Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 249 Receiving Refugees
Egno hurriedly handed over a list of medicines and reported to Harvey, "Sir, the hospital has urgently produced a batch of vaccines and medicines, about 5,000 doses of preventive vaccines and 3,000 doses of therapeutic medicines."

Preventive vaccines are used for healthy people who have not been infected and those in the incubation period, while therapeutic drugs are used for infected people who have already developed severe symptoms of the disease.

Severely infected people need multiple injections of large doses of magic potions, but ordinary people do not have the same natural affinity for magic as spellcasters, which leads to relatively serious side effects of the potions - vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and low fever that lasts for several days.

In this case, even if they voluntarily joined the pioneer territory, they would not be able to drag their bodies across the Jackdaw Ridge to reach the northern wilderness, so Harvey had to arrange the war beasts that roamed between the valley outposts and the territory to transport military logistics supplies, as well as a large number of alchemical camel beasts, to Jackdaw Town in advance.

"The preparation and production of vaccines and medicines cannot stop. We are currently competing with the church for people. Once they start distributing medicines to civilians in large quantities, the refugees will inevitably slow down their urge to flee their homes, and the number of people we can recruit will be greatly reduced."

Harvey took a deep breath and gave Pierce a formal order: "For this operation, I need you to lead one thousand defense soldiers and five hundred Northern Army soldiers to receive and guide the refugees. The first priority is to ensure the personal safety of our non-combatants. The second priority is to maintain order and stability at the shelter. Unless absolutely necessary, do not shoot at civilians!"

Asdalen spoke quietly, "There are still several low-ranking priests and clerics in the church branch in Jackdaw Town. Although they are currently under the control and surveillance of the Federation, news of our actions will soon leak to the capital. I'm afraid the church and noble armies will descend on us soon..."

Harvey gently drew a black cross on the map representing the Jackdaw Town Church with a charcoal pencil. "Then expel them... The Jackdaw Town Church and the Lord of Grizzly Castle have done nothing about this plague, allowing the people to suffer and become displaced. As the lord of a neighboring fiefdom, I declare that I will temporarily assume all administrative management of Jackdaw Town."

……

When Pierce and his officers entered the refugee shelter, he couldn't help but twitch his nose slightly and frowned.

For the vampires with extremely keen sense of smell, the smell here is so disgusting that it makes them feel nauseous.

Everywhere were people infected with the plague, dying and in great pain. Most of them had swollen bellies like pregnant women about to give birth, and the skin exposed outside their clothes was covered with creepy dark green mold spots. If you scratched it slightly, the same dark green pus and blood would seep out from the edges of the mold spots, attracting flies and mosquitoes to swarm in. But they were so weak that they didn't even have the strength to drive them away, and could only let these maggots fly around and lick them.

Pierce couldn't help but think back to when he was still a human. Whenever the evil orcs came to raid and harass in winter, a large number of civilians from the surrounding villages and towns had to migrate to Grizzly Castle for refuge. Many people, who did not have enough warm clothes and warm shelter, huddled in sheds in the city's slums, contracted an incurable cold plague, and vomited mouthfuls of black blood.

This desolate and tragic scene is so similar to the current situation. The actions of the church and the nobles are simply treating human lives as ants.

"First, carry those with worsening infections to the shed. Even if they have been injected with medication, they need to stay indoors in a sheltered area to recuperate."

The Northern Army soldiers under his command were much tougher in character than those defense soldiers who had never experienced war. They had seen the cruel and bloody battlefield scenes when fighting against the evil orcs and demons in the valley outposts and swamp mining areas. They did not feel afraid of these miserable plague-infected people in front of them - before they came, they were all stared at and injected with large doses of vaccine one by one.

The soldiers stepped forward, picked up the patient who was lying on the ground and couldn't move, and walked towards the makeshift shed.

When encountering patients with excessive bleeding from infected ulcers, they will skillfully take out the hemostatic bandages commonly used in the military and give them a simple bandage.

Dozens of doctors in white robes were busy going in and out of the shed, carrying boxes of medicine, injecting the medicines to the seriously ill and dying infected people.

Pierce easily stepped onto a pre-erected platform and picked up the alchemical megaphone a soldier handed him. "Everyone, listen up! Lord Harvey of the Northern Frontier Territory has developed a special potion that can cure the plague. As long as you are willing to join his territory and serve him, you can receive treatment free of charge!"

