Succubus' Manor

Mei was standing in an alley not far from the Holy Court. She was wearing a coarse cloth skirt and had messy red hair. Her feet were in the sewage, and she was tiptoeing to squeeze into the crowd. She wanted to go to the Holy Court, even if Just kneeling before the Holy Spirit and praying is better than waiting to die.

It's just that Mei is too thin, she squeezed in and was squeezed out again and again. Her dress, which was clean at first, was covered with black ash and stains, and the uppers of her shoes and her legs were splashed with sewage.

Just when Mei was anxiously looking around, not knowing what to do, someone beside her suddenly grabbed her wrist.

A familiar male voice rang in Mei's ear: "Follow me."

Mei could only involuntarily be pulled into the crowd by the man.

The man's name is Yarlin, and he was born on the same street as May. Their father was a carpenter, and they made a living by making tables, chairs, benches, desks and wardrobes. They had already prepared the money and planned to get married in the spring of next year.

Yaerlin studied with his father since he was a child, and now he is a qualified carpenter.

It's just that they haven't waited for the spring, and they haven't waited for their marriage. The fathers of both sides died of the plague, and the mothers were also infected with the plague. Mei also had an older brother who was also infected with the plague.

Two families who were originally well-to-do suddenly lost their homes, and the food in the city became more and more expensive, but no matter how expensive it was, they still had to buy it, and the money in the family had bottomed out. Now their only hope is to pray for the Holy Spirit bless them.

Yarlin tightly grasped Mei's wrist, he pushed through the crowd and let Mei stand in front of him.

They are like rootless duckweed, they can only drift with the crowd.

Finally, they squeezed into the holy courtyard before sunset. There was a lot of noise outside, but the holy courtyard was very quiet. It seemed that all worldly sufferings were shut outside the gate of the holy courtyard. Mei stepped on the stone floor of the holy courtyard. She looked around, He showed an expression that didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

The prayer teacher suddenly appeared in front of them, and Mei and Yarlin hurriedly saluted the unfamiliar prayer teacher.

The prayer teacher looked at them sadly, and Mei and Yarlin tightly held each other's hands nervously.

The prayer teacher didn't say anything to them, but asked them to wash their hands in the basin next to them, and then went to pray in front of the statue of the Holy Spirit.

Neither Mei nor Yarlin dared to speak, and the only way for them to communicate was through their eyes.

The holy courtyard can only accommodate more than 100 people at a time, but they are not picky about the people who come in. Whether they are poor or rich, they are treated equally. If you want to come in, you have to squeeze.

When Mei and Yarlin were about to go to pray, the person who had just met them suddenly stood on the high platform and said: "People who are infected with the plague and those whose family members are infected with the plague, come here."

People raised their heads blankly, but they still walked down the high platform obediently.

After the prayer teacher called people over, he stepped back from the high platform.

People in the audience dare not speak.

Mei swallowed, not knowing why, she felt that this was probably the most tense moment in her life, and also the most important moment.

A man walked up the steps.

From Mei's point of view, the man was not very tall, and his body was not considered strong, even a little thin. As the man walked up to the high platform, she finally saw the side face of the man. His skin was white and his lips were very thin. Bo, he was looking at the people under the stage with his eyes slightly lowered.

May felt as if she had stopped breathing.

Not because of how good-looking the other party is, but because of the noble and sympathetic attitude of the other party towards them, unreachable, gentle and thin, but thin is not weak.

The person standing on the stage was Chi Yan.

He originally wanted Pertram to distribute the pills in the name of the Holy Court, but he turned around and thought - this is not right, wouldn't it mean that all the credit should be given to the Holy Court?Originally, the Holy Court caused him a lot of trouble, and he still wants to repay his grievances with virtue?Still such a great virtue?

So he came in person.

Chi Yan felt that what he did was like winning people's hearts, but it was better to have people's hearts than to have none.

"I'm not from the Holy Court." Chi Yan's voice was neither high nor low, just enough for everyone to hear and hear clearly.

Chi Yan: "But I have a way to save you from the plague."

Chi Yan's voice was gentle, and his eyes were full of compassion: "The Holy Court and the Holy Spirit can't save you, but I can."

People stared at him bewilderedly.

Chi Yan's voice gradually became weaker: "Stay where you are and don't move, someone will deliver the pills to you and tell you how to take them."

He clasped his hands together: "May Heavenly Mother bless you."

Since the people in the manor can quickly convert to Tianmu, there is no reason why the people here can't.

Chi Yan didn't have the audacity to portray himself as a new god.

