Chapter 125

This sudden disease was given a name: the Black Death.

Because the skin will bleed extensively, show bruises and necrosis, and after death, the corpse will turn purplish-black, with a terrifying and frightening appearance.

--The name "Black Death" seemed quite "apt" after it was revealed by the Alchemy Tower.

In addition to announcing the name of the disease, the Alchemy Tower also explained that the Black Death was caused by rats.

This is a very dangerous form of Plague.

The main route of disease transmission is through the bites of rats and fleas.

Once the bacteria enter the human body, they can spread from person to person again through saliva, phlegm, pus from injured skin, etc.

You might contract the disease if you're not careful and come into contact with someone who is sick.

The incubation period for the Black Death was one to six days.

If there is not enough medicine, the sick will be treated and cared for temporarily... The sick will die within two days of contracting the Black Death.

The pamphlets distributed by churches in various places contained methods for treating the Black Death.

--First, upon diagnosis, strict isolation and immediate treatment with existing medications are crucial to minimize the harm caused by the illness.

Because of the severity of the complications, patients need to maintain a constant supply of calories, drink plenty of water, and get adequate rest.

Although the pamphlet contained very detailed and specific information on precautions and immediate treatment methods, the existing medications were simply insufficient to completely cure the Black Death.

The medication is not suitable for the condition.

Existing medications can only prolong the suffering of patients, delaying the moment of death.

Yet the scythe that takes life still hangs by the neck, ready to strike at any moment, splattering blood everywhere.

This terrible disease originated in the Yami Kingdom and subsequently spread to other regions.

In the beginning, the full horror of the Black Death was not yet apparent.

People have gone from initially taking it lightly to now feeling insecure – countries are closing their territories and prohibiting outsiders from entering.

Knights guarded the land passes closely, their greatswords, spears, and other weapons aimed at any outsiders attempting to enter the territory.

Large catapults were also brought to the port.

Huge, hard stones would be hurled at ships sailing on the river; they would rather sink them than allow any foreign vessels to approach the port.

As things stand at the moment.

Because of the timely response to the disease, including immediate isolation and the elimination of rats, fleas, and garbage, the spread of the Black Death in the Desinia Territory, the Achiyoli Territory, and the Anas Kingdom was not rapid.

--The quarantine zone was established first.

All patients showing symptoms were isolated, and even those who did not want to go in were forcibly taken away by heavily patrolled and heavily armed knights, with no room for resistance.

The quarantine zone was surrounded by red ropes, one after another, used to separate the areas, and the ground was also marked.

Some nearby residents are no longer willing to stay here.

Even though they are homeless, they are afraid of being so close to death.

Fortunately, a large number of workers are needed to establish quarantine zones.

Moreover, some families were torn apart by the Black Death, and many people faced extreme hardship and difficulty in their lives...

The lord of Desinia then suggested establishing a relief station in each region specifically to help commoners or slaves in dire need.

Homeless civilians or slaves could receive one free meal per day and exchange assigned labor for money, etc.

The Achiyoli Territory and the Anas Kingdom followed the policies of the Desinia Territory.

Typically, once a new decision is made within the Desinia Territory to deal with the disease, the other two parties in the alliance will immediately follow suit and implement it.

Thanks to these strong, effective, and rapid measures, the severity and speed of the epidemic have been brought under control to some extent.

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Despite the fact that countless people still die painfully every day...

Compared to the situation of the three-way alliance, the Saint Airo Empire's situation was far worse.

The empire was geographically closest to the Yami Kingdom, and due to the king's flawed decisions and delays, it failed to make timely and correct judgments regarding the illness...

This has led to chaos even though the empire is powerful—there is pain and death everywhere, and people are getting infected every day.

Even while walking down the street, someone might suddenly collapse and not get up.

Every day, bonfires burned both inside and outside the city, sending thick black smoke rising and staining the sky...

Jack is thirteen years old, one year shy of adulthood.

His home was in the Imperial City, where he lived with his parents and two younger brothers. The five of them ran a stall in the Imperial City, making a living and feeding themselves by selling rye bread.

Although it's hard work getting up early and working late every day, the family is very happy.

Of course, this happened before the Black Death.

Now, Jack's mother died early in the outbreak of the Black Death, and his father was taken away by patrolling knights and imprisoned in a quarantine zone, where outsiders were forbidden to visit him.

He and his two younger brothers were both lucky and unlucky.

They were not infected with the Black Death, nor did they show any related symptoms.

But after my father left, the family business couldn't keep going, and without income, we couldn't feed ourselves...

If he doesn't find a way, he can no longer pay money to the quarantine zone to ensure his father's medication supply...

The empire's quarantine zone was built outside the capital city, and corpses were thrown out there every day.

Jack was constantly on edge.

He was tasked with burning corpses, so he wrapped himself up tightly, especially his hands, cheeks, and other exposed areas.

He and some others used woven thorns to drag the corpses, pulling these horribly deceased people to one place to burn them.

Each time, Jack would force himself to observe their figures and faces, fearing that one day he would see his father among these corpses.

Flames rose, the surrounding heat increased, and Jack, drenched in sweat, was steaming hot.

But he still didn't tear off a single piece of fabric.

After the flames had burned out, leaving behind only ashes and ruins, a knight came and placed a small amount of money on the ground not far away; copper coins were scattered.

After the knight left, Jack quickly ran forward, took his share of the money, and ran away as fast as he could.

