Goddess Kaleidoscope

“Even the local war god priests have stepped up.”

"That is indeed quite serious..."

The story begins in January, when a slave ship from across the ocean suddenly appeared off the coast of Oyster Harbor. Although the kingdom's laws did not permit slavery, they did not refuse to allow foreign slave ships to make a short stop at coastal ports for resupply.

But this slave ship was clearly different. Instead of entering the port, it ran aground on a beach in the southern suburbs of the city, seemingly already out of control.

The first people to discover the stranded slave ship were a few fishermen living nearby. However, instead of reporting it to the authorities immediately, they boarded the ship and looted its valuables before informing the lord's guard.

When the guards arrived at the scene, they found that the three-masted slave ship was outwardly intact, but the captain's cabin and upper deck were empty, and the entrance to the lower deck was blocked by a large number of wooden planks. A nauseating stench could be smelled from the gaps in the deck.

The captain of the guards, a veteran of many battles, knew immediately what was in the hold upon smelling the stench. He quickly led his men outside and ordered them to burn the stranded ship.

It is said that after the slave ship was completely set ablaze, some people at the scene heard what sounded like human screams coming from inside, indicating that there might still be survivors. However, the captain of the guard pretended not to hear and kept ordering his men to add more firewood to the fire.

The slave ship burned for four days and four nights until it was completely reduced to charred ashes before the guards withdrew to the city to report back to the lord.

However, the matter did not end there. Less than a week later, a strange, unprecedented disease silently appeared in the local slums...

End of this chapter

The world's understanding of plagues is very rudimentary. They only know that if too many people die and their bodies are not buried promptly, a plague can easily break out. This leads many to mistakenly believe that the culprit behind plagues is a curse cast upon the living by vengeful spirits.

Therefore, based on this erroneous perception, the dead have been burdened with blame that is not theirs, while religious figures have taken the opportunity to make their own appearances.

Originally, there were two religious sects that were based in Oyster Harbor: the Four Seasons Goddess Cult and the Sea God Cult, which worshipped the Lord of Ocean Currents.

The former is the deity with the most divine positions, whose church is wealthy and powerful, and whose believers are spread all over the world. In recent years, it has taken an aggressive stance in missionary work, and in many well-known cities, it is even capable of completely overpowering the other two churches that are also part of the Big Three, achieving a dominant position.

The latter, the Sea God Cult, adapted to local conditions. The Lord of Ocean Currents was a deity who controlled the sea, and every boatman and sailor who made a living at sea worshipped him. Coastal cities were the Sea God Cult's stronghold. No matter how powerful or skillful the missionaries of the Four Seasons Goddess Cult were, they could drive out the Holy Light Cult and the War God Cult, but they could not do anything to the Sea God Cult.

These two groups are actually allies in Oyster Harbor; they joined forces to drive out other sects that were trying to gain control of Oyster Harbor.

But this time the situation is different, because the plague doesn't discriminate based on faith; religious struggles are simply ineffective against the virus. So when infected individuals appeared in the slums, the situation quickly deteriorated, reaching the brink of spiraling out of control.

In fact, this disaster could have been stopped in the first two weeks after the outbreak. Because infected people were discovered very early on, and the patients' symptoms mainly included fever and chills, as well as thickened and darkened blood, making them easy to detect.

If a priest had intervened in time and used divine magic to treat these patients, the plague might have been nipped in the bud. Unfortunately, the first few infected were poor people living in the slums. They couldn't afford to have a priest treat them with divine magic, so they could only seek out cheap pharmacists or tough it out on their own.

As a result, the epidemic spread right under people's noses. By the time the lord realized something was wrong, there were already hundreds of infected people in the city, and similar cases were also found in the surrounding villages and towns outside the city.

Upon realizing that a terrible plague had broken out in his territory, the local lord, Viscount Maup, was a ruthless man. He immediately dispatched his guards to gather all the infected people together under the guise of centralized treatment.

However, despite being infected with the same disease, those of different social statuses received vastly different treatment. The wealthy and powerful could receive divine healing from priests, while the poor were imprisoned in dilapidated courtyards lacking food and water, slowly waiting to die. Later, someone even gave the lord a terrible idea: to have all the patients cremated on the spot at night.

Although the lord did not adopt this cruel suggestion and even rebuked the person who made the suggestion, the news inadvertently leaked out. Some patients' families mistakenly believed that the lord was going to kill them to silence them, so they tried to secretly rescue them at night, resulting in a fight with the guards who were holding the patients.

