"Take off your clothes and get into the water to wash up!"
"If you're this dirty, you're not allowed inside, and you can't eat! If you don't bathe, you can starve outside!"
"No one wants your clothes! Everyone gets new clothes; take your dirty ones and wash them!"
"Shave your heads clean! If your hair is tangled, are you trying to attract fleas?"
"Children under three stay with their mothers! Boys over three go to the n's bathhouse! There will be soone watching the children!"
Amid the rising cacophony of shouting, scolding, screaming, and bodily collisions, Garrett Nordmark covered his head in frustration. Why was it so hard to get these refugees to follow instructions?
Everything had been prepared for them!
Everything was for their own good!
The separated male and female bathhouses truly contained water—60 centiters deep, treated with disinfectant tablets. They were not so bizarre places!
They weren't deceptive buildings that looked like bathhouses from the outside but were sothing strange inside!
All he asked was for them to wash up properly!
"Ah—why is such a big boy in here!"
A sudden scream erupted from the won's bathhouse, imdiately drowned out by even louder scolding:
"Big where! Big where! My son is only six! His father isn't here! Don't you have children? Are you barren for life?"
Garrett massaged his temples and made a pleading gesture to Cirilla, asking her to handle it. Regardless, the rule was announced: boys over three must go to the n's bathhouse. This was non-negotiable!
Just as things quieted down a bit, a shout burst from the more crowded n's bathhouse:
"Hey, don't poop in the pool!"
Garrett: "..."
He was utterly exhausted...
After a whole day of dealing with all sorts of bizarre incidents, he felt like he was back in the ergency room of his previous life.
Sigh, it was true—energy spent on quarantine was one unit, but the energy spent on everything else was more than ten!
Fortunately, apart from the frustrations, Garrett hadn't seen any other quarantine loopholes.
Everyone was eating and sleeping as they should, with daily health checks. The sick were attended to and moved to isolation when necessary...
Besides the mandatory head-shaving policy, which garnered many complaints, everything else was fine.
He stayed at this quarantine point for two days, then spent another day at a quarantine point for the poor. Just as he planned to observe for one more day, a person from the furthest quarantine area ca running, panicked:
"Master Nordmark, please co quickly! We can't hold out any longer!"
Can't hold out? What's the situation? An outbreak of a severe infectious disease?
Were the local healers overwheld?
Garrett's expression turned serious. Besides his responsibility for this entire region, the council had also assigned healers to each quarantine point:
At the two points primarily for the poor, there was a nature priest and an herbalist.
They mainly handled quarantine screening and dication treatnt, with a bit of divine healing, and called for backup if a large outbreak occurred;
At a point for artisans, craftsn, and wealthy rchants, a war god priest and an herbalist were stationed.
They primarily used dication, and those wanting divine healing had to pay for it;
At a point for the Nederland noble army, a dical branch mage was stationed, along with an herbalist.
Ordinary soldiers were treated with dication, while nobles might follow the rules better, given the mage's presence.
These healers were the first line of defense. If they couldn't cope, they would call Garrett, who patrolled the area.
If Garrett couldn't cope, they would call the remaining healers from Count Inverness' territory.
Given this procedure, Garrett considered himself second-line support?
Or maybe not even second-line; herbalists were first-line, spellcasters second-line, and by the ti it reached him, it was probably third-line support.
As for other healers in the territory, they were akin to neighboring hospitals or regional support...
"So what's the situation now? Diarrhea? Fever? Vomiting? Rash? Or—"
Garrett swung onto Appa's back, extending his hand to the ssenger. Ti was tight; they needed to talk and walk quickly!
However, the ssenger looked up at the tall Silver Moon Deer—taller than his head—then at the three people cramd onto the deer's back, and stepped back, hesitant.
He was scared, utterly terrified, and didn't dare get on.
Garrett sighed helplessly, casting a spell to summon a Phantom Steed, gesturing to the ssenger. Seeing his continued hesitation, Garrett opened his palm, and a Living Rope coiled and flexed, ready to leap:
Don't worry, the Phantom Steed is stable. If it's not steady, I'll tie you up on it.
He smiled, gesturing again. The ssenger reluctantly climbed onto the horse, moving cautiously.
