Goddess Kaleidoscope

Soon, the two brothers filled two large bags with disinfectant and easily escaped the quarantine area. The seemingly tight security was completely ineffective in their eyes.

The two brothers were actually lucky. A certain thief god, who was suspected of slacking off, was away on a business trip and had to stay behind to guard the temple in their hometown. Neither of these two skilled thieves were here. Otherwise, the quarantine zone would not be a place where these two petty thieves could come and go as they pleased.

The two left the safe zone and found the middleman who had given them the job that night, handing over what they had stolen from the quarantine area. The middleman examined the items and said he needed to take them to the client for verification before settling the other half of the payment.

This is a common practice in the industry, and the two brothers didn't say much, agreeing to come back in three days to collect the money.

Thus, the stolen goods passed through several hands before finally being delivered to Bishop Evenus the following day at noon.

Looking at the pile of bottles and jars of medicine and a large bag full of so-called "disinfecting holy water," Evanlus habitually pinched his chin, then pointed at these things and asked the person who delivered them.

"Are you sure this is the miracle cure for the plague?"

"Yes, sir, the broker is absolutely true."

"Hmm... let's find someone to come and try first."

Out of caution, or perhaps suspicion, Evanrus decided to bring over a few suitable "guinea pigs" to test the drug's effectiveness. Coincidentally, there were patients in their temple, who were several monks who had previously gone out to encourage the public to donate. So Evanrus summoned them all.

Soon, the three infected monks were summoned to the main hall, and the other monks and knights around them hurriedly retreated to both sides.

Looking at their flushed faces due to fever, Evanrus's expression twitched slightly, but he still maintained his usual charlatan smile and beckoned the group to come forward and listen to him.

“Come here, my children! I have heard that you have fallen ill from your hard work and contracted the plague while you were out there. Because of your service to the Goddess and the Church, I have called you here today specifically to help you heal.”

Hearing Evanrus's words, the three monks were somewhat surprised.

Those who served their bishop knew all too well what kind of person he was. It was truly a case of "you do the dirty work, I get all the money and women first."

However, Evanrus has a strong background in the church and is very shrewd. Following him can help one climb to the top, so he is indeed a powerful figure to rely on.

Although they vaguely felt something was amiss, the three monks still cooperated by showing expressions of deep gratitude, kneeling on the ground and loudly thanking the bishop for his mercy.

"Alright, alright, no need for thanks, just take your medicine first!"

"..." x3

The three monks looked at each other in bewilderment. Only then did they realize that the bishop's healing was not divine magic but medicine.

Under the astonished gazes of the three monks, the bishop's disciple and assistant, Iria, approached them with a tray. On it were arranged in three groups many small pills and powders of different colors, as well as a cup of pale blue liquid that emitted the fragrance of orchids.

Since the Lasillato brothers, who were responsible for stealing the medicine, only obtained the medicine itself but didn't know how to use it, the middleman and Evanrus assumed, based on common sense, that these things must be taken orally. Especially that cup of fragrant, pleasant-smelling blue potion; just the aroma alone made it seem delicious.

"Come on! Let's try them one by one, let's start now."

The three monks finally understood that their bishop hadn't suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to give them, the neglected and unloved low-level clergy, belated care; rather, he needed a few monkeys to test his medicine.

However, despite their inner turmoil, the three dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction on their faces. Especially with Iria, the demon disguised as a nun, standing nearby, seemingly sweet-looking but whose inner wickedness was in no way inferior to her mentor, Evanrus, and perhaps even surpassed her in cruelty.

The three of them looked at each other, knowing that they couldn't escape this fate no matter how hard they tried. They thought that no matter how unreliable the medicine was, it couldn't be a deadly poison, so they gritted their teeth and went for it.

Since there was more than one type of pill, Evanrus had the three men each take one with the blue holy water in the cup, and then sent people to observe their reactions to determine which drug had the main effect.

After the three of them took the medicine, they didn't feel anything unusual at first. They even thought the blue holy water tasted quite good and was very smooth. But before Evanlus could have someone take them downstairs, one of them suddenly changed his expression. He first touched his stomach and then covered his mouth, looking like he was in great pain. The other two had the same reaction.

"Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Something feels off."

"Woooo..."

Seeing the three reacting increasingly strongly, Evanrus instinctively wanted to lean in and ask what was wrong. Iria, however, suddenly realized something and was about to pull the bishop back when one of them let out a loud "whoosh!" and sprayed a large amount of viscous substance from his mouth like a fountain, splattering Evanrus all over. With him leading the way, the other two, under the influence of the pungent odor, also broke down their defenses and followed suit, turning the magnificent temple hall into a bizarre "hell"...

