A Hospital in Another World?

Silver dragons are kind and eager to help. They willingly aid good beings, as long as their needs are just.

— "Species Compendium: Book of Dragons," by Solaris Ailan, Magic Year 158.

As one of the essential materials for his visit to the Dwarf Kingdom, Garrett had memorized the above content, but it was only now that he truly felt its meaning. A cry for "Help" sounded, and a lady silver dragon dropped her scroll and rushed out!

"Hey!"

Garrett called out from behind. What’s happening? How many people are injured or dead? I’m a doctor too, take me with you!

After shouting "Hey," Ophelia hurried back. Garrett was delighted, quickly stepping forward to meet her, but the lady silver dragon brushed past him and headed straight for the window. Her skirt fluttering, she leaped out, and immediately, Garrett felt the reading room shake like an earthquake...

Garrett: !!!

He rushed to the window, peering out. First, he saw a vast expanse of sea, almost black in its blueness, with white waves rolling over the nearby reefs. Then, a silver light rose below the window, growing brighter and nearer—

A silver dragon, at least twice the size of Seraila, her body shining like crafted silver, spread her wings and glided down from above the dragon’s nest. To the left, another eagle flapped its wings and hurried over, calling out in the air:

So, is this the silver dragon version of a rescue helicopter? Even more upscale than a rescue helicopter, given that silver dragons are powerful healers capable of providing aid on-site...

However, how many people are sick/injured at the destination is unknown, as are the specifics of their conditions, whether anyone needs to be taken back to the dragon’s nest for further treatment is also unknown. Garrett turned and ran towards the medical room, calling out to Bernard, who was training in the hall:

"Bernard, come help! Set everything up! Hand-cranked generators, electrolysis oxygen tanks, ventilators! Boil a pot of hot water, prepare to heat up saline..."

Garrett busied himself like an emergency department deputy director handling a major accident, shouting orders. The lady silver dragon also came over curiously to lend a hand, and soon, rescue equipment was spread out on the floor. Searching through the medical area again, they carried out seven or eight beds, lining them up against the wall—

Damn, there are no gurneys!

Next time, I must add wheels to these beds!

Garrett muttered as he worked hard. After a round of preparations, just as he had washed his hands and changed his clothes, the sound of wings flapping approached from afar, followed by a gust of wind in the medical room.

"Don’t fan the wind! Don’t stir up the dust! Keep the medical room clean!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Garrett shouted against the wind. The wind stopped abruptly, and then, seven or eight eagle-sized hawks lined up in single file, stretching their legs and running in with nets made of ropes in their beaks.

The nets were stained with blood.

Garrett took one look and his heart raced. The people inside the nets were lying down, curling up, some moaning softly, some with their limbs limply hanging through the holes, some not moving at all. Severe injuries? Unconscious? What had happened to them?

The bleeding had already stopped, indicating that prior to transport, the lady silver dragon, or the hawks, had performed basic treatment on the wounded. However, the twisted and deformed limbs sticking out of the nets, some impaled with wooden splinters, clearly needed further attention. Moreover, if the injuries to the torso were not healed—

Transporting them curled up in nets could cause secondary injuries! They should be strapped to rigid stretchers, with the torso, neck, and limbs properly secured!

Oh well, given the limited conditions, one can’t be too demanding. Garrett directed the hawks to place the nets on the beds, scanning the group:

All men, all strong and healthy barbarians. Their bodies carried the fishy smell of seawater, their hands were calloused, their trouser legs rolled up high. Without needing much social experience, one could tell they were seafarers, earning their livelihoods on the ocean.

One man is a pillar of a family; the death or severe injury and resulting disability of one can collapse a family’s world.

In this world at Garrett’s feet, the death of a strong working member of a poor family would almost immediately plunge the rest of the family, women, and children, into the abyss.

Garrett shook his head to clear it, moving from one patient to the next along the wall, examining and asking:

"How were you injured?"

"We were whaling on the sea

... the elder suddenly fell ill, then we encountered sea beasts... cough cough..." The man in the nearest bed, obviously with a broken arm, struggled to answer. The other injured, along with the hawks, added their bits and pieces, and soon, Garrett understood the whole story:

These barbarians lived in the surrounding areas, surviving by hunting and whaling. Last night, their tribe’s only shaman capable of invoking divine magic, Elder Harvey, suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain, so intense he couldn’t perform his magic. By midnight, a large group of sea beasts attacked!

Without divine magic support, they fought desperately to repel the attack, even a mast was broken by a deep-sea octopus. Fortunately, following an ancient pact, they always left a portion of their catch on the seaside rocks for nearby hawks to take. A hawk circling the nearby sea noticed their distress, which is how the silver dragon was summoned to help.

No wonder the injuries were so peculiar... Garrett listened while examining them. High falls weren’t strange, bone fractures weren’t strange, and this large bruise seemed to be caused by the suction of an octopus. And this, I was wondering why there would be snakes around here...

He kept one ear on the conversations around him and the other on his stethoscope, using his hands, eyes, and brain simultaneously, quickly making decisions. More important than first aid was triage, assessing the severity of injuries to prioritize treatment.

Hmm, this one has breathing, has a heartbeat, no response to calls, unconscious, pupils normal not dilated... Snap! A piece of magic flew out, sticking a large red mark on his chest, visible from five or six meters away:

"Seraila! Cast healing spells on him! All those I marked red, cast healing spells on them!"

Hmm, this one is conscious, breathing and heartbeat normal, looks like the most serious injury is a broken lower leg, can be set aside for now. Snap! A green mark for non-dangerous, can be left for later;

This one has a sunken chest, looks like a fracture, but for now, breathing and heartbeat are normal... Be wary of pneumothorax, hemothorax! Snap! A yellow mark:

"Seraila, if all the reds are treated and there’s no problem, start on the yellows!"

"Got it, watch me!"

Perhaps the silver dragon on the other boat was effective, or perhaps the patients able to be transported had already passed the critical period. Garrett made a round and found only one in critical condition, with two others seriously injured who might be in danger if left unattended.

And when he had completed his rounds and returned to assist, Seraila had liberally cast a large number of healing spells, and the one with the red mark had already opened his eyes and sat up...

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