CH 94

December 31, 2021 by danmeiheaven

Xia Zuoyi hopes to establish newspaper companies and cooperate with the Archiayoli Territory and the Anas Kingdom—the company is responsible for printing and publishing newspapers and subsequent sales.

However, published contents such as policies and current affairs require specialized personnel to collect, investigate, and screen…

This is best done by people from the two places—arrange full-time interviewers and investigators to record the incident as soon as they learn about it.

It’ll be the beginning of the journalist job.

In his letters to Orville and Archibald, Xia Zuoyi described in detail the benefits of starting a newspaper company and publishing newspapers.

—First is the rapid dissemination of information; the second is to improve the cultural literacy and level of ordinary people; the third is to entertain the masses.

Newspapers are not restricted by time, place, and tools, making them easy to read.

In particular, some information is suitable to be converted into words to read and understand slowly. People can also use this to pass the time when they’re bored…

Moreover, the information and content that can be published are diversified, which helps the public understand policies and popularize laws… The spread of newspapers can slowly affect everyone’s thoughts and ideas.

Xia Zuoyi wrote almost all the benefits he could think of while biting his pen.

He sealed the letter and attached all the latest issues of newspapers. After they were bundled, he put them in a log barrel and let Green Dumpling fly them in his back to bring them to Orville and Archibald.

“Thank you, Green Dumpling.” 

Xia Zuoyi touched the harder and sharper feathers on Green Dumpling’s wings. The arc of his tail will send a faint pain on a person’s finger. It’s estimated that if more force is applied, it will cut a small wound on the finger.

“Tweet.” 

Green Dumpling rubbed Xia Zuoyi’s hand affectionately, then spread his wings and flew out from the wide window ledge. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared into the sky.

Orville and Archibald wrote back quickly—they showed great interest in starting a newspaper and agreed with it.

Especially Archibald.

He even smelled keen business opportunities in the behavior of “newsboys selling newspapers” Xia Zuoyi described.

In his reply, he frankly said that perhaps more young and strong civilians could be recruited to deliver letters or some light objects while selling newspapers.

Of course, due to the limitations of speed and distance, the maximum range of newsboys and messenger can only be set between two cities, and the corresponding fee can be charged according to the distance of sending letters or the size of objects… 

If Xia Zuoyi thinks that this method is good, they can discuss the specific details later.

In the western continent, there will be long and short distance stations between countries.

—There are professional messengers and envoys in the post, which are specially used to send letters from kings or nobles.

But if it comes to more confidential letters, the king and great nobles will not use the post station to deliver them. They will send knights to deliver it in person.

Therefore, some long-distance post stations are almost deserted.

On the other hand, the small noble manor owners and civilians sent slaves or mobile caravans, and some short-time workers to deliver letters.

When Xia Zuoyi finished reading Archibald’s reply, his eyes immediately widened in surprise.

Isn’t this the same as city express? Archie’s business sense is too sensitive.

Such a method is indeed feasible, but many aspects need to be paid attention to, such as personnel management, loss of items, or arbitrary collection of fees…

He knocked on the table and thought.

It’s better to set up a logistics communication station directly. Selling newspapers and full-time delivery of letters or objects are best to be separated, so as to save unnecessary trouble later.

He plans to draw up a detailed plan for Green Dumpling to give to Archie.

In addition, in order to thank Orville and his help, Xia Zuoyi asked Udit to take out a box full of felt toys.

The felts in it can be said to be his treasures. After all, they’re all made of Briquette’s and Snowball’s fallen fur from childhood, and the quantity is limited.

He picks and picks among the boxes.

He remembered that Orville had very much wanted to take one last time, but he wasn’t willing to give it away. This time… Just a little felt.

After all, he’s a kind person who knows how to repay favors.

Xia Zuoyi picked out the black ball made of Briquette’s fur, only the size of half a palm, with two white dots on it as eyes—which were sorted out for a long time with the pitiful white stripes on Briquette’s body.

He thought for a moment. It seems that these were picked off when Briquette was still small and his fur was short.

After that, he gathered them all up again and again. Until he collected enough, they would no longer form just a black ball, but a felt toy of a little black tiger.

And there are four or five such black balls.

While Xia Zuoyi is reminiscing in a daze, Briquette comes over curiously.

His big head almost reached into the box and took out a felt. Xia Zuoyi quickly recovered his senses, grabbed his ears, and pushed him away a little, “No, you chewed the last one.”

Coquettish grunts overflowed from Briquette’s throat. His fluffy big head hit Xia Zuoyi’s shoulder lightly and was immediately rubbed.

Xia Zuoyi took two black balls and shook them in front of Briquette’s eyes, “In addition to Egg Yolk, you lose hair the most. These two are given away.”

