CH-095

Although Finnian liked and was accustomed to all kinds of nonsense, he knew how to prioritize and act with discretion and thought. Shu Yue rarely worried that he would make a mistake.

Unless the matter was truly outside Finnian's area of knowledge.

The fact that he was so cautious this time, saying he wanted to take the medicine bottle to the laboratory for testing, was certainly because Finnian sensed that the matter was not so simple.

One must know, the entire medical school was the most top-tier and also the most expensive institution in the Savoy Diocese.

A single machine here could cost several thousand gold coins to manufacture.

And the raw materials used to synthesize drugs were carted into the laboratory wagon by wagon, incurring enormous costs. Moreover, there was no guarantee of results; most of the time, they were cleared out as piles of toxic and harmful waste. The costs were staggeringly high.

Besides that, the cleaning fees here were not to be underestimated.

Precisely because of this, the equipment in the medical school was not to be touched casually.

The perimeter was guarded by the military, preventing ordinary people from entering.

It was said that every few months, someone would attempt to sneak into the medical school to steal or plagiarize results.

Many were caught. Among those who weren't, several had fainted on the spot from poisoning after entering the laboratory, due to heavy metal vapors that had not been fully purified.

Therefore, Shu Yue had clearly posted notices inside the medical school: Toxic gases may be present within. Unauthorized personnel are strictly forbidden from entering. Violators bear the consequences.

In fact, by this stage of the Savoy Diocese's development, Shu Yue had grown accustomed to neighboring dioceses learning from and imitating their various practices. To him, such things held no concept of intellectual property.

Even if someone used his methods to make a great fortune, it mattered little to him—because it fundamentally would not affect the quality of his own life.

Furthermore, those acts of "imitation" were, in essence, the lowest-cost form of external publicity for scientific hygiene knowledge and how to live better in such an environment.

Thus, Shu Yue always turned a blind eye to it.

As for the medical department, Shu Yue was even less worried.

Because, up to the present, all the ultra-precision equipment supporting synthetic drugs was impossible for the outside world to replicate.

In the current era, even with sufficient funds and knowledge reserves, one was still limited by the era's level of development, unable to bridge the chasm of industry and technology. Therefore, the ability to truly promote comprehensive technological development belonged to the 20th century, which possessed precision machining and industrial production.

And yet, Shu Yue had Finnian.

Finnian's ability could achieve mass production of tools and stable metal processing, allowing Shu Yue, in just four short years, to obtain a basic standard of a laboratory bench comparable to the late 19th-century chemical industry.

And this ability was impossible to replicate.

Therefore, on the medical front, Shu Yue had achieved a true monopoly.

However, as the saying goes, "The innocent man's only crime is possessing a precious jade." Shu Yue invested vast sums of money in the engineering school not only to create basic substitutes but also to conceal Finnian's ability.

From beginning to end, Shu Yue ensured that Finnian always retained the freedom and leeway to choose whether or not to reveal his power.

At present, the three of them entered the internal laboratory of the medical school, donning basic experimental masks and protective suits.

The laboratory's optical microscope could provide clear imaging up to 100x magnification. However, by employing oil immersion techniques—placing a small drop of specialized cedar oil on the glass slide—they could achieve an additional 10x magnification, resulting in an effective 1000x view.

With this level of magnification, one could basically observe various microorganisms and cells, including microscopic structures like red blood cells, white blood cells, and even bacteria.

Perhaps due to proper sealing, compounded by the fact that spring in the Northern Territory was still bitterly cold, the liquid inside the medicine bottle showed no signs of decay or the growth of other bacteria.

At first glance, Shu Yue could determine that the liquid was unspoiled blood. There were more white blood cells than nucleated red blood cells, and many short rod-shaped bacteria were present, looking exactly like the textbook depiction of "safety pin" forms.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, this was likely the infamous Yersinia pestis, the pathogen responsible for the plague.

This discovery sent a chill down Shu Yue's shoulders, and his heart couldn't help but race wildly.

