Not long after, there was some commotion in the village again, and it seemed that many people were crying.
Faintly, one could hear some cries like “Don’t abandon us, we are willing to pay” and “Please save him”.
Not long after, several strange men wearing long bird-beak masks and dressed in black retreated from the village.
These men wore round leather hats, black leather coats, leather gloves, and carried short-handled canes and incense burners.
Their beak masks are made of leather, and the pointed beak-shaped masks are half a foot long.
This is the plague doctor of the Order of the Radiant Cross.
But this outfit does not seem to have anything to do with the Glorious Cross, and instead looks more like a messenger from the underworld.
These doctors wearing bird-beak masks wear thick black robes that cover their entire bodies, including their necks and hair, leaving no skin exposed.
Even the eyes are covered by glass lenses.
Although glass can be mass-produced these days, it is still not cheap. This bird-beak mask inlaid with glass lenses is very expensive.
This outfit does have some mystical meaning.
Plague doctors believed that as long as the patient could not see his face, it was equivalent to the "evil disease" attached to the patient being unable to see the doctor, and the disease would not be overly contagious.
They dress up as messengers from the underworld because they believe that this can scare away the "disease demons" and drive them away.
The reason they carried incense burners was because patients infected with the Red Death would emit a foul odor, and they believed that expelling the foul odor would help expel the disease.
The canes are used to reduce physical contact with patients. They will wear leather gloves when touching patients with canes to avoid infection themselves.
It can be said that this outfit actually did play some practical role and could be considered as protective clothing of this era.
However, in this age when viruses and microorganisms were incomprehensible, most of what they could do in the face of the Red Death was to rely on mysticism.
"Stop! Don't come out yet!"
Li Ang stopped the medical officers. He saw that there seemed to be blood stains on their canes.
"Is this Lord Leon? Knight Loris told us that you are here. Thank you for your assistance. We are doctors of the Knights of the Radiant Cross."
A doctor said in a muffled voice.
"I know, but you should discard the canes that have touched the patients. Also, if any of you have come into contact with the pus on the patient's body, please retreat to the village..."
The lord pointed to the sticks in their hands.
Several doctors did not object to Li Ang's statement.
They obediently threw away the walking sticks in their hands, lowered their heads to check their bodies, then each took out a bag of lime from their pockets and scattered it on the ground, and also scattered it all over their bodies.
The corpse was soon covered with lime, and several black ghosts turned into white spirits.
Lime does have a certain preventive effect. It seems that these doctors still have common sense and do not just rely on mysticism.
"Sir, we know the seriousness of the situation and we will not leave here. Please help check if any of our bodies are soaked with lime. It's too dark here."
The doctors, whose bodies were covered with lime, pointed to the brazier beside the lord.
Li Ang took out a torch, shone it on the few people and checked them carefully, then shook his head to indicate that there was no problem.
"Doctor, how is the situation in the village?"
Dean was eager to know the details.
"There are currently more than a dozen patients with symptoms. It is indeed the Red Death... But the other day was Women's Day, and there were large-scale gatherings. The number of infected people must be far more than this. For now, we can only seal off this place and not allow anyone to enter or leave."
The doctors did not take off their masks. They even consciously kept a distance of more than one meter from other people, showing their awareness of epidemic prevention.
"I built a canal here five years ago, and the villagers reclaimed a lot of land. Originally, this village has become one of the richest villages in the empire in recent years. I didn't expect..."
Dean sighed and hid his face.
This is how the world is, despair always comes with hope.
"Where is the lord here? Isn't he in the village?"
With current medical conditions, if the lord does nothing, the villagers can only wait to die from such an epidemic.
At such times, local lords are needed to provide guidance, such as locking up those who are confirmed to be infected with the disease in closed cellars, isolating those who have been in contact with the disease in houses in the village, not allowing them to gather again, and sending people to supply necessary food.
After one or two weeks, those who are confirmed to have no symptoms will be released out of the village. This way, at least half of them can be saved.
