A Hospital in Another World? Chapter 1082: This Half-Elf Cub, Better at Healing Than the Elder?

From the moment they encountered the army ants, Aishe Moon Song quickened the pace of their group.

She no longer paused here and there, climbing trees to pick fruit for Garrett, or stopping by rivers to catch fish for him to examine.

She also stopped urging Garrett to practice on the spot, identifying which hoofprint belonged to which animal, which claw mark to which magical beast, where to camp, and where to fetch water.

Instead, she led the group, crossing mountains and forests, relentlessly heading east. Every day, they would break camp at sunrise and only rest when the sky was completely dark. When they encountered mountains, they cleared a path; when they encountered water... they simply used a Flying Spell to cross.

With such effort, after seven or eight days, they reached the outskirts of the Elven Secret Realm, near the pollution zone. The moment she saw the pollution zone, she instinctively stopped in her tracks, staring blankly.

Garrett, too, stood frozen behind her. The moist mountain wind blew from the hill below, making them feel sticky. Garrett couldn't help but rub his arms, shrink his neck, and stare at the opposite hill:

Across a pitch-black ravine, the trees on the opposite side were noticeably shorter and sparser than those here. Amidst the tall trees, patches of barren, bald spots were clearly visible, and even the shrubs and wild grasses grew weakly.

Garrett instinctively extended his mental energy, lightly calling out. With his current level of mental energy, covering the opposite side of the ravine was just a matter of a thought.

However, no matter how he extended or called, the mountain forest on the opposite side remained lifeless...

To a druid's senses, this lifelessness was more unbearable than deserts, snowfields, or even barren wastelands. And within this lifelessness, there was also a twisted malevolence.

"Polluted lands are like this," Aishe Moon Song sighed beside him.

"The trees grow poorly, the grass grows poorly, and as for the animals... not to mention that there are fewer of them, they're also particularly ferocious..."

Garrett cast an Eagle Eye Spell on himself, trying hard to see what exactly made them so ferocious. It wasn't long before he saw a completely black bird flying up from the forest on the opposite side. It circled in the air a few times before diving down.

"Is that a crow?"

Garrett was puzzled. The bird's body, wings, and head all resembled a crow, except for one thing: when it flew, it wasn't just flapping two wings, but four!

As he watched, the black bird circled twice and then dove down. When it flew up again, its hooked claws were gripping a snake over two feet long, its scales a dull gray-black. Above the snake's torn-open flesh, it split into two, revealing a two-headed snake!

"Yes, on polluted lands, such things tend to grow," Aishe Moon Song sighed lightly.

"Not only did it grow an extra pair of wings, but its claws have turned into eagle-like talons, and there are even teeth growing in its beak. Once you enter the Secret Realm, you'll see even more bizarre creatures... The land there, the land there..."

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she turned away, unable to continue. After a moment of silence, she forced a smile and raised her head:

"Let's not talk about it. We should get moving. — Follow this line south, and you'll reach the border between the Bountiful Forest and the Rain Song Forest. There's a camp nearby where Jasmine's father is receiving treatment."

Lady Jasmine's expression changed. Beside her, Mr. Hawthorn stepped closer, quietly holding her hand as they looked out at the distant mountains together:

How dangerous must the land be, for such monstrous creatures to grow even at its edges?

And her father, who ventured deep into the Elven Secret Realm and barely escaped, contracted a strange illness. How difficult must that illness be, for the nearby elven healers to be helpless?

The closer they got to their destination, the more anxious she became. But no matter how anxious, with the group's full-speed advance, the Rain Song Forest drew nearer day by day. Finally, one day, Aishe Moon Song led them in a change of direction, plunging into the dense forest:

"This used to be an important outpost outside the Secret Realm. After the Secret Realm incident, people would gather here to prepare for hunts in the polluted area. Afterward, they would retreat here to rest and receive treatment."

Aishe Moon Song lightly jumped from tree to tree, from branch to branch, and from one old vine to another. This seasoned ranger, moving in the form of a panther, was even more at ease than in her human form. She spoke as she jumped:

"That's why the natural energy here is particularly strong. There's usually an elder residing at the outpost with his disciples, and a few of us rangers take turns patrolling the area...

It may seem deserted, but within a hundred miles, every tree and blade of grass is the eyes and ears of the defenders. Even we must first announce ourselves to the defenders when approaching the outpost. Ah, here they come..."

She suddenly reverted to her human form, quickly climbing to the treetop. In a moment, she slid down the tree trunk, a raven perched on her arm. The raven was entirely black, with a metallic sheen on its feathers, looking around with an air of confidence.

"Yes, I brought more people this time..." Aishe Moon Song introduced them to the raven, perched on her left arm, one by one:

"This is Sisoyin; you've met him before, right? This is Garrett Nordmark, who has half of our bloodline, and these are his friends, Miss Cirilla, Bernard, and Appa..."