Riding side by side, Garrett cast a calming spell, and the ssenger finally cald down, speaking rapidly:
"They refuse to follow quarantine rules! They won't stay in their rooms! They keep demanding this or that, and if we're not careful, they run out! We don't have enough people to watch them!"
"Today, they complained the village is too small to explore, and they want to leave! Mage Mancini is trying to stop them, but—"
But either they can't be subdued, or they can't be beaten. Garrett nodded, patting the Silver Moon Deer's neck:
"Appa, run! We're in a hurry!"
Appa raised his head, let out a long neigh, and dashed forward. The Phantom Steed chased behind, but the magical foundation couldn't keep up.
Garrett heard the voice fading behind him:
"Master Nordmark, slow down—slow down—the horse can't keep up—it's falling apart—ah!!!"
Garrett wiped his sweat silently. But ti was tight, and he couldn't worry about the ssenger. The Silver Moon Deer sprinted forward:
The cold wind whistled past his ears as the huge white deer seed to fly. Soon, the small village at the bay's bottom and the converted quarantine point ca into view:
The noise of the tumultuous crowd reached his ears, carried by the sea breeze.
"We want out! We want to leave! Are you imprisoning us like criminals?!"
"Why can't we leave! There was no such clause in the agreent with the council when we arrived!"
"My dog is suffocating! I need to walk my dog! I want to walk my dog!"
"We're nobles! Not commoners! You can't just confine us!"
The shouting and cursing grew louder. Garrett sighed inwardly:
During the previous life’s pandemic, advocating for people to stay ho with TV, computers, internet, and gas still drove many mad. So broke through, so climbed walls, so ignored advice to go fishing...
It took property managers, security, and community volunteers to shout, sotis even scold or fight to push them back. Self-isolation taught him it was indeed unbearable.
The Silver Moon Deer continued to approach. Amid the rising clamor, the voice of the quarantine point's presiding mage could be heard, desperately explaining:
"We're not imprisoning you... soone among you has typhoid fever! To ensure others aren't infected, we must quarantine in groups to protect the majority..."
"Why can't we be treated! One healing spell solves it, why quarantine us!"
"I'm a knight! Knights don't get such diseases!"
The noise grew louder. Suddenly, the sharp sound of a sword rang out, followed by an explosion!
Garrett's face tightened. In the previous life, everyone was equal, with roughly equal strength, managed by volunteers and police. In this world, everyone wasn't equal!
He urged the Silver Moon Deer to leap high, flying over the fence and landing heavily in the center of the field. Simultaneously, he cast armor spells on himself and Bernard:
And Cirilla? Cirilla also needed one, even if she didn't need it. She couldn't be ignored!
"I am the chief quarantine officer for this area!" Casting the last spell, Garrett shouted, standing in front of his mage, facing a group of warriors:
"If you have questions, ask directly!"
Inquiries were fine, but no rioting! Don't take kindness for weakness!
Bernard quickly dismounted, pulling out a large bone club and leaning on it. Then, fast and skillful, he donned armor:
Cirilla drew her longbow, nocking a coldly glinting arrow, aid ahead. Without looking back, she summoned several Mage Hands to help Bernard with his armor...
The massive Silver Moon Deer lowered its head slightly, aiming its 4-ter-wide antlers at the knights. Silver light flickered on the antlers, indicating the deer had not only strong physical power but also so magical abilities.
"What are you doing?"
The leader of the warriors instinctively took a step back. This white deer, judging by its size and aura, was likely as powerful as he was. The mage riding the deer, along with the elven beauty and the barbarian warrior...
They couldn't be beaten!
Rembering the agreent, he took another step forward, raising his voice:
"I am the captain of the 'Pearl of the Sea,' a branch of the Count of Dodderet! We are all nobles and knights here, and we demand noble treatnt! You can't confine us!"
The protesting warriors nodded in agreent. One of them shouted:
"Right, who are you? Why should we listen to you?"
"I am Garrett Nordmark, an eighth-level mage and eighth-level nature priest." Garrett raised his oak staff:
"I designed this quarantine and isolation plan. If you have any issues, you can talk to directly. Don't breach the barricade and violate the rules."
The
crowd quieted slightly. At the back of the warrior ranks, a middle-aged man's eyes glead as he quietly retreated into the crowd.
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