Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1449 Course on Illnesses
The road from White Tower County to Violet City is not far and is theoretically relatively safe.

The reason this is only in theory is that there are still many displaced people under the rule of Grand Duke Toril. There are hundreds of settlements of all sizes around Violet City, and the tax collectors never miss these places. Some places quickly become deserted due to the inability to pay taxes, and most of those who run away become gangs of thieves or similar groups.

Because these bandits were too weak, only daring to rob a few lone travelers and never forming a large force, Duke Toril didn't care about such things at all, and the garrison was even less likely to take the initiative to do such a thankless task.

However, the bandits did not dare to approach Father Thorne's group. They could only watch them leave from afar.

"Liu, how many groups are targeting us?" the pharmacist asked during a break in his lecture.

"There were about twenty-nine of them along the way, all small gangs, not worth mentioning." Liu didn't seem to care much.

At this moment, Veronica spoke up: "Why have these people become vagrants? They should all be able to work, otherwise they wouldn't have fallen to this state."

“It is precisely because they found work that they have fallen to this state.” The pharmacist glanced at Veronica. “Because for them, the only thing they are good at is manual labor. They either go to farm or work in a factory. The first one is exploited by the tax collector, and the other is exploited by the foreman. The result is the same.”

"For wealth..."

Veronica seemed thoughtful, but didn't press the matter. With her intelligence, she could clearly grasp some of the issues, and the pharmacist didn't intend to elaborate further.

"Back to the main point, as we just discussed, as pharmacists, you deal not only with common illnesses, but also with some rather dangerous ones. We haven't even talked about plagues yet, Vanessa, don't start writing them down prematurely. I'm referring to infectious diseases that could otherwise cause widespread harm."

The pharmacist course has entered the next stage, which means moving beyond what is taught in the books.

"Without the Savior's Cauldron, these illnesses could very well become a plague. Although, as you know, even the most severe common illnesses can be expelled from the body by the divine arts of the healing lineage. But today I need you to focus on people."

The two were still somewhat puzzled.

“As I just said, it’s an infectious disease.” The pharmacist took out a wooden board and used magic to reveal words on it. “When this disease is confirmed, it must have already infected multiple patients, and if these cases become highly dangerous, someone must have already died during this period. That’s why I want you to understand one thing: for us, the ability to cure diseases is not where we can show off our skills. Being able to see diseases in advance is the skill a pharmacist truly needs.”

"You mean, to suppress or even eliminate the disease before it even manifests?"

"Yes, even the most severe natural diseases can be cured directly by a third-tier divine spell like Rejuvenation, leaving no aftereffects. Of course, this is only the method used when there are fewer people, and you will all learn this sooner or later. The resources of the Salvation Pivot cannot be used on a large scale at will. If a few Rejuvenation spells can solve the problem, why use a higher-tier divine spell? Pharmacology goes a step further. If the problem can be solved directly with medicine, there is no need to use precious spells at all."

"That's why you brewed medicinal soup every few days, and even prepared it every day when crossing the wasteland, and the prescriptions were different each time," Veronica said suddenly. "I thought you were just worried about the lingering effects of the plague."

“When large numbers of people migrate, infectious diseases are also very likely to break out. Conditions on the road are ultimately not as good as a stable place to live. Changes in weather, environment, and even some changes in food and drink can cause them to feel unwell, and infectious diseases can arise as a result.”

“Even so, it still can’t compare to a plague, can it?” Vanessa asked. “After all, there are practically no records of infectious diseases in history…”

"What do you think the locals would do if a small-scale outbreak occurred in a place and there were no priests on the spot who could use high-level divine magic to heal them?" the apothecary asked rhetorically.

"Quarantine...wait." Vanessa's previously slightly uninterested expression suddenly turned serious. "Could it be—"

“It was a massacre,” the pharmacist replied. “And the deaths of dozens or hundreds of people will not be recorded at all. After all, they were preventing a disease that could have killed tens of thousands of people, which is already considered a ‘great achievement’.”

"Isn't there a better way?" Veronica asked, "like early detection or something..."

"Unfortunately, no. The incubation period applies to almost all of these highly dangerous diseases. After all, those that don't have an incubation period are resolved when the disease manifests," the pharmacist continued. "Even divine magic only provides the solution, not a prevention method. That's why our duty is so important."

After the morning's lessons, Veronica and Vanessa were assigned to think about how to deal with a hypothetical infectious disease without relying on divine magic or church resources. This time, the pharmacist didn't require them to hand in their assignment in the next class; instead, he extended the timeframe.

After lunch and a short rest, we began our afternoon practice.

The bandits in the mountains never expected that before they even dared to target this large group, the other side had already set its sights on them. The bandits who were peeking out only saw a blur before a nun in black armor appeared behind them, kicked them all to the ground, tied them up with rope, and carried them to the roadside like a string of grasshoppers.

The pharmacist was already waiting by the roadside with Veronica and Vanessa. After thanking Liu for helping to find teaching aids, the pharmacist announced the content of this practice.

This group of bandits, living in the remote mountain valleys, mostly led a life of hunger, and the harsh environment, coupled with the constant threat of attacks from passing military forces like garrisons, meant that almost everyone was physically healthy. In fact, one of the older members of Father Thorne's group was probably healthier than them. Under these circumstances, it was necessary to find hidden health problems in these seemingly capable individuals who could still roam the wilderness as scouts.

"Six people, three for each of you." The pharmacist sifted through the heads and distributed the patients to two students. "Give me their medical recovery plans before sunset tonight."

"Aren't we leaving?" Liu asked.

