Chapter 270 - Hope Clinic (1/2)
The name of Hua Tuo and Zero's rustic temporary clinic was simple. Since they were giving free treatments, they named it Hope Clinic for the poor who couldn't afford proper medical treatment. Hope Clinic didn't discriminate between species when it came to treatment. The house rule was simple. They only asked the patient to pay what they could and did what they could to help.
Mammon sponsored the cost of medicine although most of the medicinal plants came from either Hua Tuo's private garden or Half Moon Village's herb garden. Zero managed to borrow a plot of land from Beelzebub to start planting the common herbs he needed.
The word spread far and wide for many demons living outside of domains. It didn't matter if they were old or crippled, many of them did their best to crawl over to the Garden of Roth. Due to the heavy influx of demons, Ruth found himself roped into handling the accommodations for these people. Temporary living quarters sprung up like mushrooms. The domain was beginning to look less like a town or cultivation heaven and more like a slum with the number of patients increasing by the day. Zero and Hua Tuo found it incredibly hard to keep up with the surge in patients. Still, neither of them complained.
The word about Hope Clinic even reached the ears of those in Heaven. One by one, minor Sage Gods and angels started to visit the clinic. Even the lesser-known supernaturals dropped by from time to time, surprising Zero. The first time Zero saw a Kelpie, he mistakenly identified it as a Hippocampus.
The success of such a clinic surprised even Mammon who wasn't expecting it. The Demon Lords were once more gathered for a meeting because of Zero.
”I'm sure you've all heard about the problem in the Garden of Roth. We're facing a huge number of tourists and the newly created domain cannot house them all,” Mammon reported.
Lucifer nodded. ”I have vacant spaces in the dormitory that can accommodate some mana sensitive foreign guests.”
Mammon decided to allocate all the angels to Lucifer's domain seeing how the angels were rather sensitive towards the miasma and dark magic present in every other domain. Beelzebub opened his domain up to those who were alright to live without luxury.
”I don't have buildings or many citizens. However, I have a vast land space that can house the poor if they build their own houses.”
Mammon thought that it was a brilliant idea. By throwing out the word that Lord Beelzebub was hiring architects, builders and giving free citizenship rights for his domain, that would take the burden off his shoulders about housing the poor. It was killing three birds with one stone and even Lucifer agreed.
Shittomi offered to take care of the supernatural guests. There was nobody more familiar with the creatures from other dimensions so nobody fought with her for the right. Lilith opened her domain up to the more disagreeable lot.
”It'll make them obedient and stop all the ruckus we hear daily,” she said matter-of-factly. Nobody doubted the succubus queen. With so many incubi and succubi at her beck and call, she could easily create an obedient army to feed off from. Lucifer didn't disagree with the plan. Without the troublemakers, it would be a huge load off his shoulders.
”Someone still has to help Zero and Hua Tuo,” the ex-archangel pointed out. ”They can't tend to the fields, make medicine and see patients all by themselves. They see hundreds of patients every day and some of them require following up. Mammon is intending to expand the clinic into a hospital with how many patients they required to keep with them for prolonged treatments. An operation theatre, a treatment room, a medicine store, a dispensary... they wouldn't be able to manage everything by themselves.”
Amon offered to have some of his students tend to medical crops.
”My girls under training can help with the cleaning and handing out of medicine. They can also tend to the needs of patients, I've taught them how to act as caregivers for their cover jobs. However, they don't have any actual knowledge about medicine,” Shittomi offered.
Mammon waved his hand. ”That's not a problem. If we have the manpower to offer help, I'm sure Hua Tuo and Zero won't mind taking a day off to train them. This would give them more time to perform surgeries, see patients and prescribe medicine.”
As the meeting came to an end, Lucifer and Mammon remained behind to finalise the details of their plans. Zero and Hua Tuo were going to have a lunch break in two hours. That was when they wanted to catch them.
Lunchtime came for Hope Clinic and Zero felt slightly apologetic for closing the clinic even for a while. Hua Tuo was exhausted. He looked over to his student who was becoming a better doctor by the day. Even without the Sage God's medical eye, Zero's diagnosis was on point even if he wasn't as fast as Hua Tuo. The teenager was becoming more familiar with common ailments and symptoms but he never became complacent with any diagnosis, taking Hua Tuo's advice to heart. With every case he reviewed, Zero kept his mind clear from assumptions.
The clinic might be small and cramped but the master and apprentice worked without stopping. There was always something to be done. Some of the recovered demons offered to be volunteers at the clinic. They took turns cleaning, cooking and brewing medicine. Zero had started teaching some of the stronger volunteers how to grind medicine, dry herbs and make pills.
Mammon and Lucifer came by during their simple lunch, scaring the volunteers badly.
”Zero, Hua Tuo. I know it is lunchtime now but this is of importance. Could you spare us fifteen minutes? We have a proposal to make,” Mammon told them.
Hua Tuo dismissed the volunteers and told them they would reopen at the same time before attending to the two Demon Lords.
”I see that you have some help?” Lucifer commented. Zero smiled.
”They are volunteers who offered to help us with the clinic. I must say, some of them are really quick to pick up things. I've started teaching two of them how to make pills and they are doing a good job. After I leave the clinic, I think it'll be nice to have it continue. Some of them have the potential to be doctors.”
Mammon smiled. It was typical of Zero to want to continue helping others even after he has left. His presence can never be forgotten. Lucifer sighed.