Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 205 Giving Life to the Dead

Botteln is a very beautiful coastal town, nestled in the azure embrace of the Mediterranean Sea, filled with the vitality and liveliness unique to spring.

Festive draperies and colorful flags flutter gently in the breeze, the streets are covered with flowers and branches, and the rich aroma of olives and the enticing smell of roast lamb fill the streets.

Today is the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

From this day on, light is greater than darkness. When the moon is full, not only is the day full of light, but even the dark night is illuminated by the moonlight.

Almost everyone in the town is enjoying today, the festival and the laughter brought by Privan.

Different from the girls in colorful long skirts, and different from the children running in the crowd trying to squeeze through to watch the bloodletting.

In this colorful and vibrant world, there is a young boy sitting alone on the edge of the square. The colors on his body are fading, and it seems that only gray is left.

People's laughter, singing and footsteps seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier.

The bustling streets, bright flags and clusters of flowers gradually became blurred and distorted in his eyes. This noise and beauty was just a dream and he was no longer able to participate in it.

The ocean breeze was still blowing gently, and the noise in the street seemed to be getting louder and louder, but his breathing became more rapid and his vision gradually blurred.

As his life was being extracted from his body, Dubois heard a very faint voice.

"You're going to die."

Dubois looked up and saw the doctor who had been accused in court standing in front of him.

The spring light brought a halo to the young doctor, which was the embodiment of vitality, but he himself was tortured by illness.

Gailis looked at the boy in front of him. His skin color was between light brown and olive, his face was pale and sallow, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

The boy pressed his right hand tightly against his abdomen, curled up in pain, his body trembling slightly.

"Lie down and let me examine you."

"Doctor, I...I have no money."

"Puliwan said that he told me not to charge for my medical treatment today."

When Gérice said this, Dubois could feel that his world had expanded. A person squeezed into the barrier that separated the laughter and the noise - Gérice.

Others were drawn into the joy of the festival and were attracted by the barber's blood-letting treatment.

Only Guéris was with Dubois, and only Guéris felt the same pain that Dubois was experiencing.

Dubois lay on the cold ground. Gérice drew a line from the position of his navel to the front and upper protrusion of his right hip bone. At one-third of the distance from the navel, Gérice pressed lightly.

Dubois's expression suddenly turned ugly and he groaned.

It eased a little after a while, but when Garys quickly released the pressure, Dubois's pain became more intense and he almost jumped up.

The place that Gellis pressed was McBurney's point, which is actually the projection position of the appendix.

There is a tenderness when you press down, and the pain is greater than the tenderness when you release it quickly. This is called rebound pain.

Such obvious rebound pain actually means that Dubois's appendicitis is quite serious.

"How long has it been? When did you start to feel uncomfortable?"

"I started feeling sick two days ago."

Dubois talked about his illness incessantly. Abdominal pain was only the most obvious symptom, and diarrhea, vomiting and fever were all accompanying symptoms.

After a quick calculation of the time, Gaillis determined that at least 36 hours had passed.

If it continues, it might not be appendicitis.

Untreated appendicitis may lead to a ruptured appendix.

After rupture, the infection will leak into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis.

Untreated infection can spread to the bloodstream and cause sepsis, a serious condition that can quickly affect multiple organs and lead to organ failure.

In other words, in the 12th century, acute appendicitis was a terminal illness with no cure and no medical treatment...

That is why Gérice asserted to DuBois: You are going to die.

But Garys is not an ordinary person after all. Others have no cure and no doctor can save them, but he can, because he is the Saint of Jerusalem, the one who died from a sword wound, and the one who wants to spread the gospel to all directions.

[My soul thirsts for you, O God, as a deer thirsts for water brooks.]

[My soul thirsts for God, the living God; when shall I come and see His face?]

—Psalm 42:1-2
His fleshly body had come, right beside Dubois, who, in agony to the point of fainting, saw signs of the Holy Spirit in Guéris.

"There is an intestinal infection in your abdominal cavity. It will ooze pus and corrupt your entire body."

"But I can save you. I will cut out that part of your intestine, sew up your wound, give you medicine, and save you without any pain."

Intestines, inflammation? Can I remove it painlessly?

Guéris's words seemed like a fairy tale, but Dubois had no energy to analyze them.

