Goddess Kaleidoscope

Unfortunately, Evanlus did not investigate Lud's specific actions in the quarantine zone in detail. He assumed that Lud had brought truckloads of food and medicine into the quarantine zone, just like those pedantic and hypocritical sects, simply distributing relief food in exchange for a perfunctory thank you from the refugees and a meager amount of faith.

But in reality, the first thing Lud did after leading his men into the quarantine zone was to establish his authority. He swiftly and decisively wiped out Abadon and Dilis, and then, with his power and relief supplies, he quickly reorganized the entire quarantine zone, all in just a few hours.

In distributing relief food, Ludd did not simply give alms, but rather provided work relief.

It should be understood that most patients with mild symptoms have not completely lost their ability to work; they are just too weak from hunger. Therefore, after gathering all the patients, Lud announced in public that he was indeed there to save people, but not to raise pigs. If everyone wanted to have enough to eat, they had to strictly accept his (military) management.

The patients with mild symptoms first had breakfast: a bowl of fragrant pork bone soup and a small piece of black bread for each person. The amount was indeed small, but it was the first proper meal these patients had eaten in many days, and many were so moved that they ate while crying.

After everyone had eaten, Lud gave them their first task for the day—cleaning up.

Before this, no one was responsible for cleaning the entire quarantine area, so garbage and excrement were everywhere on the streets. If Nan Ding and others hadn't taken the initiative to collect and incinerate the bodies, the sanitary conditions would probably have been many times worse than they are now.

Under the supervision and command of the dwarves, more than a thousand patients with mild symptoms were divided into several groups to take charge of different areas. In no time, they had swept all the garbage off the streets. Afterwards, they lined up to enter the temporarily converted bathrooms, where there were people in charge of supervision. Anyone who did not meet the standards could not leave.

By around 3 p.m., all the patients in the isolation ward, except for those critically ill patients who were unable to move, had been washed clean and given clean sets of coarse cloth clothes. Then Lud noticed that many people's hair had grown too long, so he ordered mandatory haircuts, with everyone, regardless of gender, getting buzz cuts and having their beards shaved off.

Fortunately, this world doesn't have the concept of "our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents," so everyone just muttered a few words to themselves, thinking that this old priest was really a "troublemaker," rather than being particularly opposed to shaving their heads.

By the time all this was done, it was already getting dark. Under Lud's management, the quarantine area was becoming more and more like a military camp or prison. However, many patients with mild symptoms found that after all this ordeal, their bodies actually felt much more comfortable.

End of this chapter

Although only 24 hours have passed since I arrived in Oyster Harbour, based on observations of the nearly 2,000 infected individuals in the quarantine area, the symptoms of this epidemic are actually far less severe than previously thought.

In the early stages, mild cases mainly present with fever and dark blood. It is only in the middle and later stages that body temperature becomes unbalanced, leading to various complications.

Therefore, apart from its relatively prominent role in transmissibility, the culprit behind this epidemic can only be described as mediocre in other aspects.

In Lude's view, if this disease were on Earth, it probably wouldn't cause much of a stir. But here it was a dirty and chaotic magical medieval world. Even with unscientific powers like magic and divine arts, the basic level of hygiene and disease prevention was what it was, so it was bound to fall short.

Fortunately, the situation was not so serious as to be irreversible. After Lud's strong intervention and takeover of the quarantine zone, everything began to get back on track.

Based on basic epidemic prevention knowledge from Earth, Lud developed targeted management and treatment methods for patients with different levels of illness. Mild cases mainly relied on rest, with sufficient food provided and patients forced to maintain personal hygiene and engage in basic exercise daily.

Because of the lack of sufficient food supply, the already generally sub-healthy lower class of people had their immunity further reduced. They often huddled together in a group of people in a cramped and poorly ventilated house for warmth, and had no energy to exercise, so their condition continued to deteriorate.

Under Lud's "coercion," all the patients in the isolation ward signed a contract with him. Lud promised to provide these patients with food and treatment, but these were not free. Everything was clearly priced. During the treatment, the patients had to completely obey all of Lud's instructions and would have to repay the price after they recovered.

Evanlus thought Lud was an unrealistic idealist who was like a nice guy. No matter how rich such a person is, he will inevitably be battered and bruised by the cruel reality, and even die.

However, Ludd was an idealist realist. Like Evan Ruth, he was well aware of the inherent flaws of humanity and had faced the dark side of human nature. But he accepted the fact that human nature was not perfect and never believed that ugliness was the true nature of humanity.

It doesn't matter if ordinary people don't understand; the key is that someone has to teach them!

Because he understood human nature, Ludd would not provide these refugees with anything completely free, because people do not cherish things that are given away for free.

