After leaving the border of Adus, Sister Vanya and her relief mission officially entered their destination, Buserite, and formally began this relief pilgrimage. They proceeded slowly through the vast desert by camel train. Due to the large number of personnel and resources, the interconnected convoy stretched for a long distance.
Along the way, Sister Vanya and her group encountered many villages and settlements. The people here were almost all suffering from the effects of the plague, with a large number of people infected. A whole village often had a quarter of its population afflicted with "Wasting Decay", gradually losing mobility due to deepening pain, dizziness, and fatigue. Another quarter of the people began to flee in panic. A complete settlement, after being affected by this plague, often had only about half its population remaining.
Those who were temporarily healthy gathered and confined the people suffering from the incurable plague together. Initially, they were given some water and food, but as the village's food supply became tight, they began to abandon the sick, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Walking along the way, Sister Vanya's group witnessed many tragedies in the villages caused by the epidemic. Weak patients were abandoned by relatives and friends, gathered together, and slowly starved to death. Some more extreme villages, to save on control costs, would even gather the sick and execute them directly. Some villages where plague control was not timely or effective enough, leading to most people being infected, had already disappeared. When the mission's convoy arrived, all that remained were empty villages and rotting corpses scattered everywhere.
Due to concerns about the bandits frequently appearing in Buserite, the mission's convoy was equipped with a considerable amount of armed force. However, because the prevalence of the plague exceeded expectations, the bandits of Buserite also seemed to be affected, and their activity level greatly decreased. The mission's convoy did not even encounter a single decent bandit group along the way.
Buserite was originally known as the purgatory of North Wu due to the tribal power struggles and rampant bandits. Now, Buserite has been turned into a veritable hell of North Wu by this rampant plague.
Facing the tribal villages plagued by the epidemic and constant tragedies along the way, Sister Vanya, though deeply saddened and sympathetic, did not stop for too long to provide comprehensive help. She only left some supplies such as food and medicine to slightly alleviate their difficulties. She knew that if they were to bravely treat this plague, their team could at most save a few hundred people. To truly solve this plague shaped by Extraordinary power, they had to strike at the core.
Therefore, Sister Vanya's mission convoy began to speed up its pace, heading towards the final destination, Bastis.
...
The scorching sun blazed in the clear sky, a lone eagle soared freely in the cloudless high altitude, and yellow sand spread everywhere. In the desolate environment, a vast convoy was continuously moving forward. A camel train composed of countless camels carried heavy supplies, stretching for over a kilometer in length, winding its way through the vast desert. The camel train left a series of footprints on the sand, but they were quickly scattered by the wind.
The mission convoy, which had been traveling on foot for over half a month, still pressed forward, covered in dust and sweat. Sweat and yellow sand soaked their robes. The temperature in the desert during the day was extremely high, and the air was so dry it was hard to breathe. Everyone in the camel train was wrapped in headscarves, their bodies completely covered to prevent being scratched by sand and dust. Among them, the Church's clerical staff and medical personnel were able to ride on camels to save energy, walking at the front of the camel train. The Church soldiers serving as guards were positioned on both sides of the front and middle sections of the camel train, moving forward vigilantly. The local North Wu people hired for logistics were mainly concentrated at the rear of the camel train, transporting and caring for a large amount of supplies.
Today's journey had already lasted for a morning. Almost everyone in the camel train had cracked lips and a dry tongue. Although supplies were sufficient, for safety's sake, the mission was relatively cautious in distributing important resources such as water. No one received much within a day, and they tried their best to conserve usage.
"Phew... I can't stand this awful weather, it's been so many days, how much further do we have to go..." In the latter half of the camel train, Naifnis, wrapped in a robe and headscarf, rode on a tall camel, wiping away the fine sweat on her forehead while sighing slightly. At this moment, a look of discomfort appeared on her face; she seemed very uncomfortable.
Although Naifnis had often traveled long distances since last year, she almost always had relatively comfortable means of transportation like ships and trains, and the places she went were mostly cities with not bad living environments. But this trip to Buserite was different. Following the camel train all the way, there was completely none of the comfortable environment found on trains. Although she could ride a camel at any time and didn't have to walk laboriously like others, she was still exposed to wind and sun every day, and sitting on a camel for long periods made her backside ache. In short, it was very unpleasant.
"Ugh... How much further do we have to go... If we keep this up for a few more days, I'll run out of sunscreen and cosmetics. This hot sun and blowing sand are so bad for the skin..." Neff muttered softly while riding the camel. And right beside her, a familiar voice spoke up.