He was tortured by pain. The pain in his abdomen made him imagine that his intestines might have been knotted, riddled with holes, and oozing pus.

If a wound on a limb becomes inflamed, amputation can save the person's life.

So if the intestines are inflamed, wouldn't it be possible to save the person's life by cutting them out?

But, is it really okay to cut off the intestines?
But anyway, Dubois was dying, and the pain had already made him attempt suicide. In this situation where his life was being taken away from his body, he did not feel that he had the right to refuse any treatment.

"Will I be okay?" Dubois asked tremblingly.

"I promise you that I will rebuild a city called Jerusalem where there will be no infants dying within a few days and no old people who have not lived to the ripe old age."

"You will live to your appointed age."

"This is a pledge between you and me."

The world is divided into two: on one side is the festive celebration, which is the human world on the shore; on the other side is the river of the dead, which is swallowing the living and trying to drown them.

Dubois was grabbed by the feet by the ghosts in the river and was sinking into the water. He struggled and shouted for help on the shore.

But the passers-by were in a hurry, it was lively and busy, everyone was attracted by the joy of the festival, and it seemed that no one would notice a boy who was suffering silently.

But someone reached out his hand to him, grabbed him and tried to pull him out of the river.

……

Privan is not a particularly old man, and even today he is only in his early thirties.

Now, he is pacing the streets repeatedly.

Strange things happen every year, but this year there are more of them.

The war in 1187 last year did not affect the County of Tripoli, so he was able to maintain a seemingly calm state.

But what about this year? The Kingdom of Jerusalem reached a truce with Saladin, which was a relief.

Two months ago, news came out on the island of Cyprus that Isaac had been overthrown and that the Church of Cyprus now controls the government of the entire island.

In his territory, there is also a book called "Diary of a Mad Pig" about pigs eating people. I really don't know how he will live in the future.

Syria and Palestine, there seems to be some undercurrent surging under the sea in this land.

It was as if someone was secretly influencing everything in a place that Privan couldn't see, but how was that possible?
Of course, what he didn't expect the most was that today's court trial, which was supposed to be a fun one, involved a case of a real or fake doctor.

According to Pulwan's own understanding, there is no doubt that Garys is the real doctor.

Even without the document stamped with the seal of Anjou, Gellis had successfully cured at least five patients since he came to his territory.

This cure rate is unattainable by other doctors.

But the problem is that he affected the business of the barber Clovis, and Garys's charging standards were also problematic.

Among the five patients cured by Gellis, two described symptoms that were almost exactly the same, but Gellis charged the rich a high price of 30 gold dinars, while only 30 copper coins for the poor.

In this situation, while Gaillis would have a high reputation, he would also be secretly disliked by others.

With the support of others, the barber Clovis took advantage of the opportunity and wanted to disgust Garys when he, Pulwant, presided over the trial in court today.

The whole process is actually clear at a glance, and Puliwan is not a stakeholder of either party.

The reason why things have developed to this point is purely because he wanted to have fun and see the barber Clovis suffer a loss.

Then he was shocked.

Apart from the barber Clovis's trickery, Gailis actually came to him and said:
"I'm going to cut out a section of that child's intestines to save his life."

what?
No, this is not the case. Although doctors these days do cut the area where the disease is...

There are even doctors who believe that if a person has a brain disease, they can remove the brain...

I'm not talking about a craniotomy, where you literally cut off the head...

Of course, those rumors should be just rumors.

But can the internal organs really be cut off?
In fact, any surgical operation these days does not involve the internal organs of the human body.

Pulwant originally thought that Garys might be trying to kill him for money, and subconsciously wanted to reject Garys' treatment plan.

But when he saw Dubois, he saw the boy's painful expression and his pale face caused by not being able to eat normally for two consecutive days.

He knew that this child was about to die...

But for Pulwant, it is only natural to let a person who cannot survive receive radical treatment.

Indeed, people of this era generally had a fear of surgery, which was considered extreme and dangerous.

The people watching on the side were also full of superstition and suspicion.

They didn't believe what Gillis described because if what Gillis said was true.

So how did he know this?

Doesn't this mean that Garys had been disemboweled long ago?

Oh my god, isn't this taking human life lightly?
"Sir, this, this, do you really believe that a person can survive after having his intestines cut out?"

