The final dinner in the palace of the Grand Governor of Soracea ended in a hurry, and ended unhappily. Latius's long silence made John even more puzzled by the opposition of the nobles represented by him to the establishment of the academy. This should be a good thing for the benefit of all peoples. Even in the most critical years of the Empire, the literacy rate of citizens, the level of literacy, and the skills mastered by the Empire in the arts, architecture, and other skills were still ahead of those of the West.

The Renaissance in Western Europe was just an after-dinner joke for the scholars of Constantinople. A group of barbarians who are still defecating in the open and believing that bathing will allow the virus to invade their bodies, also falsely claiming to be the pioneers of the Renaissance?

John hoped that the academy should be completed as soon as possible, that is, he hoped that the empire would be able to open up this technological and cultural advantage with the Western Europeans again as soon as possible while maintaining its armament and still not being threatened by the Ottomans day and night. While they were still studying the permutations of gunpowder, stone mortar barrels, and muskets, the Empire was able to use the most advanced weapons to destroy the seemingly impregnable walls on which they depended.

Secondly, the topics of the college will not be limited to military science and technology, and disciplines such as medicine and geology that popularize people's livelihood are equally important. At that time, the entire Royal Library, with the exception of Justinian Hall, could even be fully opened for scholars to absorb knowledge and rebind their textbooks.

"Unexpected?"

"Yes, indeed. But it shouldn't affect the big picture. Education is the object of development second only to the basic economy, and as aristocrats, in fact, they know each better than the other. It's just that certain old ideas have been ingrained in their minds. ”

The sea breeze and the sun were a little lazy, and John simply leaned against the deck of the Ebius-Radiance and took a nap.

The name of the Aegean Wonderland is not something that bards boasted about for no reason. It's just that the meager income in his previous life prevented John from making such a trip.

The port of Piraeus faded into the horizon, and John had expected the sunbathing to last a long time.

"Brother......

"Brother......

Half-asleep and half-awake, John seemed to hear Sophia's somewhat weak call.

"What's the matter, Sophia......"

"I ...... I was a little dizzy......"

"Huh?"

John suddenly woke up from his dream, still half-lying on the deck, while Sophia was beside him, trembling.

Her face was pale, her eyes were closed, she didn't know why, and her lips were chapped.

All of this happened in just a few tens of minutes of John's nap!

"Francisco!"

Sophia could never get seasick, and she was more excited than anyone else when it came to naval battles, especially the earth-shaking artillery battles. And the most basic common sense told John that this must have been the first symptom of some kind of acute illness.

Hating that he was not a medical student, John waited quietly for Admiral Francisco to arrive after helping Sophia, who was limp to go back to the cabin and lie down.

"Your Majesty...... What's up? ”

Francisco also seems to be busy. Hurriedly ran to the cabin and gasped: "Something is wrong with the sailors, I have to ...... Deal with ......"

"What did you say?"

"There are a few sailors who are in a bit of health right now...... Wait a minute...... Your Majesty......" Francisco clearly read the meaning from John's frightened facial expression.

He only glanced at Sophia, who was lying on the bed, and he already understood what John wanted to say.

"Your Majesty, this trip to Athens is only for the maintenance of ships, not for an expedition. There was no doctor on board...... But we can make a U-turn and go to Constantinople, where there are a lot of professional ......"

"No...... Francisco, this may well be a precursor to a plague. John uttered his judgment word for word.

Even if this conclusion is a bit cruel, it is the best explanation for the sudden and simultaneous development of symptoms by so many people on board. Of course, it is almost impossible for ships to be the source of the plague. In other words, this plague was most likely brought out of Athens by a boatload of them!

"We can't go to Constantinople, it will only speed up the spread of the disease! Return! Return! Back to Athens! John was almost so nervous that he couldn't give an accurate command.

If Athens were indeed the source of the plague, it would be a catastrophe for a city that had just been reborn from the ashes.

The word plague is more terrible than a thousand wars. Europe has been going back and forth for thousands of years, and the killings caused by the Black Death almost erased the gap.

Doctors with a bird's beak usually bring not hope, but death.

"Brother...... I'm so cold......"

Sophia's tiny body shrunk under the velvet quilt, shivering from the chills. But when John's hand touched Sophia's forehead, he could tell in an instant that it was at least thirty-eight and a half degrees Celsius.

It's not like a normal fever......

How is it possible for so many people to get sick at the same time......

John tries to explain Sophia's symptoms with his shallow knowledge of the disease, but all he gets is a sense of powerlessness.

"Sophia, Sophia...... It's okay...... Let's go back to Athens first...... You're going to be fine......" John didn't know if he was really related to this girl, but he knew that his feelings for Sophia had transcended any known existence in time.

Perhaps my feelings for the revival of Rome are not for the sake of this empire, but just to fulfill the dream of this little girl......

The calm seas made the Ebius-Radiance particularly slow, but fortunately it was not far from the port and did not take much time.

The flagship of the Phoenix Fleet, which had just been disbanded in the port of Piraeus, had once again appeared on the sea level, and could only be welcomed again.

Strangely, after being anchored in the harbor for a long time, the Ebius-Radiance did not lower the landing board, and there was no movement even on the deck of the ship.

"Let the Duke of Latius come to the port at once! Fast! ”

Francisco leaned out of the cabin.

Ebius – The Radiance is now a mobile plague-spreading machine. The port of Piraeus needs to be emptied quickly.

But the group of honor guards did not seem to realize the seriousness of the problem, they just invited the judicial officer of the port to hurry under the ship: "Lord Admiral, the Duke is now dealing with important business, if not particularly important......"

While the judge was still feeling good about himself, and while he was giving a speech, John, who had almost lost his mind because of Sophia's condition, immediately picked up a prismatic gun and threw it ashore: "Let Latius come to me personally!" Immediately! Also, give me an emergency evacuation and close the gates of the port of Piraeus and Athens, and before I give my next order, Athens will not have any movement of people! Don't make me repeat it again! Let the Duke of Latius come to me as fast as he can! ”