End of this chapter

Amidst the knight's roar and the nun's scream, the three monks' foul breath sent chaos raging through the hall. Evanrus, his face covered in vomit, stood frozen in shock for a long moment before finally realizing what had happened.

"You bunch of bastards!"

"Sir... ugh... we don't... ugh..."

The three unfortunate monks vomited for nearly half a minute until their stomachs were completely empty, and they could only dry heave without vomiting. Only then did the chaos finally end.

Evanrus wanted to give the three of them a good beating and scolding, but with his face covered in leftover food, he could only try to keep his mouth shut, afraid that the sticky substance with the terrible smell would seep into his mouth again.

It took him a full hour to shower and rinse his mouth before he was finally clean of the filth on his body. During this time, the nuns who served him kept a straight face the whole time, not daring to show even the slightest disgust, but they couldn't help but think that "this bishop is no longer acceptable."

When Evanrus returned to the main hall after washing up, the nuns had already cleaned the hall spotless, while the three monks who had been vomiting uncontrollably were all prostrate on the ground, trembling. They couldn't even imagine how the bishop would punish them for their utter disrespect.

To their surprise, although Evanrus had a stern face and his eyes were full of undisguised anger, he did not order the knights to kill them directly. Instead, he told them to go and rest first, and to never reveal that they had been testing the drug today.

The three of them felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the hall.

At this moment, Sister Iria came up. This girl was unharmed in the chaos just now because as soon as she sensed that something was wrong, she immediately hid behind the huge Evanrus, so she didn't get hurt at all.

"Master, these medicines don't seem to be for treating the plague. Could we have been tricked?"

Hearing Irelia's words, Evanlus fell into deep thought. Realizing the drug's effects were off, his first thought was whether he could use the adverse reactions to frame and smear the Cult of Medicine. However, he quickly dismissed this idea, as the evidence they possessed was insufficient.

After all, it is an undeniable fact that the mortality rate of patients in the quarantine area is dropping significantly, so it is only possible that they did not understand how to use the medicine, or that the person who stole the medicine took the wrong thing.

To be honest, Evanlus was actually starting to panic. He hadn't taken Lud and the Medicine God Cult he represented too seriously at first. The only threats he saw were the Holy Light Cult and the War God Cult, who were also part of the three major cults. He wanted to use a large-scale sacrificial ceremony in Oyster Harbor to gain a wave of faith as a stepping stone for his own advancement, and he also wanted to prevent heretical forces from encroaching on his territory.

Only by achieving both of these points can his accomplishments be so impressive that even those important figures above him would find it difficult to criticize him.

So after much thought, Evanrus felt that he had to speed things up and force the lord to carry out the "salvation ritual" he advocated before the Church of Medicine could produce any remarkable results.

For the next two days, Evanrus visited the lord's mansion every day, repeatedly lobbying the viscount, while also sending people to spread the word in the city that the Church of the Four Seasons had a way to eliminate the plague, but their lord would rather let hundreds of thousands of his subjects suffer from the plague than make any sacrifice for them.

These rumors were terrifying, each word piercing the heart, and quickly intensified the discontent and anger of the common people.

Evenrus understood the thoughts of the common people. Their so-called awe of the noble lords was essentially out of fear of death and fear of the power and force wielded by the lords. Therefore, they were as obedient as sheep, both praying for the lords' protection and fearing that angering them would bring about their own death.

However, if the lord doesn't care about their lives at all, or even intentionally pushes them into a corner, then their strong will to survive will turn these usually docile sheep into mad dogs that kill their lord.

Therefore, Evanlus intentionally created tension, further plunging the already uneasy public into panic, and hopefully causing them to do something irrational.

And just as Evanrus had hoped, a few days after the rumors spread, a group of people spontaneously gathered in front of the lord's mansion, kneeling on the ground and loudly begging the Viscount to save them.

The number of those pleading and crying grew larger and louder, forcing the guards protecting the lord's manor to reinforce the main gate and prepare for a possible riot.

Just then, a group of brightly dressed, green-armored knights arrived at the square in front of the lord's mansion. Following closely behind was a luxurious carriage. Evanrus, dressed in a magnificent bishop's robe, slowly stepped down from the carriage, looked at the kneeling crowd in the square, and spoke with a face full of compassion.

"There is no need for such despair, my children. The great goddess will surely protect the most devout believers. Let us fill our hearts with hope and shout her supreme and great divine name three times... Harareia!"

"Hararea! Harararea! Harararea!"

Under Evanrus's lead, the scene instantly transformed into a religious gathering, with even some of the guards who worshipped the goddesses of the four seasons joining in the chanting, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

Seeing his grand entrance as a great success, with the believers kneeling down, Evanrus's vanity was greatly satisfied, as if he were the savior of the city and the earthly incarnation of the gods.

