Volume 2 Chapter 12: The Source of the Epidemic

“Frank!” Qin Lun called softly to the servant and took the Medical Kit from him. After searching through it, he pulled out a small test tube. The tube held a thick, milky-white liquid with some foam mixed in.

Qin Lun looked at the test tube, his expression shifting between dark and light, but he quickly made a decision. He had been in this world for more than ten days and was finally getting close to the core secret of his Otherworld Mission. There were other ways to achieve this result, but they wouldn’t let him maintain a good relationship with the Albert Family.

He knew that this good relationship might become a breakthrough at some point, or at least it wouldn’t hinder the mission’s progress. However, after all his efforts, he now faced the first bottleneck and test of the mission.

The little boy in front of him, Miller Albert, was his test. If he showed he couldn’t do anything about the boy’s illness, the Albert Family probably wouldn’t keep him as a guest any longer.

Thinking of this, Qin Lun narrowed his eyes. He gently lifted Little Miller, pinched open his jaw, and poured the entire tube of milky-white liquid into the boy’s mouth.

The Albert Family members watched quietly, their faces expressionless as they waited to see what would happen. Bonnie, the second son of the old Baron, even looked a bit dismissive.

This was not surprising. Over the past year, Little Miller had seen many doctors and been given many medicines. Several royal physicians sent by the Duke of Maize had also tried, but the illness showed no improvement. Those royal physicians had the bad luck of catching the Epidemic Disease and died on their way home.

The truth behind the outsider incident in Audiya Town was not that the royal physicians brought the Epidemic Disease to Audiya Town, but that the disease actually came from Albert Castle.

Little Miller was the source of the Epidemic Disease in the Aodia Region!

Back then, Baron Albert was afraid this scandal would damage the Albert Family’s reputation in the Aodia Region, so he chose to cover up the truth. Also, the Mysterious Power that had been helping Audiya Town hide the Epidemic Disease situation was actually Albert Castle.

However, the dismissive looks on the Albert Family members’ faces soon turned to surprise. Shortly after drinking the milky-white liquid, the little boy’s face gained a faint rosy color. Though it didn’t look much different from before, everyone could tell the milky-white medicine Qin Lun had given him was working.

Sitting by the bed, Qin Lun secretly sighed in relief. He gently laid the little boy down, stood up, and motioned for everyone to leave Miller’s room.

“Doctor Stan, how is Little Miller?” As soon as they left the room, the most impatient Bonnie spoke up. Compared to last night, the blond young man’s tone held a bit of respect now.

“Baron, please prepare a quiet room. I have some questions for you!” Qin Lun ignored Bonnie, frowned, and looked at the old Baron with clear displeasure.

Strangely, Qin Lun’s somewhat rude attitude didn’t make the Albert Family members present feel offended. Instead, they all looked a bit embarrassed, as if feeling guilty and unable to meet the young doctor’s eyes.

A short while later, Old Butler Jason led everyone to a large meeting room in the castle. After the servants prepared some black tea and pastries for everyone, including Old Butler Jason and Frank, they all left the room. Only Qin Lun and the Albert Family members remained.

An odd silence filled the room. But now, Qin Lun, who had asked for the talk, didn’t say anything. He slowly sipped his tea, his expression calm as he watched the people before him.

Qin Lun wasn’t the kind of person who could talk endlessly or crush others with sharp words. But as a master of psychology, he was growing quickly and getting better at controlling situations. Through the earlier treatment, he had shown he could restore Little Miller’s health, so he naturally had the right to take the lead in the conversation.

Qin Lun could see how important the Albert Family members considered Little Miller. The Albert Family had few descendants and was located in a remote part of the Maize Duchy, so they couldn’t find nobles of matching status for marriage. Little Miller was currently the family’s only third-generation heir. For both public and private reasons, the Albert Family couldn’t give up on the little one.

If Qin Lun didn’t use this chance to learn some important information, he would have wasted all that time putting on a show.

The two men of the Albert Family, Thomas Albert and Bonnie Albert, had changing expressions but remained silent for a long time. Though Qin Lun hadn’t spoken yet, they knew what the doctor might ask. And there were some inside details they didn’t want to, and couldn’t, reveal.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Laura looked angrily at her father and brother and was the first to break the silence. This beautiful young lady loved her little nephew Miller the most. As long as there was any hope of the boy recovering, she would do anything.

“Respected Doctor Stan, how is Little Miller’s condition?”

