Chapter 374 The Value of Life
In the East District, in front of an apartment building near the North District.
As soon as the haze cleared, Daisy ran home from school regardless of the pouring rain. She even slipped and fell on the way, leaving a bruise on her face.
As soon as she arrived at the door of the apartment, she found a four-wheeled freight carriage parked on the side of the street. The white cloth on it was wet by the rain, and she could vaguely see corpses of various shapes underneath.
Doctors and nurses wearing masks were still busy, carrying new bodies out of the apartment and stuffing them into the already overwhelmed carriage. Those that could not fit in were covered with black cloth and placed on the side of the road, waiting for the next carriage to arrive.
"Mom...Freya..."
Although she had anticipated this on the way, it was only at this moment that the glimmer of hope in Daisy's heart was shattered by reality. She muttered these two words and moved towards the door, but was stopped by the police officer on guard.
"Don't get close, be careful of contracting the plague!"
The policeman's expression had long been numb. In just half an hour, he watched the carriage go back and forth twice, carrying away a number of corpses that he had never seen in his life, and also stopped four or five survivors like Daisy.
These "lucky ones" stood aside with empty eyes, staring blankly at the busy doctor, as if their souls and the dead had been taken away by the carriage.
Soon, the carriage loaded with corpses started slowly and headed to the other side of the street. The survivors who were stopped outside the cordon began to cry out.
"My Andy..."
“Dad! Dad!”
"Mom, Freya."
Daisy sobbed weakly, watching the white cloth move farther and farther away from her, around the corner, and out of sight.
She didn't even see the two of them for the last time.
"Mom! Freya!"
The tears that had been accumulating for a long time burst out, mixed with the rain, and covered her cheeks.
"Daisy?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.
Daisy turned around in a daze, and Freya, who had just left with the carriage, appeared in front of her again.
"Freya?"
Is this an illusion?
She quickly wiped away her tears, blinked, and looked carefully.
That was indeed his sister. Her face was flushed from running, with traces of rain or tears on it, but the corners of her mouth were raised, showing the joy of seeing her loved ones after surviving the disaster.
"Freya!" Daisy screamed and rushed forward to hug her sister tightly.
Seeing this scene, Sherman, who was hiding in the street corner not far behind, also showed a happy smile. His coat was still in the attic. At this time, he was only wearing a single piece of clothes soaked by rain, and he kept shivering in the cold wind.
But a warmth from the heart diluted the coldness and made him feel warm.
"Miss Irene is right. I can also become a Beyonder like Xio..."
At this moment, Sherman felt that he had one more target in mind after taking the potion.
————
On Sunday morning, Angel and Klein went to Harvest Church in the South Bridge area.
After a night of heavy rain, the haze has completely dissipated. The sky is now blue and cloudless. Although the winter sun is weak, it allows the rainwater on the ground to dry up quickly, leaving the fragrance of soil floating in the air.
But this rare sunshine failed to bring any change to Backlund's gloomy atmosphere. The number of pedestrians on the road was 80% less than usual, and every household had its doors and windows tightly closed. Even the occasional passing carriage had its curtains drawn, as if worried that yesterday's heavy smog would return.
The two were infected by the depressed atmosphere, which diluted the joy they felt after their "reunion" yesterday.
"Yesterday when I went to St. Samuel's Church to file a complaint, it was packed with patients. The square outside was filled with people lying down..."
Angel, who got off the carriage and stood on the street, suddenly said.
There she also met Sherman, one of her own assassins, who was accompanying a mother and daughter waiting for potions to be distributed. The two exchanged glances and pretended not to see each other.
Angel felt relieved by the mature style of the rookie assassin. She did not ask Sherman to deliver the report letter, but as usual, she found a homeless man who had received treatment and reported Sylvia harshly.
Of course, the letter also included Triss, who was beside Prince Edessak, but she believed that the Witch of Pleasure had probably been captured or even killed, otherwise her sapphire ring would not have appeared in the hands of the angel of the church.
"It's the same here, no, it's the same in all the hospitals and churches in the city."
Klein spoke calmly, but his lips were pursed beneath his beard, revealing his excitement.
The two dressed up as "Erin Watson" and "Sherlock Moriarty" respectively, stepped onto the curved steps in front of the Harvest Church, and walked into the church hall which was full of people and filled with the strong smell of herbs.
The long benches used for prayer here have all been dismantled and piled in the corner. The ground is densely packed with simple mats, covered with patients who are either groaning in pain or lying unconscious with their eyes closed.
The tall Father Utravsky was carrying a large wooden crate and walking towards the back door of the hall. Upon seeing Angel and Klein arrive, he stopped and looked at them in confusion.
"Wait a moment, I'll take these herbs to the kitchen. Emlyn is waiting."
He shook the wooden box in his hand, and Angel saw that the holy emblem of the Church of Evernight was painted on it.
"This is aid from the Church of Darkness. In this disaster, everyone has been able to put aside their differences of faith and stand together. This shows that everyone recognizes the preciousness of life."
Noticing the visitor's gaze, the priest explained in a low voice.
"Praise the goddess."
Angel immediately drew a crimson moon on his chest to show his stance.
