Chapter 57
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Chapter 57: The Unchangeable Reality
Chaoyang was momentarily taken aback by this statement.
Could a petitioner have two coexisting wishes? It didn’t seem completely implausible. Based on the shape of the light pillars, both wishes appeared to be directed towards himself… or rather, at the fabricated Lord of Paradise. “But why is her wish represented by the smaller pillar?” he wondered aloud.
“How should I know?” Luo Di muttered. “Besides, why should I give advice to a demon? Figure it out yourself.”
With that, she stood up, brushed the dirt off her pants, and hummed a tune as she walked away.
It seemed the angel was in an unusually good mood.
Was it just because he couldn’t truly fulfill the nun’s wish? Chaoyang felt momentarily puzzled, wondering who was actually the villain – him or the angel?
However, he had a way to resolve this dilemma.
If uncertain, simply ask for clarification. Of course, not from Jeanne herself. Instead, he would consult his “pawn.”
***
After a simple dinner, the group returned to their lodging on Emerald Street, and Chaoyang once again appeared before everyone.
“That’s it?” Anthony asked, almost openly displaying his dissatisfaction. “I mean, does this count as a mission? One million dollars is no small amount, Host. I don’t think this aligns with the original intent of Paradise’s games!”
“Weren’t you even present at Yeni Cathedral?” Asahara Naruko replied mildly. “You must have been wandering outside instead. In a world so vastly different, just experiencing the sights makes it worth the money.”
“But I wanted excitement! Like in the first two rounds! Do you understand, woman?!”
“The current mission isn’t over yet,” Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up.
“What?” The others were slightly taken aback and instinctively looked at Chaoyang.
However, Chaoyang showed no reaction, as if he hadn’t heard Zhang Zhiyuan’s words at all.
“Brother Zhang, what do you mean?” Zhou Zhi asked curiously.
“We haven’t really solved the problems of the cathedral. I thought Miss Jeanne wanted to better understand the impact of micro-organisms in medicine and thereby reduce patient mortality. But in fact, I found out that she was more concerned with drug issues. Simply put, she hoped to learn some pharmaceutical formulas from my non-existent friend. While the efficacy is another matter, her primary concern was affordability.”
“She did mention ‘medicines’ several times,” Zhou Zhi recalled. “Could it be that in this world, medical practitioners also need to know how to make medicines by hand?”
“If the field of microbiology hasn’t been developed yet, then indeed, medicines does indeed seem to play a crucial role,” Asahara Naruko mused. “Of course, we could also bring out our antibiotic trump card to meet the nuns’ needs.”
“That’s not the point at all.” Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head repeatedly, his tone filled with frustration. “Right now, we can’t solve anything.”
“But surely not…” Zhou Zhi expressed doubt. “Didn’t your suggestion of boiling water save many lives before?”
“That was just the extent of it.”
He took out a sheet of paper covered with his previous notes. “The patients treated by the Cathedral can be roughly divided into these three categories: the largest group consists of accident victims from mines and machine factories; the second group includes those injured in gang fights; and finally, there are mercenaries and adventurers returning from exploring the Foggy Region. The types of ailments are mainly surgical, with a emphasis on physical injuries.”
“What about internal medicine cases?” Zhou Zhi asked curiously.
“I’m not sure, but during my observations, I indeed didn’t see many patients who needed internal medicine,” Zhang Zhiyuan continued. “However, the most critical issue isn’t this, but rather the distribution of Cathedral’s expense. During dinner, I discreetly inquired from some of the nuns in-charge and discovered significant problems with their finances. Their income mainly comes from corporate subsidies, gifts from the city lord, and medical fees. After calculating the proportions, By my reckoning, it’s about seven parts subsidies, two parts gifts, and one part medical fees.”
“Wow, you managed to find that out?”
“It is no secret within Yeni Cathedral; many people are aware of the exact figures. Likewise, their expenses can be categorized into three main areas: medical supplies, nuns’ salaries, and maintenance of the cathedral. This information is a little more confidential; I received it directly from Miss Jeanne. Comparing these figures, I found that the ratio of expenditure for these categories is shockingly eight parts medical supplies, one part for nuns’ salaries and one part for cathedral maintenance.”
“How could that be…” Zhou Zhi was greatly astonished.
Asahara Naruko frowned deeply.
“As you’ve seen, the medical conditions at Yeni Cathedral are abysmal. There are not enough closed rooms and even the number of beds is insufficient. All the towels and bedding are extremely worn out, and even basic supplies like bandages are of remarkably poor quality,” Zhang Zhiyuan said gravely. “The Cathedral’s annual income is consistently around two thousand gold. If eighty percent of it is spent on these consumables, the quality should not be this substandard!”
“Someone must be embezzling funds,” Anthony muttered. “Isn’t that quite common?”
“The Cathedral operates as a semi-charitable organization with very rudimentary management. I asked Jeanne about this; there are only three elderly nuns above her, and many people have access to the financial records. Even if there was embezzlement, it probably wouldn’t have such a significant impact,” Zhang Zhiyuan countered. “Ultimately, the issue lies with the corporate subsidies.”
“You mentioned earlier that corporate subsidies account for seventy percent of the Cathedral’s income, right?” Zhou Zhi recalled.
“That’s true, but the subsidies aren’t unconditional.” Zhang Zhiyuan slammed his fist on the table. “According to Miss Jeanne, there was a contract signed between the companies and Yeni Cathedral stipulating that this money must be primarily used to purchase medical products from Lesheng Corporation. Initially, this wasn’t a problem. But last year, the situation suddenly changed. Lesheng unexpectedly raised the prices of their products, especially medicines, by up to three or four times. In Addition, the quality of common items such as bandages has deteriorated significantly. Even more despicable is the fact that there are around a dozen private clinics within Glorious Fortress,. Miss Jeanne discreetly inquired and found out that they haven’t faced similar issues. This clearly indicates those companies are deliberately targeting Yeni Cathedral!”
“But… why would they do such a thing?”
“Because these subsidies were not given voluntarily by the companies,” Chaoyang interjected abruptly. “The contracts were the result public pressure and the Lord’s need for balance.”
Inwardly, he marvelled at how Zhang Zhiyuan’s performance had consistently exceeded his expectations. No wonder Zhang Zhiyuan was held in high esteem within the International Criminal Police Department. To be able to grasp the complexities surrounding Yeni Cathedral so thoroughly in just one day showed his exceptional ability, especially at such a young age.
“So you were listening after all.” Asahara Naruko glanced at him. “Host, was this part of your plan?”
“You can try to find a solution.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t one,” Zhang Zhiyuan said, appearing somewhat weary after his outburst. “I’ve been thinking about it all night, but it’s a dead-end situation. Even if Miss Jeanne could get affordable drug formulas, what good would that do? Can she produce them herself? If those big corporations find out, they’ll undoubtedly take advantage of her success. The only reason Lesheng Corporation dares to target Yeni Cathedral is solely because the Cathedral itself relies heavily on their subsidies. They can barely survive if they stay quiet, but cutting ties would likely lead to immediate bankruptcy!”
“So the knowledge you taught… isn’t of much help to them…” Zhou Zhi gradually understood his teammate’s feelings.
“That’s right. Miss Jeanne has done a good job, but reducing the mortality rate of the patients to this extent is already the limit,” Zhang Zhiyuan spoke gloomily. “No matter how diligently the nuns maintain hygiene and sterilize their hands, under such limited medical conditions, there won’t be any significant improvements compared to before.”
