Chapter 603 Zoqi Mine
When Dr. Galandil told Joan about the smallpox case, he mentioned a rather strange phenomenon.
The colonists and their descendants from the Old World have relatively strong resistance to smallpox virus, and the fatality rate after infection is lower than the average level, while the aborigines of the New World, including the Asa, are more likely to be infected by the smallpox virus, and the fatality rate is lower. It was so high that many aborigines blamed smallpox on the colonists, claiming that the New World did not have this vicious infectious disease, and blamed the colonists for bringing this deadly virus from the Old World to the New World!
So, are the complaints of the aborigines in line with the truth?
Judging from the evidence collected by Dr. Galandil, although Joan was reluctant, he had to admit that the statement that "the colonists spread the smallpox virus to the New World" is very likely to be true!
The Zuoqi Mine is located in the west of the Forge Valley, more than 80 miles away from Nidaville City. Even if Joan turns into an Eagle and travels, he still has to fly for two hours.
Looking up at the dim sky, Joan decided not to rush to the mine to investigate, but to find a hotel in the city to stay, ordered a little famous local "bear pie", and filled it with apple juice abdomen.
The pie is baked to the right heat, the thin and crispy pastry melts in the mouth, the meat filling is tender and juicy, and the juice is also delicious. Joan was very satisfied with the dinner worth 3 Silver Duga, the only thing he was not used to was the dining atmosphere.
Perhaps because he was the only man in the hotel bar who drank apple juice instead of alcohol, he often attracted surprised looks at dinner. In addition, most of the guests in the bar room are dwarves. These dwarfs, who are addicted to alcohol, become very noisy after drinking two cups of cat urine. They are either bragging or brewing a wave of bragging, which makes Joe An's head hurts, so he decided to ask the hotel clerk to deliver his meals to the guest room in the future, so that he would be clean.
After dinner, a young dwarf led Joan to the guest room on the second floor with a lamp. Joan was a little worried that the guest room was too small, but when he entered the door, he found that the room was more spacious than he expected, and the bed was big enough to fit an ogre, which immediately made him feel that the accommodation fee for one gold duo plus one night was too much. It's worth it!
What surprised Joan even more was the complete automatic water supply facility in the hotel room. There is a pair of knob switches connected to the copper pipe on the washstand. The waiter proudly introduced that this is called a "faucet". When the faucet on the left is turned on, hot water will flow out of the brass water pipe, which can be used to wash your face and soak your feet. The tap on the right supplies cold water, clear enough to drink directly.
Because of this automatic water supply device, Joan gained a little affection for Nidaville City. Compared with his hometown of Alfheim, the northern cities represented by Nidaweiler lack the simple and leisurely rural atmosphere in the south. People's life rhythms are very tense, and the exhaust gas and noise emitted by factories make the whole city noisy. Dirty and noisy, unlike the beautiful pastoral scenery that can be seen everywhere in the south.
However, in this dirty and busy northern city, Joan also felt a kind of vitality that is rare in the south. Everyone seemed to be full of energy. The whole city was like a machine roaring day and night, showing the unique characteristics of the "big industrial era". Magnificent weather.
While creating exhaust gas and noise, Magic Industries also brings local residents convenient services that are not available in the vast rural areas of the south, such as running water pipes leading to every household, which has been used to drinking river water or digging wells for hundreds of years. The southern countryside is an unimaginable miracle on earth.
Joan is indeed nostalgic for the idyllic scenery of his hometown and the traditional farming and animal husbandry lifestyle, but reason tells him that the fast-paced urban life in the north and the vigorous magic industry are the correct direction for the development of the times.
One day, waterwheels and windmills will be replaced by magical steam engines, and water wells will be eliminated by running water pipes. The slow-paced southern rural customs are destined to be assimilated by the northern lifestyle that advocates efficiency—this has nothing to do with personal preference, after all. It is the ruthless crushing of the traditional planting civilization by the emerging magic industrial civilization.
The unfamiliar environment did not change Joan's work and rest habits. In the early morning of the next day, he got up early to prepare spells as usual, left the hotel after breakfast in the guest room, and traveled westward as an eagle. When the bright sun dispelled the early morning mist, Zorchi Mine had already appeared in his vision.
The snow-covered silent hills, with the ruins of a mining site looming, are a desolate scene.
Joan retracted his wings and landed on the abandoned mining field. Before he was busy looking around, he raised his hand and called out "Tears of God", dipped into the water bag, and spent 1 "mythical energy" to make a magic potion to prevent virus infection.
Two years ago, a smallpox epidemic broke out in the area where the mine is located. Many miners died of the disease and the mine was forced to close.
Although two years have passed and smallpox rarely breaks out in the cold winter, considering the terrible fatality rate of the smallpox virus, no matter how careful you are, you can't be too careful.
For the sake of safety, Joan drank the antiviral potion before entering the mine to investigate to ensure that he was prepared.
Joan walked around the abandoned mine and confirmed that there was no one else here except himself, and it was difficult to find a guide to lead the way.
After a little thought, Joan got an idea, opened the storage bag, and took out the "Navigation Compass" from Cloud City.
Joan started the compass, and the palm-sized black wooden disc glowed with a silver-white magic aura representing the "School of Prophecy". The black wood gradually turned into a smooth mirror surface, presenting a clear miniature map, including the surrounding area where Joan stood Mountains, rivers, bridges and roads within 30 miles.
Joan held the "navigation compass" with his left hand, and flicked his right hand on the three-dimensional map generated by magic, adjusting the main perspective to the mine in front of him, and zooming in on this local area.
In this way, the criss-cross tunnels inside the mine are clearly displayed in front of Joan's eyes. With this navigation map in hand, even if a blind person walks into the mine, he will not get lost.
Before entering the mine to investigate, Joan took pictures of "Mythical Mage Armor", "Mythical Shield", "Anti-Arrow Barrier" and "Protection from Evil" on himself to prepare for the attack.
Mr. Schmidt specifically told Joan to beware of the undead creatures lurking in the mine. Judging from eyewitness testimony, this refers primarily to zombies, and possibly a small number of ghouls.
With Qiao An's current strength, as long as he is careful enough, these two low-level undead creatures will not be able to pose a threat to him, but the manipulator behind the undead creatures is still unknown.
If, as Mr. Schmidt said, it was a spell caster who hid in the depths of the mine to instruct the undead, Joan couldn't help asking what the other party's purpose was for doing so.
What is the factor that attracted this person to come to this barren mountain that only produces some cheap iron ore, and hide in the dark pit to pretend to be a ghost?