Chapter
52: Cute Little Bird
"A
doctor?" Eleni looked at Reinette in confusion.
"Yes..." Reinette looked at Eleni, instinctively patted her head, and at the same
time, a mischievous thought quietly surfaced. So.
"Cute
little bird~" Reinette said with a smile, stroking Eleni's head.
Well,
no one could resist saying that in front of Eleni.
As for her reaction...
Reinette could only say that some things ingrained in her soul in
her previous life would not change, even in a new world with a new race.
"Cu-cute
or something..." As expected, just as Reinette had anticipated, Eleni, praised as cute by Reinette, immediately became a bit shy.
"If,
if Ocean... Mm?"
Reinette extended her index finger and placed it before Eleni's lips. "No need to call me Ocean. Just call
me Reinette, Eleni."
"O-okay,
Re.. Reinette." Eleni's face was
flushed. "If, if you like to call me that..."
'Why is
this child so shy? This isn't the reaction I wanted to see, but this isn't bad
either~' Reinette patted Eleni's head,
then turned her gaze to the Punisher Army's position not far away.
As for
over there, Reinette had a bit of a headache. The matter started because of
her, so naturally, it should be resolved by her. But the method of resolution,
no matter which identity she approached it with, would be very difficult.
Regrowing
limbs and similar issues aren't a big problem; as long as Reinette is willing, her water can
gradually nourish life and promote regeneration. Lost limbs are no issue at
all, and even if Reinette can't do it, the system has many similar
items.
But the
problem is, with Tiamat's identity, why would Iberia want Reinette to treat the Punisher
Troops? Even using Chief Wei's connections,
it's highly unlikely to work. This isn't one of Reinette's usual free clinic events.
So,
what about going as the current Sea God? Hmm, Reinette isn't quite ready to be
blown to smithereens and return yet. The animosity between Iberia and the Seaborn isn't
something that can be easily resolved or smoothed over.
Especially
at this critical juncture, they've just finished a battle with the Seaborn. If Reinette were to turn around and
say, 'This is my fault, I apologize to everyone, and I'll treat all those
injured in this war.'
The
Punisher Troops would be justified in not only firing shells at Reinette's face but also giving her a
barrage of saturation bombing. It would be an insult to Iberia's hardship over the past ten-plus days.
So, as
things stand, Reinette genuinely has no good solution for compensating them in a
reasonable way. Leaving aside material compensation, at least the medical care
for those injured and disabled in this incident needs to be handled, but Reinette truly has no good way to
provide that treatment.
"What's
wrong, Sea... Reinette?" Eleni looked up
at Reinette, who was deep in thought.
"Hmm..." Reinette looked down at Eleni, thought for a moment, then suddenly asked,
"Eleni, are you interested in becoming a
doctor?"
"A
doctor? But I don't know medical techniques or medical spells..."
Reinette patted Eleni's head
and, while doing so, opened the system: "Medical techniques aren't a big
problem; I can teach you personally. As for spells..."
'System,
can I transfer skills I've purchased to others?'
Reinette called out to the system internally. Soon, the system
responded. The shopping mall in front of her seemed to flip over, displaying
data that hadn't been there before.
'Hmm,
it really is possible.' Reinette nodded and began to
examine the new additions to the panels.
There
weren't many new things, and Reinette quickly finished checking
them.
'The
only ones I can give to are Red, Skadi,
and Eleni? Is it because of their connection
to the Sea Kindred, or are they considered direct subordinates by the system's
judgment?'
'No, it
shouldn't be because of the Sea Kindred. My acquisition of the Pure Water Spirit's power was, in a way, an accident.
This function must have been there originally, so it must be that, in the
system's judgment, they are my direct subordinates?'
Subsequently, Reinette clicked on the recipient
selection at the top, chose Eleni, and then
an additional value appeared next to all the skills.
'Compatibility,
this thing...' Reinette scratched her head, "Looks like I need
to choose one with high compatibility."
'Additional
condition: Compatibility 90% or higher, and has medical ability for limb
regeneration.'
With a
flash before her eyes, the screen returned to normal, and then Reinette saw the top-ranked skill
provided by the system.
[Water Vein Nourishment]
[Type: Spell Collection]
[Effect: A complete set of spell skills using water elements for
medical treatment. This set of skills requires the learner to have a high
compatibility with water elements.]
[Description: Excellent effect, a complete set of spells
developed with the primary goal of not harming the fundamental nature of a
person. The only drawback is the high requirements for the user.]
