Chapter 16, Undercurrent (Part 2)
PS: Correction. Streptomycin is different from penicillin. It can only be injected intramuscularly, that is, slapped on the butt, and cannot be injected intravenously. The previous article has been revised. Thanks to ounce0000 readers for their enthusiastic comments and guidance.
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"...My brother! My dear brother! My brother! Even though Cicero began his letter with this sentence fourteen hundred years ago, but, my dear brother, what else can I say? ?
How do I start? Where should I turn? Everything was so sad and there was fear everywhere.
My dear brother, I would have preferred that I had never come into this world, or at least that I had died before this terrible plague came. Will our descendants believe what we have experienced?
There was no lightning from heaven or fire from hell, no war or any visible killing, but people were dying quickly.
Has anyone ever seen or heard anything so horrific? Have you ever read such a record in any history book?
Law, loyalty, order, piety, everything we knew was gone. Crazy people fled in all directions, leaving their homes behind. Abandoned cities were everywhere. People no longer had the concept of a country in their hearts, and a kind of fear, loneliness and despair spread everywhere.
Oh, yes, people can also sing and wish you happiness. But I think this blessing can only be spoken by those who have not experienced the miserable conditions we see today. Only our descendants will be able to describe everything we have experienced in the language of fairy tales.
Ah, yes, we may indeed deserve such a punishment, and maybe this punishment should be more terrible, but shouldn’t our ancestors deserve such a punishment? Hopefully our descendants will not be gifted the same fate..."
In a sunny study room, he read it again. Looking at the letter from his brother sent from Rome, which can be said to be full of tears, the Bishop of Marseille couldn't help but sigh and put away the parchment. , carefully put it into a delicate wooden box.
It can be seen from this desperate letter that is already somewhat incoherent that under the attack of this plague, the city of Rome and the whole of Italy have become a hell on earth. The horrific plague is like a tsunami, flooding one building after another. A city - first fever, vomiting, coughing and abscesses, then silence and death. Everyone can only watch the number of people around them decrease rapidly, and they don't even know how long they can live. Such a shocking and tragic situation is truly unprecedented in history, and makes people feel like they are seeing the end of the world coming.
Of course, mass deaths like this are also common in wars, but the problem is that visible and ferocious enemies may encourage people to be brave and united, but elusive diseases can only make people fearful and distracted.
So, in the current catastrophe, whether it was Rome, Siena, Genoa, Pisa, Lucca or Naples, these famous Italian cities quickly disintegrated one after another. All shops and markets were closed, shipyards and The docks became garbage dumps, prisoners were starved to death in prisons, and even the government stopped functioning... His brother, who had always been serious and steady, was also stimulated to the point of going insane.
But how much better can Marseille get? I really shouldn't have let in those ships carrying the disease just for the sake of benevolence!
Recalling the wrong decision made at the municipal committee two months ago, the bishop could not help but sigh again.
No, even without those ships, the plague would still have spread from Italy. For example, Rome, the City of God, is not close to the sea at all, but the plague still invaded the city walls and carried out massacres under the watchful eyes of countless Holy Spirits... While the bishop was thinking about this, he stood up from his desk and looked through the Book on the third floor Looking out the window of the room, under the bright spring sunshine, the fountain in the square is still gurgling, but the noisy stalls and vendors in the past have disappeared, and not even a few beggars can be found. Extraordinarily empty and lonely.
Within the field of vision, there were only a few slovenly men leaning against the wall waiting for death, as well as the bones that had been carelessly discarded.
The baptism of plague caused the city to lose its former prosperity and look even more dilapidated and desolate.
Facing this familiar yet unfamiliar empty city, a complex of gloomy, depressing, desolate, despair, fear and sadness emotions suddenly surged into the heart of the bishop, making him unbearably sad and as if he was about to suffocate. Just average...
In fact, not only Marseille, the pearl of the Mediterranean, but also the entire Provence region has been overrun by the plague. Almost every town was filled with corpses. In the countryside, it is said that death is everywhere in the entire village, and there is no place where death can be completely avoided.
No matter day or night, there are always many people lying dead on the road. Many more people died at home, and their bodies would not be noticed by their neighbors until their bodies rotted and emitted a stench—if the neighbors had not died first.
Seeing the end coming, people in the city simply abandoned all their property and business and only cared about having fun; farmers in the countryside knew that their death was coming and were unwilling to do farm work anymore, only eating and drinking. The wheat and fruits rotted in the fields, and the cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks fled to unknown places. Women abandoned their chastity, men forgot their morality, drank and drank day and night, engaged in prostitution and adultery...and then died suddenly in a depraved orgy.
