Mark sighed at how alike the server"s reality and his own are. Money being the root of all evil and the greed and cla.s.s system running rampant. This can be more easily seen with Mark"s rank system but this server has a similar feel albeit a subtler approach. After continuing his discussion with Percy and touring around the Church of Time and Healing and its facilities Mark is even more disturbed. The ever-present lack of knowledge and equipment shown by the Doctors in this medieval society even at the regular ranks is appalling. While not to the point of bloodletting for sicknesses and crazy superst.i.tions, many facts and approaches to medicine are glossed over. Every person in Mark"s reality at least knows of bacteria and viruses and how certain sicknesses and diseases spread. This knowledge is sorely lacking here and is shown by the disappointment on Mark"s face as he finishes talking to the doctor behind the counter.Percy sees this expression and a.s.sumes that Mark is sad for them and the poor patients they have. "This is why the knowledge and techniques of the Healer"s Guild are so important Mark. Every promising young apprentice healer or doctor is immediately s.n.a.t.c.hed up by them. Who can blame them either? The apprentices just want what is best for themselves and their families. Not many young people aspire to spend most of their life helping the poor. That mostly leaves the Church with the sentimental and often not as smart graduates from the Branch School."
Mark smiles wryly after he hears Percy"s explanation. This makes a lot of sense, he thought. In a world governed with the dream of getting a better life for yourself and your family taking a more profitable and reliable choice is a no brainer. Mark then takes a second look at the supposedly cheap and affordable prices shown at the Church of Time and Healing. Could I have done the same as many of the doctors and apprentices working here? Mark thought to himself. The clear answer to this question upon looking back at Mark"s life so far is No. Mark takes a rare objective look at many of his life"s decisions in the real world. One of his most pivotal decisions in his life was his planning and looking for a job in his senior year at college. What was the overall motivation for Mark to become a doctor and what made him choose that position? Money.
Mark chose to market himself as a doctor for two reasons. The first reason was because of how similar and well suited his super powers were to become a doctor or at least working at a real hospital. The second reason was more important to Mark and his future. The overwhelming amount of money, power and influence doctors had even in Mark"s society. This power and money would enable Mark to give his family a real life and not be forced to work long and grueling hours at a job they hate just to make ends meet. Mark would be able to hold his head high as a doctor regardless of his F rank ability and rank card. The influence from his patients would also cement his position in society with Mark having allies that owe him and he can use to protect himself and give himself value. This is readily apparent when he is now at rock bottom in terms of his luck and has millions and millions of credits in debt. Many of Mark"s other decisions include the importance of money. The multiple jobs he worked in high school before college to support his family, the research of which college will give him the best leg up for the cost of going there, even how much money each scholarship offered to Mark were all prominent decisions that fundamentally resolved around the same core concept of money and inherent greed and the wanting of a better life.
All of this thinking and retrospection of Mark"s, points to one key point that he has been missing since he learned about the two healing factions. Mark can"t help but come to a startling realization about himself. "While I would have joined the Church of Time and Healing when I first decided to help people with my powers after all the experiments with animals, I have changed since then." Just the fact about how much money and status has become a focus of Mark"s life shows that he has more in common with the other doctors at the Healer"s Guild then he would have ever believed possible. "If I had a choice I would have probably joined the Healer"s Guild first just based on the merits and strengths they have. The only problem with doing so now is the superst.i.tions inherent within the Guild coupled with my strange eye color will surely not make this choice an easy one." Mark thought back to the healer who was brought to help him after the gate guard incident and how he vehemently believed Mark"s eyes to be the work of the Devil or even a contract or pact with one.
After waking up out of his daze he was in Mark looked around himself to see what he had missed. Percy was smiling as he moved from person to person in both side of the room. On the church side, he would talk to them and comfort the ones who were experiencing hardships or problems with their lives. Phrases like "Time heals all" "Time is the best motivator" and "The only thing that can heal a broken heart is time" were all common utterances of the head pastor. Percy"s warm smile and kindness were infectious just like some of the sicknesses and illnesses on the other side of the room. Mark would have instantly believed him if Percy told him he had a super power related to speech or aura that helped calm and influence the people around him. Mark also thought of a common term in the past, "Televangelists". People who would go ask for donations for a fund, church or charity on TV and people would believe them because of their words and presence. Mark then sighed at how such a nice man still was not able to do anything more than give a few kind words or some peace of mind to the many people in the hospital side of the room.