In the chaos of battle, the guards faithfully carried out their lord's orders, killing any sick person who attempted to escape. This resulted in the deaths of many patients, but a small number managed to escape in the confusion, and some guards were infected through contact with the patients during the fighting.

After the riots broke out, the epidemic in Oyster Harbor spiraled out of control. The guards' massacre of the sick confirmed the previous rumors, and people no longer trusted the lord.

The result is an increasing number of infected people, who choose to hide out of fear. Even relatively healthy individuals are trying to escape, and all these changes are further exacerbating the difficulty of controlling the epidemic.

To date, the number of infected people in Oyster Harbor is conservatively estimated to be in the tens of thousands. With only a dozen priests from the two local sects combined, the local lord could no longer consider their feelings and sought help from Earl Ramley, with whom he had a good relationship.

Upon learning of the situation, the Earl immediately mobilized the priests of all the major sects in Wolfhelm City to rescue Oyster Harbor. At the same time, he quickly mobilized his army to seal off his own border and sent people to Pine Town to invite "Ancestor Lud".

The Count had heard of Rudd of the Medicine God Cult as early as last year. His own knight captain, Jegan, his eldest daughter, Sharo, and even the great magician Hamilton, who had always scorned religious figures, all spoke highly of him, considering him a respectable elder. They praised Rudd for his erudition and compassion, comparing him to a living saint!

It was precisely because of these "Lu De fans" around that the Count had a very good initial impression of Lu De.

"Priest, I have long heard that your religion worships the Goddess of Medicine, Evelina, and that your divine arts are renowned for healing and saving lives. You yourself are an expert in this field, having saved countless lives. I wonder if you possess any effective medicine to combat the plague?"

"We have indeed prepared some medicine, but when it comes to dealing with infectious diseases, I always believe that prevention is more important than treatment."

"Oh! What do you mean?"

The local priests in Oyster Harbor have proven with facts that divine magic can indeed cure the infected, and with miraculous, immediate results. However, even with such an unscientific yet potent treatment, the spread of the plague could not be effectively contained, and the root of the problem lay in the lack of preventative measures.

Because they failed to control the spread of the plague, even though priests were constantly saving people, the number of infected people continued to increase, and even some priests and monks were not spared.

If possible, Lud would love to perform a true "miracle" in Oyster Harbor, directly healing the entire city and eradicating its widespread virus. While casting such a large-scale spell would be incredibly costly, it would undoubtedly bring immense rewards.

Leaving aside the fact that nearly 100,000 local residents witnessed the miracle firsthand, instantly converting countless believers and inspiring immense faith, the miracle itself is an unparalleled and massive publicity stunt. With proper follow-up publicity, the returns would be immeasurable.

Unfortunately, Aina doesn't yet possess that ability; even if her goddesses joined forces, they couldn't gather that much divine power. And a god who does have that ability... might not be able to figure out the math.

Instead of going to great lengths to explain to the Earl what viruses and microorganisms were, Ludwig offered some relatively simple and easy-to-implement suggestions based on Earth's knowledge of disease prevention, hoping to help the Earl's territory prepare in advance and do its utmost to curb the spread of the epidemic.

The first and foremost step is to establish a buffer zone to prevent the earl's citizens from coming into contact with potentially infected refugees. However, simply patrolling the border around the clock is certainly not enough to achieve this.

The entire Oyster Harbor is surrounded on three sides by the Earl's Domain, with a land border stretching for hundreds of miles. It would be a pipe dream to expect to maintain an impenetrable border with only two thousand private soldiers and conscripted militia from the Earl's Domain.

Unless the Earl's men can build an impassable wall along the border within three days, and then have the Viscount of Oyster Harbor pay for it!

Therefore, Lud believes that simply blocking them is definitely not enough; the best approach is to establish reception stations at the border, using the fact that the blood of infected individuals turns black to screen refugees. Meanwhile, hundreds of villages and towns within the fiefdom should self-isolate, strictly restricting population movement.

Earl Ramley was well-regarded in the north, unlike Viscount Maup next door, whose credibility had been shattered in the eyes of the people. Some people would still believe his promises.

In addition to the blockade measures, the lord should also issue proclamations to promote epidemic prevention knowledge and advanced hygiene habits to residents in various places. Ideally, he should send dedicated officials to supervise the implementation of these measures.

Luther described to the Earl a series of measures he had taken in Pine Town to improve local sanitation, including building public toilets and public baths, requiring believers to wash their hands frequently, and not to urinate or defecate indiscriminately.