[Price: 10000 Medical Points]
[Purchasable with B+ Medical Authority]
[Recipient: Eleni]
[And the compatibility of this skill with the recipient: 1000%]
'1000%?!' Reinette couldn't help but
complain when she saw that compatibility, 'Are you trying to trick me? 100%
isn't enough, it has to be 1000%, right?'
There's
no need to look further; such high compatibility for this skill must be related
to Reinette's and Eleni's racial
evolution into Sea Kindred.
As for
other skills, even the second one only had 86% compatibility. Further down,
getting above seventy percent was already considered good.
According
to the system's explanation, it was because these skills were not from
the Arknights world. Even with the
system's help, it would be difficult for natives to master these powers from
other worlds.
And for
most Arknights Originium Arts, they
usually require long-term study and a certain amount of talent to master, so
compatibility wouldn't be very high either.
Not to
mention, Reinette had specifically requested medical skills that included
limb regeneration. If ordinary medical spells were already like this, let alone
those capable of regenerating lost limbs.
On this
land, medical spells with such ability are unique and are the techniques that
make a healer famous.
'This
is the one.' Reinette had no reason to ignore a skill with such high
compatibility and choose others with lower compatibility.
Eleni looked at Reinette, who had been silent for a
long time since just now, with a puzzled expression. Just as she was about to
call out, Reinette patted Eleni's head
again.
"This
is for you." Reinette extended her hand, and a ball of blue light
shimmered in her palm.
"Hmm?"
Although Eleni was curious, she
obediently reached out and took the ball of light.
"Oof!"
As Eleni took the light, it sank into
her hand and disappeared. Immediately, Eleni felt
her mind fill with a vast amount of knowledge, and the sheer volume of
information made her extremely uncomfortable.
Eleni's feet wavered from the dizzying sensation in her head, and she
was about to fall. Seeing this, Reinette reached out and
pulled Eleni into her embrace.
"Mmm~" Eleni blushed, trying to break free from Reinette's embrace, but the dizziness
in her head wouldn't allow her to.
"Alright,
don't push yourself." Reinette stroked Eleni's head, "Look, you can't even stand steadily
right now. Just rely on me for a little while."
"Mmm..." Eleni blushed and snuggled further into Reinette's arms. Then she slightly
tilted her head, using the corner of her eye to look at Reinette, who was gently caressing her
with a tender expression.
This
was different from the Sea God Eleni had
imagined these past few days, but...
Eleni rubbed the hand Reinette was using to stroke her
head. Although it was different, it was unexpectedly nice.
"Oh,
right, there's also this. Afterwards, I will personally teach you medical
techniques, strictly at night." Reinette took out another bracelet
and put it on Eleni's wrist.
"When
this bracelet glows, it means I have time, usually at night, but it's not
guaranteed. As long as you agree, you can enter the dream. I'll be waiting for
you there. If you're busy, just swipe your hand over it."
[Dream Connection Bracelet (Pair)]
[Type: Item]
[Effect: The two bracelets are divided into a main bracelet and a
sub-bracelet. The main bracelet can send signals to the sub-bracelet. When the
holder of the sub-bracelet accepts the signal, both holders of the main and
sub-bracelets, once ready, will quickly enter a state of sleep and
simultaneously enter the same dream space.]
[Description: A communication tool from a certain world, widely
used by mysterious organizations due to its speed and convenience. With simple
encryption, a relatively secure connection can be established between the two
bracelets. The only thing to note is that entering the dream space will greatly
deplete the mental energy of both the main and sub-bracelet holders. Therefore,
during use, please be sure to pay attention to the duration of use and rest
after use.]
[Price: 2000 Medical Points]
[Purchasable with D+ Medical Authority]
Eleni turned around in Reinette's embrace, raised her hand,
and looked at the bracelet, which was entirely black except for a single gem
that shimmered faintly in the surrounding ocean.
"...Thank
you, Reinette." Eleni slightly
pulled up her sleeve to better expose the bracelet to her view.
Reinette helped Eleni up:
"Alright, I should go back now. Be careful on your way back."
"Mmm..." Eleni nodded, then watched as Reinette's body gradually became
transparent, turning into ordinary seawater, and falling into the ocean.
"Hoo..." Eleni stood on the sea surface, closed her eyes,
and raised her hand. The surrounding seawater gradually swelled.
Three
streams of water detached from the sea surface and circled around Eleni, but the next moment, those streams shattered and
fell back into the seawater.
"Hmm,
it seems I still need a lot more practice." Eleni shook
her head and turned to walk towards the defensive line.
During
that time, Eleni had already briefly
organized the memories flooding her mind, and she understood what Reinette's gift was.
It was
a set of water-based medical spells, and moreover, medical spells capable of
regrowing severed limbs.
