The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 1009 Ch.1008 Disease Tide
The disease is spreading faster than anyone imagined.

Roland spent the next two days traveling around town, informing each of his friends to stay home and avoid contact with the sick—which was indeed difficult for Randolph or Deloz.

'If you don't want to end up like a flea that's been satiated with blood and then crushed.'

Deloz was surprisingly obedient to Roland in this regard, saying she was willing to obey Roland's 'orders' no matter what happened—Randolph was much less so.

He complained to Roland, saying that the court was overstepping its bounds. Even the Queen shouldn't restrict the personal freedom of an imperial citizen: how much tax does he pay for the country each year?
But ever since he heard Roland say that the 'confinement' did not come from the Imperial Government, or the Holy Cross, or the Inquisition, but was merely a product of his own observations…

He accepted it with unusual calm.

'Because I trust my friends more than those gentlemen who are planning to start taxing the sun this year… It just so happens that I can spend some quality time with Beatrice now—you can come and stay at our house, Roland.'

Roland refused.

He planned to stay home and keep a close watch on Yam and his uncle—he was worried they were 'disobedient'.

Coincidentally.

Yam thought the same way and knew exactly how to 'act' to make Roland worry about her, having Harida or himself stand guard at the villa's main entrance all day: to old Collins, an observer, the mother and son seemed to be playing a foolish game that they both knew about but didn't say a word about…

(Of course, it was Roland who was foolish.)
Fernandes followed Enid's suggestion and notified every executive officer in London, whether on duty or not—and then, within two days…

Roland spotted the 'Purgers' wearing bird-beak masks on the street.

They are not doctors.

They were a group of inspectors from the Bureau of Supervision and patrol officers, dispatched to "clean up" the streets—specifically to arrest those drunk, unsteady, and swollen-faced poor souls who were oblivious to their own condition. They would hit them on the back of the head with wooden sticks, tie their hands and feet with ropes covered with coarse barbs, and put sacks over their heads.

The citizens finally began to panic.

Some older people, or those who had enjoyed listening to their parents' nagging since childhood, suddenly became alert.

The prices of drinks and bread in the shops skyrocketed as citizens frantically bought them up—gentlemen in the West District spared no expense, sending people to other areas to compete with the poor for food, even paying double the price.

This competition has undoubtedly incubated monsters within the souls of some merchants: they have begun to consciously raise prices.

They said the roads outside London were ravaged by mudslides or bandits, that there were constant storms at sea, and that the Empire demanded this and that—the bread went from one penny to two pennies, to three. Soon, it went from pennies to shillings.

What you can buy for the same price on ordinary days becomes smaller and lower quality over time—Roland even heard from Harida that some vendors have started mixing sawdust into their bread.

This is the West District, not some small workshop in the East District.

How dare they do this?
"That's why I told you, what are merchants? These people will definitely go to hell after they die."

Old Collins was furious.

Roland was simply astonished by the foolishness of these people: Didn't they understand what would happen to them once the disaster was over?

“No one thinks about the future suffering when they’re enjoying themselves, you silly girl. When you’ve seen enough people, you’ll understand that we’re just some smarter and greedier beasts…” Yam said, using one hand to straighten Halida’s face and help her sit up.

She is combing Halida's hair.

In recent days, for well-known reasons, Yam, who considers herself 'wicked', did not allow Roland to go out and buy food. Instead, she only let Harida lead the maids to the streets and spend half a day renting carriages to travel back and forth between the few remaining markets in London.

They bought enough food and water for them to eat and drink for three months.

Especially Halida.

She also asked the other party to deliver letters for Roland, back and forth between the West End and the courthouse many times.

In short, Roland was not allowed to leave the house.

Yam Jones was reluctant to let his children take risks, so he only let Harida and the maids do the running around.

Then, he instructed those who had left the villa to move to the neighboring villa, Roland's villa, where someone would deliver lunch and dinner to their door every day, and they were not allowed to have any contact with old Collins and little Roland without permission—Harida's behavior surprised Jam.

She pulled out a gleaming curved knife from somewhere and told the slightly disgruntled maids and servants: either obediently come with her to Roland's villa, stay for two or three months, and you'll get a whole year's wages...

Or, let your neck spar with her blade.

After Harida easily chopped the log into neat pieces with her scimitar, the servants all said they were more than willing.

I'd be happy to stay here for two years.

After Harida led the servants to another villa, Yam felt uneasy.

She believed she had done something 'bad'.

She's becoming more and more like a harsh mother in a stage play.

So Roland had to spend time comforting Jam, who was being sarcastic about how old Collins couldn't take care of his wife—and almost got beaten up in the process.

Two or three days later, Harida, who was perfectly normal, was brought back to life by Yam.

—She herself did not think there was anything wrong with Yam Jones's actions. In such a terrible disaster, even if Yam did not say anything, Harida would have thought of Roland first and protected her master's safety.

of course.

What she considered 'ordinary' could cause Jam Jones immense torment.

"Master, did I do something wrong?" The silver-eyed dog was getting annoyed with Yam's attitude: she had never combed her hair, asked her how she was doing, or talked to her for an entire afternoon.

Am I going to be fired?

Mr. Collins... should speak up for her, right?

“Yam is blaming himself, Halida.”

"Blaming yourself...? Why, sir?"

“Because you’re just a girl, Halida. If you’re unlucky enough to get sick, you’ll swell up all over with pustules, vomit up feces from your intestines, have green pus oozing from your eyes, your fingers and toes rot away, and you’ll emanate an unbearable—”

"gentlemen!"

The maid glared at her and scolded her. She knew her husband would cause trouble whenever he had free time.

but.

Harida still didn't quite understand Yam's 'delicate' feelings: in her view, if they were really in great danger and had to choose between Yam Jones, Roland Collins, and herself... she would probably kill Yam Jones and protect Roland as they fled to other cities.

Yam is useless.

He was just an ordinary person, a burden.

And she can contribute even more to her master in the next disaster…

She thought so.

But they wouldn't say it like that.

She understood what Yam meant to Roland…

I also hope that day will never come.

(End of this chapter)