Chapter 554 - 551: Vote

Chapter 554: Chapter 551: Vote

"Alright, the voting is now complete. I will now announce the results."

"..."

"Three votes in favor of establishing the disease repository."

"Nine votes against."

Upon hearing the result, the Manager’s light dimmed considerably. He was clearly very disappointed.

"If there are no further comments, the decision stands—the disease repository will not be established."

"Thank you all for your participation. I wish you all a pleasant time healing."

The Healers exchanged a few pleasantries before scattering, as if the vote had been of no great importance and they had only been there to make up the numbers.

Gradually, only Mo Ling, Xi, and the Manager remained on the grassy field. The Manager’s sphere of light was still quite dim. He stood forlornly on the grass, his body hunched over.

"You... you two voted in favor, didn’t you?" he suddenly asked Mo Ling and Xi.

"We did. How did you know?" Mo Ling asked.

"Because none of them would ever support me. They won’t go against the Elder Council’s opinion. Establishing a disease repository is a high-risk endeavor, and they lack the courage for it."

The Manager’s tone was filled with resignation. It was clear he had anticipated the outcome of the vote all along.

"May I ask why you two sided with me?" the Manager asked.

"Because I’ve done something similar. I modified a disease, changed its form, and protected it..." Xi said, a bit sheepishly. Having protected the Red Spirit Flower, it was only natural he could understand the Manager’s position.

Xi told the Manager his story with the Red Spirit Flower, adding earnestly, "If we could establish a disease repository and preserve these illnesses, maybe one day we could find a use for them. When fighting certain diseases, other diseases can become incredibly useful antidotes..."

As he listened to Xi’s reasoning, the Manager’s light flickered a few times.

"You make an excellent point. It’s a reason I’ve considered myself and even discussed with the other Healers. But this is what they told me—"

"Healers have no need for antidotes."

As he spoke these words, the Manager’s voice grew somber once more.

"It’s true, Healers don’t need antidotes. Our healing abilities can resolve anything. But..."

The Manager straightened up, his gaze turning to the sky. "But other species do! We can’t just think about treating illnesses, can we? Are we supposed to just wash our hands of patients once they leave the Hua Sheng Islands? Are we to let plagues ravage the outside world while we turn a blind eye?"

"Even if we can’t help them directly, we can at least give them the antidotes and let them save more patients in our stead, can’t we?"

At this, the Manager grew agitated, his light flickering erratically.

After a long moment, he gradually calmed down.

"And you? Why did you vote in favor?" The Manager’s sphere of light turned toward Mo Ling as he asked this curiously.

"Because studying diseases is a form of healing in itself. A Healer’s ability is based on ’knowledge,’ isn’t it? By preserving diseases, we can study them better, draw broader conclusions, and more quickly understand their causes during treatment. That allows us to unleash our full healing power."

’Mo Ling was answering from the perspective of human medicine. No matter how advanced medical science becomes, to better treat patients, you can never escape the need for ’medical experience.’’

’A doctor is always more adept at treating an illness they have faced before. For the medical community as a whole, the experience of a single doctor can push the entire group forward. The same must be true for the Healer race.’

’Preserving these diseases is a way of passing down experience to future generations. In Mo Ling’s eyes, that was an incredibly meaningful endeavor.’

The Manager was greatly comforted by Mo Ling’s answer.

"I thought no one would understand me... I never expected to find two kindred spirits."

Among Healers, differing medical philosophies often led to conflict. The Elder Council also held immense sway. Even if a Healer had a unique idea, they wouldn’t dare express it casually. To find understanding from another Healer was a rare thing indeed.

The Manager stood in place, lost in thought for a long while. Finally, he announced his decision to Mo Ling and Xi:

"Since no one will help me, I’ll establish a disease repository on my own! If I can manage all of Senluo Island, I can certainly manage a disease repository!"

The moment the Manager finished speaking, the warm sunlight suddenly split apart, the verdant grass faded away, and the Manager’s form grew increasingly blurry, his light seeming to congeal.

"What’s happening?"

"His consciousness has departed again, but it hasn’t gone far," Xi said. "Senior, should we follow?"

"Follow him!"

At this, Xi gripped Mo Ling’s hand tightly, and the surrounding scene shifted once more...

This time, they found themselves back in the forest of Matrix Trees. The Manager’s form, which had been fading, sharpened back into focus.

He was standing before a Matrix Tree, gazing silently at its trunk as if lost in thought.

Sensing their arrival, the Manager turned to face Mo Ling and Xi.

"You’re here... It’s been a long time."

The Manager’s voice was laced with exhaustion, as if he hadn’t rested in ages.

His left hand looked... odd. His fingertips were stained with strange colors, his fingers were twisted, and his forearm was overgrown with blue algae. A few glittering, diamond-like scales sprouted from his elbow.

Upon seeing the two of them, the Manager belatedly hid his left hand behind his back, but his guilty posture gave him away.

"You used yourself as a host?" Xi demanded.

"Yes," the Manager replied. "Senluo Island is home only to protected species. I couldn’t let them get infected, so I had to infect myself..."

"Don’t worry. These are all relatively harmless pathogens. The Rainbow Virus, Spiral Vine Disease, Iron Blue Algae, the Flashing Scale Fungus... even if something were to go wrong, I can heal myself. It’s fine."

The Manager slowly extended his left hand, presenting it to them.

But Xi, furious, was not placated by the Manager’s explanation. "This is what you call a disease repository? You’re putting yourself in mortal danger! Have you forgotten what the Elders taught us?"

"’No matter the circumstances, healing must be predicated on one’s own safety! Only by ensuring your safety can you better treat your patients! Cherish your own life! Be vigilant against all possible dangers! Treat every seemingly harmless disease with caution!’"

Xi raged, seemingly having forgotten that everything before him was merely an illusion created by the Healing Space. He was utterly incensed by the Manager’s actions.

Having once infected himself with a parasitic plant, Xi understood the danger all too well.

The Manager remained perfectly calm throughout Xi’s tirade. Only after Xi had vented all his anger did the Manager finally speak:

"’After the last vote, I returned to Senluo Island and thought for a long, long time. I just couldn’t understand why the Elders would oppose this matter. Establishing a disease repository is clearly such a meaningful endeavor. Why would they be against it?’"

"’But then, I understood... They aren’t actually opposed to the act of establishing a disease repository. They’re opposed to us putting ourselves in danger.’"

"’The Elders have protected us too well. So well, in fact, that we’ve forgotten... the fight against disease is inherently dangerous...’"