A Plague on Both Your Galleries
Chapter 63: Cough Cough, Pestilence Gallery (2)
“What do you mean the situation is serious?”
Could she know something about the flu patients rapidly popping up in the Demon Realm right now?
I sent a reply right away.
- Juddak) Are you talking about the disease going around right now?
- Spiny Lotus) That is correct, Juddak-nim. You already knew about it.
- Juddak) Yeah, for now. Because people around me suddenly came down with it.
- Spiny Lotus) I see... Then this will make our conversation quicker. I will get straight to the point. It seems the water in the Great Swamp, where we witches live in seclusion, has been contaminated.
“The water is contaminated?”
- Spiny Lotus) The witches who filtered and drank the swamp water fell ill, while the witches in the material gathering team who didn't drink it were perfectly fine. Based on that, we formed a hypothesis. When we made frogs and squirrels captured from the outside drink the swamp water, they showed similar symptoms.
“This is bad.”
First of all, it's a problem that the multi-talented witches are bedridden. But if the disease going around right now is a waterborne illness, it's an incredibly massive problem.
“This means spraying medicine around won't fix it.”
Without even knowing the exact name of the disease, just handing out broad-spectrum cold medicine wouldn't solve the root cause. What good does it do if they get better for a moment? If they drink the contaminated water and get infected again, they'll just end up sick all over again.
- Juddak) The issue is finding out where the source of contamination is. - Juddak) Hold on, let me dig through a map.
But trying to find the source of contamination...
“Wait, why are there so many?”
There are as many as five major rivers alone that flow into the Great Swamp. Smaller streams aren't even properly marked on the map, so there's no way to know which route the pathogens used to flow in. Only one of them could be the problem, all of them could be the problem, or perhaps only the Great Swamp itself is contaminated.
“Hmm...”
As I was agonizing over it for a long while, the fixed-nick 'Spiny Lotus' sent another message.
- Spiny Lotus) I am sorry to disturb you while you are pondering. - Spiny Lotus) But what if you first relay a few precautionary measures to the gallery? - Spiny Lotus) Because reckless things like this are currently taking place...
- Juddak) ??
- Spiny Lotus)[](https://singmagall/gallery/main/page=961854)
I checked the link she sent.
“Ah...”
I nearly lost consciousness on the spot.
“These absolute lunatics.”
[Title: Sick? Just don't be sick lol]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
(A photo with the shirt completely stripped off and only the face covered)
Do you feel like your body is aching? Does it hurt even when clothes brush against you? Then just don't wear clothes. Does it hurt when even the wind brushes past? Then just shut yourself in your room and stay still. Running a fever? Then just draw some water and jump in. What's so hard about that?
[Upvote: 5414] [Downvote: 5612]
[Comments]
* - That is correct, Ma-Bung!
* - Honestly, even if it hurts a bit, if you focus on gall-ing, you don't feel the pain, yeah.
* ㄴ Author) This is so true, lmao.
* ㄴ Let There Be Light) Please take some medicine, lie down quietly, and rest...
* ㄴ Author) Only beta males do that. I will NE! VER! take medicine!
* ㄴ Lmfaooooo
* ㄴ As expected, acting tough only to drop dead instantly is a true trait of a rando, lmao.
[Title: Does life end just because you're sick?]
[Author: Tomorrow's Farming King]
(A photo taken out in the fields)
It's because you guys do nothing but gall-ing in your rooms, yeah. Farming-bungs like me, who will starve to death tomorrow if we don't plow the fields today, don't even have the luxury to complain about being sick. This is entirely a matter of willpower, I say.
[Upvote: 568] [Downvote: 1302]
[Comments]
* - The Farming Emperor is seriously cool as fuck.
* ㄴ Author) Even if the Demon Realm perishes tomorrow, I shall pull up a single weed.
* ㄴ Then wouldn't you just bust your ass for months, fail to harvest, and die...?
* ㄴ Author) GAL!!!!! [TN: An exclamation of scolding]
* ㄴ Lmfaooooo
* - Fact) Whether you plow the field today or not, if you don't have food, you're going to starve starting tomorrow anyway.
* ㄴ Author) It's just a figure of speech, you piece of shit. Is your language proficiency for real?
