To prevent the people in the camp from escaping, Augustus cleverly chose a location on high ground with no local water source, meaning all water had to be transported from a distance.
This high ground sat at an angle between Brilliant City and Refugee City.
To some extent, this increased the difficulty of maintaining the quarantine camp.
However, it also prevented the infected from escaping and stopped the contamination of the water supply.
The number of guards at the quarantine camp had significantly increased compared to a few days ago, now reaching fifteen hundred.
One thousand of them were dispatched from the Dragon Knight Corps.
The purpose was to stabilize the situation.
Although the knights of the Dragon Knight Corps were no different from other knights, the thousand skysoar dragons made the sick completely abandon any plans of resistance.
Faced with those massive figures, an ordinary person would lose most of their courage at a single glance.
Not to mention the sheer number of them.
"This patient's condition has worsened, send them to the intensive care ward, while this one's condition is stable, so move them to the observation room."
Among the many staff members wearing white protective suits, there was only one elderly man.
Unlike the others, it was clear that this old man was not a patient either.
Scott looked back with a deep frown.
"Are the medicines in place?"
A knight behind him responded.
"Reporting to my lord, they have arrived and are in the plaza ahead."
As a quarantine camp, it did not technically need a plaza.
However, for the sake of stability, Scott had requested the knights to expand and build one.
Whether it was distributing food or brewing medicinal decoctions, a spacious area was necessary.
"I will go and take a look."
Scott nodded and walked toward the central plaza of the quarantine camp.
The camp now held seventy thousand people.
In such a dense environment, a widespread infectious disease naturally became very difficult to handle.
However, Her Highness seemed to have a certain understanding of this type of transmission.
She had immediately prepared insect-repelling incense for large-scale use.
Based on Scott's experience, such rapid transmission occurring after a heavy rain suggested the disease was likely spread by insects like mosquitoes.
Lost in thought, he arrived at the plaza.
Thousands of iron pots were set up in the plaza, for preparing rations for tens of thousands of people at once was no simple task.
The supply of firewood alone required a massive amount of labor to keep things running.
Without nearly a thousand people dedicated to gathering firewood, it would be impossible to collect enough.
There was also the transport work in between.
One could imagine the immense cost required to maintain a quarantine camp of seventy thousand people.
In Scott's many years of experience, more than ninety percent of nobles would typically abandon commoners in such a situation.
Yet, that Saintess actually gave everything she had, continuously providing supplies here.
As a result, there were almost no riots among these seventy thousand patients.
Of course, military force was also a factor.
But if people were on the verge of death, many would fight back regardless.
Usually, those were the times when casualties were highest.
However, such a thing did not happen in this quarantine camp.
This was partly due to military deterrence, but it also indirectly proved the prestige of the Saintess of the Moon.
The people truly believed in her.
"She really is a remarkable young girl, isn't she, Scott?"
Just as Scott fell into thought, a familiar aged voice reached his ears.
"Indeed, this Saintess can be said to have the hearts of the people."
Speaking of which, Scott turned his head and glanced at his wife.
"Carrie, didn't I tell you to go back and rest? Although your resistance as an elf is stronger than a human's, if you do get sick, the difficulty of treatment increases accordingly. This is a plague, not a common cold."
Scott's expression was serious and his tone heavy, appearing worried about Carrie's presence.
However, Carrie suddenly looked confused, lightly tapping her lower lip with her index finger.
"Oh my... in my memory, there was a little boy who was too afraid to sleep alone at night. After having a nightmare, he would run to my bed and couldn't be driven away. He even vowed that as long as I let him sleep beside me, he would listen to me for the rest of his life. Who said that again?"
Carrie looked puzzled, but a mischievous smile had already formed at the corners of her mouth.
Her blue eyes glanced at Scott from time to time.
"Cough! That... you can stay, but remember to wash your hands frequently, and stop bringing up things from when I was a child!"
At this point, Scott took a step forward and whispered a complaint into Carrie's ear.
