A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 518: First, a Taste for the Vampires

What significance does blood type have for vampires?

Garrett was momentarily puzzled. Let’s get this straight, you’re here to taste and research blood typing—what you call "blood tasting"—it’s a fair exchange, right? I help with the sunscreen magic, you help with the blood testing magic...

Now, the way you ask makes it seem like I’m taking advantage of you!

Before he could respond, the Archmage coughed and blinked. A thought struck Garrett:

The ones helping him now are just a few young vampires, none higher than viscount—in terms of mage levels, that’s no more than level 9. If this magic proves useful for vampires, perhaps, he could coax the big shots into helping?

Isn’t it just bluffing to secure research funding!

Watch me!

Garrett organized his thoughts, confident, and looked up directly. Marquis Terlgu was a handsome man with deep-set features, his brown hair slightly curled at the forehead, his complexion dark, his expression somber. In Garrett’s words, he always looked like he was owed a hundred thousand gold coins—

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Now, the Marquis stared back with a "negative hundred thousand gold coins" face. Garrett, undeterred, flashed a smile:

"Marquis, yesterday I witnessed several vampires distinguishing blood during their feeding and was greatly impressed by their ability. —I’m also curious, what does blood mean to vampires?"

It wasn’t a difficult question, especially for a legendary mage’s disciple. If one couldn’t answer, it would be a disgrace. So, without waiting for a response, Garrett continued:

"As I understand it, lower-ranked vampires primarily feed on blood; higher-ranked vampires can sustain themselves just by absorbing energy from moonlight, and blood drinking is more about enhancing their lifestyle..."

This was common knowledge. So Marquis Terlgu’s expression remained unchanged, his face saying, "I’m listening to what else you can come up with." Garrett kept smiling:

"So, as a healer, I have a question—"

Healer. Marquis Terlgu muttered something under his breath, seemingly having had an unpleasant past with this profession. Garrett pretended to notice nothing and asked cheerfully:

"Why do you choose to drink blood directly rather than through transfusion? That is, transfusion is—"

"I know what a transfusion is." Marquis Terlgu suddenly interjected. His brows furrowed, revealing a deep vertical line:

"Do you think we haven’t tried that? Direct transfusion indeed has a much higher absorption efficiency, but it’s also more prone to problems. Sometimes, just to suppress the discomfort can consume nearly as much energy as a regular feeding—or even all of it!"

"Then it’s probably because of the wrong blood type!" Garrett quickly raised his voice:

"It’s the same with humans; if the blood types match, it benefits, if they don’t, it leads to various adverse reactions, even death!"

"Hmm..." Marquis Terlgu pondered briefly. He neither agreed nor raised objections, nor did he counter. But Viscount Sebesh scoffed lightly:

"So how do you prove it? By drawing our blood for experiments?—The true blood of vampires is very precious!"

Garrett turned to look him in the eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled:

"Blood transfusion technology might be hard to verify. So, let’s start with something simpler. I’m curious—why do vampires prefer arterial blood over venous blood?"

—Surely arterial is deeper and harder to reach, isn’t it?

With this question, the Marquis did not reply but simply smiled. However, Viscount Sebesh and another vampire simultaneously exclaimed:

"It tastes better! Fresher!"

"Full of life!"

Full of life? Garrett’s eyes lit up. The main difference between arterial and venous blood lies in the hemoglobin’s oxygen-carrying capacity—ignoring carbon dioxide and various other wastes for the moment. So...

"If there was a technology that could turn venous blood into arterial blood, or something close, would you be willing to try it?"

This suggestion clearly struck a chord with the vampires. Viscount Sebesh bowed slightly to the Marquis, grabbed Garrett, and started running. While running, he muttered:

"If it can be solved, that would be best!"

"Biting into arteries is troublesome; it’s easy to puncture a vein by accident!"

"And the newly turned often can’t recognize the blood vessels..."

"I have a few blood slaves I’m fond of; it pains me to see them suffer!"

Garrett listened with one ear and rolled his eyes with the other. Until Viscount Sebesh rushed into a room, raised his voice, and called:

"Theresa!"

A young girl responded from next door. Dressed in a neat black robe, her head covered with a black veil, her hair tightly wrapped underneath, not a strand visible. A spotless white collar, she

was the epitome of a Radiant Church nun.

And around her pale neck, clasped a heavy black iron collar.

She curtsied. Viscount Sebesh pulled her wrist towards Garrett:

"Come, draw blood!"

"No live subjects!" Garrett, as if awakening from a dream, instinctively stepped back:

"Don’t use live subjects!—Do you have stored blood?"

"Why use stored when we have live..."

Viscount Sebesh’s grumbling sounded much like Garrett’s own complaints about "having fresh vegetables, why eat compressed biscuits." Garrett shook his head firmly, looking at the girl he had pulled forward:

The nun’s robe had wide sleeves that naturally fell back when her arm was raised, exposing half of her smooth forearm. Even though Viscount Sebesh had let go, she still kept her eyes downcast, her arm extended, palm up, motionless.

The blood slave girl’s expression was numb, neither sad nor happy, nor showing any fear. That look, as if her own wrist, her own blood, even her whole body, had nothing to do with her.

But Garrett could not treat it as irrelevant. Even if she was a nun from the Radiant Church, even if their stances were potentially hostile, even if she was a vampire’s slave, he was a diplomat and could not simply rescue her—

But she was still a person.

A person, not an animal, not something to be used for blood drawing so casually.

Garrett even stepped aside to shield Theresa from Viscount Sebesh:

"Use stored blood, or else, come with me to the Sleepless Tower!"

Well, getting experimental materials from the Black Crow Swamp is always possible...

Viscount Sebesh was helpless. He couldn’t simply overpower Garrett, nor could he use mind control to make him work—doing so with so many great mages coming and going wasn’t exactly the place for misdeeds!

The two stood silently confronting each other. Garrett stood tall, his arms shielding the blood slave girl, unyielding. After a long while, Viscount Sebesh shrugged and waved to his blood slave:

"Theresa, you may go!"

The blood slave girl curtsied silently and retreated. At the door, she raised her gaze to Garrett for a moment:

Her eyes shimmered with fear mixed with gratitude, and within that gratitude, mingled with fear and loathing. The next moment, she lowered her eyelids again, calm and impassive, walking out like a puppet.

Garrett watched until her figure disappeared. Across from him, Viscount Sebesh raised an eyebrow, slapped his space bag, and tossed out a bag of fresh blood:

"Are you satisfied now?—Can you show me the test now?"

Let’s see the test then. Garrett set up a test tube and a spirit lamp, bubbling away, starting to heat potassium permanganate. He introduced the heated oxygen into the beaker containing the blood, bubbling at the bottom of the beaker...

Visibly, the dark red stored blood gradually turned bright red.

Well, artificial lungs for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, though the materials are a hassle, involving things like semi-permeable membranes and synthetic cell membrane polymers to protect the blood components. But since it’s being processed for vampires to drink, it’s good enough...

"Take a sip?"

"Me drink?"

"Who else, you think I’m going to drink it?"

Viscount Sebesh grumbled, reluctantly lifting the beaker. After a slight sip, his eyes lit up, giving Garrett a thumbs up:

"Not bad! Useful! Much tastier!"

Ah, for vampires like them, when traveling abroad, unable to carry blood slaves easily and needing to stay discreet, drinking stored blood was hard... Now, at least they could process it a bit, enjoying blood full of vitality!

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