Volume 1 Chapter 158
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 158: So-called Faith
“Just respond?”
Andai still hadn’t fully grasped Eve’s meaning, her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at her with a touch of bewilderment. However, Eve merely gave a light wave of her hand before decisively closing the carriage door, clearly not intending to offer any further explanation.
Her attitude was as casually natural as ever, as if this matter wasn’t even worth spending breath to clarify.
Staring at the closed door, Andai’s face was still clouded with confusion.
Not only had she not finished her breakfast, but her head also felt muddled. Forget pondering Eve’s intentions deeply, she could barely manage to straighten out her own thoughts.
In contrast, Anna, standing beside her, seemed lost in thought. Compared to the straightforward, carefree Andai, she was obviously much smarter and more perceptive, and naturally understood the meaning behind Eve’s words more deeply than Andai could.
“Sister Anna, what should we actually do?”
Andai couldn’t help asking, her tone carrying a hint of confusion and hesitation.
She truly couldn’t understand. Were they supposed to act like those church missionaries, earnestly telling people, “The deity will bless you, you will definitely recover! But before that, please learn about our church’s various activities…”? What was the difference between that and fraud?
Anyway, Andai absolutely couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing. Although she felt not a shred of pity for these dying humans before her, she also saw no need whatsoever to deceive them.
After all, a dragon’s time was so precious. What dragon would be so idle as to trick mere humans for amusement? That would simply be too undignified.
And besides… hadn’t it been agreed upon earlier?
Once she successfully became a Dragon God, she would receive the worship and offerings of countless people.
But now? Worship was nowhere to be seen, and offerings were completely absent. Instead, she was pushed here, dressed up like this, looking like one of those pitiful souls handing out flyers in human cities.
She really couldn’t figure out what was going on and found it somewhat hard to accept.
“Let’s walk around first.”
After a moment’s thought, Anna finally offered this suggestion. She wasn’t too sure what to do either, but in any case, observing the situation first couldn’t hurt. After all, this was Eve’s directive. Since Eve wanted them to do this, there must be a deeper meaning, it couldn’t be pointless.
With that in mind, Anna led Andai on a stroll around the area, casually observing the condition of these humans.
However, it didn’t take long before Anna keenly detected something unusual. She had initially assumed that the humans gathered here were all terminally ill patients with no cure, but that wasn’t the case.
These people sighed, remained indifferent, showed sorrow, and some even put on an air of being above worldly concerns, discussing their illnesses in low voices. Yet, after listening carefully, Anna found that the diseases they spoke of were far from what could be truly considered terminal illnesses.
Some ailments could be easily cured with just a few common medicinal herbs. And most of the illnesses, in her eyes, were trivial matters that could be completely resolved with just one or two simple spells.
To Anna, these so-called stubborn diseases were like leaves accidentally landing on one’s head, not worth noticing, not worth mentioning. The solution was incredibly simple: just brush the leaf away.
But for these humans, the situation was entirely different. The illnesses they faced, or the world they lived in, was not as simple as Anna’s.
Diseases she could cure with a wave of her hand were incurable terminal illnesses for humans, even enough to determine their life or death.
The facts proved that differences in magical prowess indeed led to vast chasms in various aspects of development between races, including even the understanding and treatment of diseases.
Thinking this, Anna seemed to understand something. Her eyes flickered slightly as she slowly walked forward, eventually stopping in front of a mother and daughter pair.
It was a young girl, curled up in her mother’s embrace, so frail she looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away. Her small face was practically skin and bones, deathly pale, looking unsettling and even hinting at a sickly fragility.
Her eyes were somewhat unfocused from high fever, her eyelashes fluttering as if she might fall asleep at any moment.
Her mother held her tightly, her eyes already red and swollen from crying, clearly having suffered through her daughter’s illness for a long time.
Despite this, the lady’s skin was exceptionally well-maintained, and her features carried a dignified air, clearly indicating she came from a noble or wealthy merchant family.
However, her clothes were now very plain, even showing signs of being washed until slightly faded. Clearly, the family was no longer as affluent as before.
Such scenes were all too common in this imperial capital hospital.
How many people had exhausted all their savings, even sold off family assets, to treat their most cherished loved ones, only to still not receive a shred of hope, still forced to watch helplessly as their dear ones struggled in pain? Everyone here had their own story, and these stories were almost without exception filled with bitterness and resentment.
The frail girl, despite being seriously ill herself, instead reached out a small hand and gently patted her mother’s back, as if to comfort her.
Even though feverish and delirious, her consciousness hazy, she still managed to lift the corners of her mouth and hum a nursery rhyme her mother had taught her.
The voice was intermittent due to weakness, the lyrics almost indistinct, yet it carried a pure tenderness, as if trying hard to comfort her weeping mother, or as if using this simple melody to bolster her own courage.
Sensing Anna and Andai’s approach, the mother immediately became alert, reflexively hugging her daughter tighter. She raised her tear-swollen eyes, staring at the two before her with undisguised resistance and hostility, her tone cold and distant.
“I said, I don’t believe in any deities! And I have no interest in learning about any church or faith… Please stay away from me and my daughter. Let us be alone for a while.”
Her voice carried exhaustion and anger, even a hint of concealed unease and despair, as if she was already tired of similar intrusions.
Faced with such a hostile attitude, Anna didn’t show the slightest anger. She merely calmly pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, casually wrote down a prescription, and gently offered it to the mother.
“It’s normal for a child to be weak. She’ll recover with proper care and recuperation. Don’t worry too much.”
Her tone was indifferent, as if this were just a trivial matter. “Since you’ve reached a dead end anyway, you might as well give it a try.”
Anna’s offhand remark made the mother pause slightly.
She looked down at the prescription Anna offered, momentarily not reaching out to take it, as if still hesitating. Yet, the anxiety for her daughter’s condition in her heart kept urging her on. Her reason told her she couldn’t let go of any possible glimmer of hope.
Almost subconsciously, her hand trembling, she finally accepted the prescription.
As Anna said, they had indeed reached a dead end, with no retreat left. Compared to those ethereal religious beliefs, this young girl who didn’t look like a swindler actually gave her a sliver of genuine hope.
“Don’t worry, her illness isn’t serious. With good care, she’ll recover soon.” Seeing this, Andai eagerly leaned in and casually added, “My Sister Anna is really amazing! She used to study… uh, I mean, she studied medicine before and has a lot of experience!”
Here, Andai’s eyes shifted, and she continued enthusiastically, “Just take some medicinal herbs! Oh, and after the child recovers, maybe consider joining our Dragon God Faith…”
Smack.
Before she could finish, Anna directly swatted Andai on the head, the action crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. Taking good care of the child is what’s most important.”
Anna said calmly, yet her eyes held a rare gentleness. She reached out and gently stroked the forehead of the sickly little girl.
The little girl, who had been frowning from the pain, seemed to feel a warmth in that instant. Her weak expression visibly relaxed a great deal, her brow gradually smoothing out, and even her breathing became more steady.
This change was something the lady witnessed clearly with her own eyes.
“Then, we’ll take our leave now. Please take care.”
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