Finnian was the first to speak, "What did you see?"

"Wait until I adjust the stain for you to see."

The laboratory was well-stocked with various stains to better differentiate between cell types.

Finnian and Leslie took turns looking through the optical microscope—the lens revealed a world unto itself. The field of view was not as murky as imagined, and the abnormal cells and pathogens within the sample could be immediately distinguished.

Both students could identify basic blood cells, so even without recognizing the so-called "Yersinia pestis," combined with Veronica's identity, they immediately guessed that this was very likely the blood of certain patients from the Sermon Duchy.

"It's from a plague patient..."

Shu Yue nodded.

Finnian quickly asked, "Are these all germs? Does this make the blood poisonous?"

"Strictly speaking, this is not poison." Shu Yue explained, "It causes septicemia, and it's highly contagious and dangerous. You..."

Finnian's face fell. "I smelled it, fanned the mouth of the bottle with my hand. I only brought it here because I thought it was strange... I'm not going to get the plague, am I?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but touch his healthy body, checking himself for any signs of illness.

"Smelling it won't cause any problems. The plague isn't airborne. Unless a patient sprays droplets at you, and you inhale the aerosol, that would be a problem." Shu Yue reassured him. "Touching the blood with your hand is also fine, as long as you wash it off promptly."

Seeing that Finnian was still somewhat anxious, Shu Yue said, "Relax, I won't let anything happen to you. If you fall ill, I will certainly stay by your side and care for you until you are healthy again."

Finnian was immediately moved, and was about to embrace Shu Yue, but was gently blocked by Leslie, who was preparing to focus on the microscope again. "You're blocking my view of the microscope."

Finnian: "..."

Leslie's gaze was focused intently on the microscopic world on the slide. "Does Veronica intend to infect the entire diocese with the plague?"

Shu Yue's first reaction was that Veronica was not that kind of person; perhaps someone had secretly hidden the item in the students' luggage.

After all, they weren't a group of people who had nothing to do and were just there to cause trouble for Shu Yue. Shu Yue wouldn't be so anxious as to think that way.

"Doesn't she have many friends at the seminary? Could she really bring herself to do it?" Finnian was not familiar with Veronica, but whenever he saw her, he always saw her chatting and laughing with friends her own age.

"Perhaps," Leslie said flatly, "she thought that if the plague broke out here too, Bishop Aris would have a way to treat it, and she could learn the method, then take it back to the Sermon Duchy to cure people's illnesses."

"Then she's certainly brave." Finnian disagreed with Leslie's assessment. "If she wants to use this opportunity to learn new treatment techniques, she'd have to stay here to study. Isn't she afraid of getting infected herself? I don't think she's that foolish."

Leslie's words always seemed to multiply when addressing Finnian, his gaze calm. "Isn't she from the Aldrich family? Perhaps she believes she herself is immune to the plague, which is why she thinks it's inconsequential."

Finnian fell into a brief silence, then looked toward Shu Yue. "Bishop Aris, what do you think?"

Shu Yue had already entered deeper contemplation during their conversation, and now added, "If someone intends to harm the Savoy Diocese, even if we stop one Veronica, others will use more covert means to accomplish the same goal. That would be even harder to guard against. It's better to first stabilize her and keep her here."

"I agree, we don't need to make a fuss." Leslie nodded in agreement. "There's no need to alert the other dioceses."

Finnian glanced in Leslie's direction—this person had initially wanted to drive her out, and now he was speaking so righteously, one high-sounding phrase after another.

Leslie caught Finnian's expression from the corner of his eye but paid it no mind, continuing to keep his eyes fixed forward, feigning indifference.

Finnian then said, "Then she is a potential danger now. We might as well persuade her to leave gracefully, send her out of the Savoy Diocese, or hand her over to Bishop Hugo."

Shu Yue recalled Veronica's character setting in the original work; she was neither a malicious person nor the type who caused harm with good intentions.

"A child her age is still under the control of adults. If she fails, who knows how her family might punish her. Keeping her at the school, where the school can protect her and cut off her contact with others, is actually safer. Even if someone wants to hold her accountable, she'll have us behind her."

