead to a massive disaster.”
Nastaia’s expression froze.
After a moment, she took a deep breath, “You… are right. We indeed cannot delay any longer; let’s proceed with this.”
The mature and gentle woman turned to the black-haired girl and bowed slightly, “Then, I’ll leave everything to you, Miss Vilyric.”
“Uh-huh, I will do my best.”
From the seemingly simple conversation between the two, Vilyric caught a whiff of something unusual.
Could it be that beneath the surface of Dragon Blood Disease, there lurked some deeper cause?
Why is Nastaia insistent on not seeking help from above? Does she know something or have her reasons? Clearly, notices were posted calling for civilian healers, yet she’s keeping the kingdom’s higher-ups in the dark; how strange…
No matter how many secrets Nastaia, the city lord of Flame Dragon City, is hiding, it seems the first step to unraveling it must come from “illness.”