“He has been sick for over a year. Don’t you understand his illness by now?” Qin Lun’s eyes glinted, and he put down his cup. He had to answer this question, and he also wanted to provoke the Albert Family members a bit. “I really doubt if he’s even part of your family. That room was always filled with Epidemic Disease. It’s like you were trying to kill him!”

“No, that’s not it!” Bonnie exclaimed, getting agitated.

“Ah, let me explain,” the old Baron finally sighed, his tone heavy. “Since Doctor Stan has the ability to cure Miller, he has the right to know the whole story of this matter.”

Anyone, not just a doctor, could see that Little Miller had been ill and bedridden for a long time. Qin Lun guessed correctly—the source of the Epidemic Disease in the Aodia Region was Little Miller.

Little Miller had caught this Epidemic Disease over a year ago. Baron Albert claimed not to know the cause. Over the past year, the Albert Family had tried everything, buying all kinds of rare medicines at high prices, and even asking the Duke of Maize to send royal physicians to treat Little Miller, but nothing worked.

In the early stages of Little Miller’s illness, the disease wasn’t so terrifyingly contagious. Only those who touched him directly had a chance of getting infected. The several royal physicians and some servants in the castle died because of this. Strangely, the other Albert Family members were immune to the infection.

However, more than a year later, the Epidemic Disease had mutated. The outbreak in Audiya Town a month ago was actually brought there by a maid from Albert Castle who cleaned Little Miller’s room.

At that time, no one knew that the disease from Little Miller had mutated to spread through the air. Several local doctors from Audiya Town, who were invited to treat patients, died because of this.

After that, the castle’s upper levels stopped letting servants handle the work. Even the cleaning of Little Miller’s room was given entirely to Miss Laura. Except for Albert Family members, no outsiders could get close to Little Miller anymore.

As for closing the doors and windows of Little Miller’s room, it was to prevent the Epidemic Disease from spreading. If it spread, it could cause an outbreak across the entire Aodia Region. The Albert Family saw themselves as the guardians of the Aodia Region, so they naturally couldn’t let that happen.

“Doctor Stan, since you have a way to cure the Epidemic Disease, of course we won’t isolate the little one anymore!” the old Baron asked cautiously. “The medicine you used earlier seemed very effective on Little Miller. I wonder if it can completely cure this Epidemic Disease?”

Leaning back in his chair, Qin Lun’s eyes flickered slightly. The old Baron’s explanation almost satisfied what a doctor needed to know about a patient’s medical history. But he wasn’t an ordinary doctor. This half-true, half-false explanation only confirmed some of his guesses.

To be precise, it wasn’t the truth about the Epidemic Disease or the real secrets of the Albert Family that he wanted to know.

Little Miller caught the Epidemic Disease over a year ago. Stephen Albert died over a year ago! What was the connection between these two events?

What exactly happened over a year ago?

If the other Albert Family members were immune to the Epidemic Disease, then why did Little Miller catch it?

How did Stephen die?

And what about the “Please save us” on that strange letter in his room last night?

Interesting, really fascinating! Qin Lun’s lips curved up slightly. This family and castle seemed shrouded in layers of mist. His big gamble earlier was definitely worth it.

Actually, the liquid Qin Lun had given Little Miller earlier was a complete gamble. It wasn’t medicine at all, nor was it World Tree Dew. It was just an experimental product he had refined at the Katharine Inn.

From the moment he entered this world, from his experiences with Frank, at the Stan building, and with Morrison whom he had cured, Qin Lun had reached a conclusion.

That was, World Tree Dew and the Epidemic Disease virus were two substances with completely opposite properties. In other words, if the nature of World Tree Dew was “life,” then the nature of this Epidemic Disease virus was “death.” The two were natural enemies and couldn’t coexist.

Once an ordinary person caught the Epidemic Disease, the vitality of their organs and cells would be devoured by the virus. This devouring was a bit like how cancer cells attack normal cells, causing irreparable damage to the body and eventually leading to the patient’s death.

Though Qin Lun didn’t have modern medical equipment, while examining Little Miller, he vaguely made a discovery and came up with a guess that even he found a bit far-fetched.

He found that the Albert Family did have immunity to this Epidemic Disease. The reason Little Miller had survived until now was that his immune system had reached a symbiotic relationship with the disease.

Now it could be said that Little Miller was the host of the Epidemic Disease virus. The two lived and died together. Leaving it alone was fine, but if the virus were removed, Little Miller would be close to death.

As for the milky-white medicine Qin Lun had given Little Miller to drink earlier…