Chapter 65 [This might be the work of a witch]...
"White crystal" is actually the affectionate name people in Furhorst County use for salt.
That pure white salt, as clear as crystal, isn't it just white crystal?
However, even though they are all top-quality salt, the price sold in White Crystal City is one-fifth cheaper than in other places.
That makes sense, since salt is not rare in Furhorst territory and doesn't need to be transported by wagon to more distant places for sale.
Looking at the clean and fine salt grains in front of her, Mela waved her hand and bought a small bag of top-quality salt.
When she returned to the inn, she knocked on Yuriel's door.
"Is there something you need?" Yuriel opened the door.
Seeing her pale face, Mela handed her the bag of salt. "Didn't you say you weren't feeling well and had no appetite? I bought you some salt. Swallow some salt before bed tonight to prevent yourself from starving."
"Where did you learn about this method?" Yuriel asked, taking the salt bag with a suspicious look.
How come Mela knows this, but she has never heard of it?
“My father taught me this; he was a physician,” Mela replied casually.
"A doctor?"
Seeing that Yuriel's doubt seemed genuine, Mela paused for a moment before explaining, "They are people who specialize in treating other people's illnesses."
"So, you have to go to a specialist to treat your illness?"
Yuriel recalled that on the few days she was sick over the years, she would find herbs herself and brew them into medicine.
However, since they are now in White Crystal City, even if Yuriel suddenly feels unwell, she can only rely on herself to get through it.
Fortunately, it's not a big problem; it's just that I can't eat.
Yuriel just tried to force herself to eat some bean porridge, but she vomited so badly that she was almost too weak to get out of bed to open the door for Mela.
“When ordinary people get sick, they don’t know which herbs can cure their illness, so of course they can only find someone who knows to treat them.”
Seeing that Yuriel's face was growing paler, Mela said considerately, "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. You should get some rest."
Through the crack in the door that wasn't fully closed, a soft "thank you" escaped.
Mela smiled, her lips curving slightly, and turned to go back to her room.
Unexpectedly, Yuriel's condition did not improve the next day. She still had no appetite and even felt nauseous at the smell of food.
Mela felt a sense of unease for the first time in a long time. She couldn't understand why Yuriel was acting this way, since Yuriel seemed quite healthy when they first arrived in White Crystal City.
It seems that Yuriel's condition inexplicably worsened after just one night's sleep.
Perhaps we should really get a doctor to take a look at Yuriel?
Mela didn't hesitate for long. She asked the enthusiastic innkeeper about the most famous doctor in the area and followed his directions to an unremarkable house.
"Are you here to see my father?" A short little girl ran out of the house, her big eyes blinking as she stared at Mela.
Mela smiled and leaned down. "Is your father Doctor Aaron?"
"Mmm!" She nodded emphatically.
“But my father is not home right now. He has been summoned to the lord’s manor. Apparently, a very important person is ill.”
"Oh, I see." Mela patted her head. "It's alright, I'll go find another doctor then."
“But all the healers with any reputation in the entire White Crystal City were summoned away by the lord last night,” she told Mela with difficulty.
"Are you sure?" Mela's smile faded, and she asked seriously.
“I’m sure, because last night, the carriage that the lord sent to pick up my father had Uncle Ham, Uncle Zanke…” She counted on her fingers, listing seven or eight people in a row. “These are all the very skilled healers in the city that my father mentioned.”
In other words, even if Mela finds another healer, they are likely not very skilled and may not be able to cure Yuriel's illness.
"I understand, thank you for telling me this."
Mela bid farewell to the little girl who barely reached her waist, and as she walked back, she pondered which important person was ill enough to warrant so many skilled physicians attending to him.
The simplest possibility is that the Marquis of Furhorst, also known as Fernandez, was ill.
But who knows? Perhaps it was Fernando's aunt, the famous Mrs. Jones, who was ill.
It couldn't be that Lex is sick, could it?
A ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through Mela's mind.
She smiled and shook her head. How could Lex be here? Shouldn't he be back in the palace?
Even if they weren't in the royal palace, they shouldn't have gone to Furhorst Territory, which is so far from the capital.
She should think about what to do about Yuriel's illness.
"How is Yuriel doing?"
Back in her room on the second floor of the hostel, Mela asked Silas.
Because Yuriel couldn't eat anything and didn't even have the strength to stand up, Mela specifically asked Silas to watch over her before she left.
Even just helping to hand over a glass of water would be appreciated.
“She fell asleep. After you left, she tried to eat a small piece of bread, but she couldn’t control herself and threw it all up,” Silas said in detail.
Mela frowned after hearing this. "Let her lie in bed and rest. Otherwise, she'll only make herself weaker."
"That's what I thought too, but she won't listen to any advice!"
Silas finally found an opportunity to complain and immediately said, "I've already told her we're in White Crystal City, and finding her isn't urgent, but she just won't listen! She definitely doesn't believe you can find Erica by yourself!"
