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Gu Zhan's main purpose for entering the city this time was simple:
He needed to detect the source of the pollution within the city.
First, he had to confirm whether the disease was transmitted through conventional means like air or water.
This would help him further assess whether the black spot disease was truly a disease.
As for the fact that both of them were wanted in Hasan City, Gu Zhan chose to disguise themselves.
Their method of disguise was quite simple: they put on two large robes.
After changing clothes, Garen still felt uneasy and quietly asked, "Will this work? Won't we be arrested as soon as we enter the city?"
Gu Zhan replied, "Don't worry."
Although this era had magic, it hadn’t developed advanced facial recognition technology.
Wanted posters were mostly hand-drawn.
Drawing is something that those who understand can appreciate; it’s quite abstract.
As long as they didn't reveal features like hair or height, it would be difficult to catch them.
Garen’s expression was complicated; he felt that Gu Zhan's plan was particularly unreliable. However, looking at Gu Zhan’s profile, with his high nose and calm demeanor, he found himself unable to voice his objections.
In the end, he put on the robe.
【It’s over, our little Garen is so smitten he can’t think straight.】
【Flirting in broad daylight?】
Once they were all set, the two made their way to Hasan City.
The village was a distance from Hasan City, so they hitched a ride on a vegetable delivery cart and got off at the city gate.
The driver was an elderly man from the village, who offered them a ride upon hearing that they had business in the city.
When they arrived, the old man warned them, “The atmosphere in Hasan City has been tense lately, so be careful.”
“Got it, Uncle,” Garen obediently nodded.
This boy seemed to have a good relationship with everyone in the village.
Gu Zhan observed him from the side, thinking that he must be the one who least wanted the black spot disease to spread in the village.
According to Gu Zhan’s memory, they had previously escaped from the lord’s mansion.
After circling around, Garen quietly asked Gu Zhan, “Have you noticed that there are many fewer people in the city?”
Gu Zhan’s memory only retained key information; he had long forgotten these trivial details.
He couldn’t show that he didn’t remember, so he smoothly replied, “You think there are fewer people? I didn’t notice.”
“There are definitely fewer people! Look, that stall over there isn’t open.” Garen pointed to a stall on the side of the street.
But perhaps because there were shops and stalls on both sides still in operation, the small stall didn’t seem out of place even when it was closed.
Gu Zhan said, “How do you know it’s strange for that stall not to be open? Maybe they just stepped out for a bit.”
“It can’t be! That’s Grandma Marsha’s stall. She lives in the house behind it, and she can hardly walk, so she rarely goes out.”
Gu Zhan couldn’t help but glance back at him. This kid seemed to know a lot about Hasan City.
Garen looked around and said, “I want to go check on Grandma Marsha to see if she’s home.”
“Go ahead.” Gu Zhan thought Garen must be an important NPC, and his ideas were significant.
The stall was right at the entrance to the house, and it only took a slight detour to reach the back.
There was a window on the back wall. Garen crouched down and knocked on it twice, but there was no response from inside.
Through the window, Gu Zhan could see that the room was dimly lit and very quiet, indicating that there was likely no one home.
Garen was not deterred and attempted to pick the lock to get inside.
Before he could act, Gu Zhan stopped him, “Don’t forget, we’re still wanted. Let’s not make too much noise; we have other things to do.”
Garen could only give up in disappointment, trailing behind Gu Zhan with a sigh, “Alright, you’re right. Let’s handle the important stuff first.”
Gu Zhan took out a white crystal ball from his spatial pocket.
It contained a spell that could be used to detect the source of the black spot disease.
Garen was quite surprised, “Aren’t you a healer? How do you have so many magic-related items?”
Although this was a magical world, ordinary people couldn’t use magic! Only the nobles in the big cities and the priests of the church could wield magic.
Magic was rare in everyday life.
Gu Zhan replied, “I used to live in the royal city, so it’s normal for me to know a few magical spells, right?”
“Fine,” Garen conceded.
After all, he had never been to the royal city and didn’t know if everyone there understood magic.
There was a moat surrounding the outskirts of Hasan City, and all the water channels in the city drew from it. These channels connected to countless households.
If the black spot disease was just an ordinary illness, it would be difficult for it not to appear in the water source.
Gu Zhan first took Garen to check various water channels in the city, but they found no source of contamination.
They then checked the moat, yet still found no source.
The two of them continued to examine the air, food, wells, and so on throughout the city…
By the end of the day, Garen was panting heavily and too tired to continue.
In the evening, he plopped down on a stone at the city gate, refusing to move.
