December 31st morning, south of the Bridge, Harvest Church.
Emlyn White was wearing a priest's robe as he stood in the kitchen. From time to time, he would throw different herbs into the pot and stir them.
After all the ingredients that he had prepared ahead of time were put in, he patiently waited for ten minutes before scooping up the ink-black liquid with a metal spoon and pouring it into a glass bottle and glass cup beside him.
48, 49, 50 … Emlyn glanced at the empty pot and counted the concocted medicine.
After confirming the quantity, he picked up a large tray and sent bottles of dark green liquid to the hall.
Inside the hall, most of the prayer pews had been torn down, and there were tattered blankets on the ground. Inside were the plague infected who were either asleep or moaning in pain.
Emlyn and Father Utravsky worked together, each carrying a portion of the medicine and distributing it from two directions.
The first in line was a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion. He hurriedly propped himself up, took the medicine, and gulped it down.
Handing back the bottle, he gratefully said to Emlyn, "Father White, thank you so much.
"Father White, thank you so much. I feel much better now. I have some strength again!"
Emlyn raised his chin and replied disdainfully, "Father White, thank you so much.
"This is just a very insignificant matter. It's not worthy of gratitude. You guys are really too ignorant."
With that said, he sped up the distribution of medicine.
After about ten minutes, he returned to Earth Mother's altar and complained to Father Utravsky.
"You should find two more volunteers!"
Father Utravsky didn't respond. He looked at the patients and smiled warmly.
"In another two or three days, they should be able to recover."
"How do you know?" Emlyn turned his head in surprise.
Father Utravsky lowered his head with a benevolent expression and looked at him.
"Herbs are one of the domains of Earth Mother. As believers, although they aren't of the Earth pathway, they still need to know basic knowledge. "
Emlyn tsked.
"I'm not interested in religion. I don't know much about it."
Even though I've been copying Mother Earth's Holy Bible in recent months … He added with slight resentment in his heart, then casually said,
Then, he casually said, "Father, I never expected you to accept disbelievers. Only two or three of them are believers of Earth Mother."
Father Utravsky smiled without a care.
"They are also lives, innocent lives."
Emlyn was stunned for a few seconds before he exhaled and said, "That's right.
"Father, I've found a way to deal with the hypnosis. Maybe I'll leave this place soon."
Wait, why did I mention this? I was moved by him. What if he locked me in the basement again? Emlyn was suddenly nervous.
Father Utravsky's expression didn't change as he looked down at Emlyn.
"Actually, you don't need to look for a solution. After some time, the hypnosis will naturally disappear, and you can freely choose whether to come to the church or not."
"In a while, I'll become a devout believer of Earth Mother, no, Earth Mother!" Emlyn blurted out.
Father Utravsky raised his eyebrows and said in surprise, "That's right.
"I didn't force you to change your faith.
"The hypnosis I left behind is to make you come back to the church every day. I hope that you can fully appreciate the value of life and the joy of harvest."
"Then the only purpose of the hypnosis is to make me return to the cathedral?" Emlyn's expression froze.
Utravsky nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"…" Emlyn's mouth was half-agape as he slowly and mechanically turned his head to look at the altar, at the Sacred Emblem of Life of Earth Mother. It was as if he had instantly turned into a puppet.
…
December 31st, evening, 2 Daffodil Street, Tingen City.
Benson entered the house, took off his hat and coat, and chuckled.
He chuckled and said, "I've already booked a second-class ticket to Baekeland on January 3rd."
Sitting in the dining room, Melissa, who had a few newspapers spread out in front of her, said worriedly, "Baansen, the air in Baekeland is too bad.
"Benson, the air in Backlund is too bad. A few days ago, tens of thousands of people died from poisoning and diseases caused by the smog …"
"This is really a regrettable and tragic matter." Baansen walked to the dining room and said with a sigh, "However, the Upper and Lower Houses have already passed the report of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council. There will soon be corresponding legislation to regulate the emission of smoke and wastewater. What awaits us will be a new Baekeland. You don't have to worry too much."
Having said that, he smiled mockingly.
"When I returned from Iron Cross Street just now, I discovered quite a number of factory owners or their employees from Baekeland hiring. They said that because of the smog and plague, the factories there are lacking in manpower. Therefore, they are willing to promise working hours and minimum pay. It will be much better than the current standard. Heh heh."
"You think it's impossible?" Melissa asked sharply.
"When more and more people flock to Baekeland, it's destined to be impossible unless the Upper and Lower Houses can pass the corresponding bill and directly make the rules." Baansen spread his hands and pointed at the dining table. "Alright, it's time for us to welcome in the new year."
There were three sets of knives and forks, three empty porcelain plates, and three cups on the dining table.
Of the three cups, one was beer and two were ginger beer.
…
December 31st, evening.
Audrey, who was dressed to the nines, stood in the lounge, waiting for the New Year's party to begin. However, from her expression, one couldn't see the excitement, excitement, and joy of her coming of age ceremony.
