Chapter 821: Chapter 462: Trouble Comes Looking
The Sorcerer’s Ladder was like a massive umbrella, erected outside of Northern Wind City, with three rings hanging down from small to large, forming a hollow “umbrella” surface.
Negris’s thoughts projected onto Ange, expressing in surprise, “There’s a magic mask up there? That’s not just for good looks but also a magic shield? What a clever design.”
With the protection of the magic shield, the vast space beneath the “umbrella” wouldn’t experience rain, keeping it dry and clean… While Northern Wind City hardly ever saw rain, it was always good to have some coverage.
The space under the Sorcerer’s Ladder quickly turned into a large marketplace, occupied mainly by several large shops from the Sorcerer Alliance. One of them was distributing food for free, currently with a long queue forming.
Although the queue was long, everyone in line brimmed with energy, none appearing starved, which surprised the serving goblin, “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not very, had a small piece of cabbage pancake this morning.”
“Then why are you here to get things?” the goblin wondered.
“Ah? Isn’t it free? Does it cost money? If it costs money, I don’t want it,” the queueing resident quickly responded.
“…It doesn’t cost money. Hasn’t Northern Wind City suffered any disaster?” the food distributing goblin, clearly unaware of the latest news, found it strange. They had been clearly instructed to distribute food for disaster relief, so why did this scene not look like one?
“Yes, yes, yes, how could there not be a disaster? Now the food prices are much higher, bread has increased by twenty percent, occasionally even replaced by vegetables, and if the vegetables weren’t more expensive, I definitely wouldn’t be pleased,” complained the resident.
But his complaints, to the goblin’s ears, sounded like bragging. Hearing the word “vegetables,” the goblin’s saliva uncontrollably quickened.
With no order to cease disaster relief efforts, the goblin could only suppress his anger, placing a brown gelatinous substance in the other’s hand.
“Eh—what is this? It’s slippery like snot,” the resident said disdainfully.
“Hehe, good stuff, eat it, one piece can last a day, eat one and you won’t need to eat the rest of the day,” the goblin said with ill intentions.
“One piece lasts a day? How is it similar to a cabbage pancake?” the resident complained while cautiously licking a spot. It didn’t taste bad, so he carefully took a tiny bite. The taste was passable, and he didn’t feel discomfort, quickly finishing it.
“It’s quite tasty, actually. What’s this called?” the resident queried.
With a sly expression, the goblin said, “Didn’t you just say it? Snot cake, that’s what we call it.”
Another goblin flew over, slapping him on the head, scolding, “Nonsense, nonsense, what nonsense, what nonsense!”
After hitting his companion, the new goblin said with a smile, “Don’t listen to his nonsense, this is called a convenience rice cake, nutritious, tastes good, and has a long shelf life. We all eat this stuff.”
Still smiling, the new goblin picked up a piece and began to eat it himself.
Since it was edible and tasted fine, the queueing residents didn’t mind, and each took a piece before leaving.
The new goblin fiercely glared at his talkative companion, then finally gave the spot back to him.
The scolded goblin grumbled begrudgingly, “Only talking about nutrition and taste, eating too much causes constipation, why don’t you mention that? We eat it, but having only this damn thing all year round, why don’t you mention that?”
Beyond this long food queue, there was another lengthy line, where about a dozen human women dressed in white priest robes were busy.
Seeing them, Anthony and Durken exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming peculiar.
“Classical Light Priests, the robes are very classical in style,” Anthony whispered.
These Light Priests were busily examining patients, first inquiring, then inspecting, and then distributing various bottles of medicines—red, green, yellow—each about the size of a finger.
Patients opened the bottles on the spot, drank the medicines, and shortly after, their complexions improved significantly.
Anthony observed carefully for a while and whispered, “They’re just minor illnesses, diarrhea, colds, sores, and the like.”
No sooner had he spoken than someone lying on a stretcher was carried over, this person was emaciated, barely skin covering bone, barely alive, and in immense pain.
Despite being too weak to raise his hand, every so often he would suddenly clutch his abdomen and convulse, emitting a ‘heh heh heh…’ sound, too pained even to scream.
Anthony shook his head softly, murmuring, “Terminal liver cancer, no hope, better to die early than to live in such pain.”
A female priest came over, glanced at the patient, and reacted just like Anthony, shaking her head then invoking Holy Light to press on his abdomen.
The patient’s convulsions eased, the agony on his face lessened, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Another priestess then took the patient’s family members aside, saying something that made them involuntarily start weeping, but they eventually nodded in resigned agreement.
The priestess turned back to nod at her companions, then the Holy Light intensified, and the patient passed away with a smile.
Durken asked softly, “This kind of disease can’t be cured? Could you cure it?”
Anthony pursed his lips, replying, “It’s troublesome. The diseased area needs to be excised, and then combined with Essence Liquid to regrow the diseased organ.”
“But as healthy tissue grows, viral tissue might also grow. If there are too many diseased areas throughout the body, what grows might be diseased as well. Unless one could, like an adult, use a healthy limb to make the other’s grow back, like what I did initially.”