Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 733 Turbulence in the North

From disinfection and surgery to suturing, the whole process took less than two minutes.

Not only were the workers shocked, but even the accompanying doctor was dumbfounded.

"Is this the end?"

"Otherwise what?" Nini asked, puzzled. "Isn't the only difficulty in this surgery removing the steel bar? Okay, since everything's alright, let's hurry back. I still have to write my report."

After saying that, Nini left on her own.

"W-that's it?" Rebecca asked in disbelief. "So simple?"

"This is no simple task." The doctor gave a wry smile. "She just drained the fluid and blood from her abdominal cavity, and she also sutured each layer of muscle separately. Even if I worked in the operating room for an hour, I couldn't finish all of that."

"Wow, she's amazing! She must be a very skilled doctor, right?"

"No, she's not a legendary doctor, she's just an ordinary doctor."

Rebecca's eyes widened: "How powerful must a legendary doctor be?"

"At the very least, they should know how to treat fountains."

"???"

"Alright, let's hurry back. It's good to get back sooner, at least to avoid Castells syndrome. Vance, don't move around. I'll find you a bed. You just had surgery and need to rest."

Old Vance was still standing there blankly when, after a while, he suddenly shouted, startling everyone else.

"what happened?"

"What happened?"

"Father, are you alright?"

Old Vance looked around in horror: "Monster! There's a monster! A six-armed monster!"

He grabbed the doctor's sleeve: "Doctor, did you just see that? There's a monster!"

Before the doctor could say anything, Rebecca spoke first: "Father, that's not a monster, that's a doctor! A very skilled and ordinary doctor! She's the one who cured you!"

The doctor accompanying the army looked at Rebecca with some surprise. The banshees had indeed fought in the North, but they hadn't been to every battlefield, at least not the small town where the expeditionary force was building the railroad.

In other words, these people had never seen the Banshee.

The doctor looked at the other employees, who didn't seem particularly frightened either, which surprised him.

Aren't you afraid of her?

This question caused some hesitation; everyone looked at each other and pushed each other, until finally Rebecca stepped forward:
"Sir, we are a little scared."

"But since she's willing to help us, we're not so afraid."

“But she’s not human. She has six arms and a long tail, and…” The doctor turned to look at Nini, who was on duty, wearing heavy and menacing armor, with a dark, gaping gun barrel hanging from her waist.

Rebecca shook her head.

Are you afraid of her?

"Of course not."

“Then we won’t either.” Rebecca’s expression still held a touch of naiveté, but her tone was remarkably firm:
"She is more human than those noble gentlemen."

Old Vance was helped onto the train by his hired workers and returned to the North once again—now the railway to the North had been double-tracked, and there was no longer a need to wait for another train to arrive.

The laborers didn't waste much time; they even had time to go home for dinner. Old Vance, however, stayed in the expeditionary force's infirmary, where he was at risk of wound infection and would have to stay in the hospital for a few days.

As the laborers returned to the city, news of old Vance gradually spread. The people of the city learned that he had been rescued, that there was an incredibly large city, and that there was a six-armed miracle doctor in the distance.

These things seemed too absurd to the people of the North, and they remained skeptical for a time, but one thing was certain.

Old Vance was injured on the construction site, but the road workers didn't drive him away; instead, they treated him for free. Old Vance was in the medical room near the site, where the laborers could see him as they passed by. He not only received free treatment there but also got free meals from the expeditionary force.

It's visibly that old Vance has gained a lot of weight and is no longer as thin as before.

Rebecca, who came to visit him, was in much better spirits.

But when it came time to settle salaries, something even more surprising happened.

"Old Vance also has Leonardo?"

Yes, the expeditionary force did pay old Vance a salary, but it was far less than that of the other workers on the construction site. According to the expeditionary force, this was called "basic salary".

This amount of money isn't much; it's just enough to keep us from starving, and it won't give anyone any bad ideas.

But they did indeed distribute the money.

This incident truly caused a sensation in the small town. People could find work in Riona, receive free medical treatment if they were injured, and even have a basic salary. Even those who needed to support their families wouldn't let their children go hungry.

The conditions weren't particularly generous, but they gave people a sense of security, allowing them to work as laborers without worrying about an accident tearing their families apart.

For a time, many people began to truly waver.

Everyone originally viewed working for the expeditionary force as just odd jobs, hoping to earn some money.

But now.
"Sir, are you hiring for any other jobs?"

"I know carpentry. Are you hiring a carpenter?"

"I...I'm a cook!"

"Sir, I am strong and healthy, and I can do any kind of heavy work!"

"If it's a long-term job, I'm willing to accept a lower wage!"

The expeditionary force's camp quickly gathered a large number of people, many of whom were originally day laborers but now wanted to do long-term work.

That was bad enough, but one day after work, a young man peeked over and came over suspiciously.

"You mean you're from the city guard of this territory and want to ask if we have any work for you?"

Hodge looked at the young man in front of him with surprise. He was the highest-ranking officer in the camp and had just finished dinner when his subordinates called him over.

The expeditionary force had never seen anything like this before!
"Yes, we have about a hundred people here, and we have some equipment. You can contact us if you need anything in the future."

"City Guards?"

"Correct."

"regular army?"

"Absolutely legitimate."

"Active, off-duty military personnel? Coming to us?"

The young man nodded and smiled: "I'm just making the connections first. Maybe we'll have a chance to work together in the future. As long as we can make money, who has a grudge against Leo?"

"Doesn't your lord care?"

"I came here secretly, you wouldn't report us to the lord, would you?" the young man said frankly. "Besides, even if the lord knew, he might not object."

"what?"

"Didn't you just clash with the lord's men? We saw it all from the city walls. Maybe in a couple of days, the lord will send someone to find you too."

"After all, he had no grudge against Leo."

(End of this chapter)