"I am an old man now, can't you give me some dignity?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Carrie's hands suddenly wrapped around the back of Scott's head, slowly pulling his face against her chest.
She spoke in a gentle voice.
"No matter what others think, you will always be my little Scott."
"Let go, let go! Quick, let go, so many people are watching!"
Scott hurriedly patted Carrie's arm, but as an old man with no talent for cultivation, he had no strength at all.
In front of the elven Carrie, even his full strength was only equivalent to a tickle.
He could not break free at all.
Furthermore, he could not bear to use real force.
After finally breaking free from Carrie's embrace, he ignored the hurt expression on her face.
Scott quickly looked around.
Seeing that everyone was staring at them in shock, Scott raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.
"Cough... what the hell are you all looking at? Do you want to die? Get back to your tents!"
Instantly, the patients scattered like startled birds, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
However, the number of staff members in the plaza did not decrease.
Scott looked at these workers, his old face turning red as he guiltily averted his gaze.
"Follow my orders and prepare to brew the medicine. Did anyone see what just happened?"
"I didn't see anything."
"Yeah, what just happened?"
"I think I just fainted for a moment. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
Scott nodded in satisfaction and began to direct the work.
Behind him was Carrie, her eyes filled with doting and affection.
...
Luo Li was unaware of the events at the quarantine camp.
This was because what she needed to do involved more than just looking after the sick.
As a Saintess, the areas she had to cover included all matters of the country, large and small.
Although small problems were handled by officials below, once an unsolvable issue reached her, it became a major one.
Among them, the audit of the demon marshal, Butcher Zuka, was a major problem at the moment.
"Archbishop Ferdinand, how is the audit going?"
Luo Li sat on her sacred bed. By status, a Saintess was second only to the Pope and ranked above an archbishop.
However, the archbishop before her was quite different from the others.
This man was the Pope's younger brother.
Even Luo Li had to be polite and try her best to avoid any conflict.
And Ferdinand did not seem to intend to make things difficult for Luo Li.
He simply nodded.
"It has been verified. It is indeed the Butcher Zuka from the records."
At this point, he paused slightly, as if organizing his words, before continuing.
"The identity verification is complete. When will you transfer him, Your Highness?"
A high-level demon like Butcher Zuka being captured had almost never happened in history.
Therefore, the Holy See had also stated that they wanted Butcher Zuka transported to the Church.
But transporting a demon marshal over such a long distance would be risky.
If something were to happen along the way, the consequences would be unpredictable.
This Zuka was a demon general who feared no level sixty Heavenly Punishment Knight.
Moreover, this guy held a significant grudge against her.
If the Dragon King had not personally intervened at that time, it would have been impossible to capture Zuka with just Heavenly Punishment Knights.
It was easy to imagine.
If any accident occurred during Butcher Zuka's transport, Archbishop Ferdinand's strength would be completely insufficient to suppress him.
"Archbishop Ferdinand, regarding this matter, I still feel that immediate execution would be far more appropriate than long-distance transport."
Luo Li cleared her throat.
"Butcher Zuka is a demon marshal who has lived for hundreds of years. The methods of a being of this level are unfathomable. If some change were to occur on the way..."
Before she could finish, Ferdinand suddenly cut her off, his eyes fixed on Luo Li.
"Does the Saintess of the Moon mean to say she does not trust the Holy See?"
Of course I do not trust you. If I did, would I be saying all this nonsense?
But those words could not be said to his face.
As long as the paper window remains unbroken, no matter how fragile it is, it still keeps the wind out.
Once a hole is poked in it, it can no longer withstand the storm.
Ferdinand knew the Pope's plan, and Luo Li knew it too.
Everyone understood, they just did not point it out.
You are lying to me.
I know you are lying to me.
You know that I know you are lying to me.
I also know that you know that I know you are lying to me.
Everyone was well aware of the truth.
But the polite words still had to be spoken.
"Archbishop Ferdinand, the Holy See possesses divine might and can naturally deal with Butcher Zuka with ease. It is just that one must always be prepared for the worst. This Butcher Zuka..."
