Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Ark's legs began to tremble again, and he almost instinctively turned and ran away. Meanwhile, Morsafoso, who had just displayed great prowess among them, was now stiff-faced and trembling as if he had encountered his natural enemy. He also had an urge to turn and run away. Only Zoroya met him with a natural expression.

"May Goddess bless you, sir! What has happened? We can smell the stench of burning corpses from far away."

The centurion looked up at them and waved his hand impatiently.

"This is none of your business. Once you've finished your business, go home early. There will be a public notice posted later."

“Uh… actually, sir, we have something else to report. It’s quite important. We’ve discovered traces of the Holy Order of Knowledge cultists in the city. They even attacked the three of us… We felt we couldn’t afford to be negligent, so we came here to report immediately.”

"What!?--"

Suddenly, Commander Bai frowned and reached out to pull Zoroya towards him:

"You mean you encountered the Holy Order of Consciousness?!"

“That’s right, sir. Our Morsaffer knows these outlaws, and they all have disgusting tentacles growing from their mouths, so they must be—”

The hand gripping his arm suddenly released its hold, and the centurion interrupted him with a hint of regret:

"No, what you encountered were not those wicked people, but just some living corpses."

"A corpse?!"

Now it was Zorua's turn to be surprised. The words "come back to life" and "corpse" together were enough to evoke a kind of terrifying association... But generally speaking, this should be a little story told in casual conversation after drinking at night, and it would be best if told by an old man or woman with a weathered face, accompanied by a hot beer to dispel the chill.

But the stern-faced soldier in front of me clearly wouldn't be telling stories at this moment... which means this is actually true?!

Perhaps seeing how surprised he looked, the centurion offered him a few more words of explanation:

"This morning, there was some unusual activity in the morgue where the citizens who had died from accidentally drinking poisoned water were kept. When I led the team there, we found that the corpses had come back to life. Each of them had sharp tentacles growing out of their mouths, covered with a corrosive, sticky substance. It took some effort to get rid of them."

"The things those corpses turned into weren't particularly powerful, but they were quite difficult to kill. You had to destroy their spines to make them stop moving. Just in case, we piled them up and burned them as ordered from above... What you encountered were probably poor people who died in their own houses after drinking water, and it just so happened that you ran into them at this time."

"...Uh...I think I've said a bit too much...Never mind, just be careful and don't keep talking nonsense, otherwise if you break the law and get arrested and thrown in jail, no one will save you. Okay, go do what you need to do."

........................

The decay and stench brought by death is an unsolvable problem in this era, and people can only rely on the thick and broad earth to contain the decay, so as not to have a greater impact on the living.

However, if it becomes necessary to transport a corpse and other perishable items to one place, using ice to cool them down is a barely acceptable method.

Ice cellars exist only in the northernmost cities of the entire Kingdom of Hols. They are responsible for providing comfortable temperatures for the border dukes and other nobles during the hot summer. Some of the ice blocks are even specially purchased from the north in winter and stored in deeply dug low-temperature ice cellars.

This could have an effect, but it could never be perfect. The body still began to decompose, but it didn't decompose to the point where it was inaccessible, nor did it turn the important parts into putrid liquid that was no longer recognizable.

Wearing three layers of gauze treated with herbs and potions, and completely wrapped in a protective suit soaked in potion, Talina, with the help of three assistants, began to dissect the corpse.

The entire room was covered in marble, including the ceiling and walls, and was spotless. It made one subconsciously feel that walking into such a place with dirty shoes was a sin. At the same time, the stench of the rotting corpse was also tightly sealed inside, continuously damaging the sense of smell.

Anyone who stays in such a place needs a strong will, let alone personally dissect that decaying corpse.

The sticky flesh, the white and discolored bones and blood vessels, and the large mass of internal organs that had begun to turn green were not easy to approach. Even the two assistants occasionally looked hesitant and subconsciously wanted to stay away. Only Tarina remained calm as she busied herself in front of the corpse, using tweezers, a knife, and pliers to separate and dissect it.

It wasn't until several hours later that the mutated parts of the corpse were completely removed. The tentacle fibers growing from the bones and muscles were carefully extracted, and even the obviously mutated and twisted bones were meticulously drawn and recorded on parchment.

This mutation didn't involve many changes, only some minor differences, but it didn't affect the overall picture... So Tarina quickly shifted her attention to the well water that had also been delivered and the liquid remaining in the broken glass bottle.

The deliberate act of sending people to release this liquid into the water source was obviously intended to pollute it, while simultaneously creating chaos and destruction in their newly conquered lands. However, the specifics of how this would be achieved remained to be investigated… Talina did not believe that these vicious enemies would go to such lengths simply to deliver a deadly poison.