White Crystal City is so big, more than twice the size of Golden Oak City, so it's understandable that Yuriel has this concern.
What if they are too slow in their search and Erica leaves White Crystal City again?
Mela could understand Yuriel's anxiety, but her body couldn't be rushed.
"Speaking of which, didn't you find the doctor you were looking for?" Before squeezing in through the window, Silas had specifically looked through the crack to see if there was a stranger standing behind Mela.
If there were strangers around, Silas would retract his outstretched claws, hide himself securely behind the window, and wait until the strangers left before making any moves.
“No, none of the skilled healers in the entire White Crystal City are currently in the city,” Mela explained.
"Not in the city? Then where did they go?"
"They say they're all in the lord's manor."
"Why? Is the lord of Furhorst ill?" Silas asked curiously.
“I don’t know either. It’s not necessarily that the lord is sick, but all we can do now is wait for him to release these doctors.”
Silas let out an "Ah!" as if he wanted to say something, but then, remembering the power of his jinx, he quickly covered his mouth with his wings.
Even before it could say its words, Mela knew what Silas was thinking.
What should Yuriel do if the lord refuses to release her?
She doesn't look like she can hold out for long.
Besides, how can a person go without eating? Even if they don't get sick, they can easily starve to death.
"I'll go check again tomorrow," Mela said helplessly.
"Mmm-hmm." Silas nodded frantically; they had no better options.
*
Outside White Crystal City, Furhorst Manor.
The heels of shoes clattered rapidly across the floor as a woman in a gorgeous dress walked into the empty corridor.
Her face was as beautiful as a rose in the night, but because of her serious expression, people often dared not linger their gaze on her face for too long.
Several maids followed behind her, and the group hurried to the outside of a room.
"Mrs. Jones."
The two servants standing outside the door bowed their heads in respect for the woman's arrival.
"Open the door," Mrs. Jones said succinctly.
One of the servants then grabbed half of the door and pulled hard, revealing the scene inside the room.
This room, which had been the residence of the Marquis of Furhorst for generations, was naturally more luxurious than the average person could imagine, both in its decoration and furnishings.
After Mrs. Jones came in, she first went to the bedside and looked at Fernando lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and then she looked at the group of people standing at the foot of the bed with a serious look.
They were all physicians she had invited from White Crystal City the previous night.
"Hasn't it been determined what illness Fernando has? Why did he suddenly fall into a coma last night? Is there any way to wake him up now?"
Mrs. Jones's three questions left the doctors speechless.
But not replying wouldn't do; one of them had to bite the bullet and tell Mrs. Jones about Fernandez's condition.
But no one wanted to be the adventurer, so they could only look at each other and try to force the other to take the initiative with their eyes.
Finally, it was Aaron, usually the kindest, who stepped forward to help the others out, saying, "Madam Jones, we spent a whole day examining the lord, but we couldn't find anything that could cause him to fall into a coma."
Not knowing the reason, they couldn't think of a suitable way to wake Fernando up.
"What will happen if he doesn't wake up?" Mrs. Jones remained expressionless after listening to Aaron's account.
“…Then perhaps we are about to sound the death knell for our lord,” Aaron said with difficulty.
After all, if he remains in a coma and cannot eat, his body will quickly become thin and emaciated, leaving only a skin and bones.
At that time, Fernando could stop breathing at any moment and completely embrace death.
“I’ll give you three more days. You can try whatever you want with Fernando, as long as it wakes him up.” Mrs. Jones closed her eyes and made a quick decision.
“This…” Aaron turned to look at his friends, the healers Ham and Zank.
They all shook their heads at him.
Aaron then looked at the others.
Others reacted in the same way.
"What? Are you unable to do it, or are you afraid to do as I say?" Mrs. Jones had seen through Aaron and the others' little actions and, impatient with guessing what they were trying to say, asked them directly.
“Actually, we’re all guessing that the lord’s unconsciousness might not be due to illness,” Aaron said cautiously.
Mrs. Jones gestured to him with her eyes to finish speaking as soon as possible.
What else could it be but illness?
Poisoning?
"Maybe it's the effect of the witch's mysterious potion..." Aaron's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
To be honest, they were all physicians who had been rooted in White Crystal City for generations, yet not one of them recognized what illness Fernanki had, which was clearly something wrong.
"Impossible! How could there be a witch in our territory?" Mrs. Jones interrupted Aaron abruptly, her attitude exceptionally firm.
As a noblewoman, she knew very well that witches had disappeared from the populace at least a hundred years ago, after being suppressed by the royal family and the church.
Why would they suddenly appear now?
Even if they are resentful and unwilling to accept the status quo, they shouldn't be targeting Fernando.
A complex emotion flickered in Mrs. Jones's eyes.
Fleeting.
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