On the morning of December 31, the south area of the bridge, Harvest Church.

Emlyn White stood in the kitchen, dressed in a priest's robe, sometimes throwing different herbs into a large iron pot with a certain amount of stirring.

After all the ingredients prepared in advance were put away, he waited patiently for another ten minutes before scooping up the inky black liquid inside with an iron spoon and filling them into the glass bottle and glass next to him.

48，49，50...... Emlyn glanced at the empty iron pot and counted the potions.

After checking the quantity, he picked up a large tray and carried bottles of dark green liquid to the hall.

Inside the hall, most of the prayer chairs had been torn down, and the floor was covered with tattered quilts, in which lay the plague-infected who were asleep or groaning in pain.

Emlyn and Father Utravsky cooperated, each carrying a portion of the potion and distributing it from two directions.

At the top of the line was a middle-aged man with a sallow face, who was busy half propping up, took the potion, and drank it with a gulp.

Handing back the bottle, he said gratefully to Emlyn:

"Thank you so much, Father White, I feel better and a little stronger!"

Emlyn raised her chin and replied disdainfully:

"It's just a very small thing, and it's not worth thanking for, you guys are so uninformed. ”

With that, he sped up the dispensing of the potion.

After ten minutes, he returned to the altar of Mother Earth and complained to Father Utravsky:

"You should find two more volunteers!"

Father Utravsky did not respond, looked at the patients, and smiled mildly:

"In two or three days, they should be healed. ”

"How do you know that?" Emlyn looked in surprise.

Father Utravsky bowed his head with a kind face, looked at him and said:

"Herbs are one of the realms of the Mother Goddess, and as a follower of Him, although it is not in the 'earth' path, it is still necessary to understand the basic common sense. ”

Emlyn snorted:

"I'm not interested in religion and don't know much about it. ”

Although in recent months I have been copying the sacred texts of Mother Earth Goddess...... He added a sentence with a little resentment in his heart, so he said casually:

"Father, I did not expect you to receive disgens, only two or three of them are followers of the Mother Goddess. ”

Father Utravsky smiled indifferently:

"They are also lives, innocent lives. ”

Emlyn froze for a few seconds, exhaled, and then said:

"Father, I've found a solution to the psychological suggestion, and I may be out of here soon. ”

Wait, why should I mention this? I was so touched by him, what if he locked me in the basement again? Emlyn suddenly nervous.

Father Utravsky's expression did not change at all, and he looked down at Emlin and said:

"Actually, you don't need to look for a way, and after a while, the psychological suggestion will be removed naturally, and you will be free to choose whether to come to church or not. ”

"Wait a little longer, and I'll be a devout believer in Mother Goddess, no, Mother Earth!" Emlyn blurted out.

Father Utravsky raised his eyebrows and said with a little surprise:

"I didn't force you to convert.

"The psychological suggestion I left is just to let you go back to church every day, hoping that you can fully appreciate the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest. ”

"The only thing that mental suggestion does is to get me back to church?" Emlyn's expression froze.

Father Utravsky nodded calmly:

"Yes. ”

"......" Emlyn's mouth was half open, and he slowly and mechanically looked back at the altar, looking at the life emblem of the "Mother Earth Goddess", as if he had become a puppet in an instant.

............

In the evening of December 31, Tingen, Daffodil Straße 2.

Benson entered the house, took off his hat and coat, and laughed:

"I've booked a ticket for the steam train to Beckland on January 3rd, second class. ”

Sitting in the dining room with a few newspapers spread out in front of her, Melissa said with a little worry:

"Benson, the air in Beckland is so bad that tens of thousands of people died a few days ago due to poisoning and disease caused by the great smog......"

"It's a sad and sad thing. Benson walked to the dining room and said with a sigh, "But the upper and lower houses have passed the report of the Air Pollution Investigation Committee, and there will be corresponding legislation to regulate the discharge of smoke and wastewater, and we will be greeted by the new Beckland, so you don't need to worry too much." ”

Speaking of this, he smiled sarcastically:

"When I came back from Iron Cross Street just now, I found that quite a few factory owners or their employees from Beckland were recruiting there, saying that because of the smog and the plague, the factories there were understaffed, so they were willing to promise working hours and minimum pay, which would be much better than the current standard, hehe. ”

"You think it's impossible?" Melissa asked sharply.

"When more and more people flock to Beckland, it is doomed to be impossible, unless the upper and lower houses can pass the corresponding bills and make direct provisions. Benson spread his hands and pointed to the table, "Alright, it's time for us to welcome the New Year." ”

There were three pairs of knives and forks, three empty porcelain plates, and three cups on the table.

Of the three glasses, one is beer and two are ginger beer.

............

December 31, evening.

