Chapter 16: The Undercurrent Surging (II)

E: Correction error, streptomycin is not the same as penicillin, it can only be injected intramuscularly, that is, it is slapped on the buttocks, not intravenously. It has been corrected in the previous article, thanks to the enthusiastic comments and guidance of c66o readers.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

“…… My brother my dear brother my brother though Cicero wrote with such an opening 1,400 years ago, but ah, my dear brother, what else can I say?

How do I start? Where do I turn around? All the chiē is so sad and full of fear.

My dear brother, I would rather never come into this world myself, or at least let me die before this terrible plague comes. Will our descendants believe in this qiē that we have experienced?

There was no lightning from heaven, or the fire of hell, no war or any visible killing, but people were dying quickly.

Has anyone ever seen or heard such a terrible thing? Have you ever read such an account in any history book?

Law, loyalty, order, piety, all the qiē we know have disappeared without a trace. Crazy people are scattered, leaving their homes behind, abandoned cities everywhere, the concept of a state is no longer in people's hearts, and a kind of fear, loneliness and despair spreads everywhere.

Oh yes, and people can sing about your happiness. But I think that only those who have not experienced the miserable conditions that we are seeing today will speak of such blessings. And our children and grandchildren in later generations will be able to recount what we have experienced in the language of fairy tales.

Ah, yes, we may indeed deserve such a punishment, and perhaps this punishment should be more terrible, but did not our ancestors deserve such punishment? May our descendants not be given the same fate......"

In a brightly lit study, reading his brother's letter from Rome again, the bishop of Marseille could not help but sigh, put away the parchment roll, and carefully packed it into a delicate wooden box.

It is evident from this desperate letter, which is already somewhat incoherent, that Rome and all of Italy have been turned into a human purgatory under the ravages of this plague, and that the terrible plague has drowned city after city like a tsunami—first with fever, vomiting, coughing, and abscesses, then with silence and death. Everyone can only watch the number of people around them dwindle rapidly, and they don't even know how long they can live. Such a horrific tragedy is truly unprecedented in history, and it makes people feel as if they have seen the end of the world coming.

Of course, mass deaths like this are common in war, but the problem is that a visible and murderous enemy may bring people together bravely, but an unpredictable illness can only make people fearful and distracted.

As a result, Rome, Siena, Genoa, Pisa, Lucca, and Naples, the famous Italian cities soon disintegrated, with all shops and bazaars closed, shipyards and docks turned into garbage heaps, prisoners starved to death in prisons, and even the government stopped functioning...... His brother, who had always been strict and calm, was also stimulated to the point of insanity.

But how much better can Marseille be? I really shouldn't have put those ships carrying the sick in the first place for the sake of a thought

Recalling the wrong decision made at the municipal council two months ago, the Bishop could not help but sigh once more.

No, even without those ships, the plague would have come from Italy. For example, Rome, the city of God, was not near the sea at all, but it was still attacked by the plague and slaughtered under the gaze of countless Holy Spirits...... The Bishop stood up from his desk and looked out through the window of the study on the third floor, where the fountains in the square were still bubbling in the bright spring sunshine, but the noisy stalls and vendors of the past had disappeared completely, and there were not even a few beggars to be found, and they seemed extremely empty and lonely.

Within the field of vision, there were only a handful of sloppy men leaning against the corner waiting to die, and there were also white bones that had been discarded at will.

The baptism of the plague has made the city fade from the veil of prosperity in the past, and it looks even more dilapidated and desolate.

In the face of this familiar and strange empty city, a complex feeling of gloom, oppression, desolation, despair, fear and sorrow suddenly surged into the heart of the Bishop, and made him grief unbearable, as if he was about to suffocate......

In fact, not only Marseille, the pearl of the Mediterranean, but also the entire Provence region, has now been conquered by the plague. Almost every town was littered with corpses. And the countryside is said to have died in the whole village, and there is no place where they can completely escape death.

Whether it's day or night, there are always many people who die on the road. Many more die at home, and their neighbors don't notice until their bodies are decomposing and they stench—if they don't die first.

Seeing the end of the world, the people of the city simply left their property and business behind and only cared about having fun; The peasants in the countryside knew that the time of death had come, and they did not want to work in the fields anymore, but only ate and drank. The wheat and fruit rotted in the fields, and the cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks fled somewhere. The women abandoned their chastity, the men forgot their morals, and drank and prostituted day and night...... And then died suddenly in the carnival of depravity.