"Good hygiene habits may not make you immune to all diseases, but they can definitely reduce the probability of getting sick. If the people of the Earl's territory don't understand, you can try explaining it to them like this: most diseases are caused by tiny evil spirits (bacteria) that are invisible to the naked eye, and bathing with clean water can effectively remove those evil spirits that stick to our skin. Also, drink more hot water; the heating of a flame can also have the effect of exorcising evil spirits (killing bacteria). Heat the water to a boil, then let it cool to a temperature that is not too hot to drink, and then you can drink it."

He offered more than a dozen suggestions, and the Earl nodded repeatedly at Ludwig's words.

The Count initially thought that Ludwig, being a priest, would surely offer advice involving religious activities such as sacrificial ceremonies to pray for divine favor from the "omnipotent" gods. However, Ludwig completely deviated from the expected approach and proposed only legitimate and feasible administrative measures.

How exactly do I do it?

Why do you do this?

How can we get people to obediently follow our instructions?

It was packed with valuable information! His words were clear and logical, demonstrating meticulous thinking; it was clearly not something he'd come up with on a whim. If Rudd weren't a priest, the Count would have practically wanted to hire him as his advisor.

That evening, the Earl hosted a banquet for Rudd and his party at the castle. The main dwarven force was still on its way and would arrive in Wolfhelm City in a few days. The Earl had already ordered ten ferries and their crews to be lent to Rudd's rescue team free of charge.

At the banquet, the Earl and the old Earl repeatedly raised their glasses to Lu De, treating him with the utmost courtesy and hospitality. The guests, upon learning that the white-haired old man before them was the "renowned" high-ranking priest of the Medicine God Cult, also eagerly approached him to ingratiate themselves.

Over the past year, Rudd's reputation in the northern region of the kingdom has been rising at an unimaginable speed. He is said to be a divinely chosen one with unfathomable power, a learned master, a saint who pities all living beings, and an extremely wealthy man.

But what's most fascinating is the endless stream of miraculous medicines he had, and everyone who used them had nothing but praise for them!

Of course! Not all the guests present were so mercenary and vulgar. A few artsy young people came up to Luther to ask him about the playwright Shakespeare.

Last autumn, the Rainbow Dance Troupe, having completed their advanced studies in Ludwig, left Pine Village to embark on a tour of the North. Their first stop was Wolfhelm, the capital of Earl Ramley, where they became an instant sensation with their play "Romeo and Juliet," attracting a large following.

At Lude's suggestion, Servis also sold theater merchandise in addition to her performances, including hardcover copies of the original novel, portraits of the characters, and chibi clay figurines, making a fortune in addition to ticket sales.

Many viewers, while captivated by the compelling plot, also developed a strong interest in William Shakespeare, the author of this work. This was because, prior to this, no artistic work had ever been so perfectly executed, and Shakespeare's name was being introduced to the public for the first time.

Therefore, while reminiscing about the plot of "Romeo and Juliet," people also began to want to learn about this literary master and read his other works.

It was fortunate that Servis kept her mouth shut, only telling the public that her troupe was sponsored by Ludd and that Ludd was a friend of Shakespeare, without revealing Ludd's "true identity." Otherwise, these young people eager to follow their idols wouldn't have been so rational.

In the end, it was only thanks to Sharo, who held absolute prestige among the younger generation in Wolfhelm City, that Rud was able to escape from these fanatical star-struck fans.

"Thank you, Miss Sharo. These young people... are indeed a bit too enthusiastic."

"You're welcome, Master. Those fools have been asking about Shakespeare ever since they saw the play last year, like they're possessed. A bunch of idiots who can't distinguish between fantasy and reality!"

She glared fiercely at the group of artsy young people not far away. When the Rainbow Dance Troupe and the play "Romeo and Juliet," which had swept the entire northern region of the kingdom, came up, Sharo's feelings were inevitably complicated.

On the one hand, she personally really liked the work and was deeply saddened by the fate of the male and female protagonists. However, the play's popularity also brought her some unexpected troubles.

Back when we were stationed in Pine Town, I don't know which bastard started the rumor that Romeo and Juliet were based on Rodriguez and his wife Salo. As a result, a bunch of guys who were obsessed with the plot actually went along with this line of thinking and made wild guesses.

Sharo had lost her temper about this more than once, and as a result, this "baseless" speculation had spread to Wolfhelm City along with the play's tour, and even her sentimental mother believed it.

