New Gods of North America.

Chapter 633 Medication
At noon, Doug brought Wayne the garlic extract he ordered with pigeons and the chef's special burger from the workshop.

The former was something Wayne came up with while thinking, "I can't just not take any medicine, can I? What if something really goes wrong?" Due to limited resources, he could only let the chef do whatever he could.

The latter is a gift of comfort, intended to heal the tired and injured bodies of the people, and to soothe their wounded hearts that may have been ravaged by the strong smell of garlic.

Allicin isn't actually a component naturally present in garlic; rather, it's produced by the reaction of enzymes within the garlic itself. In simpler terms, after mincing the garlic and letting it sit for a while, allicin will naturally be produced.

The extraction of allicin requires the use of organic solvents. The proper laboratory preparation method should first use a high-concentration ethanol solution for extraction, followed by negative pressure distillation. The entire process should be kept below 60 degrees Celsius to avoid overheating and decomposition. The rest is just waiting patiently and using it as soon as possible.

A distiller wasn't a common household tool these days, and Wayne couldn't possibly write down all the technical details on a small piece of paper. He might even forget some things at once, leading to oversights in the process.
So he told Chef Parker his method of preparation, which was simple and straightforward:
The workshop has a ready-made "windmill mixer," so just buy enough garlic from the market—enough to be lethal—throw it all in and grind it into garlic paste. After waiting a while, transfer it to a container and mix it with an organic solvent.
The purest, harmless ethanol solution available in the American market today is actually called "high distilled rum," with an alcohol content exceeding 75%. It was developed during the Age of Exploration to prevent alcohol from freezing in the far north. At that time, it was mainly used as a base for mixing alcoholic beverages. If purchased in bulk, it would also come with original oak barrels, so you don't even need to find extra containers, saving you trouble.

Mixing and stirring the two together, and then letting the carriage bump along the road for a while longer, is considered a rough but reasonable method of room-temperature extraction.
Since the "quality" is insufficient, let's make up for it with "quantity".

Why make it so precise in industrial manufacturing?

So the "garlic extract" that Doug brought over was actually transported by horse-drawn carriage in several oak barrels soaked in large amounts of garlic paste. When using the medicine, you didn't "drink wine," but rather drink the layer of "oil" floating on top.
Considering that this concentration of garlic oil should have a strong smell, to avoid everyone having garlic breath, Wayne also asked Doug to check if there were any apples or something at the market, and bring them along with honey and roasted flour.

Lina, who had just rushed back after a busy morning, looked puzzled when she saw a pile of large barrels of liquor next to a table full of hamburgers: "Didn't they say we weren't allowed to drink during the mission? Why did you have Doug bring so many... Wow... what the hell is this?!"

Wayne, his temples throbbing, scooped garlic oil from the newly opened barrel. "This is a medicine to prevent plague and wound infection. In principle, anyone bitten by a rat last night should take it."

Unfortunately, compared to the "dumping ground" and "rubber warehouse" of the past, the relatively high concentration of garlic essential oil, while not smelling foul, still has a rather pungent odor.

Even with Wayne applying the most forgiving filter, this thing still falls short of being "food"; it can only be described as a "potion"...

"Oh—then I wasn't bitten, so you can enjoy yourselves. The intelligence team is still busy; we'll get back to you when we have more information."

Lina quickly grabbed a few hamburgers wrapped in cheap paper from the table, grabbed them, and turned to run away, almost bumping into Inessa who had just reached the door.

Inessa hadn't rested for two days straight. After failing to track down the injured cultist in the morning, she finally managed to take a nap, probably woken up by the noise of things being moved.
Before even entering the restaurant, the uncombed tuft of hair on her head seemed to stand on end even more, and she asked a question similar to Lina's: "What is this for?"

Wayne explained again, and at least Inessa didn't run away, but she still frowned as she looked at the garlic oil that had been scooped out. "Do I really have to take it?" "It's at least safer than not taking it, after all, plague and cholera are contagious and deadly." Wayne wasn't really sure if allicin would be effective against them, but he figured he might as well try it. "Besides, it's not that scary, is it? Compared to drinking holy water directly, it should be more acceptable... right?"

“If I had a choice, I might prefer to drink the holy water…” Inessa leaned closer to smell it, then quickly sat back down at the table.

At this moment, agents and monks who had finished catching up on their sleep began to walk into the restaurant. After witnessing the power of allicin and hearing about its effects, some of them seemed to be facing imminent disaster, while others quickly felt relieved or gloated.
Perhaps it was because the hunting suit and bird-beak mask provided adequate protection, or perhaps it was because Inessa's extraordinary abilities protected her well, but she managed to charge into the rat horde without being bitten much. Nevertheless, she was willing to support Wayne's actions, holding the small bowl of garlic oil in both hands, seemingly preparing to give a public demonstration so that no one would refuse to drink this stuff.

Fortunately, Wayne had anticipated the unpopularity of garlic products. Following ancient Eastern wisdom, he mixed garlic oil into cooked flour, making it easier to eat when rolled into balls. If you didn't want to chew, you could make them smaller, dip them in honey, and then swallow them whole. You could always eat a few more!

In theory, semi-solid maltose is actually more useful, but unfortunately it's hard to buy in the United States; maple syrup is much easier to get.

After this approach, although people still have a sense of awe towards the smell of garlic essential oil, it's much more acceptable compared to the potential fatal risk of disease.
Two monks even took the initiative to help and inquire about the formula and efficacy, seemingly finding Wayne's approach quite sophisticated.

So after demonstrating how to make a few dumplings for Inessa and himself, Wayne no longer needed to do it himself.
Anyway, there should be enough garlic oil. Everyone who was bitten by a rat got some. If someone didn't get any right away, they could get some later. Theoretically, this stuff is effective for at least one or two days at room temperature. In the end, even a few people who weren't bitten tried eating one or two.

After lunch and a brief rest, the group continued their activities.

The total number of those troublemaking cult members remains unknown, but it's clear that the majority escaped detection. Lina encountered two at once, and there were probably more.
Therefore, the investigation of the dock area cannot stop, but the focus has shifted from "finding the location" to "finding the people".
I didn't have time to examine some of the scenes closely last night. I'll go back during the day when the light is just right and maybe I can find more clues.

As for those guys who attacked Wayne and the other two first-aid team monks...

Lina didn't say anything when she came back with the food, so the intelligence team is probably still investigating separately and hasn't been able to confirm the results yet.
If the cathedral suddenly asks, just say they were sailors; it's better to take a shot anyway, whether there's any chance or not.

If that still doesn't work, then the backup plan is to use members of the Erlan yakuza.

Anyway, this cultist chose their stronghold in their own territory. With their backside smeared with dirt, they can't blame others for being suspicious.

(End of this chapter)