Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 679 Battlefield Anecdotes
"Sir, is it alright for you to handle such a small matter yourself?" The medic looked at Benny with some helplessness, and quickly removed the thick bandage wrapped around his forehead. "After the wound is stitched up, a medicated ointment to promote the growth of flesh is applied, which will naturally cause some itching and discomfort. Doesn't that just mean the injury is healing quickly? Look, it's only been less than three days, and the stitches can be removed directly."

Benny grinned and nodded haphazardly, but finally couldn't help pleading, "The wound is so itchy while it's healing, I've had a hard time sleeping these past few days. Could you please shave off the hair around it? Maybe it'll feel better if the wind blows through it..."

"I'm a military doctor... not a barber."

The medic quickly removed Benny's stitches, rolled his eyes, and ruthlessly rejected his request... The field medical center at the Ice Sea Base was currently overcrowded, and all the medical personnel were busy every day. They were already exhausted just dealing with the seriously wounded who had been snatched back from the jaws of death, so they had no time to deal with the unreasonable requests of the lightly wounded.

The field hospital's lobby and corridors were packed with stretchers. Benny wandered around for a while but couldn't find a place to stand, so he had to leave dejectedly.

As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, I saw a familiar face.

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant Benny!" The young maintenance soldier Matteo seemed to have been waiting for him nearby. Upon seeing him, he excitedly jogged over. "Your injuries have improved? Those medics are amazing!"

Benny then noticed that his left hand was still wrapped in thick bandages. It was from a battle a few days ago when the enemy blasted the machine gun's front shield, and flying fragments of armor had severed his little finger.

"How is your injury? If your finger wasn't found on the spot... we'll have to wait until after the war, when we return to the capital and ask the senior doctors at the National Medical Center to transplant an alchemical prosthetic limb for you."

Soldiers who are disabled due to combat injuries often receive priority treatment at medical institutions. Not only are prosthetic body transplants completely free, but the government also provides continuous subsidies for subsequent maintenance and spare parts replacement.

Matteo shook his head somewhat dejectedly and said in a low voice, "My superior told me... that a broken little finger is such a trivial injury that it's not worth bothering those senior doctors to operate on me. The war will continue for a long time, and the kingdom's medical resources will probably remain scarce. It's better not to bother them."

That's true... Benny didn't know how to comfort him for a moment, so he could only pat him on the shoulder and take the initiative to comfort him: "I heard that a large amount of supplies to reward the troops were transported from Great Bear Lake to the front line this morning. His Majesty expressed great appreciation for our successful defeat of the Demon Lizardmen's large-scale offensive. All the front-line personnel who participated in the battle, whether officers or ordinary soldiers, received a certain quota of scarce supplies."

He paused, then gave the maintenance soldier's thin shoulder a firm squeeze, encouraging him: "And you... although you are not part of the combat department, you still bravely assisted the frontline soldiers in fighting when the attack occurred. I have written the whole process into the battlefield report and submitted it to the higher authorities. You should receive an award soon."

"Really? I... I just helped you move the ammunition boxes and assemble the machine gun ammunition belts, and... that counts as doing a good deed?" Maro's eyes widened, and he asked incredulously.

Benny chuckled. "Of course, although it wasn't particularly difficult, it was during the most dangerous moment when the enemy was closing in on our position. You risked your life to assist me in the battle, so how could you not deserve a reward?"

"That's...that's great! That's really great!" the repairman stammered. "I don't dare to dream of the combat medals that my superiors covet. I...I just want a reward allowance, that's enough so that my mother and I can quickly save up enough for a down payment on a house in the outer city of the capital!"

Benny suddenly realized that he had heard Matteo mention his experiences before joining the army when they chatted on the front lines... Matteo had been a "mining slave" from Bluethorn City. However, because the branding mark representing slavery was burned on the back of his neck, and because he was ashamed of his inferiority complex, he often wore a thick towel around his neck, which made many people forget his somewhat sensitive foreign identity.

His accent was indeed slightly different from that of the locals in Saint Valen. For a foreigner of such low birth, who had regained his freedom under His Majesty's pardon, his greatest hope for the future was probably to own a house or some other stable property. After all, only with a stable home could one live a fulfilling life. Although joining the army to obtain the status of a formal resident of the capital required risking death on the battlefield, it was still a shortcut compared to other ways of obtaining citizenship.

Benny couldn't help but think of his deceased relatives, who had traveled a long and arduous journey from the old capital, Golden Radiance City, but were still not fortunate enough to reach Starfire City to receive treatment, suffering from the plague and dying on the way.

He has no family left...

After joining the army, he enjoyed the generous treatment of being provided with food, lodging and supplies. Every month, he would save his salary in the bank and never had a chance to spend it. When he received the mission to go to war, he did not forget to ask someone to pass on a message to his childhood friend Dave, repeatedly telling him that if he were to die, he must take over his savings and pension. Unfortunately, although Dave agreed, he did not touch a single penny in his account.

Looking at Matteo's joyful expression filled with hope for the future, Benny couldn't help but be infected by his emotions. He swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "The pay for new recruits isn't very high. If you want to take out a loan to buy a house, you might be able to save up. How much are you short? I can lend you some..."

Before he could finish speaking, a group of soldiers from the same battalion suddenly walked over from the corner of the main road of the front camp, raised their hands and called out loudly, "Lieutenant, it's lunchtime! Come with us! The troop supplies have arrived today, and the camp canteen will serve a delicious lunch!"

……

Benny pulled the somewhat shy and hesitant Matteo into the crowded mess hall, only to find that long queues had formed in front of each food distribution window. In front of the army cooks, who had previously only been responsible for serving flatbread and smoked meat, a steaming wide-mouthed pot had been set up, with hot food being cooked inside.

He peeked ahead on tiptoe and discovered a completely new dish he had never seen before—thin, pale yellow strips about the thickness of a little finger, tumbling and rolling in a boiling pot. The faint sweet aroma of cooked wheat combined with a rich peppery scent made him swallow hard.

Matteo, who was following closely behind, was even more exaggerated, his stomach rumbling loudly.

Benny strode to the officers' mess window, grinned, squeezed past a few familiar comrades, took two soup bowls almost as big as his face from the cook, and handed them to the boiling pot.

The chef, wielding two thin wooden sticks, somewhat clumsily scooped a cluster of long strips from the large pot and placed them into a bowl. Then, he scooped a full spoonful of meat from another jar and poured it over the long strips of food, mixing it with thick broth.

"This is?"

"This is a special imperial dish that originated from His Majesty's palace! Hmph! It's time for you to enjoy it... It's made from refined wheat flour, mixed with water and butter, fermented into a soft dough, and then pressed into strips using a special mold. His Majesty calls it 'noodles,' served with a topping of salted beef stewed with pepper. I guarantee that after you finish eating it, you'll be all warm and your mouth will be able to breathe fire like the mage officers!"

According to His Majesty, this is the finest delicacy to be enjoyed on the cold, desolate battlefield!

(End of this chapter)