He had learned his lesson and never wanted to fall behind again.

The Black Death brought not only disease and death, but also disorder and chaos.

No one cares how hard your life is... Malice is amplified, crime rates rise in the capital, some openly rob, others break into homes to loot, and morals are corrupt...

Some people are separated from each other because of illness.

Some patients are essentially abandoned once they enter the isolation ward.

Because medicines and other supplies are not provided free of charge; after all, if the chamber of commerce suffers too much loss, it will have to go out of business.

Previously, with the Lord of Desinia leading the way, the price of potions had been reduced again and again.

Even so, some poor people still cannot afford the continuous use of medicine.

Once the medication is cut off, patients will be on the verge of death within a day. Most people who enter the quarantine area will also be close to death if they do not have the money to continue purchasing medication.

Of course, not all patients will be admitted to the isolation ward.

Some families who don't want to abandon their loved ones will automatically self-isolate.

Their houses would be surrounded by patrolling knights with red ropes, and a large letter "p" would be painted in red on the walls.

This way, no one else will approach the area without knowing it.

Jack's father volunteered to enter the quarantine zone.

He told Jack to stop worrying about him and focus on taking care of his two younger brothers, but Jack couldn't just ignore it. The family had some savings, but they were all gone.

The royal city was desolate, with every house closed and few people on the streets.

Jack ran home, panting heavily.

His front door was nailed shut, with only a half-meter-high gap blocked by a wooden board at the side. Jack knocked on the door and whispered—

Hearing the noise, his two younger brothers came over and moved the plank aside to let him crawl inside. They were thin and pale, and their stomachs were rumbling several times...

As usual, Jack asked them if they had gone out, if any strangers had knocked on the door, and told his two younger brothers to stay away from him and not to come near.

A basin of clean water is always placed by the door.

Jack removed the tightly wrapped cloth and carefully washed his hands while listening to his two younger brothers' answers.

They didn't go out, and no strangers knocked on the door...

After a while, the older brother asked softly, "Brother, is Dad alright?"

Jack remained calm. "Dad is fine. He'll be out of the isolation ward once this illness is over."

But the Black Death wasn't going to pass so easily.

The two younger brothers felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Before being confined to his house, the younger brother overheard a passing patrolling knight chatting, saying, "The Desinia Territory is safer than the Empire."

"Brother, why don't we go to the Desinia Territory?"

He was too young to understand the horror of the Black Death, nor did he know that restrictions on outsiders had been imposed in various places.

Jack heard that a ship that was trying to approach the Anas Kingdom was almost sunk recently.

The people on the boat even jumped into the water, trying to swim to the harbor, but were forced back onto the boat by the relentless thrusting of spears from the shore...

Jack poured out the sewage, his mind wandering as he thought about the various pieces of news he had heard over the past few days— the Yami Kingdom was on the verge of destruction.

I've heard that the Black Death has claimed two-thirds of the population of the Yami Kingdom.

The Desinia Territory is arguably the safest place outside of the Bovell Kingdom.

In addition, the Achiyoli Territory and the Anas Kingdom... these places can be considered safe entirely thanks to the Lord of Desinia.

The Lord of Desinia had already sent a letter to the Saint Airo Empire, urging them to be cautious about the disease and take preventative measures.

However, it did not receive His Majesty's attention.

Now, almost everyone in the royal city is cursing the king, openly spitting in the direction of the palace, and Jack has cursed quite a bit as well.

Because of its timely response, distributing protective pamphlets and other materials, the Saint Church conveyed the protection of the Creator God to the people, and has now become a source of spiritual support for people in their fight against the Black Death.

Jack prayed to the Creator God, but he also prayed to the Lord of Desinia.

The reason the Holy See could act so quickly in various places was because the Lord of Desinia made accurate judgments.

Jack had already heard at least ten people praying to the Lord of Desinia as the corpses were burned.

The Creator God is far away, while the devil is descending upon the world.

He thought that if the Creator God was too busy, he hoped that the Lord of Desinia would bless his father and brothers.

The empire was filled with despair and nightmares caused by the Black Death.

Three days later, Jack stared blankly at the place where many corpses were piled up.

There, lies his father... and the boy who burned the body with him a few days earlier...

He moved forward, his legs stiff.

When the flames touched the kerosene spilled on the cloth, they shot upwards, and clusters of flames climbed up the corpse... Finally, the intense flames stung Jack's eyes, causing him to stagger back two steps and fall to the ground.

However, the nightmare was not over yet.

The youngest brother fainted due to dehydration and hunger... The other brother was also so thin that he looked like a walking skeleton.

Although Jack's health wasn't much better either.

The clothes he used to wear could now be wrapped around his body twice more...

--If only suicide didn't mean going to meet the devil.

Jack thought to himself in silence.

Jack left his younger brother at home to look after the youngest, then clutched his last five copper coins and ran out of the house. A fire burned within him—the desire to rob...

As Jack ran onto the Bulo Main Road, he suddenly stopped and stared wide-eyed at the strangely dressed and somewhat frightening people.

They were dressed entirely in long, black robes that covered them completely, the fabric of which gleamed as if it had been soaked in some liquid.

He was wearing a wide-brimmed, domed hat.

His eyes, hidden beneath the brim of his hat, were covered by transparent glass, and his face was adorned with a black mask shaped like a bird's beak...

They were carrying a large box with their white-gloved hands...