"No need to say more, Your Highness. Taking Butcher Zuka to the Holy See for trial is the wish of His Holiness the Pope. If you are unwilling to hand him over, then please discuss it with His Holiness yourself."
Ferdinand's face was dark, and he seemed to hold a great prejudice against Luo Li.
Luo Li was also confused about this.
She did not understand at all where she had offended this archbishop.
But regardless, Luo Li still felt a hint of reluctance to hand over Butcher Zuka just like that.
After all, she had put in a lot of effort and taken great risks to catch him.
She had paid a significant price for this.
How could the Pope just demand him whenever he wanted?
"In that case, I shall discuss it with His Holiness personally. Archbishop Ferdinand, please see yourself out."
"Hmph!"
Ferdinand snorted coldly and turned to leave without even saying a word of farewell.
He seemed to have no respect for Luo Li at all.
Of course, putting status aside and considering seniority, age, and strength, Ferdinand indeed had the right to act this way.
Watching Ferdinand leave, Luo Li frowned slightly.
Beside her, Nara was already looking indignant.
"Your Highness, this Ferdinand is far too rude!"
"It matters not. A small man may rise to a high position, but in the end, he is still just a small man."
Luo Li sneered. This Ferdinand did not even have that much shrewdness. He truly was a petty person.
However, using history as a mirror, one can see the rise and fall of nations.
History is not lacking in instances where such petty people caused the downfall of great powers.
Strategically, one can look down on them.
But tactically, one must maintain two hundred percent vigilance against such people.
Small people do not have the broad vision of great ones, so the things they do are often quite unexpected.
If it were an ordinary small person, it would not matter much.
But a small person who holds a certain amount of power is a relatively big problem.
"Nara, go tell Sake to guard the prison. No one is allowed to take Butcher Zuka without my personal order."
"Yes."
The Pope's purpose for wanting Zuka was actually easy to guess.
This Pope was ambitious.
Executing a being like Zuka at the Holy See would surely bring prestige to the Pope.
That alone was enough.
It was impossible to keep him locked away forever. If the Pope wanted him, she could not refuse.
But he has to pay something for it, right?
With this in mind, Luo Li connected her communication with Diocletian.
After a round of negotiations, the final result was reached.
A portion of the Kingdom of the Sun's land bordering the Kingdom of the Moon was temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of the Moon.
At the same time, Diocletian also agreed to warn the Saintess and the King of the Kingdom of Flame.
In response, the Pope also proposed some ideas of his own.
He wanted the heavily injured Saintess of the Sun, Momoka, to go to Brilliant City for treatment by Luo Li and remain there.
Luo Li did not say anything to this.
There were both benefits and drawbacks to this matter.
But since the Pope had already made his decision, Luo Li did not plan to refuse.
After the discussion, the matter was settled.
And to get that nuisance to leave as quickly as possible, Luo Li arranged everything the next day.
She saw Ferdinand out of the city.
No one raised any questions about this.
Then, on the third day after Ferdinand's departure.
Luo Li, who was swamped with work and preparing to deal with the issues in Seaview City, finally received long-awaited good news.
The first completely cured patient had left the quarantine camp.
Upon hearing this news, Luo Li was so excited she almost did not sleep all night.
October 3rd, a day worth celebrating, caused Luo Li's mood to instantly turn from bad to good.
To mark the occasion, she even visited Refugee City personally to reward the recovered patient.
From that point on, the people in the quarantine camp seemed as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
Suddenly, even more cured individuals emerged.
With sufficiently strong control, the epidemic gradually subsided.
But as the saying goes, sickness comes like a landslide and leaves like spinning silk.
While there were many patients, a few would still appear occasionally.
With winter approaching, the entire world suddenly became quiet, much like the late autumn weather.
The undercurrents that had been surging seemed to go into hiding at this moment.
This reduced some of the resistance in her busy life.
The young girl's life slowly returned to its normal track.
Holy Calendar, Year 927, November 7th.
Heavy snow began to fall, opening the chapter of winter.
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