Chapter 23

The weather at the start of spring was somewhat unpredictable.

The sun shone warmly for several days, then it suddenly turned cold again. Chilly sea winds blew into the castle, carrying a bone-deep chill with them.

A few days ago, Toby had gotten greedy for the cool weather and taken off the thick clothes wrapped around him, walking about the castle in nothing but a thin coat.

On top of that, he kicked off his blanket while sleeping at night, and accidentally caught a chill.

Sneezing, runny nose...

Only a day had passed, and by the next day, it had started developing into a mild cough.

On the Western Continent, where medicine had regressed and treatments were primitive and brutal, colds and fevers were already considered very serious illnesses.

Thinking back to when Shazoi Desinia had fallen unconscious from a fever...

Not only had the castle servants been helpless, even the physicians in the city or those invited from elsewhere had not dared diagnose or treat him lightly.

The reason was—they had no way to cure this kind of illness.

Once they began treatment, the era's typical methods of bloodletting, leeching, enemas, and the like would very likely worsen the patient's condition and subject them to terrible suffering.

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By then, dying outright would have been the easiest death for the patients.

And if the physicians' patients were noble lords such as counts or marquises...

The responsibility and risk they bore would be even greater.

Whatever happened to the noble's body in the end would also happen to the physicians.

If the patient died under their care, they would pay with their lives as well.

Therefore, on the Western Continent, one could not become a physician without considerable courage and nerve.

Although physicians were respected, there were still very few who became physicians, and even fewer who gained any reputation.

It could be said that there were no more than ten physicians in the entire Gadayat Kingdom.

That alone showed the state of the medical profession.

And most importantly, no one thought that physicians' methods of steaming, cauterizing, and amputating limbs were barbaric and misguided, ineffective at treatment, and instead accelerated patients' deaths.

People only believed such medical methods were utterly correct and beyond reproach.

That was simply how people of this era understood things.

If you died, it was because you had bad luck. It could not be blamed on the physician.

But nobles possessed privileges.

If a noble died because their illness was not cured, some physicians would be thrown into prison and executed. Those with better luck might remain in prison until old age before finally finding release.

Commoners and slaves generally could not afford medical treatment.

Some physicians also disdained treating slaves.

Thus, all commoners and slaves could do was pray and repent to the Creator God, bleed themselves, endure ascetic practices to temper their will, and so on.

To put it plainly, they could only tough it out.

Perhaps they would recover a few days later.

After Toby noticed that he was sneezing and had a runny nose, he had planned to tough it out as well.

But perhaps because the seaside was cold and damp, not only did his cold fail to improve, it instead began worsening.

The moment Toby coughed for the first time, Gibran had already become anxious and restless.

Gibran was worried and uneasy.

He blamed himself for not stopping Toby when he changed out of his thick clothes, only for him to fall ill after a single night.

"What do we do? What do we do... Let's ask the Count to find a physician to look at you, Toby. Do you feel unwell? Do you have a fever?"

Toby shook his head. "Brother, I don't feel bad. My nose is just a little blocked... Let's not trouble the Count."

He actually felt very uncomfortable. His throat itched, and he constantly wanted to cough.

His whole body also felt weak and powerless.

But Toby did not dare say so. He was afraid...

Naturally, Gibran did not believe him.

Just looking at Toby's abnormally flushed face was enough to show that his illness was definitely not as mild as he claimed.

Gibran immediately pushed aside Toby's arm when he tried to stop him and forcibly touched his forehead, carefully feeling the temperature beneath his hand...

Not long after.

The expression on Gibran's face changed again and again.

"Brother..."

Toby raised his head uneasily.

Gibran bit his lip. After hesitating again and again, he finally made up his mind. "Come on, let's go find the Count. Toby, I definitely won't let anything happen to you."

He took Toby to Xia Zuoyi's study.

"Toby is sick?!"

Xia Zuoyi was somewhat surprised. "No wonder I didn't see him at all yesterday."

In the castle, sick servants were not allowed to appear before nobles, lest they pass their illness on to them.

If servants appeared despite feeling unwell or looking ill, it would be considered disrespectful toward the nobles, and they would be punished.

After all, nobles did not care whether servants lived or died.

Especially with a "serious illness" like coughing or fever, people were sometimes even isolated in their rooms and forbidden from coming out until they recovered.