"I
cannot disappoint Reinette!" Eleni clenched
her fist. She understood the value of this set of spells and Reinette's intention, so she absolutely
could not disappoint Reinette.
——The
End of the Earth · Staff Lounge——
Reinette opened her eyes and was about to sit up, but found a heavy
pressure on her chest, accompanied by breathing sounds next to her ear. Reinette turned her head and
saw Skadi had somehow fallen asleep on
her.
… After
a moment of silence, Reinette raised her hand and sharply knocked Skadi on the head.
"Ugh!" Skadi groggily lifted her head, wanting to see who
hit her, and then saw Reinette, who seemed to have a kind
smile on her face.
…
… Reinette looked at the dazed Skadi staring at her, and the smile on her face
deepened.
Then, Exusiai, who had just returned from vocal practice and
was about to eat or call Reinette to cook, heard a loud
noise from the room.
————
A while
later, in the hall, Skadi wore a
mournful expression, sporting a large bump on her head, and a sign hung around
her neck that read: 'I will never sleep on someone else again.'
This
sign was kindly provided by Exusiai.
According to Texas, this was actually
something Exusiai used when she made
mistakes in the past.
According
to Exusiai herself, this sign served as
a warning to prevent repeat offenses, but Exusiai's
various actions demonstrated a certain fact: she was quick to admit fault but
never truly changed.
Perhaps
that's why this thing hadn't been used for a long time; after all, everyone
at Penguin Logistics knew it wouldn't
do any good even if used.
As
for Skadi, she stated that she felt very
wronged. She should have been sitting on the sofa in the bar, but the next
second, a sudden pain shot through her head. When she came to, she realized she
had somehow ended up lying on Reinette.
"Alright,
dinner's ready." Reinette brought out the dishes, placed them on a bar
table, and called everyone over to eat.
Then Reinette sighed, looking at the
wronged Skadi. She could guess what
happened; it probably wasn't Skadi's doing.
The act of lying on her was most likely ishar'mla's doing, so she wasn't angry
at Skadi over this.
As for
the reason for the large bump on Skadi's
head, the main reason was that when Skadi was
lying down earlier, she was probably startled by her, then sat straight up. As
for where she sat… it was on her stomach.
Good
heavens, with that one sit, it was fortunate that Reinette's current body was tough; if
it had been anyone else, or during the period right after she transmigrated,
she might have lost her soul entirely.
"Okay,
get up and eat." Reinette raised her hand and shot a water ball at the
mournful-faced Skadi.
The
water ball hit Skadi's forehead, not only
giving Skadi a good face wash but also
helping to reduce the large bump on her head.
"Be
careful in the future. Not everyone can withstand your weight. This time, it
was lucky it was me. If it were someone else, it would be the hospital at best,
or a funeral at worst."
"Ugh!" Skadi touched her head, and after confirming that
the bump on her head was gone, she immediately cheered up again.
Just as
she was about to get up, she also heard Reinette's lecture and shrank her neck
again.
"Understood…"
Reinette nodded and reached out to pat the little orca's head:
"Alright, let's eat."
Chapter
53: Free Clinic
——LGD——
"Why
are you back at the police station?" Swire got out of the car,
glanced at the entrance of the LGD, then looked at Chen Huijie, who had just gotten out of the car beside
her.
"Because
just now, after realizing we were both set up today, I remembered another
fellow." Chen Huijie narrowed her eyes,
looking at the LGD building.
"Another
one?" Swire was slightly stunned to hear Chen
Huijie say that.
"Hmm,
to be precise, two." Chen Huijie nodded,
leading the still-recovering Swire into the building. "But
the other one isn't important."
"Yo~" Hoshiguma looked at Chen Huijie and Swire, who had pushed the door open,
and raised the coffee cup in her hand. Then, understanding something, she asked
with a smile, "How did the talk go?"
Chen Huijie looked at Hoshiguma's reaction and asked with
certainty: "Chief Wei's orders?"
"You
know, Old Chen, I couldn't help it, but this isn't a bad thing, is it?" Hoshiguma shook her head and took a
sip of coffee. "And with this matter, three big shots ganging up on us, what
can we do?"
Swire had now also come to her senses. Indeed, Hoshiguma had always been
suggesting they contact Penguin Logistics.
Of course, Penguin Logistics wasn't
important; what was important was Reinette.
"Since
when did this start?"
"The
earliest I know of…" Hoshiguma pulled out a can of candy from under the
table. "Want one? They're quite tasty."
… Chen Huijie walked to a chair, sat down, and
looked at the can of candy Hoshiguma had pulled out. She
opened her mouth but didn't know what to say, and finally, all her indignation
turned into a Lungmen curse.
