Chapter 105
The news of zero critically ill patients spread throughout the city, riding the bustling city guards and the assistants delivering food and firewood, wave after wave.
"Have they all been cured?" Baron Vaughn's cup in his hands clattered and shattered. The personal male servant reporting hastily said:
"No, not all. Only those who couldn't get out of bed have been cured. The ones with milder symptoms are not healed yet."
"...How many critically ill patients are there?"
"Well..."
"Quickly go find out!"
The servant dashed away. Baron Vaughn looked regretfully at the broken pieces on the ground and muttered:
"So soon... Holna doesn't have this ability. If it's true, I'll have to donate more to the Temple of the War God."
"So soon?"
Viscount Joane, in his estate outside the city, received the news not too late. "Good, good. I'm tired of this wretched estate. Hey, someone! Pack up, we're heading back to the city! Oh, and do you want to come?"
"I want to go back! Of course, I want to go back!" Lady Deya teared up. "My lord, please intercede for me! Roman has been dead for so long, and the temple won't let me collect his body! My lord, please have pity on this son, help him one last time!"
The carriage rumbled from the estate outside the city, streaming towards the Spring Goddess Temple inside the city. Meanwhile, at the helm of the temple, High Priest Holna was troubled by the news from the Radiant Church.
The increased healing capabilities of those two families were not good for the Spring Goddess Temple. To put it lightly, he would overshadow the bald-headed archbishop; to put it heavily, the temple's influence and future donations would decrease.
"How did they manage it? Do we have more detailed information?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The messenger nodded vigorously. "According to the information we received, that young man called a jeweler, concocted something, and then used that thing to see... see...
We didn't have a chance to get close, and we don't know what it is, but it seems like after the elders saw it, they gathered a group and whispered. Then, today, those critically ill patients were all cured..."
"Is that so?" The high priest pushed up his round-framed glasses on his nose. With his hands behind his back, he paced from east to west, then back from west to east. Thinking and contemplating, his brows furrowed:
"I need to go see for myself. Someone!... No, forget it, bring that jeweler here first!"
The jeweler came trembling. Gesticulating, he explained for a long time, but failed to clearly convey what Garrett had him create the only useful information was that with that thing, one could see very small things!
"How small?"
"I... don't know... the man, the man just dropped a drop of water on the glass, and then went up to look..."
"What could be seen?Okay, stop talking, just recreate it exactly!"
The jeweler went to work crying. Helplessly, a microscope couldn't be made in the blink of an eye. Garrett had prepared enough manpower for him earlier, and personally chose lenses, adjusted focus, but it would still take an entire night to complete one. As High Priest Holna waited, instead of receiving the finished product, he got another piece of news:
"High Priest, it's bad! The Natural Church sent a message, saying they request our permission. They want to sprinkle lime into the fountain!"
"Tell them to roll!"
The messenger left in a hurry. The high priest angrily smashed a cup, gathered the clergy, and continued praying. After one round of prayers, more news came in:
"High Priest! The elder of the Natural Church, along with the bishop of the Temple of the War God, is requesting an audience. They say, the fountain has truly been contaminated, and it must be cleaned!"
"They've come to us?!"
The high priest was furious. That was the sacred spring of the goddess, a blessing to the believers and to the city of Hartland. Sprinkling lime into the fountain was no different from blasphemy against the goddess!
"Someone!" He stood up in anger. His movement was too hasty, and the silver crown on his head swayed, directly tilting down. High Priest Holna simply pulled off the silver crown and slammed it hard on the ground. With a "snap," the finely carved crown, adorned with narcissus patterns, became a lump:
"Bell, trumpet! Assemble all the clergy, tell them the time to defend the honor of the goddess has come!"
In the deep night, the doors of the Spring Goddess Temple suddenly opened. Two columns of guards, holding torches, hurried down, followed by the temple knights in helmets and armor, exuding a murderous aura, rushing out with a resounding rumble. Finally, the high priest emerged in the midst of swords and torches, his face full of anger:
"Elwin! You've gone too far!"
