Garrett truly did not expect to dodge the first day of the lunar month, only to fail to dodge the fifteenth.
Regarding the issue of isolating patients with infectious diseases, when he was in the Kingdom of Kent, he only gave orders, leaving the work to students, subordinates, and council staff.
Whether it was guards or mages, they efficiently dragged patients away from their families. Of course, there were so scolding, threats, and shoving involved, which Garrett...
Could only pretend not to see.
But now, there was no one else, no sufficiently strong violent institution to command at will. Should he condense a fireball and shout, "All family mbers of patients get out, or I'll blow this place up"?
Clearly not. Garrett could only suppress his complaints and communicate with the High Priest of the Redstone Tribe:
"Can we let the healthy people leave first? This disease is contagious. If healthy people stay with the patients, the disease will spread to the healthy ones!"
"Con...tagious?" The High Priest of the Redstone Tribe blinked, struggling to repeat this unfamiliar word. Garrett felt a sinking feeling and started to think about how to explain this concept when he heard the middle-aged man say:
"The disease spreads to others? How is that possible? Have you ever seen soone with a wound transfer that wound to another person?"
Garrett's head buzzed, and he almost fainted.
If I am guilty, let the law punish , not let educate the natives about the concept of "infectious diseases"...
Even when aiding Africa years ago, those natives at least knew that diseases could spread!
He took a deep breath and turned to leave. The High Priest of the Redstone Tribe hurriedly followed, almost bumping into him when Garrett suddenly stopped in the middle of the open space:
"Please, dear guest from afar, you must help us! I have no other options. The young warriors can still hold on, but the elderly, children, and pregnant won... they are at their limit. Several people have already died!"
Garrett closed his eyes for a mont. In the diplomatic etings a few years ago, when he tried to promote cowpox to the barbarians, he was rcilessly mocked: Barbarians didn't need this!
The barbarians were strong enough! Those with weak constitutions who would succumb to illness weren't fit to survive the harsh wilderness anyway!
However, the natives of this New World didn't seem to adhere to the "fall ill and die if you can't endure" ethos. Accordingly, their physical constitution wasn't as robust as the barbarians', who could ignore most diseases with their strong bodies...
Was it because the natural environnt was too good and life was too comfortable?
Many thoughts flashed through Garrett's mind. He calmly nodded:
"I will help. I stepped out to make it easier to treat outside. Move your patients out, prioritize those who are severely ill, pregnant won, and children."
"Did you hear that? Move the patients out!"
The High Priest of Redstone straightened up, his voice loud. Hearing his command, the warriors rolled up their sleeves and began to move people busily. These natives all slept on leather mattresses, each person grabbing two corners, making it very easy to move them.
Soon, the open space inside the huts was filled with patients lying haphazardly. As for the fur covers and the hay piled around the patients, Garrett sighed and refrained from saying anything.
The mattresses could be contaminated with smallpox virus?
Healthy people sleeping on them could get infected and need thorough cleaning or even burning?
If necessary, these huts would also need to be burned?
From a public health and infectious disease prevention perspective, this was indeed the case, but from a living perspective—great, burn everything down, and these natives would freeze to death in the winter?!
He said nothing, casting the Life Observation Spell to quickly scan the area. This tribe was not large, totaling about two or three hundred people, with fifty or so struck down by the disease. In the magical glow provided by the spell, only about a dozen were near death.
Good, they could be saved.
Carefully observing, he saw that each patient's exposed face and hands were covered with layers of blisters, so crystal clear, others already broken and festering. Switching to dark vision, he saw that most patients had varying degrees of high fever.
Good, it was indeed smallpox—this highly infectious disease that could wipe out a tribe. Garrett only hoped it wouldn't spread too far, from the southern tip of this continent to the north, from the east to the west...
So how should smallpox be treated?
Garrett focused, recalling that for already infected patients, only symptomatic supportive care was possible. This ant replenishing fluids, maintaining electrolyte balance, providing nutrition, especially protein, and ensuring proper skin care, managing secondary bacterial infections and other complications...
Forget it, better use divine spells. He steadied himself and, targeting the nearest infants and children who couldn't even cry, his fingertips glowed:
"Remove Disease!"
"Remove Disease!"
"Remove Disease!"
Thanks to years of diligent advancent and unbroken ditation, Garrett, now a ninth-level mage, could cast third-circle healing spells—or rather, divine spells—without feeling strained.
He cast over a dozen spells in one go, pulling all the dying patients back from the brink, then clapped his hands:
"The others don't need such powerful spells. Hmm, let think..."
Which spell to use? For large-scale treatnt of mildly ill patients, which spell was more cost-effective...
The Silver Moon Deer silently walked in, its silver-white fur glowing faintly. Cirilla also stood silently beside him, looking around:
"Garrett! Do you need help?"
"No! No!" The High Priest of Redstone quickly intervened. During Garrett's spellcasting, he had adorned himself with his most elaborate attire—adorned with the most beast teeth, gems, shells, and amber—and wore a colorful feather crown:
"We can handle the remaining patients ourselves! I'll conduct a ceremony to ask our tribe's guardian for help!"
Garrett... Garrett was very willing to watch the natives' healing ceremony. Then he saw the entire tribe, the healthy warriors supporting and carrying the patients, flooding out to a large redstone in the open area outside the settlent.
The stone was more than two ters tall, square and adorned with many patterns... a large... red stone.
They lit a fire, burning prey, various spices, strange fungi, and powders. Then, led by the High Priest, the warriors wielded spears and axes, dancing vigorously around the redstone.
To Garrett's surprise, as the natives danced and chanted, an illusory stone-like figure rose from the stone. The figure turned in a circle, scattering starlike light onto the High Priest, the warriors...
Onto every healthy person and patient.
So, this large redstone, this is your faith?
This is what your tribe worships?
You usually offer sacrifices to it, and when sothing happens, you co to it for help?
This is no different from worshiping a big banyan tree at the village entrance, letting children call it godfather and godmother, and bringing them to kowtow when in trouble!
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