"It's getting late, you should go home now. Your family has probably been waiting for you for a long time."
The sun had long since set, and night had once again enveloped the world. The guests who had participated in the coming-of-age ceremony were temporarily staying in the palace's guest rooms.
From above, many points of light were moving around in the royal city; some were swarms of fireflies from Firefly Island, and others were the pupils of cats.
These cats aren't domesticated pets; they can't even catch mice.
They are so clever that they can pilot mechs. Although they don't have Blitz's precision, this ability already puts them ahead of some humans who are not good at hand-eye coordination.
Cats are crepuscular animals, and dawn and dusk are the best times for them to hunt. These moving lights are just some of the cats that are working the night shift.
"Thank you for your concern. I'll take my leave now."
Since Oran had said so, Tezzolo naturally had no reason to linger any longer and turned to go home.
"Remember to report to Brand tomorrow; he'll tell you what to do next."
Actually, Tezzolo had already returned a couple of days ago, otherwise he wouldn't have had time to change into his formal attire and come here. However, these few days together felt very short compared to the years he had been busy away from home.
Without much delay, Tezzolo took the last bus back to his residence.
Shortly after Tesoro left, a ghost emerged from the wall behind Oran, waving its limbs to express some idea to Oran.
Aside from Perona's Spirit-Spirit Fruit, there's nothing else that could create such a thing, and the ghost was clearly acting on Perona's orders.
After some rather unprofessional sign language, it successfully got Oran to keep up with it.
In a huge room, the sound of arguing could be heard.
"Don't run! You drew on my face! I'm going to draw it back!"
"Hehe~ No way! Who told you to fall asleep while I was singing!"
"Isn't what you're singing a lullaby? Doesn't that make your skills seem even better?"
"But this time I'm singing my own new song!"
In the empty living room, Perona chased after Uta with a paintbrush in her hand. Singing was Uta's greatest hobby, and recently she had even been trying to write songs.
Having not undergone much systematic learning, she had only a superficial understanding of music theory, and what she produced were just some scattered fragments, but they sounded pretty good thanks to her musical sense.
Frankenstein and Leriana are usually quite busy, while 9-year-old Perona seems quite relaxed and is also one of Uta's listeners.
However, Perona sometimes chooses to "slack off." For example, today she didn't want to listen to Uta sing, but she didn't want to refuse her either. In the end, she activated her soul clone when Uta wasn't paying attention.
That's part of the Spirit-Spirit Fruit's power, which allows a self-aware spirit to separate from the body, and it's not much different from an out-of-body experience.
Perona had been half-lying on a bear plush toy, letting her body play with Uta, but her mind was elsewhere.
The soul clones she creates, like negative ghosts, can fly freely and pass through obstacles.
This was a skill she had only recently acquired, and Uta was unaware of it. In Uta's view, it was just Perona sleeping.
For someone who loves music, it's undoubtedly very unpleasant to have someone fall asleep while listening to their songs. Even a chubby guy would be bloated if he saw that, and then this happened.
Uta isn't a physical monster like Leliana; under normal circumstances, Perona could catch her. However, Uta now has a mobile singing platform and is exceptionally skilled at using the "Qin King Circling the Pillar" technique, ultimately leading Perona to seek outside help—calling her father.
However, Oran didn't reprimand anyone; instead, he joined in the farce. It wasn't a matter of principle, so a little fuss would resolve everything.
Early the next morning, Kate brought the equipment book that Oran had stored in the warehouse to the hospital.
Although Oran gave her plenty of time, she still wanted to get this done as soon as possible.
Normally, people wouldn't be at work by this time, but hospitals are clearly not in that category; the emergency room is already bustling with activity.
People don't get sick according to textbooks, and they don't get sick based on holidays or work schedules.
This place is open all year round, and it's impossible for people in the same department to take a vacation at the same time.
As the hospital's director, Crocus was already the most leisurely one, but he would still appear in his office to clock in at this time. If there weren't any patients that required his attention, he would soon return to Whale Harbor to bask in the sun.
The order came from Oran, so it was carried out smoothly. Once everything in the hospital was up and running, an announcement was issued.
[By order of the King of Oran, 100 medical personnel are needed for a humanitarian relief operation. We urge you to volunteer.]
"100 people? What is His Majesty Oran planning?"
"I don't know, and it didn't specify which department it should be. That's too vague, isn't it?"
While ordinary people were discussing it, Crocus was already explaining the details in the conference room.
"Frevans, is that platinum lead disease? That's a serious infectious disease."
"This place is far from the North Sea, it shouldn't affect us, so why is King Oran doing this?"
