Chapter 98

"Never," the old woman affirmed, "Priestess Ilana often doesn't return, but this is the first time something like this has happened."

Priestess Ilana's "illness" was indeed very strange. If it was an illness, apart from weakness, increased heart rate, rapid and weak pulse, and pale complexion, there were no other symptoms. But if it was a state, as Priestess Ilana said, what kind of state was it? Could it be that even Priestess Ilana couldn't resolve it? Jiang Junming couldn't figure out the logic no matter how he thought about it.

"I want to see the High Priestess, I want to see the High Priestess. Please, please let the High Priestess save my child." As Jiang Junming was thinking, he heard a voice pleading desperately from the courtyard of the temple. The voice belonged to a woman, who was clearly panicked and incoherent, making it hard to understand her words. But the sense of fear and helplessness was clear to anyone who heard it.

"Don't be in a hurry, get up and speak slowly. This isn't the temple, praying in the courtyard won't help," an old woman seemed to be comforting the visitor.

"My child has been vomiting and diarrhea since last night, and it won't stop. Now, the stool is just water, and the child is very weak, not even recognizing me, and is starting to convulse. It looks like they won't make it," she said, sobbing. Despite her tears, she managed to speak clearly. Jiang Junming, who was about to leave, froze. Could it be cholera? The symptoms the woman described were similar to cholera, which can cause death within hours due to diarrhea.

Could it be that the pathogenic bacteria mentioned by the optical brain really exist? And it's an acute disease like cholera? Jiang Junming was stunned. At that moment, the old woman in the courtyard said to the visitor, "The poor people in the vicinity often come here for help when they are sick, but the help we can provide is limited. Sometimes we can cure them, sometimes we can't."

Her voice was very low, as if she was speaking into the ear of the woman seeking help. After his sensory enhancements, Jiang Junming could still hear her clearly despite the low volume.

"What... what should I do?" The old woman's words clearly panicked the woman seeking help. The Temple of the Goddess of Compassion was the only temple nearby. Even if the poor people went to other temples, they would likely be chased away before they could get close. But if the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion couldn't save her child... the more she thought about it, the more she felt sad. As she spoke, the woman burst into tears.

The old woman, who was talking to the woman seeking help, knew this well. Why did the poor people around come to the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion? Wasn't it for that little bit of hope? When there was no other way, they came here, hoping for a solution. It was a simple and pure hope. The priests of other temples in the slums wouldn't even bother to treat them with their divine powers.

Jiang Junming turned to look at Priestess Ilana, seeing her closed eyes trembling, as if she wanted to open them but lacked the strength. Could she also have cholera? Jiang Junming speculated, but then dismissed the idea. The old woman didn't mention that Priestess Ilana was vomiting and having diarrhea; it seemed she was in this state when she returned to the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion.

It was truly strange. Jiang Junming didn't have time to figure out what illness Priestess Ilana had, as she had assured him that she would recover from this state in a few days. The child of the woman seeking help from the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion was already in critical condition. Out of habit, Jiang Junming glanced at Priestess Ilana and then walked out of the room into the temple courtyard.

The courtyard of the temple was in chaos. A woman, not yet thirty, was sitting on the ground, holding a child in her arms who was vomiting violently. In her panic, she was frantically patting the child's back. Apart from this meaningless action, she didn't know what else she could do. Her eyes were filled with confusion and sorrow, and tears fell onto the child's back. She didn't speak, only silently doing the little she could.

The orphans who had been taken in by the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion gathered around to help. Perhaps because they had all experienced similar situations and had been saved from the brink of death, they showed a maturity that didn't match their age.

Jiang Junming didn't panic; instead, he began to observe the child's vomit. The vomit was like clear water, with a faint white color, similar to the water used to wash rice. The symptoms matched. Although Jiang Junming hadn't seen the diarrhea, vomiting was also a symptom of cholera.

Cholera has a peak incidence in summer and can cause dehydration and death within hours. It is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, usually the O1 serotype. Vibrio cholerae exists in water, and the most common cause of infection is consuming water contaminated by the feces of infected individuals. Vibrio cholerae produces cholera toxin, causing secretory diarrhea, which continues even without eating, and the characteristic "rice water" stool. Clinically, it presents with severe diarrhea and vomiting, leading to significant dehydration, reduced plasma volume, salt deficiency, concentrated blood, and circulatory failure. Due to severe diarrhea and vomiting, electrolyte loss, potassium and sodium deficiency, muscle cramps, and acidosis can occur, leading to shock and acute renal failure.

In Jiang Junming's mind, the knowledge about cholera flashed through, and each point matched. Although there was no laboratory test and no such conditions in this world, Jiang Junming was almost certain that the child had cholera.

Cholera has three stages. The first stage is the vomiting and diarrhea phase, characterized by frequent and severe diarrhea and vomiting. The second stage is the dehydration and collapse phase, where the patient's appearance is very obvious. Severe cases have sunken eyes, hoarse voices, dry and shriveled skin, loss of elasticity, a sunken abdomen, dry lips and tongue, intense thirst, cold limbs, and a body temperature often below normal. Muscle cramps or convulsions may occur. The patient is in critical condition, but if treated promptly and properly, they can recover and return to normal.

The third stage is the recovery phase, which is not relevant to the child's current condition. Jiang Junming's first thought was to perform a deep venous puncture on the child, followed by large-volume fluid replacement, blood tests, and calculation of the child's crystalloid and colloid osmotic pressure, adjusting the child's disordered internal environment in the most detailed way possible. However, he then smiled bitterly. This was another world, and the things he had just thought of wouldn't work here.

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