Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 689 Apply what you learn
"Pastor Doro, is it really okay for us to just come out here with you and wander around the streets of the capital like this?" Simmons tugged at his slightly short sleeve and asked in a low voice with a nervous expression.

Pastor Dorol, with his graying hair and beard, sighed and gently comforted you, "Didn't you already ask the academic director for permission to go out? Besides... I only asked you out to catch up with someone from my hometown, it's not some shady business, there's no need to be so worried."

As early as when Simmons and his party arrived in Starfire City, Dorol, who had previously served as the high priest at the Cathedral of Raventown, learned that his fellow townsman's only son, a young priest named Simmons, was among them. He quickly used his connections to contact the Kingdom's Medical Institute and eventually got in touch with him.

It happened to be Sunday, a day of rest, and the field medical center would also stop teaching on this day. Simmons carefully obtained permission from the teaching director to go out, and as soon as he stepped out of the military camp, he saw Dorrol waiting at the gate.

Considering the sensitive nature of both parties' identities, Dolor did not intend to invite Simmons to his new home in the outer city of the capital. Instead, he took him to a convenient restaurant just two blocks away from the military camp, ordered two cups of hot tea, and sat down.

"Since the Kingdom of Saint Valen issued the ban on missionary work, your past identity as a priest hasn't caused you too much trouble in your life, has it?" Although Simmons hadn't heard of any large-scale persecution of devout believers in Saint Valen, he couldn't help but ask Dorol, who had actually lived there for a long time.

Dorol held his cup in silence for a moment before saying with a complicated expression, "No, that's not true. Although His Majesty the Emperor dismissed and expelled all church forces and parish organizations in the country, he did not target us low-ranking priests and pastors who came from common backgrounds. Someone like me, who has a family in Raventown, was only stripped of his priesthood and sent to the Grizzly Bear Fortress state farm for labor reform."

Farm...labor reform?
Simmons, somewhat reluctant, whispered, "They're actually forcing you to do heavy manual labor in the fields? This is simply..."

Dorol waved his hand and smiled, "No, it's not some kind of hard labor designed to work this old man to death. I'm just going to do some simple and easy tea-picking work..."

He paused, gazing at the teacup in his hands, and continued softly, "On the contrary, after I stopped serving as a pastor, I spent my days working and interacting with the common people in the tea garden. For some reason, my heart and spirit were much calmer than before... So after the year-long reform period ended, I voluntarily chose to stay there and signed a long-term contract to work until I retire."

Simmons opened his mouth, then said in a hoarse voice, "So, you've...chosen..."

“No, I know what you’re going to say, little Simmons. I have never betrayed my devout faith in my Lord. Although His Majesty the Emperor forbids open preaching, he does not interfere with the personal beliefs of the people. As long as one’s inner conviction remains steadfast, whether there are churches or monasteries… it doesn’t really matter.”

Dorol turned his head to look out the window and happened to see several orc soldiers in military uniforms going out on their day off.

“Look, the orcs and wastelanders regard those powerful magical beasts as incarnations of gods. It is said that the rootless people who migrated to our country from Eisengard worship the primordial god of nature. The dwarves and elves who can often be seen in the capital also have their own unique beliefs... but they are not allowed to openly preach. As a result, the religious atmosphere among the people has changed. No one will regard anyone else as a heretic, and there will be no more conflicts and wars caused by differences in beliefs..."

Before he could finish speaking, Simmons' hands, which were holding the teacup, had turned slightly white from the force he was using. A complex mix of emotions—disappointment, helplessness, and confusion—was churning violently in his chest, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Yes... as long as faith is steadfast enough, a church will naturally rise in everyone's heart, and the holy city, which may be reduced to ruins in reality, will stand tall and never fall...

Amidst the turmoil of my thoughts, I suddenly heard the sounds of tables and chairs overturning, and knives, forks, and plates shattering on the ground.

Simmons and Dorrol turned around at the same time upon hearing the sound and found a child, no more than five or six years old, lying on the ground at a table of guests sitting diagonally opposite them. The child was pale, had purple lips, and was making strange clicking sounds in his throat.

The child's mother frantically tried to dislodge the candy from his mouth with her fingers, crying out, "Good heavens! It's a piece of candy! My child is choking on a piece of candy! Please help me! I beg you to help me!" At the boss's signal, the restaurant waiter rushed out, seemingly to fetch a doctor from a nearby clinic to come and treat the child.

Simmons immediately stood up, walked quickly to the child, and squatted down.

What a coincidence... Just yesterday he learned a miraculous treatment method called "Airway Obstruction First Aid" in a battlefield first aid medical course.

The teaching supervisor repeatedly emphasized to them in class that the golden rescue time for suffocation is within five minutes. Once this time is exceeded, the patient will directly lose consciousness, go into shock and coma, and eventually stop beating.

It's too late to wait for the waiter to fetch the doctor!
Simmons gritted his teeth, having no other choice but to take the risk. "Please let me try. I... I'm an apprentice at the field medical center!"

The child's father immediately grasped at a straw and pulled his wife's arm to make way for him.

Simmons quickly helped the child up from the ground, then stood behind him with a slight bow, bending his knees into a lunge position, while his arms reached from behind and under the child's armpits to hug him.

Take a deep breath, quickly recall the standard movements from yesterday's lesson, make a fist with your left hand and place it against the indentation two fingers above the child's navel, while wrap your right palm around your left fist to secure it, and then quickly thrust backward to press and move the child's abdomen.

This was repeated six times. As the force gradually increased, the child suddenly coughed up a large piece of hard candy covered in blood and spat it out of his mouth. The next second, a loud wail echoed throughout the restaurant.

"He vomited! He really vomited!" The child's parents were both surprised and delighted. They took the child from Simmons's arms and hugged him tightly, carefully wiping the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth.

Simmons rolled up his sleeves and gently reminded him, "We still need to have a doctor take a look. The child's throat may have been scratched by this hard candy, which is why he is bleeding."

"Thank you! Doctor! I really don't know how to express my gratitude... You saved my child's life!" The father rubbed his hands together, extremely excited, and repeatedly asked, "May I ask which medical institution in the capital you work at? Please allow me to send a letter of thanks to your department; they should certainly commend you for what you did!"

Just then, a man in a white doctor's coat, guided by a waiter, hurried into the restaurant.

"Huh? The child has been rescued?"

The doctor examined the patient's mouth and throat with some doubt, then briefly inquired about the details of the first aid. He then turned to Simmons and asked seriously, "How did you learn the first aid for airway obstruction? I haven't seen you at the Kingdom Medical Center."

(End of this chapter)