Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 250 Vaccine Business
Those who sneaked into the infected patients and secretly found the doctors in charge of drug distribution in an attempt to buy the vaccine drugs at a higher price were quickly caught one by one by Pierce.

The doctors who were sent to the refugee shelter to treat patients were mostly refugees from the northern wilderness in the past. They had a strong sense of belonging to the pioneering territory. When faced with a group of southerners who took out a handful of gold, silver and copper coins to buy medicine, they turned around and reported them without hesitation.

Pierce caught seven or eight refugees based on the report with almost no effort. Judging from their appearance and clothing, they did not look like ordinary poor refugees, but more like wandering traders who frequently traveled back and forth.

"No one among this group of refugees knows you, and no one can prove your identity, so where are you from? The royal capital, Jinhui City? Or other cities in Saint Valen?" Asdalen, wrapped in a black robe, asked in a cold tone.

The man tortured to the stake replied in a trembling voice, "Sir... please spare me. I just lost my mind. I don't want to go out and do hard labor in the wilderness. Let me go back!"

"Lie!" Asdalen uttered a word softly, then turned his head to look at Pierce.

Pierce immediately understood what he meant, took two steps forward, and grabbed the man's neck with one hand, followed by a slight click.

Two Northern Army soldiers rushed over, dragged the corpse's legs and walked out of the camp. The dead man's arms revealed a blue-black tattoo symbol similar to a sun rune - that was the baptism mark that only devout believers of the church would be branded with.

"Next," Asdaren walked to another wooden stake where a person was tied, "it's your turn to confess..."

The man's crotch was soaked, and he trembled as he sobbed, "I'm not a believer in the church. They paid me to blend in with the refugee group and report the situation to the parishes along the way at any time... Woo woo, they promised that if I was infected, I could go to any nearby church to get a potion..."

"What are you reporting? What does the church want to force these infected civilians to do?" Asdalen immediately heard something wrong and asked in a stern voice.

The man was so frightened that tears streamed down his face. He stammered, "Sir... wuwuwu, I really don't know. They... they just told me to follow and didn't say anything else..."

He wanted to beg a few more times, but Asdalen turned and walked away. Pierce then grinned and put his hand on his neck, interrupting his last words.

This one-time interrogation quickly consumed the three arrested criminals - Asdalen has never been a merciful person, not to mention that he is not a human being. He has no mercy on these guys who want to secretly sabotage Lord Harvey's plan.

When it was the fourth person's turn, Asdalen felt a little surprised. Although this guy had his hands tied and was hanging on a wooden stake, he was still struggling. He looked energetic and did not look hungry due to the bumpy journey, nor did he look like he was sick or infected.

"I will only ask you one question at a time. If you don't give a satisfactory answer, your fate will be the same as the three people before you."

The man stopped struggling immediately. Although there was still fear on his face, he was obviously mentally strong and spoke fluently, pouring out his confession in one go.

"Sir, I was also assigned to the refugee group, but I'm different from them. The priest of the church... the priest gave me the divine grace potion in advance!"

Asdaren's eyes narrowed, and he stared at the man intently and asked, "What's your name? Where are you from? Who in the church is behind this?"

The man swallowed hard and quickly replied, "My name is Benjamin. I'm a private slave trader in the royal capital, Jinhui City... I collect young children for the city's nobles and certain... certain adults in the church, for their enjoyment and pleasure..."

Upon hearing this, Pierce spat fiercely on the ground and wanted to go forward and break the guy's neck without waiting for Asdalen to say anything, but his mentor raised his hand to stop him.

"Wait, it's not too late to let him finish what he is saying."

He removed the hood of his robe, revealing a terrifying metal skull. He approached Benjamin, whose face was pale with fear, almost face to face, and asked in a deep voice, "Besides letting you blend in with the crowd and monitor the people, what else did the church's charlatans order you to do?"

Benjamin hadn't expected the black-robed figure to be so bizarre and terrifying. He kicked his legs wildly, trying desperately to escape, and began to babble in terror, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! The priest ordered my companions and me to follow these fleeing people, secretly guiding them to attack and harass the spellcaster associations in towns along the way, and to do our best to stir up hatred and hostility among the common people towards spellcasters..."

"Don't kill him, let him identify all his accomplices one by one from the refugee group..." After saying that, Asdalen walked towards the temporary office without looking back. Pierce stepped forward and slapped the slave trader hard, knocking his head crooked. Blood mixed with broken teeth fell to the ground.

... [Asdalen: My Lord, your guess is absolutely correct. This catastrophic plague was truly caused by the Church and the nobility. Their goal was to stir up hatred among the common people against the spellcasters and thereby expel the Federation forces from Saint Valen.]