"According to the itinerary, we should reach our destination today. Bastis is a prosperous city in Buserite, said to be built on Buserite's largest oasis. The environment should be quite good there, and we can have a good rest when we arrive."
The speaker was Miss Dorothy, not far from Naifnis, on another camel. At this moment, she was also wearing a desert robe and a headscarf covering her face, riding her camel slowly forward. Although she was talking to Neff, her gaze remained fixed ahead, and there was no sign of discomfort in her expression.
"Are we finally arriving... That's really great..." Neff said this, then she looked at Miss Dorothy not far beside her. She recalled that during this period, although the other person was also undergoing this long desert journey, she hadn't shown much displeasure. This made Neff quietly admire her. In her opinion, a wealthy young lady as obvious as Miss Dorothy should have been more unsuited to this kind of long desert travel, yet she could remain silent like this, without even a complaint.
'As expected of a high-ranking cadre of the Rose Cross... Her adaptability is extraordinary. You really can't judge a book by its cover in any aspect.' Neff thought this to herself. Then she took down the water flask hanging from the camel saddle, took a sip of water to cool herself down and dissipate the heat, and then continued riding forward on her journey.
Actually, the most crucial reason Miss Dorothy was relatively adapted to this long desert journey was not how strong her adaptability was, but that she carried the two divine artifacts, the deep blue heart and the minyin zunzhan, directly on her person. When a little Spirituality was injected, the minyin zunzhan could release a faint chill, and the deep blue heart could slightly humidify the air. Miss Dorothy used the upgraded ring of concealment to shield their Spirituality and carried them on her body, effectively acting as a small air conditioner and humidifier, greatly regulating the hot and dry environment of the desert during the day so that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable.
Many of Miss Dorothy's divine artifacts didn't have very useful active functions like the phantom scale incense cage. The main value of divine artifacts was reflected in their ability to serve as the core of important rituals. Therefore, Miss Dorothy's trip to North Wu was a rare opportunity for these two divine artifacts to find employment.
'Although having a humidifier and air conditioner... made traveling in the desert convenient, after so long it's still a bit boring and uncomfortable. Hurry up and end...'
Sitting on the camel, Miss Dorothy thought this to herself, and she also knew that this long journey wouldn't last much longer.
"There's an oasis ahead! We've arrived!"
In the monotonous journey, someone up ahead suddenly shouted, causing the convoy, which had been moving with heads bowed, to look up one after another, gazing expectantly into the distance. They began to exchange excited words with each other, and the entire convoy suddenly became lively. And Neff, who had been listless, immediately perked up when she heard this. She shook her head and looked at Miss Dorothy beside her, saying.
"Miss Dorothy, it seems we've reached the place!"
"Yes, let's go... Let's go take a look ahead."
Saying this, Miss Dorothy tugged on the camel's reins, urging it forward, while Neff immediately accelerated her mount, following Miss Dorothy as she broke away from the group and rushed ahead.
Miss Dorothy and Neff rode their camels forward, ascending a sand dune, and then they saw a patch of green appearing on the desert horizon, slightly distorted by the scorching air in the distance.
They saw a glimmer of light shimmering and shining in the desolate desert, like a gem. It was a wide lake reflecting the sunlight with ripples. Around the lake was a vast expanse of forest and grassland. At the edge of the green, a gray-yellow, indistinct city wall stood, and beyond the wall, various tall and upright buildings could be seen.
Looking at the scene in the distance, Neff sighed with relief and spoke.
"We're finally here... That must be the deep blue heart, Bastis! Finally, finally, we can get into the city to stay overnight tonight! With such a large lake there, there must be water for bathing! I must take a bath!"
Neff said with obvious excitement in her expression, while beside her, Miss Dorothy did not show much excitement. She slightly furrowed her brows, looking into the distance, and responded to Neff in a low murmur.
"This... I'm afraid not necessarily..."
...
At the front of the envoy team, on another sand dune separate from the main body of the team, Sister Vanya, dressed in a Church-style robe, stood here, looking at the distant oasis city with her accompanying guards. After a long journey, they had finally reached their destination, but there was no joy in their expressions. Instead, their faces were more solemn than the last.
Through the extraordinary vision of the "Lamp" Extraordinary, Sister Vanya and the others could accurately and clearly see the appearance of the distant city, and it was this clear observation that made their expressions at this moment unlike the excitement of the team behind them.
Under the far-sighted vision of the "Lamp", Sister Vanya could clearly see the scene unfolding before the gates of the distant oasis ancient city. It was not the desolation and emptiness caused by the plague that they had previously expected. On the contrary, they saw a large crowd of people gathered there.