"This is Lady Jasmine, whose father is sleeping in the ancient tree at the camp... and this is her husband..."

The raven's jet-black eyes darted around, looking from left to right. After a moment, it let out a long cry, flapped its wings, circled three times above her head, and then shot into the deep forest like an arrow. Aishe Moon Song let out a breath:

"Alright, the elder is aware and has allowed us to enter... follow me!"

Garrett followed behind her, heading deeper into the forest. This forest was indeed as Aishe Moon Song had described, with a particularly strong natural energy. Just walking through it made him feel like all the pores on his body were opening up:

"Stop daydreaming! Keep up! Although this is just an outpost, it has quite a bit of magical defense! If you're not careful, you'll get lost!"

Aishe Moon Song called back. Garrett snapped out of his daze and hurried to keep up. This outpost seemed to hold special significance for the rangers; upon arriving here, Aishe Moon Song no longer moved in her panther form but reverted to her elven form.

Garrett naturally followed suit. However, once back in human form, he immediately felt exhausted:

Navigating the uneven terrain was one thing, but climbing with hands and feet in this deep forest, panting all the way, was truly tiring, and his pace was frustratingly slow!

"Sister Moon Song, can I ride a horse?" he called out, summoning his Phantom Steed and mounting it with ease. He let out a long breath, sinking into the saddle:

The Phantom Steed, summoned by an 11th-level mage, could adapt to all terrains except for walking on air. Sand, mud, swamps, water—none of it posed a problem. The rainforest was no challenge at all.

...Why did I exhaust myself before?

Aishe Moon Song glanced back at him with disdain but said nothing. It was hard to imagine that, as far as warrior levels were concerned, Garrett was at least at a knight's level. Yet here he was, unable to handle walking in the forest...

Aren't you just lazy?

Garrett didn't care what she thought. Riding his Phantom Steed, he curiously looked around. After crossing two gentle slopes, fording a green river, and walking a short distance, his eyes suddenly brightened:

A wide clearing appeared before them. Over a dozen towering trees formed an irregular circle, their branches reaching upward like a green well.

In the center of the well, three or four small stone houses were scattered, surrounding a particularly large tree that would take dozens of people to encircle. Smoke curled up from the chimney of the central house, and the aroma of cooked meat wafted through the air.

"So, elves live in stone houses too? I thought you all lived in tree houses."

Garrett muttered quietly. Aishe Moon Song, about to step into the clearing, stopped and looked back at him:

"We used to live in tree houses. But this is the front line, and every bit of natural energy must be conserved for battle and healing... Instead of twisting trees to grow into houses for us, it's better if we build our own."

Garrett was speechless. Aishe Moon Song had already stepped lightly into the clearing, heading straight for the house with the smoke:

"Grandpa Fahim! Grandpa Fahim! I'm back! I brought friends to visit!"

"I heard you long ago." With a creak, the door opened, and an elderly elf with white hair and beard slowly stepped out. At the same time, several other doors opened, and seven or eight heads peeked out:

"Did you bring friends?"

"Which one is Selwyn's daughter?"

"Which one is Garrett Nordmark? Don't speak, let me guess..."

Seven or eight voices called out, each asking questions, and within moments, dozens of sentences poured out. Garrett suddenly felt like he was in

 an emergency room, facing a crowd of patients and their families—

Since his transmigration, he had gradually established his authority in medical matters, and such a scene had become rare. Garrett reined in his Phantom Steed and quietly took a step back, letting Aishe Moon Song lead Lady Jasmine forward:

"This is her, Selwyn's daughter. Selwyn's illness came on suddenly, and he didn't leave any words behind, and we didn't send anyone to take care of her... Elder, may she see her father?"

Elder Fahim carefully examined Lady Jasmine for a moment, tapped his cane, and tiny green lights, like fireflies, circled her once. The elder then nodded:

"Very well. Follow me."

He leaned on his cane and slowly walked towards the giant tree in the center, gently stroking the bark. After a moment, the bark opened on its own, revealing an entrance just big enough for one person.

They filed in, and Garrett immediately saw, at the center of a three-meter-diameter magic array, a giant tree heart, encasing an elf like amber. His face was calm, but his skin was unnaturally dull, and his abdomen was swollen.

"Your father... has been in this state for decades. I'm sorry, we still haven't found a way to save him."

Elder Fahim said softly. Lady Jasmine stared unblinkingly at the familiar yet strange face within the tree heart for a long time before suddenly turning to Garrett:

"Do you have a way?"

"Him?" Before Garrett could answer, a soft murmur arose from the crowd. Though there were no further questions, Garrett knew they must be thinking:

This half-elf cub, better at healing than the elder?

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