Chapter 391 - 381: Purification Order

Chapter 391: Chapter 381: Purification Order

Nefarian’s wings sliced through the clouds as the wind howled in their ears.

Tristan gripped the leather handle of the saddle, forcing himself to acclimate to the high-altitude air currents and focus his attention on the land below.

South of the Royal Capital, an invisible line stretched across the land.

To the south of the line were the territories in the central and southern parts of Sword Tooth Province that had joined the alliance. The fields were a patchwork of varying shades of green, proof that life was slowly returning.

To the north of the line, it was a different scene entirely. The land was a vast expanse of withered yellow, punctuated only by a few desperate patches of green.

"My lord, look."

Tristan pointed into the distance, toward the domain of the Marquis of Minas Hill.

Velin had Nefarian descend to a lower altitude. ℴ

The city once again appeared in their view, as eerily silent as when they had first arrived. There were no columns of smoke from burning bodies, and the streets were nearly devoid of pedestrians.

"It’s too quiet," Tristan said.

"The contrast is certainly stark," Velin replied. "It’s worth investigating."

"Should we go take a look?"

"We can."

Nefarian changed course, flying toward a small town on the edge of the Marquis Domain. They landed in the woods outside the town and walked toward the entrance.

A crude checkpoint blocked the road. Several guards in leather armor were inspecting an ox-cart trying to enter the town; it was only carrying some charcoal.

A middle-aged man wearing a clerk’s insignia stood to one side, holding a wooden board and a charcoal pencil, recording something. He looked exhausted, but his movements were meticulous.

Velin and Tristan walked over.

The clerk clearly noticed them. Their clothes, their bearing, and their unhurried demeanor all seemed out of place. He felt an instinctive twinge of nervousness.

"Sirs, the town is currently under quarantine. All outsiders must register, and..."

"We’re from the Royal Capital, here on the orders of Prince Willandar to inspect epidemic prevention measures in various regions," Tristan cut him off, casually revealing a ring engraved with the Lorenzo family crest beneath his cuff.

The clerk froze. Though he didn’t recognize the intricate crest engraved on the ring beneath the man’s cuff, the quality and cut of his clothing spoke volumes of a wealthy and noble background.

"My... my lords, please forgive me." He immediately bowed. "I’m just a clerk responsible for recording incoming and outgoing supplies. I didn’t realize who you were..."

"There’s no need to be nervous," Velin said. "We just want to understand the epidemic prevention measures in the Marquis Domain of Minas Hill. The situation here seems much better than in most parts of the Duchy."

At the mention of this, a complex expression, a mixture of fear and pride, appeared on the clerk’s face.

"Yes, my lord. It’s all thanks to the Marquis’s eldest son, the young master Kaelan."

"Young master Kaelan?" Tristan asked.

"Yes. After the plague broke out, the Marquis gave young master Kaelan full authority over all epidemic prevention matters in the domain. The young master... he took very decisive measures."

"Tell us about them."

The clerk swallowed and lowered his voice.

"The young master issued the ’Purification Edict’."

"Purification?"

"Yes. In any family, if even one person is confirmed to have the plague, the entire family is... purified. Their house is burned down, and the land is covered with lime."

Tristan stiffened unnaturally.

"And what if it’s an entire village?" he pressed.

The clerk’s face paled.

"If a village has more than three cases, the army immediately seals it off... until... until there’s no more movement inside. Afterward, the entire village is burned to the ground."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Last month, Sanye Village to the south... disappeared just like that. Four hundred people, all of them."

Velin listened quietly before asking his next question.

"What about the nobility? Does this edict apply to them as well?"

"Huh? No, of course not." The clerk immediately shook his head. "The noble lords are cared for by the Priests of the Eternal Radiance Church. As long as they are pious enough, Divine Arts will protect them from the plague’s affliction."

Tristan couldn’t quite articulate his feelings. It wasn’t purely evil, after all; it had protected the majority.

He looked at Velin and found that the other man was also looking at him.

Velin said nothing, simply turning and walking back toward the woods.

Tristan hurried to follow.

"My lord, are we..."

Velin cut him off, his voice devoid of much emotion. "We have no reason to interfere in the affairs of other domains, so long as they don’t directly harm us."

Seeing the look of pity on Tristan’s face, he continued, "You’ve seen what became of them. If you don’t want to follow in their footsteps, you must focus even more on managing our own territory well. Remember, Tristan, the people are not a burden to be cast aside at will. They are the foundation of our strength, the key to turning defeat into victory when crisis strikes."

As they took off again, Tristan glanced back at the silent town. Now, he finally understood the reason for its silence. It was the silence of countless wronged souls.

Several hours later, Nefarian landed smoothly in the port district of Minas Tirith.

Unlike the dead silence of the Minas Hill domain, this place teemed with life.

On the docks, workers shouted chants as they hoisted crate after crate of goods from the ships. In the distance, the road to the main city was packed with an endless stream of caravans laden with supplies.

As for the plague that had once swept through the Northern Lands?

In this city, it seemed to have vanished. Yet, it was also everywhere.

It was in the idle chatter of the dockworkers, who spoke of the desolation and silence of the northern ports. It was in the shell-shocked memories of new immigrants, for whom it was the sole reason they had left their homes. It was on the front page of the White Tower Weekly, transformed into lines of numbers and countless reports. And it was even more present in the crates of medicine prioritized for unloading, and in the relentless, round-the-clock roar of the workshops.

The disaster was being digested by the city, transformed into fuel that drove its high-speed operations.

Velin and Tristan had just stepped off the landing platform when a clerk from the municipal hall hurried to greet them.

"My lord, you’ve returned. Lady Caroline has been waiting for you regarding the distribution plan for the new batch of supplies..."

Before he could finish, another figure rushed over from the side.

It was Elias.

The young Priest was usually calm and polite, but right now, his steps were marked by an obvious urgency. The hem of his faded gray True Origin Sect robes was even spattered with mud.

"Lord Velin, Mister Tristan." Elias stopped before them and performed a standard sectarian bow, but his ragged breathing made him seem somewhat disheveled. "Please forgive my impertinence."

"What happened?" Velin asked.

"It’s... it’s my fellow sect members." Elias struggled to catch his breath. "They found me."

"Your fellow sect members?" Tristan interjected. "People from the True Origin Association?"

"Yes," Elias nodded. "And... they’re from the Empire. Envoys sent from the sect headquarters."

The True Origin Association.

At the mention of the name, the bustling atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Velin’s mind raced. ’How could they know what happened here? And how did they arrive so quickly? News of the successful Blood Cough Potion had only just begun to spread. It was impossible for them, all the way in the Empire, to have received the information and reacted this fast. Do they have their own intelligence network within the Duchy? Or could it be... that Elias has been in contact with them all along?’

"Where are they?" Velin asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

"I’ve temporarily lodged them at the guesthouse in the port," Elias answered. "They traveled all the way from the Empire after hearing about the plague outbreak in the Duchy, and they’ve come specifically to offer aid. They said that under the orders of the Sect Master, they must deliver some important intelligence about this plague to you in person."

He paused, then looked up, his eyes—usually so gentle and inquisitive—now filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"They wish to see you, my lord."