But usually, this kind of "treatment" only left patients waiting to die in their rooms.

That was why Gibran had seemed so panicked and helpless when he discovered that Toby was coughing and feverish.

He feared that his younger brother, who was still so young, would not be able to pull through.

Toby had not entered the room now either. He was waiting outside.

Gibran lowered his head and said, "Yes, Count. Toby feels unwell. He drank some ginger water yesterday, but it still had no effect..."

For some symptoms of illness, people boiled ginger in water and drank it as medicine.

"Count, I beg you, could you send someone to find a physician to treat my younger brother? He is my only family left... Please, Count."

As he spoke, he knelt on the ground.

Xia Zuoyi hurriedly waved for Judith to help him up.

"You do not need to kneel before me. Finding a physician is not troublesome, but are you sure Toby's condition will improve after a physician is brought here?"

If a physician came to the castle, Toby's illness might—no, would definitely become worse.

Would that not be harming him?

Gibran did not know how to answer Xia Zuoyi's question.

He wanted to think of an example of someone whose illness had been successfully cured, but after thinking for a long time, he realized there was none...

But if he did not place his hopes in a physician... who else could he place them in?

Xia Zuoyi said, "Bring Toby in and let me take a look at him."

Gibran abruptly raised his head. "Count, you can't. Toby is still sick. He might..."

Judith frowned slightly, also somewhat disapproving.

Xia Zuoyi waved his hand. "Don't worry. It's nothing."

He insisted repeatedly, leaving the two of them no choice but to agree to let Toby enter the room.

After the door opened.

Toby stood there hesitantly, not daring to approach. He said softly, "Count, I can't go over there..."

When everyone comes across advertisements like "Are you a real person?", there is no need to pay attention. Just close them. Do not scan the code or send messages!

As he spoke, he sniffled, then coughed twice because his throat itched.

After that, he lowered his head even more uneasily.

Xia Zuoyi felt helpless, both for them and for the medical standards of this era.

A cold and cough were actually treated like terminal illnesses, making people so fearful and wary.

"Come here, Toby."

Xia Zuoyi held out his hand toward him. "It's fine. Don't be afraid."

Toby finally walked over.

Xia Zuoyi touched his forehead, had him stick out his tongue for a look, then asked, "Do you have a headache or feel dizzy? Does your throat merely itch, or is it swollen? Is there anywhere else that feels unwell?"

"You must tell me honestly. Do not hide anything."

A stern little gaze was fixed on him.jpg.

Toby said, "My head feels a little dizzy. My throat only itches, it isn't swollen. My nose is blocked, and I have no strength..."

Xia Zuoyi nodded to himself.

It was not too serious yet.

He said to Gibran, "A physician might not be able to cure Toby."

"But my recent research into herbs has yielded some results. I can make a medicine to treat runny noses and coughs."

"Trust me. I can cure Toby."

Xia Zuoyi had previously deliberately spread word that he was obsessed with alchemy and wanted to study all kinds of plants.

If anyone found rare plants, they could bring them to the castle in exchange for money. That was still in effect even now.

Because of this, Xia Zuoyi had indeed collected many precious herbs. Long ago, he had ordered the herbs that were easy to cultivate planted in the castle, while he personally planted the herbs that required more careful tending.

Now, his research into herbal medicines and ointments had indeed produced satisfying results.

But on the Western Continent, people's understanding of existing medical methods was undoubtedly deeply ingrained, and it would not be easy to change.

Some people would even rather believe that praying and repenting to the Creator God was more effective.

For instance, being fortunate enough to obtain a bottle of holy water could make someone feel better more easily than finding a physician.

Although Xia Zuoyi had developed some results.

First, he lacked the manpower for mass production.

Second, even if he wanted to promote herbal medicines and ointments, he needed a suitable opportunity.

Otherwise, people would likely not dare believe at first that merely drinking a few doses of medicine could cure an illness.

Before Gibran could speak.

Toby sniffled and said first, "I trust the Count!"

Gibran nodded as well. "Yes, Count. I trust you too."

Xia Zuoyi retrieved two doses of medicine from the alchemy laboratory.

He instructed Gibran to give Toby one dose after lunch, then the other before bed at night, make sure he was covered properly, and not leave the doors and windows wide open.

