A Hospital in Another World?

Chapter 182

House call check-up?

Group check-up at work?

Garrett chuckled.

His hospital had done this kind of thing before, either for large special units like retirement homes, or by venturing into rural areas to spread warmth.

But who would’ve thought he’d get to try it again in another world—what tests were needed? What equipment should be prepared?

Oh right, what’s the identity of this female knight? She’s casually talking about "my castle," "my territory"—she owns land herself? That’s even more impressive than having a mine!

Elder Wood had a twinkle in his eye as he observed Garrett’s surprised expression and the upright, sword-bearing figure of the female knight. With a slight squint of his old eyes, he chuckled, "What, you don’t know who she is? This is Count Inverness’s eldest daughter, Baroness Loxi. She owns land from Greenfield Forest to Morrison. By the way, which castle are we going to?"

The last question was directed at Salina. Without hesitation, the female knight replied, "Augustus Castle. It’s larger and more convenient to reach by water. Elder, when do you plan to come? Send a message, and I’ll have a boat sent to pick you up."

"..."

Just yesterday, Garrett felt like he had become a rich man with the establishment of a biological laboratory in Nevis City, so he quietly refrained from speaking. It sounded like she owned more than one castle; she could take her pick...

Elder Wood, however, seemed quite familiar with the baroness. Hearing her words, he remained unfazed. He simply smiled and said, "Salina, you’re being quite generous!"

Indeed, it was true generosity. Spellcasting came with a cost. Priests at the Temple of the Spring Goddess, for instance, charged fees based on their healing abilities. Level-one divine magic cost 50 gold coins, level-two 500 gold coins, and so on.

For strangers, payment preceded the spell, for acquaintances, payment followed the casting, and for special relationships, payments could be arranged monthly or quarterly, with discounts—

Of course, the degree of familiarity depended on one’s noble status, donations to the temple over the years, and family ties to the temple. VIP discounts were well understood; it’s just a matter of fleecing the sheep.

The Nature God’s Church often waived treatment fees for the poor. If Elder Wood took members of the church with him and proactively checked villages one by one, they probably wouldn’t collect a single coin and might even have to subsidize the trip. But now, Salina offered to cover the treatment costs, practically handing money to the church...

Even with discounts, this was no small amount.

So generous?

The old man glanced at Garrett and then at Salina, unable to suppress a smile. However, the female knight replied boldly, "Master Tolga intercepted us on our way yesterday, summoning an ice elemental. If he hadn’t intervened, I would have been seriously injured at least."

With a smile directed at Garrett, she added, "Yesterday was hectic, and I didn’t have a chance to thank you. And thank you for what happened with Iris."

So this was her way of thanking him? She couldn’t just give money directly, so she used treatment fees as a way to reciprocate?

Well, I wouldn’t mind receiving money directly; that’s exactly what I need now! Uh... but this treatment fee could benefit the public, which is actually quite good...

Garrett returned her smile, acknowledging her gratitude. Elder Wood nodded, "That settles it then. Once I’ve learned this spell and taught others, I’ll let you know. Little Garrett, I finished reading your paper from yesterday; there are a few points I didn’t quite understand. Can you explain them to me?"

The old man and the young man squatted down together, murmuring to each other. Master Tolga, seeing his daughter come out, was about to express his sincere thanks to Garrett but avoided him from a distance. It would be inappropriate to eavesdrop on magic. Since this spell had already been submitted to the Magic Council, he could legally acquire it.

He continued on to find his daughter, also taking stock of his assets, contemplating how to repay the favor of saving her. Facing an ice giant once and healing her once added up to two times. Salina had been generous in her actions, and he couldn’t be stingier than her.

Hmm, what should I give? Gold coins? Magic items? Scrolls? Wands? Or... this child came from a remote area to study at headquarters; what does he urgently need? Contribution points to the council? Opportunities left behind? Joining a mage tower?

Right, since it’s proven my daughter isn’t pregnant, it’s my fault for obstructing and intercepting all the way yesterday. I should properly apologize to her. How should I compensate her? A magic item? Or an enchanted armor set?

Master Tolga took stock of his assets as he walked slowly. After a round, he saw Garrett and Elder Wood squatting under a tree, arms around each other, shoulders touching. Garrett had both hands pressed to the ground, almost kneeling in front of a rabbit, murmuring:

"No... I still can’t sense what it’s thinking..."

"Why can’t you sense it?" Elder Wood looked at him with disappointment. "Communicating with animals is basic for servants of the Nature God! Even level-one priests can learn it; some exceptionally talented ones even master it during their apprentice phase!... How did Elwin accept you?"

