Chapter 97: The Black Death: Destiny (End) [VIP]
In the evening, the cook brought bread made from wheat seeds sent from the royal capital to Xiao Yun and others.
Xiao Yun carefully cut the bread. The cut surface was clean and white, completely dry and showed no signs of contamination. But when he activated the "God of Agriculture" Hou Ji card and looked at it again, the originally clean and white cut surface of the bread suddenly became ugly and disgusting, covered with reddish-brown mold spots.
"Go to the kitchen and get some live animals, like a chicken or a duck."
"Yes, sir."
The attendant obeyed the order and soon brought back a woven cage with two chickens and six sparrows in it.
Xiao Yun broke the bread, which was covered with terrible reddish-brown mold spots that only he could see, into small crumbs and threw them into the cage to feed the chickens and sparrows.
…
The chickens and sparrows quickly ate the bread crumbs they were fed, and they were still lively and energetic after a night. They did not show any of the symptoms of poisoning and fainting that poultry and livestock might experience after eating flour containing poisonous wheat.
Seeing this scene, Haras couldn't help but start to doubt his own judgment.
Xiao Yun doesn't think so.
Holding the golden gem he had received from the Three-Eyed Tribe, he walked over to the woven cage.
Under the light of pale golden light, he saw tiny white particles appearing on the spines of chickens and sparrows!
(…There’s something similar on the back of Lias’ neck!)
Xiao Yun tried hard to suppress his surprise and thought quickly.
(These white particles are likely the primary form of the white worms in Lias' body!)
(The "Dark Night Mentor" said that the poison in Lias was a combination of a demonic curse and demonic spores. And according to the information provided by the system, the poisoning mechanism of poisonous wheat is the toxic wheat fungus parasitic between the seed coat and the starch layer of the caryopsis, producing maltose. Aren't mycelium a kind of spore?)
(If the antidote prepared with the formula sent by "Dark Night Mentor" Pyromira is also effective against the white stuff in chickens and sparrows...)
Thinking of this, Xiao Yun ordered people to divide the chickens and sparrows into two groups, and wait for Romila to send the antidote formula, and immediately conduct a control group experiment.
"—Harras."
"What's up?"
"The wheat seeds sent from the capital have already been processed by the cadres, right?"
"Yes."
"Check it again carefully, and make sure not a single one is missed."
Xiao Yun warned: "The severity of the wheat seed incident is likely to exceed expectations!"
"Exceeded expectations? What does that mean?"
"I don't know exactly what will happen... but most direct descendants of the Holy Family can subconsciously sense approaching danger... The moment I saw the wheat and faced the chickens and sparrows in the cages, I felt a strong sense of unease and fear..."
"ah?"
Haras gasped in fear.
"Luckily for our enemies, this particular poisonous wheat seed isn't easily available. So, we just need to destroy the portion that has already entered Dalavia and cut off the source of supply..."
"I understand! I understand!"
Haras nodded repeatedly, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and ran to give a detailed report to Lord Adlonmo.
…
After lunch, Xiao Yun, still feeling uneasy, returned to the living room to take a nap, only to find the window open and a white snake-like creature with a human head coiled on the sofa.
"Romila?"
"Me~"
Upon hearing this, Romila smiled flatteringly, twisted her snake-like body repeatedly, and spit out a crystal bottle containing a tightly bound parchment.
"The old man asked me to give you the formula for the antidote."
“So thick?”
Xiao Yun opened the crystal bottle and poured out the parchment scroll. He found that it not only contained the detailed formula of the antidote, but also recorded the "Dark Night Mentor's" understanding and research on this strange poison called "Demon Seed" over the years.
Xiao Yun hurriedly read the parchment.
"...The core component of the 'demon seed' is an unidentified spore suspected to be from an alien universe. I've named it the 'demon spore.' The 'demon spore' is extremely tenacious. High-temperature dehydration, strong acids and alkalis, and low-temperature freezing cannot completely destroy its vitality. Even if it is placed in a near-vacuum environment, it will simply fall into a dormant state, still maintaining a certain degree of activity."
"Once the 'devil spores' enter a living organism, they will actively attach themselves to the host's nervous system. While absorbing nutrients from the host and reproducing themselves, the mycelium will penetrate the host's nervous system and gradually control the host's body, eventually killing the host and taking over..."
(“Devil spores” can actually invade the nervous system and take over the host’s body?!)
Xiao Yun took a breath of cold air.
(So that's it! Crimson wheat isn't the common type of wheat with a toxin-ridden fungus between the seed coat and the starch layer. Instead, it's healthy wheat infested with "devil spores"!)
(Wheat seeds infected by the "devil spores" will take on a similar appearance to poisonous wheat. As a result, even if someone discovers something unusual, they will often assume it's poisonous wheat accidentally mixed in, and won't be alert... And they won't realize that the healthy wheat seeds in the bag are also contaminated by the "devil spores"...)