* ㄴ Lmfaooooo
* ㄴ Is there actually an idiot getting cursed out for being stupid by the lowest-IQ farming-bung in Ma-Gall? Lmao.
* ㄴ The rando is seriously a dumb piece of shit, lmao.
* - Let There Be Light) Did you take any medicine?
* ㄴ Author) What medicine~ Something like this can be shaken right off if I work today~
* ㄴ Let There Be Light) .......
While many posts about being sick were uploaded, there were virtually no patients critical enough for their lives to be in danger. The way these gall-ers behaved showed they were humanly strong—no, demonly strong—itself.
“A world where the weak cannot survive.”
That was the Demon Realm.
Well, setting that aside.
“This kind of stuff is a bit much.”
[Title: You won't die just from a little fever!]
[Author: Black Orc]
(An Orc selfie boiling himself inside a piping hot hot spring)
You drive out heat with even greater heat!
[Upvote: 4] [Downvote: 5134]
[Comments]
* - Oh, what the fuck!
* - Buying eyes that haven't seen this, please...
* ㄴ If,,, you find,,, any eyes,,, please sell,,, your old ones,,, to me for cheap,,,
* ㄴ Oh, you boomer skeleton! Do you think he'd actually pluck out his eyes to sell them?!
* ㄴ You piece,,, of shit,,,
* - I need to go look at Juddak's lewd pics to cleanse my eyes.
* ㄴ Link please...
* ㄴ[](https://singmagall/gallery/main/page=6690037)
* ㄴ You absolute motherfucker, this is Troll Hag Hag_Hag!!!
* ㄴ Who told you to click it without even doubting it? Dumbass, lol.
* ㄴ Wow, holy shit; I was about to click it, but the sub-comment saved me.
* ㄴ Oh, fuck my life!
* ㄴ This bastard clicked it even after being told it was a trap, lmfao.
* ㄴ Elderly Troll Lover) Oh,...
* ㄴ ?
Generally speaking, a fever in the body is proof that the immune system is fighting a fierce battle against invading viruses. If the resulting heat becomes excessive, it can cause damage to body proteins. Therefore, one should take antipyretics or cool down their head with a cold wet towel.
“Because otherwise, you could die.”
And yet.
The Orcs were using a "fight fire with fire" treatment (not really) method.
“Do Orcs have a different physical structure or something?” No, in the first place, can this even be called a treatment? Since the virus is bound to die if the host dies, I suppose one could technically view this insane method as a cure.
If it were just this one guy, it wouldn't be an issue, but he wasn't the only one cooking up crazy ideas.
* - Great method, brother!
* ㄴ Muhahaha! It's so nice and warm that I can't even tell I have a fever!
* ㄴ Author) Splendid! Just keep soaking like that all day!
* ㄴ I'm joining in too!
* ㄴ Thanks for the great method, brother!
Orc bastards began to copy him in droves. Just like when a problem arose in the past because Yurix followed a post written by an Orc who had entered their mating season, the rest of the gall-ers began to follow suit.
* - Is this real?
* ㄴ Are you an idiot? Do you not know why the average lifespan of an Orc bastard is 20 years?
* ㄴ No, but posts are going up saying they completely recovered after doing that?
* ㄴ Honestly, I think it's possible since hot spring water is good for the body, yeah.
* ㄴ I-Is that so?
* ㄴ This guy doesn't even know anything himself, so why is he cursing out Orcs for being dumbasses?
* ㄴ Orcs being dumbasses is a fact, but who the hell are you?
* ㄴ It looked like he was trying to manipulate public opinion, so I reported him for now, yeah.
* ㄴ RD1234) As a result of sharing and verifying Juddak's IP tracking function, the gall-er in question has been identified as a Dwarf.
* ㄴ RD1234) Banned.
* ㄴ The processing speed is crazy fast, lol.
* ㄴ Now that the troll has been dealt with, shall we also dive into the hot bath?
* ㄴ I'm running a fever too, so I'm heading out to soak my body in a hot spring real quick, yeah.
* ㄴ For real, it's been a while since I last soaked. Should I go warm up my body~
The reason the disease spread is suspected to be the water, yet everyone is crawling into hot springs?
“Are you trying to throw a grand pestilence pool party?”
[Title: Stop!]