"I... my faith is false..."

Speaking of which, there wasn’t much difference in the spells between the apprentice stages of priests of the Nature God and mages. Many spells were interchangeable—detect poison, detect magic, light spell, fire spark spell, reading magic... Many spells overlapped. But when it came to the level-one priest stage, priests of the Nature God gained many special abilities.

Calming animals, detecting animals and plants, invisibility to animals, animal communication, summoning allies...

These divine spells all shared a common foundation: sensing nature, being close to nature, resonating with nature. Garrett had a good grasp of theoretical knowledge and could fluently recite divine spells, but when it came to casting...

"You can’t even sense that it’s very anxious?!" Elder Wood was almost speechless. It’s a rabbit! One of the most common animals a servant of the Nature God encounters in the wild! Now, with its paws in the air, pressed to the ground, all you have to do is communicate with it, and you can’t even sense that it’s nervous?

"I... I can feel its heartbeat is fast..." Garrett quickly withdrew his fingers from the rabbit’s neck. It’s a rabbit! Not a person! If it were a person, I could communicate with them. It’s a rabbit... The only way I can communicate with rabbits is through experimentation!

Elder Wood sighed helplessly, patting the ground to make a few blades of grass shoot up, securely tying the rabbit up. "Here, do the most basic flora growth for me to see."

"No, I can’t... Why don’t you show me the divine spell scroll?" Garrett was also hopeless.

Divine spells were not like magic; for magic, he memorized the spell

 structure, and when he used it, he mentally outlined it and mobilized mana—naturally, the spell was cast.

But divine spells were different. So far, the divine spells he had learned were mostly healing spells, and he didn’t know how he learned them. Other divine spells? Trying hard to think in his mind, "Grow this grass for me"?

Why isn’t there any response no matter how I think about it? He dug a hole, loosened the soil, planted seeds, watered them, and the grass seeds still didn’t give him face. He chanted for a long time, but not a blade grew...

He even tried soybeans! After trying for so long, the soybeans were soaked for days and finally sprouted...

Elder Wood covered his face with a sigh. Elwin really entrusted him with a good student; he was unparalleled in healing spells, which left him marveling; however, traditional skills of a servant of the Nature God...

He couldn’t expect him to be competent in them anymore, and with these distinctive divine spells, why isn’t he catching on!

"...The essence of divine spells lies in strong prayers," he sighed, starting from the most basic part to explain the nature of divine spells to Garrett. "Convey the strongest, purest desire to the gods, pray for their response, and accomplish what ordinary people cannot. The priests of the Spring Goddess Temple believe in their goddess, the War God Temple believes in the War God, and we believe in the omnipresent power of nature.

—Plants, animals, even hills, rivers, and plains are all part of nature, so as long as we believe in nature, they will respond to our call."

That’s it. I’ve never believed in nature; I’ve always believed in saving lives, in the duty of preserving life. Garrett dared not speak; the old man stroked the swaying wild grass, then bent down, pressing his fingers on the ground, his gaze burning as he looked at him:

"I ask you, what is nature to you?"

"...Ecological balance?"

Garrett barely managed to swallow back those words. Elder Wood’s expression turned satisfied:

"You dare not answer? That’s right. Nature is great, it’s noble, worthy of you to spend your life feeling and revering it. Now tell me, why do you want to learn to grow plants?"

"For..."

Garrett’s gaze wandered. He saw the small bag around Elder Wood’s waist, then his fingers, and then the grass blades at his fingertips:

"For when I need a pipe, I can grow one?"

"..."

Elder Wood almost passed out.

What in the world is a pipe! When a servant of the Nature God grows plants, it’s either to assist in battle, to hinder enemies, or to harvest—flowers, herbs, fruits, and so on.

What is a pipe? Do you need so many pipes for your healing spells?

He simply grabbed a handful of grass seeds, thought for a moment, and threw back most of them, leaving only a small handful for Garrett:

"Then try it! Pray according to your needs!"

Grow in thin air? Aren’t they supposed to be buried in the soil, relying on the power of the earth to grow? Garrett was stunned for a moment, then reached out and picked up the grass seeds, pinching them between his thumb and forefinger. With closed eyes, he silently imagined:

"I need a pipe... a pipe... soft material, smooth surface, non-irritating, 12F specification... 400mm long... shape..."

He focused his mind on visualizing. His fingertips moved lightly, and a green, hollow vine swayed in the wind.

Elder Wood stared in astonishment.

"Why does this pipe you made have a ball at one end?"

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