"Cough, cough, cough..."
A series of harsh, elderly coughs echoed. Max shook his dizzy head and wiped his nose with a tissue.
He was sick. When he got up this morning, he immediately noticed something was off—his body felt weak, and his head was heavy. At first, he thought he could just tough it out, but his wife caught on right away.
Thinking about it, it made sense. After living together for so many years, even the slightest change in him wouldn't escape her notice. And now, here he was, being dragged to the hospital by Steve under her orders.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Max covered his mouth as he coughed again, then let out a helpless sigh. "Looks like I'm really getting old… I've never gotten sick before, not even in the snowy winters of past years."
"Father, what are you talking about? You're still as strong as ever!" Steve rolled his eyes. He had already heard everything from his mother.
Max had gotten sick because he was too restless in his sleep—he had kicked his blanket off the bed and spent the whole night freezing. It wasn't until near dawn that he finally realized the blanket was on the floor.
"Hahaha… cough, cough, cough… You really know how to cheer up your old man." Max laughed heartily, though his voice was rough and hoarse.
"Father, don't talk so loudly." Steve quickly patted Max's back, trying to ease his coughing.
"It's fine, I'm not dying yet," Max waved him off, then spoke seriously. "Life is just getting good now. I don't want to die—I still want to work for Lord City for a few more years."
"Then you really need to take care of your health." Steve said, following along with his father's train of thought. He knew Max too well—his father was stubborn, always pushing himself and refusing to back down once he set his mind on something.
"Alright, alright, I got it." Max waved his hand helplessly. "Now it's your turn to lecture me, huh?"
"…" Steve rolled his eyes. His father always managed to focus on the strangest things.
Tap, tap, tap…
The two stepped into the hospital. Right at the entrance, there was a reception desk where a young girl was writing something. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and greeted them with a warm smile.
"Mr. Max, Teacher Steve, are you here for a check-up?" She asked gently.
"Oh, it's Jane! You work here?" Max was surprised—he recognized this young girl.
"Yes, yes, I handle registration work here." Jane replied softly.
"My father needs to see a doctor. What do we need to do?" Steve asked as he helped Max to the counter.
"You just need to register his identification." Jane said, taking out a notebook.
This notebook was developed by the research department and had become quite popular in Sedona City. Anyone with a little extra money would buy one. However, the ones used in the hospital, the Guard Division, and other official departments were specially provided by the castle. They had a different design from the ones sold in the market, making them distinct for official use.
"Alright." Max nodded and carefully reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of animal hide. He unfolded it and took out his identification card, handling it with extreme care—he valued it even more than money.
"Please wait a moment." Jane took Max's identification card, pulled open a drawer, and retrieved a piece of carbon copy paper. She quickly slipped it into her notebook and began writing at a rapid pace.
"Mr. Max, what symptoms are you experiencing?" She asked while jotting down the details. "Dizziness? Dry mouth? Sore throat?" These were the most common complaints among patients recently.
"Yes, exactly what you said! And I feel weak all over." Max quickly nodded.
"It sounds like you might have a cold," Jane said gently as she tore off the second sheet of the copy paper and handed it back to Max along with his identification card. "Follow the signs on the wall—just walk straight ahead until you see a room with the words 'Consultation Room' on the door. Go inside, and the doctor will see you."
"Alright! Thank you." Max nodded, and with Steve's support, he followed the directional arrows on the wall toward the consultation room.
Soon, the two of them arrived at a room labeled Consultation Room. Outside the door, a long wooden bench was placed against the wall, with two or three people already seated. They were coughing repeatedly—clearly suffering from the same cold as Max.
Steve helped Max sit down, and just then, a young man wearing a mask stepped out of the room. He held out another mask and gently said, "Sir, please wear this mask. Otherwise, you might spread your illness to the gentleman next to you."
These procedures had been set by the Lord of the City. In the future, when this young man officially became a doctor, he would also follow these guidelines when training apprentices.
"Huh?" Max was momentarily stunned, but he quickly took the mask and put it on. Then, with a bit of worry, he asked, "Steve won't really catch my illness, will he?"
"Don't worry, not for now." The young apprentice reassured him with a smile.
"That's a relief." Max sighed in relief. He had genuinely been worried about passing his illness to Steve.
"Sir, did the front desk give you a slip of paper? Please hand it to me." The apprentice said softly. The doctor would be calling in patients according to the order on those slips.
"Here it is." Max reached into his pocket and handed over the note from Jane.
"Alright, please wait a moment. There are still a few patients ahead of you." The apprentice said as he took the slip. Ever since winter began, the number of patients fluctuated between a few to a dozen each day—not too overwhelming, but still keeping them busy.
"Alright." Steve responded.
Time passed, and after about half an hour, a voice called from inside the consultation room:
"Next patient, Mr. Max!"
"Huh?" Max was momentarily startled, but Steve reacted quickly, gently helping him up. "Father, it's your turn to see the doctor."
"Alright." With Steve's support, Max walked into the consultation room. Inside, there were two desks, and two people were seated—one of them was the apprentice from earlier.
"It really is Mr. Max." The doctor said in surprise.
"Sigh, getting old means getting sick more often." Max sighed.
"It's nothing serious, just a mild cold." The doctor reassured him, keeping his tone calm to avoid making Max anxious.
He carefully opened a wooden box from the drawer and took out a thermometer. Following the method taught by the Lord of the City, he flicked the thermometer a few times to prepare it for use.
"Here, please place this end of the thermometer under your armpit."
The doctor stood up and, under Max and Steve's confused gazes, slipped the thermometer into Max's armpit.
"Hold it tightly, don't let it fall." He instructed.
This thermometer was a miraculous tool given by the Lord of the City. It could accurately measure a person's temperature to determine if they were sick. The entire hospital only had four of them.
With this incredible thermometer and the medicines provided by the Lord of the City, the doctor had already treated many patients successfully.
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