Chapter 1333: The “Battlefield” at the Rear

Fighting for all of humankind.

Even though the chief had said exactly that — that this battle would decide the fate of every living person — the main reason Jodel had joined the First Army was his clan. He had never once thought about receiving something in return from strangers.

Whether or not others appreciated the effort was irrelevant. The work had to be done.

He still believed that. But when he found himself thinking back to the nurse’s smile and the warmth of the food in his hands, something shifted quietly inside him.

Perhaps what he was doing was more important than he had imagined.

After the meal, he returned to his squad.

The nine-person Sand National unit had new faces among them — nothing unusual in that. The rear continuously sent soldiers forward; veterans rotated out late, new recruits arrived to fill the gaps. After any engagement the front line always paid some cost, and the numbers always needed adjustment.

Then he saw two of the men from the belfry.

He pulled them into a close embrace and hit their shoulders hard, harder than he meant to.

“I thought you’d died in there,” he said. “I thought only Ka — only Farry and I got out.”

“We were lucky.” His comrade returned the embrace. “When the belfry came down we were on watch at the bottom level. Avoided the falling stones. But you —” the man pulled back and looked at him. “You were up on the stairs. How are you not dead? If we’d known, we would have waited.”

“No.” Jodel shook his head. “Leaving when you could was the right call.” In chaos like that, even alive, they would have run directly into the demons driving for the belfry. If Kabala had not been there, he would not have walked out of that encirclement. “The others weren’t as lucky.”

Half the ten-person squad. Five gone. Sand Nationals had said too many goodbyes to their dead to count, and yet the grief always came anyway — smaller than it once was, but still present, turning somewhere in the chest.

More than half a year of training. More than half a year of becoming something new together — a kind of trust and familiarity that was not so different from what he felt toward the people he had grown up with in the desert. You didn’t pick that up by choice. It just happened, in the grinding repetition of shared work and shared danger, and then one day it was simply there.

Even surrounded by the two survivors, he felt the absence of the others.

He also felt something else: puzzlement.

The strategic value of Gust Castle had been obvious even to him. It was the fall of Metalstone Ridge that had split their defensive line at the flanks, and abandoning Gust Castle would simply pass that same pressure forward to Sand City and Sedimentation Bay, putting them in the same impossible position. He had expected the First Army to hold the castle until it was completely swallowed — until the last soldier and the last round.

Survival was worth being glad about. He was glad. But the gladness sat uneasily beside the question he couldn’t answer: if the entire First Army line collapsed, the deaths of his people would become meaningless and everything his clan had sacrificed would come to nothing.

He didn’t voice it. His orders were his orders, and beyond that he trusted the chief. He kept his questions where they were.

“May the Three Gods accept their souls.”

“May the Three Gods protect them in their afterlife.”

They stood in the brief silence of Sand Nation tradition. Then one of his comrades shifted the weight of the moment. “Let’s not dwell on it. You might not know yet — Lord Iron Axe is coming to inspect the encampment tonight, and there will be a play performance.”

“A play.”

The commander-in-chief’s arrival made sense; a new order was likely coming, and morale work was standard before hard news. But a play seemed a very long way from any battlefield logic. The Sand Nation had no tradition of this kind of entertainment, and Jodel couldn’t understand why his comrades were reacting as if something good had been promised to them.

They must have seen his expression.

“The Star Flower Troupe,” one of them said, with emphasis, as if the name ought to explain everything.

It didn’t.

“Drow Silvermoon from the Osha Clan is one of the performers.”

After circling above in hovering mode, the Seagull set down smoothly at the airport in the western pass of Cage Mountain.

Nana stepped down the gangway and walked straight to the medical encampment, shrugging into her white doctor’s jacket without slowing.

“Tell me the situation while we move,” she said. “Sort the beds by the rules in the First Aid Handbook — critical organ injuries first.”

“Yes.” Her nurse assistant was already half-running to keep pace. “Currently the encampment holds three hundred and twenty-six wounded. Fifty-five are critical. All of them are in tent one. Most have been given overdoses of Delaying Agent to extend their survival window.”

“The Delaying Agent isn’t the concern. Watch for shock after the drug wears off — if the pain response is too severe, use Dreamland Water first to blunt the side effects. You have the Dreamland Water prepared and distributed?”

“Y-Yes.”

The assistant had worked with Miss Angel before. She knew this, had said yes to herself on the walk from the landing pad. Even so, she never quite got used to it: the girl who looked like someone’s younger sister, round-faced and unhurried, giving precise instructions in the flat voice of a veteran surgeon who had seen every complication twice.

“One more thing.” Nana stopped before the entrance to tent one. “The therapeutic devices I asked you to prepare — one for every patient?”

“Yes, but —” The nurse hesitated. Respectful terms arrived in her mouth without planning. “Ma’am. Are you truly going to treat all of them at once?”

By any conventional measure, fifty-plus critical patients would take the better part of a week under water treatment to pull back from the edge of death.

