There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

“I understand.” Sheriff Harris smiled grimly. “I’ll have Gotz be extra careful on patrol, and the trails will be closed soon.”

But before leaving, I deliberately slowed my pace and listened carefully. I could vaguely hear Harris saying, "Damn it... wrong timing... ahead of schedule... failed... deep-water ambush..."

Chapter 90 Medical Assistance

"What... I thought you were here to help me with an experiment..."

Dr. Dort sat in the hospital, his gaze fixed on me, but his face showed obvious disappointment, as if I had done something to wrong him.

"Dr. Dort, please don't make demands that cause others distress!"

I wasn't the one who said that; it was the only nurse at Dr. Dort's hospital.

“Ellie, I made this request based on my medical knowledge. You don’t know how strong Marcus’s physique is. His metabolic rate is more than five times that of an ordinary person. The numbing effect of the potion can only last for three minutes!”

Dr. Dort spoke with a serious expression, saying very suspicious things, as if he was determined to use me as a guinea pig for experiments.

Fortunately, evil people always have their own evil people to deal with... no, there is true kindness in the world. Nurse Ellie demonstrated a level of professionalism far superior to that of the unscrupulous doctor, and righteously and sternly refuted him.

“Marcus isn’t a lab tool. How can you, as a doctor, use him to test drugs with unknown consequences? That’s not in the spirit of medicine!”

As Ellie spoke, she added some less rigorous but persuasive reasons.

“Yu told me that Marcus even taught them classes for free! Doctor, you can’t take advantage of Marcus’s kindness like that to do things that harm others!”

After Ellie's words, Dr. Dort also lost his temper and said to me listlessly, "I got scolded by Ellie again... I didn't do anything immoral... Never mind, let's talk about this another time. What did you say you wanted to see me about today?"

Then it dawned on me that Ellie was not only a nurse at the hospital, but also the older sister of the little boy, You! I never expected that my casual gesture would actually earn me so much goodwill!

Only then did I take a good look at the nurse in front of me. Ellie looked to be around twenty years old, about the same age as Lynn and Poppy, but she was more serene and gentle, or rather... radiated a maternal glow?

Of course, judging from her appearance, Ellie is also a standard beauty, with neat brown medium-length hair, wearing a nurse's white dress, and her brown eyes always sparkling with clear light, as if she were... looking at me?

My scrutiny may have been too unrestrained, but fortunately there was no displeasure in Ellie's eyes.

"Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Marcus! It's not too late to introduce myself now, is it?"

Ellie smiled and extended her hand to shake mine: "It's nice to meet you, even though I've already heard about you from Yu and Poppy."

After a brief introduction, I also introduced the jay to them.

“Jay, this is the hospital I told you about before.”

Upon arriving in this entirely new environment, the jay's curiosity was reignited. It had little interest in idle chatter and instead devoted itself entirely to exploring the place.

The hospital itself was quite well-organized, with light-colored walls and curtains, an elegantly and clean interior, a fully equipped operating area, and spotless wards. All of this fueled her curiosity!

"Wow! Marcus, what kind of flooring is this? Why is the flooring different from Dart's?"

"The floor here is tiled with a glazed surface, which makes it less prone to accumulating dirt and easier to clean. The bar area uses wooden flooring, which is made by cutting wood into pieces and then piecing them together. It's more comfortable to walk on and looks better."

"Oh, I see! Hmm... then I can have a room with wooden floors too?"

The jay then became engrossed in planning for the tribe and continued to ask questions.

"What's the purpose of that room? Do the doctors and nurses sleep in it?"

Upon hearing such lewd words, I quickly rushed forward and covered her mouth, inadvertently getting my own hand stained black in the process.

"Little sister, don't misunderstand. We're only at the hospital during working hours. After get off work, I go home to live. Even if it's too late when I'm developing drugs, I still stay in my room upstairs."

Ellie explained with a smile, not angry at all. I looked up and saw that there was indeed a floor on the second floor, right next to the room where I had been checked last time, and there was a separate room there as well.

I saw Dr. Dort organizing the filing cabinets and didn't hear what Jay said. Ellie wasn't angry, so she let go of Jay's mouth.