Not necessary is one aspect, and lack of time and energy is another aspect.

The people in the audience didn't know who Tianmu was, or even her legend. They only vaguely felt that this was probably a god, but not the Holy Spirit.

Just after their eyes followed Chi Yan and watched Chi Yan leave the high platform, Kadi came out from the small door with a tray full of pills. He gently told this person how to take the pills, and divided them into pieces. give them.

When it was Mei's turn, Mei summoned up her courage and said, "My lord, my mother is infected with the plague, and she also needs..."

She thought that the other party would not give it to her, but the young man with blond hair put the pill in her hand with a smile on his face: "Tianmu will bless your mother."

Mei was the last one, because she could ask a few more questions: "But my mother never believed in Tianmu..."

Blonde man: "The Heavenly Mother forgives the world, everyone is her child, and the mother will not save her child just because the child does not believe in her."

Mei was shocked—it turns out that if you don’t believe in God, will God protect people?

This is the first time she has heard this statement!

The blond man gave her another fatal blow: "If a god is willing to protect people only if he needs something, is he a god or a businessman?"

Mei looked up at the other party in a daze, her brain could no longer process the information.

Arlin stood beside Mei, holding her hand. The two young men listened to the blond man's words in a daze, and then left the holy courtyard through the back door.

Mei couldn't wait to run home with pills in her pocket.

They ran down the road together, occasionally turning their heads and looking into each other's eyes.

"Can this meatball really cure my mother?" Mei asked in a low voice while running, she was afraid of being heard by people on the side of the road, what if the meatball was snatched away?

Arlin: "At least try, it's better than nothing."

May: "Is there really a Tianmu? Is she a goddess?"

Yarlin: "It should be a goddess, right? Male gods are not so generous."

Although the Holy Spirit has no gender, most people still think that the Holy Spirit is a man—because he always likes to get angry, and many people will die when he loses his temper, and it is said that many male Holy Spirits are warlike, bloodthirsty, and moody.

The female gods are relatively gentle. Although they will kill many people when they are angry, the number of deaths cannot be compared with the male gods. Moreover, there are many pure and good gods among the female gods.

It's just that although there are many people killed by male gods, the scope of protection is wider, so the number of people who believe in goddesses is particularly small.

People are very pragmatic.

Mei smiled and said, “You can’t say that, be careful that the Holy Spirit will punish you.”

Yarlin: "I'm not afraid. If the Holy Spirit would punish me, he would have already punished me."

After all, the two of them only go to church once a year, so they cannot be regarded as loyal believers.

If according to the scriptures, all people who do not believe in the Holy Spirit will die, then they will not be alive now.

Especially in this plague, didn't the pious also die?

Mei pushed open the door. Her father's property was almost spent, but this house was the last support of their mother and daughter. This house was well repaired. Her father would always repair the broken house when he was alive. place, so after so many years, the house is still not leaking wind or rain.

She carried her skirt and ran to the second floor and got into her mother's room.

"Mei." The mother has not completely lost consciousness. She wants to sit up, but she has no strength in her body. She is only in her 40s, but her gray hair is premature. She looks like a grandmother.

"Where have you been?" Mother asked her weakly, tilting her head.

Mei went to pour a glass of water: "I went to the Holy Court."

Mother smiled: "The Holy Spirit will not save me, I am not devout enough, and ungodly people cannot be saved."

Mei took out the pill, dissolved it in warm water, and stirred it with a wooden spoon to speed up the melting.

"It's not the Holy Spirit, I saw a lord in the Holy Court!" Mei said, "That's a lord... who looks like a god! He doesn't have a fat face, nor a big belly, he looks like Servant of God!"

This is an extremely high evaluation, after all, the Saint Dean is only the servant of the Holy Spirit.

Mei brought the water glass to her mother's mouth: "Mom, drink it quickly, the adult gave it to us."

Mother swallowed hard, and slowly drank the glass of medicine.

Mei took the water glass away, and after making sure that there was not a single drop of potion left in it, she relaxed a lot: "This is the medicine that Heavenly Mother gave us."

Mother asked confusedly, "Tianmu?"

Mei: "It's a goddess! Although I don't know who she is, she must be a kind goddess."

Mother said blankly: "But we didn't believe her..."

Mei whispered: "The adult who gave us the medicine told me that Tianmu is the mother of people, and she will not protect us just because we don't believe in her! Mom, just like you treat me, don't you just because I sometimes mess with you?" Are you angry and don't love me?"

Mother looked at her lovingly: "Of course not, you are a gift from heaven to me."