The quarantine zone first launched two major projects. The first was the renovation of the streets and houses. The entire East Street used to be a slum. Although it was called a street, it was actually a shantytown with illegal constructions. Most of the buildings were wooden structures, and many had been in disrepair for years, posing serious safety hazards.

Ludwig then requested that some of the dilapidated buildings be demolished to create firebreaks, and that the materials obtained from the demolition be used to repair the remaining buildings in better condition.

Ludwig had to acknowledge one of the "advantages" of medieval feudal rule: the lords held almost absolute power of life and death over their fiefdoms. Before the pandemic, East Street housed over 20,000 people on less than 0.5 square kilometers of land. The lord could reclaim it with a single word and demand that the residents move out within a set timeframe, and no one dared to utter a word of "no."

So even if Ludwig demolished the entire East Street, he would only need to explain to the local viscount.

Another major project that Ludwig wanted to undertake was the sewer system!

Despite being a commercial city and one of the most prosperous metropolises in the north of the kingdom, Oyster Harbor, despite its size, only has a few privately built sewers in the wealthy areas. For ordinary people, having a drainage ditch dug at their doorstep is considered quite a luxury.

In fact, dwarves, skilled at digging tunnels, are absolute experts when it comes to building sewers. The sewage system in Pinetown was built with the help of the Steelwhip Clan at Lud's request. However, building sewers is quite expensive, and many lords don't pay enough attention to it, thinking that sewage from the city can simply be poured onto the ground, since it will seep into the soil anyway, and there's no need to waste so much money on building sewers.

As a result, the development levels of cities vary greatly. Some places are truly remarkable, while others are so poor that there's nowhere to even walk on the main roads.

However, the sewer system that Ludwig wanted to build on East Street wasn't anything particularly sophisticated; it could basically be considered a relatively simple sewage system. Its main purpose was to prevent street flooding and contamination of wells.

The dwarves will provide technical guidance for these two major projects, while the patients with milder symptoms will be responsible for the actual construction. Rude hopes that through labor, these patients will get moderate exercise and also have an opportunity to pay off their debts. Anyone who signs up to work will not only receive a higher standard of living but also a small wage, which can be used to repay the medical expenses stipulated in the contract.

Most of the patients in the quarantine area did not object to Ludwig's request to participate in labor. Thanks to the extremely low moral standards of the feudal lords, even the people themselves did not believe that the lords had an obligation to be responsible for their own health.

While religious figures spouted righteousness and morality, their actual actions were no better than those of nobles, and Ludwig, with his peers to accompany him, received little criticism.

Of course! The most crucial point is that although Luther forced these patients to do many actions that they couldn't understand, he would usually urge them to do so while explaining them in simple and easy-to-understand language.

Furthermore, since everyone has indeed felt an improvement in their physical condition, they naturally believe it, after all, facts always speak louder than words.

Two days later, another group of infected individuals arrested by the lord's guard were forcibly sent to the quarantine area. On the way there, these patients were all pale-faced, each believing they were going to die.

The epidemic, which had lasted for more than two months, had caused rumors to spread throughout Oyster Harbor, and the lord's reputation had long since plummeted. Therefore, the patients who were captured all believed that the quarantine zone was a fake, a secret execution ground set up by the lord's guard, and that no one who went in ever came out alive!

However, when more than a hundred people were herded into the quarantine zone, what appeared before them was not executioners carrying weapons, but a group of masked men dressed in white jumpsuits. Among them was even a priest who raised his hand and performed a group spiritual calming gesture, easing the tension among the crowd.

The first thing the people in white did was ask all the patients to register their personal information. Then a girl with a very nice voice stood on a high platform and loudly read out the various rules of the "isolation hospital" through a megaphone. Finally, they all pressed their fingerprints on a medical agreement without really understanding what had happened.

End of this chapter

Seven days passed in a flash. Under Lude's management, everything in the quarantine area became well-organized. Although there was no "miracle" like the large number of patients being cured, which is what most people expect, no patients died here since Lude took over. Including the three batches that were sent in one after another, the total number of infected people in the quarantine area has reached more than three thousand.

Of course! With more patients surviving, a major problem that arises is that food consumption also increases.

Prior to this, the food that Lud had provided for the patients was all aid from the neighboring Earl of Ramley, which Lud had obtained through his personal connections. It consisted of about half a ship of various coarse grains, or about three tons, as well as some dried meat and bone sticks brought from Pine Town.

It must be understood that it is currently springtime, and the lords' grain reserves are almost depleted after a winter of consumption. The Earl's provision of such substantial aid to Rud is already an act of great benevolence.

With his food supplies running out, Lud had no choice but to beg for alms in Oyster Harbor.

As the most important distribution center for maritime goods in the northern part of the kingdom, the local area actually has no shortage of food in terms of total amount. In fact, the per capita amount can even exceed that of many other regions. However, the problem lies in the uneven distribution.