Therefore, during a dinner, the Countess took the initiative to ask her daughter if she had found someone she liked, and reminded Sharo that as her parents, they would unconditionally support her in pursuing true love and would not mind the identity of her future son-in-law. In addition, the conflict between their Ramli family and the Gammelin family was not that serious.

Faced with her mother's undisguised "hint," Sharo's expression was as contorted as if she had found half a dead rat in her soup!

End of this chapter

Three days later, the weary dwarven volunteer contingent arrived safely in Wolfhelm City. After a brief rest, they set off by boat for Oyster Harbor. The Earl provided ten ferries and also dispatched a group of local apothecaries and other personnel to support Rudd.

It's worth mentioning that the leader of this group was not the steady and reliable Captain Jegan, but rather the eldest daughter of the Earl's family, Sharo. It is said that she volunteered to participate in this operation.

"I'd slay a dragon if it meant getting as far away from my mom as possible!"

On the ferry as it set sail, Sharo leaned against the ship's side and began to complain to Lude about her mother, who was obsessed with love.

Given the current state of the world where people can get married at thirteen or fourteen, Sara, who is still single at twenty-four, is definitely a rare and unique individual.

In fact, the Earl's family had worried a lot about the eldest daughter's marriage, but with the old Earl spoiling her and Sharo showing a talent in martial arts that far surpassed that of most of her peers, they could only let things take their course in the end.

However, things changed that winter. Influenced by the play and rumors, Sharo's mother began to have some unfounded suspicions, concluding that her daughter and the son of her old rival were having an affair.

It's worth noting that Rodriguez is older than Sharo, but he is still single and has maintained a clean reputation for many years. He has lived in the Tranquil Forest with his elven grandmother since childhood, and there has never been any talk of him having an affair with any young lady. In terms of character, he is completely different from his father, who is like a walking cannon.

In addition, Sharo's reason for always avoiding blind dates was that "she didn't want to marry a man weaker than herself," and Rodriguez happened to be one of the top knights among the younger generation of the kingdom, whose strength was definitely superior to Sharo's. So all the "clues" suddenly matched up!

In the Countess's view, if her troublesome eldest daughter really was secretly having an affair with the eldest son of the Duke of Gamelin, then this clandestine relationship could be considered a good thing both publicly and privately.

First of all, Rodriguez is impeccable in every way. He is the first in line to the Duke's throne, a top expert among the younger generation, a polite person, and has the appearance of one-eighth elven blood. He is definitely a tall, rich, and handsome guy.

In comparison, the poor and wicked Sharo is lacking in every way and is somewhat unworthy of such a great young man!

If the two manage to die peacefully, it could help ease tensions between the Ramli and Gammelin families.

Although the Countess wasn't particularly politically savvy, she did have some understanding of it. She knew that the King, as the supreme ruler of the country, hoped to maintain a balance among these local nobles—a balance of "disagreement but no real conflict."

However, the relationship between the two families has become increasingly strained in recent years. The Ramli family is relatively stable, as their patriarch is young, energetic, and consistently maintains a clear head. But the Gammelin family on the other side is showing signs of trouble, and friction between the two sides is increasing. At this point, it's necessary to find a way to ease the tension, and a marriage alliance would be a good option.

So the Countess would try to have heart-to-heart talks with her daughter every day, hoping to get the answer she wanted from Sharo. But the result was the opposite, which made Sharo angry and she went out to find some peace and quiet.

Lude, who was standing to the side, seemed to have listened patiently to Sharo's complaints, but in his heart he couldn't help but think, "Parents are all the same in every world."

In his past life, he had been pressured to get married by his own mother in various ways. In order to get him to go on blind dates, she even used tactics to arrange "Vietnamese Communist-style blind dates" for Lu De, leading her own son into her carefully laid ambush time and time again. It was simply impossible to guard against.

The ferry took two days to finally reach the estuary downstream. This place was within the viscount's territory, where Oyster Harbor was located.

After the fleet entered the sea, it raised its sails and sailed north along the coastline. Along the way, every short distance, one could see fishermen's settlements. The larger ones had about a hundred rooms, the medium-sized ones were the size of villages, and the smaller ones had only a few mud huts, a dozen or so people, and a few small boats.

The boats did not dock, and Lud used his binoculars to observe these settlements. Every now and then, fishermen's boats would pass by them, and the sanitation conditions of the people there were visibly terrible; the stench of fish could be smelled from afar on the wind.

"Master, these fishermen clearly live by the sea, so why do they all look like they've never taken a bath?"