Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1434 Opening

After Roderick III died suddenly on a woman's belly, the question of who would inherit the throne remains unresolved.

The two princes were too close in age, each with their own group of supporters. Furthermore, there were also those from collateral branches of the Doron royal family who claimed the throne; after all, emperors rotate, and with the previous one dying in such a "notorious" way, whoever came first was acceptable.
"The Padover Territory and the Canks Territory have already started fighting."

A long procession was moving along the rugged road, with a dozen or so carriages in front and a line of seven or eight hundred people on foot behind. The three carriages at the very front were decorated with special emblems, indicating that they belonged to the church, and the people accompanying them were also mostly church members.

In the lead carriage sat a priest in his forties, who was driving, with a horse beside him. The rider on horseback was giving a report.

“That’s normal, but we’ll probably have to take a detour.” The priest pulled a map from his pocket, opened it, and glanced at it. “When you see a fork in the road ahead, turn right.”

"Yes."

The knight stepped back to give the order, while the priest continued driving.

"Do you two know why Paduville Territory and Canks Territory are fighting?" the priest said to the people inside the car, putting away the map.

“Padoville is under the jurisdiction of Grand Duke Engley, while Kankes is clearly loyal to Prince Haffman. Three days ago, Prince Haffman openly declared that Grand Duke Engley’s bloodline was too mixed and not of imperial lineage. This move naturally angered Grand Duke Engley, and friction between the two sides was to be expected,” a clear female voice replied.

"Hahaha! Veronica, you've learned very well, that's right. However, the church is unwilling to get involved in such chaotic friction, and we will try to avoid it as long as the higher church doesn't say anything."

“But… Father, they shouldn’t target the church, right? Even if we continue on our way, we shouldn’t be affected.”

“You’re thinking too simply, child. If we continue forward, we’ll cross the edge of the Kankers territory. These lords never let go of a piece of fat meat that passes through their lands. If we teach him not to move, won’t the others behind him dare to move too?”

"Father, even with the Church's reputation, you can't protect a few hundred civilians?" another slightly lower female voice asked.

“Only a real archbishop would have that kind of influence. We’re just a refugee group from a small country church; how could we possibly get these great lords to listen to us?”

After the priest finished speaking, his gaze darkened slightly: "These people came out with us, so they are our property. To protect our property, we need to use our brains. Unless you have mastered your divine arts, you will have no say in front of these great lords."

“We will try our best,” the clear female voice replied.

“You can rest assured,” another female voice replied.

The priest nodded and continued driving forward.

Shortly after turning right, he saw smoke rising in the distance—not black smoke, and only one plume, so it was unlikely to be a place where the army had burned and killed, and he could go there.

"There's actually a small village here?"

The priest was surprised to see several hastily built mud houses and wooden sheds.

Surrounded by these crude buildings, a clearing had been cleared by hand. Dry grass was laid on the ground, and emaciated people lay on these simple straw beds, while firewood was set up in the middle, and a large pot of medicinal soup was boiling, emitting a bitter smell.

A few people who were still standing were carrying bowls to the pot, taking a bowl of medicine from the person by the pot, and then feeding it to the person lying down.

The priest's gaze fell on the person boiling medicine by the pot.

"Stop, Gale, come here."

The knight who had given the order immediately stopped the carriage, rode over, and the priest jumped down from the carriage and walked over with the knight.

The priest approached, first taking out a square cloth to cover his mouth and nose, then cautiously taking a few steps forward. He rubbed his palms together, and a wisp of light enveloped him and the Gaelic Knight before stepping into the group of patients.

"Hello."

He ignored the people lying on the ground and went straight to the person brewing the medicine.

The person brewing the medicine looked up at him and nodded slightly, but said nothing.

"Are the people here suffering from seasonal illnesses, or are they infected with the plague?" the priest asked.

"They were fleeing, exhausted both physically and mentally, and the changing weather caused them to fall ill," the medicine maker said. "What, if it's a plague, does the priest intend to purify them?"

"According to the latest decree issued by the Vatican, I should do so. But given my abilities and position, missionary work is the only thing I can do well. Asking me to save so many people is too difficult. However, you can prepare herbal medicine for them. Is this medicine effective?"

“It will naturally work. If the priest doesn’t believe, he can wait.”

The priest smiled, said nothing, took a few steps back, and actually waited.

Knight Gael whispered beside him, "Father, why..."

“We don’t have many people left, Gale. A dozen or so knights, a priest, two nuns, and eight or nine servants. With so few people, we can’t keep so many civilians in check unless we put up something,” the priest replied. “Think about what time it is now. We can only use divine magic a few times a day. If we had a companion who was knowledgeable in medicine, we could not only appease those people, but also… teach my two adopted daughters.”

“Father, you’re being too kind. A bunch of commoners, letting them come with us is already an immense favor…”

"Gail, learn more, learn more." The priest smiled and waved his hand to stop him from continuing.

Before long, the patients who had been given the medicine began to move. They turned over, propped themselves up, and slowly sat up. They still looked very weak, but their condition had obviously improved a little.

The person brewing the medicine stirred the soup in the pot with a spoon and said, "There are only about ten bowls left. Feed the rest of them and let them rest for a few hours before feeding them something."

“That won’t do,” the priest suddenly said.

"What is the priest trying to say?"

“If we go straight ahead from here, the fortress of Changfeng Territory is only thirty kilometers away. Changfeng Territory is currently in a neutral state and there is no war. Wouldn’t it be better to rest there than here? Even if these people are sick and weak, they can surely walk that short distance, right?”

Such a short distance?
The person brewing the medicine was silent for a moment, then looked at the group of people who seemed to be there: "Are you going or not?"

"Eat...eat." "We're almost out of food, Changfeng Territory..."