[Author: Juddak]
(A meme of a furious frog demon breathing fire from its mouth)
If you're sick, go home, lie down, and rest. If you need medicine, tell me. I'll give it to you, yeah. I'm tracking the path the disease spread, and it looks like it spread through the river. So please, don't do crazy shit like jumping into hot springs... If you do, the disease will spread even more. In severe cases, it can lead from physical damage to death!
[Upvote: 5869] [Downvote: 591]
[Comments]
* - I didn't die though? I tried it.
* ㄴ For real, I didn't die either.
* ㄴ The Juddak bastard exaggerates way too much, lmao.
* ㄴ It's because he's a beautiful girl, for real, lol.
* ㄴ ???: Ma-Bung oppas, don't be sick~
* ㄴ Oh...
* ㄴ Oh...
* ㄴ Ma-Gallery Cartoonist) Oh...
* ㄴ Juddak) You motherfuckers
“Well, there's no way they'd listen right away.”
Of course, of course. These guys were the famously disobedient Ma-Bungs.
* ㄴ Juddak) Don't regret it later when you're sick, yeah.
* ㄴ Ye~ah, ye~ah.
* ㄴ No, I'm telling you I'm not sick? Why are you making such a fuss over a little coughing, lmao.
* ㄴ For real, lol.
“Still, just in case, I should put it up on the shop.”
Unlike the majority opinion, there might be people who actually need the medicine. Naturally, I intended to list it for free.
But right then.
* ㄴ Ordinary Ma-Bung) Juddak-nim, would it be possible for me to receive some medicine?
The first customer appeared in the comment section.
“Right, if there's someone who sees results, won't their perception change?”
With that thought, I decided to shop generously and send over various things alongside the medicine.
“Alright, let's go with the extra-large treatment kit~”
The ordinary Ma-Bung, Regin. Having been born as a healthy demon, he had never suffered from minor illnesses since childhood. Naturally, he had never even touched medicine. Even if he caught a serious disease in the future, he had absolutely no intention of taking medicine.
Medicine was notoriously expensive, its ingredients unknown and suspicious, and rumors were rampant that it was a scam because it didn't show immediate effects. This wasn't just Regin's view; it was a common perception shared by most lower-class demons.
It was a natural outcome. Until Juddak appeared in the gallery, the Alchemist Guild had monopolized the production and sale of various remedies and potions for a long time. Because of this, most medicines lower-class demons could obtain were diluted and had very little efficacy.
However.
“Cough! Cough! Kehek!”
While Regin himself was fine, his other family members were suffering terribly from this plague.
“Cough!”
Since his sickly mother and all his young younger siblings were coughing and crying out in pain, he ultimately resolved to receive medicine from Juddak, even if it meant being called a beta male in the gallery.
And so.
- Juddak) Since they're young siblings, it'll be hard for them to swallow pills. - Juddak) I'm giving you powdered medicine, yeah. - Juddak) Just take it with water.
[The items have been delivered!]
“My goodness...”
From the kind Juddak, he received comprehensive cold medicine along with an almost overwhelmingly generous amount of food. There were pills packed in quite sturdy and luxurious-looking paper boxes, and after confirming the abundance of powdered medicine and syrup-type liquid medicine in paper bags, Regin hesitated for a moment before calling out.
“M-Mother! Kids! Come out!”
He called his family in a voice choked with emotion.
- Juddak) Don't take it on an empty stomach, so eat first before taking it. - Ordinary Ma-Bung) Yes! Understood!
“Oh dear, what is all this? It looks like items from the gallery shop... Regin, you didn't steal this by any chance, did you?” “No, mother. Juddak-nim gave us food and medicine.”
“Is that really true? My goodness... Did you thank him properly?”
“Of course. Here, eat this first.”
After the family filled their stomachs with warm cream of mushroom soup and sausage bread, they took turns taking the cold medicine.
“Ugh, brother, this is bitter...” “The ones we had before were watery and bland...”
“It's bitter because it's good medicine. Drink water, water!”
The bottled water was also sent by Juddak.
- Juddak) Don't fetch and drink water from the well for the time being, yeah.
Saying that, he had generously sent a hundred packs of 2L bottled water, adding,
- Juddak) Share it with the villagers too, and tell them not to drink the well water.
With that, Juddak vanished like a ghost.