“We’ve checked so many samples; isn’t that enough evidence? How much longer do we have to run around?”
He was drenched in sweat, even pulling down his cloak that concealed his appearance, clearly exhausted to the point that his fear of the guards in Hasan City had faded.
Gu Zhan stood beside him, looking at the crystal ball, which had remained pristine and white throughout their journey, his expression turning serious.
After a moment, he put away the crystal ball and said, “This indicates that the problem is even more serious.”
The black spot disease was indeed not an ordinary infectious disease.
Its source remained unknown while continuing to spread among the people.
The “previous version of himself” had always suspected that this was related to the church; could it be that they had to infiltrate the church?
The church in Hasan City was right next to the lord’s mansion, and that area was heavily guarded; commoners didn’t even have the right to walk down those streets.
How could they get past?
Suddenly, Gu Zhan turned to Garen and asked, “Do you have any way to sneak into the church quietly?”
Garen’s expression shifted from disbelief to horror, looking at Gu Zhan as if he were a fool.
“Are you trying to get us killed faster? Go to the church? Are you crazy?!”
Gu Zhan didn’t say anything in response; seeing Garen like this, it was clear they wouldn’t be able to go to the church for now.
He turned and said, “Let’s head back for now.”
Garen: “…”
---
In the following days, Gu Zhan continued to go back and forth to Hasan City intermittently.
He found no clues related to the black spot disease.
Instead, he attracted the attention of the guards and nearly got caught and sent back to the church.
After a few thrilling escapes, Garen refused to accompany Gu Zhan to Hasan City again.
“I have my own business to take care of! I can’t keep running around with you all day.”
Garen said to Gu Zhan with a frown, “The people who received your holy water baptism have improved a lot; if they’re feeling better, isn’t that enough? Is it really necessary to investigate the source of the disease?”
Gu Zhan replied, “The holy water only temporarily suppresses their symptoms; eventually, the illness will flare up again.”
“But then we should research how to treat the disease, not where it came from,” Garen said, exhausted after several days of running around. “In any case, I can’t keep running with you. Sorry, benefactor.”
Watching Garen’s retreating figure, Gu Zhan didn’t stop him.
After Garen left, Gu Zhan went to Hasan City alone again.
Perhaps because he had been moving around in Hasan City for the past few days, he could clearly sense the changes within the city.
There were many fewer people, and the stalls along the street were also dwindling.
The pedestrians looked sullen, and many would stop in corners, coughing violently.
The entire city exuded a heavy aura of death, as if something was stirring in the darkness…
Gu Zhan suddenly had a feeling.
It wouldn’t be long before the black spot disease would break out here.
How many people would die then?
This city had at least ten to twenty thousand people; if each one lost a thousand points…
Even if he managed to survive and leave this instance, he would immediately become a wanderer due to negative points, hunted by the guards of the Pure White City.
This instance was truly ruthless.
That day, Gu Zhan returned to the village early.
He had a foreboding feeling and spent the entire afternoon busily working around the village.
In the evening, he ran into Garen, who was returning from the fields.
Garen seemed to feel guilty for refusing to accompany him; when he saw Gu Zhan, he averted his gaze and didn’t intend to greet him.
Gu Zhan called out to him.
“Help me observe whether the situation of the villagers has improved.”
Garen was taken aback; he had almost said that the villagers were doing much better after receiving the holy water baptism.
But thinking of Grandma Mary still lying at home, he nodded.
He then asked, “What were you busy with outside the village?”
Gu Zhan replied, “I set up a magical barrier; even if the black spot disease breaks out in Hasan City, it won’t affect the villagers.”
Garen opened his mouth and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really think this black spot disease will break out?”
Gu Zhan nodded.
In that instant, Garen’s expression turned quite sad, as if Gu Zhan had suddenly become a madman.
Gu Zhan knew there was no way to explain the trajectory of the instance to an NPC, so he simply told Garen, “You should go back and rest early.”
“Okay.” Garen hesitated but didn’t say anything else and left.
After Garen walked away, Gu Zhan continued to set up the barrier in the village, staying busy until late at night.
The next day, just as dawn broke, he was awakened by the noise outside. Climbing out of bed and pushing open the window, he saw many elegantly dressed strangers in the village.
There were fewer than two hundred people in the village, and over the past few days, Gu Zhan had gotten familiar with all of them.
These elegantly dressed people were strangers he had never seen before; they must have come from outside the village.
Gu Zhan quickly got dressed and stepped outside, only to see Garen rushing toward him.
The boy’s face was filled with anxiety and guilt; he didn’t even notice Gu Zhan right in front of him and nearly crashed into him.
