If it was just a lead mine, with Garrett’s shallow knowledge of mineralogy, he would have no clue. The thod of "sending a patient to get a blood test" wasn’t feasible either.
However, the presence of a lead-zinc mine imdiately triggered his mory—ah, cadmium pollution!
This is well known!
Lead-zinc mines often contain a variety of minerals such as silver, copper, sulfur, gold, indium, gallium, cadmium, and germanium. Among these, the most notorious environntal pollution caused during mining and slting processes is the cadmium poisoning incidents.
In the past, in the 20th century in the Jinzu River basin of Toyama Prefecture in Japan, there was a famous "Itai-itai disease." Sufferers experienced joint pain and, years later, severe skeletal deformities and brittle bones that could fracture even from a cough.
The Itai-itai disease had been prevalent in the area for over 20 years, causing over 200 deaths. The strange disease was caused by cadmium-containing wastewater discharged by zinc and lead slting factories along the riverbanks, which contaminated the water bodies and resulted in cadmium accumulation in the rice consud by the local population.
"Teacher, I understand now…" Garrett turned to Elder Elwin, his eyes bright:
"The main culprits behind the villagers’ strange disease are not only lead but also another…"
Another heavy tal elent… Wait, have the mages in this world discovered cadmium?
Garrett quickly recalled. Thank heavens for the Lord of Thunder pressing him to read the newly published journals every week, keeping him updated with the latest academic progress. Cadmium...
A silvery-white tal, atomic number 48, lting point 321°C, boiling point 765°C, density 8.65g/cm³...
There!
Just this year, a mage nad Stro discovered this tal elent. The paper was published three months ago in the "Common Mage Monthly"!
Thankful for the mages’ tireless exploration. If he had to start from refining the elent to verify his diagnosis, that would be truly headache-inducing and painful.
"Teacher, besides lead poisoning, these villagers also suffer from cadmium poisoning. Uh, cadmium is…"
With a wave of his hand, a large silent phantom appeared, sketching out the paper from the journal. Elder Elwin stroked his beard and squinted:
"Hmm…"
His lips moved silently, carefully reading line by line. The paper not only outlined the discovery of cadmium, its properties but also listed the thods of verification. Besides chemical thods, there were also magical thods:
A detection spell cast would show certain signs if cadmium is present…
Elder Elwin read intently, trying to morize every detail. To his left and right, two heads peeked out:
The silver dragon girl’s eyes slightly lit up, watching very attentively and fully engaged;
Apa’s nostrils flared, chewing sothing, his gaze fixed on the screen, motionless. Garrett glanced at it, speechless:
Apa, you can’t read! What are you looking at this paper for? Can you even understand? Wait, you’re not thinking of eating it, are you!
For the sake of his own paper, Garrett spread his fingers and pressed down on the forehead of the Silver Moon Deer, pushing it down forcefully. The magical beast understood, knelt on all fours, allowing Garrett to climb onto its back. Garrett clung to the deer’s antlers, stretching his neck to look into the distance:
How many people are in this mine?
How many are in the workshop next to the mine?
All these people likely suffer from lead and cadmium poisoning to varying degrees; are there enough 【Detoxification Spells】 to go around in one day?
Lead and cadmium poisoning cause organic damage, how should this be redied? Like osteoporosis, for instance, how should it be treated with healing magic?
While his mind raced, from the other side of the hill, footsteps approached in the distance. Before the person appeared, his voice arrived first:
"Who’s there?"
Garrett looked toward the sound. The person had already turned onto the path, hurrying over. Upon seeing the group, especially the giant silver deer, his deanor imdiately lessened:
"Gentlen, esteed guests, how may I address you? What brings you to this mine?"
As he spoke, he approached with a limping gait, advancing quickly. With each step closer, his smile grew a bit wider, and by the ti he reached the group, his face was fully beaming.
Garrett observed quietly. The newcor was strong and well-built, his leather armor bulging with muscles. Despite walking on the uneven mountain path, his steps were light. From his appearance, he seed to be a warrior between levels 3 and 4.
Hmm
, definitely not above level 5. A knight would walk much more steadily and quickly on such a road…
The man had a thick leather whip coiled at his waist, glossy with a reddish-brown hue, which looked like it had been used on many people. Was he part of the mine’s managent? Garrett suddenly felt a bit unhappy and cast a 【Featherfall Spell】 on himself, floating down lightly:
"I am Garrett Nordmark, a level 6 mage, commissioned by Lord Joane of Joane City to investigate the villagers’ strange illness. This is my teacher, and these two are my companions."
