When Durin was used as an experimental subject by the previous mage, he accidentally endured a necromancy spell. His internal organs immediately failed, and his bodily functions rapidly declined.
Fortunately, that mage, adhering to humanitarian principles, sent Durin to the black market Medical Skill, which was the Toad Witch Doctor's place. Originally, this mage thought that if he could save him, he would; if not, using him as an experimental subject would be a contribution to human medical science.
Unexpectedly, Durin survived under the Toad Witch Doctor's treatment and recovered exceptionally quickly. Of course, there were still some lingering side effects, such as Durin needing to regularly drink herbal soup to nourish his body's organs.
Durin also unexpectedly gained two points of Medical Skill proficiency. One way to increase Medical Skill proficiency is simply to recover from injuries, though the experience gained is relatively small.
Durin's Intelligence is Lv.2. After more than half a year, since he hadn't invested any specialization points into it, his Medical Skill proficiency was only 8 points.
At this moment, the Toad Witch Doctor's green bean-sized eyes rolled around, and then he slowly extended his disproportionately small right hand and placed it on Durin's inner wrist, beginning to take his pulse.
With his left hand, he casually picked up a bronze pipe from the table, put it in his mouth, and began puffing on it. His cheeks puffed in and out, his mouth opened and closed, and he exhaled white smoke.
He sat on the chair like a mountain, not even lifting an eyelid.
After he finished taking Durin's pulse, he said lazily, "Durin, it seems your body is well-nourished, or rather, your physique is quite special. During this time, your body has not only not worsened but has become a bit stronger than before. However, your internal organs are still a bit weak, possibly due to the environment in Zaun's Upper City, but it's not a major issue. Just a few more days of good rest and you'll be fine."
Durin was immediately relieved after hearing the Toad Witch Doctor's words. He picked up the water and drank it leisurely, then asked, "So, do I still need to keep buying medicine?"
"Of course. You still need to take medicine for another month. A friendly reminder, the price of the Dragon Cinnamomum herb has gone up. The total price for a month's supply of herbs will be around 3.6 silver lun coins," the Toad Witch Doctor said calmly.
"3.6 silver lun coins?" Durin said incredulously, "That's almost an 80% price increase!"
"Yes, do you want it or not?"
"...Can it be cheaper? Round it down, 3 silver lun coins?"
"No! That's not how you round down. It's a fixed price, take it or leave it!"
"...Alright, I'll take it!"
Only then did the Toad Witch Doctor slowly rise from his chair. His two short, stout hind legs stood on the ground, and his corpulent body, with every step he took, caused the blue fat on his body to jiggle three times.
He arrived in front of a thick iron door, which was securely locked with a large iron lock. The iron lock was not difficult to open, but the problem was the iron door itself, which weighed half a ton, making it difficult to open silently.
The Toad Witch Doctor fumbled in the folds of his fat and pulled out a key, unlocked the iron lock, and then pushed open the iron door.
Inside the nearly one hundred square meter area were neatly arranged medicine cabinets. Each drawer was labeled, all containing various precious medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, ganoderma, ambergris, cordyceps, fleeceflower root, and Tianshan snow lotus, among others.
In the eastern part of the room, against the wall, a two-inch high deity statue was enshrined.
This statue was intricately carved from precious century-old peach wood. Beneath the statue was a one-meter-high sandalwood table and chair, covered with three layers of yellow cloth. Within the shrine, a two-foot-wide, one-foot-high piece of yellow cloth behind the statue was inconspicuous.
The Toad Witch Doctor respectfully offered three incense sticks to the statue, then bowed three times, before taking out a pre-packed small cloth bag from the medicine cabinet, labeled: Dragon Cinnamomum.
After relocking the iron door, the Toad Witch Doctor casually placed the small cloth bag on the table, then sat back on the sofa, and poured himself a glass of water, which he drank with a gulp.
Durin gritted his teeth, pulled out 3 silver lun coins and 60 copper circle coin from his inner pocket, and placed them all on the table at once, his face full of reluctance.
The clinking sound of metal coins filled the ears of the man and the Toad Witch Doctor.
After deducting the medical expenses, Durin's total assets amounted to only 4 silver lun coins. With his wallet suddenly much lighter, Durin immediately felt a lack of confidence in his words.
Moreover, today is April 30th, and tomorrow will be May 1st, meaning there are only 10 days left until rent is due.
Durin had to quickly earn more money to ensure his quality of life wouldn't decline because of rent payments.