"This is not an antidote at all. It doesn't even carry any spiritual power. It's just ordinary water, mixed with a little fluorescent agent to fake the appearance of an antidote. The cost is almost zero."
Chapter 317: Symptoms... Peeling off the wounds from reality... (Part )
I originally wanted to finish writing this plot today, but when I started writing it, I found that it was longer than I imagined, so I can only write it here... There is still one chapter left, so I will finish it tomorrow.
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"This this……!"
Vanya's eyes suddenly widened, staring at the fluorescent transparent liquid on the table, and asked in a trembling voice in disbelief:
"……real?!"
"There's no need for me to lie to you, and there's no need to slander a dead person."
Lunxi crossed his arms and said rather unceremoniously:
"A 'degraded' antidote costs one thousand Felums, and is sold to ordinary people in the East District. For them, one thousand Felums may be the savings of an entire family for several years.
“Those who are willing to spend the money to buy the antidote must be people who are desperate. They may have been suffering from hunger and cold for many days because their family members have been bedridden for a long time. If there is no improvement, their lives will be threatened.
"They thought that such sacrifice could buy a glimmer of hope, but they could only buy something meaningless like this. The value of this 'antidote' is probably not even as good as the glass bottle that contains it."
"God, grace above all..." Vanya was so shocked by this fact that she was speechless for a long time.
She could even imagine such a scene:
A poor, destitute family on the verge of collapse watched helplessly as its only laborer fell ill, became weaker and weaker in bed, and finally died...
Finally, he made up his mind to take out all the savings in his humble residence, and ran to buy the antidote for the patient to take...
In each of their eyes, there was a gleam of hope and relief, like the look in the eyes of a drowning person who finally grabbed a piece of driftwood...
"They...Aren't they afraid of being exposed by doing this?!"
After a long silence, Vanya said in shock, her voice involuntarily rising:
"Selling fake antidotes that have no effect openly, it won't take long for this to be exposed, right?!"
"Of course," Lun Xi maintained a cold smile on his face and shrugged coldly, "but it doesn't matter at all."
"Why, why?" Vanya couldn't understand.
"It's very simple," Lun Xi put the glass bottle containing the fake antidote back into his pocket. "Ordinary people in the East District, even if they find that the antidote has no effect, what can they do? This is a 'degraded version', and the efficacy is not good... Isn't it natural?"
"This this……"
Vanya instinctively felt that there was something wrong with this statement, but she couldn't organize any words to refute it in a short period of time.
"Besides, even if the residents are dissatisfied, what can they do?"
Lunxi continued, the cold smile on his face gradually faded, returning to his emotionless demeanor:
"The real big money in this business is the 'complete version' of the antidote for the North District. The 'customers' who are truly worthy of attention are, after all, the wealthy businessmen, factory owners, and store owners in the North District.
"Augustus is smart. He knows very well which groups of people in Stio really have the right to speak and are truly worthy of attention.
"It's not the East District people who are hustling for money, it's not the poor people in the South District who have nothing, and it's not even the honest farmers in the West District who work on the land, but the rich people who have certain capital and industries and can provide substantial support to the nobles.
"What effect can it have by making ordinary people suffer and stirring up their discontent? It's just a few families being destroyed, and this kind of thing is not uncommon in the East District.
“No matter how dissatisfied or angry they are, what can they do?
"How can a group of impoverished, hungry, emaciated and weak patients and their families, who are often hungry, compete with the well-equipped security team that obeys the orders of the nobles?
“After all, most people in the East District cannot afford one thousand Ferums, and there won’t be many people whose families will be destroyed because of the fake antidote. In other words… they don’t even have a numerical advantage.
“But the money remitted to the Lion Craftsman family is real money. No matter how dishonorable the behavior is, the income from this business with a nearly unlimited profit margin... is real.
"Tell me, in this situation, what does Augustus have to be shy about? What is there to be afraid of? What is there to stop him from making money recklessly?"
Lunxi's tone of voice remained as calm as ever.
There was no passionate tone, no ups and downs in his voice. He just sat quietly across from the coffee table, talking in a calm manner, as if he was just chatting casually in his spare time.
But these words, as indifferent as water, were like steel drills, and every word was deeply nailed into Vanya's heart, causing waves of storms.
