I was a charlatan in India

Dana's carriage stopped far from the river.

Led by the servant, the two walked through winding alleyways and stopped in a small courtyard covered with coarse cloth.

Soon, a lean, dark-skinned man squeezed in and stuffed two strips of blackened cloth into his hand.

It looks like this strip of cloth has been used repeatedly for a long time. Even after being washed, it still has a muddy smell.

"Sir, please cover your eyes and bear with it. It's the rule."

The subordinate was about to calm the master down when he turned to the side and found that Dana was already tied up.

Led by the dark-skinned man, the two went back into the alley.

They trudged through the muddy wetlands and along the somewhat slippery stone path, their steps uneven.

It only stopped when I heard a slight creaking sound.

"Gentlemen, you may take them off now."

This is their rule: no matter who comes, everyone calls them "Master".

The meaning is that when it comes to us, our social status and identity outside are no longer important.

As long as you spend money, you're my esteemed master.

Before us lay a cave covered in plants, deep and narrow, with the occasional gurgling sound of water, indicating it was very close to the riverbank.

Thin patches of light filtered in from the vegetation above the cave, creating dappled patterns.

"Follow me, and don't step on anything."

"Some of the ground is hollow; if you fall in, you don't know where you'll be washed to."

The dark-skinned man gave a signal and slowed down to make sure the two could keep up.

They walked around in a winding path for a long time.

The cave is not large, but it has many branching paths, and the actual routes are often counterintuitive.

Without someone to guide you, you'll most likely starve to death or fall to your death inside.

Even their own people sometimes rely on those hidden markers to determine their location.

The group pushed aside the tangled branches countless times, walking a long way until they could no longer discern their direction, and only then did their view suddenly open up.

A natural concave river bend appeared before us, with a large amount of yellow and green aquatic vegetation floating on the surface due to its poor flow.

Occasionally, you can see a few pieces of wood disguised as dead trees, but in reality, they have been hollowed out and wrapped around stone stakes.

Several small boats were moored nearby like ghosts, tied to stone stakes, and were in deep draft.

A lean man came forward.

He didn't speak, but simply raised the lantern in his hand slightly, illuminating the faces of the three people.

Then, the man turned around, nodded to his men, and made "aba aba" sounds, which was considered as acknowledging their identities.

Once confirmed, a few more branches were parted, and some shirtless laborers emerged.

These people also cannot speak, and all of them have a scar on the side of their necks, clearly indicating that they were artificially made mute.

However, their muscular build suggests that their diet is quite good.

They slipped into the small boat, then quickly emerged, carrying boxes on their shoulders, and unloaded the goods onto an abandoned stone staircase along a fixed route.

A voice rang out from nearby, but the person could not be seen.

"Sir, the goods have arrived."

"However, when the Divine Eye appeared before, some brothers accidentally dropped several boxes."

"According to the rules, you must come in person to assess the damage."

The other person's voice was friendly and approachable, but it still caused Dana some unease.

In business, asking the other party for a quote is just the prelude to bargaining.

But this is on the other side's turf, in this godforsaken place. If the negotiations break down, without anyone to guide him, he'll have a hard time even getting out on his own.

By the light of the lantern, Dana reluctantly approached to take a closer look.

After seeing the damage to the goods, his heart skipped a beat again.

The broken pieces were mostly expensive pottery, and a lot of silk was also torn along with them.

If we really ask the other party for compensation, I'm afraid we won't even have a penny left from the shipping costs.

After all, transportation itself is a significant cost; people and horses have to eat and feed themselves, and the other party also incurs expenses.

Once a claim is made, it will likely involve a long and drawn-out dispute.

Moreover, if the negotiations break down, they could easily be targeted with underhanded tactics.

Most importantly, he can't do without these water rats right now.

This isn't the only batch of goods; more need to be shipped later.

However, not seeking compensation is also not an option, as the other party will think he is easy to bully, which will also affect future cooperation.

On the other hand, he was indeed forced into a corner and had no choice but to take it seriously.

But after some thought, he found the right balance.

"The damage to the goods is indeed very serious, but if you get full compensation, it's like you've worked for nothing."

Let's set the tone first: the losses must be emphasized, but how to compensate is something to discuss.

"More or less, I'm afraid we'll have to add some more."

The other person's tone was calm: "What does the guest mean...?"

The group of mute men also put down what they were doing and looked at Dana.

Dana felt a chill run down his spine.

Sure enough, these people were making plans for both possibilities.

