Chapter 73: The Dire Situation in Lemon Port

The eastern coastline of the Empire.

In the iconic salty, humid sea breeze of Lemon Port—

Now mingled a faint, stomach-turning stench of rot and sourness.

Colin and Daniels stood outside the enormous iron gates of the once-bustling port city.

They were no longer the two-man team that had set out.

Behind them now stretched a column of nearly a hundred people!

Yet every man, woman, and child in the group was gaunt and frail, their clothes in tatters,

Their faces filled with the exhaustion and fear born of long, desperate travel.

Colin and Daniels’ journey to this point had been anything but easy!

The fall of the two Maple towns had driven waves of refugees fleeing from all directions.

Naturally, that had also attracted scattered undead creatures, drawn by the scent of blood.

Whenever they encountered such horrors, Colin and Daniels could hardly stand by and watch others die.

But every time they rescued a group,

Those desperate eyes would soon turn into tearful pleas—

Begging to follow them to Lemon Port for safety.

And so, the group grew larger and larger, like a snowball rolling downhill.

Food quickly became a major issue.

Colin had to frequently use small divine arts to accelerate the growth of wild fruits and purify water sources.

When their rations finally ran out, they even slaughtered their own horses to stave off hunger.

Only by doing so had they barely managed to bring this large crowd all the way to Lemon Port.

However—

The sight of Lemon Port before them made both Colin and Daniels’ hearts sink.

The tall central gates were tightly shut.

Only a narrow side door stood ajar, with but a trickle of people coming and going.

The guards patrolling atop the walls were far from the spirited men of the past.

Instead, each appeared listless, and now and then came the sound of stifled coughing.

Not far from the gates, a number of crude shelters had been erected.

Pained groans could be faintly heard from within.

“Something’s wrong…” Daniels frowned deeply.

The Lemon Port in his memory—

Had always been filled with ships like clouds and the lively clamor of merchants.

Now it was reduced to decay and silence.

“The parasitic plague is spreading faster and worse than we thought.”

Colin pushed up his glasses,

Sharply sensing the faint evil gray aura lingering between the brows of those guards.

And as expected—

When their conspicuous group of refugees approached the city gate,

They were immediately stopped by a squad of guards.

The captain at the lead was a middle-aged man with a rough beard,

Vigilant eyes barely masking a deep fatigue.

“Stop right there!”

“Where are you from?”

“Lemon Port isn’t accepting any more refugees!”

The captain barked, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Daniels quickly stepped forward, trying to remain calm. “Captain Lawson, it’s me—Daniels! ‘The Rock’ Daniels!”

The captain squinted at him for a moment, then showed a flicker of surprise.

“Old Dan? It really is you!”

“What in the world happened to you? And why’d you bring so many people…”

Daniels gave a weary smile and shook his head. “Ah, it’s a long story~”

“Brother Lawson, you know what it’s like out there. These poor souls barely escaped with their lives.”

“And we’ve got urgent business inside—we must see Baroness Erica Floyd!”

“You want to see the Lady of the City?” Lawson’s expression darkened.

He lowered his voice. “Old Dan, it’s not that I don’t want to help you—”

“But the city’s… completely in chaos right now!”

“Many have fallen sick with some strange illness, lying there waiting to die. Neither doctors nor priests can do a thing.”

“And every day there are riots—people demanding the sick be driven out!”

“So the Lady has issued strict orders—no more people are allowed in, especially not a group of this size.”

“If I let you in, I can kiss my armor goodbye!”

Just then, a woman holding a child burst into sobs. “Please, my lord, have mercy—let us in!”

“M-my child’s dying… please!”

That plea was like a spark to dry tinder.

All the refugees’ bottled-up fear and despair exploded at once.

The air filled with cries and weeping.

The guards immediately raised their weapons.

Captain Lawson waved his hand irritably. “Quiet! Another word and I’ll have you all arrested!”

Yet the struggle in his eyes was plain to see.

Daniels knew his old friend had a soft heart, and quickly seized the chance.

He grabbed Lawson’s arm and whispered, “Brother Lawson, let me introduce you—this is Priest Colin!”

He pointed at the calm young man beside him. “We came from Holy Light Town—the one truly blessed by an angel!”

“And you remember my daughter, little Amy. Her strange illness—you know how hopeless that was.”

“It was the same as this plague—no one could cure it. I was completely desperate!”

“But Priest Colin healed her—he saved her and our family!”

“He can deal with this plague too!”

“That’s why we must see the Baroness. This concerns the very survival of Lemon Port!”

“He can cure this disease?” Lawson looked at Colin doubtfully.

Seeing the priest’s simple robe and tranquil bearing, he couldn’t help but feel that the man was indeed unusual.

And the case of Daniels’ daughter had once been widely known throughout Lemon Port—everyone had said she was doomed…

Could it be… there was truly hope?

After a long hesitation, Lawson sighed heavily. “All right, Old Dan, I’ll trust you this once.”

“But there’s no way all these people can enter!”

“Here’s what we’ll do—you have them set up camp outside the walls for now. No trouble, you hear?”

“I’ll only let you and the priest inside to try your luck.”

“As for meeting the Baroness… that’ll depend on your fortune.”

“The castle’s on high alert these days.”

Daniels clapped his friend’s shoulder hard. “That’s enough! Thank you, Brother Lawson!”

Soon, under the soldiers’ direction—

The weary refugees began setting up makeshift shelters on a relatively dry patch of ground near the gate.

Colin quietly cast a minor divine art of calm, soothing the restless crowd a little.

He also handed several bags of holy water to a few steady-looking men,

Instructing them to dilute and distribute it among the people to ward off disease.

Once the refugees were settled,

Colin and Daniels finally passed through the side gate and stepped into Lemon Port.

Yet the scene inside was even more harrowing!

The streets that should have been crowded and lively were now eerily deserted, with many shops shuttered.

Those few who hurried by covered their mouths and noses with cloths, their eyes filled with dread and avoidance.

The faint stench of decay in the air was now stronger and inescapable.

At some street corners, crowds had gathered, holding crude signs—

Shouting indistinct slogans, seemingly in protest.

But they were soon dispersed by squads of grim-faced soldiers.

“Damn those parasites…” Daniels gritted his teeth,

Wishing he could tear the mastermind behind this plague limb from limb!

Having witnessed little Amy’s suffering,

He knew all too well how vile those worms lurking in the heart could be!

“The situation’s worse than we thought.”

“This parasitic plague not only destroys the body—it’s devouring people’s hearts.”

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