"The lord here is Decimus, but he probably ran away..."
A doctor said this with a tone of contempt.
"Run away? So irresponsible?"
Although this is a hostile country, the lord is also unhappy. This is the time when the lord is needed to play a role, but he actually ran away?
"He sent someone to our base during the day to report the news, but he himself disappeared. He must be afraid of being infected."
The doctor shook his head: "The young nobleman of Bacchus... Alas..."
This is not just the case with the young nobles of Bacchus. The nobles of the Sarleon Kingdom are similar, such as Rainier.
"Does Governor Kairos of Dilingang know about this?"
"We have sent someone to inform them of the situation. We estimate that a large force will arrive to take over before dawn. In any case, thank you for your enthusiastic assistance, Sir Leon."
“It should be…”
"Hey, Mr. Leon seems to be a fur trader?"
The lord nodded and looked back at the leather materials in the trucks.
"Great! We just need some leather to make more beak masks. You name a price, and our Order will pay."
The doctor bowed to the lord.
"Since this is for the purpose of controlling the plague, you can use these leather materials first. We can talk about dinars and other things later."
The lord would not worry about this small amount of money. He was not really here to sell furs anyway. The lord, who had just received a cart of high-yield grain seeds, was very generous.
"No, we have to buy at the market price. Lord Leon, giving without asking for anything in return is not a good thing. Only good deeds that can be rewarded can continue. So we also charge for treating people... How many dinars do these truckloads of leather materials cost?"
The doctor shook his head and spoke some philosophical words.
Li Ang raised his eyebrows and smiled, looking at the Knights of the Glorious Cross with a higher regard: "I didn't say I was giving it to you... You can use the leather first, and then we can talk about the money - let His Majesty the Emperor pay for it, maybe I can make a little more money."
The lord actually had no intention of making money from the leather, but he also had no intention of selling it at a high price at this time. He could make money from war, but not from disasters.
But donations without asking for anything in return were not a good thing, and he certainly would not give the goods to the Knights of the Radiant Cross for free - he had advised Sir Roland in the same way before.
He just didn't expect that the healer of the Knights of the Radiant Cross would understand it so well.
Giving away large amounts of money as gifts may seem kind, but in fact it is not a good thing for either you or the other person.
Of course, this refers to large amounts of money, which means that you will suffer greater losses and are completely beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Because this will lead to a kind of moral blackmail-style comparison.
For example, if someone donates 10,000 yuan, then others will think that if I only donate 50 yuan, it seems not generous enough and I might even be laughed at?
——Then just don’t donate it to avoid trouble.
After all, if the "standard" is set too high, then most people will feel that "I don't have that ability, so I won't embarrass myself."
But when others are making "selfless donations", if you sell things at a low price, even if it is only cost price, people will talk about you - for example, saying you are "money-obsessed".
——Then don’t even sell supplies to the disaster area to avoid being slandered.
As a result, the donated money could not buy supplies in time...
Yes, that's the reality.
It’s not that people are unwilling to do good, but most of the time they can’t bear the consequences of doing good.
And if disasters happen continuously, and you donated 10,000 last year but only 5,000 or even nothing this year, there will usually be some bastards coming out to try to morally blackmail you - saying that you have become inhumane and are inconsistent.
But these dogs never mention the fact that they did nothing but make sarcastic remarks.
As a result, those who do good deeds not only suffer financial losses, but also get a bad reputation.
This completely changes the meaning of good deeds, and people who do good and help others will be regarded as fools.
Moreover, even if they suffer losses themselves, they often fail to solve the problem - in many cases, large sums of money are donated, but these money cannot be exchanged for necessities in time, but instead are exchanged for luxury cars and mansions of some people.
It has been like this since ancient times.
Therefore, the lord will not "donate" easily, and he does not encourage donations.
But he encourages small profits or normal material transactions, and also encourages people to help in the best way they can.