These words caused a commotion among the people gathered at the shelter. A person who had just been infected with the disease struggled to move to the side of the platform and asked in a hoarse voice, his mouth open, "Is the Lord really willing to provide medicine for free? As long as we become his subjects?"

Another civilian, who clearly hadn't contracted the disease yet, came over and asked loudly, "We've fled all the way here, with no farmland, no houses, and no livestock. How are we going to survive? Does the lord still want to feed us for free?"

The corners of Pierce's mouth curled up slightly. This was the person that Mentor Asdalen had planted in advance among the refugees, who was responsible for singing the same tune with him and brainwashing everyone.

"Everyone, rest assured. By joining your master's territory, you will receive food and temporary shelter. Once you recover, everyone will be able to find a job to support themselves. Whether you were a farmer or a craftsman, you don't have to worry about starving to death!"

"The frontier territories of the northern wilderness are filled with fertile land, with herds of cattle and sheep waiting to be grazed. The strong soldiers of the territory around you will ensure your safety, and you won't be harassed by the looting of the evil orcs at all!"

An infected person, helped out of the shed, was led onto the stage. Pierce unbuttoned his thin, worn linen shirt, exposing his chest. Everyone looked closer and saw that the once dense plague spots on his skin had now scabbed and shriveled, some even threatening to fall off. "This medicine really works! I feel... I feel much better. No more vomiting blood, no more feverish drowsiness!"

More and more civilians who were among the first group sent in for treatment came out and gathered around the platform.

"Me too. Oh my god, the blight spots on my body have all scabbed over and fallen off. It's itchy, but there's no pus or blood coming out anymore!"

"That's right! You can survive by joining the territory, and the lord will also provide food and work!"

"Even wealthy businessmen would have to pay a huge amount of money to obtain the church's divine potion. How could poor people like us be qualified to use it?"

"That's right! Anyway, I farmed for the nobles in my hometown. It's the same wherever I go. Saving my life is the most important thing!"

As more people echoed, the crowd's reaction became more and more excited. Pierce quickly waved his hand to signal the soldiers to maintain order and prevent these emotional civilians from rushing directly into the sheds in the treatment center to fight for the medicine.

A group of soldiers rode on a strange metal carriage and shouted propaganda through loudspeakers along the refugee reception center.

"Lord Harvey is currently accelerating the development of the northern frontier. He needs a large number of people to cultivate the fields, graze livestock, and build houses... Those who voluntarily join the territory will not be charged any medicine fees, and will be provided with food, shelter, and work wages! Anyone can get a job!"

"If you don't want to join, it doesn't matter. You just need to pay half a gold pound for the medicine, recuperate, and then leave and return home. We won't provide any free food or water..."

“Will there really be food, shelter, and a salary for work?”

"I do! I used to be a tenant farmer for a nobleman, and I didn't even own any land!"

"Me too! Let me join in! I'm a weaver!"

……

Asdalen sat in the temporary office of the refugee shelter, looking at the thick stacks of names that kept being delivered. The red soul fire in his eyes quickly condensed, and he could read an entire page of densely packed text almost every few seconds.

Once an alchemical life enters an absolutely rational mode, its work efficiency is dozens of times faster than that of an ordinary mortal.

Pierce gently pushed open the door and walked in. "Teacher, there are currently about five thousand refugees gathered at the shelter. After three days of treatment and outreach, about four thousand people are willing to receive free treatment and join us..."

Asdalen nodded. What he was doing now was to quickly classify the information of the new residents collected by the soldiers and review their previous jobs and original places of residence.

"What about the other thousand or so people? They've come all the way here to escape the turmoil. Do they really want to return to their hometown?"

Pierce whispered, "Most of them are free farmers who own land, farmland, and houses. Some have fled from surrounding towns. Most of them are small merchants and craftsmen. Most of them also have family property and are unwilling to easily abandon the wealth they have accumulated in their hometown..."

Asdalen nodded in understanding. "That's fine. Let them pay for the potion, then rest for two days and leave on their own. They'll spread the word about us when they return home. After all, compared to the church's incredibly expensive divine potion, those who persevere enough to come here for treatment only need to pay half a gold pound to save their lives."

"Some refugees have secretly approached the doctors distributing vaccines and medicines, hoping to secretly purchase some treatments and offering exorbitant prices. What should I do with these people?"

Asdalen finally looked up from the pile of documents. "Oh? Are there any refugees trying to resell potions? These rats in the gutter... arrest them all and let me personally interrogate their identities!"

(End of this chapter)