Mei grabbed her mother's hand. When she was young, she felt that her mother's palm was broad and strong. Now that she was grown up, she realized that her mother was so thin and weak.

Her father was gone, and it was her turn to take on the heavy responsibility and take care of her mother.

"So Heavenly Mother will definitely protect us." Mei said confidently, "She is not as stingy as the Holy Spirit."

Mother: "Don't say that."

Mei: "Originally, forget it, I'm going to do the laundry, mom, you can sleep for a while."

Mother closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

In addition to May and Yarlin, many other people and families have been given medicine.

Chi Yan worked so hard for a month before distributing all the medicines.

In addition to distributing medicine, there are many other things that he needs to do. The special grain street has been prepared. At the original largest market, Chi Yan asked carpenters in the city to build a door panel room. It's not very soundproof, and it's not very safe, but it can shelter from wind and rain. Compared with the previous open-air market, I don't know how much better it is.

Brian quickly selected two shops, the best and the largest.

Merchants who still had food in the city were afraid to come out at first.

After all, no one knows what will happen this winter.

But the first person stood up, and the others followed, lest others take advantage of it, but they did not take it. Although the goods must be placed within five days, the above did not say how much to put, so they took advantage of it. After paving, only some soybeans and wheat mixed with a lot of wheat bran are sold every day.

Not bad business.

Soybeans and wheat laced with bran sold for the price of pure wheat.

After the merchants got the sweetness, they began to try their best to contact their friends who had food in their hands. If they got a lot of goods, their friends would naturally be surprised.

"Isn't Stettin plagued by plague?" His friend delivered the food himself this time. He felt that there must be a big business opportunity this time, and he must not miss it.

Fortunately, the local businessman also knew that he couldn't earn much by himself, so he told the whole story about Grain Street.

"The adults above built a grain street, which can only be used to sell grain." The local businessman asked his servant to move the grain to his car, and then took his friend to the grain street.

Friends have been here before, and he would also set up a stall here in previous years. Not to mention paying taxes every day, guards often come to blackmail them. Compared with what they earn, they find that they only earn a little money after hard work.

The local businessman lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "There is no tax or rent, and the guards will not reach out to us for money."

The friend's eyes widened: "How is this possible?!"

The local businessman smiled and said, "How is that impossible? If it wasn't for this, I wouldn't be selling grain."

The friend swallowed: "How is the food price here?"

The local businessman proudly said: "I can sell soybeans for the price of wheat!"

Grain merchants don't make much money in peacetime. After all, there are merchants selling grain everywhere. The risk of selling grain is the lowest. Although the income is small, it is safe. So hearing such a large profit, friends can't help but be jealous.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" The friend said, "I only have food, but I don't have much money!"

The local businessman quickly coaxed: "I didn't believe it at first, but now I see that there are no taxes or rents, and there are no guards asking for money, so I told you."

Friends also know that now is not the time to turn against each other, so they ask: "Then what should I do?"

Local businessman: "It's easy!"

He stretched out his hand and pointed to a temporary wooden house: "Just go there and register, there are still vacant shops."

The friend immediately ran over to the small wooden house.

The person sitting in the wooden room is Kurt. He is a demon, but he is not so demon-like. He is considered a "lazy" person among the demons. He is unwilling to do heavy work, so he went to work in the kindergarten and followed the children We learned to write together.

So when Cardi Teng couldn't make a move, Chi Yan could only send him over to register with the merchant.

The friend ran to the wooden house, and when he saw the person sitting inside, he almost screamed and ran away.

Fortunately, he held back, and tremblingly said to this strange-looking man: "My lord... I am here to register. My friend said that the shop here does not charge rent or tax..."

Kurt yawned and stuffed a hard candy into his mouth: "Yes."

He took out a piece of paper, then raised his pen again: "What's your name?"

The friend said happily: "My lord, my name is Kaixi!"

Kurt: "Where are you from?"

Friend: "I'm from Ban Yas!"

Kurt nodded, then asked the other party's age, and then asked the other party to open his mouth: "Let me see how many teeth you have."

Kathy didn't know why, but she opened her mouth obediently. After counting all the other's teeth, Kurt asked, "What birthmark do you have?"

Kathy hesitated and said, "My lord, there is a red mole on my butt."

Kurt asked carefully: "Is it on the left or the right, up or down?"

After asking all the questions clearly, Kurt put away the paper full of words and said to Kathy: "The eighth shop on the left is empty, you can go."

Kathy didn't expect it to be so simple!

It's so easy!

