46. Drink Boiled Water! [Seeking Recommendation Tickets and Collections!]

"Goodbye, Big Brother! Melly's going to school!" Melly waved goodbye to Claire and ran off, her new schoolbag, sewn by Yuna, slung over her shoulder.

Since those twenty-odd Minotaurs joined the construction site, the efficiency of building had skyrocketed, and the school was completed in no time. Those rather simple-minded Minotaurs were practically becoming professional laborers now, tirelessly doing any task assigned to them on the construction site.

After finishing the school, they were now digging sewers, and a large portion of them had gone to repair roads. Nafu City was undergoing massive construction, so there was no shortage of work for them.

Claire's current plan was to first build a road connecting to other territories, so that merchants could smoothly enter her barony.

Without the injection of outside capital, Nafu City would remain a stagnant pool, unable to develop.

Speaking of the school, Claire had first constructed several teaching buildings, and then many dormitories. Children who lived far from Nafu City could stay at the school directly, and there was no tuition fee. This was like the otherworldly version of nine-year compulsory education, although it might not be exactly nine years, it was definitely free compulsory education. All the children had to do was bring their own food to the school, and the school's cafeteria would prepare it for them.

Of course, relying solely on that food wouldn't be enough. Claire had to subsidize it with a significant amount of money each month, but it was all worth it. Children shouldn't suffer, and education shouldn't be neglected due to poverty.

The dozen or so teachers at the school were hired by Claire at a considerable expense. Each received three Gold Coins per month, plus a residence in Nafu City, allowing them to bring their families to live in the city. Claire had thoroughly vetted their character and found no major issues. It had taken several days to explain her self-compiled textbooks to them; if they couldn't grasp the material, how could they teach the children?

After all the hard work, the school finally opened successfully!

Claire hadn't even used any coercive measures; the residents of the territory were very willing to send their children to school. Previously, they lacked the opportunity, but now that their children had the chance to attend school for free, they were more than eager to send them. If they studied well and could work for the Viscount in the future, it would be a glorious achievement that would secure their futures.

Just a few days after the school opened, children who had finished their classes started arguing with their parents at home.

"Mom! You have to boil the water before drinking it, otherwise there will be tiny bugs inside! People get sick from eating them!"

"You're spoiled! Drink it or don't! Who told you there were tiny bugs in the water?" the woman asked, hands on her hips, thinking it was just a joke from a neighbor to amuse a child.

"The teacher taught me from a book, and the book was written by the Viscount!" the child replied defiantly, hands on their hips. If it had been before, they wouldn't have dared to speak to their mother like that, but now, with the Viscount backing them, they felt instantly confident.

"This..." The woman hesitated, glancing at the well water she had scooped from the bucket, and finally lit a fire to boil the water.

Of course, there were also different situations.

"Mom! You have to boil the water, or I won't drink it!"

"Slap, slap, slap!" The woman immediately took off her child's pants and spanked them. "Who spoiled you like this? I've been drinking it for so long and haven't gotten sick!"

"Wuwuwu! The teacher said this! Don't hit me, I was wrong, I won't drink boiled water anymore!"

A scientist was tragically extinguished on the spot...

Although it was knowledge taught at school, some people habitually didn't boil their water. This had nothing to do with respecting Claire; it was just a long-standing habit. In her previous life, China had also spent a considerable amount of time and effort promoting the practice of boiling water.

After discovering this issue, Claire decided to visit the school herself to give a speech on the matter. Fortunately, the school was now built, so Claire no longer had to rush to the city gates.

The audience included not only students but also their parents and those attending Night School. Essentially, anyone in Nafu City with free time was welcome to attend.

When the news spread, the people of the barony became excited again.

"We get to hear the Viscount give a speech again! The last one made me so passionate!"

"I wonder what this one will be about."

"We'll know when we go. Are you going?"

"Of course, I'm free in the afternoon anyway."

"..."

Before the scheduled time, people were already pouring into the school. The playground was filled with people, all craning their necks to see the stage, waiting for Claire to appear.

As soon as the time came, Claire walked onto the stage. The principal of the school was already in the principal's office, preparing the materials for the speech.

As Claire stepped onto the stage, she was met with thunderous applause.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"Viscount, I'm here!"

"Long live the Viscount!"

