Mentamar City
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As if it they were alive, gloomy clouds surrounded the sun; they hung low in the sky, roiling downwards ominously. Birds flew low to the ground in this humid atmosphere, lured towards people by the mosquitoes fleeing in disarray. Chirping with confusion, the birds only knew how to eat bugs.
A small, gray sparrow landed on Xu Jun’s shoulder, its beak upturned. Hopping around, the bird pecked up the bloodsucking flies that fell onto Xu Jun’s leather armor. These flies were common in the south and were prevalent in the summer, present in the fall, but would vanish without a trace in the winter.
This particular bloodsucking fly was quite large, and had likely lived for over a year. The small, gray sparrow pecked up the fly and swallowed it. The little bird flapped its wings, hitting Xu Jun’s face.
After eating the bloodsucking fly, the gray sparrow quivered its body before leaping off Xu Jun and flying far away— just after departing from Xu Jun’s shoulder, the bird let drop a foamy, watery poop right in front of Xu Jun’s left foot.
Xu Jun: “…:
Jesse had a half-smile upon his face. “Congratulations, Brave, it seems even animals love you. —In human stories, animals like pure souls the most.”
Xu Jun thought to himself, the ones who like pure virgins are you unicorns. However, he was not in the mood to joke with Jesse. “Let’s go visit the herbs shop.”
People came and went along the street, all morose. Lance, holding Xu Jun’s hand, asked, “Are we buying medicine?” Only now did Xu Jun explain his actions.
“Not only can herbs be made into medicine, they can also be used as ‘reagents.’ Herbs are great at testing for elemental particles that match with the herbs’ own affinity. For instance, kerosene grass combusts in environments dense with elemental fire particles and dewdrop grass will rapidly condense dewdrops in environments rich with elemental water particles.
“There are also herbs with affinities that correspond to elemental darkness. For instance, the low-grade snow orchids, which wilt in areas rich with elemental darkness particles. Compared to these herbs, humans are much slower on the uptake. Therefore, to determine changes to an environments’ elements, all you need to prepare are some herbs.”
Many of these ideas could be considered strategies or small tricks; in the real world, very few of the warrior profession would use herbs in this manner. For one, most people did not have storage bags, and so herbs that were not dealt with properly would quickly expire after a few days. Second, many of these herbs had poor medicinal effects, and were too sensitive to the elements, which led to them easily deteriorating and becoming unusable.
The warriors of this world had their own rules. Whether they were Holy Knights, ordinary cavalrymen, or even adventurers, everyone stayed within the limits of their own capability. Low-level warriors fought low-level magic beasts, while high-level warriors fought high-level magic beasts. Each stayed within their own ranks, and so had no need for many of these small tricks.
Ordinarily, only gamers would do something like fighting the Demon King.
If this were the real world, no one would even try and attempt such a suicidal act.
Still, Xu Jun taught everything he knew to Lance, one thing at a time.
Mentamar City’s hospital was already filled to capacity. Elderlies and children made up the bulk of the occupants, cared for by men and women in their prime. In the past month, the city had become an utter mess. Everyone with a slightly weaker constitution seemed to have all fallen ill simultaneously. Cries and pained groans filled up half the city. The hospital’s potions masters and doctors, overloaded with work, ran around like headless flies; periodically they would carry people out of the hospital.
“—Move aside! Move aside!”
“—Whose family’s is this?”
“. . . This is old Luo, who made quill pens by the street’s start. Could I trouble you to move aside? Old Luo’s son? Where is his son?”
In succession, the people parted. Someone asked who old Luo was, and another responded that old Luo made quill pens for people, and that he was unmarried but had adopted a son. That foster son of his, however, was useless: already in his late teens, he only knew how to ask for money from his father. However, now that old Luo contracted the Black Sickness, his son was unwilling to care for him.
“Where did his son go?”
“—Who knows, maybe he ran.” A married woman who claimed to be old Luo’s former neighbor cussed, “A son like this should have been kicked to death a long time ago.”
Everyone politely expressed their sympathies for old Luo. Under normal circumstances, numerous kind-hearted people would have offered to pay for old Luo’s funeral—this Black Sickness seemed contagious, so all infected had been arranged to stay at the hospital; as for the people who were carried out, they were dead.
Pitifully, countless people were ill and so everyone was worrying about their own situations; as such, old Luo was hastily buried outside of the city by two burly men.
Normally, he might get thrown into a burial mound, but the circumstances were special and bodies needed to be buried. Thus, old Luo averted the fate of being gnawed upon by wild dogs.
“In a sense, he is rather fortunate,” was all the people said in the end.
Afterwards, everyone went back to their own business. Those lined up for an examination continued to wait, while those waiting for a doctor to come help them pass on a meal to their loved ones also continued to wait anxiously. Although those who contracted the Black Sickness needed to be quarantined, most of the sick were elderlies and young children: their families refused to let them continue eating the hospital’s bland, cafeteria food.
The unlucky doctors who had to eat in the hospital’s cafeteria everyday: “. . . Our cafeteria food isn’t bad. Really.”
Xu Jun pulled Lance past the hospital. The herbs store and the hospital were separated by a single tavern. A large wooden sign, which was snapped in half, hung from the entrance of the tavern. A lonely antler was drawn upon the sign’s remaining half. The tavern’s cheerless doorway was devoid of people. Similarly, the herbs store was also barren, and the shop assistant inside was lazily sprawled over, napping. Only after hearing footsteps, did he get up. “Who is it?”
Xu Jun looked at the display window: “Do you have ice orchids?”
The shop assistant yawned. “Respected customer, look for yourself. All our herbs are labeled on the display window. If there is no label, then we don’t have it.”