"I
remember this candy can was brought back by you guys when you were on a mission
before, right? You even discussed it for quite a while." Swire raised an eyebrow,
looking at the candy can on the table.
"Yes,
and we eventually concluded that the candy can was just to mess with us." Hoshiguma nodded. "Of course, what
they sent was just a candy can, because the candy can isn't important. The only
thing we truly needed to see was Miss Reinette."
"So
what's so special about this Reinette?" Chen
Huijie looked at Hoshiguma. "Worth them spending so much
time, and what about Chief Wei agreeing
to clear out the Slums?"
Hoshiguma shrugged: "I don't know. The information I saw only showed
her details, which were no different from what we already knew.
"Based
solely on that information, a respectable doctor, a truly trustworthy
doctor…" Hoshiguma, at this point, raised the coffee cup in her hand and took a
sip.
"But
not the reason why both Chief Wei and Rat King agreed to the Lungmen Guard Department stationing themselves in
the Slums." Swire spoke, picking up
from Hoshiguma's words.
This
was the last question of the day. A trustworthy doctor, a respectable doctor,
could not be the reason for both Rat King and Chief Wei to agree to the LGD stationing themselves in
the Slums.
So,
what was the reason? Unknown.
"An Suo, is she one of your people too?"
Hoshiguma nodded to Chen Huijie:
"After all, given the situation at the time, I needed someone to help. An Suo is the only child who can talk to you, Old
Chen, and has no background."
Hoshiguma paused, then continued: "And if things go smoothly, this
child might even be able to clear her name, because situations like this,
neither a deep pit nor a fire pit, are really rare."
"Alright,
alright, discussing this further won't yield any results." Swire waved her hand. She knew
some things shouldn't be delved into too deeply. "Things we can't figure out
now might have answers later. Let's focus on the task at hand."
Swire pulled out her phone and waved it in front of them:
"Instead of discussing things we can't verify, it's better to get the current
matters sorted first."
Chen Huijie sighed: "You're right."
"Hmph~" Swire decisively dialed the
already-entered number. "If I'm not mistaken…"
"Hello?"
Before Swire could finish her sentence, the call was already connected.
"I knew
it, you old rat, were you just waiting for my call?!"
"I
don't know what you're talking about~" Lin Yuxia's
voice on the other end of the phone seemed filled with amusement.
"Who
are you trying to fool? You're usually impossible to reach by phone, but now?
The phone barely rang twice before you picked up, didn't it? And you say you
weren't waiting for me."
"Tsk." Lin Yuxia's voice came from the other end of the line,
"Alright, alright, Miss Shi, your voice is so loud, it's a good thing I held my
phone far away."
"Hmph,
alright, back to business. Are you ready?" Swire snorted.
"Of
course, everything is ready, all that's missing is the east wind. Now that the
east wind has arrived, you just need to come yourselves," Lin Yuxia chuckled. "Remember, you invited them,
and everyone needs to know that."
"As
expected…" Swire sighed. "So, Lin Yuxia,
you know…"
"Hold
on, I don't know anything. I'm just listening to my dad." Before Swire could finish
speaking, Lin Yuxia on the other end
interrupted her.
"Alright,
alright, want to grab a meal?"
"Sure,
you pick a place?"
——The
End of the Earth——
"What a
huge appetite!" Exusiai couldn't help
but take a picture with her phone, looking at the stacked plates.
"Indeed,
this is almost, it should be the appetite of six Exusiai," Croissant, who was standing nearby, also quipped,
looking at the piled-up plates.
"Yes,
yes, wait, what do you mean by the appetite of six of me?"
Croissant chuckled mischievously: "What's wrong with that? I didn't
say anything wrong~"
Skadi looked at the piled-up plates on the table, then turned
to Reinette with an apologetic expression.
Reinette patted Skadi's head:
"What's wrong with that? Eating a lot is a good thing."
Hearing Reinette's words, Exusiai immediately raised her hand: "Then I
request an additional batch of desserts!"
"Didn't
you just finish eating?"
"As
a Sarkaz~" Exusiai said
confidently, hands on her hips, "I always have another stomach for delicious
desserts."
"You're
truly amazing~" Reinette smiled and nodded, then, under Exusiai's hopeful gaze, she smiled and said, "Your
suggestion is excellent, your reasoning is sound, but I choose to decline."
"Eh,
don't be like that. Didn't you just say eating a lot is a good thing?"
"Eating
desserts after a meal will make you gain weight, and that would affect your
health, which isn't a good thing," Reinette said, her gaze moving
upwards to Exusiai's halo.