"That's pure nonsense, don't you know?"

"Can cutting out the intestines save lives? This is obviously ignorant. What's ridiculous is that he is so arrogant that he claims to have medical knowledge that I can't understand!"

Barber Clovis circled around Pullivan, verbally attacking Garys.

There was a hint of something wrong in the words, accusing Gillis of being superstitious or suggesting that he had some kind of connection with the devil or evil spirits, which was a manifestation of witchcraft.

Or maybe you think that Garys must have taken human life lightly, otherwise how could he dare to cut open the abdominal cavity? !
But in the end, Puliwan didn't care about what people around him said.

To be honest, whether the boy was dead or not, whether Garys had cured the man or not, it didn't really matter to him. He, Pulwan, was just looking forward to something exciting that could add a little more fun to his boring life that was suffocating because of wealth.

Just a death? No big deal.

So many people die these days, and countless children die young without even having a name.

The souls of the dead throughout the ages once filled every corner of this world. They constantly told their stories to the world, hoping that the living would keep them company...

While Privan waited.

Another person came out of Gellis's hut, that was Alexandros, the half-Greek and half-Turkic man.

"My Lord, Dr. Garys said that if you are interested, you can observe part of the process in person after disinfection."

When he heard this, the corners of Pulwan's mouth actually curled up. This was exactly what he wanted.

……

April 1188, 4, today is a special day, but in fact, none of this should have happened today.

But Tripoli was on the frontier of faith, and Privan was also a non-mainstream Frank.

There are always endless possibilities and many strange things happening on the frontier of faith.

The people living here are mixed races, and Dubois is even more of a mixed race. He has obvious Arab ancestry, but a Frank name.

This means that he is neither a human being nor a member of either side and cannot feel like he belongs anywhere.

His birth was simply a curse.

But even someone like him can get treatment and receive Garys' "love".

Before Dubois was taken to the operating room and prepared for anesthesia.

Gellis said something to him that made Dubois feel puzzled: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Dubois blinked, no longer able to make out what Gérice meant.

Gellis held a cloth soaked in ether to Dubois's nose and mouth and had him inhale the vapors.

As the ether was gradually inhaled, Dubois entered a state similar to deep sleep and no longer felt the pain.

Ether, an organic chemical, is actually not that difficult to make. Its history can be traced back to 1540.

At that time, the German alchemist Valentin Cordoy first mentioned in a work a liquid produced by mixing "ethanol and concentrated sulfuric acid". He called it "sweet oil" or "sweet spirit". This was the earliest description of ether, and he discovered the anesthetic effect of this substance.

And 1540 was actually just the Ming Dynasty.

After completing the anesthesia, Garys disinfected the area again with alcohol.

The objects of disinfection were not only the knives and Dubois's belly, but also every part of the room and the small space surrounded by the tent.

Although this was not enough to create a sterile environment, it was the best that Garys could do.

Combined with the allicin medicine prepared afterwards, Garys was sure to reduce the possibility of Dubois dying from wound infection to less than 20%.

This risk can be said to be very low.

To enhance credibility, Gellis even allowed Privan to watch from a distance for a while after disinfection.

Surgery was not absent in the 12th century. After all, whether it was the "ophthalmologists" of the Eastern Empire or the castration of the eunuchs, it was a surgical procedure.

In this era of medicine, such surgeries on the extremities of the body are emerging in an endless stream.

But there is a difference between surgery and operation.

As far as Plivan knew, there had never been a case in history where someone could be kept alive after cutting open their stomach and taking out their internal organs!

Privan, who was invited in, was smeared with wine by Alexandros, and was also covered with a white coat that smelled of alcohol and a mask.

This outfit found Privan extremely interesting because it was different from what any doctor had done in the past.

Considering that Guéris's medical license was stamped with the Seal of Anjou, Plivan felt that Guéris's words were not accurate and could not be trusted, so he cooperated.

Then he watched from a distance of several meters with wide eyes as Garys picked and chose from the patient's stomach.

Looking at this bizarre scene, the corners of Pulwan's mouth under the mask couldn't help but become more and more outrageous.

He was a little excited.

The foul smell from the human body did not disgust him, and the bloody operating table was actually just child's play.

But the potential possibilities expressed by this operation opened the door to a new world for Privan.