Before the ancient city gates, countless people dressed in North Wu traditional robes and headscarves, seemingly residents of the ancient city, were gathered there, numbering over a thousand. They were lined up in several rows, holding various items, including farm tools, wooden sticks, and weapons. It seemed as if every person was an armed warrior.
For some reason, these residents carrying various weapons were gathered before the city gates, looking out at the direction of the envoy team's camel train with wary expressions. Clear hostility was evident on every face, as if they were looking at enemies.
And upon the city gates, weathered by sand and wind, a different, tragic scene was unfolding at this moment. Many figures were hanging there. Upon closer inspection, they had almost all been cruelly nailed to the wall with thick nails driven through their limbs.
These figures were almost all wearing white and yellow robes. Although they now looked stained and covered in blood and various other dirt, the exquisite craftsmanship and luxurious materials were still discernible, indicating that they were not something people of ordinary status could afford to wear. These robes had many stylistic similarities to the standard uniforms of Church clergy, but also many differences, having been extensively modified to suit the desert environment compared to the Church uniforms.
Sister Vanya recognized these robes. She had seen them in Adis during her first visit to Adus. These were the robes of the Savior Descends Faction! The people nailed to the city wall were the clergy of the Savior Descends Faction!
"Sister Vanya... it seems the situation over there is a bit off. These people of Bastis seem hostile towards us, which isn't right. According to the information we gathered before, Bastis should be a commercially developed city, not so exclusive..." Beside Sister Vanya, a Sister said with some unease, and on the other side, Gaspare, wearing a robe over his armor, also spoke with a frown.
"Those guys nailed to the wall... they are the otherworld of the Descends Faction! I heard they have considerable influence in Buserite, especially in Bastis. How could such a situation occur?"
Gaspare said with a solemn expression, while Sister Vanya looked into the distance again before speaking in a serious tone.
"It seems the situation is somewhat different from what we expected. Phil, go back and tell everyone to rest and be on alert in place. Gaspare, you and some people come with me to approach them first and see what's going on."
"Yes." Following Sister Vanya's orders, the Sister named Phil and Gaspare immediately went back to execute the command, while Sister Vanya remained in place, looking solemnly at the distant oasis ancient city, Bastis.
...
After arranging for the envoy camel train to stay put and be on alert, Sister Vanya led a small team of important elite guards away from the group and set off towards Bastis first. To show sincerity, Sister Vanya ordered her team to put away their weapons and dismount from their camels when they were still some distance from the city gate, approaching the gate on foot.
And just as they were approaching the city gates of Bastis, the large crowd of civilians gathered there with simple weapons became tense, and the group immediately became somewhat chaotic. A leading man with a beard holding a scimitar directly shouted loudly at Sister Vanya's approaching team.
"Stop! You group of outsiders! Stay right there, you are not allowed to come any closer now!"
Listening to the bearded man's shout, Sister Vanya slowed her pace, and then Sister Vanya also responded in North Wu language.
"You are all residents of Bastis, aren't you? Please do not panic. I am a healer from the North. I heard that there is a serious plague here, so I have come specifically to help you. Please put down your weapons, we have no hostility."
Sister Vanya extended her hands, which held no weapons, and tried to persuade the crowd of residents in front of the city gate, but the effect did not seem to be very good. Not many people put down their weapons directly because of her words.
"Don't listen to that girl!"
Suddenly, a loud voice came from within the crowd in front of the city gate. As this voice sounded, the crowd voluntarily opened a path, and from this path, a figure slowly walked out.
This figure was a dark-skinned, bald, obese man. His face was painted with mysterious patterns, and he wore a colorful and ornate robe adorned with countless wooden pendants. In his hand, he held a long wooden staff. The tip of the staff was adorned with blooming leaves, from which hung many fleshy-looking, round, flesh-colored "fruits" resembling meat balls. When this man appeared, everyone present unanimously bowed to him, showing a respectful posture.
"Don't listen to that girl's nonsense. She is not a healer. She is like the people nailed to these city walls, a lackey of the evil light and wicked god! The evil light and wicked god is unhappy that this city was saved from His clutches and has sent new minions!"
"Children of the Eternal Lord, do not believe any of her slanders. She comes with a mission from the evil light and wicked god, wanting to bring you back to endless torment and suffering. She wants to destroy the blessings given by the Eternal Lord and make all wills submit to the authority of the evil light and wicked god! We must not let her succeed!"
Waving the wooden staff in his hand, the man shouted at Sister Vanya in the distance. Looking at the scene before her, Sister Vanya's expression couldn't help but sink.