As soon as Shu Yue finished speaking, Finnian pursed his lips and said, "Bishop Aris, you always assume the best in people."

His tone was both helpless and slightly discontented.

Shu Yue laughed involuntarily. "Aren't you the same way?"

Finnian huffed, seemingly without a retort, neither admitting nor denying it.

In truth, compared to Leslie, Finnian habitually saw the good in people first. Yet whenever someone else said so, he felt compelled to contradict them.

It was part pout, part rivalry—he always had to push back against Shu Yue a little.

Leslie, caught between them and listening to their back-and-forth, couldn't help but fall silent.

That indescribable heaviness welled up again, the feeling that he shouldn't be here.

So he looked down at himself, his shoulders slumping involuntarily, his thumb rubbing repeatedly around his index finger.

Seeing Leslie unconsciously grow anxious upon hearing Finnian suggest sending Veronica away, Shu Yue couldn't help but feel surprised—

Since when did Leslie care so much about Veronica?

Indeed, a generation gap was like a mountain range.

At least one of the two youngsters right under his nose had already secretly fallen for someone, yet he himself was completely oblivious!

Shu Yue suddenly found his earlier thoughts of matchmaking the two rather amusing.

Here he was, an outsider, worrying that the main characters couldn't advance the main plotline!

So Shu Yue placed a hand on Leslie's shoulder, patted it, and comforted him, "Anyway, both Leslie and I are in favor of her staying. According to majority rule, Finnian has to comply with our decision. What do you think, Leslie?"

Leslie nodded.

Finnian looked at Shu Yue, then at Leslie, and spread his hands. "Do whatever you want."

Leslie was a complete weathervane; wherever Shu Yue leaned, he followed, utterly lacking in conviction.

And he had said he was worried that keeping her here would lead to further investigation of the case from four years ago, potentially bringing trouble to the Northern Territory or the Savoy Diocese.

He had even played the bad cop, trying to push Veronica out.

And now, Leslie had switched sides and was supporting her staying.

So in the end, Shu Yue's mood was all that mattered.

Spineless fellow.

Finnian mentally reproached Leslie.

However, with so much intelligence gathered, Shu Yue couldn't just sit idly by.

When the Black Death had broken out previously, Shu Yue had worried whether the epidemic might spread here, so he had been constantly reminding the diocese residents daily about hygiene and routine protective measures.

Furthermore, perhaps because Savoy had many foxes, and foxes were expert mouse hunters, as far as Shu Yue knew, the Savoy Diocese had never had a problem with rats.

This also brought Shu Yue some comfort.

After all, Shu Yue did not have a cure for the Black Death.

And beforehand, it should be noted that penicillin was not a treatment for the plague either.

A great plague like this was only thoroughly cured in the last century with the discovery of 'streptomycin'.

In the Middle Ages, the plague either subsided after enough people died, reducing population density and shrinking the transmission range; or it was cut short by fire, burning everything and eliminating the living spaces and opportunities for rats.

The latter was actually an accident—the Great Fire of London in 1666, which swept through the city, thoroughly severing the plague disaster brought from earlier times. The rebuilding of houses also brought improvements in personal hygiene.

But no normal person would burn down an entire city just to cure a plague.

In fact, Shu Yue also knew that some people used serums to treat the plague.

He had considered whether he should try to produce plague serum himself, at least to suppress the patient mortality rate below forty percent.

However, the difficulty lay in the fact that he had no access to patients; secondly, the cure rate of antiserum therapy was not high.

Devoting significant time to this would actually be a waste of resources; it was better to focus on streptomycin.

But so far, he had not succeeded.

Aside from this not being his specialty, he lacked modern molecular biotechnology and laboratory facilities.

It was truly the predicament and difficulty of trying to cook without a pot...

Shu Yue decided to put this matter aside for now and not fret over something currently unsolvable. "I plan to meet with the students from the Sermon Duchy in the church for prayers tonight. You can use that opportunity to put the medicine bottle back."

