Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

Levi wanted to see the man's medical skills—without relying on that treasure.

After all, as useful as a treasure was, it couldn't be used all the time.

Doctor Crabb calmly nodded.

"You can certainly trust me, Count. I won't disappoint you."

Levi gave a slight nod and asked, "Let's say I have a patient here. He's been injured and his body temperature is rising. How would you treat him?"

"An elevated body temperature means there's too much blood in the body. All we need to do is let some blood out to lower the temperature. Of course, the timing must also take the movement of the stars into account," Doctor Crabb explained confidently.

"Bloodletting..."

Levi froze for a moment and repeated the word in disbelief.

Doctor Crabb nodded with complete confidence.

"That's right."

"Bloodletting?"

"Of course, it's not as simple as merely drawing blood," Doctor Crabb said.

Levi's expression improved slightly. He decided to keep listening. After all, this man was known as Doctor Know-All. Surely he had some special methods.

Doctor Crabb continued, "Bloodletting must be performed according to the theory of humoral balance, while also taking astrological changes into consideration."

The moment Levi heard that, his expression stiffened.

Meanwhile, Doctor Crabb launched into an endless explanation.

"First, we must determine the timing of the bloodletting according to the constellations and the moon's position. This is extremely important!"

"If it's during a full moon, that's the Period of Abundant Blood, so more blood must be drawn!"

"If it's during a new moon, that's the Period of Scarce Blood, so less blood should be drawn—or none at all!"

"If the moon is in an unfavorable zodiac sign, such as Scorpio or Cancer, bloodletting must be strictly forbidden!"

"Every organ corresponds to a zodiac sign. The head corresponds to Aries, the arms to Gemini, and the chest to Cancer."

"Only when the moon enters the corresponding sign can blood be drawn from the related body part."

"For example, if someone has a fever and headache, you must wait until the moon enters Aries before drawing blood from the veins of the head or neck."

"Otherwise, all you can do is wait!

"Next, you must determine which vein to open based on the location of the illness."

"This is the most important part of all. If the patient has a fever in the head, a headache, or eye discomfort, then blood should be drawn from the veins at the temples or forehead. If it's chest congestion, coughing, or heat in the lungs, then blood should be drawn from the vein on the inside of the right elbow..."

"Oh, and the amount of blood drawn is also an art. For an ordinary fever, drawing two to four ounces of blood is sufficient. For a high fever, six to eight ounces of fresh blood should be taken."

"If it's a plague, or if the patient appears extremely agitated, then it's an especially dangerous condition. More than twelve ounces of blood must be drawn."

At that point, Levi could no longer hold back.

What did twelve ounces of blood mean?

Over 350 milliliters—nearly half a bottle of cola.

This wasn't saving lives.

This was killing people.

The corner of Levi's mouth twitched.

"If you draw that much blood, wouldn't the patient die?"

Doctor Crabb replied, "If someone dies because of bloodletting, then it means their sins were too great and God was unwilling to save them."

Even that could be used as an explanation?

Levi glanced at the two chamber-of-commerce representatives and discovered that they were actually nodding in agreement.

He fell silent.

In an era where divine power visibly manifested itself, faith truly was the most flawless shield imaginable.

Perhaps noticing that Levi looked displeased, and realizing that his answer hadn't gone over well with the lord, Doctor Crabb hurriedly added, "Of course, there could be other reasons."

"Perhaps too little blood was drawn, and the toxic heat wasn't fully expelled."

"Or perhaps the treatment was administered too late, and the evil influence had already penetrated the internal organs."

Levi's expression remained unpleasant.

Doctor Crabb's heart skipped a beat. He quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"Of course, if the stars are favorable, the timing is auspicious, the treatment is precise, and the humors return to balance, then the patient will certainly recover."

Certainly?

Levi heard very little confidence in that statement.

He sighed inwardly.

As expected, he really couldn't place much hope in the medical knowledge of this era.

The reason Crabb had become the world-famous Doctor Know-All wasn't because of his medical expertise—it was because of his cheat.

And that cheat was the miraculous eraser.

After thinking for a moment, Levi asked another question.

"What if the patient has been cut by a blade? What would you do then, Doctor Crabb?"

"In that case, the first priority is stopping the bleeding. Then any foreign matter must be removed. The debris inside the wound should be sucked out with the mouth, and only then should the wound be closed," Doctor Crabb answered after giving it some serious thought.

That sounded somewhat more reasonable.

Using one's mouth to suck debris out of a wound sounded strange, but considering the limitations of the era, Levi chose not to comment.

Still, this wasn't what he wanted to hear.