"Am I wrong?" Jay pushed me away in displeasure and pointed to the room, saying, "Then what's the point of putting a bed here?"

The young nurse, Ellie, took the initiative to introduce the situation, perhaps to prevent her from saying anything inappropriate: "This is a hospital ward. Patients who are seriously ill rest here alone. They get injections and take their medicine here."

"Yes, this is the ward I told you about. Maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity in the room is beneficial for the patient's recovery. Moreover, a clean and tidy room can also reduce the probability of infection for trauma patients."

The jay suddenly realized and said, "That's right! That way, we can take better care of our injured members!"

I asked curiously, "How do you treat injuries where you live? What medicine do you use?"

"For common illnesses, the tribe's shaman will come to your door to diagnose and prescribe some herbal medicine. Only infectious disease prevention and control will be carried out in one house in the tribe, with unified medication and care." Jay counted on his fingers.

Ellie suddenly interrupted the conversation: "Isn't this little girl from around here? Why is she only using herbs to treat her illness?"

I introduced Ellie to Jay's identity, and she said gently, "Their medical conditions seem even worse than in Mineral Town... Is there anything we can do to help?"

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my thoughts.

"I actually wanted to ask if there are any simple and easy-to-use medical techniques and drugs suitable for Jay and his friends? They do have some medical theory and skills, and they also have an understanding of bacteria and viruses, but the backwardness of their technology means that they cannot cure these diseases and can only rely on herbal formulas to enhance their immunity."

Dr. Dort also came over from the filing cabinet, flipping through a thick medical record.

“I think this is absolutely necessary! Marcus, your idea is excellent. Different medical systems should be developed for different places with different medical conditions, targeting different disease risks.”

Dr. Dort raised his thick eyebrows and said to me with great enthusiasm.

"It was based on this idea that I worked hard to develop medicinal juices unique to Mineral Town using local herbs, reducing our reliance on external medicines. I never imagined that you, Marcus, would also be a traveler on my path!"

"I've made up my mind. The Mineral Town Hospital will provide medical assistance to this little girl! Don't worry, I swear on my life as a doctor, I will definitely not let you down!"

Chapter 91 Treating the Symptoms (Pseudo)

Dr. Dort led us to his laboratory, where we toured rows of jars. The transparent jars were filled with this medicinal herb; some were charred black, some were roasted until slightly yellow, and others were dried in the sun or boiled until they turned white. The variety filled an entire cabinet.

"Dr. Dort, what are these medicinal herbs?"

Ellie explained, "These are the herbs you and Gray picked last time. They've been processed into this."

Dr. Dort nodded confidently: "That's right! These are the finished products made using various methods, as Marcus suggested. I feel that the efficacy of the herbs has indeed changed to varying degrees. But the specifics are still under experimentation..."

What I discussed with the doctor last time was the processing method in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This refers to the necessary processing of medicinal herbs before their application or preparation into dosage forms. It is also known as processing, preparation, or treatment. Processing specifically refers to the method of processing medicinal herbs with fire. Since most Chinese medicinal herbs are raw, they often contain soil and other foreign matter, may have an off-putting odor, be toxic, or be damp and unsuitable for preservation. Through specific processing methods, the herbs can be purified, their flavor corrected, their toxicity reduced, and they dried to prevent spoilage.

In addition, processing also enhances the efficacy of drugs, alters their properties, and facilitates dispensing and preparation. Traditional Chinese medicine processing methods are generally divided into five categories: preparation, water processing, fire processing, combined water and fire processing, and other methods.

To my surprise, Dr. Dort actually completed all the various attempts within two days, trying out all the methods I suggested.

The next important step should be testing the drug's effectiveness... No wonder they kept hoping I, their guinea pig, would come and help; I actually dug my own grave!

Never mind, anyway, this is a good thing, at least we don't have to force ourselves to drink those throat-numbing medicines.

Should I teach him Chinese medicine prescriptions, pills, and ointments?

Or perhaps you could tell him the ultimate theories of dietary therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and medicinal diets?

These things, which are still applicable across time and space, should be enough for him to skip the primitive exploration stage and directly establish a school of thought in medicine, right?

