A Hospital in Another World? C.189

The situation at the clinic unfolded smoothly for Garrett Nordmark.

Aside from the occasional visitors and the economically unprofitable cases, the chubby man truly brought Garrett a group of affluent patients. Well, they were more like his group of fellow sufferers. It was evident that dealing with this group of patients would bring Garrett a handsome share this month.

His colleagues at the clinic were happy for him. However, Garrett was apprehensive, fearing that all his patients might have acute gout attacks. After all, without titration measurements or UV spectrophotometers, the colchicine tablets he dispensed might not be accurately dosed...

Yet, what made Garrett both relieved and anxious was that the seven or eight middle-aged men brought by the chubby man were all, well, delicate cases.

Garrett was fuming with anger during the consultations. Those old men were particularly fussy, unwilling to remove their clothes, unfasten their belts, or assume the required positions. And as for rectal examinations, if Garrett hadn’t persuaded them with magic badges and accurately guessed their symptoms, they wouldn’t have allowed anyone to touch them!

Ugh, he had to wash his hands after every examination!

And he was wasting his gloves and glycerin (when would paraffin oil ever come in handy)!

And each person’s condition was different!

One had bladder stones, three had varying degrees of prostatic hyperplasia, one had a urethral polyp, and two had urethral tumors! Garrett felt like shouting at the chubby man: Did you think they were all the same illness just because they appeared similar!

Garrett was exhausted. X-ray magic, ultrasound magic, catheterization, surgery, he used every means available. After finally settling these patients, it was nearing the end of February, and the recruitment activities of various mage towers and magic organizations were in full swing.

The first event was a tour organized by the Magic Council at their headquarters, the Mage Tower atop the Igor Peak.

Early in the morning, about sixty or seventy students from the training class formed a single-file line and began the ascent towards the summit of Igor Peak, overlooking the city of Nevis. There were no magical trains available, and summoning magical mounts was not allowed. Their only equipment consisted of a backpack for each person and a wooden stick each to serve as a walking staff...

Garrett wrapped the top of his oak stick with a piece of cloth and calmly mingled among them, pretending that it wasn’t a staff reserved for devotees of the God of Nature.

The leading teacher explained to them, "A thousand years ago, the legendary mage Terrence and his friends, the great founders of the Magic Council, ascended the Igor Peak along this path. At that time, the clouds dispersed, and the sunlight illuminated their silhouettes, which were projected in the clouds surrounding Igor Peak.

It was a vision they had never seen before. From that day on, Terrence and his friends built stone houses on the summit to observe and study these visions. Later, they built the first mage tower on the peak."

Hmm, so this is... a campus recruitment presentation? Why turn it into a pilgrimage along the same path? Nostalgia? Or a ritual to pay homage to the predecessors? Did Terrence pass away? I remember he was still alive... Does the old man know about this formalism you’re doing? What would he think?

The students were divided into groups of ten, each led by a knight at the front and another at the rear, a perfect arrangement for novice outdoor hiking. It seemed that even the Magic Council was afraid of accidents... Yet, they still continued climbing?

"...This is the origin of the Magic Council headquarters. From now on, all mages visiting the Council headquarters for the first time will ascend this mountain path on foot."

Well, I’m not one of them. I’ve already been up here once by train. Garrett silently complained.

They began climbing along the mountainside. Nevis City was relatively north, and even though it was almost late spring, there were only scattered patches of grass sprouting on the slopes, creating a faint green hue. Looking up, the peak of Igor Peak was engulfed in thick clouds, but above their heads, the flowing clouds were thin enough to reveal the blue sky without obstruction.

The condition of the mountain path ranged from sporadic maintenance to complete neglect. Garrett easily ascended the gentle slope at the beginning, where most of the path was dirt with occasional rocks, making it relatively easy to walk. As they climbed higher, the dirt path turned into a gravel trail, then into large patches of sharp gravel ground, causing soreness with each step.