He could only bite the bullet and say, "The appearance of a divine eye in the world is a very rare occurrence, so it's understandable that such a problem has arisen."

"Therefore, I do not need you to compensate for the goods themselves, and we will continue to cooperate, or even expand our cooperation."

"but……"

Dana felt somewhat aggrieved, not only unable to claim compensation but also having to give the other party a way out.

He tentatively suggested alternative solutions.

"I need to borrow some of your people to help me smuggle some other things in, as compensation."

"What are you transporting?"

The other party still decided to ask for clarification.

Most goods can't get into Varanasi now.

Even if it could be transported, the cost would likely be extremely high.

Calling for damage assessment on one's own territory is just a way to gauge the other party's attitude.

If they don't know what's good for them, then our own people aren't afraid to swarm them and take out this fat man.

After all, this batch of goods was too expensive. Not only were the merchants under pressure, but those in the gray areas also had to pay tribute at each level.

Dana patted the damaged goods, closed the lid, and then spoke again.

"Don't worry, there will be absolutely no obstruction to what I'm transporting."

"Oh?"

The other party became interested.

It's quite rare for someone to be allowed to transport normal goods.

Dana looked down at the damaged goods.

"Those were just a batch of empty boxes."

"Of course, the quantity is a bit large."

Shenhe River.

The production of penicillin was not going smoothly.

Finding mold is easy, but when it comes to cultivating the colony, the difficulties begin to emerge.

The laboratory equipment, the sterile environment, the droppers, and the microscopes are all products of modern industry.

Without them, trying to cultivate a colony with fewer miscellaneous bacteria using only earthenware pots and spoons is like finding a needle in a haystack.

These earthenware pots were stolen from all sorts of random places, and each one was covered in its own kind of bacteria.

Indian tableware, in particular, is not necessarily clean even after being boiled at high temperatures.

There is still a long way to go between theory and practice.

However, Arti was very happy.

Her room was filled with bowls, jars, and plates of all shapes and sizes.

Big Brother Tian is very generous; as long as she likes it and it's cooked clean, she can keep it directly.

Big Brother Tian said that this operation is called "sterilization".

It is said that there are a large number of microorganisms in the world that we cannot see. These bottles and jars are almost equivalent to the starry sky to those little guys.

This idea was undoubtedly very novel to Arti.

Brother Da Tian also said that if she was willing, he could teach her more knowledge little by little.

Of course I'd love to!

Arti blinked his big eyes, filled with excitement.

She has no idea what kind of nightmare she will have to go through to learn this knowledge.

Just as Shenhe had no idea how far the road to developing penicillin was.

He also thought that as long as the container was thoroughly disinfected, he would soon be able to obtain the desired bacterial colony.

Of course, exchanging penicillin for Vasudiv is out of the question.

It's too late.

Shouldn't we consider doing something more to expand the influence of religion?

Shenhe was somewhat conflicted.

He is not the kind of god who is completely detached from worldly affairs.

On the contrary, Shenhe saw everything through the city's lingams, whether it was the distribution of porridge or the reaction to the attack on Mahata.

His new religion is about to become the target of public criticism.

The Brahman family, representing their faith, was undoubtedly paying close attention to this matter.

Shenhe's advocacy of cultivating this life is almost a provocation; if not handled properly, it could shake the very foundation of the old religion.

The reason he hasn't faced suppression yet is probably because these people are unsure whether he has anyone backing him.

Moreover, the mere fact that one can obtain food through offerings and ascetic practices undoubtedly fuels intense hatred.

The idea that the new religion devalues ​​faith has already spread among the Brahmin families.

Of course, most families used religious language in their statements, for example, directly accusing Shenhe of "delaying believers from enjoying blessings in the next life."

Kshatriya...

Putting aside everything else, the very doctrine of breaking down caste barriers is enough to make any Kshatriya who cares about class take action.

What they hope for is that the untouchables will exploit them ruthlessly, work them to exhaustion, and then quickly eat feed to recover their strength so that they can begin a new round of sacrifice.

Appointments are acceptable, but lying down is not.

Now a religion has suddenly emerged to give hope to the underprivileged?

Bold!

Even Shenhe himself was aware of the hidden dangers.

While this slogan can spread rapidly and has a wide acceptance, it can also offend a considerable number of people.

Even many Vaishya merchants were affected in their recruitment efforts and began to inquire about the new religion.

Oh, and there's also Mahayana.

This lunatic has started worshipping himself again.