Chapter 134: Section 135: Home and Hope


    Inside the tent.


    “Cough cough cough…” The shipwright lay on a bed of grass, his face flushed, his breath weak, and his skin swollen, seeing everything blurred.


    “I’m very sorry, my lords, for the trouble I have caused you,” he said weakly.


    “Rest well and don’t worry; I’m here and won’t give up on anyone,” Zhenjin tried to comfort the shipwright.


    Then, he and Zi Di, among others, slowly left the tent.


    “How is he?” Hei Juan immediately asked. “The shipwright cannot be lost; what sickness does he have?”


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    Zi Di shook her head and sighed. “How many times have I told you all, I’m just a Pharmacist who specializes in scents, not a doctor.”


    “I can’t find the cause of the disease.”


    “It doesn’t seem to be poisoning or some magic erosion; it’s just an illness.”


    “If it were a common case, I might have some confidence. But with this kind of disease, which is likely related to the environment here, I’m at a loss.”


    Zong Ge’s voice was deep. “The shipwright isn’t the only one with this disease; there are several others. I suspect this is a contagious disease.”


    Everyone’s expressions changed slightly.


    “A contagious disease…” Zhenjin’s face grew solemn, and he sighed inwardly.


    It had been over a dozen days since they entered the jungle, and he was facing a difficult situation again.


    This time, it wasn’t ferocious magic beasts or a shortage of food and water that posed a problem, but a disease attack.


    “Although the symptoms vary among these sick people, they all look very similar. Should we abandon these people?” Sanda asked Zhenjin.


    “Abandon?” Hei Juan shook his head. “Without the shipwright, how can we build a ship?”


    Zong Ge sighed. “We can’t let the disease spread to more people. If it’s necessary, we might only have to…”


    He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone felt a chill in their hearts.


    Zong Ge’s actions were always full of military precision, both cruel and efficient.


    Zhenjin shook his head. “Don’t easily give up on anyone. Let’s see how it develops. The shipwright is important, but the others have the right to live too; they are all our companions!”


    “As a Holy Temple Knight, sometimes being too merciful is indecisive and can lead to greater losses,” Zong Ge stared into Zhenjin’s eyes, his attitude as resolute as ever.


    Zhenjin looked up at the Half-Beast unwaveringly. “Of course I understand that principle, but the situation has just occurred, and it is far from the moment to make a cruel decision, right?”


    Zong Ge had no more rebuttals and turned away.


    The slight estrangement between the two added to the gloomy atmosphere among the team.


    In the following days, the disease spread within the team, and more people exhibited the same symptoms.


    “My tools are too few,” Zi Di complained to Zhenjin. “I can’t use magic, and my techniques and skills in concocting potions are limited. Now I can only make some simple herbal medicines to alleviate their suffering.”


    Zi Di was helpless.


    Zong Ge approached Zhenjin again, repeating his previous suggestion and brought Cang Xu along.


    Cang Xu himself was a very rational person; this time, he sided with Zong Ge. He told Zhenjin that in many places where plagues occurred, lacking doctors and priests, the local nobles would lead knights to kill and burn the sick to contain the spread of the disease source. If the plague was contained, the nobles and knights who slaughtered civilians and patients would receive awards from the Empire’s high command and all the major temples.


    “It’s not time yet,” Zhenjin refused their suggestion again. “No one has died from the disease yet; moreover, haven’t you noticed? Only ordinary people are getting sick; all Transcendents are free from any illness. Perhaps this is due to sudden changes in weather, psychological stress, and fatigue.”


    Zhenjin shortened the travel distance for the team, and every day before evening, they would set up camp to rest.


    He gathered the sick together, trying to isolate them from the others as much as possible.


    He visited the sick every day.


    “My lord, please don’t give up on us…”


    “I still want to live! My lord, am I going to die?”


    “Lord Zhenjin, you truly are a worthy Holy Temple Knight, if I die, could you please transfer this money to my wife and children?”


    Zhenjin could only try to comfort them with his words.


    “Don’t be panicked.”


    “These are all minor ailments, you must believe in yourself.”


    “And believe in me! I am not just a Holy Temple Knight, but also a Divine Favored Knight.”


    “You must understand, the Holy Emperor might be watching over us!”


    The habit of night patrols was still maintained by Zhenjin.


    Every deep night, he did his best to exterminate nearby groups of beasts, adding a sliver of security for the team.


    However, the patients were growing weaker, and Zhenjin felt his own weakness once again.


    “The Heart Core is ineffective against Golden Level lifeforms.”


    “Even if I could mutate more, I can’t cure others.”


    “What should I do?”


    “Is what I’m doing right?”


    The patients yearned to see Zhenjin every day, though they knew he couldn’t cure them, and the divine favor he spoke of wouldn’t bless them. But every time they saw Zhenjin, their hearts settled—it proved that Zhenjin hadn’t given up on them.


    Zong Ge, Cang Xu, Hei Juan, and others increasingly hardened their stance, and more people joined their side.


    There was a growing view, privately agreed upon by more people, that “Zhenjin is young and overly merciful.”


