"Doctor, what is this for?" Max asked blankly. It was his first time seeing a glass stick tucked under his armpit as part of a check-up.
"It's called a thermometer. It measures your body temperature to check if you have a fever." The doctor explained calmly. He had answered this question countless times before.
"Oh, oh," Max nodded in confusion. He still didn't quite understand what body temperature had to do with being sick.
Tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from outside, drawing the attention of everyone in the room toward the door.
"City lord, what brings you here?" Max asked in a daze.
"Hm? Max? And Steve? What are you two doing here?" Lucas raised an eyebrow but quickly pieced things together. He asked gently, "Is someone sick?"
"It's me, this useless old man," Max immediately blurted out. "City lord, just give your orders! This is just a small illness; it won't stop me from working!"
"…" Steve opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it when Max shot him a sharp glare. He could only sigh in frustration. His father could barely walk straight this morning, yet he was still trying to act tough.
"Alright, Max. There's nothing urgent for you to do right now. Just focus on getting better first." Lucas said with a wave of his hand. He had already noticed the little exchange between the father and son.
"Then… alright," Max said sheepishly as he sat back down. Truthfully, he was already feeling light headed from just standing for a short while, but that didn't stop him from trying to show his loyalty.
"City lord, you came here for…?" The doctor asked in a low voice. Every time Lucas visited, there was some sort of change—like adding the front desk assistant or implementing the use of carbon-copy paper, both of which had made the hospital run more smoothly.
"Let's focus on treating the patient first," Lucas said, waving his hand dismissively. Max was one of his key officials in handling Sedona City's affairs, and he couldn't afford to let him fall seriously ill.
"Understood!"
The doctor nodded respectfully and then carefully removed the thermometer from Max's armpit. After checking the reading, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Mr. Max, you have a slight fever, but it's nothing serious. I'll prescribe some medicine for you—just take it home, boil it, and drink it."
"Alright," Max nodded. Hearing that it wasn't a serious illness immediately put him at ease.
"Phew…" Steve also let out a relieved sigh. He had even taken the day off from school today to take care of his father.
The doctor stood up and walked over to the medicine cabinet, carefully selecting ingredients according to the fever treatment formula Lucas had provided.
"All done!"
He quickly wrapped the prescribed herbs in paper and tied them with twine. Handing over three small bundles, he explained, "Mr. Max, take these home. Boil one packet with three bowls of water for twenty minutes, then drink it. One packet per day, taken three times a day."
"Got it. Thank you." Steve immediately took the medicine, making sure to handle it carefully.
The doctor's gaze lingered on Lucas, but even more so on the wooden box Mina was holding behind him. Another new reform? What kind of innovation was coming this time?
"Have there been more people coming in for treatment recently?" Lucas asked casually. His intelligence network, led by Mina's subordinates, had already given him some insights.
"Yes," The doctor reported. "Before winter, there weren't too many cases, but now we get over ten patients a day."
"If there's ever a sudden surge in patients, report it to the City Lord's Office immediately." Lucas instructed with a frown. If too many people in Sedona City fell ill at once, it could be a serious issue—potentially even a deadly outbreak.
"Understood!" The doctor straightened up, feeling the weight of the responsibility. "We will keep an eye on it."
"Remember, this hospital is responsible for the health of the entire city," Lucas said sternly. "If too many people suddenly fall ill, it must be treated with the utmost seriousness—especially contagious diseases. If one spreads throughout Sedona City, it could wipe out the entire population."
"Understood!" The doctor's expression turned grave as he immediately took out his notebook and wrote it down.
"Alright, I'm here today to discuss the supply of medicinal ingredients." Lucas's expression softened slightly as he calmly asked, "How much medicine do we have left?"
All the medicine in this hospital came from Lucas's trips back to Earth. To avoid becoming just a transporter of medical supplies—and considering the increasing number of cold cases—he needed to pay closer attention to this issue.
In reality, it was Catherine's illness that had reminded him of the problem. Over the past few days, he had even made a trip back to Earth and visited a Phoenix Medicine Herbs to consult on some medical knowledge.
"The medical supplies are running low, my lord," The doctor said seriously. "We've had quite a few patients these days, some even with fevers reaching 39 degrees. Fortunately, they were brought in on time and, after staying in the hospital for a few days with medication and physical cooling, they were successfully treated."
"Hmm." Lucas nodded. The shortage of medical supplies was within his expectations. He patted the wooden box that Mina was holding and said calmly, "Here are some new medicinal herbs, prepared for those with mild colds and fevers."
"Click!"
The wooden box was opened by the cat-eared girl, revealing numerous small burlap pouches, each about half the size of a palm. These pouches contained medicinal herbs that were available in this era.
Lucas's planned large medicinal garden had yet to be established—it was scheduled for construction in the coming spring. After all, planting medicinal seeds in the dead of winter would make it difficult for them to sprout.
"What is this?" The doctor was a bit confused. Were these pouches already measured out in proper dosages?
"These are herbal cold remedy packs," Lucas said calmly. "For mild colds, just take one pack, brew it in hot water, and drink it multiple times a day. That should be enough to cure the cold."
These herbal cold remedy packs contained ingredients like honeysuckle, dandelion, and houttuynia. Lucas had consulted an experienced doctor at 'Phoenix Medicine Herbs' back on Earth to create them. They were effective for minor colds and fevers.
Meanwhile, the higher-grade medicinal supplies brought from Earth could be reserved for severe cases. This way, Lucas would only need to transport medicine from Earth every few months. Once the large medicinal garden was operational, they would no longer have to rely on Earth's resources at all.
Dandelion, houttuynia, and other herbs were already being grown in the greenhouse. Although the quantity was limited, it was still enough to supply Sedona City for now—after all, it wasn't like the entire city had fallen ill.
"I understand." The doctor said, suddenly realizing the plan.
"But if someone doesn't recover after taking these herbal packs, switch to the stronger medicines in the cabinet." Lucas instructed. He was referring to modern medicine. He had stocked them just in case of shortage of medicine.
"Yes." The doctor nodded, carefully noting it down in his journal.
These herbal remedy packs were an experiment by Lucas. If they proved effective, then once the large medicinal garden was established next year, any surplus herbs could be sold to other cities. In the future, if technology advanced enough, they could even extract the medicinal essence, mix it with special plant starch, and produce cold-relief granules for easier consumption.
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