If, when a disaster strikes, large quantities of urgently needed supplies are promptly delivered to the areas most in need, and the appropriate returns are obtained, this seemingly transactional method will actually have a better effect.
After all, money alone cannot keep people alive, but supplies can.
The reliable approach is to quickly deliver supplies to where they are most needed. You can charge money for this and even make money.
If you want to be kind, just sell the items at a lower price. If someone can't pay, you can let them buy it on credit first.
As long as people don't take the opportunity to profit from the disaster by selling at unfair prices, bringing supplies and collecting the corresponding returns is the most encouraging kindness.
This is because it allows everyone to follow along without any pressure, can quickly bring in more scarce materials in a short period of time, and makes it easier to solve the problem.
As for the usual help - this kind of direct behavior can be done without asking for anything in return, for example, the lord decided to help guard the entrance to the village.
Because as a volunteer who contributes, you can get equal peace of mind and peace of mind, which is a spiritual satisfaction and a precious reward.
Several cartloads of leather can be worth thousands of dinars, which is not a small amount of money for anyone. The lord pays for the leather with his own money.
So what the lord meant was that if there was an emergency, use it first, and there was no need to negotiate the price. After the problem was solved, let Emperor Marius settle the bill based on the circumstances.
Emperor Marius represents this country, and Your Lordship can also use this to see the overall mentality of the country.
The doctor also nodded in agreement with the Lord: "You are right, His Majesty the Emperor will give you a good price."
It seems that the Knights of the Radiant Cross have great confidence in Emperor Marius.
"Hiss... hum... Emperor? Hiss..."
Just then, a voice came from the road outside the village behind.
"Who is it?"
"My Lord, be careful!"
Sarah and Lisa Dilan's voices rang out one after another.
Then several crossbow arrows flew over from the side and rear, passing through the air with a sound, and it seemed that they were all heading straight for Li Ang and the doctor.
Li Ang was facing the village and could not see the crossbow arrows coming from behind.
But the lord reacted quickly. As soon as he heard the warning from the Noldor elves, he threw down the healer in front of him and rolled on the ground to avoid most of the attacks.
There were more than ten crossbow arrows, most of which missed, but one still pierced his shoulder. It was blocked by the shoulder armor for a while and failed to penetrate. It scratched his shoulder diagonally, leaving a wound.
This is a heavy crossbow!
The lord made his judgment based on the force of the crossbow arrow.
Blood suddenly spread everywhere.
"They are the Snake Cult members! More than twenty of them!"
Lisadilan's voice rang out again outside, and at the same time, there was a scream. It should be that the Noldor elves hiding in the dark shot and killed an enemy with a bow and arrow.
"Snake worship?!"
Frederick picked up the duel sword and rushed out. Several great swordsmen also dispersed and rushed in the direction of the crossbow arrows.
However, Klose quickly stood in front of Leon and protected the lord who had suffered some minor injuries behind him.
He did not forget his duties. He was no longer a stormtrooper, but a guard captain.
"Get behind the carriage!"
Several carriages were lined up at the entrance of the village, which could be used to avoid the enemy's long-range weapons. The lord asked several doctors to hide first, and then he climbed up the carriage to take a look outside .
Frederick and several great swordsmen were already fighting with a group of guys wearing green robes.
There seemed to be several bodies fallen in the distance, each with a silver arrow stuck in their body. They must have been shot by Lisadilan.
The doctor came over, looked at the lord's shoulder, took out some bottles and jars from his pocket, and began to bandage the wound quickly with extremely skilled movements.
After all, they are professional field doctors. Although they are not very good at their part-time job of treating the plague, they are obviously very strong in their main job.
"Sir Li Ang, do you want to get in the car and leave here? The people of the Snake Cult are not easy to deal with... I didn't expect them to show up here!"
The doctor kindly wanted the lord, an innocent and kind-hearted person, to leave.
"How dare they sneak attack me... How can I sleep well if I don't kill them? Come on, brothers!"