(If Lias hadn't reminded them, the contaminated wheat seeds would have been distributed to the farmers in Dalavia... Even if Lias had reminded them, without the help of the "God of Agriculture" card, Adlon and the others would not have discovered that the wheat was contaminated by "demon spores"...)
Why did Edmund do this?
(Because he knew that after the Black Death incident, he had completely lost the hearts of the Dalavians and needed a place to replenish his troops. So, under the guidance of the Dragon Emperor, Edmund took advantage of the weakness of insufficient support for the agricultural areas delayed by the Black Death, and sent troops infected with "demon spores" in the name of disaster relief.
(Whether it's ground into flour or sown and cultivated, as long as the flour containing "demon spores" is consumed, the Dalavians will gradually become his walking corpses...)
war.
"——Lucien, you are here..."
Muttering brought Xiao Yun back from his thoughts.
"Tell 'Dark Night Mentor' that the things he sent me were of great help to me."
"A lot of help?"
Romila rolled her eyes and then pursed her voluptuous, rosy lips. "Then can you give me a kiss as a reward?"
"Can't."
"Why?"
Romila complained, "Because I'm not pretty, smart, or cute in your eyes... and you've never loved me?"
"Hurry back and report."
Xiao Yun urged Romila impatiently.
Upon hearing this, Romila twisted her snake-like body in an attempt to flatter him, but was intimidated by Xiao Yun's displeased gaze and the faintly glowing "golden blade". She spoke pitifully, "Kairusha's condition is gradually stabilizing, and his memory is beginning to recover..."
"Really? Is he really getting better?"
"The old man said Kairusha's situation is gradually improving, but I think he's lying... I often sneak into Kairusha when he's not around, and I find that the Prairie Black Hawk has become a dead tree. Its so-called vitality is nothing more than the moss that the old man glued to the trunk..."
"How could you come up with such a vivid metaphor?"
"—These are Kairusha's original words."
Romila grumbled with jealousy.
"This man looks rough and savage, like a black stone burned by fire, but his mind is as delicate as a hair... The most hateful thing is that he doesn't want me! He didn't want me even when I offered myself to him! I may not look as good as His Highness the Lord! My temperament is worse than his! But I have good skills and a low limit. As long as it makes me feel good, I can do it in any position! On the other hand, His Highness the Lord... Let's not talk about whether he can sleep with anyone, just look at his frail body that could be blown away by the wind at any time. How can he possibly make a man feel good? Lucien! You didn't interrupt me! You used to..."
“Because there’s no need.”
Xiao Yun said nonchalantly, "Complaining is your only remaining freedom. I don't need to deprive you of your last pleasure."
“…”
Romila was deeply dissatisfied with this answer. "Well, I admit that there is no beauty comparable to your brother, just as no one in the world can upset my mood more than you... However, I did hear something strange from Kairusha... His encounter with the 'Sage of Death' took place in the underground ruins of the Eternal Empire...
"'Death Sage'..."
"Isn't this very suspicious information?"
Romila lowered her voice, "Although the old man always says that the real 'Death Sage' is dead and the 'Death Sage' Kairusha encountered was an imposter...but the 'Death Sage' is a strange existence. The old man has entered the underground ruins of the Eternal Empire buried in the deepest part of the Death Desert several times, and was beaten out by the 'Death Sage' every time...and the 'Death Sage' that appeared before us was different every time..."
"Different? Different in appearance or—"
"Every 'Death Sage' we encountered wore a white cloak covering their face and wielded a white staff. But the bodies beneath the cloaks were sometimes short, sometimes slender, and sometimes curvy, like a young woman... I suspect the 'Death Sage' isn't just one person, but a group..."
"I see, that's indeed possible... But for me, resolving the Dalavia issue is the most urgent matter."
"oh……"
The succubus showed a frustrated expression when she found that the topic she had thought of with all her heart could not attract Xiao Yun's attention.
At this time, the servant knocked on the door outside: "Lord Adlon Mojue wishes to see you immediately."
"Please ask him to wait a moment. I haven't—"
Xiao Yun turned around and found that Romila had already left using the magic space.
…
"Adlon, what do you want from me?"
"Due to this sudden rainstorm, there was severe flooding in the city of Taide."
There was a purple ring of sleep deprivation under Adlon's eyes. "I want to know what happened to our country? Why did Dalavia suffer such continuous misfortunes? And - what should Dalavia do to overcome the difficulties!"
“Is the urban flooding situation serious?”
"It's very serious. Harrah's is dealing with it, but flooding is not the biggest crisis right now—"
Adlon smiled bitterly as he looked out the window at the Rosa Marie flowers, whose petals had been shattered and only leaves remained after a night of heavy rain.