Over 90% of the grain was stockpiled in the heavily guarded warehouses of several large merchant guilds in Oyster Harbor. Although the lords wielded immense power, their influence was limited to commoners. These large merchant guilds each had their own powerful backers, and even viscounts might not be able to afford to offend them.

Expecting these profit-driven merchants to open their granaries and release grain was out of the question, but fortunately, Lud wasn't without options. And once again, it proved that, in terms of sheer profit margins, no matter how high grain prices were raised, they still couldn't compete with pharmaceuticals!

With the help of several monopolistic miracle drugs at his disposal, Lu De met with several of the city's largest grain-stockpiling merchants. After some haggling, Lu De finally gritted his teeth and "painfully" exchanged the grain he needed from the merchants at an "extremely low" price.

The merchants all felt they had made a profit, because the Medicine God Cult's divine medicine was now a "rare commodity" in the north of the kingdom. It could be easily resold for several times the price, making much more money than grain.

Lude, on the other hand, perfectly catered to the psychology of these merchants, putting on a show of reluctance as if he were painfully cutting off his own flesh. Originally priced at 998, now selling for 499, Lude's expression at that moment was just like that of Mr. Ma, who was literally crying from a loss because of a discount on a shopping mall prop.

The businessmen all felt they had made a killing this time!

It's worth mentioning that among the merchant guilds trading with Lud was the Golden Axe Merchant Guild of the dwarves. This commercially oriented dwarven clan is an ally of the Steel Whip Clan through marriage; Grigg's nephew, Charlotte, is the youngest son of the current Golden Axe Clan chief.

However, the Golden Axe Merchant Guild's main business is mining and jewelry, and they don't deal much in grain trading, so Lude mainly buys coal from them.

The entire oyster port is neither too big nor too small, and people's gossipy spirit has not diminished due to the spread of the epidemic. Therefore, the series of actions of the Medicine God Cult in the quarantine area were quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys by various "interested people".

Initially, the news was mostly negative. Some residents tried to intercept convoys carrying supplies to the quarantine area, but ultimately failed. At that time, most residents felt disgusted with the infected people in the quarantine area, believing them to be a group of sinners rejected by the gods. They felt it was better to give food to healthy people for free than to these patients who wouldn't live for more than to give them food.

Those who spread these messages exploited the selfish side of human nature and successfully incited a mob of less-than-ideal people. However, they were quickly met with a brutal crackdown by the lord's guard. The phrase "Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be sent to the quarantine zone" immediately sent the mob scattering like birds and beasts.

Ludd roughly guessed who was behind these early rumors and maneuvering without much investigation. Knowing that it's only polite to reciprocate, Ludd decided to not only get things done but also launch a powerful propaganda attack!

You wanted to stir things up? Well, I'll play along!

Thus began a silent war of public opinion. Although Ludd was not a local force in Oyster Harbor, the locals were not a monolithic group, and various factions had their own agendas.

The one who jumped to the forefront to cause trouble this time was mainly the Lake God Cult, a nobody. The Four Seasons Goddess Cult behind them hasn't made a move yet, and the Sea God Cult's attitude is rather ambiguous. So, Lude decided to strike first at this scapegoat, targeting this pawn who had conveniently offered himself up.

In terms of tactics, the Lake God Cult's approach is to incite conflict, claiming that the Medicine God Cult only provides aid to patients in quarantine zones, ignoring what others in the city might say. Ludwig's counterattack, on the other hand, focuses on exposing the Lake God Cult's sale of counterfeit drugs as its main accusation.

To be honest, when Lud got this juicy information from the Urals, he was absolutely shocked! They were supposed to be a legitimate religious sect, yet they were selling ordinary well water as medicine and deceiving unsuspecting people by claiming it was "holy water from the lake" that could ward off disasters and evil spirits.

The other party deliberately played a word game here, only saying that the holy water of this lake can protect people from evil spirits and improve their luck, but never promising that the holy water can cure the plague. So even if you drink the holy water but are still unfortunately infected, it only means that your luck is still not enough even with the boost.

Lu De thought to himself, "Even if you were selling boiled and cooled water, I'd consider it a placebo." But it turned out to be well water bottled directly. This stuff wouldn't cure anything; it might even give you an upset stomach.

Ural simply shrugged at Lud's surprise. Cults like the Lake God, lurking at the bottom of the religious hierarchy, have limited influence and a small territory to sustain themselves, so their resources are naturally less extensive than those of larger sects. Therefore, often, just to make a living, they have to resort to some crooked means.

Selling counterfeit drugs is just basic practice. The major sects are well aware of this, but they all turn a blind eye.