There was a newspaper in front of her, and it read:
"… According to preliminary statistics, more than 21000 people died in the smog, and the subsequent spread of the plague killed nearly 40000 people, including young children and strong young men and women …"
Phew. Audrey couldn't help but close her eyes.
At that moment, her father, Earl Hall, and her mother, Lady Catelyn, knocked on the door and entered.
They praised in unison, "Your beauty surpasses everyone else tonight, baby. It's time to go out. The queen is waiting for you."
Audrey slowly exhaled and revealed an elegant and bright smile. Accompanied by her father and mother, she walked out of the lounge and into the banquet hall.
She walked all the way to the front of the stage, and under the amazed gazes of everyone, she handed her hand, which was wearing a white silk glove to the elbow, to the queen.
The queen led her to the edge of the stage and faced all the guests.
After a slight pause, the queen smiled.
"Although this is a dark period in Baekeland's history, we still have a gem that can illuminate the entire city. Her wisdom, her beauty, her character, and her etiquette are all impeccable.
"Today, I will formally introduce her to all of you.
"Miss Audrey Hall."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, fireworks rose into the sky, exploding with dreamy light.
On the last night of 1349, Audrey officially came of age in a social sense.
…
On the afternoon of January 3rd, 1350.
In a newly opened cemetery on the outskirts of East Borough.
Klein used divination to find the graves of Old Kohler and Liv.
It wasn't a grave in the true sense of the word, but a cabinet used to store urns of ashes. One after another, row after row, stacked on top of each other.
Klein stood there and saw that not only were there no photos or epitaphs on Old Kohler's cabinet, but even his name was missing.
Such situations weren't uncommon. There were too many ownerless ashes here that couldn't be found by their relatives and friends. No one knew what they were called, what they looked like, and what experiences they had. No one was interested in them, and only the numbers on the cabinets could distinguish them.
Klein closed his eyes, took out a piece of paper, shook it into a piece of metal, and engraved a word on the cabinet door:
"Kohler."
Then, he added an epitaph: "He was a good worker.
"He was a good worker. He had a wife and a son and a daughter. He worked hard to survive."
Retracting his wrist and flicking it, the black-haired, brown-eyed, and thin Klein made the paper burn in his hand, as though he was paying tribute to all the souls here.
He didn't directly help Daisy, who had lost her mother and sister. Instead, he wrote an anonymous letter to Reporter Mike Joseph, describing the girl's predicament in detail so that he wouldn't implicate her because of his own matters.
Reporter Mike had met Daisy before and knew about her situation. He had enthusiastically promoted the establishment of a corresponding charity foundation, so Klein believed that he would help Daisy get more aid so that she could complete her basic studies and find a stable job that could support her.
Taking two steps back, Klein looked around, taking in the names and photos of the victims, who didn't even have any of that.
He raised his head and slowly exhaled a breath of white air. Then, he turned around and left the cemetery.
On the steam locomotive to Baekeland, Melissa was focused on her textbook, while Baansen quickly began chatting with the passengers around him.
"It's too expensive, too expensive. A whole 10 soli, half a pound!" A burly man who wasn't even thirty years old sighed from the bottom of his heart. "If it wasn't for the fact that I can't get a third-class seat or ticket, I wouldn't have spent this money. This is equivalent to half a week's salary!"
"Indeed, too many people are heading to Baekeland after the new year," Baansen echoed.
The burly man put away his pained expression and said with anticipation,
"Because they promised 21 soli a week and promised to work no more than 12 hours a day. We signed the contract!
"When I rent a house and get my first paycheck, I'll get my wife to come to Baekeland. She should be able to find a good job, one that pays 12 or 13 soli a week. I heard that Baekeland is in dire need of people! When the time comes, ah, we'll have a salary of more than 1.5 pounds a week. We can eat meat often! "
"Your wish will definitely come true. The King has already signed an order to allow the minimum pay and working hours to be implemented." Baansen sincerely gave his blessings before smiling. "That's the Land of Hope."
Whoosh!
The steam locomotive brought countless hopeful people to Baekeland. At that moment, the sky was still bright, and the fog in the air had thinned significantly. The gas lamps hanging on the platform were no longer lit early.
Baansen protected his sister and wallet in a very experienced manner. He carried his suitcase and followed the crowd out of the station.
Suddenly, they felt a gaze sweep past them at the same time.
Following the gaze, Baansen and Melissa saw a young gentleman with neat black hair and dark brown eyes.
The gentleman with gold-rimmed glasses pressed down on his top hat and looked past them into the distance.
Baansen and Melissa also retracted their gazes and looked at the pillars spewing smoke in the garden in the middle of the street. They looked forward to seeing the underground transportation in Baekeland.
Klein carried his suitcase and walked past them with an expressionless face. He walked into the departure station while facing the huge crowd that had surged into the Land of Hope. He welcomed the people who had great expectations amidst their anxiety.
This was the worst of times, and this was the best of times.
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