rune hunter

Chapter 109 Refugees
The basic elements that make up a city are buildings?Is it culture?Or a resident?In the book "Civilization" edited by ancient sages, a city was once defined as a settlement where intelligent life thrives.But according to this theory, the city of Marseille has lost its meaning as a city.

300 years ago, the Kingdom of Auckland broke through the fog of the Black Forest, overcame the thorns and thorns to open up the King's Road, and obtained the territory of the seven northern counties, which were guarded by the Timberwolves Ranstadt family.At that time, Istaren built a military fortress as a strategic location, while Marsein became a logistics hub for supplying the army's Northern Expedition because of its convenient transportation.Regardless of geographical location or historical background, Marseille and Istaren can be said to be a pair of brother cities.

However, now, the city has lost its former glory. It can even be said that the city has lost its existence value in a practical sense.The once prosperous city with a population as high as [-] has turned into a dead zone overnight, leaving only endless confusion and despair.

Maryvian met the first batch of refugees from the city of Marthaine at the Black Crow Outpost on the eastern border of Istaron. The first to escape were a group of nobles. Talen had some connections, and they fled Marseille without hesitation when the plague broke out.

It has to be said that this was a wise move. This decisive decision allowed them to successfully escape the clutches of the plague, but it was also because they ran so fast that they didn't even have time to prepare food. At that time, each of them was already dizzy with hunger.

Some aristocratic lords with their own identities set their minds on the troops at the Black Crow Outpost, but the soldiers stationed here are all regular troops with strict discipline, so how could they take the threats and lures of these down-and-out people to heart.Want the rations stored in the outpost?No problem, take the order from the superior, otherwise there will be no discussion.

"You are all a bunch of pigs!" Seeing that the emotions on both sides had intensified to the point of confrontation, Katyusha couldn't help cursing: "Kill the horses and eat the meat! You have nothing now, and you still have to stay." What is the use of the carriage? Hurry up and get full and go on the road, and stay here to die!"

At this time, the gentlemen no longer had the time to think about why some nuns made such vulgar and vile suggestions, but subconsciously grasped at this life-saving straw.Driven by hunger, the guards acted as quickly as possible, killing the extra horses and grilling them on the spot.And the pampered lords and ladies in the past also ignored the etiquette at this time, rushing forward to snatch up the half-cooked and unseasoned horse meat.

Seeing that Mary Wei'an and her party wanted to go the other way, a middle-aged nobleman who had regained his sanity after eating a full stomach ran over and stopped their horse.

"Good sisters and nuns, you can go no further! Marseille has fallen, and there is no hope!"

"Tell us all you know," said Katyusha impatiently.

"Seven days ago, there were signs of plague in the city. Dying rats flooded the streets from the sewers. According to the descriptions of those businessmen who fled from the north, the appearance of rats meant that the plague had entered the city. Since yesterday At the beginning, there were dead bodies on the streets, and the death conditions were horrible. Our family just went out for autumn hunting according to the tradition. When we returned to the city, we found that the lord had blocked the city gate, and the black smoke of burning corpses was gathering over the city and would not disperse. ..."

"Seven days ago... According to the magician's description, seven days is enough time for the plague to spread throughout the city." Katyusha thought for a while and said to Marivian.

"There's still hope," Maryvienne said.

"I will not allow you to be in danger, Sister Maryvian." Katyusha held the reins of the Holy Nun and said firmly: "This is the border area between the territories of Marsein and Istaron, we should stay in the Here to prevent the arrival of the plague."

"Sister Katyusha, if Marthain is closed, there is no point in our staying here." Marianne insisted.

"Even if we rush to Marsein now, it's a drop in the bucket. It won't help. Why don't you take the other sisters here to set up a large-scale disease-repelling enchantment, and I will go to Marsein alone to guide them." Katyusha thought about it in an instant idea.

She is a knight of the temple bestowed by the goddess, a silver crusader who rampages on the battlefield, and has a strong ability to respond to various emergencies, while the temple priests and maple leaf nuns under Maryvian's command are almost all unarmed. Clerics with great power are prone to accidents.