“Of course.” Nana smiled at her. “Relax. As long as I’m here, they will all live.”

The nurse looked at the smile — not the cheerful confidence of someone performing certainty, but the settled expression of someone who had simply done the calculation. Her own worry loosened.

She breathed in once, deeply, and followed Miss Pine inside.

Once she had put on the specially designed rubber suture gloves, Nana stood before the first bed.

Her High Awakening had changed the nature of her ability. The simple direct-injection healing she had always used could now also be bound into objects — transferred into a material that would then radiate a continuous healing effect on any injury in its proximity. The results were less spectacular than the old method: the wound would not close visibly before your eyes. But the advantage was decisive. The enchantment consumed far less magic power. It did not require her continuous attention. And — most critically — it removed the cyclical damage that had always been the cruelest problem of insufficient magic: the way a patient’s injuries worsened between treatments, the body recovering and then falling back in waves.

As long as the enchanted object remained inside the patient, the healing continued.

This let her treat many patients at once. After her High Awakening she had tested it at the rear encampment near Sedimentation Bay: gauze she had enchanted retained its effectiveness for over a week, which was more than enough time to pull someone out of critical danger.

The only problem was placement. The enchanted object would not dissolve or disappear after her magic was spent — it would simply remain, permanent, wherever she had put it. To get the most from each unit of magic power, the object needed to sit as close as possible to the worst part of the injury. For internal wounds, she had decided on suture thread; for external, gauze. Both were medical materials she’d found in the Dream World. The suture thread was made from sheep intestine — biodegradable, absorbed naturally by the body over time, no extraction required.

For hard injuries like broken bones, the suture thread was useless. But broken bones did not kill immediately, and those cases she could leave to the physicians and nurses.

Neverwinter’s medical system had come a long way from the improvised emergency work of the early years. There were practitioners now who could manage straightforward treatments on their own.

Nana lifted the scalpel and made the incision.

“Blood water drained — suture and close. Next.”

“Yes!”

“Drainage strip at the wound. Monitor the injury.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Amputate the leg first. We’ll consider the rest afterward.”

“Understood.”

Under Nana Pine’s direction the medical staff moved with a purpose that was tense but not chaotic. Orders passed from voice to hands to instruments in a clean relay. The medical encampment had become, in its own way, another kind of battlefield — not a place where things were broken, but a place where the breaking was fought back.