"Hmph, Sarkaz won't get fat from desserts!" Exusiai said confidently, hands on her hips.
"Is it
because the halo on your head consumes the excess energy?" Reinette smiled, looking at Exusiai's halo.
Exusiai also touched the halo on her head upon hearing this: "I
don't know, but Sarkaz don't get fat,
so bring on the desserts."
Reinette smiled at Exusiai, "My
answer is still no~"
"Tch~" Exusiai was instantly disappointed by Reinette's reply.
——Penguin Logistics Headquarters——
Reinette walked into the reception room and looked at Swire, who was already sitting on
the sofa: "Hello, or good morning, Police Officer
Shire."
"Your
greeting method is quite strange, isn't it?" Swire turned to look at Reinette as she entered.
"Is
it?"
"Isn't
it? Most people only use one form of greeting."
Reinette shrugged and sat on the sofa: "It's just a personal
habit."
"Although
this matter has probably already been arranged with everyone," Swire solemnly handed the
document on her lap to Reinette, "let's make this matter a bit
more formal."
Reinette took the document and, following Swire's words, smiled and said:
"Like a formal long-term employment contract."
"A
formal long-term employment contract~" Swire nodded, repeating Reinette's words in a playful tone.
Reinette didn't scrutinize the contents of the contract. After all,
this contract couldn't possibly trick her, and even if she read it, it would
just be some employment clauses.
Just
as Swire said, everyone had already been notified about this
matter. Signing the contract now was merely a formality.
The
greatest significance of this current contract signing was to make this
employment traceable.
After
signing her name in the last column, Reinette casually closed the
document box and handed it back to Swire.
"Then,
Doctor Reinette's official commission will begin now." Swire casually placed the
document aside, looking at Reinette as she stood up to leave.
"By the way, as an aside, how did you persuade, or what reason did you
give Chief Wei and the others to agree
to the LGD intervening in the Slums?"
Reinette turned around and smiled at Swire: "Because I can make them feel
at ease."
Swire raised an eyebrow, somewhat dissatisfied with Reinette's vague answer. "What kind of
reason is that? There are plenty of doctors with clean backgrounds."
"Their
clean backgrounds and their inability to put people at ease aren't necessarily
related, you know," Reinette chuckled, briefly explaining. "Let's go,
Miss Swire."
"Honestly…"
"Miss Swire, would you mind riding in my
car?" Reinette jingled the car keys in her hand.
"Oh,
the Rhine Lab car from the intelligence
report?" Swire's gaze shifted to the car keys in Reinette's hand. "Your mobile medical
station. Speaking of which, isn't your little nurse coming along?"
"Hmm?
Oh, you mean Red? She's already in the car, helping me organize some things.
You know, I've been waiting for you guys for almost a month."
"Ha,
then should I apologize to you?" Swire raised an eyebrow. "Are
you regretting making you wait so long?"
"No
need for that, but if you put it that way, can I assume you've agreed?"
"I
think we need some other identifier to show that you are Tiamat. Besides you yourself, your
car is your second biggest identifier in rumors~"
"Then I
think I would be honored to drive my car to the Slums for
a free clinic."
——Slums——
"This
is your location for the next week." Swire, sitting in the passenger
seat, pointed to a small, already cleaned-up plaza. "How is it? Satisfied?"
Reinette nodded: "Very satisfied. When I was in the Slums before, let alone a cleaned-up plaza, often
I had to provide medical care in dirty, smelly, narrow alleys."
"Good
that you're satisfied." Swire nodded, then pointed to
the three people in white coats who were setting up a tent. "Those three over
there are our LGD medical operators. Don't worry, they are highly skilled in
medicine. If Miss Reinette has some free time, she can also give them
some guidance."
"I'll
try my best with that~"
Swire heard Reinette's perfunctory reply, but
wasn't surprised. She nodded and opened the car door to get out.
"Police Officer Shire!"
"Yes,
come Miss Reinette." Swire patted Reinette, who was beside her, and
pointed to the three operators in front one by one. "This is Liu Yang, this
is A Quan, and finally, this is Ye Fu, our most excellent medical operator here."
"Hello
everyone." Reinette nodded slightly to the three, then turned and called out,
"Red, Skadi, both of you come down and move
all the things out!"
Swire turned to look. The back door of the carriage was pushed
open, and Skadi walked out from the
back of the carriage. Swire wasn't sure if it was her
imagination, but she always felt that after that person got out, the car seemed
to rise a little?
Skadi turned around and held out her hands. A wooden board was
placed on Skadi's hands by Red, with two
handles underneath for Skadi to grip.