Marivian weighed it carefully and nodded in agreement with her suggestion. However, before Katyusha left, another group of refugees appeared on the distant horizon.

This group of refugees is composed of merchants, citizens, and soldiers. They carry a lot of luggage. It seems that they are one step behind the nobles because they packed their bags. However, just because of this gap, the state of this team is too different.There was only panic on the faces of the nobles, but fear was written on the faces of these people.

"There are sick people!" Mary Weian said decisively after glancing at the marching team.Her words immediately caused a small-scale panic. The nobles jumped into the carriage and ran for their lives, while the others scattered and looked suspiciously at their fellow travelers.

"Don't be afraid, I am the holy nun Marievian, the goddess of life, you wait here to rest for a while, and wait for me to release the magic spell to drive away the disease." Maryvian said slowly, her voice carried a kind of The reassuring breath made the refugees gradually calm down.Sister Maple Leaf jumped off their horses one after another, found a suitable position and began to arrange the barrier well.

The information obtained from this group of refugees was even more pessimistic. The real reason for Marseille's closure of the city turned out to be that the local lord's home was also infected with the plague, and he relied on the temple sacrifices to maintain his life.When the news came out, the garrison in charge of city defense suddenly fell apart. Some soldiers were unwilling to stay in the city and wait to die, so they secretly opened the city gate, mixed with other refugees and fled to the nearest city, Istaron.

"After being infected with the plague, you need to rely on temple priests to maintain your life? How did the news spread and cause the army to split? This matter must not be so simple." Listening to the information gathered by the refugees, Katyusha's face became more serious.

"The Cult of the Damned?" Mary Weian exchanged a glance with her, and at the same time, the shadow of a young magician appeared in her mind.

"That annoying woman is right, there are indeed people who are secretly playing tricks." Katyusha snorted coldly, and this fact that she had to admit made her extremely annoyed: "Marsein also has a temple of Ludern, and the God of Commerce is probably related to These sneaky people are completely mixed up. When I return to the temple, I must ask them for an explanation!"

"The Cult of the Damned hopes that the plague will spread, and these refugees are the best carriers of the disease." Mary Weian said worriedly.

"If you don't wipe out these sneaky people who are fueling the flames, they will continue to play tricks." Katyusha tightened the rein and said loudly: "We need the help of the Lord Istaren. After I leave, you must get him. Get in touch and ask him to send the army over to maintain order."

Marivian nodded and watched her gallop away on horseback.

The purple-haired nun turned her head and saw the refugees surrounding her, her eyes full of eager expectation.They may not know the meaning of the identity of a holy nun, but they feel the gentle divine power emanating from the girl.

No matter which temple you are in, the cost of releasing divine spells for the priests is an astronomical figure that is out of reach for the common people. Even citizens with decent jobs may not be able to satisfy the appetite of the priests with their daily savings.The refugees did not expect to receive medical treatment, they just subconsciously approached in confusion, hoping to get some psychological comfort before dying.

Sister Maple Leaf began to sing, and the orderly and ethereal hymns gradually increased in volume during the chorus, echoing in the ears of the refugees, gradually calming down their minds and regaining clarity in their eyes.

Dozens of white beams of light soared into the sky, forming a giant magic circle with a radius of 24 meters in the sky, and the divine power of the goddess of life permeated this space.This is one of the large-scale war barriers mastered by the Maple Leaf Sisters. It is a "Holy White Sanctuary" specially used to expel diseases and treat the wounded.Everyone in this sanctuary will automatically be baptized with the blessing of the divine power of life. This magical effect can expel the disease and prevent the subject from being infected again within [-] hours.

Maryvian raised her hand, and the white light flowed out of her hand like milk, and then turned into flakes and scattered in the air.

For the refugees, this is a miracle they have never seen in their entire lives.As the nuns sang, the refugees around Maryvian knelt down one by one, expressing their most devout gratitude to the holy girl before them.

Looking at the outline of the city of Istaren in the distance, the girl sighed softly.She vaguely felt that she would not have any reinforcements.

(End of this chapter)