This is the Royal Medical Office?! Really?!
I stood there gazing up at the large sign with my mouth hanging open in astonishment. I couldnât believe that I was standing in front of the Royal Medical Office. This is the place that Iâve always wanted to visit. The skill and practice of the royal doctors of the Flame Dragon empire was famous throughout the land. Even in my small village, medical traders who visited would often speak about the advancement of medical knowledge and practices from the capital.
There was no way that a small town like mine would have the same advanced equipment or knowledge like the capital of such a large empire. I turned to Ren and cried out in joy as I clapped my hands together.
âYou look so excitedâ¦â Ren teased.
âIâve always wanted to come here!â I exclaimed excitedly. I couldnât stop smiling from ear to ear.
It was like my dream land was right in front of me. Talk about a dream come true moment.
âWant to go inside?â Ren asked, needlessly.
Of course, I wanted to go inside! I wanted to live here, eat here, and breathe here!
âYesâ¦pleaseâ¦â I said, nodding my head up and down eagerly.
Ren laughed a little at how excited I looked. I bet I must have looked like an overly excited child to him at that moment and I didnât blame him for finding my reactions funny.
âDonât mention to anyone about your intention to study medicine here, ok?â Ren said, his tone suddenly serious.
Ohâ¦I guess it could cause some trouble if the doctors found out about that from out of nowhereâ¦
âOk. I understand,â I replied as I nodded understandingly.
âGood. Iâll give you a little tour,â Ren said as he squeezed my hand.
âThank you, Ren!â I exclaimed happily.
Without another word, Ren led me through the large double wooden doors and into the building of the Royal Medical Office. Once we were inside, the familiar smell that I found so pleasant filled my nostrils and made me think of home. It was the smell of medical herbs. You couldnât find this smell anywhere else except medical clinics and medical herbal stores.
âThis feels so much like homeâ¦â I said without thinking.
âHow so?â Ren asked as we walked hand in hand.
âThis might sound weird butâ¦the herbal smell of medicine in the airâ¦it just reminds me of home,â I replied a little shyly.
âI see. I hope this will make you miss home a little lessâ¦â Ren said as he gave my hand a comforting squeeze.
It hurts a little whenever I thought of home and my hometown but having Ren next to me has made me feel more at ease lately. I wondered when I would finally get to go home. However, while I still didnât have the answer to that and I was stuck here in the capital, I fully intended to gather as much medical knowledge as possible.
âThis way,â Ren said as he led me through the hallway and deeper into the building.
âWowâ¦this building is hugeâ¦â I said in awe as I looked around us.
We were standing in the central courtyard, and I could see four buildings surrounding us. From the outside, I had thought that the medical office was one large building; however, I have just observed that it was actually four very large buildings.
âOf course, it is. The Royal Medical Office also serves as the hospital and there are patients being treated here as well. That building over there in the North is the hospital where patients are,â Ren explained as he pointed to the building in the North direction.
âWowâ¦thereâs a proper hospital and allâ¦â I muttered in amazement.
There was no such thing on this scale in the town where I came from. The best we had were independently run small clinics such as those ran by Uncle Gobei and Auntie. People couldnât afford much, and it was common practice to hire travelling doctors who would visit and inspect the patient at home.
âThe building to East is for herb and medicine storage. Basically, itâs like a warehouse that is supervised by doctors and herbalist who are in charged of dispatching medicine to relevant patients. They are also responsible for providing medical aid to other provinces and town in the empire,â Ren continued with his useful explanation.
âThere must be so many herbs and medicine insideâ¦â I said excitedly.
I mean, there was a whole building just for storing medicine and herbs. Thatâs like out of this world crazy! I couldnât wait to see inside.
âOf course, and that building to the South is for research and testing. I donât know much about the details because I donât have knowledge about medicine, but the doctors try out new herbs and medicine there. They try to make new medicine thereâ¦â Ren explained, struggling a little to describe the activities that took place in that building in the South.
âDonât worry. I honestly donât know much about research and making new medicine either. My knowledge is probably basic at bestâ¦â I said humbly.
âOn to the last building, the building in the West is the most commonly used building. It is where the doctors treat the patients. When new patients get hurt or sick, they would enter that building first. Many doctors also live in that building and there are doctors working there around the clock. I mean, you never know when someone could get sick or injured,â Ren continued to explain as he pointed to the building in question.
âWho are treated here?â I asked, curious.
âEveryone in the Imperial palace. Officials and soldiers from outside the palace as well. In some cases, we also treat the commoners. Shin and I have the idea to send doctors out to treat the people in their towns as well, but we currently donât have that many doctors who can do soâ¦â Ren answered, his brows furrowing.
Frankly, I was impressed with Renâs effort to help the people in his empire. His empire was vast and there were many people living as part of his empire. It meant lot to me that he has been actively thinking of their welfare. The thought of sending royal doctors out to help the people would have been unheard of before.
--To be continuedâ¦