Although she is a noble lady, she is not completely ignorant of the dark side of her own class.
She often overheard some of the methods and intentions that were not very public in the whispered conversations of her parents and elders.
For example, the main family of the Hitomi Tobi family in the "Third City of Gift" ruthlessly exiled them to a remote and backward border because of some interest disputes.
For example, in order to gain benefits from their relatives, parents go to great lengths to fabricate false scandals and threaten their relatives to send money regularly.
She knew most of these things very well, and understood that this society was not a beautiful fairy tale, and that there were many unavoidable intrigues and dark disputes.
However, the facts just revealed by Lunxi... were still far beyond the worst case scenario she had expected.
"and many more……"
She suddenly thought of something:
"Will the Lord not care about Augustus' behavior? Even if the Lord has benefited from it and chooses to turn a blind eye, at least the Reverend... Hmm!"
She was halfway through her words when she suddenly froze, with great fear and astonishment showing on her face.
"Ah……"
Looking at her expression, Lunxi raised the corners of his mouth with a fake smile, and said slowly in a tone that was somewhat chilly:
"After that incident, the Grace Holy Church took it very seriously. The Archbishop of East Woshu Cathedral, the 'Saint' Cosman Xindanzhihui, arrived in person.
"There are even rumors that a big shot from the Mangcheng Holy Temple who cannot be named has also come to this city to investigate...
“They did a lot of things, including sealing off the ruins of the Lionsmith’s mansion, speaking to many people involved, and conducting a comprehensive search covering almost the entire East Washoe area.
"With this kind of intensive investigation, they will definitely find out the past 'deeds' of Augustus, Cobb Double-Headed Axe, Rosago Xindanzhihui and others."
Having said this, Lunxi paused, stared at Vanya's suddenly shrinking pupils, and said word by word:
"Let's not talk about the dead for now, but Viscount Cobb Double-Headed Axe is still the lord of Stio. He has not been punished in any way, not even criticized in public."
In fact, even if Lunxi didn't explain, Vanya could have thought of it herself.
Yes, with such a big move, how could Lord Cobb Viscount Double Axe not know about it?
Furthermore, how could the original preacher Rosago Xindanzhihui, the church priest who was responsible for supervising the local nobles, not know about it?
The other nobles in the city of Stio, including his father, Baron Langman Hodge-Tongzhongfeng, of course, were all aware of Augustus's actions.
However, no one came out to stop it, and no one even pointed out these blatant acts of deception, plunder and exploitation.
What does this mean?
This means that every member of the powerful circle of Stiou is involved...
At the very least, they were all able to gain extra benefits from Augustus's evil deeds, so they were unwilling to break this situation.
Even more, if you are willing to unlock the taboos of thinking and touch upon deeper inside stories...
The East Woshu Cathedral, and even the Holy Cathedral located in the capital Mangcheng, which is full of talents, has so many smart and shrewd wise men. Isn't there a person in power who has considered...
Sending a priest alone to a distant frontier creates the possibility that he or she could be corrupted and captured by local interests?
Impossible, absolutely impossible, they can definitely think of it.
But they still did it.
Augustus's behavior was tacitly approved by the Church of Grace.
The clergy who serve the merciful, just, and strict "Goddess of Grace and Redemption" and "Goddess of Grace" Perrinni...
Those angels, apostles, and saints bathed in endless light...
They did not directly resist the exploitation of ordinary local people by local nobles.
Does this mean that Stio's situation...is not an isolated case in all parts of the Holy Kingdom, but is the norm to some extent?
"Holy Grace... Above..."
Vanya, whose worldview was severely impacted and whose mind was a little dazed, subconsciously recited these words of exclamation that had become the catchphrase of every citizen of the Grace Holy Church, but she immediately realized whether it was still worthy of such praise.
Chapter 318: Symptoms... Peeling off the wounds from reality... (Part )
This is a long chapter of 4300 words, which counts as two updates.
I accidentally got too engrossed in writing, and it may sound a bit self-indulgent and a bit long-winded. Please forgive me.
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Lunxi glanced at her indifferently and said calmly:
"This is nothing to be shocked about. With a little thought, one can tell that the issue of the antidote to the fever is not a particularly serious problem for the Grace Holy Church.