"Quiet, first of all, let me make one thing clear: platinum lead disease is not contagious. Secondly, His Majesty Oran has already conquered this disease, and His Majesty Oran will personally lead this operation."
After the meeting, I explained this to everyone and asked them to select a list of volunteers as soon as possible. And then I was here learning how to use the new equipment.
Instead of a lengthy, pointless speech, Kurokas got straight to the point.
"Although this is a volunteer trip, your salary will still be paid during your absence. You don't need to worry about food and lodging. Just consider it a publicly funded trip to Beihai. Is there any other problem?"
Doctors are human too. Platinum lead poisoning is portrayed as a terrifying disease, and they are also afraid of it.
But if the disease has been cured, then it won't have any impact.
As a recipient of the Iberian Medal, Oran is considered an authority in the medical field. Since he said so, others naturally believed him.
Moreover, Oran himself would be going there by ship; if the disease were so dangerous, why would Oran himself go?
With safety guaranteed, this trip seems to have truly become a publicly funded vacation.
The slots were eventually allocated equally, and the medical staff were basically ready, but some people were in for a tough time.
"well."
"Brand, why are you sighing?"
At the port, Brand watched the Power Gear disappear off the coastline, then let out a long sigh, which puzzled Tesoro.
"You'll understand later. His Majesty Oran told me about your mission. Let me confirm first, your heart is fine, right?"
"I am in good health, and I have already submitted my medical examination report."
"Very good. I hope you can maintain this in the future. Piltover is very profitable, but maintaining the development of this behemoth is a money-burning process at every step."
"Speaking of which, this is only the second time I've sailed on this ship since it was built."
"Yes, the last one was the World Conference, and the rest of the time Meow has been leading the team on missions."
After departing from the port, the Power Gear headed towards Reverse Mountain. Flevance is in the North Sea, and to reach the North Sea from the first half of the Grand Line, one must cross the Red Line.
Because Firefly Island is closer to the entrance, this was chosen as the crossing point.
Once the ship reached its designated location, Project Shiki activated the power of the Blue Blood created from the Golden Lion's blood, causing the ship to take flight and easily cross the crimson continent. During this process, the other passengers on board exclaimed in surprise.
"So this ship can actually fly?"
"I heard it's His Majesty Oran's work, so it makes sense."
Not to mention the volunteers sent by the hospital, even the soldiers on the ship were seeing the ship fly for the first time. Oran was not going to explain the specifics of Project Shiki to everyone.
While flying over the Red Earth, a new compass was installed in the captain's cabin, so that the traditional compass could continue to function once they reached the four seas.
The Power Gear was taking a shortcut, but even so, it still took quite a while to get from the Grand Line to Flevans.
When the Power Gear arrived near Flevans, it was early 1506, and the crew spent the New Year on board.
As time went on, the situation in Frevans became increasingly chaotic.
Only the royal family of Flevance and the World Government knew the truth about platinum-lead disease. Neighboring countries were also confused about what had happened. The symptoms of those who died from platinum-lead disease were exactly the same, which instilled fear in them.
Whether by sea or land, all roads connecting Flevans to the outside world have been completely blocked.
"Halt! People from Flevans are prohibited from leaving the country!! Otherwise, they will be killed on sight!"
At the border fence, soldiers from other kingdoms, wearing gas masks, nervously watched those trying to break through.
These patients who wanted treatment were seen as sources of infection by them.
The soldiers didn't care whether they lived or died, as long as it didn't affect the outside world. With this in mind, most people felt no burden about firing their guns.
Flevans already had a large stockpile of lead bullets, but now that resources are scarce, they have rebelled in order to survive.
"Your Majesty! The men of Flevans are attacking the quarantine line!"
"action."
"yes!"
Originally, they were only blockading Flevans, and the surrounding kingdoms did not want to bear the infamy of massacre. Now that the people of Flevans have begun to resist, it has given them a reason to defend themselves.
Moreover, they believed that this was an infectious disease, and that the virus would disappear once all the people died.
Then the abundant platinum and lead in Frevans will be theirs.
The royal family of Flevans fled, but the kingdom's army remained, and relying on its stored weapons, a border war began.
However, the enemy of the Fryvanos was not a country, and the platinum lead disease had weakened their bodies, making it impossible for them to mount an effective resistance.
However, just as soldiers from various countries were preparing to completely eliminate these threats, the Power Gear arrived.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
There was no artillery fire, but the members of the power armored team had already completed their landing, their steel bodies blocking the bullets that had already left the barrel.
"This is the Piltover Rescue Team, ordered by King Oran to conduct humanitarian relief operations in Flevans. Please cease firing immediately. If you continue attacking, we will consider you the enemy and will no longer guarantee your safety!"
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