What Levi wanted to hear about was the man's secret weapon.

If his Magic Power hadn't yet recovered, he would have simply used Detection. Why go through all this trouble?

After a brief moment of thought, he gave another prompt.

"What if the wound is extremely severe? What if the bleeding can't be stopped and the wound can't be closed?"

"In that case, it depends on the patient's faith. If their faith is strong enough, God will save them."

Doctor Crabb once again pushed the problem onto God.

This wasn't the answer Levi wanted to hear.

Practically spelling it out for him, Levi said, "Are there perhaps some special treasures that can heal wounds just by rubbing them over the injury?"

The unspoken meaning was obvious:

I know you have such a treasure. Hurry up and show it to me.

But the doctor seemed completely oblivious. Smiling faintly, he replied, "How could such a treasure possibly exist in this world?"

"If it did, it would surely be something God bestowed upon a saint to use while walking among mortals."

The two chamber-of-commerce representatives echoed his words, saying they had never heard of such a treasure either.

A trace of suspicion flashed through Levi's eyes.

Something felt wrong.

Wasn't this Doctor Know-All supposed to be the lucky fellow from Levi's memories who had obtained a magical treasure from the Genie in the Bottle and become a renowned physician?

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Doctor Crabb, may I ask how you became a physician?"

"Of course, Count. It's no secret," Doctor Crabb answered openly.

"I see. Under which doctor did you study?"

Doctor Crabb didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced around the room.

The two chamber-of-commerce representatives and the young girl immediately understood and excused themselves.

Only then did Doctor Crabb shake his head and answer.

"Count, I taught myself."

"Self-taught?"

Levi looked genuinely surprised.

He decided to keep listening.

"Back then, I was just a poor farmer. In my spare time, I would also help transport firewood for people."

"One day, I drove a cart loaded with wood into the city with my two oxen. I sold the wood to a doctor and earned some money."

"I saw how well that doctor lived, and I became very envious."

"So I asked him whether I could become a doctor too."

"That doctor told me that of course I could. It was very simple."

"He said I only needed to buy a beginner's book with a rooster on the front page. Then I should sell my cart and my two oxen for money, buy some clothes and a few medical supplies, and finally make a signboard."

"On the signboard, I was to write, 'I Am Doctor Know-All,' and nail it above my front door. After that, I could begin practicing medicine."

That left Levi speechless.

He knew medicine in this era was rather casual, but he hadn't expected it to be this casual.

Meanwhile, Doctor Crabb was still trying to curry favor.

"Count, if you wish, I can present that medical book to you without reservation, along with all the experience I've accumulated over the years."

That only made Levi even more speechless.

Medical experience?

Did he mean expertise in bloodletting?

Levi sighed and, still unwilling to give up, asked, "Then how did you become famous? Did you cure many people using some special method?"

"Ah! Count, whether someone is cured is something God decides. My responsibility is only to treat them."

"If bloodletting doesn't work, then we induce vomiting, administer enemas, or provoke sneezing."

"If that still doesn't work, then we apply pigeon droppings to the head and mustard poultices to the feet."

"Oh, right. If that still fails and the patient doesn't wish to depart for the Lord's embrace, they can try mummy powder. I've heard it's a treatment popular among the upper classes, though I've never seen it myself."

His tone was filled with regret.

"Mummy powder?"

Levi felt that his horizons were still far too narrow.

"Doctor, could you explain what that is? Powder scraped off a mummy?"

His expression was strange.

Much like the first time he had heard that bat guano could be used as traditional medicine.

Of course, the thing that had shocked him even more back then was accidentally discovering that human feces could also be used as traditional medicine.

So after hearing the name of this medicine, Levi recovered from his surprise rather quickly.

Doctor Crabb shook his head.

"It's not something that cheap."

"Mummy powder is made by grinding mummies that have been dead for many years into powder and mixing it with spices. According to legend, it possesses miraculous medicinal properties capable of curing many diseases."

"The older the mummy, the stronger the effect of the powder."

Well then.

"These people are fucking insane."

In the end, Levi couldn't help but curse under his breath.

By now, enough of his Magic Power had recovered that he could finally cast Detection on the doctor.

As expected, Crabb possessed no magical eraser capable of healing every wound.

The moment Levi saw the result, his muddled memories finally sorted themselves out.

He had confused two entirely different fairy tales.

Crabb was indeed Doctor Know-All, the lucky peasant who became famous through a series of misunderstandings.

The miraculous physician who possessed the healing treasure came from The Genie in the Bottle.

They had never been the same person.

Levi had simply allowed his preconceived assumptions to blur the two stories together.