As Claire stepped onto the stage, she was met with thunderous applause.

Claire smiled. She could always feel the enthusiasm of the public. She raised her hands, signaling for the crowd to quiet down.

Then, she cast an Amplification Spell on herself: "Hello, everyone! I've called you all here today mainly to explain some knowledge about hygiene."

"I'm sure parents who have sent their children to school have been told one thing by their children after they return: to boil water before drinking it, otherwise there will be germs."

Those in the crowd whose children attended school nodded.

"Those textbooks were compiled by me, and they are all true, so they are not lying to you."

"Do you know about the ongoing sewer project? You all know I spent a lot of money to build it, but do you know why I did it?"

Someone in the crowd raised their hand. "It's to get rid of the garbage and feces on the streets, so it doesn't smell when you walk around."

Claire pointed at the person. "You're right, but you haven't hit the core of the issue. Removing the smell is one aspect, but would you be happy living in such an environment for a long time? What impact would it have on your health?"

They understood knowledge in this area, and the person who raised their hand answered, "We'll get sick!"

"Exactly! You all know that rotten food cannot be eaten because it has maggots, and rotten food can make people sick. If you live in a foul-smelling environment for a long time, your body will also develop problems."

"You all know this, but you can't figure out why you need to drink boiled water, right? Some people might think, 'I've been drinking raw water for so many years and haven't had any problems.' This idea is wrong. You might have been able to live until fifty, but you die at forty. Although the diseases it causes aren't as dangerous, they subtly damage your body. Sometimes, you feel perfectly fine and then suddenly fall ill, which could be the harm caused by drinking raw water."

"Think about it, if there was a rotten corpse in the water, would you drink it?"

The crowd shook their heads. "No!"

"But if you took the water that soaked a corpse and put it in front of you, could you tell if it was clean or dirty?"

Everyone shook their heads again. "We couldn't tell."

"People get sick from eating rotten food because those rotten foods contain germs that can cause illness. So eating them leads to physical problems. When those rotten foods seep into water, the germs they carry also enter the water. And since we can't distinguish it with the naked eye, this is why sometimes drinking raw water can make you sick."

Claire had tried her best to explain it simply and understandably. She was afraid the common folk wouldn't grasp anything more profound. This was also why compulsory nine-year education needed to be implemented. She didn't want the people in her territory to be ignorant of even these most basic matters in the future.

"Of course, it's not just rotten food that contains germs; many things do. And the best way to kill those germs is with high heat. So, does everyone know what to do now?"

The crowd raised their hands and shouted, "Boil water, drink cooked water!"

Hearing this, Claire smiled with satisfaction. All her effort hadn't been in vain. She'd have to create a microscope for them to see in a few days; it would be more illustrative that way. If Leeuwenhoek could craft a microscope, she, being an intermediate mage, shouldn't find it difficult.

"That's all for today, everyone can go back," Claire nodded slightly and stepped down from the podium.

Regan immediately came forward. "Young Master, you've worked hard."

"Recruit more people to share these tasks. We can't call everyone over every time we need to announce something. Besides, the affairs of Nafu City will only increase, and I can't personally handle every little thing."

"Understood!" Regan nodded. He had indeed been struggling to keep up lately. With him being the sole Steward managing all of Nafu City's affairs, it was incredibly taxing.

After Claire left, the people below also slowly dispersed.

A little boy walked ahead with his hands on his hips, pouting in dissatisfaction. "I told you it was taught at school, and you still wanted to hit me! Now the Viscount has said it, will you still drink raw water when you get back?"

"What are you so smug about! If you could explain things as clearly as the Viscount, would I not listen to you!" the woman scolded. "Stop right there, you think you can run away!"

"Mom! I was wrong, don't hit me!" The little boy covered his head and bolted.

It's true that transitional chapters without substantial story content are difficult to write, and I found myself getting stuck. It took a long time to get this out. Things will be much better starting from the next chapter.

Also, thank you to "看这就是朕的…" (Forgive me, I couldn't type the last two characters of your ID) for the 100 book coins and one monthly ticket, "书友20210523231816053" for the 100 Qidian coins, "书友140416233018826" for one monthly ticket, and "染比乐" for two monthly tickets!

Thank you, everyone!!!!!!!!!!