    As this situation intensified, Zhenjin began to worry that Zong Ge would act on his own, just like he had previously ordered more Half-Elves to scout and expand the surveillance.


    Zi Di still supported Zhenjin as always. From the moment Zhenjin woke up until now, Zi Di had maintained this attitude. But this time, she gently advised Zhenjin to try not to visit the sick, just in case he got infected.


    Lan Zao highly supported Zi Di’s advice, repeatedly asking Zhenjin to let him visit the sick in his stead.


    But how could that be possible?


    Lord Zhenjin knew the fear of the sick.


    Lan Zao could never replace Lord Zhenjin.


    The team was small, but people had different opinions, and the pressure from all sides weighed on Lord Zhenjin’s heart.


    This, of course, included Lord Zhenjin’s doubts about himself — perhaps Zong Ge and others’ suggestions were wise. Is my decision right or wrong? Will I lead the whole team into an irredeemable abyss?


    It was impossible to judge this question.


    Because he was not a prophet, nor did he have extensive life experience.


    People often judge right from wrong based on the outcomes of events, but once the outcome is there, it’s too late.


    Lord Zhenjin felt his loneliness, the taste of being a leader.


    Behind the glory, naturally, there were hardships.


    Each day started to feel longer, especially when the coughing from the quarantine area kept coming, making it even harder to endure.


    Lord Zhenjin still resisted the pressure from all sides.


    After more than a week, the situation began to improve.


    The condition of the sick began to ease, and their bodies were slowly recovering.


    Another week passed.


    Most of the sick visibly recovered, proving Lord Zhenjin’s strategy was effective.


    Zong Ge, Cang Xu, and others no longer proposed their previous suggestions, and the team members stopped discussing in private that “Knight Zhenjin was too merciful,” instead, they praised his wisdom, truly a Divine Favored Knight!


    When the team crossed the jungle and reached the beach, seeing the open sea, everyone cheered involuntarily.


    At this time, the shipwright’s health had also improved a lot. At his strong request, he was helped to the beach, looking at the surging sea, and tears flowed in silence.


    Lord Zhenjin was tormented, and so were the shipwright and the other sick ones, who had been filled with fear of death during the past time.


    At this time, the team had not yet reached its destination.


    Lord Zhenjin and others still needed to head north along the beach to find the first camp and meet up with the remaining survivors.


    “Just the last part of the journey left, and we’ll be able to meet them!” Lord Zhenjin encouraged everyone.


    The looks people gave the young knight still held admiration and respect, but compared to before, there seemed to be some new changes.


    The journey suddenly became lighter.


    Because people didn’t need to cut through vines, carve paths, or drag log carts, nor did they need to frequently move supplies.


    Compared to the jungle, the beach, though rocky, was much more open and the terrain generally much flatter.


    Therefore, the team’s morale steadily rose.


    One day, Bai Ya ran excitedly back to the main forces.


    As a scout, he held a small wooden barrel in his arms.


    “Hey, guess what I found on the beach?” Bai Ya’s voice quickly attracted a crowd.


    “This must be cargo from the Pig Kiss.”


    “Guess, what good stuff could it be?”


    “Hurry up and open it, I can’t wait any longer!”


    The people opened the small barrel and found a dozen bottles of rum.


    Then, a cheer rose again from the team.


    After hearing the news, Lord Zhenjin smiled and announced a campfire feast for the evening.


    The feast was crude, with food and water supplied in limited quantities, but people sitting around the bonfires were very excited.


    Lord Zhenjin specifically assigned Bai Ya to pour the drinks.


    Most of the rum was reserved as supplies, with only a few bottles taken out for use.


    When Bai Ya approached a team member, the member immediately held a seashell, staring at the bottle in Bai Ya’s hand.


    The rum quickly filled the shallow shell.


    Yet the member was still not satisfied: “Pour some more, add a bit more!”


    “Move it! It’s my turn next,” a nearby team member urged loudly.


    In the end, each person received only a tiny sip of rum, yet every face glowed with happiness in the firelight.


    Sometimes, attaining happiness is that simple.


    On the edge of the group, Lord Zhenjin sat on a rock, surveying the area.


    He saw many people in tattered clothes, unkempt beards, looking like wild men, saw Bai Ya’s serious face as he poured the drinks, saw Fat Tongue quietly sipping the edge of his shell, saw Zi Di’s torn magic robe, saw Cang Xu wiping his eyes, after going through the jungle his glasses had only one lens left, the other side just an empty frame.


    Mu Ban was holding an empty bottle, his fingers tenderly touching its surface — this was the touch of human civilization.


    Zong Ge and Sanda were talking quietly with bowed heads.


    The Big guy sat quietly on the ground, listening to the shipwright sing.


    Lan Zao still stood loyally behind Lord Zhenjin on the beach.


    Hei Juan let the person next to him have the rum in his shell. He looked west, toward the Holy Bright Continent, where home was.


    Lord Zhenjin looked up at the night sky.


    The myriad stars.


    The waves surging, splashing loudly.


    The salty ocean scent hit his nose.


    He then gazed toward the east, where the Wilderness Continent, White Sand City, his responsibilities, and future hopes lay.