Scurvy.

From Magellan's circumnavigation of the world in 1521 to the circumnavigation of the British Empire Admiral George Anson in 1740, scurvy claimed the lives of more than two million sailors in 219 years. As long as you sail to sea, you can't avoid the ordeal of scurvy.

Due to the level of human cognition and the backwardness of food preservation technology, the diet of sailors was generally hard biscuits gnawed by maggots, air-dried meat as hard as wooden planks, and green fresh water, and they hardly ate any vegetables and fruits during long-term voyages.

An unbalanced diet is the cause of scurvy, but it has not been detected for a long time.

Without knowing the principle of scurvy, the sailors thought that they were entangled by demons, and rushed to the doctor, and used many unbelievable treatments, including eating rats, bloodletting, bathing with animal blood, drinking honey, etc., and tried almost all the methods they could think of, but almost to no avail.

But in distant China, Zheng He accomplished seven voyages to the West, but this maritime disease rarely bothered Chinese sailors.

The reason is simple, vitamin C.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has strong antioxidant properties and is an indispensable trace element for the human body, fruits, vegetables, tea, corn and potatoes, as well as animal liver, etc., are rich in vitamin C.

Long-term deficiency of vitamin C will make collagen unable to synthesize normally, resulting in cell connection disorders, increasing the fragility of capillaries, and causing bleeding in the skin, mucous membranes, and bones. The reason why the symptoms are terrible is that most of them are capillaries that burst, causing bleeding gums, swollen skin, and large areas of ecchymosis.

Chinese food culture is broad and profound, even if it is ocean-bound sailing, in terms of food, Chinese will never settle. Not only did he carry green tea, which is rich in vitamin C, but he also mastered kimchi, a key technology for long-term storage of vegetables, and even cultivated vegetables on the boat and used vegetable bowls to grow bean sprouts.

So, the balanced eating habits of my big foodie empire cleverly avoided the nautical nightmare - scurvy.

The treatment of scurvy is very simple, that is, to adjust the diet, timely supplement vitamin C, as long as the internal organs have not bleed, you can continue to be alive. But if he doesn't take vitamin C in time, he has absolutely no chance of surviving.

"Ahem...... I...... I know this is cruel to you, to Alice, to your people. But...... The sea is so impermanent, so cruel, anyone who is cursed by the god of the sea will eventually fester, and in the infinite pain, the soul will remain in the arms of the god of the sea forever. ”

Despair appeared on Leah's face, and she sighed faintly, as if she had become a silent sculpture, and said after a long time: "It's me who should say I'm sorry, Uncle Karrick, it's because of me that you and the sailors have been infected with the curse of the sea god." ”

"No, no, no. Karrick shook his head desperately, "Leah, you're mistaken. The curse of the sea god is as impermanent as his character. No one can guess who it will befall on its head. In fact, every time I go on an expedition, it's an adventure, and if I hadn't lost more than a quarter of my crew to the Poseidon curse, it would have been a success. My sailors, too, know all this. ”

Alice on the side hugged Lia's arm tightly, her eyes full of tears: "Liya, is there really no way?

Leah fell silent again, and Carrick's dim gaze gathered love and fell on Alice: "Alice, don't cry for me. Fate is impermanent, and even the Church of the Holy Spirit is helpless against the powerful Seagod Curse. ”

While Qin Song was thinking, two knights stepped forward and lifted Karrick up from the bed, his legs were swollen and ulcerated, and he was completely unconscious.

This is much like another symptom of scurvy – pseudoparalysis of the lower limbs, which can be recovered.

Combined with the fact that Karrick's merchant ships were adrift at sea for three months, with a lack of food and fresh water, the likelihood of scurvy increased greatly.

At Leah's insistence, Karrick and seventeen crew members who were also infected with the Poseidon's Curse and had symptoms ranging from severity to severity were loaded into a wagon that was supposed to carry the goods, and set out on their way home in the thick of night.

The air in the carriage seemed to freeze, and even the candles were not lit. Leah and Alice snuggle helplessly together, merging with the darkness.

"Leah, is it true that even the Holy Spirit Society is helpless?"

"I'm sorry, Alice. There was once a nobleman who was cursed by the god of the sea and sought the help of the Church of the Holy Spirit, but in the end, he was still buried in the grave, in a desperate and miserable state. ”

Then there was a long silence, and Leah felt Alice's body tremble and her shoulders twitch. She could feel Alice weeping sadly, as her tears were equally uncontrollable.

His father died in battle, the old butler Lien was sick, and Karrick was cursed by the god of the sea and was about to go on an expedition.

No, never!

Leah suddenly remembered the tragic death of the nobleman just mentioned, he was cursed, and after asking the Holy Spirit Church for help to no avail, she heard a rumor that there was an old priest who lived in a small church in Daotan Town, and he had the experience of successfully curing the curse of the sea god.

But in the end, the old priest failed, and the nobles did not escape the fate of death. Later, it was learned that after successfully curing one case, the old priest used the same method to treat dozens of people who came to him for help, and all but two lucky ones who were favored by the Holy Spirit survived.

Despite the seemingly slim hope and all the luck of it, Leah has never been one to give up easily. Almost without hesitation, she summoned Kane, the captain of the knights, and instructed him to send a quick-witted, capable scout to return to Daotan Town at once, and no matter how much gold it spent, to bring the old priest to Blackstone Collar to heal Karrick.

"Leah, will it really work?"

"I don't know, but I pray that Karrick will be favored by the Holy Spirit. ”

"The providence of the Holy Spirit?"

Alice muttered in the dark, the Holy Spirit that Lea believed in was helpless, so does the god she believes in, Krem, have the ability to lift the curse of the sea god?

"Leah, I want to sleep for a while!" Alice was so desperate to fall asleep for the first time, curled up and lay on Leah's legs, closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

I'm going to fall asleep......

I'm going to fall asleep......

God, please let me dream......

The cool breeze blew through the wet wrists and feet, bringing a burst of coolness, and Qin Song, who was a small octopus, preferred to stay on the balcony than the small water urn, which could make his mind more open and clear. Alice's vision didn't need to be shared, in fact there was only darkness that didn't make any sense except to waste tiredness.

Qin Song had already guessed Alice's question tonight.