With the collapse of social order, so did the army that maintained law and order. Gangs of robbers of all stripes flooded the roads, and pirates, who had lost their grip, plundered harbours and then died of pus-soaked drunkenness and abscesses in their arms.

In comparison, the situation in the central city of Marseille is not bad. Although, according to incomplete statistics, since the plague struck, the port of Marseille has collected a full 57,000 corpses, and thousands of households have been emptied. But in any case, after all, it can barely maintain a minimum of order here, and it will not degenerate into the kind of dark world where demons are dancing wildly, lawlessness, and society is collapsing.

Despite this, the situation is becoming more desperate by the day, and the only response one can think of is to pray for God's mercy and deliverance...... A servant came up and knocked on the door, informing the Bishop of Marseille, who had shut himself in his study, that the religious procession to pray for God to put an end to the plague was about to begin.

The bishop blinked, and at last remembered that there was such a thing today—an event of this magnitude, which he should have led the way in, but out of some unspeakable fear, the bishop had pushed the matter to a senior clergyman who had just been sent by the Holy See to inspect it.

In short, with the start of the religious procession, the long-empty streets of Marseille finally became lively again. The number of people in the entire procession exceeded 1,000, which was a rare event in this era

At the head of the procession was the procession of the "Atonementers". They fasted for at least a week, and in addition to shackles on their legs, they either carried heavy pieces of iron on their shoulders, or clasped them in their arms, or whipped their backs to complete their sacred atonement - the most exciting part of the religious procession, because they were literally bloodied and screamed "I am guilty......

According to the Church, temperance cleanses the spirit, cleanses the soul, endures pain, and cleanses the soul from the seams. These atonementers are exchanging their sacrifices for God's mercy and spell casting, giving all beings a chance to be saved.

Behind the procession of the "Atonementers" was a high priest who presided over the procession, and two acolytes followed him with ornate umbrellas. The senior priests kept making crosses on both sides of the street, while the other two priests shook brass bells and incense burners.

Further back, there is a long procession of huge crosses on elevated shelves, priests and members of the Church holding holy water bottles or amulets. The heavy carriage made of fine wood, and the cross covered in silver leaf, required a dozen men to carry it, but it was evidently a far easier means of atonement than the flogging, so that there were nearly a hundred men crowded under the carriage, far more than the number needed.

I saw them waving colorful flags, walking slowly on the streets, while singing loudly:

“…… Hear me, O God,

Panic seized me; Terror overwhelmed me.

My heart hurts.

I wish I could grow wings and fly like a dove,

O I will fly high, and dwell in that wilderness land;

Oh, I will fly high out of this tempest.

I will sue God, and Jehovah will save me.

I ask God to be sued at midnight, morning and dusk......"

The long song mixed with the howl of the redeemer was blown away by the wind into the streets of the port of Marseille.

At first, no one responded, and the remaining citizens just listened. They stand at the window or doorway, motionless and without saying a word. But as time went on, more and more people became infected by this fanatical religious atmosphere and began to walk out of their homes and join the procession.

According to the texts of the Church, these citizens, rich and poor, dressed in ragged clothes like sacks, sprinkled stove ash on their heads, walked barefoot in the streets, weeping and praying, some of them hung ropes around their necks to symbolize the noose, or held up their own treasured relics, while others held candles and gathered around them...... They are hopeful and convinced that this is a feat to save the world.

None of them knew that at a time when the Black Death was spreading, such a large gathering of people was the best means of spreading the plague

So, not surprisingly, the religious procession turned into a farce - first as we walked, a white priest with a banner suddenly fell, lying on the ground, his face twisted, his throat sizzling, but unable to move. The people in the procession stopped and gathered around him from afar, gossiping and talking, but no one would come to the rescue: everyone understood that this guy had contracted the plague

Before the mess could be sorted out, another bloodied atonement man fell down, lying on the ground groaning in pain, spitting blood in small gulps. Then, one after another, the marchers fell, and everyone around them could clearly see the black spots on their bodies, as well as the stench of blood oozing from their clothes, like a group of Grim Reapers, rampaging through the streets, mocking the stupidity and uselessness of mortals......

So the chants and prayers ceased, the procession ended, and the people were silent and the atmosphere was unusually dull...... Immediately afterward, the most tragic scene occurred: a large group of red-eyed wild dogs rushed out of the gloomy alley and rushed frantically. Pounced on the patients on the ground who were still gasping, biting and tearing. Throw the parade into complete chaos. Citizens who had a nervous breakdown rushed home screaming, candles fell to the ground, holy water spilled out, robes were trampled to shreds, and flags, relics, and crosses were thrown across the streets, trampled like garbage.