The meadows and shrubs had completely disappeared, leaving only thin snow on the ground that hadn’t melted yet, making each step slippery. Garrett glanced around discreetly and saw that most of the mages ahead had bent over, holding their walking sticks in their right hands and reaching forward with their left, ready to support themselves in case of a fall. Two people behind him were whispering:

"When did Terrence and his friends climb up here?"

"I heard it was in the winter..."

Stepping over rocks, traversing thin snow, and crossing what used to be a small stream now covered in ice. After lunch, the slope beneath their feet suddenly leveled off, almost resembling flat ground. The snow became thicker, and piles of rocks of various sizes pointed the way forward, while the young mages—

Entered into the clouds and snow.

Each person donned an oilskin. Mages skilled in Endurance magic secretly cast spells on themselves and their companions. The leading teachers and knights saw it, but they didn’t stop them. They just kept shouting, "The fog is thick! Follow the person in front of you! Don’t lag behind! There are cliffs everywhere!"

Although they were shielded from the cold, the fog and drizzle still enveloped them, condensing into droplets on their faces, hair, and collars before trickling down their necks. It was an uncomfortable sensation, and Garrett wrinkled his nose, vigorously wiping his face, wanting to walk faster, but then heard a scream ahead:

"Whoa—!"

The voice echoed with extreme terror! Garrett Nordmark suddenly looked up and saw a mage ahead who, perhaps trying to pass their companion, veered slightly to the side. As a result, they slipped, rolled several times on the snow, and were about to plummet down the cliff!

In that critical moment, the knight in charge of their group leaped forward and grabbed the mage, pulling them inward. However, the knight himself staggered outward, but luckily, another knight quickly threw out a long rope, pulling him back from the cliff edge.

The mage who narrowly escaped lay on the ground, face pale, hands slipping even when trying to support themselves. Thump, thump, their nose nearly flattened against the snow.

"Get up! Otherwise, you’ll freeze on the ground!"

The leading mage barked. The rescued mage staggered to their feet, leaning on their walking stick, and re-entered the queue. After this incident, the mages became especially cautious, and there were no more exchanges or gossip along the way. As they continued, the rain turned into a drizzle, and unexpectedly, it started to hail.

Climbing a mountain on a good day...

Garrett grumbled inwardly as he pressed forward. Step by step, he trod through ice and snow, past shards of rock, through clouds and mist. Despite the magical protection, he felt his feet completely numb. Was it from the cold or from the pain of stepping on rocks? He couldn’t tell at all.

Just how tall is this mountain...? Mount Tai is over 1,500 meters high, and when he climbed it from Hongmen to the summit of Jade Emperor, it was almost evening. Is this mountain as tall as Mount Tai? He felt hungry again; it must be getting late... 𝑓𝓇𝘦𝘦𝔀𝓮𝒷𝘯𝓸𝓋𝓮𝘭.𝓬𝓸𝘮

As he continued walking, suddenly, everything brightened before his eyes. Garrett abruptly looked up and saw the wind stop, the snow cease, and the clouds disperse ahead. Sunlight slanted from the direction of the bay, illuminating the mage tower standing on the summit.

In the distance, at the foot of the mountain, a halo emerged from the surrounding clouds around the peak, shimmering with various colors, with a bright white light in the center. The light surrounded a figure, moving their hands and feet as if in sync with their shadow.

Not far from the edge of the cliff, about fifty to sixty people raised their arms, waved, and craned their necks, staring at the figure with fascination. The mage who brought them up looked at the excited students, sighing deeply:

"The halo has appeared... among these kids, there are bound to be extraordinary individuals..."

Huh?

There’s a halo here too?

Garrett let out a small "wow," feeling that this mountain climbing experience was worth every penny, as someone who had climbed both Emei Mountain and Wutai Mountain without witnessing such a phenomenon. Then, he joined in with the tourist group, gesturing and playing along, thoroughly enjoying himself.

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