So they carefully sampled, filtered, and analyzed the samples... They even placed them in a nutrient solution for catalysis. Talina dared not be careless in the slightest... She knew very well that the situation had become dangerous. The land they had just conquered was not yet stable, and people's hearts were still somewhat unsettled. The reason why nothing had gone wrong was entirely because the imperial army had swept across the entire south and crushed all its opponents.

Ultimately, they could not maintain their rule over the South through mere suppression. The widespread pollution of water sources was precisely a vicious and targeted scheme. If they could not find a solution in time, it was entirely predictable what kind of destruction and turmoil would erupt in the newly conquered lands.

Regardless of how she goes about hunting down these vicious individuals lurking in the shadows, she must find a solution as soon as possible...

And so, after an unknown amount of time, Tarina finally reached her final conclusion—

........................

"A living thing? —"

“That’s right, sir. We can now confirm that this liquid contains a large number of insect eggs, rather than the highly toxic substance we originally thought it was… However, we still need time to investigate the specific function of these insects. But it is unlikely to be simple. Just because of their strong reproductive ability, it will be difficult for us to completely eliminate this thing from the water source. Even if a few escape, they can continue to reproduce and return to their previous state.”

Tersolius frowned, his expression grave as he continued his conversation with Talina:

“I have just received a report that the same signs are occurring in several major cities, which must be related to the contaminated water source… If this continues, I will have to worry about whether there is enough water in the entire south to safely supply the army.”

"Is the situation bad, sir?"

"It's really bad."

Tersolius gently picked up the three parchments placed on the left side of the table. Although the cheap paper they had developed was beginning to become more widespread, no one dared to be negligent when it came to such important information. They still used the expensive but reliable parchment to record things. And at this moment, the contents recorded on these three parchments were surprisingly consistent.

"Many people died from drinking contaminated water before. Their symptoms at the time of death were like those of someone who had been poisoned. Their bodies were temporarily collected and prepared for further processing... But now, the reports I've received all show that these bodies have come back to life and are growing bizarre and twisted limbs, causing chaos in the cities we've conquered."

"Of course, these corpses won't be as lethal or dangerous as those elite soldiers, but they're still enough to cause panic in the city. If we hadn't already carried out an evacuation to alleviate the city's water problem, the situation could have been much worse."

"As long as the water problem remains unresolved, the unrest among the people will not cease... I must admit that their vicious and despicable methods have indeed been effective. After all, I cannot abandon the entire South, much less give up the land I have finally acquired. This gave them an opportunity."

"For now, we can still manage by relying on uncontaminated water sources. I have also ordered the army to keep a close watch on the water, so it should be difficult for them to continue polluting it. But we still need to find a way to solve the water source problem in those major cities and towns as soon as possible... I'll have to rely on you for that."

Tarina nodded calmly and accepted the task very naturally... or rather, the girl had already prepared herself; she knew she had this ability, so she did not shrink back or hesitate.

"In fact, sir, I already have a solution in mind—since this isn't a toxin, but a living organism, we can use methods for dealing with living organisms to solve it..."

Chapter 392 Danger (1)

"Should we use poison to solve this?"

Tersol immediately understood; after all, in previous similar situations, the terrible toxins concocted by Talina had played a crucial role. He naturally assumed that the same method would be used this time, but Talina chuckled and shook her head:

"Toxins will certainly be very effective, but they will also cause considerable damage to water sources. After all, toxins that can completely kill all parasites in the entire underground water system also have terrible destructive power and are difficult to eliminate in the short term. In fact, they may cause even greater long-term consequences."

"Would boiling it with lime have any effect?"

"Unfortunately, it's not possible."

Talina gently shook her head:

"The other party was clearly well-prepared. This sample showed an unusually high level of environmental tolerance. Moreover, the well water is connected to an underground water source, which is not something that can be easily dealt with."

"...This is indeed a very tricky situation. Has my doctor come up with any good solutions?"

Tarina pursed her lips, deliberately ignoring a certain form of address, and finally adjusted her expression, trying her best not to become smug:

"Ahem... I believe I do have a solution, sir—please look at this."

The girl took a small porcelain dish from the table next to her. Inside was an extremely thin slice of meat covered with a thin layer of green liquid, like some kind of broth with an unidentifiable flavor... the kind that could sell for an astonishingly high price.

Of course, this is not something to drink, but a slice of a key part of a parasite extracted from a corpse. You can see the unique grayish-white texture on the cross-section, which looks like countless tiny fibers intertwined and arranged as neatly as fine silk fabric.

"And this too."

Another small porcelain plate was pushed over, but the meat slices inside were almost identical in texture, except for their slightly different shapes.