Gu Zhan quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, “What’s happening outside?”
Garen looked up and, upon realizing it was Gu Zhan, his eyes instantly turned red, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you yesterday. You were right; the black spot disease really has broken out!”
Gu Zhan was not surprised at all.
He steadied Garen, helping him to stand up, and said, “Take your time and tell me.”
Garen continued, “The people in Hasan City are all sick. Those nobles don’t want to stay in the city waiting to die, so they sealed off Hasan City and fled here… Now they want to requisition our village!”
Not to mention whether these nobles also carried the black spot disease, just the fact that they wanted to requisition the village was serious enough.
In this era, the gap between nobles and commoners was like heaven and earth; if the nobles wanted to requisition the village, the villagers simply couldn’t refuse.
“Where are they discussing this? Take me to see,” Gu Zhan said.
Garen quickly replied, “At the village chief’s house! I’ll take you there!”
Gu Zhan followed closely behind Garen, and they soon arrived at the village chief’s house.
The village chief’s small house was very ordinary, but at this moment, it was surrounded by people.
There were even armored guards standing at the entrance, preventing anyone from entering.
The villagers had been driven to a far-off place and could only watch helplessly.
Garen brought Gu Zhan to the entrance, but as expected, they were also blocked.
Garen shouted, “He is the guardian spirit of our village! The safety of this village is thanks to him; you wouldn’t want to offend the guardian spirit and cause the black spot disease to spread here, would you?!”
Upon hearing this, the two guards hesitated, exchanged glances, and ultimately decided to let them through.
Once inside the courtyard, they saw a group of elegantly dressed women standing around. Wearing white lace gloves and holding small fans, they were whispering among themselves.
“This place is so shabby; do we really have to stay here all the time?”
“Just kick the current residents out and make a few modifications to the house.”
“Ugh, I wonder when we’ll be able to return to the city. This awful countryside is infested with bugs…”
When they noticed Garen bringing Gu Zhan over, they suddenly fell silent and collectively moved away from the two of them.
Garen frowned, clearly displeased with the situation.
He approached the door and knocked. A moment later, an old voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
Garen pushed the door open, leading Gu Zhan inside.
The room was low and dimly lit.
The old village chief stood hunched to one side, while the other side was occupied by a group of people who obviously didn’t belong there.
Their expressions were filled with the arrogance typical of nobles; when they looked at Gu Zhan, their chins lifted slightly as they inspected him with disdain.
Garen said, “Village chief, I’ve brought the healer Gu Zhan…”
“Healer?” Before the old village chief could speak, a man seated in a chair interjected, “What do you need a healer for?”
Gu Zhan replied, “There’s a barrier around this village set by me; if you want to stay here safely and avoid danger, you need to listen to me.”
“You…” The nobleman straightened up and stared intently at Gu Zhan, seemingly trying to assess his abilities.
Gu Zhan remained calm, standing there with a composed expression, his presence naturally radiating authority.
After a couple of glances, the nobleman sensed that this person was not easy to deal with. Not wanting to escalate matters during this critical time, he fell silent for a moment and said, “How about this: you allocate half of the houses in the village to us for living. Once this period passes, we will leave and leave compensation for you.”
"Since that’s the case, let’s sign a contract," Gu Zhan said, pulling out a piece of blank contract paper from his spatial rune. This kind of paper was imbued with magic; both parties who signed the contract had to strictly adhere to its terms, or they would meet a fatal end.
"By signing this contract, half of the houses in the village will be allocated for your residence, and you will bear the corresponding costs once the matter is resolved. During this time, you must not disturb each other, mock, or insult the villagers."
---
Once outside the village chief's house, Garen looked at Gu Zhan with a complex expression.
It wasn’t until they exited the courtyard that Gu Zhan stopped and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Garen sighed, "You're really amazing. Not only did you predict the outbreak of the black spot disease, but you also saved the village. If it weren't for you... we might have already been driven out by those nobles."
Gu Zhan replied, "It's not a prediction; this situation has been brewing for a long time, just hidden beneath the surface."
Garen scratched his head awkwardly, "I can’t read, and I don’t understand these profound theories. Anyway, just tell me what we should do next. Whatever you want to do, I’ll cooperate!"
Gu Zhan looked in the direction of Hasan City and said, "I want to go to the city again."
Upon hearing this, Garen’s expression grew troubled.
But he nodded nonetheless.
Gu Zhan patted his shoulder and said, "We’ll leave tomorrow. I need a day to prepare."
Hasan City would surely be different from before, and he had to be cautious when entering.