Surrounded by the knights of the Order, Evanrus quickly made his way through the crowd. He did enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention, but unfortunately, these lowly people were all dirty and smelly, and they were vying to get closer to him, even if they just wanted to kiss his boots. This made Evanrus feel a strong sense of disgust, but he couldn't show it on his face.

After finally arriving at the gates of the lord's manor, the captain of the guard came out and stopped Evanrus, allowing only him and Sister Iria to enter, while the other accompanying knights had to stay at the entrance.

Evanrus outwardly agreed in a friendly manner, but inwardly he cursed the captain of the guard for abusing his power and vowed to teach this ungrateful fellow a lesson when he had the chance.

And so, Evanrus led the nun into the lord's manor, and followed the maid with practiced ease until they arrived at the door of the viscount's study.

With the harassment tactics of the past few days, coupled with the escalating instability in the city, Evanrus was confident that he could persuade the lord to agree to his plan today.

However, when Evanrus knocked and entered the lord's study, he found at least a dozen people sitting inside, all leaders of various religious sects, as well as the dwarven guild master of the local Golden Axe Merchant Guild. Among these people, Rud of the Medicine God Cult was prominently seated at the head of the table to the lord's right.

That was where Evanrus used to sit!

End of this chapter

Evanrus was surprised to find a room full of people in his study, with all the heads of various families gathered together but not him. This made him almost instinctively sense a conspiracy, and it was clearly aimed at him.

"What's gotten into everyone gathering here today? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

“Bishop Evanrus, why do we need to inform you in advance if we want to see the Viscount? Do we need your permission again? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too nosy?”

Faced with Evanrus's clearly barbed words, Ural, who was present, immediately retorted, subtly labeling him as "overstepping his bounds."

It is important to understand that although the struggle between military and religious power has continued for thousands of years, this contest has always been conducted behind closed doors. Religious forces and noble groups have always maintained a peaceful relationship on the surface. Local churches obeyed the rule of noble lords and helped them stabilize the people's hearts, while lords granted the churches certain privileges.

Anyone who oversteps the boundaries is breaking the rules!

So, with such a serious accusation leveled against him, even the arrogant Evanrus had to hurriedly clarify things to the lords present. His gaze returned to Ural, now carrying a hint of coldness.

“Bishop of the Ural Mountains, you are a person of status, and your words and actions are related to the reputation of your church. You should be more careful.”

"No need for you to worry, I'm always careful with my words."

"Humph!"

"hehe!"

After a round of verbal sparring, the two stopped short of discussing the matter, but Evanrus sensed something unfavorable about him from the atmosphere in the study.

Especially when he discovered that the priest of the Cult of Poseidon, who should have been his ally, was among them. Evan Rust deliberately looked at him, but the man turned his head away, pretending to look around at the scenery. This attitude said a lot.

Fortunately, Evan Ruth remained calm and did not lose his temper on the spot.

At this moment, Ludwig, who was sitting to the right of the Viscount, coughed lightly and said something.

"Your Excellency, may I continue?"

“Please continue, Master Lude. I am very interested in the plan you have proposed.”

"What plan? What plan?"

Evanrus was completely confused. Seeing this, Rudd smiled and had his attendant bring out another booklet for Evanrus.

"Building a public health system...and fighting the pandemic as a nation?"

Looking at the title on the cover of the booklet, Evan Ruth frowned. He noticed that almost everyone present had a copy of the same booklet. In order to figure out what these people were up to behind his back, he quickly found an empty seat, sat down, and began to open the booklet. The more he read, the more alarmed he became.

First, there's the booklet itself. Like the other local natives present, Evan Ruth was seeing a modern Earth-style business plan for the first time. He was amazed by the format of the written text, which was concise, straightforward, and well-organized. The accompanying data curves made the content intuitive and persuasive.

But what alarmed Evanrus even more was this plan.

Evanrus originally intended to exploit the local people's panic during this special period, using a large-scale sacrificial ceremony to reap a huge wave of faith. If he was lucky, he might actually attract the attention of the goddess and receive a miracle to save these poor, foolish people.

It doesn't matter if the goddess doesn't come. Anyway, the damage is done, and Evanrus has already made the necessary connections to be transferred to the capital as a senior assistant to the current archbishop. He won't have to worry about the mess in Oyster Harbor.

However, the emergence of the Medicine God Cult severely disrupted his original plans.

Lude's plan was clear: first, establish an administrative body called the "Health Bureau" in Oyster Harbor, initially under the direct leadership of the Viscount, with his officials and priests working together to build a so-called "public health system" in Oyster Harbor as quickly as possible.

The plan clearly states at the beginning that the purpose of building this system is not to treat patients who have already been infected with the plague, but to protect healthy people who have not yet been infected and reduce the number of new patients.