Then,
one by one, items were moved from the carriage by Red onto the wooden board.
Soon, to the astonished gazes of Swire and the other three
police officers, the items on the wooden board were almost piled into a small
mountain. From the front, Skadi's figure was
completely obscured.
Yet the
wooden board didn't tremble in the slightest. Finally, Red jumped out of the
carriage and looked at Reinette: "Mama, everything's moved!"
"What
are you still standing there for? Help out? Are you really going to just watch
one person move everything?" Swire was the first to snap
back to reality and vigorously patted one of the three police officers who had
approached.
"Yes,
yes, yes, help, help!"
Reminded
by their police superintendent, the three police officers reacted and quickly
went over, taking some items from the wooden board that had already piled up
into a small mountain.
Skadi didn't tremble at all and continued to firmly hold the
wooden board, placing the supplies next to the vehicle according to Red's
guidance.
"What's
inside here?" Swire walked over, pointing at the items and asking.
"Foldable
operating tables, small and large respirators, crutches, wheelchairs, bandages,
and so on," Reinette counted on her fingers. "Anyway, everything that should be
needed is here."
"…Are
you turning this into a hospital?" Swire looked at Reinette strangely.
"I
usually do this, just not as much," Reinette pointed at the medical
supplies. "When I usually hold free clinics, there are more varieties. Here, a
few kinds are missing, but the car couldn't fit any more."
"Wait,
are these drawings?" The sharp-eyed Swire saw stacks of paper in a
transparent box, walked over curiously, opened the box, and took out a sheet.
On the paper, there seemed to be only a magic circle that she couldn't quite
understand?
"Oh,
that? Do you remember the potion we agreed to provide to your police force
before?"
"Of
course, I remember. Thanks to that potion, our casualty rate has been zero this
month."
Chapter
54: The Little Nurse
"Good
that you remember." Reinette nodded, then pointed to the drawing in Swire's hand. "You can understand
this drawing as the magic circle for creating that potion."
"But
this is just ordinary drawing paper." Swire carefully examined the
drawing paper in her hand. "There are no Originium circuits on it."
"Well,
it's fine if I demonstrate it for you," Reinette smiled and nodded. Then,
water surged around her, and another Reinette walked out of her, like a
glitch in a game.
The
water clone nodded slightly to its original body, then walked towards Swire, took the drawing paper
from Swire's hand, and sat down on the ground.
"An
elemental clone type of Originium Arts, huh." Swire looked at the water clone
sitting on the ground. "The precision is quite high; from the outside, there's
no difference from a human, well, except for the obvious reflection."
Swire carefully observed the water clone sitting on the ground
and Reinette standing nearby.
Although
at first glance it was almost impossible to distinguish, with a closer look and
a little help from a light source, one would notice that the reflection of the
water clone sitting on the ground was very obvious.
"After
all, it's made of water." Reinette chuckled, casually
stroking the two little ones who had come closer. "Red, have the UV lamps been
activated?"
"Mhm,
all activated."
Reinette nodded, then patted Skadi's
head, who was looking at her with wide, watery eyes: "Skadi,
thank you for your hard work."
"Hehe~" Skadi, praised by Reinette, immediately showed a simple,
honest smile.
'An
easily pleased Orca.' Reinette thought, while
rubbing Skadi's hair.
Reinette glanced at the magic circle glowing green under the water
clone's hand, confirmed that everything was normal, then called out to
everyone: "Alright, stop staring, it'll take half an hour."
"This
is unreasonable, there are clearly no Originium circuit fluctuations on that
paper." Swire stared dumbfounded at the drawing paper that was
continuously emitting green light.
"Some
things are better left unexamined," Reinette turned her head and
smiled at Swire. "Don't you agree, Miss Swire?"
"…" Swire sighed, looking at Reinette and casually said, "You
could have just found any excuse to fool me. Your way of speaking only makes
people more curious, doesn't it?"
"You're
right, my way of speaking will make people very curious," Reinette nodded, affirming Swire's statement. "But can a lie
that will be exposed, or a vague answer, truly curb your curiosity?"
Swire looked at Reinette, fell silent for a moment,
then waved her hand: "Alright, alright, I get it, honestly."
Reinette smiled at the helpless Swire: "Alright, alright, young men,
set up the beds, arrange the tables. Hmm, Liu Yang, is that right? The blue box
contains alcohol spray bottles. Please disinfect this area a bit."
"Understood!"
Liu Yang saluted Reinette, then walked to the pile of supply boxes, took
out an alcohol spray bottle from the blue box, and began spraying alcohol
around the area.
