Hope Is an Illness That Can Be Treated

The Lizardman thought he was being discreet, but Serena Feng and Prince Nolan saw everything. Serena patted the Snow Wolf's head, signaling it to move aside, then took medicine and bandages from her Smart Med-Pack and crouched in front of the Lizardman.

The Lizardman was quietly crying. When he looked up and saw Serena's face close to his, he quickly wiped away his tears, but his hard nails scratched his cheek and drew blood. He didn't feel any pain, just forced a flattering smile at Serena, afraid she would despise him.

"Shh..." The Lizardman pointed ahead, ready to lead the way, but Serena stopped him: "Let me see your hands."

The Lizardman stared at Serena in confusion, not understanding her words. Serena repeated, "Your hands are injured. Let me see if I can bandage them."

The Lizardman's eyes lit up and he quickly reached out his hand, but hesitated halfway. Serena grabbed his hand before he could pull away and said firmly, "Don't move."

Serena was wearing medical gloves, which made her grip slippery. If the Lizardman kept struggling, she wouldn’t be able to hold on.

The Lizardman nodded desperately, tears streaming down his face again. His nails were long and hard, and he worried he might accidentally hurt Serena.

"You’ll never need to go back into that crack. I’ll trim your nails for you," Serena said. The Lizardman used his nails to cling to the rock walls; though his nails were tough, the flesh beneath was tender. All ten fingers were bloody, with scales on the backs but none on the palms, which were worn raw and bleeding.

His nails were so hard that scissors couldn’t cut them, so Serena had to use a knife to trim them. Seeing her struggle, Prince Nolan channeled his inner force into his soft sword and sliced off the Lizardman’s long nails.

Without his nails, the Lizardman felt strange, but also more human. Gratefully, he nodded to Serena and Prince Nolan, secretly vowing to help them find the best sword in the Myriad Blades Grove—and to gift them the masterpiece blade he has been forging.

Serena had no idea what the Lizardman was thinking. She simply did her duty as a doctor, cleaning and treating his wounds with care.

Of course, following her responsibility to the patient, Serena used her Smart Med-Pack to run a quick check on the Lizardman. Seeing the results, she frowned slightly, and while bandaging him, quietly collected samples of his nails, skin, and blood for later testing.

The Lizardman’s injuries weren’t severe, but cleaning them took time. Serena spent half an hour bandaging him, and by then, night had fallen.

The Lizardman looked at Serena with a hint of guilt, but Serena and Prince Nolan didn’t mind. "Let’s rest here tonight and look for the sword tomorrow," Serena said.

A day or two wouldn’t make a difference to them.

Hearing this, the Lizardman finally relaxed. While Serena and Prince Nolan pitched their tent, he gathered dry branches and stacked them into a small fire pile, ready to light if needed. Afterward, he retreated far away...

He couldn’t face sunlight or fire—both would make his scales and flesh peel off. He still wanted to finish forging his sword; now was not the time for accidents.

"We won’t light a fire," Serena said. She knew the Snow Wolf loved cooked food but disliked flames, so she decided not to start a fire. The weather was mild, and there didn’t seem to be any wild beasts around.

Even if there were, the Snow Wolf would keep them safe. Any wild animal approaching would be discovered right away.

Serena and Prince Nolan gave water and braised beef to the Snow Wolf and the Lizardman, eating only a little dry food themselves. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to eat more, but the beef was limited—and the Lizardman’s appetite was enormous; he ate three times as much as the Snow Wolf in one sitting.

Well... Serena underestimated the Snow Wolf. Stimulated by the Lizardman's speed and appetite, the Snow Wolf insisted on matching him bite for bite. In one meal, they devoured half a month's rations.

They were both so stuffed they couldn’t move.

"I wonder if human digestive tablets work for wolves." Serena, feeling helpless, gave the Snow Wolf a double adult dose, hoping it would recover by morning.

The Snow Wolf opened its mouth in misery, then looked at Serena with pitiful eyes, begging for a head rub.

"Serves you right!" Serena smacked the Snow Wolf’s head, ignoring its whining. Since it was still early, she went to find the Lizardman and explained the results of her diagnosis.

The Smart Med-Pack showed the Lizardman was infected by a lizard virus, causing his transformation. While he was gathering firewood, Serena tested his blood and found a high viral load. She didn’t have time to check other samples yet, and some tests would take longer anyway.

Since it’s a virus, in theory, expelling it should restore him to normal. Serena couldn’t cure him now, but with help from the Valley Master, Divine Doctor Guile, and Divine Doctor Redwater, she estimated at least a fifty percent chance of success.

Serena didn’t hide anything and told the Lizardman everything, including her hopes for treatment.

"Even if there’s only a fifty percent chance, and even if we can’t cure you, we can at least improve your condition and stop it from getting worse." The Lizardman was slowly degenerating—if this kept up, he’d become a real lizard.

The Lizardman stared at Serena for a long time, then gently shook his head, refusing her offer.

He once dreamed of leaving, but now he no longer wanted to go.

Before, when he was alone, he longed to escape. But after seeing Serena and Prince Nolan, he realized he was different now; if he left, people would only see him as a monster. His only wish was to finish forging his sword—then he’d be content.

"I know what you’re afraid of. If you can’t adapt to the outside world, you could always live alone and keep doing what you love." Serena knew the Lizardman was obsessed with forging swords, but in his current state, he couldn’t handle fire—he needed treatment first.

A glimmer of light flashed in the Lizardman’s eyes, and his dull gaze brightened just a little. Serena’s words gave him a reason to live—a hint of hope. But...

Could he really forge swords again?

The Lizardman lowered his head and stared at his hands, thinking carefully about Serena’s words.

Should he leave with these two?