Chapter 99
Garrett Nordmark was in high spirits. Though he hadn't personally participated in the healing process, under his guidance, overall healing efficiency had increased by more than 30%!
I'm truly amazing!
He pumped his fist in excitement. Watching the priests efficiently perform their duties, Garrett tiptoed behind Elder Elwin Wilkinson and quietly tugged at his robe:
"Teacher, I'm stepping out for a bit."
"What for?"
"I'm going to find the true source of this plague!"
Garrett had never considered staying indefinitely at the Radiant Church or the centralized medical facility.
He was just a first-level priest with only a handful of healing spells at his disposal. Fully dedicating himself to treating severely ill patients could deplete his abilities within half an hour.
This level of healing was like a drop in the ocean when faced with hundreds of afflicted individuals.
However, in the face of this epidemic, he had his unique value. Some things, only he could do, and no one else would even think of doing!nove(l)bi(n.)com
He strode into the City Guards' barracks. In the hall, Baron Vaughn, Sir Levi, and several wealthy merchants who had made donations had already left. The food merchant was arranging the supply of provisions for the Radiant Church, and the leader of the construction guild was organizing the construction of makeshift kitchens.
Among the people Garrett specifically called in, only two remained seated, staring at each other, trembling with anticipation.
"Sorry for the wait." Garrett rushed in. After being left hanging for so long, the two finally learned that it was this young man who had summoned them. They now regarded him as their savior. The dye merchant eagerly shouted:
"I'll donate five gold coins!"
"I'll donate five, no, six!" The jeweler couldn't be left behind. "Mage sir, if you have any good gemstones, I'll embed them in jewelry for you for free! No need for labor fees!"
"No need for your donations." Garrett quickly waved his hand. He couldn't even distinguish who was who, and the jeweler's words spared him the trouble of asking. Garrett turned to the dye merchant:
"Could you do me a favor? Bring all the dyes from your shop, give me half an ounce of eachno, even a quarter ounce is enough. Charge the market price, and I'll have the quartermaster settle the payment."
"No need, no need! Just a little dye, I'll donate it directly"
"You must pay. I'm pressed for time, so please hurry." Garrett wasn't interested in more conversation and cut him off directly. Then, he turned to the jeweler:
The clergy of the Spring Goddess were directly connected to the sacred spring, and indeed, they excelled at purifying water sources. In the midst of their prayers, gurgling spring water bubbled out from bottles and pitchers, poured onto the ground, instantly dissipating the dark aura on the floor. However, as soon as the prayers ended, two low-ranking priests immediately exclaimed:
"Oh, my stomach doesn't feel good... I need to step aside for a moment..."
The high priest felt like vomiting.
Since the demise of the knight Roman, they had performed countless exorcism rituals, and the dark aura in the sealed chamber had gradually lightened. However, the number of people falling ill increased. It started with ordinary servants who lacked extraordinary powers and had mediocre health, then guards and apprentices, and now, even low-ranking priests were falling sick...
It was simply ludicrous!
However, the Spring Goddess was a deity of purity, a clear and transparent god. The appearance of impurities during prayers was disrespectful to the goddess. The high priest could only wave his hand dismissively, urging those two fellows to leave promptly. The group gathered their belongings and started to leave. Midway, a young attendant rushed in, holding his robes, and approached the high priest:
"Your Excellency, those beggars at the entrance have all been taken away!"
"Taken away?"
Well, good riddance...
The Spring Goddess was the ancestral deity of the kingdom, and over half of the nobility in the kingdom believed in the Spring Goddess. Even if the temple closed its doors, they still had the privilege of receiving treatment. Of course, their donations to the temple wouldn't be meager, and they wouldn't hesitate to send their sons and daughters to the temple, aspiring to become priests or knights...
As for those poor folks who could only pray and shout in the square, scooping water from the fountain at the entrance to drink they were just decorative most of the time. There were neither too many nor too few of them, and in critical times, well, if they were taken away, so be it.
"Oh, by the way, I heard someone in the street banging drums and shouting, advising not to drink water from the fountain... They claim that this plague is caused by drinking untreated water and urge everyone to drink boiled water from the large cauldrons instead..."
"What?!"
The high priest was furious.
The fountain at the temple entrance represented the blessing of the Spring Goddess, and the water in the fountain came directly from beneath the temple, blessed by the prayers of the clergy!
Forbidding the citizens from drinking water from the fountain wasn't that tantamount to saying there was an issue with the Spring Goddess's blessing?!
This was undermining the foundation of the temple!
This was disrespecting the goddess!
"What nonsense is this?! Take a team and drive them away, then investigate who is spreading such baseless rumors!"
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