Morning of the 31st December, at the Harvest Church south of the Bridge.
Emlyn White stood in a kitchen wearing his priest robes, occasionally tossing different herbs into a large iron pot and stirring them to a certain extent.
After all the pre-prepared ingredients were tossed in, he waited patiently for another ten minutes. Then, he scooped up the ink-black liquid with a metal ladle and poured it into a glass cup and glass bottle beside him.
48, 49, 50⊠Emlyn glanced at the empty pot and counted the medicine he had brewed.
After confirming the quantity, he picked up a large tray and brought the bottles of dark green liquid to the hall.
In the hall, more than half of the pews had been removed, and the floor was covered with tattered blankets. Lying within them were victims of the plague who were either in deep sleep or groaning in pain.
Emlyn and Father Utravsky worked together, each carrying some of the medicine, distributing it from two ends.
The first person in the queue was a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion. He hurriedly propped himself up halfway, received the medicine, and drank it.
He handed back the bottle and said to Emlyn in gratitude, âFather White, thank you very much. I feel much better and have some strength again!â
Emlyn lifted his chin and replied disdainfully, âThis is only an extremely trivial matter that isnât worth being grateful for. All of you are truly ignorant.â
With that, he sped up the distribution of the potions.
After ten minutes or so, he returned to the altar of Earth Mother and complained to Father Utravsky, âYou should get two more volunteers!â
Father Utravsky didnât respond. He looked at the patients and said with a gentle smile, âThey should be completely healed in two or three days.â
âHow do you know?â Emlyn turned his head in surprise.
Father Utravsky looked down at him benevolently and said, âHerbal medicine is one of the domains of the Earth Mother. As âHerâ believer, I do know some of the basics even if Iâm not part of the Earth pathway.â
Emlyn tsked.
âIâm not interested in religion and know little about it.â
Although Iâve been copying Earth Motherâs bible in the recent months⊠he inwardly added in a slightly resentful tone before saying, âFather, I didnât expect you to accept nonbelievers in the faith. Among them, only two or three of them are believers of the Earth Mother.â
Father Utravsky smiled without minding what he said.
âThey are also lives, innocent lives.â
Emlyn paused for a few seconds, exhaled, and said, âFather, Iâve already found a way to resolve the psychological cue. Perhaps I will leave this place soon.â
Wait, why did I mention this? I was actually moved by him. What if he locks me up in the basement again? Emlyn suddenly turned nervous.
Father Utravskyâs expression remained unchanged as he looked down and said to Emlyn, âActually, you didnât need to seek out solutions. In a little while, the psychological cue will be automatically removed, and you will be free to choose whether to come to the cathedral.â
âAny longer and I wouldâve become the Motherâs, noâEarth Motherâs devout believer!â Emlyn blurted out.
Father Utravsky raised an eyebrow and said, feeling somewhat surprised, âI didnât compel you to change your faith.
âThe psychological cue I left in you was for you to return to the cathedral every day, hoping that you would be able to fully appreciate the value of life and the joy of a harvest.â
âThe only effect of the psychological cue was to make me return to the cathedral?â Emlynâs expression instantly froze.
Father Utravsky nodded frankly.
âYes.â
ââŠâ
Emlynâs mouth gaped as he slowly and mechanically turned his head to look back at the altar, looking at the Earth Motherâs Sacred Emblem of Life, as if he had become a puppet that very instant.
âŠ
In the evening of the 31st December. 2 Daffodil Street, Tingen City.
Benson entered the house, took off his hat and coat, and chuckled.
âIâve booked second class tickets for the steam locomotive to Backlund on 3rd January.â
Melissa, who was sitting in the dining room with several newspapers in front of her, worriedly said, âBenson, the air in Backlund is terrible. Tens of thousands of people have died from the poison and diseases caused by the smog a few days agoâŠâ
âItâs a sad and regretful matter.â Benson walked to the dining room, sighed, and said, âBut the two Houses have already passed the report submitted by the National Atmospheric Pollution Council. There will be legislation to regulate the emission of smoke and wastewater, so a new Backlund will welcome us. You donât have to worry too much.â
Having said that, he smiled mockingly.
âWhen I came back from Iron Cross Street, I found a lot of factory owners or their employees from Backlund recruiting people. They said that due to the smog and plague, the factories there are suffering a shortage in manpower, so theyâre willing to promise that the working hours and minimum wage will be much better than the current standard, heh heh.â
âYou think itâs impossible?â Melissa asked.
âWhen more and more people flock to Backlund, it will be impossible unless both Houses pass the corresponding laws directly.â Benson spread his hands and pointed to the table. âWell, itâs time to receive the new year.â
There were three sets of forks and knives, three empty porcelain plates and three cups on the table.
Three cups. One for beer, two for ginger beer.
âŠ
In the evening of 31st December.
Dressed to the nines, Audrey stood inside a lounge, waiting for the start of the New Yearâs Party. However, one couldnât see the excitement, exuberance, and joy on her face despite the fact that she was about to become an adult.