"We're just here to purify the fountain."
A calm and peaceful voice sounded from the other side, slow and unhurried, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. As if the thick night before them, no matter how fierce the high priest's anger, could only illuminate for a moment, unable to tear apart the entire night.
"All the city's water sources, as long as they're contaminated, must be thoroughly purified. Holna, please don't interfere."
"You're blaspheming the goddess!" High Priest Holna took a few steps forward, blocking the fountain. Anger made his voice sharper, almost piercing:
"This is the holy spring of the goddess! It was only temporarily contaminated by the sick two days ago. We have already held a purification ceremony and completely purified it! Elwin, if you throw things into the sacred spring again, you are blaspheming the goddess!"
"You may not have purified thoroughly." Elder Elwin sighed lightly. "Holna, or... let's go in first. I'll show you the evidence?!"
"What evidence?! There is no evidence!The sacred spring of the goddess is absolutely impossible to be impure!" The high priest did not allow any interruption, forcefully cutting off his words:
"Get out!"
With a wave of his staff, the three gems on the staff's head simultaneously lit up with a shimmering light, apparently preparing for a divine spell.
"Holna." Elder Elwin sighed. The bald-headed archbishop also walked out and stood side by side with him. At the same time, in the darkness, a wave of footsteps sounded, and healers and warriors surged out, facing the Spring Goddess Temple, forming an imposing half-circle.
"What? Do you still want to fight?!"
High Priest Holna was stunned for a moment, then angrily shouted:
"Without evidence, you forced your way to the temple's door, intending to blaspheme the glory of the goddess? In that case, even if the temple is outnumbered, we will fight to the death! Guards!"
"Here!"
With a clang, behind the high priest, the temple knights unsheathed their swords. Elder Elwin tapped his oak staff, the bald-headed archbishop raised his right hand high, and the warriors silently stepped forward. At the tense moment
, as swords were drawn and crossbows were cocked, a clear voice suddenly rang out in the background:
"I have evidence."
Garrett walked out slowly. Elder Elwin quickly glanced back at him. Trying to stop him again, but it was too late: Why are you coming out? Why are you coming out? If you insist that the temple's fountain also needs purification, fine, let the teacher speak for you. Why did you jump out yourself?
You're just a level 1 novice priest, offending the high priest won't benefit you! In the flickering flames, Garrett appeared calm and composed. Only his black eyes, gazing at the high priest, flickered with flame-like radiance. He didn't necessarily want to take the spotlight, but for the relationship between water quality testing, bacterial reproduction, and the epidemic, Elder Elwin only half understood. Letting the teacher argue for him would certainly not make it clear...
To eliminate the source of the infection as soon as possible, this matter required him to step forward. If the high priest resented him, so be it! He raised a small glass bottle high:
"We tested samples of water from the entire city. This fountain, as well as other bodies of water connected to the fountain source, all revealed the source of the epidemic. Even the mouth of the water outlet wasn't spared; we have reason to suspect that the fountain was contaminated before the water emerged."
"Garrett Nordmark!"
High Priest Holna stared at him, syllable by syllable grinding out the name of the youth through his teeth. With the new silver crown, a strand of flower-white hair not tied up almost stood straight:
"The source of the fountain is the deepest part of the temple, the sacred spring bestowed by the goddess! It has undergone prayers and blessings before emerging; how could there be a problem before it comes out?"
"I have evidence." Garrett calmly repeated: "Your Excellency High Priest, if you want evidence, I can show it to you. But the situation is urgent, the plague is still spreading throughout the city. For the well-being of all the people in the city, please let us purify the spring water first"
"Oh? Evidence?" A voice abruptly interjected. At the same time, outside the circle of people facing each other, a long shout echoed:
"His Lordship the City Lord has arrived"
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