Chapter 58: Perfect Nourishment
Rinsing the rice and cooking porridge in the pot, Charlotte went downstairs and entered the study, where he habitually wrote today's patient records.
The power of habit was indeed formidable.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
Compared to the previous days, the number of patients today had increased significantly, reaching eighteen in total. Most of them had external injuries, which were relatively easy to handle. The average fee per person was around 500 copper coins, resulting in a total collection of 8,423 copper coins and collateral worth 1,210 copper coins.
Closing the diary, Charlotte took out the cash box under the counter and began to count the clinic's earnings for the morning.
Running a clinic was indeed a lucrative business.
If it weren't for someone trying to kill him, the stable daily profits would have made his life in the Abyss quite comfortable.
If nothing happened today, enjoying music in the pavilion would be enough.
However, the strong sense of crisis, knowing that the Duke's son from the powerful Lance Empire wanted to kill him and Carol from the Jadeson family wanted to harm him, made him seriously consider how to save himself.
He couldn't spend money recklessly. The second-level magic barrier could only provide early warning and temporary defense, which was not practical for withstanding powerful enemies.
Once he had saved enough money, he would upgrade the barrier again.
He had his eyes set on a fourth-level barrier, a gold attribute one that used the Magic Core of a Swordtooth Beast as its core. It relied on offense for defense and could release a powerful sword aura to slay invading enemies.
But it was quite expensive.
The price was 820,000 copper coins.
Good things naturally didn't come cheap.
They had plain rice porridge for lunch.
Vivian wasn't picky and drank three bowls happily, burping contentedly, satisfied with her lunch.
Anna, on the other hand, didn't even spare a glance at the bowl of porridge given to her. She circled the stove a few times, then meowed at Charlotte.
"What kind of family is this? There's no reason to eat meat every day." Charlotte held a large bowl, drinking the porridge while earnestly lecturing, "From today onwards, you'll have to get used to this difficult life."
...
In the evening, unable to adapt to a day without any good food, Charlotte spent 31 copper coins at a meat stall on the street and bought a pound of venison.
The bald, greasy butcher, with his bare arms, smiled and handed Charlotte a deer whip hanging high up. He whispered, "Doctor Charlotte, this deer whip is for you. It's a good thing. It's said to be excellent for soaking in alcohol. I'll ask you to put in a good word for me to Miss Diana to reduce the rent."
"Oh, um..." Charlotte held something in his hand that was heavier than the meat he bought, looking at the butcher's eager smile and the envious glances from others, feeling somewhat complicated.
No wonder people say that martial artists can eat up a lot of money every day.
"The boss is so kind!" Vivian was deeply moved and her gaze fell on the braised meat in Charlotte's hand. "This piece of meat looks a bit strange though."
"Ah... this is a deer whip. I'll go prepare the meat." Charlotte hurriedly went upstairs with the meat.
"Is the deer whip supposed to look like this?" Vivian frowned and pondered.
Charlotte stewed a pot of venison soup and braised the deer whip.
Anna drank some soup and ate a few pieces of venison, but she avoided the braised deer whip.
On the other hand, Vivian liked the braised deer whip. She ate a lot of it with rice and said, "This deer whip tastes good, it has a nice chewy texture."
Charlotte looked at Vivian, her face flushed, sweating profusely, and a bit intoxicated. He couldn't help but feel a little worried. Could the dish be too potent?
He had also eaten a fair amount, and at first, he didn't feel anything. But halfway through the meal, a nameless fire rose in his abdomen, wandering throughout his body. It seemed like his blood vessels had been opened up, and he felt hot all over, similar to the feeling after drinking a powerful potion.
After finishing the meal, following the principle of not wasting anything, there was nothing left in the pot.
"Um... it's so hot, and I feel dizzy. I need to go to sleep..." Vivian stood up and staggered towards her room but didn't take more than a few steps before she fainted.
"What's happening?" Charlotte quickly approached and saw that her breathing was a bit rapid, but her vital signs were stable, which relieved him.
He lifted her from the ground. She was small, probably less than eighty pounds, but she was as hot as a furnace.
"It's hot... so hot..." Vivian's hand instinctively wrapped around his neck, and her warm breath blew on his neck, causing a tingling sensation.
"Stay conscious, you're still a child!" Charlotte pried her hand off and carried her back to her room, tossing her onto the bed.
Looking at Vivian wriggling on the bed, Charlotte took a step back. Indeed, one shouldn't eat random things, especially medicinal ingredients.
After making sure the window was securely locked, Charlotte left the room.
After experiencing the effects of seven bottles of powerful potions, he was completely immune to this level of discomfort. He wouldn't act recklessly and embarrass everyone.
After cleaning up the dishes, Charlotte took a cold shower.
After careful sensing, he realized that the deer whip was not completely ineffective.
At least he could feel that his strength had increased slightly, although far from the ferocity of a bottle of powerful potion.
But his mind became extremely excited, devoid of sleepiness. He could only go downstairs and refine two more pots of essence water.
As he descended the stairs, Charlotte noticed two scrolls on the counter.