Chapter 1333 - The ‘Battlefield’ At

The Rear Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Fighting for all of humankind… Even though the chief had indeed said that this battle would determine the fate of humankind, the main reason that Jodel had joined the First Army was for his own clan; he had never given a single thought about gaining anything in return from others. It didn’t matter whether or not they appreciated his efforts, he had to complete the job anyway. Although Jodel still thought the same way, when he recalled the nurse’s smiling face and the taste of the fresh and hot food, he felt a strange surge of warmth inside his heart. Perhaps the things he was doing were more important than he imagined. After he finished a bountiful meal, Jodel returned to his squad. There were some new faces in the nine Sand National groups that he served in—this was nothing new; the rear was continuously sending soldiers to the front line and, among them, there were veterans who departed later as well as new recruits. As the front line always incurred a certain loss after a battle, it was necessary to transfer and adjust numbers frequently. To his delight, he saw two of his companions who had been guarding with him at the belfry. “I thought you had died over there and that only Ka… Farry and I escaped.” Jodel pulled them into a tight hug and patted their shoulders hard. “We were lucky. When the belfry collapsed, we happened to be on the lookout on the bottom level and was able to avoid all the falling rocks,” his comrade replied. “It was you who shocked everyone, to think you would be unharmed even though you were up on the stairs. If we had known earlier, we wouldn’t have left first.” “No, leaving as soon as possible was the right choice.” Jodel shook his head. In situations like that, even if they could survive, they would have most likely encountered the demons that were heading for the belfry. If Kabala hadn’t saved him, he wouldn’t have escaped demons’ encirclement. “Unfortunately, the others weren’t so lucky.” In the end, only half of the ten-person squad survived—even though Sand Nationals had been through far too many occasions of bidding farewell to their teammates and were accustomed to seeing death, he still couldn’t help feeling sad inside. After all, after over half a year of grinding training and teamwork they had formed a new type of relationship—this type of relationship was no less close knit than his relationship with his friends and relatives among his clan. Even though he was overjoyed to see his surviving comrades, Jodel still felt somewhat puzzled. The importance of Gust Castle was obvious, even he understood this. It was the capture of Metalstone Ridge that had caused the two flanks of their line of defense to fall apart after all. Likewise, abandoning Gust Castle would transfer this pressure to the Sand City and Sedimentation Bay, causing them to be face the same predicament. He had originally believed that the First Army would guard this city to the death, until it was completely swallowed by the demons. Of course, being able come out alive deserved celebration, but he did not feel as elated as he had thought he would. If the entire First Army line was defeated, not only would all the deaths of his people become meaningless, his clan’s hard-won hopes would be for naught. But as he had to abide by the responsibility of following orders and his trust in the chief, he didn’t voice his questions in front of his two comrades. “May the Three Gods accept their souls.” “May the Three Gods protect them in their afterlife.” After silently praying according to the traditions of the Sand Nation, one of Jodel’s comrades changed the topic. “Let’s not think about this anymore and talk about something light-hearted. You might not know but tonight Lord Iron Axe will come and inspect the encampment, and there’ll be a play performance!” “A play… performance?” Other than boosting the troops’ morale, the commander-in-chief must have come here to deliver a new command, which was not unexpected. But something like a play seemed completely irrelevant to war… People from the Sand Nation didn’t have such refined hobbies so he didn’t understand why his comrades were so excited. His comrades clearly saw his befuddlement. “Yes, the famous Star Flower Troupe will be coming!” “So?” “Have you actually never heard of them? Drow Silvermoon from the Osha Clan is one of the members of the troupe!” … After circling the area in hovering mode, ‘Seagull’ landed stably in the airport at the western pass of Cage Mountain. Nana stepped down the gangway ladder and immediately followed the medical staff to the medical camp. “Report the situation of the wounded,” she said while walking and throwing on her white doctor’s jacket at the same time. “Order the beds according to the rules in the First Aid Handbook, those with injuries to their critical organs take priority.” “Yes,” the nurse acting as her assistant replied hurriedly. “Currently the encampment has accepted three hundred and twenty-six injured, among them fifty-five are in critical state. Their beds are lined up in tent one. In order to prolong their survival, most of them have been overdosed with Delaying Agent.” “The Delaying Agent is not a problem. Be careful in administering anti-shock therapy after the drug effects wear off—if the pain is too intense, use Dreamland Water to stop the side effects first. You have already prepared the Dreamland Water that you’ll be giving them later, right?” “Y-Yes,” the assistant replied. Even though it was not her first time assisting Miss Angel, she still could not get used to the cute, petite and delicate girl that looked no different from a girl next door calmly giving out instructions like an old and experienced scholar. “Oh yeah.” Nana stopped before the number one tent. “The therapeutic devices that I asked you to prepare before, you’ve prepared one for every patient right?” “Yes, but…” The nurse hesitated and subconsciously addressed her with a respectful term. “M’am, are you really going to treat so many patients at once?” According to the nurse’s experience, it would take at least several days of water treatment to treat over fifty heavily injured patients and pull them out of danger. “Of course.” Nana smiled at her. “Relax, as long as I am here, they will all live.” Looking at Nana’s confident smile, the nurse felt her worry alleviate considerably. She inhaled deeply and followed Miss Pine into the tent. … After Nana put on a pair of specially created rubber worm gloves, she stood in front of the first patient’s bed. Her evolution on her Day of Adulthood allowed her ability to gain a new characteristic. Her original simple summoning power could now also be attached to objects and could continuously heal the injuries around her. Compared to directly injecting magic power to heal, the effects of her new ability was clearly not as good; at least, it could not result in visible, rapid injury healing. However, it would use up a lot less magic power, and didn’t require her to continuously use her ability, which was the biggest advantage enchantment had. As long as the the enchanted object kept existing, the patient’s injury would slowly heal, and this allowed Nana to heal multiple patients at once. More importantly, it fundamentally removed the pain caused by the repetitive worsening of the patient’s injury due to the alternating treatments that occurred when there was insufficient magic power. After her High Awakening, she had performed an experiment in the campsite at the back of Sedimentation Bay. A gauze that she enchanted with her magic could maintain effectiveness for over a week; this was already enough to pull the wounded out of a critical state. The only problem was after she used up her magic power, the object would not disappear but remain inside the body of the patient. If she wanted to get the most out of her magic power, the enchanted object must be as close to the worst part of the injury as possible. Thus, Nana looked at the medical resources in the Dream World and decided to use the suture line for internal injuries and the gauze for external. She picked up a scalpel and skillfully cut open the bloody abdomen of the patient. She found the puncture in his gut pierced through by a bone spear and quickly sewed it together. The thin thread made from sheep intestines could be naturally absorbed by the body, and it wouldn’t need to be extracted after recovery. It could be regarded as the perfect medical material. Of course, for hard injuries such as broken bones, the suture line would not work—but injuries like this would not endanger a patient’s life immediately and she could very much leave it up to the physicians and nurses. The development of Neverwinter’s medical institution system had already progressed from emergency treatment at the beginning to a group of medical staff that could independently perform simple treatments. “After the blood water has been drained, stitch up the wound. Next.” “Yes!” “Place a drainage strip at the wound and monitor the injury.” “Leave it to me.” “Amputate this leg first, we will think of something later.” “Understood!” “…” Under Nana Pine’s instructions, the medical staff were all immersed in a tense yet organized medical treatments. At that moment the medical encampment became another bustling battlefield.