Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1456 Professional Teaching
"Injections" are to the Salvation Pivot what "bullets" are to the Burial Pivot.

After Veronica injected Vanessa's arm, Vanessa gasped for breath a few times, then gagged before saying, "Am I speaking correctly? If you can, please let go of me; you've twisted my arm sore."

"I'll give you a more intense pain so you'll remember this lesson." The pharmacist released Veronica. "The blocking injection won't solve your problem at its root. You'll need further treatment when you get back. I'll teach you how to prepare the medication, but you'll have to do the actual work yourself."

“Of course… Ah.” Vanessa rubbed her shoulders, her face changing color. “Pharmacist… You’re really ruthless.”

"After all, I can't confirm whether you've actually found a way to suppress it."

“It’s just about not reacting to anything I perceive, although suppressing instincts is still a bit difficult.” Vanessa glanced at Veronica. “I used sleeping pills when I had a cognitive error. If I’m not mistaken, did I use them on Veronica?”

"The medicine is quite effective." The pharmacist nodded and then dismissed the guards. Neither of them had mentioned anything related to the "plague" in their conversation, so an outsider wouldn't notice anything amiss. This was clearly something that couldn't be discussed directly with the guards.

After taking Vanessa back to her lodgings, the pharmacist first asked her about her past.

Clearly, Vanessa had already fallen ill when she planned to go out that night. The so-called ambush was just a difference in perception; she hadn't been to the bone bank, nor had she taken down any infected with Veronica. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, besides knowing that the guards found Vanessa sitting in an alley drawing holy symbols in blood, the apothecary couldn't figure out her route. That would require the help of the Burial Vault.

As for Vanessa's method for resolving her own problems, it was also discovered through repeated examination. This cognitive bias didn't cause all her behaviors to be problematic, but rather caused some of them to go wrong. Vanessa couldn't determine which behaviors would lead to abnormal results, but at least one was undoubtedly without fault: prayer.

The fact that gods truly exist and can respond to believers guarantees that this channel of prayer can never be interfered with by any inferior being. No matter what the plague apostles throw out, it cannot disturb the prayers of true believers.

Vanessa prayed as she fumbled to cut her finger to draw the holy emblem, but because she had to keep her eyes closed, the drawing wasn't very good. At least the guards could recognize the pattern, so she wouldn't be thrown into prison.

The pharmacist sneered after hearing this: "You know you're wrong?"

"I understand." Vanessa nodded obediently. "I shouldn't have thought I was a plague expert just because I've seen a lot of cases. I almost got myself killed."

“No matter how many cases you’ve seen, it’s useless without practical experience. Dealing with plagues always starts with small steps. You have the ability to observe carefully, but your methods are too crude. You rushed in without understanding the situation, and even dared to stay in contact with infected people for so long to test their symptoms—I never knew you were so bold.”

"Um... how should I test for symptoms?"

"Quarantine observation? Do you even need to ask?" The pharmacist glared at her. "I told you to disguise yourselves as civilians, not that you can't use the church's resources. You don't even need to report this to your superiors. The Sunday priests in this diocese can prepare everything you need!"

"Haha... I'm afraid I'll misjudge..."

"I can't tell at all," the pharmacist said, pulling a book from the shelf and slamming it on the table. "Get ready to memorize the prescription, Vanessa. Also, even if you have symptoms of infection, don't expect to rest. Deal with things yourself. This time, I'll give you some practical experience, but be prepared to be on the go. And you! Veronica, you actually joined in her nonsense too. Where did all your independent thinking go when you were studying?"

The pharmacist gave the two a stern lecture, calling them quails, before beginning to explain how to prepare the medicine. The Salvation Pivot has many medicines to combat the plague; even those whose properties are unknown, there are sufficiently excellent broad-spectrum drugs available for treatment.

