Chapter 154

Chapter 154

With the support of pure oxygen (?), the tug-of-war between healing spells and the ailment finally broke the deadlock. Elder Wood maintained the pure oxygen (?) bubble spell, while the level 5 priest beside him continuously chanted healing spells, successfully suppressing the patient’s symptoms.

After finishing the treatment and sending away the patient, Elder Wood looked at Garrett Nordmark with eyes that had suddenly risen by 60 degrees Celsius.

If it was around 40 degrees before, like comfortably warm water, with the impression of "Oh, a disciple from a faraway place," after Garrett demonstrated his skills, it instantly skyrocketed to 100 degrees Celsius, bubbling and on the verge of boiling.

Elder Wood was inherently mild-mannered. This amiable old man stared at the glass tube in his hand, his eyes eager to fly out of their sockets, itching to examine the gas inside the tube with his fingertips. However, after several glances, he averted his gaze and handed the glass tube back:

"Thank you! Hmm, you are Garrett Nordmark, Elwin’s disciple, right?"

Garrett quickly handed over the letter. Elder Wood scrutinized it page by page, both surprised and amused:

"Acting as both a priest and a mage? Delaying the Magic Council’s training to combat the plague? Even going to the battlefield with it?—Not bad, not bad. Elwin has taken in a good apprentice." His gaze towards Garrett became even more affectionate:

"Your teacher has been a good friend of mine for many years. He asked me to continue teaching you divine magic. From now on, you’ll be like being by your teacher’s side while you’re with me. If you have any doubts or need assistance, just ask."

"I do have something to ask for the Elder’s help." Garrett seized this opportunity, eager to continue:

"Today in the academy, my teacher assigned a research project..."

He narrated his experiences today in detail. Elder Wood initially listened with a smiling face, but as Garrett expressed his speculations and concerns, his expression turned serious. When Garrett finished sharing his guesses and worries, Elder Wood frowned, glanced at the door, and the kind smile vanished from his chubby face:

"What you say makes sense. Recently, I’ve treated several patients who went into the mountains to catch bats. I’ll write a letter now to remind acquaintances in the council."

"Writing a letter from the Elder would be great." Garrett sighed in relief:

"But I think we still need to prove the connection between these diseases and bats, or at least demonstrate a high likelihood of getting sick when in close contact with bats. Otherwise, I’m afraid convincing those mages will be difficult. They might think that adventurers falling ill has other causes."

"Hmmm..." Elder Wood pondered. He unconsciously twirled his beard as he contemplated. The black and white intertwined beard curled around his index finger, getting tighter and tighter. Seeing this, Garrett was worried that the beard might be plucked off directly.

Fortunately, Elder Wood was accustomed to this movement. After circling clockwise seven or eight times, just as the beard reached its limit, he began to twist counterclockwise. After several rounds back and forth, he finally looked up and asked Garrett directly:

"What’s your plan?"

"I have some plans, but I can’t do it alone; I need help." Garrett had already formulated a plan before setting out, refining and expanding it several times on the way. Now, he presented it smoothly without stumbling. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but marvel silently—if only he had this eloquence when applying for research projects back in the day, maybe he would have pursued a career in research:

"My plan is divided into two parts. First, research the current patients. Elder, please contact nearby healers to investigate their cases. If we can find a batch of patients among those who recently had close contact with bats, and their symptoms are similar, we can preliminarily conclude that bats can cause illness.

Especially for adventurers who go into the mountains to catch bats, the shopkeepers and staff who sell bats, and mages studying bats, if they all have similar cases, the evidence becomes more apparent."

Elder Wood nodded gently. He released his twisted beard and blew on his fingers—indeed, a white strand of beard fell off. The old man regretfully looked at his fingertip, then raised his head, presenting a steady and reliable expression:

"That makes sense. You don’t know the local healers; I’ll contact them. And the second part?"

"Well, I also need some means to isolate people from bats. Since I know they are dangerous, it’s not good if I get infected myself. It would be best if they can’t bite me or spit on me. If an animal sneezes, I won’t inhale anything..."

Garrett replied nervously. In reality, he wanted to set up a P4 laboratory, or at the very least, a monkey version. For example, a negative pressure airtight chamber with an interlocking airlock, an exhaust pump, filtration, and burning the gases from the red zone. Without natural gas, he could consider hard burning, like Garrett’s modified Burning Hand...

But the rented house definitely couldn’t handle such modifications. Even if he could afford a new house, the remodeling would be a massive project. Forget it, maybe he could ask if there were isolation suits available.

"You’ve thought it through." Elder Wood praised. He frowned in thought for a moment, "What you said makes sense. Wait a moment, I’ll go get..."

He turned and went inside. After a while, he came back with a pile of dusty clothes, handing them to Garrett, "Try these on, see if they fit?"

Garrett examined each item. A black, thick hat with a broad brim that could almost cover his eyes.

Thick gloves that felt like he wouldn’t be able to do anything once he put them on.

Clear glass eyeglasses, the quality of the glass was questionable, with some bubbles and cracks.

A heavy, black coat with a rough texture, possibly canvas, with a slightly reflective surface—almost like it was coated in wax.

Garrett had a bad feeling. As he opened the coat, the essence of this outfit was revealed, confirming his suspicions: a bird beak mask.

A long silver bird beak, not used for many years, oxidized to a dark color. Garrett tried to stretch it between his thumb and forefinger, finding it shorter than he expected. It had some straps around the edges, seemingly used to secure it on the head.

Garrett picked it up and looked inside; the mask was filled with something that had completely decayed into residue, making it impossible to discern its original components.

If his knowledge from his previous life was accurate, there might have been herbs like mint leaves and rose petals inside, and if lucky, some spices like cloves, camphor, benzoin, and dragon’s blood...

You might as well give me activated charcoal! Although it’s cheap and odorless, it’s more reliable than these spices!

Garrett felt like crying. Elder Wood continued speaking, "This is used to deal with the most severe plagues. Initially, I thought it wouldn’t be necessary. If you think you need it, you can take it and try it out."

I...

I want latex gloves!

I want protective clothing!

I want N95 masks! Face shields! Safety goggles!

Sorry, I’ll never complain again about how stuffy the protective suits the hospital provides are. Every time I take them off, they’re soaked...

Tears streamed down Garrett’s face.

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