Novel East
Chapter 178
The first step was done—exterminate the intestinal worms.
Now for the rest: apply heat, massage the abdomen, ensure warmth, and stimulate intestinal movement.
Next up? Drink the medicine~~~ This trilogy was the remedy for combating those pesky worms. With the symptoms temporarily subdued, Garrett darted into the kitchen, ready to brew the potion. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍𝙚𝙖𝒔𝒕.𝙘𝒐𝙢
He ignited the flame, stoked the stove, and set a bowl of bean oil to heat. Once the oil reached a rolling boil, he crouched at the table, meticulously adding the magical ingredients one by one:
"Ice Beam~~~ Ice Beam~~~ Ice Beam~~~"
"What are you up to?"
"Ice—oops!"
Distracted, Garrett’s Ice Beam spell veered off course. Like ice water hitting a hot skillet, the boiling bean oil erupted into a bubble, causing an instant explosion...
"Oops!" Garrett recoiled. With no time to use the table as a shield, he hastily cast a defensive spell, apologizing for his magic not being instant yet. No other shields were available—not even a pot lid...
In a pinch, he summoned a Mage Hand, trying to flatten the mess before him, crossing his arms to shield his face—
"Ahh..."
A soft sigh behind him. Silently, a translucent light formed an unyielding force field. Drop by drop, the hot oil receded and returned to the pot, while a pair of hands steadied Garrett, preventing him from falling backward.
Smooth and neutral in temperature, lacking any wrists to speak of—if someone slower to react were here, they might’ve jumped up, shouting:
"A ghost!"
But Garrett remained composed. A Mage Hand wasn’t so rare; it wasn’t worth his surprise. He straightened up calmly, turned, and bowed slightly to the figure behind:
"Master, I’m brewing medicine for Miss."
"Is that so?"
The old mage was curious. If Garrett were busy in the alchemy room, the old mage might’ve believed him more. But here he was, in the kitchen with just a stove, a pot of bean oil, and two onions on the chopping board. The kitchen knife wasn’t in sight—did Garrett intend to cry while cutting onions?
"Is this your medicine?"
"Yes!" Garrett explained confidently:
"Plant oil lubricates the intestines and aids defecation; onion juice accelerates intestinal movement. As for heating it, it’s to ensure there’s nothing harmful in raw bean oil—boiling makes it safe..."
"And then?" The old mage smiled knowingly:
"You wanted it to cool quickly, resulting in an explosion?"
"Exactly! Garrett, you managed to explode a pot just heating bean oil?"
Elder Wood joined in the mockery. Garrett flushed:
"I’m brewing a potion!... Alchemy!... Exploding pots is within a mage’s purview, right?"
Followed by muttered excuses like "I’m not a pharmacy major" and "no refrigerator," which made the old men chuckle. The female knights outside joined in the laughter, infusing the kitchen with mirth.
Master Tolga chuckled, conjuring a two-foot-tall ice tornado that rolled up the boiling bean oil. Wind blades and frost swords spun rapidly, as Garrett shouted:
"Just warm! Not cold!—Warm is fine!"
With a clatter, the bean oil fell into a nearby bowl, crystal clear. Garrett tasted it—just warm. He envied the old mage:
Magic was indeed handy! Cooling, separating, purifying—it could almost replace a centrifuge. He still hadn’t managed to brew one...
"What’s next?"
The old mage inquired, stopping his hand. Garrett refocused:
"Slicing onions, squeezing juice, mixing it evenly with bean oil, and then—"
Wind blades sliced the onions paper-thin. Mage Hands folded, twisted, and squeezed the slices, dripping the pungent juice into the oil bowl.
The old mage stayed three meters away, unaffected by the scent. Miss Iris held the bowl, tears streaming down her face.
"Do I have to drink it?"
"Drink it quickly!—Once you do, it won’t choke you!"
With teary eyes, Iris gulped it down. The female knights ushered Garrett out, gesturing for him to let the young lady rest.
"Ah, it’s just the fear of needing the restroom right after drinking oil," Garrett Nordmark sighed, shaking his head. He pulled up a chair and settled in front of the bed. With a mischievous grin, he even snatched Elder Wood’s oak cane, propping it casually against the bed.
"Don’t fret, it won’t hit you that fast. At least not until around dinner time. I’ll hang around for a bit. And if your stomach really starts acting up, you’ve got to give me the heads-up, alright?"
As the bean oil simmered, Garrett idly sifted through his mental archives for pertinent research. He recalled studies suggesting that in cases of intestinal obstruction, consuming a concoction of onion oil typically triggers gas and bowel movements within 6 hours, with a notable expulsion of worms within 12 hours. So, the urgency to use the restroom after oil ingestion? Not as immediate as one might think.
Iris blushed furiously at his words, promptly burying herself under a thin blanket. The female knight shot a glance at her balled-up friend, then at the unperturbed old mage nearby, and couldn’t help but sigh:
"If it’s not going to happen right away, why insist on sticking around? Iris will just get embarrassed!"
...I don’t particularly fancy being here either. I’d rather be out practicing divine magic, writing papers, or at the very least, meditating. But with such a severe case of intestinal obstruction, anything could happen until recovery. Garrett paused for a moment, then conjured a soft tube in the air with a wave of his hand, purposefully obstructing it with an object.
"Look here, the human intestines are like this long tube. Now, with the tube blocked—"
He gestured downward, causing a bulge in the simulated tube, explaining to the female knight, as well as to the old mage and Elder Wood:
"After taking the medicine, the intestines may have the strength to expel everything smoothly, or things might accumulate too much in a particular section. If the intestines lack the strength to push, it could lead to more accumulation or even a rupture. I’m staying here just in case. If her stomach starts hurting badly, I can quickly assess the situation and determine if treatment is necessary."
Narrowing of the intestine, intestinal twisting, intestinal perforation—X-ray images can diagnose all of these. Garrett remained vigilant, with the oak cane positioned behind the patient, ready to employ magic at the first sign of trouble.
Ah, besides these risks, intestinal ischemia is also a concern. Unfortunately, detecting intestinal ischemia requires a CT scan, which Garrett couldn’t conjure up with his current abilities. Life’s a tough cookie. Once you have one thing, you immediately want something better... And then there’s dehydration, acid-base imbalance, and so forth. He just couldn’t shake off the need to keep watch.
"Can you really discern all that?" Elder Wood inquired, approaching after catching snippets of the conversation. He cast a serious glance at the patient on the bed, then at Garrett:
"Using your... detection magic?"
"Indeed, Elder," Garrett replied, turning around. "Let me sketch it out for you—what to look for, what I can perceive in my meditation. Later, you can compare it with the sketches—though it’s best to avoid any surprises..."
He spent the entire afternoon crafting diagrams of intestinal obstruction, narrowing, twisting, perforation, X-ray images, and B-ultrasound images, along with corresponding anatomical diagrams, elaborating on them for Elder Wood.
The old mage exited after hearing only a couple of sentences, while Salina stayed until the second drawing before stifling a gasp and exiting the room, hand over mouth. Only poor Elder Wood remained, at his age, having to grasp and memorize these images one by one, his eyes nearly resembling mosquito coils...
Garrett continued his explanations until after dinner. Then, a series of gurgling noises emanated from beneath the blanket. Iris’s cheeks fluctuated from pale to flushed and back again, her body trembling. Garrett sprang to his feet, beckoning the female knight inside:
"It’s about time. I’ll leave the next steps to you! If you encounter any issues, don’t hesitate to call me!"
---------------
Read latest chapters at 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝘸𝑒𝑏𝓃𝑜𝑣𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝑜𝓂 Only