She wasn't going to let this go easily this time. Although she knew from the "memory" that Vanessa would definitely be a remarkable person in the future, who knew she would have such audacity now?
"Uh...you're not going to hide your identity anymore?" Vanessa even asked cautiously.

"Enough talk, let's keep in step." The pharmacist slapped the table. "Tomorrow I'll tell you what the normal method is."

Vanessa quickly continued memorizing the prescription and preparing the medicine.

Before the outbreak even began, the plague was contained by the blocking injection. Afterward, she would need to drink the prepared medicine for several days to cure the plague. However, such methods were not universally applicable. The blocking injection was not readily available, and the broad-spectrum medicine was not mass-producible. It contained several expensive ingredients, which were not a major problem for the church, but a heavy burden for ordinary people.

For ordinary people to cure the plague, they usually have to rely on a longer, more conservative treatment. While the church will certainly save people, it will not do charity for nothing.

"Besides your own problems, you'll also need to monitor the treatment of these patients. Those who haven't entered the outbreak phase generally need three to six months to recover, depending on the severity of the plague." The pharmacist instructed Vanessa while also giving Veronica a piece of his mind. "As for Veronica, you're studying deadly creatures. If your memory hasn't failed you, you should remember that I reminded you that plague apostles often use monsters as a medium when they act, rather than taking action themselves."

"Yes!" Veronica nodded hurriedly.

Clearly, the pharmacist knew this couldn't wait; the key to solving a plague is early detection and early intervention, and necessary preparations needed to be made—she couldn't afford to waste too much time. After assigning tasks to the two of them, she quickly approached the local church.

Before the plague posed a significant threat, the Sacred Heart would not allow a large-scale, full-scale operation, as the required manpower and resources were simply too great. Therefore, the apothecary could only lend out a squad of ordinary church knights.

A team, by standard standards, consists of twenty people. That should be enough for investigating the plague.

The next day, the group, along with the three pharmacists, set off for that street early in the morning.

“Wearing the church's emblem will make your actions much easier.” The apothecary hung a badge of the Sacred Heart around his neck and led a group of people aggressively into the street where the problem had been discovered.

The Church's reputation was also quite useful among the common people, especially the Cardinal Saviour, who was probably the cardinal they had the most contact with. When the Pharmacist rushed into a restaurant, few people were truly afraid, just somewhat surprised. "Gentlemen," he said, "the Cardinal Saviour is here today because he has discovered the precursors to a plague. You may not know what a plague is, but we will examine everyone's health—every single one of you. Unfortunately, this time the situation is very serious, so there is no room for refusal."

The two knights guarded the entrance, and then the other knights dispersed, forming pairs to block off all the other open food and beverage shops on the street.

Such methods naturally caused quite a disturbance, but it was only a brief disturbance.

"The authority of the church—you don't need to use the same method of testing individuals as before."

Everyone who came here naturally wore a "purification" garment to defend against the plague. The pharmacist didn't bother to test anyone himself. Since Vanessa had already tested them, he skipped the testing process and had the shopkeeper bring out honey and apples to test everyone. He then called everyone out one by one to ask about the results. Those who could still taste the honey were sent to another room, while those who couldn't were sent to an empty room to be transported away.

"The formal handling of an epidemic, or the filing of a case, requires several conditions to be met: symptoms, infected persons, number of people, infectivity, route of transmission, and evidence that it cannot be cured by conventional treatment."

While the pharmacist arranged for people to undergo examinations in an orderly manner, he explained to Vanessa the appropriate treatment to be given.

"Um...don't we need to investigate the cause of the illness?"

"Normally not. What, do you think it's necessary?"

“No, it’s just that I’ve been thinking about a question since last night… Why was I infected, and not Veronica? And why did I have all those abnormal hallucinations, even including that vague experience of going to the bone bank? My knowledge isn’t enough for me to make up all that stuff…” Vanessa saw the pharmacist’s encouraging look and couldn’t help but muster her courage. “So I’m thinking, whether it’s infection or the onset of the disease, is it because I’m more enthusiastic than Veronica about investigating this plague?”