"A Quan, the white boxes contain various types of
medicines. Each medicine has its own responsible area, so don't mix them up.
Any problems?"
"No
problems at all, please leave it to me with confidence." A Quan patted his chest, walked to the wooden
board where the supplies were stacked, and moved the white boxes to a slightly
distant spot.
"Ye Fu, you and I will work separately to treat
patients. No problem, right?"
"Understood,
Doctor Reinette."
Reinette nodded: "Red, you'll be the nurse. Skadi, you can help out, moving things and such. Oh,
and be sure to handle things gently; many items inside are easily broken."
"Understood."
"Alright,
everyone, let's begin." Reinette clapped her hands after
assigning tasks to everyone, announcing the official start of today's free
clinic.
Swire, who was standing idly by, touched her head, realizing she
seemed to have been forgotten?
"Um,
Miss Reinette." Swire pointed to herself, "What about me?"
"Hmm,
Miss Swire, how about being a mascot?" Reinette thought for a moment and
said.
"Hey,
hey, what do you mean by mascot?!" Swire stared intently at Reinette, who had a faint smile on her
face.
"Anyway,
Miss Swire can't really help with medical work."
"…That's
true." Swire looked at the smile on Reinette's face. "But I can't shake the
feeling that your smile carries a hint of malice towards me."
"That's
your imagination~" Reinette maintained her smile. "Alright, alright,
don't worry about it so much. Alright, everyone, let's get to work."
Swire sighed, looking at Reinette trying to change the
subject: "Alright, alright, everyone, get to work."
And
so, Reinette's first day of free clinic began quietly, without the need for
a loudspeaker announcement. They had started their free clinic.
When Reinette arrived, she noticed that
many people had already gathered around.
Some
were attracted by the LGD suddenly setting up a
huge tent with great fanfare, while others had come for different reasons.
And
even more people had received various bits of unofficial news in advance from
certain places, learning that the LGD had invited a reputable
doctor to conduct free clinics in the Slums.
And
this doctor, they had also learned about her reputation from some recent
unofficial news and from newly arrived wanderers.
Among
these people, some were troublemakers. As gangs in the Slums, they didn't want the LGD to get involved. Although
they didn't know why Rat King's people
hadn't come forward first, their boss certainly didn't want the LGD to start making moves in
the Slums.
"Boss,
they've started." A thug peeked his head out from around the corner and saw
that Reinette and her team had already set down the medical supplies.
"Good,
Liu Quan, give me the incendiary bomb and throw it at those supplies," the
masked thug handed the prepared makeshift Molotov cocktail to a burly,
shirtless thug beside him.
Liu
Quan nodded, took the makeshift incendiary bomb, and was about to light the rag
on top of the Molotov cocktail when a sharp pain shot through the back of his
head. His vision went black, and he collapsed.
The other two punks looked
back alertly, seeing a person wearing a black vest, sunglasses, and a black
mask standing behind them.
He held
the Molotov cocktail in one hand, and a stick in the other. From the
bloodstains on the stick, it was clear that the person on the ground had been
knocked unconscious by him.
One
punk looked at his attire, remembered something, and quickly said, "You, you're
Grey Tail? Rat King's man, no, we weren't
trying to use a Molotov…"
Grey
Tail tapped the nearby wall with the stick in his hand. When the two in front
of him fell silent, his gaze from beneath his sunglasses was cold as he looked
at them: "I know what you want to say, but unfortunately, I'm here to stop what
you're about to do."
"Wait!"
The punk's eyes widened as he looked at Grey Tail. "What do you mean?!
Did Rat King agree to this?!"
"How
could he… Ugh!"
Grey
Tail knocked the punk unconscious: "Rat King's
decisions are not for you guys to question."
"Here,
drink this, then you can go." Reinette patted the burly man's
shoulder and handed him a bowl of green liquid.
The
burly man nodded, and without suspicion, drank the water in the bowl. Then,
before his eyes, the bruises on his arm disappeared at a visible speed. Just as
he was about to thank her, the corner of his eye caught the words at the bottom
of the bowl.
The
burly man looked up at Reinette. Reinette just smiled at him and
took back the bowl from his hand: "You can go now, be careful."
"…Thank
you, Doctor." The burly man thanked Reinette, picked up his clothes, and
left.
Reinette watched the burly man's retreating back, then tossed the
bowl into a water sphere not far away, a water sphere Reinette had summoned earlier to
wash dishes.
Then, Reinette clapped her hands:
"Everyone can rest now. You've been busy all morning, you must be tired. It's
time to eat."
Swire, who had been sitting drowsily on a stool, suddenly lifted her
head: "It's over?"