The priest glanced at them and said, “Fighting could break out anywhere now, and Changfeng Territory will inevitably have to strengthen its defenses. As long as you have the strength to work, you will have something to eat. Although the lord there may not be a very good person, at least his men have food to eat.”

"Let's go! Let's go!"

The person brewing the medicine nodded upon hearing this: "We'll set off an hour after you take the medicine."

“You might as well come with us… Oh, my name is Thorne. I used to be a priest at the Etoi Church, but now, due to the war, I have brought the church staff and some civilians out and need to find a neutral place to settle down,” the priest said.

"Call me Pharmacist."

The person brewing the medicine removed the cloth covering their face, revealing a young face.

Father Thorne smiled and said, “Madam Pharmacist, you may ride in the same car as my adopted daughter.”

The pharmacist nodded, picked up a backpack from a pile of grass, and slung it over his shoulder. He then said, "The pot isn't mine, but the spoon is. Wash it and bring it to me."

“Okay… Gail, remember that. We’ll leave in an hour,” Father Thorne said with a smile.

Father Thorne then returned to the caravan with the pharmacist. After instructing another knight to announce that they would rest for another hour, he went to his own carriage and lifted the curtain.

"You guys come out."

Two nuns stepped out of the car. Unlike Father Thorne's noticeably silver hair, these two had blonde and black hair respectively, and both looked quite young. The pharmacist carefully examined them and said, "Are you adults?"

"Veronica just turned seventeen, and Vanessa will be seventeen in two months. Does the pharmacist have any special requirements regarding age?"

"Father Thorne, do you want me to ride in the same car with them so that I can teach them?"

“They are my adopted daughters. I have hired tutors to teach them literature and art, knights to teach them swordsmanship and horsemanship, and I personally teach them theology and etiquette. But that is not enough. Before the next emperor is truly established, they need to learn much more, so I will seek out excellent teachers in various fields to instruct them. Ah, Lady Apothecary, I will not let you impart your skills for nothing. During this time, I will provide you with whatever reward I can offer.”

"Okay." The pharmacist nodded.

Thorne then said to the two nuns, "This is the apothecary. She has extensive knowledge of pharmacology. You will study with her for the time being. Remember to study diligently, just as you have before. The more knowledge you have, the more ways you will have to survive in this world."

The two nuns nodded in unison.

"During this period, the pharmacist will be traveling with you, so it will be a bit crowded. Please make your own space."

And so, an hour later, the convoy had a few more people in it, and they slowly set off again.

On the bumpy carriage, the two nuns watched curiously as the apothecary removed her face covering, noticing that she looked only four or five years older than them. Their previous teachers, including Father Thorne, were at least thirty and possessed a certain teacherly authority, but the apothecary was not like that.

"Do you... know a lot about pharmacology?" Vanessa, with her black hair, asked softly.

The pharmacist nodded to her: "I do know quite a bit about pharmacology and medicine, more than enough to teach the two of you. I've been traveling here through war and chaos, and I need a safe haven to continue my studies in this field. Since Father Thorne has the same idea, I naturally won't refuse. He wants me to teach the two of you, so I will. How much you learn depends on your intelligence."

“We will study hard!” the blonde Veronica exclaimed.

"What was your literacy level before that?" the pharmacist asked.

Veronica immediately replied, "We can already recite the scriptures by heart, and we know all the words in them. In addition, I have also learned Chahar script and psalms!"

"Yes, Vanessa. And you?"

Vanessa said, "Veronica is very good at learning languages. I only know how to read and write Imperial, not much else."

“Okay, then I don’t need to start teaching you from the basics of literacy.”

The pharmacist took a book and a box out of his bag.

"Let me state upfront that I am not a formally trained pharmacology master; I have learned all of this on my own. Therefore, I will not start by explaining pharmacology or pathology, but will go straight to the simplest and most practical part—memorizing prescriptions."

She opened the book to the first page.

"Memorize all three prescriptions, including the properties of the herbs, the corresponding symptoms, and the contraindications. I will test you on them at this time tomorrow."

Then she took out five kinds of dried herbs from the box.

"These five herbs have been mentioned in three prescriptions. Your other assignment is to match them with the pictures in the book, and then go and pick one fresh one each before I test you tomorrow. Don't worry about not having them around here; these are common herbs and they're everywhere around here."

The two young nuns were a little stunned. The previous teachers had always taught in a gradual manner, and this was the first time they had been given homework and practical lessons right from the start.

But soon, the two exchanged a glance and immediately agreed.

Learning opportunities are hard-won, and Father Thorne didn't have the ability to find royal tutors or similar figures to teach the two of them. His own magical abilities were also mediocre. Therefore, he taught the two of them from a young age to cherish every teacher and every bit of knowledge.

Veronica and Vanessa both heard this, so although the pharmacist's request sounded difficult, it wasn't something they couldn't do.

Thorne drove while listening to what was happening inside the car. After hearing what the pharmacist said, he smiled with satisfaction, took out a map to look at the road, and said in a low voice, "Learn it. You all have such good talent, we can't let it go to waste."

The carriages weren't fast, and the common people could keep up by helping each other, but some would inevitably run out of strength and fall behind, collapsing by the roadside. Those with relatives or friends would come to help them up, but those traveling alone would not get up again, and no one would care.

As darkness fell, they finally managed to see a faint glimmer of light.

"Sigh... What a chaotic world. The patrols in Changfeng Territory have already started at nightfall?" Thorne gazed at the firelight and instructed Gale, "We have too many of us. If we approach recklessly, they'll think we're an army attacking. Go and inform them first. I know Lord Borian of Changfeng Territory. Mention my name and show him the Holy Emblem; he'll recognize it. Oh, and don't forget, we've brought several hundred able-bodied men with us."