I considered going to see the chemist as well…
But I decided to go tomorrow, thinking it was highly likely he was already a lost cause.
It's not that; I was just too exhausted.
Liston, clearly a martial artist, showed no signs of fatigue at all…
But I'm just an ordinary person with no martial arts skills, no internal energy, nothing.
I treated diabetes in the morning, handled a corpse in the afternoon, suddenly wiped out a supplier gang, and then had to placate Lord Jamie over cocaine.
"Haaaaah."
As soon as I lay down on the bed at Alfred's senior's place, a groan escaped me.
At times like this, a hot shower would be absolute bliss…
But showering is impossible, isn't it?
So, I've arranged something else.
I earn good money, and thanks to me, the old man has also started earning money steadily, so it became possible: I have a private bathroom, and there's someone who prepares water for it.
"Preparing water" doesn't just mean turning on the tap like in the 21st century; you have to boil water from the mains, let it cool, and then pour it—it's quite labor-intensive.
Well… with so many guys in the gang who are strong and loyal but want to retire, finding someone capable wasn't that difficult.
"It's ready, Boss."
"Ah, yes."
As I stepped into the prepared bathtub, I took out the powder the chemist had given me earlier.
Cocaine.
Honestly, this is the first time I've seen what it actually looks like.
I've only heard about it or seen it in media—where would I have seen it in person?
The number of patients admitted for acute poisoning has been increasing…
Now that I think about it, there are probably even more these days.
How did drugs end up running rampant in the world?
'Lidocaine comes from this.'
Being a doctor, I knew all too well the harms caused by drugs.
If I started seeking out drugs in my current situation, wouldn't that be strange?
Excluding the fact that it's the 19th century, I'm actually doing much better than in my past life.
To be a center director at this age…
Considering that the "center" is essentially a branch hospital, I'm actually the director, the director!
And what about the silver lining behind me?
"Shall I bring you something to drink?"
"Ah, let's have a glass of wine."
"Yes!"
The person who just left is essentially my personal secretary or servant…
Isn't this a luxury I couldn't even dream of in my past life?
Thinking that, I peeked at the white powder in the leather pouch.
If it blew in the wind and got into my nose, it would be a disaster, so I only took a quick glance.
No, I'm not looking at it anymore.
I realized I don't need to stare at it to think.
'If this is processed properly… it becomes lidocaine, right? How is that done?'
Actually, I have no idea how to refine cocaine from coca leaves.
Probably even the 19th-century guys didn't know.
Then how did they do it?
-Did you know that some substances dissolve in water, and some dissolve in oil? Some dissolve in acid, and some in alkali.
Ah, was it because of me?
But I don't want to regret it now.
To refine and use the medicinal components in natural substances, you have to dissolve them, right?
Besides, I never even mentioned the 'C' in cocaine.
I did tell them to try dissolving all sorts of substances that could be medicine…
'Now that it's come to this… I should probably think about how to use this… Or not? Am I just opening Pandora's box for no reason?'
As I continued pondering, the gang member brought the wine.
Since the glass wasn't pure glass but had something mixed in, the wine looked even more brilliant when poured.
Maybe it was just the ambiguous light from the gas lamp on the ceiling, but anyway.
I took a sip of the wine.
It was strangely sweet.
It's wine, but it's sweet.
How is this possible without a wine refrigerator?
'I think they mentioned something about lead before…'
Surely it's a joke.
Would they really dip lead in wine?
'No… no way.'
These bastards are fully capable of doing it.
Wondering why they would even think of dipping lead in wine is pointless.
How many things in human history are beyond understanding?
When you think about it, racism itself is irrational.
Compared to that, dipping a little lead is nothing.
I don't know how the old wives' tale that it makes wine sweet started…
'Hmm.'
Once that thought crossed my mind, the taste of the wine plummeted.
You never know.
It's not like I'm desperate for alcohol…
So I just set it down.
My thoughts about cocaine were similar.
Now that I think about it, it's because we have a center development meeting tomorrow.
It might sound a bit formal, but it's just a gathering of investors and sponsors to discuss the future direction of our center.
'Until now, it's mostly been about drinking and talking…'
But tomorrow feels like it might be different.
For one, the research lab has produced some results.
And rumors about diabetes treatment have spread like wildfire, so the number of patients has skyrocketed, and it's about time to hire more assistants.
On top of that, everyone except the director—meaning those who aren't actually doctors—has recently been dabbling in medicine, so they occasionally offer all sorts of opinions.
'Right, I should bring it up tomorrow.'
Cocaine.
Let's shut this down first.
Once I decided that, I felt much more at ease, and sleep began to creep in.
If I fell asleep here and caught a cold, it would be a disaster, so I hurried out and dried off first.
A cold…
If I catch one, I could really die.