Gibran nodded and followed every instruction. That night, he even slept in the same bed as Toby to watch over him.

Early the next morning.

Toby's delighted voice suddenly rang out in the room.

"Brother! Brother, get up and look at me! My nose isn't blocked anymore! My head isn't dizzy either..."

He cried out in disbelief while pushing Gibran's shoulder.

Gibran had not been sleeping deeply to begin with. He suddenly opened his eyes, immediately woke up, and sat up. "Toby, has your illness gotten better already?!"

Toby said, "Other than still having a runny nose and my throat feeling a little uncomfortable, I feel better everywhere else!"

Gibran could see it too.

Toby had looked listless yesterday, but today he seemed to be in very good spirits.

He could not help saying happily, "It must be the medicine the Count gave you taking effect!"

Toby nodded, his eyes shining. "The Count is amazing."

The two immediately got up and went to report the matter to Xia Zuoyi.

Xia Zuoyi had expected this.

People of this era had not developed drug resistance from long-term use of Western medicine or the abuse of hormones, so quick results were inevitable.

"Drink three more doses today. Come see me again tomorrow. I want to check on your condition."

But Toby said uneasily, "No, there's no need, Count."

"This medicine is too precious. It isn't worth wasting on me. After this, I can completely..."

Xia Zuoyi interrupted him. "Toby, medicine is made for people to drink. There is no such thing as waste, much less being undeserving."

"You deserve it. Judith and Gibran deserve it. Kelly deserves it too. Every servant in the castle—their lives are all important, and they all deserve it."

"You can drink this medicine."

Although equality for everyone could not possibly be achieved on the Western Continent.

In the future, he wanted every life to be treated as something that mattered, no longer dying innocently because of minor illnesses or absurd treatments.

Toby could not hold it in any longer and burst into tears. "C-Count, you're too kind, sob sob..."

Kelly could not help standing behind them and wiping her tears with her apron. "Oh heavens, how can the Count be so thoughtful and well-behaved?"

Touched expressions also appeared uncontrollably on Judith and Gibran's faces.

Coalball and Snowball had been lying in the middle of the rug, pawing playfully at each other. Toby's cry startled them into jumping up, after which they tilted their little heads in confusion and stared at him.

Xia Zuoyi: "..."

There was no need for this, no need for this. It was not that big a deal. Look at all of you...

Xia Zuoyi was so embarrassed that even his little feet pressed together.

As Toby gradually recovered, a ship sailing along the Volri River docked by the port of Niramo.

The ship drew the attention of many people, solely because the emblem carved onto its hull was the mark of the Nagabi Merchant Guild, the largest merchant guild in the Anas Empire.

A gangplank was laid against the shore.

A group of knights wearing feathered helmets stepped off the ship first. They then stood at both sides of the port with swords in hand, their solemn and imposing presence causing the surrounding commoners and slaves to move away.

Immediately afterward, two more people stepped down the gangplank one after the other.

The person in front was a youth of about sixteen or seventeen. He was handsome, tall, and carried himself with a straight posture.

He had dazzling golden hair that rose and fell slightly in the river breeze, seeming to glitter with scattered light. His eyes were a rich emerald green, like shimmering water flowing across the bottom of a lake—deep and captivating.

Following behind him was a man around thirty. After stepping off the ship, he said, "Young Master Boris, shall we find somewhere to rest first? Your health..."

The boy named Boris Yabo seemed a little unwell. Frowning with his lips pressed tight, he waved a hand at the words and said, "No need... cough, this illness is nothing serious. Let's deal with business first."

The man was worried but did not dare persuade him otherwise, so he could only say, "Then in your opinion, should we contact Bass Riches first? Or set out for Visas first?"

Boris Yabo raised a brow, his expression immediately coming alive. "Since the Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method was created by Desinia, and the Rose Salt produced in his territory has stolen so much of the Nagabi Merchant Guild's business in Gadayat and even Gaina, Nagabi salt has practically lost its market."

"I naturally need to settle this score with him properly first."

"As for the deal with Bass Riches, there's no need to rush it for now."

"Yes, Young Master Boris."

Vincent added, "But I heard Desinia is only seven years old now. Are you planning to bully someone younger than you?"

Boris Yabo said, "...So what if I bully him? Who isn't a child?"

Vincent nodded silently.

That was right. He was a "child" nearly six feet tall.