Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 29 Gun Wound
Xilun's face stiffened: "Does that mean you'll cut open my stomach like a C-section to find the bullet?"

Dr. Rhea was about to deny it, because a cesarean section is a highly controversial and dangerous procedure that was performed shortly after birth, with a maternal mortality rate of over 80%. Generally speaking, performing a cesarean section meant saving the child and killing the mother, and this inhumane method once aroused huge opposition from society.

But when Rhea thought about the fact that the mortality rate for cesarean section to remove a bullet was also around 80%, she didn't know how to defend herself.

“…How can a surgical procedure be called a cesarean section…” he said weakly, but Xilun already understood what he meant.

He looked at Dr. Rhea's dark brown long apron, over which she wore his own gray shirt, and suddenly asked, "Aren't you wearing a white coat?"

"What white coat?" Rhea was taken aback.

"Uh... you mean a doctor's uniform? Are you wearing a work uniform right now?"

"Yes, sir, because dark colors can effectively conceal bloodstains and stains."

Looking at the filthy dark brown apron, stained with countless drops of dried blood, Xiren couldn't help but shudder: "Wait... what about the patient? Won't they get infected?"

“Your Excellency, the two are unrelated,” Rhea said. “The infection was caused by miasma, but the air circulation in the hospital is excellent, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…” Xiren paused for a moment, “So you don’t disinfect or wash your hands before surgery?”

“Sir, that’s irrelevant. We need more time to treat more people. We don’t have time to clean ourselves up. We’re neither nobles nor kings, so we don’t need to be so fussy.” Rhea was getting a little angry.

“What I mean is—” Siren tried to explain, “has no one proposed the theory that ‘the infection is caused by some kind of invisible tiny organism’?”

"You mean the bacteriological theory?!"

Xilun nodded expectantly.

“God Father above! How could you, as a bishop, believe in such heresy?!” Dr. Rhea roared.

Xilen did not answer, but Rhea was very agitated.

"That delusional, foolish, ignorant, hallucinatory stuff! If the infection is caused by some unseen little devils, then it shouldn't be doctors standing here, but priests! What those people need to exorcise is not so-called 'microbes,' but their hallucinations of the devil in their minds! And they are not conducting rigorous medical research, but merely trying to overthrow the position of us monastery doctors!"

He spoke excitedly, and even accidentally pressed on Siren's wound. Siren's expression immediately contorted, and then Mathilde grabbed the excited doctor by the collar and dragged him away.

She had no idea where she got such strength; she was nothing like a pampered abbess... Xiren had always been puzzled by this, but never had the chance to ask.

Xilen shook his head. After learning that Dr. Rhea completely rejected the germ theory, Xilen also gave up on treatment. The survival rate of this kind of surgery was terrifyingly low.

Instead of pinning your hopes on doctors, you should try to improve your magical abilities and heal yourself.

The wound was on his right chest, but the bishop's robe embroidered with runes saved his life, because the gun was pointed at his heart; if he had been shot in the heart, he might not have woken up.

He pretended nothing was wrong and got out of bed. He still felt a sharp pain in his right ribs and muscles, but he picked up his shepherd's staff from the headboard and braced himself on the ground.

Suddenly, with a "thump," Joseph knelt down in front of him. He didn't say anything, just knelt there, wearing the white robe of a gatekeeper, his head bowed low. There were no tears or words of apology, but Xiren could feel that guilt was almost crushing him.

He sighed softly and gently stroked the top of his head with his right hand: "Get up. I told you, I forgive you."

“But remember that you have received grace from me for my suffering, and because you drank my blood you became my apostle. This is a covenant made in blood, which will last forever.”

Having said that, he slowly walked away, leaning on his cane. Mathilde supported him, and the soldiers followed behind him with concern. Joseph knelt there, not leaving for a long time.
-
Back at his residence, Celen sat on the Windsor rocking chair in the concert hall, grinning from ear to ear.

The Windsor rocking chair is one of the most popular pieces of furniture today—few pieces of furniture have remained popular for so many years. With the development of industry, its low price has made it a part of the homes of countless middle-class families, and it caters to the current family values ​​of pursuing "comfort, tranquility, and leisure."

Several thick, dark green velvet cushions were placed on the wooden rocking chair, making it look warm and soft. Xilun bent over with difficulty and sat down, and surprisingly it was not bad.

All six people except Joseph were present. With his hands clasped together, Xiren slowly said in a slightly weak voice, "Let me continue with the things we didn't finish arranging before."

“The church in Speyside is very weak, and I am deeply grateful that you are still willing to stand by my side at this time—in my own name.”

Several people tried to decline, but Xilun looked at them firmly and said, "This is what you deserve. Even when the Son of God was harassed by the local leaders when he first entered the Holy City, some believers left him. But you have stayed by his side. It is not because my virtue and ability surpass the Son of God, but because you chose to stand with me."

Fafnir thought to himself, "This isn't a case of believers leaving you; it's that you've turned your enemies into believers!"
Siren continued, "The decline of the Church's strength is mainly due to the two months we missed. Rein entered Speyside two months earlier than us and temporarily seized a lot of power by taking advantage of the natural disaster."

"Now the militia is in his hands, the entire fortress's military force and weapons inventory are in his hands, and most of the engineers and mechanics are under his control."

"Not only that, he also forcibly took the keys to most of the area and placed his own soldiers and cronies in various important positions."

"The Speyside is divided into nineteen floors and eleven areas."

“In the 0th surface layer, we only control the cathedral and the surrounding area. We don’t manage the 1st underground damage control layer. In the 2nd floor living area and the 3rd to 6th floors residential area, 90% of the houses and shops are in his hands—these were originally divided equally between the bishop and the governor.”

“The differential engine control area on the 7th basement level and the boiler area on the 8th to 10th levels are the core of the Speyside, and we have no way to enter them.”

“We have control over several production lines in the industrial area on the 11th and 12th underground floors, but because the boilers are not in our hands, Rennes’ subordinates refuse to provide us with steam power.”

"We can enter the livestock area on the 13th floor and the agricultural area on the 14th to 16th floors, but we have no say in the allocation process; it is controlled by Renn's subordinates."

"We can't interfere with the 17th floor reservoir area either, and only the Saint Storehouse can enter the 18th floor warehouse area."

After this information was presented, everyone present fell silent.

The church's power here has waned to its lowest point, and it has almost lost control of all areas.

If it weren't for Xilun's desperate efforts to win over a group of soldiers and over 170 villagers, the church would have become a symbolic entity that could only govern the church area, and its jurisdiction would have been gradually eroded.

(End of this chapter)