Plague (Congratulations to Book Friend 120226104604296 on Becoming an Alliance Leader!)
Huano Town.
Sulu, disguised as Howard, planned to bring this drama to a close, at least to give Howard a reason for his sudden departure, and to do one last check of the surroundings, altering the memories of the person who felt something was off.
This is the self-cultivation of an actor.
Sulu silently complained to himself.
He pushed open a door, casually handed his coat to a maid, and saw the merchant's wife, Rose, greeting him with a smile, "Welcome home, little Howard."
In her and her husband's minds, Howard was the son of a wealthy relative, someone they had to curry favor with.
"Yes."
Sulu smiled and prepared to explain his reasons for leaving.
Just then, Rose's voice, seemingly complaining, could be heard. "Someone came today, supposedly a doctor, accompanied by people from the city hall. They say they're going to conduct some kind of census of migrant workers in our town. How strange..."
She sat lazily on the sofa, casually petting a pure white cat.
"Oh? Why?"
Sulu subtly shifted his standing posture and casually asked.
"It's said... a plague has broken out in several cities... and the authorities don't want the disease to Expansion." Rose's fingers gently stroked the soft, silky fur of the white cat in her arms, causing the cat to purr contentedly. "I think... they're the biggest source of Infection, humph! The temper of city dwellers is just like the smell of stable dung..."
'Madam... it seems you were severely looked down upon by high society. Has this left you with psychological trauma?'
Sulu felt that she was fully capable of working as a psychologist.
However, at this moment, he felt a little excited.
' The Black Death Society has really been lured here... The bait worked!'
' Huano Town is very small, and there's only one inn with lodgings; they're probably staying there...'
Sulu's eyes lit up slightly, realizing that he had probably caught a glimpse of the Black Death Society's weakness.
Of course, this could be a trap.
The other side lured me out by sacrificing some of their peripheral members!
"So what..."
He took the white porcelain teacup containing fragrant black tea from the maid, declined her suggestion to add sugar, and continued to ask.
"... Next, of course I sent them away... How could someone as healthy as you possibly contract the plague?"
Mrs. Rose answered without hesitation, then asked somewhat nervously, "But has a plague really broken out on the West Coast?"
It was clear that she was terrified of this.
"I think... it's unlikely..."
Although Sulu said this, he himself was not entirely sure.
After all, the other side is the Black Death Society, an organization that worships death and the moon and enjoys spreading plagues!
He didn't say much, changed his mind about finding an excuse to leave, and stayed to have a sumptuous dinner with Mrs. Rose and her husband.
late at night.
A dark shadow darted out of the window and darted through Huano Town. Before long, it arrived at the town center, outside the only old and dilapidated hotel.
"Mind Observation!"
His Soul Projection, and all the nearby buildings vanished into nothingness. All Wisdom life was revealed in the form of a special Mind Secret Realm.
"As expected... there are professionals in the inn, but their rank isn't high. Is it bait?"
Sulu sneered inwardly.
Currently, the target is still Sulu, unaware Potter he possesses shapeshifting abilities, allowing him to remain hidden and seize the best opportunity.
After thinking for a moment, he decided not to rashly enter the Mind Secret Realm of these people, but instead slowly retreated.
"At least... I'm pretty sure they're 90% connected to the Black Death Society!"
"But if we rashly intrude into someone's mind, who knows if we'll encounter something like what happened to Bukadi... After all, he also worships an evil being who seems to control the 'moon' and 'death'..."
Two days later, in the cabin in the woods.
Rhode returned and slammed a stack of files onto the wooden table. "I got the list of those people through connections at the Church... and their backgrounds all seem clean."
How's the West Coast been lately?
Sulu asked, "I think the Black Death Society might be planning something big."
Rhode had access to Church channels, and his intelligence was far more sophisticated than that of the Federation Daily, the West Coast Industrial News, or the Commercial News alone; he was also better able to know some secrets.
" On the West Coast... only the Church in Lori City requested assistance once, supposedly due to the appearance of some terrible monster, and then nothing more. Everything was peaceful."
Rhode thought for a moment, then said confidently, "Although there are rumors of disease outbreaks in some ports... that's normal. Most are minor incidents that are easily contained. The death toll is also relatively low..."
In the Age of Exploration, ports were frequented by foreigners, and outbreaks of disease were indeed commonplace. In addition, this world not only possessed medicine but also supernatural powers, so it was understandable that Rhode was somewhat dismissive.
"I mean... what if it's something even more dangerous, like... the Black Death?"
Sulu had once shared Beatrice's memories, suddenly posed a question.
Black Death!
When Rhode heard that word, his body trembled involuntarily.
This is a highly Infection, and also the Black Death Society's trump card, known for its high Infection and high mortality rate.
In the history of the Old Continent, there was Black Death epidemic, in which several continental countries that did not react in time lost almost half of their population!
"That can't be..."
Rhode chuckled dryly a few times, "If the Black Death Society dares to do this again... the Federation and the Church will definitely find them, at any cost!"
"Well... that's hard to say."
Sulu gave a wry smile.
He knew Beatrice's nature all too well: a large number of deaths would increase her power!
Therefore, the spread of the Black Death may have been due to some kind of ritual, such as... assisting in breaking through to the Legendary or higher class.
This can be applied not only to Beatrice, but also to the higher-ups of the Black Death Society!
According to legend, the Black Death that swept through the Old Continent was for the purpose of elevating a great figure. Of course, there are also rumors that it was a disaster that the Lady Moon deliberately sent down to elevate her own status!
"Generally speaking, the more people die, the more terrifying the ritual becomes... If it's just a legendary-level auxiliary advancement, perhaps spreading it to just one city would be enough."
Sulu's expression was grave. "If I were the president of the Black Death Society, I certainly wouldn't react so strongly to the promotion of a single legend. Instead, I would quietly lie low and accumulate strength, waiting until I had gathered four or five 'quasi-legends' before unleashing a widespread Black Death frenzy..."
Otherwise, if even one city shows any signs of trouble, the Federation and the Church will definitely mobilize their main forces to wipe them out!
"This is important intelligence."
Rhode's expression was grave. He didn't ask where Sulu had obtained it, "Do you want me to tell the Church?"