Gu Zhan returned to his house and took out everything from his spatial rune.
To his surprise, he had accumulated a considerable amount of magical items, filling a whole table, each with various functions.
Even the bow and arrow that had stopped the ritual were not ordinary items.
Garen sat nearby, staring in amazement at the scene. "You’re not just a healer; you’re a mage!"
His words reminded Gu Zhan.
Perhaps Garen was right; he wasn’t just a healer but a mage.
However, in this world view, mages typically served the royal family and the church, and here he was in a place like Hasan… It definitely had to do with the black spot disease.
Gu Zhan picked out two random charms from the chaotic pile and handed them to Garen.
This was Garen’s first encounter with such precious magical runes, and he became flustered. "Wh-what are you giving me this for?"
Gu Zhan explained, "The fact that those nobles left Hasan City means the situation there is severe. Without a magical barrier, it’s easy to get infected with the black spot disease. This charm can protect you."
Garen raised the charm in surprise. "So powerful? Why didn’t those nobles buy more charms to keep on them? Why did they have to run to this countryside because of the black spot disease?"
Gu Zhan glanced at him and said lightly, "Do you know how much this charm is worth?"
As soon as he asked, Garen immediately stopped dismissing it, carefully cradling the charm in his hands.
Gu Zhan instructed, "When you use it, wet it with water and stick it on yourself; it will be effective for a day."
"Got it, got it!" Garen nodded eagerly.
Gu Zhan said, "You can go back now."
But Garen replied, "Let me stay here! My house was one of the half that the nobles requisitioned. I’m homeless now!"
Gu Zhan shot him another sidelong glance.
Garen clasped his hands in a prayer gesture. "Please let me stay here! I promise I won’t touch anything or cause any trouble!"
With that, Gu Zhan couldn’t drive him away any longer and allowed him to stay in the small house.
He then took out the magic journal from his space and began to read.
These journals were written by his past self, and the contents mainly revolved around the black spot disease.
His past self believed that the black spot disease might stem from the curse of Kripper, resulting from the Sun God’s disdain for humanity.
Thus, the more frequently one participated in church rituals, the higher the chance of contracting the disease, and the more severe the symptoms would become.
Unconsciously, night fell.
Garen, having stayed in the house the entire day, was incredibly bored. He stood up and said to Gu Zhan, "I’m going out to take a leak."
Gu Zhan hadn’t expected the boy to be patient enough to stay in his room all afternoon. It seemed his actions today had greatly improved his standing in Garen’s eyes.
Increasing NPC affinity was a good thing.
But all the NPCs in this game seemed so real, their emotions so rich that sometimes it left Gu Zhan feeling complex.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether they were merely NPCs or truly living beings in this world.
Gu Zhan had almost finished flipping through his journal when he realized the surroundings had grown eerily quiet.
Was Garen taking too long?
Putting down what he was doing, Gu Zhan stepped outside, calling into the darkness, "Garen, can you hear me?"
After a while, all he heard was the echo of his own voice; there was no response from Garen at all.
It was only then that Gu Zhan realized something was wrong.
He called Garen’s name while walking outside, when suddenly, a shadow flitted past his eyes. Gu Zhan reacted quickly and immediately chased after it!
The shadow probably hadn’t expected to run into Gu Zhan here; it stumbled, and a few scattered sounds emerged!
“Wuwuwu!”
That voice was familiar—it was Garen’s!
While pursuing, Gu Zhan shouted, "Garen, is that you?"
Upon hearing Gu Zhan’s voice, the whimpering grew more frantic!
Garen had been captured! Someone was trying to silently take him away!!
“Put him down!” Gu Zhan shouted.
But the figure ignored him entirely. It seemed to possess some sort of speed boost, moving much faster than Gu Zhan. One hand clamped tightly over Garen's mouth to prevent him from making any sound, and then it quickened its pace, vanishing into the dense woods.
The visibility in the village was already low at night, and it was even worse in the thick, impenetrable forest.
Gu Zhan chased after them until he reached the edge of the woods, then he stopped.
He couldn't continue the pursuit; he wouldn't be able to catch up, and entering the forest at night would only lead to more dangers.
But who would want to kidnap Garen at this time?
Was it to prevent him from entering the city?
No, regardless of whether Garen was with him or not, he would still enter the city tomorrow.
Then... was it because of Garen himself?
Gu Zhan stood by the woods for a while, deciding to move up his plan to head to Hasan City.
---
He packed up his things and set off immediately.
When he reached the village entrance, he suddenly saw a hunched figure standing by the roadside.