She saw Klein beside her slightly raise his right hand, then immediately lower it, and couldn't help but feel a little amused—he was now a temporary believer in the God of Steam and Machinery.
The priest didn't care much about it. He quickly sent the box of herbs to the kitchen and returned to the hall smelling of medicine.
"What do you want to talk to me about? This isn't a good place to talk right now."
He said, looking around the crowded hall.
"I'd like to inquire about the extraordinary abilities of the Dawn Knight and how to use them."
Angel took a step forward, and Klein walked away, leaving room for the two to talk.
“‘Dawn Knight’…” Father Utravsky muttered, a trace of nostalgia on his face. “Why do you ask that? I remember you weren’t a Beyonder of the Warrior Path.”
"Because of a magical item derived from the extraordinary properties of the 'Dawn Knight'."
Angel rolled up his left sleeve, and on his fair, thin wrist, the place where the "magic pocket watch" was originally tied was replaced by a bone bracelet.
It was delivered to her by The Hanged Man through Mr. Fool early this morning, and she unintentionally named it the "Knight's Bracelet."
This bone bracelet, carved with hollow skulls, spears, and ocean waves, was very Bayam-esque, and seemed to be a popular antique design there.
Possessing the characteristics of "Dawn Knight", it can transform into any cold weapon from a dagger to a two-handed sword at the user's will. Of course, they are all in the shape of bone weapons, which is probably related to its appearance before it was made into a magical item.
Holding this weapon, the user's strength will increase exponentially, almost equivalent to that of a warrior of the same level. At the same time, it can also weaken the effects of various extraordinary abilities on oneself.
After experiencing the sharpness and durability of bone weapons, Angel quickly abandoned his dagger and used it as his only melee weapon.
The Knight's Bracelet, a magical item crafted by experienced craftsmen, has a mild negative effect, merely causing fatigue after use, the degree and duration of which are directly proportional to the duration of use. If carried without weaponry, it would be equivalent to carrying approximately 10 kilograms, which would have a certain impact on physical strength.
Angel came to the Harvest Church mainly to ask the former "Dawn Knight" priest about the effect of the "Knight Bracelet" in resisting extraordinary abilities and how to use the incarnation weapon.
…
Watching Angel and Father Utravsky whispering by the altar, Klein looked away with some boredom and looked at the patients in the hall.
Many of them were not followers of the Earth Mother. Some wore the triangular holy emblem of the God of Steam and Machinery, and some prayed in a low voice to the Goddess of Night or asked for protection from the storm.
Watching these "pagans" awaiting the help of the Earth Mother's favored ones, who rescued them without hesitation, Klein gained a deeper understanding of the "conflict of abandoning faith" the priest had just mentioned.
"Sherlock Moriarty?"
A voice with a hint of arrogance but more of doubt came from behind him.
Emlyn White, the vampire who was forcibly detained by the priest and forced to return to the Harvest Church every day through psychological suggestion, was now wearing sleeves on his forearms, a hood tied around his chest, and a wide hat on his head, dressed like a restaurant chef, and was walking out of the kitchen through the back door.
"I didn't expect to see you in the church at this time. I thought you'd already..." Klein smiled as he watched the vampire place a tray of potions on the altar. He then continued jokingly, "...had already slipped away during the chaos. Didn't you say you'd found a way to remove the psychological suggestion from other vampires?"
"Vampires! It's the vampires!"
Emlyn retorted in a low voice, fearing that the other patients lying down would hear.
"I've decided. After I'm done with these few days, I'll pray to that 'Fool' and be protected by a great figure in the clan."
Klein the Fool almost laughed out loud. He also lowered his voice and said:
"Aren't you afraid it's an evil god? I remember telling you that praying to such an unknown being will only succeed in two out of a hundred cases. The rest will either be in vain or remain unaccounted for."
Emlyn's face turned pale for a moment, but recovered in an instant.
"I'm doing this for the entire vampire clan. The ancestor will protect me!"
Aren't you trying to get rid of the psychological suggestion... Klein suppressed his laughter and deliberately provoked him:
"Then why don't you just pray directly to your ancestor, the ancient goddess Lilith, and let her solve the problem for you?"
This way there will be no middlemen making a profit from the price difference - he added in his mind.
"It has been a long time since the First Ancestor responded to prayers, except for certain special matters, but unfortunately, my question is not included."
The vampire felt a little discouraged, and the fatigue from staying up all night to make potions began to show. He glanced around, and when he looked at the patients who were looking at him expectantly, he straightened his back involuntarily, and when he saw Father Utravsky, he secretly shrank his neck.
Following his gaze, Klein looked at the priest and Angel, and found that the two had finished their conversation. The priest picked up the no longer scalding potion on the altar and began distributing it to the patients lying in the hall one by one. Angel was also helping, handing out cups of dark green potion and collecting the empty bottles and returning them to the tray.
He was somewhat fascinated by this focused look. He stared blankly for a while, then heard Emlyn's voice beside him:
"Alas, I asked the priest to find a few more volunteers to help distribute the potions yesterday, but he hasn't agreed. Compared to this Feysac man, young women are more attractive. Unfortunately, I'm not my type..."
"You better not be."
The detective's sudden cold tone left him a little stunned.
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