Of course, I'm not so selfless as to insist on passing on my medical knowledge to him, but at least Dr. Dort, as the only doctor on the island, is directly related to my health and safety. The more skilled he is, the more at ease I will feel.

Why wouldn't I be happy to use this highly inquisitive workforce to develop drugs?

However, one must take things one step at a time, and not just throw a bombshell at him right away, scaring him away and causing him to lose confidence. It's better to guide him gradually so he can discover everything and then happily become my ranch's personal doctor…

"Marcus, why are you smiling so strangely?"

Dr. Dort suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and then he saw me smiling grimly, as if I were brewing something heinous. He couldn't help but ask me.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some happy things."

I immediately became serious and jotted down the thought in my notebook. Dr. Dort would never have imagined that while he was using me as a guinea pig, I was also using him to probe for potential threats.

"Then I'll continue. My current drug development efforts are aimed at improving efficacy and reducing side effects. Since green, red, and blue drugs each have different effects, their combination is particularly important."

Green herbs are mainly used to refresh the mind and eliminate fatigue; cyan herbs are used to replenish energy and strengthen the body; red herbs are used to stimulate the nerves to restore energy, but they can also cause more fatigue after use. It seems that if these herbs are used properly, they could be used to create a drug that comprehensively restores energy and relieves fatigue, or perhaps a stimulant with short-term effects but also significant side effects…

"So, may I ask how many formulas have been tested so far?"

The jay raised its hand to ask a question like a well-behaved child.

"Cough...cough...Currently, I've been focusing all my energy on preparing medicinal herbs, and haven't done much experimentation yet, so only the green herbal juice from before is usable. As for the others..."

Dr. Dort stood awkwardly in front of the shelves, explaining his predicament, but the audience wasn't very sympathetic. I heard Jay mutter, "That just means they haven't done anything at all..."

Well done, Jay!

You're absolutely right!

Ellie stood to the side, smiling, and said, "Actually, Dart has also come up with several theoretical formulas, but he hasn't really tested them. His constitution is such that just one sip will leave him numb for a whole day, so he won't feel any effects at all."

"..." Wait a minute, then isn't this person just a useless person? One sip and he's paralyzed for a day, if he finishes the whole bottle, does that mean he'll be paralyzed for a week? So much time has passed, the effects of the drug have long worn off, how could he possibly feel it!

"So that's why you're so envious of me, doctor, right?" I couldn't help but tease. My super-strong immune system must be something every doctor dreams of!

Speaking of physical constitution, I suddenly thought of the jay.

Although this tribal girl was only 12 years old, her body, hidden beneath her animal skin robe, didn't appear very healthy, nor did she seem to have much stamina. Her face was obscured by paint, but I'm sure it wasn't exactly rosy. Since this opportunity has arisen…

"Ellie, could you do me a favor and help me get a medical check-up for Jay?"

I earnestly begged her.

The hospital always offers physical examinations. For example, they examined me when I fainted last time. They should be able to examine Jay's body as well.

"What? Marcus, I'm perfectly healthy, I don't need a checkup! What I need is medication! Medication!"

The jay protested to me, clearly dissatisfied.

"Don't worry, Jay. We'll take care of the medicine the tribe needs. You just go up and get a checkup. You can't lead a tribe without a healthy body."

Ellie smiled and said, "If you don't take good care of your body when you're young, it'll be too late to regret it when you grow up!"

"Okay... then... make sure you prepare the medicine! I need to see it after my medical checkup!"

"Okay, okay, Miss, don't worry!" I smiled and pushed her upstairs, then let Jay follow Ellie to the examination room before returning to the laboratory and finding Dr. Dort.

"Doctor, do you have any medicines suitable for living in the wilderness? I need medicines for diseases such as external injuries, malaria, and colds. Of course, it would be even better if you had other special medicines!"

Dr. Dort looked at me with overjoyed eyes and asked, "Are you willing to help me test the drug?!"

Judging from the tone, they're going to take drastic measures...

"Is it too late for me to regret it now?"

"Hahaha, Marcus, what are you saying? It's too windy here, I can't hear you. Here, drink this medicine!"

"Wait a minute, why is this medicine black?"

"Don't worry about it, try another bite! How does it feel?"

"I'm a little dizzy, I can't see clearly..."