After seeing this crazy scene from the study window, the Bishop of Marseille couldn't help but close his eyes in pain: it's over, it's over, it's over

As an experienced clergyman, the Bishop knew very well what terrible destructive power would erupt when the last glimmer of hope in the hearts of men was crudely shattered and plunged into utter despair—that even the most honest farmer could instantly become the bloodiest killer; And the most cautious servants will frantically smash sticks and strips at their once-godly masters......

But he couldn't stop the deterioration of the situation, and he didn't even have the courage to step out of this repeatedly cleaned house and face the filthy environment outside. So, after a few rounds of trolling back and forth with his head, the Bishop had to take a bottle of wine from Bordeaux from the table, bite off the cork with his mouth, and then prepare to pour it down his throat with his neck to drown his sorrows......

But before he could pour the wine down his throat, he was interrupted by a bad guest.

-- The head of the local Inquisition, a one-eyed, scar-faced, bald man, broke in in a rage, and without waiting for the bishop's fire, he impatiently reported a terrible message to the bishop: "...... Honorable Bishop, I'm sorry to disturb your retreat, but the situation is urgent, and we have a terrible heresy, and that is Levi of the Mujahideen Manor. The Bacon Knight has conclusive evidence that he practiced witchcraft on the manor and kept a large number of evil cats, and now the plague is likely caused by this evil wizard......"

At first, the bishop of Marseille in a trance didn't think much of it—seeing that the end of the world was near, what kind of heresy was he grasping

But when he heard the last sentence, the bishop suddenly shook his head, and his mind opened up in an instant.

When the general public is holding back their grievances but cannot ♂ vent them, and the social situation is on the verge of exploding, what is the easiest way to decompress?

Of course, it is to introduce a scapegoat, put a disaster and a crime on his head, and then execute it publicly, so as to soothe the people's grievances

However, the choice of this scapegoat is also particular, usually it cannot be a penniless little person, otherwise the onlookers will not admit it; Generally, it can't be a big man with too high status, otherwise it will offend a large number of high-ranking and powerful people, and the follow-up risks will be difficult to control.

So, Knight Levi, even though we have no grudges in the past, and we don't know if you have ever been a dark wizard, this time I am afraid that you will have to be tied to the stake for a barbecue, and the whole city will be invited to watch - who called your status just right for a sacrifice?

Thinking of this, the Bishop couldn't help but touch his beard and show a smug smile.

“…… This piece of information you have sent is very important, and the Church has always hated and never shown mercy to such evil heretics. However, this guy who drums witchcraft is a knight after all, and I am afraid that there are some armed forces under him. If we go directly to his manor to arrest and try the case, I am afraid it will turn into a tragic battle...... In order to minimize the loss while fulfilling God's mission, I have a plan that requires your cooperation......"

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Not long after, Wang Qiu and Doraemon and other visitors from the other world had just left, and a menacing influenza of unknown origin swept through Lord Li Wei's manor in an instant, up to Lord Li Wei himself, down to the kitchen lady, almost all of them were hit.

Especially the plague patients in the hospital, with the help of antibiotics and sulfonamide powder, barely got rid of the entanglement of the Black Death, and their bodies and bones were still very weak. As soon as the viral flu came, they naturally fell ill again and had a high fever.

Faced with such a situation, Lord Li Wei and his attendants were naturally in a hurry, and they couldn't care about selling the "elixir" for a while.

Finally, when his condition eased a little, Lord Levi was wondering if he should go to the neighbors and sell antibiotic pills now that he had practical experience...... However, at this time, he received a letter from the city, claiming that Levy's previous application to inherit the title and estate of Baron Diderot had been approved by the royal family of Paris, and the edict of the French king was also sent to the town hall, urging him to go to the city to go through the inheritance procedures and pay the relevant fees......

So, Knight Levi changed into his most luxurious clothes, rode the last remaining war horse in the manor (the rest of the horses were stuffed into the [automatic pawn machine] by Doraemon for money), and took a small man riding a donkey, and went into the city in a leisurely manner.

Another day later, before Lord Levi had returned, a one-eyed priest wearing a black robe and looking hideous and ugly, accompanied by a soldier, met the silent gaze of everyone in the manor, and arrogantly broke into Lord Levi's Mujahideen Manor......

Tips: The new domain name "biquge.info" has been launched by Biquge, and the original domain name is about to be discontinued. Please tell each other, thank you!