As social order collapsed, so did the policing armies. Various gangs of robbers proliferated on both sides of the road. Pirates who had lost control plundered various harbors and then died suddenly, drunkenly and with various trophies in their arms. Their bodies were covered with abscesses.
In comparison, the situation in Marseille, the capital of the Provence region, is already so-so and pretty good. 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 no matter what, after all, it can barely maintain a minimum order here, and it will not degenerate into a dark world of chaos, lawlessness, and social collapse.
Despite this, the situation is getting more desperate day by day, and the only solution people can think of is to pray for God's mercy and salvation... A servant came over and knocked on the door, notifying the Bishop of Marseille who was locked in his study: pray to God to eliminate the plague. The religious procession is about to begin.
The bishop blinked and finally remembered that there was such a thing today - such a large-scale event was supposed to be organized by him, but out of some unspeakable fear, the bishop put it aside It was passed on to a senior priest who had just been sent by the Holy See to inspect.
In short, with the beginning of this religious procession to pray for the elimination of disasters, the streets in Marseille that had been empty for a long time finally became lively again. With the full mobilization of the church, the number of people in the entire procession exceeded 1,000, which is a rare event in this era
At the front of the procession was the team of "Atoners." They fasted for at least a week. In addition to the shackles on their legs, they either carried heavy iron blocks on their shoulders, hugged the iron blocks with their arms, or whipped their backs with whips to complete their sacred atonement. —This is the most exciting show in the religious procession, because they are really covered in blood and scream "I am guilty"...
——According to the church, abstaining from food can purify the human spirit and cleanse the human heart. Enduring pain and torture can cleanse the filth at the seams of the soul. These redeemers are using their own sacrifices in exchange for God's mercy and magic, giving all living beings a chance to be saved.
Behind the procession of the "Atoners" was a senior priest who presided over the procession. Two acolytes held high their gorgeous umbrella canopies and followed him step by step. The prelate kept making the sign of the cross on both sides of the street, while the other two acolytes were shaking bells and censers.
Further back, there is a huge cross on a carriage, and a long line of priests and Quaker members holding bottles of holy water or amulets. The heavy carriage made of fine wood and the cross covered with silver foil required more than a dozen people to lift it. However, this was obviously a far easier way of atonement than whipping, so people were crowded carrying it. There are nearly a hundred guys under the rack, far more than the number needed.
I saw them holding colorful flags, walking slowly on the streets, and singing loudly:
"...Lord, please listen to me,
Panic seized me; terror overwhelmed me.
My heart really hurts.
How I wish I could grow wings and fly like a dove,
Ah, I will fly high and stay in the wilderness;
Oh, I will fly high, out of this violent storm.
I will cry out to God, and the Lord will save me.
I want to call on God, no matter midnight, no matter morning or evening..."
The long song, mixed with the howl of the redeemer, was blown by the wind into the streets and alleys of Marseille Port.
At first there was no response, and the remaining citizens just listened. They stood at the window or doorway, motionless and silent. But as time went by, more and more people were infected by this fanatical religious atmosphere and began to walk out of their homes and join the parade.
According to the requirements of church scriptures, these citizens, whether rich or poor, put on ragged clothes like sacks, sprinkled stove ashes on their heads, walked barefoot on the streets, wept and prayed, and some even licked their own necks. They hung ropes symbolizing nooses, or held up various holy objects they had collected. Others held candles and gathered around the holy objects... They believed full of hope that this was a feat of saving the world.
No one among them knew that when the Black Death was spreading, such large-scale gatherings of people were the best way to spread the plague!
Therefore, this religious procession unsurprisingly turned into a farce - while walking, a priest in white clothes holding a flag suddenly fell down. He lay on the ground, his face twisted, and his throat was hissing. There was a noise, but I couldn't move. The people in the parade stopped and gathered around him from a distance, talking all over the place, but no one was willing to go up to rescue him: everyone knew that this guy was infected with the plague!
Before this mess could be sorted out, another redeemer covered in blood slumped down and lay on the ground groaning in pain, vomiting blood in small mouthfuls. Then, one marcher after another fell down one after another. People around them could clearly see the black spots on their bodies and the smelly blood oozing from their clothes. They were like a group of death gods running rampant on the streets, laughing at the stupidity of mortals. And useless...