In front of her was a newspaper. On it was written:
â⊠According to preliminary estimates, a total of over 21,000 people died in the fog, and the subsequent plague took the lives of close to 40,000 people. Among the deceased were young children, healthy young men, and womenâŠâ
Phew. Audrey couldnât help but close her eyes.
Just then, her father, Earl Hall, and her mother, Lady Caitlyn, knocked on the door and said in unison, âYour beauty surpasses everyone tonight. Darling, itâs time. The queen is waiting for you.â
Audrey slowly breathed out and wore an elegant and beautiful smile. She then walked out of the lounge and entered the partyâs hall, under the company of her parents.
She walked all the way up to the front of the dais and, under the gaze of many, handed her white, muslin-gloved hand to the queen.
The queen led her to the edge of the dais as they faced all the guests.
After a short pause, the queen smiled and said, âAlthough this is a dark period in Backlundâs history, we still have a gem that can illuminate the entire city. Her wisdom, her beauty, her character, her etiquette, are all impeccable.
âToday, I will formally introduce her to you.
âLady Audrey Hall.â
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Outside the window, the fireworks exploded into a dreamy light.
On the last night of 1349, Audrey officially came of age and was presented to society.
âŠ
In the afternoon of 3rd January 1350.
On the outskirts of East Borough, in a newly opened cemetery.
Using divination, Klein found the graves of Old Kohler and Liv.
This wasnât a grave in the truest sense of the word, but rather a niche where an urn was stored. They went on, row after row, stacked one above another.
Standing there, Klein saw that not only was there no photograph or epitaph on Old Kohlerâs niche, but even his name was missing.
Similar situations werenât uncommon. There were too many ownerless ashes whose relatives and friends couldnât be located. Their names, looks, and whatever experiences they had were unknown, nor did they garner the interest of anyone. They were only distinguished by the numbers on the niches.
Klein closed his eyes, pulled out a slip of paper, shook it into a piece of metal, and carved a word on the nicheâs door: âKohler.â
Then, he added an epitaph: âHe was a good worker. He had a wife, a son, and a daughter. He worked hard to live.â
He withdrew his wrist, and with a shake of his wrist, the black-haired, brown-eyed, and emaciated Klein let the paper burn in his hands, as if it was a memorial service to all the souls residing in the area.
Instead of appearing to help Daisy, who had lost her mother and sister, he anonymously wrote to Reporter Mike Joseph, describing the girlâs predicament in detail, so as not to implicate her in his own affairs.
Mike had met Daisy, knew about her, and had enthusiastically promoted the establishment of a corresponding charity fund. Therefore, Klein believed that he could help her receive more help so that she could complete her basic studies and find a stable job that could support her.
Taking two steps back, Klein looked around, taking in the names, photos, and even the victims who had those missing.
He raised his head, let out a long breath, turned around, and left the cemetery.
On the steam locomotive to Backlund, Melissa was engrossed in her textbooks, and Benson was soon chatting with the passengers around him.
âItâs too expensive, just too expensive. A whole ten soli, half a pound!â A burly man who wasnât even thirty sighed from the bottom of his heart. âIf it werenât for the fact that I couldnât buy a third-class seat or a boat ticket recently, I wouldnât have spent this money at all. This is equivalent to half a weekâs worth of my salary!â
âIndeed, there are too many people heading to Backlund after the new year,â Benson agreed.
The burly man wiped off his heartbroken expression and said expectantly, âBecause they promised me 21 soli a week and that I wouldnât need to work more than 12 hours a day, we signed a contract!
âWhen I receive my first payment and rent a house, my wife will come to Backlund, and sheâll be able to get a good job, a job that pays about 12 or 13 soli a week. Itâs said that Backlund is in dire need of people! When the time comes, ah, weâll earn a total of over a pound and a half a week, and weâll be able to eat meat frequently!â
âYour wish will definitely be achieved. The king has already signed the bill, passing the law for a minimum wage and maximum working hours,â Benson sincerely wished him well before smiling. âThis is the Land of Hope.â
Woo!
The steam locomotive brought countless hopeful people to Backlund. The sky was still bright, and the fog in the air had thinned a lot. The gas lamps on the platform were no longer lit that early.
Experienced, Benson protected his sister and wallet before leaving the station with their suitcases while following the crowd.
Suddenly, they simultaneously felt a gaze sweep past them.
Tracing the gaze, Benson and Melissa saw a young gentleman with neat black hair and dark brown eyes.
The gentleman with the gold-rimmed glasses pressed his hat and looked past them into the distance.
Benson and Melissa also looked away and cast their gaze to the smoky pillars in the garden in the middle of the street as they looked forward to seeing the underground transportation system in Backlund.
Carrying his suitcase with an expressionless look, Klein walked past them with his body kept straight. He entered the departure station, facing the mass of people pouring into the Land of Hope, people filled with wonderful hopes in their hearts.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.