“Whether it’s local nobles oppressing the people, or church priests taking bribes, or bending the law for personal gain, as long as it doesn’t exceed a certain limit, they will not intervene directly.
“After all, the foundation of this country is supported by landlords, nobles, wealthy businessmen, factory owners, and bankers. These people have enough capital to collect taxes, confiscate, and pay tribute for the church, providing substantial help for the existence and maintenance of this country.
"As for the poor peasants, small citizens or workers who are not penniless and worthless, there are as many of them as one wants. They are not 'people', but renewable and consumable items like firewood and fuel.
“I remember a scholar once said that speech is one of the most essential characteristics that distinguishes humans from wild animals.
"Whether commoners or nobles, they all suffer, have desires, and have needs. But in the eyes of the nobles and the church, the words of the common people are not human words, but the voices of some animals, the mooing of a cow, a symbol of need, rather than an intellectual expression.",
At this point, she suddenly laughed at herself, shook her head slightly, and looked at Vanya, whose emotions could not be calmed for a long time, with a bit of bitterness in her mouth:
"It's ridiculous. I criticize the nobles and rulers so much, but I am one of them, and I am a hereditary baron who has inherited the title and has actual property and land in my name.
"It's a bit strange to say these things to yourself."
Vanya stared at Lunxi blankly, her eyes looking somewhat strange, as if at this moment, she felt that the other person had become a different person, no longer the friend she was familiar with.
The atmosphere was awkward for a while. Vanya pursed her lips and broke the silence in a low voice:
"Lunxi...you, what do you want to express by saying this? What do you...want to do?"
Lunxi did not answer immediately, but just stared at the other person deeply. His deep green eyes suddenly became profound, as if he was lost in some kind of thought.
She blinked a few times calmly and gently, then said slowly:
“I used to think that the reason why there is darkness, misfortune and suffering in this world is largely because of the existence of evil people, because the human heart carries some evil since birth.
"For example, selfishness, greed for pleasure, indulgence in comfort, seeking profit and avoiding harm, etc., are innate characteristics of human beings, or the 'essence of human beings', 'human nature', 'instinct', and some psychologists call it 'human inferiority'.
"If we want to improve the current social situation, the most effective way is to punish the bad guys, reward the good guys, and follow strict discipline and laws to make judgments, and avoid arbitrarily deciding the fate of others based on personal likes and dislikes."
"Is not it?"
Vanya was stunned for a moment, and asked in confusion:
“Aren’t strict and fair laws the best guarantee for maintaining fairness and justice?
"Of course, those who enforce the law may have selfish motives, and the specific laws themselves certainly have loopholes and shortcomings, but as long as we improve the entire system step by step, won't society always develop in a better direction?"
"Is it……"
As expected, Lunxi chuckled a few times and said in a casual tone:
"It was probably a few weeks ago when I went out to take a cab and gave the driver about ten aires for expenses."
"That's it."
Vanya showed no surprise on her face, because this was exactly what she knew the Lunxi would do.
"He was very happy at the time. But later, I stumbled upon him in an alley in the South Side."
Lunxi's expression became slightly solemn, and he continued:
"He became a beggar, very weak, as if he had aged a dozen years. After asking, I learned that he was now penniless, homeless, had lost everything, and had contracted many very troublesome diseases. He was reduced to the situation of waiting to die in the swill, like a sugar cube in hot water."
"Ah?! Why is this happening?" Vanya widened her eyes in confusion and shock. "A dozen eiers, for an ordinary civilian, although it won't make him rich overnight, it's still a considerable amount of wealth, right?"
At this moment, she thought of many possibilities, such as being robbed while carrying a large amount of money, or a family member being suddenly struck down by illness and spending all the savings on treatment.
A few seconds later, Lunxi's answer... surprised her:
"After he got the money, he immediately quit his job as a rickshaw driver, went to a high-end restaurant in the North District for a big meal, spending nearly half of the money, and then went to the red-light district in the East District for a few days. Not only did he waste a lot of money on street girls, but he also contracted a lot of diseases.
"After buying drugs and receiving initial treatment, he had very little money left, so he went to the South District casino to play for several nights. In the end, he not only lost all his money, but also had extremely heavy debts."
"this!……"
Vanya never expected that the truth would be like this, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help twitching.