"Of course they have to go with the vehicle. The two of them also have to be responsible for holding their patients. If they get lost when the time comes, they still won't be allowed to pass." Liu glanced at the few people who were tied up tightly and could only move their legs. Although they might be able to run, she estimated that it would be good if they didn't hinder each other.

Don't expect bandits to be of high quality.

While Veronica was still softly inquiring about their physical condition, Vanessa had already pinned them to the ground and begun palpation. This wasn't gentle pressing; she was using sharp, forceful pinching, judging their condition by the volume of their cries. Keep in mind, she possessed the strength to catch Liu's serrated folding knife; that force had given those three a taste of what it meant to have their bones and tendons severed.

The apothecary showed no mercy. Although the bandits were all former civilians, once they entered this line of work, while it's impossible to say that everyone had a life on their hands, there were bound to be some who escaped. The population of Toril was considerable, and many people fled after the disaster. Among them, a large number who didn't become bandits were killed and robbed by bandits.

In comparison, it was much less strenuous to lead these people along with the car, since no one could run away.

"Hey, pharmacist, there's been an unexpected bonus." Liu suddenly laughed.

"what?"

"Vanessa's actions against those people could be heard hundreds of meters away, and now basically no one is spying on this team anymore."

"That was indeed an unexpected bonus."

When they set up camp that night, the pharmacist received the treatment plans for the two.

Veronica's approach was quite detailed, starting with the symptoms and causes, and providing several different prescriptions, along with corresponding nursing and recovery plans. Vanessa's approach was simpler, stating directly that the three patients she treated had underlying health issues leading to the accumulation of hidden ailments, and that they would naturally recover if they lived normal lives for a year or two.

Neither answer was wrong. Veronica wrote according to the pharmacist's standards, while Vanessa's solution was based on the real-world situation. Clearly, Vanessa wasn't willing to expend too much energy caring for several people who might have already committed serious crimes. As usual, the pharmacist didn't judge which was right or wrong, but simply corrected a few obviously problematic parts of the plan and sent it back.

"You can deal with the prisoners yourselves." That was all she said, and she didn't inquire about the six men any further.

The next day, all six people who had been arrested disappeared. Veronica and Vanessa went to class as usual, while Liu remained in the car as a lookout. The pharmacist didn't continue the previous day's discussion about infectious diseases, but instead moved on to the part that the two were most interested in.

"Today we'll talk about plagues."

Undoubtedly, the two students were more interested in this.

"Plague, as an abbreviation for Plague Divine Art, should not be used interchangeably with other types of diseases. Furthermore, Plague Divine Art differs from divine art in the general sense; it should actually be classified separately because its most prominent characteristic is structural instability."

Naturally, the explanation began with the characteristics of this divine art. The apothecary did not require them to immediately understand the nature of the plague, but she needed them to understand that this was a contest between divine arts, no longer the kind of crushing defeat that was like a dimensional reduction attack.

"Pharmacist, do you mean that the plague is like a church, with divine assistance behind it?" Veronica asked.

“Even if we define the Plague Lords as evil gods, we must acknowledge that these extraterrestrial beings are of the same rank as the gods of the Church. How many Plague Lords do you know?” the apothecary asked.

Vanessa replied, "Only Mariska, whom you mentioned in the wasteland. But the 'Record of Natural Disasters' mainly records the names of Plague Apostles, and hardly records the Plague Lords."

“That’s normal, because mortals are not allowed to constantly recite the names of gods,” the apothecary replied. “Although prayers may not be answered, they will certainly be perceived by the gods. Ignorant people are easily seduced by the Plague Lord and become apostles, even if they are only the lowest kind. However, once you gradually understand what a plague is and what effects it may have, you will be able to be sufficiently wary of these evil gods.”

After saying that, the pharmacist took out a book and opened it to a page.

“If you only know Mariska, then we’ll just talk about Mariska for now. The King of Decay, the Ancient Tree of Sudeng, the Lord of the Sea of ​​Hellflowers—based on historical records, this Plague Lord has several names, but the first one is the most commonly used. Mariska’s apostles are very active because their power aligns with the violent methods many people seek. In most cases, the plagues created by Mariska’s apostles drain the life force of the infected, causing them to die from the failure of all their organs.”

“Pharmacist, aren’t all plagues like this?” Veronica asked. “They are considered evil gods because these powers cause massive deaths… isn’t that right?”

“That’s not true at all. In fact, you could say that Marisca was the gentlest of all the plague kings because all she sought was the death of life, a process that was not always accompanied by prolonged suffering.”

The pharmacist smiled slightly and looked at Vanessa again: "Vanessa, one hundred and twenty years ago, on the coast of the Sea of ​​Florence, there was a port known as the Pearl of the South. Do you remember this case?"

Vanessa recalled for a moment: "That didn't happen within the Empire; the Church doesn't have much influence there. It was a traveling priest who discovered some unusual reports, which led to the crackdown—you mean the 'Beast' plague incident, right?"

"Indeed, the Church mobilized the main force of the Burial Pivot and five cleanup teams at top speed, thus containing the plague before the port completely fell. Almost half the people in the port turned into predatory beasts, prioritizing attacks on non-infected individuals, but if there weren't enough non-infected people around, they would even kill and devour each other. The port almost became a canteen for the infected, and the root cause was a butcher who sold meat there, who became a plague apostle and mixed his own flesh into the meat he sold, thus spreading the 'beast' plague." The apothecary nodded. "The records in the books end there, but many who know the inside story understand that this was a scheme orchestrated by the Plague Lord, the Hungry King."

Seeing the solemn expressions on the two students' faces, the pharmacist said with satisfaction, "That's right. You must remember that the most evil aspect of the Plague King is not that it causes a large number of deaths, but that it makes people suffer endless pain and torment while they are alive. It even... prolongs the lives of those infected."