“What will happen if bitten by a demonic beast?” Roland asked, “Will I become like them?”

*Hopefully it's not an otherworldly version of Resident Evil*, he thought. The current level of technology wouldn't be able to extract viral antigens.

“Of course not,” Iron Axe said with a «Why would you ask such a question» expression. “If you get bitten, you'll just become a corpse.”

“What about their meat, can it be eaten?”

Carter exclaimed, “Your Highness! How can you eat such demonic things? They're all contaminated by the aura of hell!”

Roland looked at Iron Axe, who nodded, “Your knight is right. I once cut off demonic beast meat and fed it to the hounds. As a result, the hounds died soon after eating it.”

“Is that so? That's a pity,” Roland sighed. Food sources are scarce in this era. If demonic beasts were edible, winter would be a harvest month. Just imagine, the animals throughout the forest running towards Border Town like mad, saving even the hunting tools.

After inspecting the city walls, he decided to visit Nana Wawa.

Now, the noble residence closest to the city wall has been requisitioned by Roland for use as a field hospital. Of course, the official claim is that it's a medical institute. Just in case, this is the most heavily guarded place in town besides the city walls.

The owner of the house took away all the belongings he could when he returned to Longsong Stronghold. Plus, Border Town itself is a place that can be abandoned at any time, so although this residence is large, there isn't a single decoration like murals, carpets, or porcelain. If it weren't for the fact that it was cleaned fairly well, it would look like an unoccupied place that has been abandoned for a long time.

Roland broke through all the wooden partition walls on the first floor, except for the hallway and foyer, connecting all the other rooms into one. After placing ten beds, a simple hospital was formed. There are no nurses, no doctors, and it's unlikely that all ten beds will be used – Nana Wawa's treatment doesn't require bed rest, but rather immediate effect.

During the day, she stays on standby on the second floor of this hospital. Anna also comes to accompany her when she's free. Tigu. Pine and Brian are responsible for guarding the first floor, and two royal guards are arranged outside the door, so it's foolproof.

But what Roland didn't expect was that the first injured person received by the field hospital wasn't from the militia defending the city walls, but a worker from the North Slope Mine.

*******************

Dingzi felt his hands trembling.

Hearing Tietou's hoarse scream behind him, he quickened his pace again, even wishing he could fly.

It was all because of his negligence, he thought. *Damn it, how could I forget the knight's instructions*.

*I shouldn't have taken the job of operating the big guy*!

Since this black big guy was installed at the entrance of the mine, the miners' work has become much easier.

Originally, the most tiring job was transporting the mined ore out of the mine. When the ore basket was full of stones, it took three to four people to drag it. Usually, two people pushed from behind, and the rest pulled from the front. The originally uneven tunnel floor has been smoothed by the ore baskets over the years, and the iron sheet pads at the bottom of the ore baskets also need to be replaced frequently.

A week ago, the chief knight commanded Tietou and his men to transport a pile of strangely shaped metal parts up the mountain and assembled them into a furnace after a few days of tossing and turning. Dingzi never expected that this furnace could move on its own after being lit. Not only could it move, but it was also incredibly powerful.

The knight said that this was an invention of His Royal Highness the Prince, and it seemed to be called a steam engine.

As long as the rope is tightened on the ore basket and the furnace is lit, this big guy will whimper and turn the winch, quickly pulling the ore basket out of the mine.

Incredible!

After the knight demonstrated it a few times, he asked Tietou to choose someone to be responsible for operating the steam engine. Dingzi was very happy when he was selected. Just imagine, as long as he guarded this machine, he would no longer have to go down into the mine to dig stones or push baskets. The last accidental collapse had scared him a lot.

So Dingzi kept everything the knight instructed firmly in his mind.

It wasn't difficult to do. When the big guy needs to work, just lift the green lever and press the red lever. The knight said that the green lever is linked to the intake valve, and the red lever is linked to the exhaust valve, so steam will enter the cylinder through the pipe. After the ore basket is pulled up, to stop the machine, operate in reverse, lift the red lever, and press the green lever. The steam will be discharged from this pipe on the side of the boiler. Every time it cycles, the water in the furnace must be refilled – although he didn't understand what valves and cylinders meant, Dingzi agreed to everything.

However, the knight emphasized that two points must be paid attention to. First, the order must not be wrong. When starting, it must be green first, then red. When closing, it must be red first, then green. If you get it wrong, it may damage the machine. Second, when venting, be sure to clear the surrounding miners and keep shouting to remind them until the red lever is completely lifted.

Dingzi knew the first point by heart and wouldn't make a mistake even with his eyes closed, but the problem was with the second point.

When shutting down the machine as usual today, there was no one else around. He felt that shouting a warning alone looked a bit like an idiot, so he buried his head and went to pull the red lever. The lever was a bit stuck, and he gritted his teeth and used a lot of effort to move it.

Unexpectedly, Tietou appeared in front of the furnace the moment he pulled it up – Dingzi swore he didn't see where the mine foreman came from, and the huge roar of the machine drowned out his footsteps. White steam shrieked from the exhaust port, rushing directly onto Tietou's face!

Dingzi was stunned on the spot. He saw Tietou fall to the ground, rolling around while covering his face, making a miserable scream – the sound made him feel terrified.

Soon, other miners gathered around, held down the rolling Tietou, and forcibly uncovered his hand. His face was already a blur, and blood oozed from the ripe, rotten flesh, and his eyes turned into white beads. Everyone present realized that Tietou was beyond saving.

Coming back to his senses, Dingzi's tears fell out of his eyes. Tietou had always taken care of him. Seeing that he was young, he always assigned him less work than others, but he never gave him less pay. Now, this accident was caused by his negligence.

In the midst of grief and anxiety, Dingzi suddenly remembered what the knight had said, that if someone in the mining area was accidentally injured, the injured person could be taken near the city wall, where there was a newly opened medical institute.

Although he knew in his heart that such a serious injury could not be cured, the wound area was too large, and herbs would not work. It would only continue to rot, then develop a high fever, and soon fall into a coma. But he still carried Tietou on his back, ignoring the surprise of the people around him, gritted his teeth and ran towards the foot of the mountain.

If he did nothing and just watched Tietou die, he was afraid that he would never forgive himself in his life.