She
wasn't really planning to be a mascot, but she felt completely useless,
and Swire also knew she wasn't a professional, so she couldn't just
cause trouble.
In the
end, she could only sit on a chair nearby, serving as a mascot to indicate that
this medical outreach event was organized by the LGD.
"There
are still quite a lot of people…" Swire took out her phone and
checked the time. "Is it already this late?"
"Perhaps~"
"Oh,
judging by your expression, quite a few people came to support us, didn't
they?" Swire raised an eyebrow at Reinette.
"Rather,
it would be strange if there weren't, and I guess not only will people come
later." Reinette shook her head, "But people will also join our outreach in
the Slums."
"Don't
you think so?" Reinette turned her head to look at the purple-haired
rabbit who had just emerged from the alley. "Rope ."
"Oh
dear, to be honest, I didn't want to come." Rope kicked a stone at her feet. "I
was wondering why there have been so many rumors lately?"
"Turns
out I was being used as a bigmouth, I almost thought I had stepped into a deep
pit."
"But
you're here now, doesn't that mean you've also received quite a few benefits?"
Rope nodded, confirming Reinette's statement: "That's why I
came. I hope Doctor Reinette can give me a job where I just have to sleep
or something."
"That's
a nice thought. What do you think you're here for?" Reinette narrowed her eyes,
looking at Rope . "However, for you, Red!"
Red,
who was eating, looked up at Reinette: "What is it, Mom?"
"After
dinner, take this little one and let her know what chores she should do?" Reinette pointed at Rope .
Red
glanced at Rope , then nodded to Reinette: "Understood."
"A
nurse?" Rope thought about the nurses she had secretly seen in TV dramas from
other people's windows. "Handing things out, no problem!"
"Alright,
come on, come over here. I guess you haven't eaten yet, go sit down and have
something." Reinette walked, inviting Rope to come and eat with them.
As Reinette passed by, she casually
tapped Skadi, who was already on her seventh
bowl: "Eat less, there's for others too. I'll give you an extra meal when we
get back."
"Mmm." Skadi shrank her neck, looked at the bowl in her
hand, and nodded, "Understood."
"Good
girl." Reinette naturally stroked Skadi's
head.
"Mmm."
After
the morning's medical activities and the promotion by those with intentions,
more people came in the afternoon, resembling normal residents of the Slums.
A few
people standing at the end of the line watched Rope walking around: "That's Rope , that rabbit, isn't it?"
"That's
right, it's that rabbit." Another person nodded, "I was wondering where that
rabbit had been these past few days?"
"So she
ran here." The punk clenched his fist, "Becoming a running dog for the LGD, I suppose she can afford
protection fees now, huh?"
"Hey,
hey, wait a minute, look who's sitting on that chair over there?" Another
companion pulled him, pointing to the figure sitting on a chair next to the
car.
"What…"
The punk followed his companion's hand and looked over. "'Lungmen Vulgarity', why is she here?!"
"Shut
up, shut up, do you want to provoke that tiger?!" His companion quickly covered
his mouth.
"Mmm!
Mmm!" The punk quickly patted his companion's arm, signaling him to let go.
"Alright,
old man, don't worry, it's not what you think, just a simple cold." Reinette helped the old man up.
"Please take care of yourself, it's cold lately."
"Oh,
that's good, thank you, little girl." The old man nodded.
"No
problem, it's my duty. You can get your medicine at that table over there and
then leave. Be careful." Reinette pointed to A Quan's table. "Rope , help him!"
"Coming!"
Reinette watched the old man leave with Rope 's support, then glanced at the
two punks at the end of the line out of the corner of her eye.
'Now I
don't know if arranging Rope here is a good thing or a bad
thing.' Reinette shook her head, 'It seems I'll still have to get Rope out of here. Rhodes Island should be a good place.'
In this
situation, even if the Slums gradually
return to normal later, Rope will still find it difficult to
live a normal life here. Some sayings are very true.
Prejudice
in life is like a big mountain, very difficult to move. For Rope , she has been a thief for too
long, everyone in the Slums knows
who Rope is.
Even if
this place returns to normal later, and Rope obtains normal citizenship
because of this, will it really change many people's perceptions of Rope ?
One can
only say it's very difficult, very difficult. For Rope , this is an unhealthy growth
environment. To solve it, Rope can only be thrown into an
unfamiliar environment.
That
environment needs to have people unfamiliar with Rope , and people unfamiliar
with Rope , preferably a safer environment.
And for
such an environment, Reinette can currently only think of Rhodes Island, though of course, there's another
challenge.
Reinette flicked a water sphere with her curved hand, hitting Rope 's somewhat restless hand