Gu Zhan halted, took out his lantern, and discovered it was the village chief.
The chief looked worried. “It’s late for you to leave the village. Have you run into trouble?”
Gu Zhan replied, “I have some matters to attend to in Hasan City.”
“Hasan City…” The village chief repeated slowly, sighing. “It must be in chaos right now. You’ve helped our village so much; we can’t just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Do you need any help?”
Gu Zhan shook his head. “You all should stay in the village and not go out.”
The chief insisted, “It’s not safe for you to go alone. Let me find someone to escort you.”
“No need,” Gu Zhan said. “Once you leave the village, you could get infected.”
The chief had no choice but to say, “Then... let me lend you my ox cart. You can drive the ox, right?”
Gu Zhan momentarily looked blank.
Driving an ox?
That was truly in his skill blind spot.
His dazed expression made the chief chuckle. “Don’t worry if you can’t. This ox walks the route between Hasan City and the village every day; it knows the way. Just get on the cart and let it take you. When you reach Hasan City, cut the reins, and it will return by itself.”
After a moment of silence, Gu Zhan nodded.
It was quite a distance from here to Hasan City; it would be better to ride than to walk.
The village chief brought over the ox cart, watching Gu Zhan climb aboard and then handing him the whip.
Gu Zhan gently cracked the whip, and the old ox responded with a low moo, beginning to walk toward the village exit.
---
The ox cart was indeed faster than walking, and it didn’t take long for Gu Zhan to reach the gates of Hasan City.
Tonight, the moonlight was still beautiful, casting silvery light on the ancient city built of marble, adding a touch of mystery to it.
Strangely, the city gates were open.
Like the jaws of a giant beast, waiting for prey to throw itself into the trap.
Gu Zhan dismounted the cart and, following the village chief’s instructions, cut the reins of the ox. The ox slowly walked away from the cart, heading back towards the village.
It might take until dawn for it to return home.
Gu Zhan turned around and looked at Hasan City.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Hasan City would still be there to see the dawn.
He stepped into the city.
Inside, it was not quiet at all; the sounds of coughing echoed everywhere.
They emanated from every window.
The good news was that they were all still alive.
The bad news was that everyone was infected, and they likely wouldn’t survive much longer.
Gu Zhan headed straight for the direction of the church.
The church was next to the lord’s mansion, and both buildings were quite prominent, making them easy to locate.
In this dead city, the church was still lit.
There were people in silver armor guarding the entrance.
In contrast, the lord’s mansion next door stood wide open, without any guards and no light.
Gu Zhan hid from afar for a moment, deciding to check the lord’s mansion first.
Infiltrating an unguarded mansion was relatively simple for Gu Zhan. He sneaked around to the back door of the lord's mansion and found a smooth wall, upon which he wrote a climbing spell.
Immediately, it felt as easy as walking on flat ground.
Gu Zhan climbed bit by bit to the top of the wall. Just as he swung his leg over the top, a flock of black birds erupted from the courtyard of the lord’s mansion, flying over his head and creating a deafening noise.
The sound reverberated in the night, immediately attracting the attention of the guards by the church.
Gu Zhan instantly felt cold gazes fixate on him. He quickly climbed down and pressed himself against the wall, using the night to conceal himself.
After a long time, the birds flew away, and the prickly feeling on his back began to dissipate a little.
Fortunately, it didn’t attract the attention of the church guards.
Carefully observing below, Gu Zhan noticed that there was a lawn, so he crawled along the wall, inching closer to the main building of the lord's mansion.
Unlike the coughing sounds outside, the lord’s mansion was eerily silent.
But Gu Zhan clearly remembered that when he had previously negotiated with the village chief, the only nobles present were ordinary ones, and there were no prestigious figures in the lord's mansion...
The lord’s mansion was empty; the nobles had fled.
But where was the lord?
Gu Zhan made his way along the small path beside the flower beds, slowly approaching the main structure of the mansion.
The once-grand castle now exuded a sense of eerie foreboding. Gu Zhan reached the front door of the castle and pushed it open with force.
A swarm of squeaking black rats surged out from within, their overwhelming presence startling Gu Zhan.
He stumbled backward, giving the rats a clear path.
It took a while for the rats to pass, leaving behind an open door that overflowed with darkness.
The air inside was filled with a rotten smell, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Gu Zhan took a quick glance inside, only to be repelled by the stench, leaning back slightly.
Fortunately, he pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, allowing him to enter barely.
Inside is even darker than outside; although the moon hangs high in the sky, not a single ray of light penetrates. The entire interior of the castle is as dark as ink.
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