CHAPTER 620: DOES GARRETT INTEND TO SNATCH OUR SOURCE OF ILLNESS?

A Hospital in Another World?

The VIP ward that Garrett desired had seemingly grown wings and flown away.

Count Agel, despite being profoundly impressed by him and deeply grateful for his treatment suggestions, could not justify a reward far beyond the norm.

In fact, Count Agel had donated a thousand gold coins in his daughter’s name to the medical clinic, theoretically allowing more of the impoverished, especially poor childbearing women, to access medical services—

Just right, neither more nor less.

Only poor Priest Perry found himself in a difficult predicament. After struggling to learn for a month without gaining access to the operating room, his original service recipient had a miscarriage...

"Shall we continue learning?"

Garrett asked with a smile. Priest Perry bit his teeth and nodded fiercely:

"Learn!"

Having come this far, the hardships faced could not be in vain!

Besides, having more skills never hurt anyone. The Spring Water Temple offered numerous opportunities to serve the nobility. If a difficult birth occurred, such a skill could save lives. If others didn’t possess it but you did, you could stand out and take on significant responsibilities!

In any case, it was better than being unable to handle things themselves and having to ask a neighboring mage for help.

He wasn’t just learning on his own but also shamelessly approached Garrett:

"Master Nordmark, I have two disciples; could they come and assist me? One is level 5, the other level 6, both can be of help and won’t cause any trouble..."

Both were casters around 40 years old, a challenging age and casting level to advance further or independently manage a temple without family support.

"Of course," Garrett replied cheerfully, not making it difficult at all. "I only have two conditions—"

"Tell me! They can work for free at the clinic for two years if needed!"

Ah, working for free as apprentices was a given, outside of the conditions. Garrett counted off on his fingers:

"First, if they want to learn cesarean surgery, they must promise to save 20 poor childbearing women each year, just like you."

"That won’t be difficult; I promise for them."

Priest Perry didn’t even think before confidently responding.

He had seen how fast Garrett performed cesarean surgeries; one every half an hour. Even if they were half as fast, three days would suffice to save 20 people.

Spending three days a year on charity was nothing!

Even though their Spring Water Temple mainly served the nobility, they occasionally performed charitable acts for the common folk.

"And the second?" He asked eagerly. Garrett smiled:

"The second is to help me train a group of midwives for the nobility and the wealthy. Not many, just 10 to 20, as my clinic can’t accommodate more."

The first batch of midwives was nearly trained and ready to be sent out. Next was from the top-down, expanding influence, and after penetrating the upper echelons, they could capture all in one net—

By then, he could approach the city hall and the Magic Council with a clear conscience to discuss:

For the health of childbearing women and newborns, all city midwives should be trained! At the same time, raise awareness so that all pregnant women unable to deliver naturally know where to come for a cesarean!

Of course, obtaining some government subsidies would be even better. Even if that couldn’t be achieved, more donations were always welcome, right?

"Would that be possible?" he looked eagerly at Priest Perry. Priest Perry frowned thoughtfully and smiled wryly:

"I’ll try..."

Midwives for the nobility and the wealthy weren’t easy to come by. These individuals, although of middle to lower class, had modest assets and a bit of reputation. More importantly, they were well-connected, knowing how to latch onto significant figures.

Moreover, these were often retained by wealthy families three days, a week, or even a month in advance, closely monitoring the conditions of their female family members. Snatching too many at once would provoke protests from many significant figures!

He thought for a moment, took a stack of documents from Garrett, and went to find the high priest of Nevis’s main temple, High Priest Moriah:

"These are the conditions proposed by Master Nordmark. I think training the midwives is also beneficial for us, as it could save lives... Would that be okay?"

High Priest Moriah stroked his beard and pondered slightly. The old caster, with a spellcasting level of 17 and aged 112 years, had been in charge of the main temple for over 30 years. Having witnessed countless storms over a century.

Those climbing the ranks, those engrossed in divine studies, those dedicated to healing— he had seen all types of healers. This Master Nordmark, in his eyes, was wholly dedicated to healing, unobtrusive and even admirable.

Promoting public health, establishing infectious disease hospitals, promoting

cowpox vaccinations... one by one, the young mage advocated for the poor, his brilliance shining bright enough to illuminate the entire city.

Now, this Master Nordmark wanted to train midwives. While the request was somewhat unusual, it wasn’t too outlandish. However, High Priest Moriah, being in a high position, had to think further—

"Training all the nobility-focused midwives? After their training, if they encounter an unsolvable problem, wouldn’t they all recommend seeking him out?"

There were already signs of this. Viscount Calrend, Count Agel, whenever there was an issue at home, they thought of inviting Master Nordmark to take a look. And if this continued...

"Your Excellency the High Priest, but Master Nordmark’s technique really is useful for saving the lives of childbearing women!" Priest Perry hurriedly presented a stack of documents:

"These are the records of childbearing women treated at the clinic after starting the midwife training program. Two months, two hundred women, not a single death!"

"Oh..."

High Priest Moriah was slightly moved.

He wasn’t exactly sure about the average mortality rate of childbearing women, but from memory, two to three deaths per hundred was normal. Even those well-cared-for with divine support dying one out of a hundred wasn’t strange.

"And the cesarean section reduces the suffering of the childbearing women significantly, sparing them from struggling for days and nights. Your Excellency, we must learn this technique, the devout followers of the Goddess deserve such care!"

In other words, the devout followers who could afford to donate deserved such services...

"Let me think about it." High Priest Moriah pondered for a moment, then kept the records and dismissed Perry. He carefully flipped through the documents from start to finish, then from finish to start, finally picking up a bell and giving it a brisk shake:

"Fetch Nurse Sally. I need to discuss something with her."

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