Work Prophet
Chapter 466 - 84 Merlin is Mine

Chapter 466: Chapter 84 Merlin is Mine

Saint Anthony’s Fire was essentially ergot poisoning, and this toxin was produced by fungi infecting cereals like rye.

If ingested carelessly, it could lead to severe consequences.

This was also the reason why Roger, whenever he returned to his Wooden Castle, fell ill, and his health somewhat improved whenever he left.

Though the disease was not complicated to treat, merely requiring antifungal medication, it was almost non-existent in modern times.

But in the medieval period, it was quite deadly.

Usually, this disease affected peasants more often, as nobles seldom ate rye.

However, as a newly established noble family, Roger’s family had recently encountered financial difficulties, which forced them also to start consuming rye due to their tight budget.

Moreover, Roger’s wife was concerned about losing face if other nobles learned of this, leading to ridicule, so she even had a maid secretly buy it from a distant town.

They probably encountered a dishonest merchant who sold them flour made from moldy rye.

This resulted in the whole family being poisoned, and their daughter died.

Li Yu roughly figured out the entire situation but did not tell Roger everything.

Firstly, it would be difficult to explain to Roger what a fungus was and why it caused him to dance uncontrollably; moreover, the truth was rather too cruel for both Roger and his lady.

The decision to save money had led to their daughter’s death.

After removing the curse from the Wooden Castle, Li Yu simply told Roger to hand over the remaining rye flour and advised him not to buy flour from that town again.

Li Yu did not destroy the remaining rye flour afterward.

During his research, Li Yu discovered this substance could also potentially be used as a biological weapon.

Reportedly, around 600 BC, the Assyrians had scattered rye flour infected with fungus into the upstream waters of the Black River, poisoning the enemy troops downstream.

Li Yu was skeptical of this claim, because poisoning river water was incredibly difficult, but poisoning well water might be feasible.

The challenge was that the people drinking the water would not notice any change in the well water.

As for mixing it with bread, it was suitable, but there was still the issue that nobles generally did not eat rye, and commoners were not of enough value to be worth poisoning.

For now, Li Yu just had someone store the flour securely, forbidding anyone from consuming it.

To repay Li Yu for lifting the curse, Roger later caught up with them and voluntarily escorted the party to the Royal Capital.

In fact, along the way, as Li Yu’s fame grew, not just commoners but more and more nobles sought his treatment and assistance.

Besides Treger and Roger, Li Yu also helped a wandering knight named Orwell, who had no lands, so he directly joined the Double Rest Sect.

Moreover, after receiving glasses from Li Yu to correct his nearsightedness, the head of the Brice family, Jill, was quite generous. He did not accompany them to the Royal Capital, but he lent hundreds of cows and horses to Miss Rabbit.

His help enabled those who were older or in poor health to keep up with the main group, allowing the Lady to increase the pace of their march.

As they drew closer to Lion Heart Castle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

By checking the time, they should be able to arrive at the Royal Capital of the Empire before the martial arts conference commenced, without delaying the main event.

Moreover, looking around, the Lady realized she had gained a few more allies, and even more followers.

If she could bring all these people back to Green Field... the population in her territory would undoubtedly experience a significant leap.

The total number was estimated to have doubled from the time her father ruled, and considering she had taken over less than a year ago, this growth rate was extremely impressive.

More population also meant more taxes, which allowed the recruitment of more warriors. Just the thought made Miss Rabbit swallow her saliva.

Of course, there were problems. Compared to the hardly known family of Arias, these people seemed more willing to heed the Double Rest Sect and Li Yu’s words.

Lady, being quite familiar with this scenario, knew that those lizard people who emerged from the swamps listened almost exclusively to Li Yu, and those remnants from the Weiting Family seemed more inclined to follow the Double Rest Sect.

Being a noble herself, Ireya could somewhat guess their mindset.

After all, the Weiting Family had been one of the Twelve Great Families of the Empire, positioned at the pinnacle of power, only to fall into oblivion due to that rebellion. Those who survived were either killed or imprisoned.

Those who remained now had to make their living on Lady’s territory, protected by a previously unheard-of minor noble from the west, a reality they probably found hard to accept.

In contrast, since the Double Rest Sect was a religious order, aligning with it was somewhat more acceptable to the Weiting Family.

Additionally, some people who sought healing from the Double Rest Sect had also become devout followers after recovering from their illnesses.

However, Ireya didn’t see this situation as bad. Firstly, she always had unconditioned trust in Li Yu, and secondly, she was currently the only Lord that followed the Double Rest Sect. Essentially, all followers of the Sect were her subjects.

But on this trip to the Royal Capital, with the addition of other nobles, especially recently, Wild and others had increasingly inquired about the Double Rest Sect and Li Yu.

It was evident that they too were tempted to convert to the faith of the Sect.

And this wasn’t surprising, considering the various miracles they had witnessed along the way, including the unheard-of Heroic Spirit Summoning Ceremony that could "resurrect the dead."

The awe it inspired had undoubtedly subdued them deeply, making such thoughts reasonable.

Of course, other than the Wandering Knight Orwell, anyone else wishing to change their faith had to be very cautious, as there were many complexities involved.

They were only inclined that way for now; it would probably take some time before it was put into practice.

Yet, the Lady could faintly feel that perhaps one day in the future, the Double Rest Sect might not be exclusive to Green Field anymore.

When that time came, the command she issued might also be less effective among the multitude of followers of the Sect.

What would she do then about her relationship with Li Yu and the Double Rest Sect? She recalled her father once warned her not to allow the unchecked expansion of clerical power.

However, Miss Rabbit only fretted about this for a short while before she dismissed it, thinking, "Well, Merlin knows everything, so I’ll just ask Merlin when that time comes."

With this thought, the Lady’s mood lightened considerably. She chatted with Li Yu about some incidents that had happened on the road. Feeling tired, Miss Rabbit leaned back in her chair and fell asleep.

Her ears twitched occasionally, hinting at whatever she was dreaming about.

Li Yu shook his head, stepped forward to gently cover her with a blanket, and while drawing close, heard someone muttering in their dream.

"Merlin is mine, no one is allowed to take him, hmph!"