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    ## Chapter 96: No One Will Be Abandoned

    At the front of the hall, a crimson line on the折线图 (折线图 – line chart) shot up, a terrifying sight. On both sides and below, nobles, knights, merchants, artisans, and more stood speechless.

    A snap! A piece of the armrest of a chair was snapped off by the Bald-Headed Bishop’s hand. He abruptly stood up:

    “What needs to be done? — You tell us, and we’ll cooperate!”

    This was immense trust, and an enormous responsibility. Even though Gretel held both Pastor and Daoist Priest titles, with two Level 1 professions combined, he still couldn’t compare to the Bald-Headed Bishop. Yet, Gretel didn’t cower. He extended his right hand, and counted off on his fingers:

    “First, we need to gather all the sick in one place, and separate them by severity. The mild cases will be cared for, and the severe ones treated by the Pastors—“

    Before he could finish, the hall erupted in a cacophony. Baron Vaughn jumped up, exceptionally high:

    “How can this be! My family, how can they be placed with those commoners!”

    “Do you know how to care for them? Do you know how to treat them? — If someone falls ill, do you know what to do to prevent others from catching the disease?”

    Gretel fired off three questions. With every question, Baron Vaughn’s arrogance shrank a bit. By the time the three questions were done, the Baron blinked his eyes: “But—“

    “No buts.” Elder Elvin said coldly:

    “Those who disobey orders, those who refuse to help, the Natural God Sect has no time to treat them.”

    “The War God Temple has no time either.” The Bald-Headed Bishop added.

    Out of the three churches in the city, the Spring Water Temple had shut its doors. This meant the latter two held a monopoly over all medical resources. Working together, the entire city would be forced to obey their commands. Baron Vaughn silently shut his mouth, and listened as Gretel calmly issued orders one by one:

    “Acquire the city maps and household registration information, divide the city into sections based on regions, and search for patients house-by-house. All patients will be concentrated in a single location, for treatment.”

    “I’ll send people!” Captain Nolan immediately agreed. Elder Elvin chimed in: “Send them to the Radiant Church. It’s empty anyway.”

    “Thank you for your hard work.” Gretel bowed slightly:

    “All family members of the patients should also be gathered in one place for observation. …Those who do not show similar symptoms within three days can be released.”

    “Set up cooking stations throughout the city, especially in the slums, to boil water for free distribution. Ten…twenty would be good. Send a message throughout the city, prohibiting the drinking of raw water. Drinking water, cooking, everything must be done with boiled water!”

    “Uh…what about the money?”

    The clerk responsible for recording the orders blurted out the question. Gretel scanned the crowd of merchants, and Mr. Hogan, the one who had given him paper and pen earlier, immediately jumped up, the silver buttons on his belly jiggling:

    “I’ll donate ten gold coins!”

    “Thank you for your generosity.” Gretel bowed slightly. He turned to the clerk and said: “Record it as—a donation to the Temple?”

    He looked towards his teacher. Elder Elvin nodded slightly. Immediately, five or six hands shot up:

    “I’ll donate ten gold coins as well!”

    “I’ll donate five!”

    “I’ll donate eight!”

    “I’ll cover the cost of charcoal for boiling water these next few days!”

    The clerk recorded frantically. Gretel looked down at the crowd, gave them a smile that met their expectations, and continued his orders:

    “Gather all the lime in the city. All water sources, liberally apply slaked lime. Use one bucket of slaked lime mixed with one bucket of water, stir it up and add three buckets of water. Follow this proportion, and sprinkle it all over the ground of any households with sick people!”

    “Find healthy women, send them to the Temple to take care of the sick, boil water, cook…”

    One by one, he issued his orders. Beside him, a line of City Hall clerks worked frantically: moving maps, moving household registration information, dividing the city into sections, coordinating with the city guards to assign personnel based on location. They calculated regions, calculated manpower, and calculated expenses. Captain Nolan suddenly turned around:

    “We don’t have enough people!”