After all, he, Puliwan, had killed people before, but he had never "played" with anyone like this.

It didn't take long for Garys to complete this simple operation and start suturing with intestinal suture.

Finally, Gailis put down the knife in his hand, held the short piece of appendix, and walked towards Privan.

Today, Garys's hands are bloody, but he is not scary.

After seeing the short piece of appendix, Pulwan stared at it for a long time.

This is the lesion that Garys found in the human abdominal cavity.

After a while, Gailis allowed Privan to go forward and check.

Now, almost an hour and a half has passed since the anesthesia was administered.

In front of Plivan, Dubois' fingers moved slightly, and soon he was completely awake.

Pulwant was shocked again, this man really survived!

What does this mean? It means that Gellis understands "people" far better than any of them.

Yes, Doctor Garys understands people better than people themselves.

Many possibilities flooded into Pulwant's mind, if Garys could cut people's intestines without killing them.

Does that mean that Gillis can do more?

Do something more taboo?
As he was daydreaming, he heard Gellis giving his medical instructions to the patient.

"Don't move. You can't eat for the next half day. You haven't eaten for a day and a half. Now you have to hold on for the last half day."

"Then, by this time tomorrow, you can get out of bed. But don't touch the wound, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it is, don't touch it."

"You don't have to work for the next month."

The first two were actually fine, but when Dubois heard the third doctor's advice, he looked embarrassed.

For a poor man like him, not working for a month could literally lead to starvation.

If he hadn't been poor, he would have gone to see a doctor yesterday.

After noticing this situation, Garys looked at Pulwan standing beside him.

The highly emotionally intelligent Plivan immediately understood what was going on, and immediately patted his chest and promised to take out money to help Dubois recover his health.

Now, in Plivan's eyes, Dubois's life is no longer an insignificant blade of grass, but a life with infinite possibilities.

……

The festive sunshine was exceptionally warm, but Clovis the barber felt a chill running down his spine.

He stared at what Privan was holding with his eyes wide open, even though he opened his mouth to question it.

But when he thought that Privan was a lord and he was just a lowly barber, he became unconfident.

The clothes on his body were completely unable to retain his body temperature, and his hands and feet felt cold.

My god, it’s never been so cold!
No, this one, although Clovis also has rich experience in cutting people.

But there are different levels of cutters. He just helped people saw off their hands and feet, but what did Garys do?
Cut off a piece of human intestines? !

Then the person was found to be alive and well, and the little devil named Dubois's complexion immediately improved a lot!
No, well, has the Frankish medicine advanced to this point today?

Is that Al-Hadi school so outrageous?

How can these barbers compete for medical positions in the future?

For a moment, the barber Clovis suddenly felt that perhaps he should retire and never be a doctor again.

There's actually nothing wrong with being a simple barber.

But as punishment for falsely accusing others, Plivan not only ordered Clovis to pay a large sum of money, but also to hang a sign and parade him through the streets of the town as a humiliation.

In fact, it wasn't just Clovis who was frightened and wanted to retreat; the whole town was in an uproar.

If Gellis hadn't asked Alexandros to stop those people, I'm afraid everyone in the town would have wanted to rush into the ward to take a look at the wound on Dubois's stomach.

In this situation, Gailis was invited by Privan to his mansion, and then asked why Gailis knew this knowledge.

Garys, who was sitting nearby, took out the cross from his body.

“The body of man is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body of man. Even if the Lord is resurrected, God will resurrect us by His own power.”

"Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ? You don't belong to yourself."

“I offered myself to God and understood God’s true intention.”

"I am life, the harbinger of resurrection for all beings, and therefore I know how to heal suffering, especially on this day."

As he spoke, Gailis pushed out a sharp blade from the cross in his hand and cut a gash in the skin of his neck.

Blood gushed out, but not too much.

The wound on Garys' neck began to heal with granulation tissue growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Pulwant, who originally just thought Garys was interesting, was stunned by this scene.

How come... he was a normal doctor just now, but now he suddenly performs miracles!

Isn’t this a bit... beyond the scope?
Christ Resurrected from the Dead

[He defeated death with His death]

【Giving Life to the Dead】

Today is Easter, and a man who has come back from the dead stands before Privan and shows him his scars.

This is no Easter joke.

(End of this chapter)