Briquette sneezed and shook his head indifferently. 

After writing the letter, the gift is sent.

After he asked Udit to take Egg Yolk and the others out for a stroll, he lay down on the table and began to analyze the plague events that occurred in history.

He asked in his heart, “098, could the plague at the beginning of the novel be the Black Death?”

After all, the Black Death was too famous and the most terrifying in the history of the middle ages of Europe—it almost swept across the entire continent.

At that time, fear spread throughout Europe, and it took nearly a third of its population.

Because the medical and sanitation conditions are extremely backward, coupled with garbage, feces, and smoke everywhere, it led to the sudden outbreak and massive spread of the Black Death when everyone was caught off guard.

It spreads rapidly and has a rapid onset…

In addition, everyone didn’t immediately realize that it’s a disease that could be transmitted through rat and flea bites, skin, and saliva. As a result, they didn’t have the awareness of prevention at all.

The plague didn’t give the masses much time to respond, so they began to rapidly die.

Once infected, people will gradually have symptoms of fever, vomiting, skin congestion, and necrosis… Finally, death will greet them very quickly. The corpse will grow black spots, which is terrible.

When Xia Zuoyi was collecting information, he saw such a description—the whole city is like a ghost town, filled with boundless fear and loneliness, social disorder, moral corruption, and a surge in crime rate…

The patients died in the house without being noticed. The rancid corpses were lying on the street or directly dug and buried. There were piles of corpse mountains… In the end, the animals roamed the streets unattended.

This description is too similar to the beginning of the plot in the novel, and it’s also the background of the backward period in the West… Xia Zuoyi guessed that the disease that’s likely to lead to the epidemic is the Black Death.

But this cannot be too absolute.

Because in addition to the Black Death in Europe, there are flu and smallpox, both of which were once the most serious infectious diseases in the West.

In case of misjudgment, the price is more human lives.

As for Xia Zuoyi’s speculation, 098 said that there’s a high possibility that it is the Black Death, and the other part maybe the flu.

The description of the epidemic situation in the novel is too few and uncertain, but he can take precautions based on hypotheses.

Xia Zuoyi wrote about the Black Death and highlighted the key points, muttering to himself, “The Black Death is actually the plague.”

“Rats love to live in a dirty environment, where bacteria and viruses breed… It can be seen that the large outbreak of the Black Death and its rapid spread have a lot to do with the messy sanitary environment…”

But people didn’t realize this.

They pinned all their hopes on doctors, the church, and Bible prayer… Later, they had realized that the disease might be transmitted through the air, but the means they used to prevent it was to spray water mixed with spices or water-soaked with rose petals into the air…to achieve the effect of purifying the air.

It’s conceivable that no matter how much they spray, it’s futile. It only made the air fragrant.

Not to mention the church and praying to the Bible.

Doctors in the middle ages believed in “the theory of temperament and body fluids.”

—People’s bodies contain four kinds of fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—corresponding to the heart, brain, stomach, and liver.

These four liquids have their own properties. When they don’t match properly, it will affect people’s health.

Therefore, doctors in medieval times generally believed that excess blood was the main problem that caused diseases, so bloodletting became the most important treatment.

This leads to the phenomenon that people who have the Black Death will die faster under the treatment of doctors.

The difference is whether it’s more or less painful at the time of death.

But fortunately, they still know a little medical knowledge.

They know that they need to be treated in isolation from patients with the Black Death, and their duties as doctors allow them to come up with ways to get close to the patients.

Therefore, doctors will wear waxed linen robes all over their bodies, tightly wrap themselves, wear wide-brimmed hats, protective glasses, and masks shaped like bird’s beaks.

—The long beak mask can filter the air. This is also how “Doctor Beak” got his name.

If the epidemic is really likely to be the Black Death, Xia Zuoyi can guarantee that the source of the disease will not appear in the Desinian Territory, but elsewhere…

Who knows where the source will suddenly emerge from…

Xia Zuoyi wrote down the name of the Saint Airo Empire on paper, made some dots, and drew a circle—it’s worth noting.

He analyzed the appearance and symptoms of the flu again. Finally, he put the paper full of handwriting into the fireplace and burned it. Watching the last bit of ashes go out, he sighed slightly.

“098, the plot deviation value has been 50%. After the plot starts, will I still like the male lead because of force majeure?”

【No, host.】

Xia Zuoyi touched his white and tender neck and thought—that’s good, stay away from brain damage and be beautiful alone!

Translator’s Note:

I wish you all a Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!! <3 <3 Especially you MCJohnston, I really really appreciate the kofi~~ Hope you like this double update hehehe~