    “Send the Temple guards!” The Bald-Headed Bishop responded instantly. He stared intently at Baron Vaughn, until the Baron spread his hands and shrugged helplessly:

    “Fine, I can send ten of my guards…”

    Gretel racked his brains, trying to leave no detail overlooked. Even in a different world, even facing an unknown disease that was only *considered* to be bacterial dysentery, the prevention of infectious diseases should still follow the same three principles:

    Control the source of infection!

    Cut off transmission routes!

    Protect susceptible individuals!

    Have I done everything?

    Have I considered every aspect?

    I have assistants, teachers, and trustworthy companions, but in this vast world, I am the only one who has received formal medical training!

    “Close the city gates, forbid entry and exit! …No? Then send someone to ask the City Lord…”

    “Recall all pastors who are out in the field, gather them at the Radiant Church…”

    “Collect all corpses, no private burials are allowed, and absolutely no throwing them into the water…”

    “Patients’ excrement needs to be disposed of collectively. Before dumping, mix it with slaked lime…”

    “Count the number of patients…”

    Gretel thought hard, squeezing out every idea he could. Only when he couldn’t think of any more loopholes did he set off with Elder Elvin and others towards the Radiant Church to begin medical work.

    This cathedral was the most magnificent building in Hartland City, located on the right side of the central square, facing the City Lord’s Mansion across the way. Viewed from above, it was a standard cross shape, with a short horizontal bar and a long vertical bar, and a towering spire rising from the intersection, even taller than the City Lord’s Mansion.

    The church was surrounded by a wall, enclosing a large area of what had been a military camp. Three years ago, the Radiant Church’s Holy Knight Order had been the strongest, most ferocious military organization in Hartland City, bar none.

    Due to their influence, even though this church had been kicked out of Hartland City three years ago, the abandoned cathedral still stood majestically, untouched. — If it wasn’t for the need to treat the plague, and the fact that they had the moral high ground, Elder Elvin wouldn’t have dared touch their church.

    But now, they had touched it. Gretel followed his teacher into the Radiant Church. A surge of noise immediately hit him. The hall was filled with cries and shouts, a chaotic mess. Wives held husbands, mothers held sons, weeping as if separated by death—

    “Damon! Damon! —Don’t take him away, please, don’t take him to that place—“

    “Pastor! —Pastor, save us—“

    “War God, please have mercy on your followers—“

    “Run! —They’re going to lock us up to die—“

    Gretel froze. As he was caught in a daze, a small, soft lump crashed into him, wrapping its arms around his legs. A woman’s voice could be heard from a distance: “Eva—“

    Gretel looked down. It was little Eva, the girl he had given a piece of bread to, the girl who had thanked him by picking him flowers, the girl who had almost been hit by a carriage and then rescued by his teacher. Right now, the girl’s thin hands were grabbing onto his robe, her voice trembling:

    “Big brother, please help Mommy. Don’t lock her up, okay? I can take care of her…I don’t want her to wait to die…”

    Wait to die…Yes, concentrating the seriously ill patients together did indeed make it seem like they were waiting to die—and this was a common practice in the world!

    This won’t do!

    It’ll get out of hand!

    Without time to discuss with his teacher, Gretel grabbed the girl and jumped onto a table, shouting at the top of his lungs:

    “It’s not about waiting to die! You’ll have food, people to take care of you, and treatment! You’ll be fine!”

    He didn’t even notice the unusual magical fluctuations, nor the fact that his voice was unusually loud, echoing throughout the hall. The commotion quieted down. Someone shouted:

    “How can we believe you?!”

    “I am Gretel Nordmark!” Gretel shouted back:

    “During the Midsummer Night stampede, it was I who directed the rescue, and I didn’t abandon anyone, no one died!

    —This time, gathering the sick for treatment was also my idea! I will stay with you until the last person is cured. I will not abandon you! No one will be abandoned!”

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