It's not just because there are no proper treatments, including antibiotics.
I have a strong belief that the more effort my colleagues put into treating me, the faster I'll cool off.
They've become more enlightened, but their concept of bloodletting hasn't changed.
Heck, even the technique of opening the skull and removing a hematoma…
They'd probably consider it a form of bloodletting.
"Hmm."
After spending a night filled with such thoughts and finishing my morning tasks, I entered the conference room on the second floor of the center.
Inside were almost all the key figures of our hospital, including Lord Jamie, who had been too busy lately to show his face.
I didn't see Colin's father; since he's a trader, it couldn't be helped.
"Well. Now that everyone's here, let's start the meeting. First, the financial report."
"Yes, I'll present that."
Alfred's father was there instead.
He's the most numerically skilled among us.
He only shared the revenue, labor costs, material costs, and net profit, but even that was a huge task.
Honestly, without him, we wouldn't have been able to establish a corporation.
Ah, surprisingly, the concept of a corporation already exists here.
There's even the concept of a joint-stock company…
Developed countries are developed, indeed.
"Wow. We're making good money, huh?"
"Exactly. Even with all the research expenses, we still have this much left."
"We definitely need to expand diabetes treatment. Ah, are we properly supporting that slaughterhouse gang?"
At the director's words, Liston puffed up with pride.
"Yes, we did. There's no gang in London that can keep up now."
"As expected of the Sword Saint. Good. Then I'll handle the recruitment. You just conduct the interviews and make the decisions."
"Yes, we'll do that."
Once I finished answering, the constructive discussions were mostly over.
From now on…
It's a bit of an armchair debate.
No, from my perspective, it's nothing short of a festival of absurd opinions.
They really spout nonsense like untamed colts.
Is it because they know nothing that their imagination has no limits?
"Well, then, let's share your wisdom on the future direction of the research lab and hospital."
At the director's words, Lord Jamie raised his hand as if he'd been waiting.
No wonder he came despite being busy—he must have had something to say.
"Yes, Your Grace."
At the director's prompting, he took a sip of his sweet wine and continued.
"Isn't it common sense now for anyone with decent wealth to hire a reliable sommelier?"
Typical of a duke, his words were quite elegant.
It sounded somewhat familiar, but well…
Since it wasn't wrong, I listened quietly.
'I'm the one who created employment opportunities in London.'
If you say your job is tasting urine, it might sound horrifying…
But if you ask people whether they'd work in a London factory or taste urine, a hundred out of a hundred would choose to taste urine.
Seriously.
Of course, tasting urine isn't exactly ordinary.
It probably doesn't feel great.
But working in a factory doesn't sound great either.
No, it's worse than that—in some factories, you might not even survive a year.
There are tons of factories handling white phosphorus, lead, mercury, arsenic, etc.
I was feeling a bit proud, just like Liston earlier, when Jamie continued.
"It's become common knowledge that urine can predict health to some extent. Don't you agree, Pyeong-sin?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
I said it.
Me, right away.
"There's one thing I've been curious about."
"What is it?"
"Wouldn't blood be more closely related to our life? So, what about creating a 'sanguinelier'?"
"Huh?"
The pride I felt vanished without a trace.
Instead, my mind was filled with '?'.
What is he talking about?
"I've, haha, done some studying. I heard urine is produced by the kidneys? Is that correct?"
"It is… yes."
"I also heard that its raw material is blood. Is that true?"
"Ah, Your Grace, that hasn't been fully confirmed yet…"
The director tried to interject, but it's actually true.
The 19th century is truly confusing.
Scientific facts and unscientific claims are jumbled together, leading to utterly absurd conclusions.
"Well, we'll know if we try."
"That's true."
Ah, and there's no such thing as human rights or research ethics here.
I'm not sure what he means by "try," but I'd bet my life it's human experimentation.
"Anyway, then, if blood tastes sweet, wouldn't that be clearer evidence than sweet urine?"
"Oh."
I wondered how to stop this.
The idea of tasting blood is horrifying and pointless, but there's an even more important reason.
Surprisingly, urine is sterile if there's no urinary tract infection because the kidneys filter it.
But blood…
How many germs must be in the blood of people from this era?
The risk of infection is enormous.
But before I could open my mouth, someone else spoke first.
It was Liston.
And not to stop him.
How many years have we been together?
I could tell just by his expression.
"Pyeong probably knows too. He might even be an expert."
I didn't expect him to drag me into this…
"I hear there are royal physicians in Joseon responsible for the king's health."
"Oho… I suppose so. It is a medically advanced country, isn't it?"
"Do you know how those physicians check the king's health?"
Ah, shit.
Don't.
Don't you dare!
"I don't know."
"They taste his feces."
"Oho! A 'fecalmelier'?"