"Are you actually planning to test whether Veronica would use this on people?" Finnian couldn't believe it.

Shu Yue was certainly not the type to actively test human nature. He said, "The contents of the bottle must be replaced."

This was a 'Pandora's Box'; it absolutely could not be opened casually.

Leslie spoke up, "What about the blood then?"

"It's a perfect sample, delivered right to us." Shu Yue said, "I'll keep it for experiments. I hope I can find a medicine to cure the plague."

As Shu Yue's words faded, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him from behind, and his spine tensed up.

This feeling reminded Shu Yue of his time as a priest when he often sensed someone silently observing him. Yet no matter how he searched, he found no other presence.

Since he sensed no malice, Shu Yue suppressed his curiosity.

He would always deliberately count to two in his mind before turning around casually, actually checking his surroundings.

It was the same this time. There was no figure, no sound, as if it were all an illusion.

Shu Yue: "..."

Fine, he needed to focus on the students.

Even if Finnian hadn't brought the medicine bottle to him, Shu Yue had already planned a group intervention session.

Because they all shared a common psychological distress.

The students who came from the Sermon Duchy had all experienced various upheavals to travel such a great distance here. The way people around them looked at them was a pressure. They themselves also felt anxiety and discomfort and truly needed an outlet.

Sometimes people easily overlook the feelings of children—assuming they are ignorant, incapable of understanding, and as long as they aren't crying or fussing, they are fine and can be ignored.

This was a mistaken approach.

They should talk.

With this thought, Shu Yue said, "Can you two help me with a simple task?"

*

Cascar received the school notice while he was in the classroom for evening self-study.

Evening self-study was from 7 to 8 o'clock.

After class ended at 8, the school cafeteria would briefly open for 20 minutes, providing late-night snacks for the students. Cascar and the other new students looked forward to the snack every night.

Lights out for the whole school was at 10 o'clock, when dorm supervisors would make rounds for bed checks.

At 7 o'clock, just as Cascar was about to take out his homework notebook to start studying, a teacher knocked on the door and announced that Bishop Aris had requested all the transfer students from his class to go to the school auditorium.

Hearing Bishop Aris's name, the previously quiet classroom atmosphere erupted into whispered discussions.

"What happened?"

"I heard there will be a prayer event for the people of the Sermon Duchy later. Could it be related to that?"

"Oh, I was wondering if we'd get to eat something tasty?"

"Bishop Aris always has so many delicious things. I always want to sneak into his office."

Cascar didn't know what was happening either, and his imagination ran wild along with his classmates' chatter.

His impression of Bishop Aris was truly excellent.

From the very first moment he saw the Bishop, he felt he really liked him. Cascar couldn't help but want to stare at him; seeing the Bishop made him involuntarily happy. He also thought the Bishop smelled fragrant, with a warm, sweet scent.

Cascar had initially felt scared about coming to a cold, remote place like the Northern Territory, but he adapted quickly.

Many students shared Cascar's feelings.

Their parents had told them they might not be able to return home for a long time, but they were living happily here. They heard it snowed here in winter and were looking forward to the snowy days.

The school auditorium doors were wide open.

A circle of chairs was arranged in the middle of the hall, spaced apart from each other. The Bishop sat in the center, holding a wooden box in his hands, similar to a music box.

The students were perhaps still puzzled, but upon hearing the Bishop say they could sit down first, the children all ran forward. In the blink of an eye, the seats closest to Shu Yue were all taken.

Cascar felt a bit disappointed. If he had run, he could have sat next to Bishop Aris too.

But as he approached the chairs, he discovered another advantage—if he sat directly opposite, he could keep looking at Bishop Aris without having to turn his head.

So, as if afraid others would discover this secret, Cascar quickly sat down in the chair directly facing Bishop Aris. Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he saw Bishop Aris smiling at him.

Cascar couldn't help but feel shy and instinctively lowered his head. When he looked up again, he noticed Veronica had also arrived, so he immediately waved for his sister to sit with him.