"Dalavia is located in the northern border, with a dry and cold climate. It is also designated a blood tax zone. Every year, it contributes a large number of young and strong men to the imperial army. It also has to maintain border security, making it impossible to develop commodity trade. Agricultural production within the region is mostly carried out by the elderly, the weak, women, and children. Therefore, even in good years, Dalavia's food self-sufficiency rate is less than 70%, requiring the Empire to allocate food aid from grain-producing areas."
"Although the Black Death that ravaged Dalavia has been temporarily repelled, it has killed approximately 30% of the population within Dalavia. At least another 20% survived thanks to timely treatment, but... the labor force has been completely or partially lost... Furthermore, the Black Death outbreak occurred in summer and autumn, the critical time for the autumn wheat harvest... The disaster prevented the harvest of the soon-to-ripen wheat from proceeding normally... Countless people are facing the risk of famine... After the beginning of next spring, as the lord, I must mobilize the remaining young and middle-aged men in Dalavia to fulfill the new year's blood tax..."
"In fact, if chopping off my head would put the Dalavians out of their troubles, I would..."
"You're telling a joke that's not funny at all."
Xiao Yun interrupted Adlon's complaints.
"My brother had a very hard life since he was little, spending most of the year in bed with a high fever. He once laughed and told those around him how wonderful it would be if humans could survive with just a brain. The part below the neck was a complete burden to him. But despite such hardships, he still fought hard to stay alive, taking medicine every day to stay alive. He wanted to join me in fighting our enemies. He hoped to see the light of dawn before he died."
"-Okay, I admit that I'm a bit resentful. But if you were in my position, you would have similar thoughts."
"I won't complain like you, because I have to hurry up and find a way to solve the problem."
…
…
After Adlon left, Xiao Yun began to prepare the antidote.
Fortunately, the antidote formula of the "Dark Night Mentor" was not complicated, and he had the assistance of the Four Famous Doctors Cards. After two tests, he was able to mix the correct antidote.
As planned, he mixed part of the antidote into drinking water and fed it to the chickens and sparrows marked as Group A, and sent the remaining antidote to Lias.
Lias drank the antidote provided by Xiao Yun on the spot without hesitation.
Xiao Yun: "Aren't you afraid that the antidote I gave you might be poisonous?"
"I'm almost dead, am I still afraid of being poisoned?"
Lias wiped the corner of his mouth and said with a dry laugh, "I haven't been doing nothing in Winter Castle these past two days. I've been observing you the whole time, watching so many people come in and out of your office, receiving orders and leaving enthusiastically. Suddenly, I feel like a complete loser."
"You're not useless at all, you—"
"No, I'm useless. I can't even do my job properly. When faced with an emergency, I just squat in a corner with my knees hugged, complaining that fate has been too harsh on me. Then, my colleagues and subordinates coax and trick me into leaving as a troublemaker. Perhaps, it's precisely because I'm useless that His Majesty keeps me at court, to derive the sense of superiority he so desperately needs from me."
"Edmund he—"
"Honestly, I've always felt ashamed of myself and pity for His Majesty. He wasn't born a tyrant, but unfortunately was thrust into a position unsuitable for him. With low self-esteem, he's always wanted to demonstrate his abilities and establish his own power, but the court officials either thought his ideas were naive or believed that Da Mo was superior to the Emperor. And His Majesty, Da Mo, is arrogant and spoiled, and won't speak softly to him just because Your Majesty is the Emperor..."
"What are you talking about? You think it's the people around him who are to blame for Edmund becoming a tyrant?"
"I……"
"Beauty and intelligence may be innate, but diligence, elegance, propriety, and politeness... these qualities can be cultivated. Even my brother often stayed up all night to pore over ancient texts and correct his manners in front of the mirror, just to meet the public's expectations of the Son of God. Everyone works hard in secret, unseen by others. Why should Edmund take it for granted that he doesn't work hard and still expects others to accommodate him? Why does he feel inferior and pressured by blaming others for their superior performance?"
"Lord Lucien..."
"Since he thinks the throne is the source of his pain, why doesn't he give it to someone more suitable? It's not like he doesn't have sisters, and it's not like there haven't been emperors in the history of the empire! What's more, he has many cousins! Each of them works harder and is more outstanding than him!"
Xiao Yun angrily emphasized, "As the emperor, he cannot be incompetent! The emperor's incompetence is a crime against the empire's subjects!"
"this……"
Lias was very surprised.
This was a perspective he had never had before.
"Shouldn't the monarch..."
"If subjects have no right to criticize their monarch, and the monarch's power is eternal, why are those royal families that once left glorious records in the history of the Western Continent now nothing more than a few dry pages in history books and romantic songs in the mouths of bards? The fact is—the Mandate of Heaven is higher than the monarch! Even higher than the gods! The highest destiny of the planet is the aspirations of the people!"
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