Harvey sat in front of the magic brain instrument, looking at the message sent by Asdalen on the crystal screen. After thinking for a moment, he immediately responded.

[Record the interrogation confession with the Image Stone and immediately hand it over to the Union branch in Jackdaw Town. We will not interfere with other matters and will focus on receiving and treating these infected refugees...]

After ending the communication, he immediately logged back into his forum account and urgently contacted the Federation official who was still online at the moment - Mr. "Legal Shield" Fran McCaughlin.

Kel'Thuzad: Mr. Fashield, may I ask how the Federation plans to handle the plague outbreak in Saint Varen? You should be aware of the severity of the situation, right? The influx of refugees from the plague has already spread to the border regions...

Fran McCaughlin, who was in a state of panic, saw the message suddenly sent by Harvey. Suddenly an idea flashed through his mind and he replied quickly as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

[Spell Shield: Mr. Kel'Thuzad! I didn't expect you to contact me on your own initiative. The Federation is still arguing over the whole matter. Apart from closing the border to control the spread of the plague, we don't have any other viable solutions...]

[Fallen: However, we have urgently discussed this with the Alchemy Exploration Society and sent an official letter to Grand Duke Saint Valen explaining and refuting the rumors... However, the cure for the plague is still under development, so I'm afraid it won't be effective in the short term.]

Harvey chuckled. Wasn't Mr. Fadun's venting of his frustrations to him a hint at seeking help from the forum? Otherwise, why would they confide in me, a forum agent, about their internal disputes within the federation?

Kel'Thuzad: I accidentally captured several spies planted by the Church at the refugee shelter on the border. Their interrogation statements have been handed over to the local Union branch. I believe they will be very useful in proving your innocence...

Kel'Thuzad: As for the plague potion... I've actually concocted one that's significantly effective against the disease. It's already being distributed in the refugee camps. It should be able to quickly control the spread of the plague in the border areas...

Fran McCaughlin looked at the message sent by the other party, was stunned for a moment before reacting, and almost jumped up from his chair.

"This guy... has already figured out the formula for the plague potion? And it's already been put into use. Why is he only coming to me now? Is he trying to get a high price for it?"

He immediately typed a response, asking Harvey to give him half a day to complete internal discussions. He then stood up and instructed his attendant, "Quick! Tell the members of the Supreme Council and the heads of other departments that I've found a formula for a cure for the plague!"

As Fran hurried to the conference hall, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

If he could use Kel'Thuzad's plague potion to help the Federation clear the spellcaster of the accusation of spreading the plague, and then have the Federation distribute the potion to the public for free to resolve this sudden disaster shrouded in mystery, his reputation and status within the Federation would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced, and the long-vacant position of head of the Ministry of Magical Affairs would probably fall on him naturally.

Although Mr. Kel'Thuzad's mind was full of business, he really helped himself a lot this time!
……

[Kel'Thuzad: Recipe? I don't have the authority to sell you the recipe, Mr. Shield. You know, I'm just the forum's agent in the southern region... But I can make potions in large quantities. I can give you as many as you want.]

[Fallen: Okay... then name your price! You're well aware of the current plague situation in Saint Valen. Most of the innocent civilians affected simply can't afford to buy potions. The Federation will definitely not take advantage of this opportunity to profit from the people's blood!]

Harvey rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain: "What a compliment you've put on yourself! When you first closed the borders and allowed the plague to spread, you didn't even consider the lives of these civilians. Now, when it comes to the business of purchasing medicine, you keep saying you won't make a fortune..."

Kel'Thuzad: As a fellow spellcaster, I certainly won't sit idly by while the church and the nobility pin this unwarranted accusation on all spellcasters. Let me put it this way... One plague potion for one gold pound. I can provide you with 10,000 potions within three days, and then an equal amount every three days... As for gathering the people and distributing the potions, you'll have to do it yourselves.

Fran tore off a piece of white paper and quickly began to calculate. The price of one gold pound to save an ordinary person's life was indeed fair. For a huge spellcasting organization like the Federation entrenched in the southern continent, money was the most insignificant transaction equivalent.

Of the people currently infected in Saint Valen, after about two weeks of spreading the virus, only about 50,000 can survive until the medicine is distributed. The cost of this deal is in exchange for saving the reputation of the Federation, which is really worth it!
[Magic Shield: Deal! Please arrange for the potion to be transported via the magic network teleportation array to the Daeus Federation branch closest to Saint Valen as soon as possible!]

(End of this chapter)