Veronica actually didn't want to sit opposite Bishop Aris. But she couldn't refuse Cascar and could only comfort herself that no matter where she sat, she would meet Bishop Aris's gaze and be seen through by his eyes.

"..."

Seeing his sister unhappy, Cascar asked, "Sister Veronica, are you still feeling unwell?"

Hearing this, Veronica forced a smile to avoid worrying him. "It's nothing, I'm just too tired."

Cascar grew worried too, but he was clumsy with words and could only watch her movements with concern.

Soon, everyone had arrived.

Bishop Aris swept his gaze around the circle. Just as he made a motion to speak, the children all quieted down, their eyes fixed on the Bishop.

Because of their cooperation, Aris smiled subconsciously. "Tonight is a very pleasant evening. Although the night wind is cool, the moon is large and round, very beautiful, isn't it?"

Everyone followed Bishop Aris's words and looked out the window. Indeed, they saw a very large moon. Moonlight, like water, quietly streamed into the auditorium, casting a gentle tranquility over the gathering.

Without unnecessary words, Bishop Aris's presence was unmistakable.

Cascar gazed at Aris and inexplicably recalled a verse from the Bible.

It said, 'And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.'

He felt that Aris was the moon, leading them, a group of little stars.

"The purpose of this gathering is mainly to introduce myself to you all."

This single sentence captured every student's attention. Even Veronica, who had wanted to avoid Bishop Aris's gaze, couldn't help but look in his direction, sharing the same unspoken question with everyone else.

"Huh?"

They all knew Bishop Aris and had heard many wondrous tales about him. They felt they knew the Bishop especially well.

And yet, Bishop Aris said this...

"You have probably all heard about the many miraculous things that have happened concerning me, right?"

The crowd nodded.

At that moment, Bishop Aris held the box in his hands, his voice soft, as intimate as a friend whispering in one's ear. "I wonder if any of you had prophetic dreams when you were young? Dreams where you saw yourself grown up."

"I had a prophetic dream when I was a child. I dreamed that one day I would be sitting in an auditorium, just like today, sitting with a group of children." Bishop Aris smiled somewhat shyly. "Forgive me, this actually involves a secret of mine, so I need to choose my words carefully."

These words puzzled some children.

After all, they were all over twelve years old and had seen various scenes. Furthermore, they felt they could guess what Bishop Aris would say next, so at this moment, a subtle sense of distrust toward Bishop Aris arose within them.

However, for Aris's loyal little fans, they were already captivated by Bishop Aris's words, especially Cascar, who listened intently, his whole body leaning forward, afraid of missing a single word.

Bishop Aris naturally did not miss the various subtle, complex, or focused expressions on everyone's faces and seemed to understand their distrust very well. "You may not believe it, but please hear me out."

"This dream was very important to me. Because it was the first time I spoke with the Lord. He told me that if I could help Him with a small task, He would grant me the opportunity to hear His voice. He said that one day, He would send the chosen children before me, and my task would be to listen to the children's voices on His behalf and then deliver the gifts the Lord had prepared for them."

"And this morning, I found this empty box and the children's names on my bedside table."

"I knew today was the day."

"But I discovered the box was empty. I don't know how the Lord intends to give you your gifts."

Everyone's attention was caught by the phrase 'children chosen by God,' and they looked toward Bishop Aris's box, which the Bishop showed to the children nearby.

The box was just an ordinary wooden box, containing nothing.

The crowd felt puzzled. "Really?"

Bishop Aris said gently, "But since the Lord wanted me to bring this box, there must be a purpose."

He paused.

"Perhaps, if we follow His guidance together, we will be able to see the gifts meant for you."

The children exchanged glances, hesitant, no one willing to be the first to speak and share.

Such a situation was, of course, within Bishop Aris's expectations.

He watched them quietly for a good while, then feigned confusion. "Strange... The Lord said you clearly had so much you wanted to tell Him..."

These words struck a chord in the children's thoughts.