He thought he was dreaming, and even pinched his thigh. After confirming that he felt the pain, he walked towards the shop he was assigned with a dreamy face.

After Kathy left, Kurt threw another candy into his mouth. At the beginning, no one asked him to register for several days. Now people come over every day. Nearly two hundred shops are already half full. .

This speed Kurt felt very fast.

But Chi Yan felt that it was still too late.

When he finished eating, he said to Kleist: "If the two hundred shops can't be filled in half a month, the winter will be difficult."

Chi Yan thought more and more, and his thoughts became more and more mature. Sometimes Kleist had to ask him before he knew what he was going to do.

Kleist asked: "Those merchants sell the grain at a high price."

Chi Yan took a mouthful of bread and said vaguely, "I know."

Kleist: "In winter, people in the city can't even afford food."

Chi Yan swallowed the mouthful of bread: "No way, I have to coax the merchants here with a profit that is several times higher than the outside market. Only when there are more merchants and there is competition among them can I sell the food lower prices."

"I don't allow a businessman to occupy several shops because of this." Chi Yan took a sip of water, "When there are too many people, there will be competition between each other, and there will always be bad relations."

Chi Yan said with a smile: "I will win over the side with fewer people and ask them to lower the price of food, and I will make up for the difference."

Naturally, the other side will be impatient and take the initiative to lower the food price, and then he will cancel the supplement.

Only when the market is balanced can people afford to buy food.

Under his instructions, the Holy Court has already made miscellaneous noodles and miscellaneous grain paste to support the poor. There is still a lot of food in the Holy Court, and Chi Yan can only hope that before the stock of the Holy Court bottoms out, more people can be attracted. There are many grain merchants, as for other merchants-whether love comes or not.

Many non-grain merchants in the city are sighing.

Such a good opportunity to make a fortune, is it necessary to let it pass by like this? !

"Father!" The freckled young man stood in front of his shop and blocked his father's way. "What are you doing?! Winter is coming, and only in winter can you sell blankets at a high price! And these pots!"

His father waved his son away and asked the clerk to remove the things in the store. He had already negotiated with the merchants from other places. He exchanged these blankets, clay pots, and silver for food. The other party knew that there was a plague in this city and dared not Come in, so they trade out of town.

"What do you know?" The young man's father didn't bother with his son, "Get out of the way, this is a good opportunity to make a fortune!"

Since the market was rebuilt, he often went to the market, watching the grain merchants sell a bag of soybeans for the money that can buy a blanket, he couldn't turn a blind eye.

So much money, so many copper coins.

It flows into the grain merchant's pocket like water.

Which businessman in this world can refuse such a temptation?

Nothing is as good as the yellow copper coins I saw with my own eyes.

The young man stepped on his feet: "Dad!"

Businessman: "Shut up! People who don't know think you are my father!"

He asked the buddy to ship the things out quickly, so that the other party couldn't wait to come into the city. If he let the other party know that the shops in this city don't charge money or tax, how can he get food in exchange?

The young man couldn't persuade his father. Their family had always been in the business of buying and selling groceries, blankets, clay pots, wooden basins, etc. In the best years of business, the family could still sell cloth.

He thought his father was just dazzled by temporary benefits.

But he couldn't persuade him, so he could only go out of the city with the convoy. He secretly hid under the sackcloth, only showing a pair of eyes.

His father never thought of it—he tried his best to keep the people who exchanged grain with him from knowing what was going on in the city.

In the end, he was sold by this cheating son.

Of course the food was not replaced.

The merchant went into the city at that time, went to the market, registered, and dragged the goods to the shop in front of him.

While unloading, a man who looked as strange as the registrar came to him and asked him, "Do you want to rent a warehouse? This shop is made of wooden planks and is not strong. What if it is stolen?"

Renting a warehouse is not expensive, only ten copper coins a month.

The merchant rented it very generously—it was only ten copper coins, and a bag of beans here can be sold for twenty copper coins.

But for Chi Yan, although the money for renting out the warehouse was small, it was a harvest anyway. He was also very anxious because he could only go in and out for so many days.

After the last shop was registered, Chi Yan finally felt relieved.

Before the heavy snow fell, the merchants tried their best to get grain from outside. Carloads of grain were transported into the city, filling up the warehouses, and merchants asked to rent warehouses every day.

These grains are the basis for the survival of the people in the city this winter.

No one knew better than Chi Yan.

He looked at the estimate of the food portion in the Kadi newspaper, and gave Kleist a bright smile.

"That's enough."

Winter is finally not synonymous with hunger and death.