"This is the sample I preserved when we first encountered a parasite capable of invading the mind, and it is indistinguishable from the tissue dissected from this recently discovered corpse... This means that although the Holy Order of Knowledge has cultivated parasites capable of performing various functions, they are actually a kind of organism, the same thing."

"They can make their parasites stronger, more agile, and even able to ignore many fatal injuries, but they still have the same characteristics and are attracted to the same things... Therefore, I believe that the parasites that pollute the water source this time will be no exception."

"That's why we can deal with them in the same way... just like this one."

A worm with thick segments, still slowly wriggling in the purple potion, was being pulled out of another bottle by a pair of small silver tweezers.

"It can obtain energy from flesh and blood, but if it does not receive this insect to replenish itself, it will become weak and frenzied... so this thing has a terrible attraction for them."

As the still-wriggling white nematodes drew closer, the parasites, which had been moving relatively slowly inside the bottle, suddenly began to writhe violently, struggling desperately with their sturdy bodies inside the glass bottle, even causing the entire bottle to shake slightly.

As the tweezers moved further away, it became sluggish again inside the bottle.

"The biggest problem now is that these parasites have spread into the groundwater, making them difficult to eradicate completely. But if we use these nematodes to attract them together..."

A look of excitement appeared on Tarina's face, and her slender fingers slowly clenched together:

"I have a way to completely remove them! This way, the water source can be restored to cleanliness and safety. Of course, to be on the safe side, we still need to observe for a period of time and do some experiments."

"At the same time, I am also preparing something that can test water quality. It's already in the works and should have results soon, so we can take preventative measures in advance!"

"However, due to the special nature of the treatment method, I need to go to the site to clean up the water source in person this time. During this period, you will need to handle those matters yourself."

Tesorus was silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly:

"It looks like I'll be busy for a while. I've almost forgotten when was the last time I handled these documents myself... You've really made me feel a bit pampered."

“This is my duty, sir, and I will not accept any complaints from you in this regard… It’s also time for you to refresh your skills from the past.”

Tarina was stern and impartial, but a slight smile always played at the corners of her lips. She clapped her hands lightly at the end and prepared to turn and tidy up.

"I'm also getting ready to leave, sir. It should be resolved soon. Lord Brazil Saiyaros will probably intensify the search during this time, and he'll need our cooperation as well."

"No need to rush."

Thesolius suddenly spoke, stopping the other person. His fingers tapped lightly on the solid tabletop, his eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with a cold, sword-like light.

"Things aren't that simple... We need to make some preparations beforehand to welcome our despicable guests."

........................

"What bad luck! I wonder when this will ever end... The eldest son of the Solo family went to fetch water from the Pota River yesterday and ran into a wolf. If the kid hadn't been so clever as to put the bucket over the beast's head, he probably wouldn't have made it back."

"This damned countryside is full of chicken and dog poop! My fine leather boots are almost unusable!"

"Uh... why do you say they can't be used? These boots are very sturdy, they're just a little dirty."

"Because I don't want to wear a pair of shoes that were once covered in shit, it's that simple! Damn it, I'm a respectable person in the city, but now I have to live in this godforsaken place! The tent I sleep in gets soaked with fog every morning, and strange things always come out of the woods to cause trouble."

A pale-faced man was complaining loudly. It was clearly not his natural whiteness, but the paleness that came from applying pearl powder. Even in the muddy countryside after the rain, he insisted on wearing an embroidered silk coat and tight-fitting trousers. He looked completely out of place here, not like someone who lived here, but more like someone who was taking a short rest after hunting.

The villagers in the neighboring villages were already used to it. At first, these guys from the city were a novelty to them, but after a while, they stopped caring. Some of the smarter ones even started doing business with these city people and made a fortune for themselves.

The man who was loudly complaining was a young man with a plain face. He was not handsome, but he was not ugly either. He had short, light-yellow curly hair and two large front teeth under his upper lip, which looked like rabbit teeth.

A villager passing by overheard their complaints and immediately perked up, squatting down beside them, causing the man to turn around and look at him, somewhat puzzled.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have anything to do?"

The villagers stared intently at his feet, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

"Weren't you going to throw these nice shoes away? I'll wait here, otherwise someone else will pick them up."

The man's expression froze, then he became even more annoyed:

"Get out of here, you audacious country bumpkin! I'm not going to give you such a nice pair of shoes like that!"

"Tch! If you don't want to give it to me, then don't. Why are you getting so angry? ... Do you want some chicken? I happen to have a few old chickens at home, which would make great soup. I'll sell them to you for 60 copper coins."

"No, no, let's go! Do you think I'm a fool? Sixty copper coins are enough to buy three chickens even in the city."