Apa snorted discontentedly. Garrett chuckled and patted the Silver Moon Deer’s ribs:
"Alright, alright, Apa is our companion too…"
The newcor trembled all over, his expression becoming even more respectful. Garrett glanced at him, not particularly eager to speak, but Elder Elwin shifted his gaze from the paper, seizing the opportunity to inquire:
"How many people are in this mine? Are they all from the village below?"
"Reverend sir, our mine is small, only about a hundred people or so." The man glanced at the mage badge on Garrett’s chest, then gave Elder Elwin another look, his face still smiling, fluid in response:
"Most are from the village below, with so hired from outside. These villagers, they don’t make much money farming all year round. Working here, they can earn two silver coins a month and get two als a day. They all clamor to co here!"
Garrett knew this was true. Farrs worked all year round, subsisting on what they grew—if they were lucky, they’d have enough to fill their stomachs—but they really didn’t make much money. Having a job opportunity, especially one close to ho, they would indeed clamor for it.
Two silver coins a month and two als a day wasn’t too little. Considering Garrett’s own situation, when he had first arrived, as a new recruit in the city guards, his monthly salary was five silver coins…
"What about that workshop? Is it yours? How many people are there? Are they all villagers?"
"The workshop isn’t under my managent. That was built by the lord, hiring others; there are just a few dozen people there… Not many villagers, the work in the workshop, these poor sods can’t do it. It’s mostly hired hands, especially the skilled laborers—where would you find them in the mountains!"
"How many people have joint and bone pain?"
As soon as he asked this, the manager’s smiling face imdiately stiffened.
He quickly turned his head to glance at the mine entrance, then at the miners who were stopping nearby after carrying ore out of the tunnel, observing their dust-covered faces and stooped backs, and quietly gestured with his hand:
"Well, esteed guest, shall we talk below? It’s dirty and ssy up here, standing here talking would displease the city lord if he knew about it…"
Elder Elwin was noncommittal as he followed him down. The manager’s house was located by a small stream, a bit away from where the ore was washed. Everyone took their seats, and Elder Elwin surveyed the room’s arrangent, urging the manager:
"Tell us, how many people here suffer from that strange disease, with constant joint and bone pain?"
"Well… As you say, lord." The manager’s face was all smiles:
"Doing such hard work, crawling around in the mine, carrying the ore down the mountain, who wouldn’t be in pain. It’s all from fatigue, all from fatigue, just rest overnight and it’s better."
Garrett had been quietly observing on the side. Watching him gesticulate, watching his respectful deanor towards his own party, and his contempt for the miners. He suddenly spoke up:
"That pain isn’t from fatigue, it’s from poisoning.—By the way, you’re poisoned too."
"What?"
The manager’s face changed dramatically. He raised his hands to touch his arms, then his chest, but seeing a beautiful girl opposite, he quickly lowered them:
"This, Mage lord, you can’t just say that… I, I’m poisoned? Where am I poisoned? Who would poison here?"
Garrett silently pulled out a mirror and handed it to him. The manager’s hands trembled, instinctively stepping back, completely unwilling to take it:
A mirror! It’s a mirror! So bright, so clear, palm-sized, he had seen one in a jewelry store in the city, each costing at least five or six gold coins!
That’s several months of his salary!
"Just look in it." Garrett frowned slightly, impatient:
"Never mind, I’ll put it on the table, you look yourself—see the yellow ring on your upper teeth? See the blue-purple lines where your gums et your teeth?"
The manager bent over to look. He looked left and right, up and down, the more he looked, the paler his face beca
:
"This, this, who poisoned ? Is it those miners? Or people from the mansion? It must be people from the mansion! They want to steal my position, they want to kill !"
"Shut up!" Garrett raised his voice:
"It’s not that soone poisoned you! It’s because you’re mining here, washing the ore, running the workshop—the poisonous stuff in the ore gets into the water, you drink the water here, eat the vegetables grown here, eat the fish and shrimp from the water!"
He gestured emphatically:
"Don’t believe it? Go look, those miners, those villagers’ teeth, they’ll have the sa marks!"
Of course, given the villagers’ poor oral hygiene, with widespread yellowing and blackening of teeth. Whether they could see the cadmium rings and lead lines, that was another matter.
The manager’s face turned ashen, trembling. He bowed deeply to Garrett, then suddenly ran out. Soon after, his loud yelling could be heard outside:
"You! Open your mouth! Let see your teeth! You! You! You!—Hurry up, what are you dawdling for!"
Inside the room, Garrett and his party exchanged silent glances. Elder Elwin’s face was as somber as water, Bernard’s face stern, Seraina’s cheeks flushed with anger. Garrett conjured a water spell, pouring a glass for each of them, leisurely saying:
"Let him gather everyone later. We won’t treat him until after the miners are treated."
Let him oppress the miners! Humph!
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