So, the hymns and prayers stopped, the parade ended, everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was extremely dull... Then, the most tragic scene appeared: a large group of wild dogs with red eyes ran out of the dark alleys, going crazy. The ground rushed over. He pounced on the panting patients on the ground, biting and tearing them randomly. Throwing the parade into complete chaos. The broken-down citizens screamed and ran home. Candles fell to the ground, holy water was spilled, robes were trampled to pieces, and various flags, holy objects and crosses were littered on the streets like garbage. Let anyone trample on you.
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 all over! All is lost!
As an experienced clergyman, the bishop knows very well what terrible destructive power will erupt when the last glimmer of hope in people's hearts is brutally shattered and they fall into complete despair - even if it is just one person. The most honest farmer will instantly become the bloodiest killer; and the most cautious servant will frantically smash sticks and bars at the master they once revered as a god...
But he couldn't stop the deterioration of the situation at all, and he didn't even have the courage to step out of this repeatedly cleaned house and face the dirty environment outside. Therefore, after grabbing his hair and twirling it around a few times, the bishop had no choice but to pick up a bottle of Bordeaux wine from the table, bite off the stopper with his mouth, and then prepare to pour it down his throat with a tilt of his neck. Come drink to drown your sorrows...
But before he could pour the wine down his throat, his miserable afternoon drink was interrupted by an uninvited guest.
——The person in charge of the local Inquisition, a one-eyed, bald man with a scarred face, rushed in in a hurry. Before the bishop could get angry, he impatiently reported a terrible message to the bishop: "...Dear Bishop ! Sorry to disturb your cleaning! But the situation is really urgent! , we discovered a terrible heretic! That is Levi of the Jihadist Manor! There is conclusive evidence that he practices witchcraft and raises a large number of evil cats in the manor! This plague is likely to be this evil! Caused by wizards..."
At first, the Bishop of Marseille, who was in a daze, didn't take it seriously - it was almost the end of the world, so why should we arrest heretics?
But after hearing the last sentence, the bishop suddenly became excited, and his imagination suddenly opened up.
When the general public has been holding back their resentment but has no way to vent it, and when social sentiment is on the verge of exploding, what is the easiest way to reduce stress?
Of course, it is necessary to introduce a scapegoat, put all the disasters and crimes on his head, and then publicly execute him, so as to alleviate the public resentment!
However, the choice of the scapegoat is also very particular. It usually cannot be a penniless little person, otherwise the onlookers will not admit it; generally it cannot be a big shot with too high a status, otherwise it will offend a large number of high-ranking people, and there will be subsequent risks. Hard to control.
Therefore, Knight Levi, although we have no grudges in the past and have no grudges in the recent past, and I don’t know if you have ever become a dark wizard, I am afraid that this time I will have to tie you to the stake and roast you, and invite the whole city to watch. ——Who said that your identity is suitable for being a sacrifice?
Thinking of this, the Lord Bishop couldn't help but stroke his beard and showed a proud smile.
"...The information you sent is very important. The church has always hated such evil heretics and will never show mercy. However, this guy who practices witchcraft is a knight after all, and he may have some armed forces. If we If we go directly to his manor to arrest and interrogate the case, I'm afraid it will turn into a brutal battle... In order to reduce losses while completing God's mission, I have a strategy that requires your cooperation..."
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Not long after, as soon as Wang Qiu, Doraemon and other visitors from other worlds left, a menacing influenza of unknown origin swept across Sir Levi's manor in an instant, affecting Sir Levi himself and the cook in the kitchen. , almost all of them fall into the trap.
Especially those plague patients in the hospital, who managed to escape from the Black Death with the help of antibiotics and sulfonamide powder, and their bodies were still very weak. But when the viral flu came, they naturally fell ill again and developed high fevers one after another.
Faced with such a situation, Lord Levi and his attendants were naturally in a state of panic, and they could no longer care about selling the "miracle medicine".
After finally waiting for his condition to ease a little, Sir Levi was wondering if he should visit his neighbors to sell antibiotic tablets now that he had gained practical experience... but it happened that at this moment he received a call from the city. A letter, It was said that Livy's previous application to inherit Baron Diderot's title and real estate had been approved by the Paris royal family, and the King of France's order was also sent to the city hall, urging him to go to the city quickly to handle the inheritance procedures and pay the Related costs...
So, Knight Levi put on his most luxurious clothes, rode on the last war horse left in the manor (the rest of the horses were stuffed by Doraemon into the [automatic pawn machine] to change money), and took A young boy riding a donkey went into the city leisurely. Another day passed, and Lord Levi had not returned yet. A ferocious one-eyed priest wearing a black robe, accompanied by several knights and soldiers, walked in arrogantly in front of the silent eyes of everyone in the manor. Lord Levi's Jihadist Manor...