"Ok?"

"Is there really a body of a man named Fuget in the bone bank? Did he, like me, sense something was wrong and intend to investigate, only to encounter a similar situation to mine? I'm not sure, but I think the plague I contracted might be related to this."

"It can interfere with your cognition, so it can be activated through cognition. Is that your line of thinking correct?" the pharmacist asked rhetorically.

Vanessa nodded.

“Then go and examine the bone bank now,” the pharmacist said. “Your current understanding is absolutely correct, so you should investigate personally. Although your previous actions were a bit reckless, now that you’ve investigated this far, don’t waste any clues.”

"Yes! I'm going right now!"

“Remember to keep clean throughout the journey—even Father Thorne knew to wear one before seeing me.”

With Veronica's assistance, that was enough. The pharmacist was quick to screen the people here; in less than half a day, all the locked-down restaurants had been checked. However, besides the restaurants, the plague had probably spread to other places as there had been considerable movement of people in the past few days.

"Symptoms, infected persons, number of people, and incurable by conventional treatment. Okay, only two are missing." The pharmacist quickly drafted a report on the symptoms and also taught Veronica how to write it. "The first three should be reported truthfully because they are all easy to verify, but the last one can be exaggerated."

"what?"

"You can write down any verification methods you know, even if you haven't used them. Because this matter won't be verified, it will reflect the fact that your current methods are insufficient to determine whether the usual treatments for this plague are applicable. This will help you secure more usable resources, such as injections, when your merits are evaluated later," the pharmacist said. "I'm only telling you this, don't tell Vanessa. I'm worried she'll dare to write down everything she's read in books."

Veronica was both amused and exasperated, but she couldn't deny that this was something Vanessa would do.

“Infectivity and transmission routes, well, those are the two hardest points.” The pharmacist sighed, called to Veronica, and went into the room where the infected were housed.

She didn't waste words with the group, but instead took out a bottle of medicine and placed it on the table.

"I regret to inform you that you are all confirmed cases of infection. I believe you have already guessed this, since it's impossible for someone to lose their sense of taste under normal circumstances, yet you have it." The pharmacist pointed to the bottle of medicine on the table. "I don't know how many of you have been living in Violet City for a long time, but I think at least some of you should understand that you should listen to the Church at this time. The bottle contains medicine that can temporarily suppress your symptoms, but it's only a suppression. Researching a suitable treatment will take time, and the Church will take care of that. In return, you need to clearly explain everything you've experienced in the past few days, such as where you've been, who you've communicated with, and especially whether you've communicated with each other. Otherwise, if the treatment period is prolonged, you will only cause trouble for yourselves."

She wasn't worried about any opposition, because opposition was futile. In the entire city of Violet, apart from a few nobles including Grand Duke Toril, there was no one the Church dared not forcibly isolate.

"Alright, now, everyone come up and get your medicine, then each of you will speak in turn. The rest of you listen and then think about how to add to your own stories. Veronica, take notes."

The pharmacist immediately began the next step of the investigation.

=
Meanwhile, Vanessa had re-examined everything she had seen in her cognitive error at the bone bank. She found that Fugate's body was indeed there, but the cause of death and the autopsy record were clear and detailed, unlike the vague impression she had made. After reading this, she realized that Fugate had probably sensed something was wrong, just like her, but he was likely preparing to seek help from the church, underestimating the impact of the plague.

“Very good. This basically confirms that the plague was triggered by the desire to investigate the plague. We just don’t know how it spread… I’ll report to the pharmacist now.”

She grabbed a piece of paper and quickly jotted down Fugate's information, then hurried back. But just a block away from the street she'd reached, a man suddenly burst out of a house. His mouth and nose were covered in blood, his expression was ferocious and terrifying, and his hands were also dripping with blood. Upon seeing Vanessa, he roared and lunged at her!