Some children lowered their heads; some pressed their lips together.

Even if they doubted Bishop Aris, they still believed in the existence of the Lord.

Faith was ultimately rooted in their hearts.

A moment later, a clear yet faint voice rose up, "C-Can I speak first?"

Bishop Aris nodded, smiling encouragingly for him to continue.

That child clasped his hands tightly, looking down. "Lord, can You hear my voice?"

"...My younger sister, when we were moving to the Northern Territory for schooling, fell ill... But she didn't make it and never woke up again. My family won't let me talk about her anymore, but I really miss her."

The child sniffled. "Lord, I hope... You can take care of my sister."

Listening to this, everyone felt sorrowful, and the air seemed to solidify.

However, just at that moment, a sudden "clink" sound came from inside the box, as if something had dropped from the sky.

The sound was unmistakably clear.

Instantly, everyone turned in unison to look at the box in the Bishop's hands.

Bishop Aris slowly lowered his head, his expression appearing as if he were witnessing the box respond for the first time. But he did not pause; he walked toward the child. "It seems your voice has reached the Lord."

The child's tearful eyes fixed on Aris. "Really? He heard me?"

Bishop Aris said gently, "Yes. The Lord wants to ask you, is there anything you like here in the Savoy Diocese? He has entrusted me to bring it to you."

"I... I heard the honey candy is very delicious."

As soon as these words were spoken, more "clink-clink-clink" sounds came from the wooden box.

Aris opened the lid in front of everyone.

Unexpectedly, inside the previously empty box lay three golden, glistening honey candies, emitting a sweet fragrance.

It was utterly inconceivable!

"Wow!" The children gasped in unison, their eyes lighting up.

"Why... did candy really appear?"

Bishop Aris smiled warmly. "Because you are the children chosen by the Lord."

"If you don't believe it, feel free to try again."

The children had almost forgotten their doubts, eagerly pouring out the deepest troubles and anxieties from their hearts.

Each time a word was spoken, the small box emitted a soft "jingle."

From brooches, to hair ornaments, to embroidered handkerchiefs, to small booklets... even the ocarina made by Bishop Aris himself that Cascar had dreamed of, appeared one by one.

There weren't many items, but if one were to try and put them all back into the box, the box could definitely not contain them all.

This obvious fact made them deeply believe that a miracle had descended upon them today.

The gloom that had once weighed on their hearts was swept away by these divine signs.

The children's eyes sparkled with pure light, their faces bearing an expression of near-devout reverence.

At this moment, Bishop Aris turned to the most silent person in the crowd.

"Veronica." His tone was gentle yet carried an undeniable force. "The Lord wishes to give you something as well."

All eyes instantly converged on Veronica.

The girl froze momentarily, then replied in a low voice, "...But I have nothing I wish to say to Him."

The Bishop nodded and said kindly, "Then would you listen to what He has to say to you?"

Veronica fell silent, her fingers clutching the hem of her skirt.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Bishop Aris stood before her and slowly lifted the lid of the box——there lay a brown glass medicine bottle.

Veronica's face turned deathly pale, as if struck by something, her entire body rigid in her seat.

But Cascar was the first to exclaim joyfully, "The Lord knew Sister Veronica was sick and sent you medicine!"

The other children also showed touched expressions.

Some clasped their hands and closed their eyes.

Some murmured prayers, grateful for the Lord's mercy.

But her gaze was locked onto that small medicine bottle, as if she were seeing something she desperately tried to hide, and she even wanted to flee.

It was not a blessing.

It was a wound laid bare.

Veronica's eyes reddened, her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.

And the joy around her sounded, to her ears, like voices from the shore while she herself was drowning underwater—distant, muffled, unreachable.

Amidst this chaos, she heard a gentle yet stern voice.

"Confess, Veronica."

"The Lord says, you have greatly disappointed Him."

Veronica felt as if she'd been struck hard. Her face instantly lost all color, even her lips turning bloodless.

She was indeed unforgivable.

Her sins were beyond redemption!