Having returned after delivering the bottled water and warnings to his neighbors, Regin heard his mother, who had gone back to lie down in bed after taking the medicine, mutter to herself.
“I don't know if the medicine will actually work.”
No matter how much it was medicine given by Juddak, the medicine people had seen up until now was closer to a waste of money with no major effect.
However.
He believed in Juddak.
“Would Juddak be the Juddak for nothing? Don't worry and get plenty of rest.”
“Cough! Right, yes. Cough! Anyway, it's medicine given by Juddak, so it should help a bit.”
After consistently taking the medicine for three days like that,
“T-The coughing has really stopped!”
“My nose isn't running anymore!”
Regin's mother and siblings, who used to have pale complexions, were able to regain their former health.
“Juddak-nim... Thank you so much!!!”
Regin bowed deeply toward the northeast, where Juddak was rumored to live in seclusion, and then hurriedly wrote a post in the gallery.
[Title: Thanks to Juddak-nim, my family has fully recovered!]
[Author: Ordinary Ma-Bung]
(A photo of his younger siblings smiling brightly)
My siblings are still young and weak, so they caught the sickness, and their condition was really bad. But after eating the medicine Juddak gave us, the coughing stopped in no time, and the runny noses disappeared too. Thank you so much!!!
[Upvote: 6842] [Downvote: 451]
[Comments]
* - For real?
* ㄴ Author) Yeah, and since you shouldn't take it on an empty stomach, he even gave us clean water and food to eat before taking the medicine.
* ㄴ W-What?!
* ㄴ Buying medicine gets you food too?
* ㄴ Those Alchemist Guild bastards gave us medicine mixed with water, holy shit;;
* - Juddak) Good.
* ㄴ Author) Thank you truly!
* ㄴ Juddak-ah, honestly, I need some medicine too...
* ㄴ Please sell some medicine...
* ㄴ I'm sorry for saying I didn't need it, Juddak...
* ㄴ Juddak) (A collection of screenshots of comments claiming they don't need medicine)
* ㄴ Juddak) Lmao.
* ㄴ !!!
* ㄴ I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'mso rryI'msorry...
In just three days, the public perception shifted from "medicine is a waste of money" to "the medicine Juddak sells actually works!" I listed plenty of adult pills, children's powders, and liquid syrups on the shop, and set all food items to cost price so people wouldn't take them on an empty stomach. On top of that, I checked the posts popping up in the gallery from time to time and provided food for free to those who didn't even have money to buy meals.
“Busy, busy.”
Even so, after handling things like that for a few hours, it felt like the first aid was roughly finished.
“Great work, Juddak-nim.” “Huh? Why did you come out? Go back inside and rest more.”
“No, I've rested plenty after taking the medicine, you know?”
After taking their medicine and resting well for a few days, Reina and Liv had completely recovered as well.
“I will help you too.”
With Reina joining in, tasks like monitoring the remaining few patients, replenishing medicine stock, and busting scum who were reselling the medicine on the exchange market could be wrapped up smoothly.
“We can catch our breath now. So what's left is...”
It's just finding the source of the plague.
- Spiny Lotus) Juddak-nim, the witches will help too! - Spiny Lotus) For now, we plan to dispatch personnel to check the upstream of the rivers leading into the Great Swamp. What do you think?
Great helpers had appeared just at the right time.
The Aspol River, the largest waterway cutting across the Demon Realm. By the time it reaches the midstream, it becomes so massive and wide that it is hailed as the greatest river in the Demon Realm. However, its source is nothing more than a tiny, cute spring bubbling up deep within the mountains.
It was a small spring located in such a remote area where footsteps had long ceased due to the rugged terrain and the abundance of monsters nearby. Unusually, there were visitors present at that place.
A woman stood atop a boulder near the spring, looking down at the Demon Realm where night had fallen.
“...Saintess-nim.”
At the sound of the voice from behind, the woman hurriedly tidied something away and turned around with a calm voice.
“Yes, brother.”
“The mountain is steep and there are many monsters around, making it dangerous. I am also worried the cold night air might harm your health. Please come inside the tent now.”
The Saintess of the Goddess Church, Serena. She gazed at the priest with sorrowful eyes and asked,
“Brother.”
“Yes, Saintess-nim.”
“Was this deed we committed truly the right thing to do?”