Audrey, dressed up, stood in the lounge, waiting for the start of the New Year's party, but from her expression, it was impossible to see the excitement, excitement and joy of the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony.

In front of her was a newspaper that read:

“...... According to preliminary statistics, more than 21,000 people died directly in the smog, and the subsequent spread of the plague took away nearly 40,000 people, including young children, sturdy young men and women......"

Whew, Audrey couldn't help but close her eyes.

Just then, her father, the Earl of Hall, and her mother, Lady Caitlin, knocked at the door and came in, and praised in unison:

"You're more beautiful than everyone tonight, baby, it's time to go out, the queen is waiting for you. ”

Audrey exhaled slowly, smiled gracefully and brightly, and walked out of the lounge and into the party hall in the company of her father and mother.

She walked all the way to the front of the platform, and handed the queen's elbow-length white gauze glove to the queen's astonishing gaze.

The queen led her to the edge of the high platform and faced all the guests.

After a slight pause, the queen smiled:

"Although this is a dark time in Beckland's history, we still have a jewel that will brighten up the city, her intelligence, her beauty, her character, her manners, all impeccable.

"Today, I formally introduce her to you.

"Miss Audrey Hall. ”

Bang! Bang!

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, fireworks rose into the air, exploding one dreamy light after another.

On the evening of the last day of 1349, Audrey officially came of age in a social sense.

............

On the afternoon of January 3, 1350.

On the outskirts of the Eastern District, in a newly opened cemetery,

Using divination, Crane found the graves of old Kohler and Liv's mother and daughter.

This is not a grave in the true sense of the word, but a cabinet for storing urns, one after the other, row after row, overlapping and heavy.

Klein stood there and saw that Kohler Sr.'s cabinet not only had no photograph or epitaph, but even his name was missing.

Similar situations are not uncommon, there are too many unowned ashes that cannot be found relatives and friends, what their names are in front of them, what they look like, what kind of experiences they have, no one knows, no one is interested, only the number on the cabinet can distinguish them.

Crane closed his eyes, pulled out a piece of sticky note paper, shook it into a piece of iron, and carved a word on the cabinet door:

"Kohler. ”

Then, he added an epitaph:

"He was a good worker, he had a wife and a pair of children, and he worked hard to live. ”

Retracting his wrist and flicking it, Klein, with black hair and brown eyes and a thin face, let the paper burn in his hand, as if to pay tribute to all the souls here.

Instead of directly helping Daisy, who had lost her mother and sister, he wrote anonymously to reporter Mike Joseph, describing the girl's plight in detail, so as not to implicate the other party in his own affairs.

Mike has met Daisy, knows about her, and is enthusiastic about the establishment of the corresponding charitable fund, so Klein believes that he will help Daisy get more help so that she can complete her basic education and find a stable job to support herself.

Taking two steps back, Klein looked around, seeing that all that was left of the place was names and photographs, not even the victims.

He raised his head, exhaled slowly, turned around, and left the cemetery.

On the steam train to Beckland, Melissa looked intently at her textbook, while Benson quickly chatted with the passengers around her.

"It's too expensive, it's too expensive, a full 10 sules, half a pound!" a man in the prime of life who was less than thirty sighed from the bottom of his heart, "If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't buy a third-class seat and a ferry ticket lately, I wouldn't have spent this money at all, which is equal to my salary for most of the week!"

"It's true that too many people go to Beckland after the New Year. Benson chimed in.

The middle-aged man put away his distressed expression and said with anticipation:

"Because they promised 21 soles a week, promised to work no more than 12 hours a day, we signed a contract!

"When I rent a house and get my first salary, let my wife come to Beckland, and she should be able to find a good job, 12 or 13 sules a week, and Beckland is said to be very short of people!

"Your wish will surely be granted, and the King has signed a decree allowing the implementation of the Act which sets minimum pay and working hours. Benson gave him a sincere blessing and immediately smiled, "It's a 'land of hope.'" ”

Woo!

The steam train arrived at Beckland with countless hopeful men, and by this time it was still dark, the fog in the air had thinned out considerably, and the gas lamps hanging above the platform were no longer lit early.

Benson was very experienced in protecting his sister and wallet, carrying a suitcase, and walked out of the station with the crowd.

Suddenly, they felt a gaze sweep across them at the same time.

As they looked, Benson and Melissa saw a young gentleman with neat black hair and dark brown eyes.

The gentleman with the gold-rimmed glasses pressed his top hat and looked past them into the distance.

Benson and Melissa also retracted their gaze and looked at the smoke-spewing pillars in the middle of the street garden, expecting to see Beckland's underground traffic.

Crane walked past them with a blank face and a straight body, carrying a suitcase, and entered the departure station to meet the large crowd pouring into the "Land of Hope" and the people with good expectations in their apprehensions.

It's the worst of times, it's the best of times.

(End of Part 2)