Lude deeply abhorred the actions of the Lake God Cult, but he also knew that it would be troublesome to explain such things to the common people. After all, they had not personally witnessed the Lake God Cult filling bottles with well water. If you said it was fake medicine, the Lake God Cult could easily accuse you of slander, and you would inevitably get caught up in a pointless war of words.

So after much thought, Ludwig realized that he had to use religion to create religion!

Soon, new rumors began to circulate in the city. However, these rumors did not expose the Lake God Cult for using well water as holy water. Instead, they claimed that the Lake God Cult's priests and monks were lining their own pockets by substituting fake holy water for real holy water, thus harming the people of Oyster Harbor.

In conjunction with these rumors, some "genuine holy water from the lake" that were supposedly purchased from other places have appeared on the market. The bottles are all the same, but the liquid inside is completely different. It is a pure water with a charming fragrance, a slightly sweet taste, and the effects are immediate. Drinking it will make you feel refreshed immediately, and some minor ailments such as backaches and pains will be cured instantly.

Compared to this genuine holy water, the locals who had already bought the fake medicine were instantly enraged. Emotionally speaking, what they found even more unacceptable than the non-existence of the genuine product was that the genuine product existed, yet they had bought a fake. But the most shocked were the members of the Lake God Cult, because even they themselves were unaware that genuine holy water existed.

Thus, an awkward situation arose: the Lake God Cult had irrefutable evidence of selling fake holy water and was unable to deny it. They were too ashamed to admit that the so-called "real holy water" suddenly appearing on the market was counterfeit. If the effective one was fake, then what about the ineffective ones they had bought before?

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of people who had previously purchased holy water from them surrounded the Lake God Cult's stronghold. They all agreed that they didn't want a refund from the Lake God Cult; they just wanted the real holy water.

The priest of the Lake God Cult was dumbfounded; he didn't have any genuine holy water either.

The matter ended with the Lake God Cult unable to withstand the pressure and running away. It took Lud less than two days to defeat them. Even as they slunk away from Oyster Harbor in the middle of the night, Lud didn't know the exact name of the Lake God Cult priest who had spoken to him so sarcastically that day, nor did he bother to ask.

He was just an insignificant nobody. Getting rid of this charlatan would actually be beneficial to the subsequent anti-epidemic work. And Lud finally attracted the lord's attention with his achievements in the quarantine zone.

End of this chapter

Since the outbreak of the epidemic in Oyster Harbour, Viscount Maup has been in a state of constant turmoil, with all sorts of troubles coming one after another, leaving him exhausted from dealing with them.

This middle-aged man was neither stupid nor bad, and he was not indifferent to the people under his rule. However, he was unfortunately limited in ability and lacked capable domestic affairs personnel to assist him. This directly led him to make many blunders in dealing with the epidemic.

The Mape family had ruled Oyster Harbor for nearly two centuries, through five generations of lords, and had never encountered such a major crisis. After all, the plague was not like pirates or bandits, which could be easily wiped out by a well-trained and well-equipped lord's guard. The knights' proud swords and armor were simply no match for this "invisible enemy," and they could only turn to religious forces that possessed divine magic.

However, the lord soon discovered that religious forces were equally unreliable! Their divine magic was indeed powerful, but it could only save a minority of people. The local and foreign sects worked tirelessly for two months, failing to control the epidemic but making a fortune. The viscount was powerless against these charlatans, since they had at least saved some lives.

Fortunately, not all priests are greedy people who only care about gold coins; the Medicine God Cult is clearly different from others.

When the other party first arrived, the viscount did not have high expectations for them. There were indeed quite a few people who came and brought a lot of supplies, but the crucial priests were only an old man and a young man.

To the Viscount's surprise, Lud immediately offered to enter the quarantine zone to treat the abandoned civilian infected upon meeting him. This seemingly foolish act naturally drew ridicule from other sects, but Lud ignored the noise and simply looked calmly and composedly at the Viscount.

The Viscount then granted Ludwig's request and instructed his steward to do what he could to meet the other party's demands.

Looking back now, the Viscount wasn't quite sure why he agreed to the other party's request. He probably just felt that the other party was different from other priests, so he subconsciously expected a miracle to happen.

However, subsequent events proved that no miracle occurred, but this priest Rudd was indeed very skilled at healing and saving lives! The once lifeless East Street gradually began to regain its vitality.

Lude also voluntarily submitted a list containing the names of all infected individuals in the quarantine area, categorized into four groups: mild, severe, recovered, and deceased. He then provided an updated list every one or two days.

The butler handed the list to the Viscount, who was surprised to find that since the Medicine God Cult took over the quarantine area, not a single patient had died there. The number of critically ill patients was decreasing every day, while the number of recovered patients was increasing.

If this list is accurate, then there is no doubt that the Medicine God Cult has indeed found a cure for the plague.