Their attitude did not befit an herbs shop’s assistant. In the past, for the sake of collecting potions, Xu Jun had visited half of the herbs shops in the entire Continent of Gods’ Blessing. Those other shop assistants had been filled with enthusiasm. As soon as he entered, and before he could even say what he wanted, the shop assistant would come up him while rubbing their hands. “Respected customer, what would you like to take a look at? Customer, does the respected you need to make a particular potion? Customer, our store recently obtained a shipment of fresh herbs, you know? Customer, we even have herbs that can increase your ability to *beep*!”
—An utter ruckus. Back then, Xu Jun had absolutely been a single dog (although he still was one even now), and hearing about some herb that could increase his ability to *beep* had only made him more annoyed!
Who the hell would need that sort of thing; this game did not even allow for the installation of R18 mods!
However, towards the present shop assistant who was leaving him out to dry, Xu Jun was even more disgruntled _(:зゝ∠)_
The display window has a label for ice orchids, but the spot is empty. Did you not have time to restock yet?” After Xu Jun just finished asking his question, the shop assistant raised his hands with outstretched fingers.
“Then we’re out of stock. Respected customer, if you just wanted to buy some ice orchids, can you not come to our store? We, the Golden Rose Herbs Shop, are very high-end. For a low-grade herb like the ice orchid. . . the respected you can just go dig some out in the wild.”
Xu Jun blinked. He thought, so what if you’re the Golden Rose Herbs Shop? Your Truly has chatted and joked with an elder of the Golden Rose family. Had Xu Jun still been in his original world, he could have filed a complaint about this kind of attitude. Unfortunately, this world had no notion of filing complaints. Furthermore, he was currently just an ordinary Brave. Had he walked in wearing a knight’s armor, perhaps this little shop assistant would already be smiling apologetically.
Haiya, this was infuriating, Xu Jun thought. Why couldn’t I have passed through here on my playthrough as a noble!
However, as a few people showed up outside the door, the shop assistant perked up. In the past month, due to the Black Sickness, any wandering adventurer able to leave, had already left the city. Many merchants took advantage of their business opportunities and left for the north. Only commoners, and the troops stationed here, remained within Mentamar City. The city lord had already given a speech, beseeching everyone to work together and overcome the city’s current hardship. His speech was similar to the following: “The Black Sickness will not defeat us! The glory of Mentamar City is passed on through every one of its people!” This kind of speech was impassioning, and many of those below were momentarily filled with fervor; however, as more people fell ill and died, their fervor iced over.
The Golden Rose Herbs Shop’s little shop assistant was not originally from Mentamar City. The Golden Rose Herbs Shop belonged to the Golden Flag Empire’s “Golden Rose Family,” which was also the Toroman family that had produced two renowned scholars, and had a golden rose as their coat of arms. The shop assistant was a member of the Toroman family, and although he was not a noble, and was instead more akin to a servant, he was the sort who believed himself superior to commoners.
After all, this world was unequal.
Ordinarily, this little shop assistant could also smile and greet customers; however, although the Black Sickness had been wreaking havoc recently, the family had yet to call for his return, as if they had forgotten him. Frightened and panicked, and feeling as if he was waiting for his death in Mentamar City, his attitude worsened day by day.
“Why do they get to flee, while I have to sit here and wait for my death. . . ,” the little shop assistant mumbled to himself. Using a rag, he fiercely wiped the display window as if venting his anger. The customers who had just arrived by the entrance tied up their horses. Upon seeing Mantou they called out in surprise: “Mantou! You’re also here! —Where is senior Xu Jun?”
Mantou indicated with his front hoof that Xu Jun was inside the store. As it turned out, this youngster was Sikar, but the two following behind him were not knights from the Falcon Strike Knights.
Over the past few days, Sikar had been living quite miserably within the city. At a glance, the number of people contracting the Black Sickness was ever-increasing, but with him being a knight and powerless to help, he felt suffocated. Not only that, his family wanted for him to quickly return, but Sikar was unwilling. Now, the family had already sent high-ranking knights from their branch family in Mentamar City to watch over him, and even his eldest brother was on his way here_(:зゝ∠)_
Sikar righteously stated, as a knight, how could he flee and abandon Mentamar City’s civilians in their time of need? In response, from four hundred kilometers away, his eldest brother sent an express letter written with the following: “Return quickly, or I will drag you back myself.”
Sikar. . . suddenly remembered that not only was his eldest brother a renowned scholar, he was also a Magister. . . with frightening power.
However, now that he saw senior Xu Jun was also here, he immediately relaxed: senior Xu Jun definitely knows what to do!
He quickly jogged into the shop. “Senior Xu Jun? Has a herb caught your interest? —This store was opened by my family, so feel free to take whatever you want; there’s no need to pay!”
The two high-ranking knights of the Toroman family who had been tasked with supervising Sikar: “. . .”
. . . Eldest young master, please come quickly! Your younger brother is about to be kidnapped by some loafing adventurer He’s even calling them senior!
Sikar, however, took no notice of the two high-ranking knights’ sour mood and even carried a stool over for Xu Jun to sit on. “Senior, have a look. What is causing this Black Sickness in the city! . . . My eldest brother is coming to drag me back home QAQ, and my Falcon Strike Knights was also forced to disband. Senior Xu Jun, tell me what I should do!”
—The young knight behaved courteously the entire time, constantly calling Xu Jun his senior and using honorifics. Xu Jun had told him he need not be this reserved, but in a moment of anxiety, Sikar had forgotten.
—The two high-ranking knights had ashen faces, and the little shop assistant was mute with fear. Fuck, the way he had treated the second young master’s “senior” just now. . . .
Only Jesse, after looking left then right, felt rather bored and decided to step outside to accompany Mantou.
Miyorf Tries Translating 