The lord watched the battle situation outside with gritted teeth. He said this because he had come to the conclusion that he could fight.
If the enemy is difficult to fight, Li Ang will definitely run away...
But there are only a dozen or so Snake Cult warriors outside now, so we should be able to deal with them.
In just two sentences, the doctor had basically stopped the bleeding on Li Ang's shoulder and bandaged it.
The technique is faster than Anson's.
Leon picked up his sword and rushed out with Klose.
The equipment of these Snake Cult warriors is better than that of the elite troops of the regular army.
Their troops' equipment is extremely uniform, and it seems that it is provided uniformly within the sect, just like the Bacchus Empire.
Each Snake Cult warrior wields a heavy crossbow and is armed with a giant moon-blade axe - both are expensive weapons with great lethality.
The chain mail tunics they wore were also of very good quality.
But in fact, their combat level is not very high, basically only slightly better than that of recruits. This technical level is completely unworthy of the equipment they carry.
All I can say is that the Snake Cult is really rich!
Junior soldiers can wear top-level soldier equipment!
The lord swung his sword and knocked down a Snake Cult warrior, and feelings of envy, jealousy and hatred arose in his heart.
Have the snake worshippers in Bacchus become so rich?
Due to his shoulder injury, the lord did not charge too aggressively. After killing two enemies and making sure that the enemy's combat power was indeed weak, he stopped and began to command his men to surround and block the enemy.
Frederick, on the other hand, was charging through the enemy ranks, looking extremely ferocious, and he didn't look like an old man at all.
The skills of this old swordsman are no worse than those of the injured lord. After wearing the Mettenheim plate armor given to him by Klose, his combat effectiveness has been greatly improved. His duel sword flew up and down, and his attacks were extremely ferocious.
Almost every time he killed a snake cult warrior, he would chop off his head, leaving no intact body.
Of course he would be so cruel. As soon as he arrived in the continent of Pendor, he was annihilated by the Snake Cult. The hatred in his heart was not comparable to that of the lord.
With such a thug around, the lord simply went back to the carriage to watch the show.
The Mettenheim warriors were more than capable of dealing with these low-level Snake Cult warriors, and with the occasional arrows shot by Risadilan, the enemy was soon wiped out.
The lord just stepped out from behind the carriage and was about to call on his brothers to clean up the battlefield, but he heard Lisadilan shout again: "My lord, be careful!"
Li Ang quickly retracted his head.
“Bang!”
Just as the lord drew his head back, a javelin whizzed past his face and pierced into the carriage.
Leon had already seen the enemy throwing the javelin in the distance.
He was wearing strange blue-gray armor and riding a scarlet warhorse, and his attire was completely different from that of the Snake Cult warriors.
The enemy was standing far away and no one could see him in the dark. He was only discovered by the Noldor elves when he just threw his javelin.
"That's Cobra, the captain of the Snake Cult warriors."
The doctor squatting beside the carriage whispered.
"Klose, Lisa Dilan, catch him alive!"
That was a Cobra Warrior.
Risadilan shot an arrow, easily piercing the Cobra warrior's thigh and knocking down the horse.
The enemy was pinned down by the warhorse and could not get up.
Like those twenty or so Snake Cult warriors, this guy's skills were not much better, and no one knew how he could throw the javelin so accurately.
However, although his own ability is weak, he spent money on it!
This mediocre Cobra's equipment and warhorse are completely comparable to those of the most powerful lords and knights in the entire continent.
Plate armor with cobra patterns, a cobra-shaped giant helmet, a giant moon blade axe, and a scarlet warhorse wearing a full set of inlaid armor ...
This set of equipment bears the obvious mark of the Snake Cult, but the quality of the equipment itself is enough to make ordinary knights drool. It is better than the equipment of many generals.
All we can say is that the Snake Cult is indeed rich, which is probably an important reason why they are able to attract people to join the sect.