POV Rio
I was riding in a boat after coming from negotiations with Treebeard. The negotiations were about a union of the Lost Woods with Concordia. I wanted to unite our two lands so that we could be better prepared for the future. But as I was on the boat looking through the system, I noticed something, but I ignored it at first.
'WAIT WHAT!!!!'
I checked the system twice, then thrice, but the results didn't change.
'Oh, sweet mother of all that is sacred. This shouldn't be possible. It shouldn't appear for another 200-plus years.'
The system had yet to be wrong, and what it showed was that the Black Death was coming. It had already begun in Mongolia and was spreading Westwards.
'Okay, okay. Calm down. Let's try and think of this logically. Do I have the materials to make the cure?'
I knew of a few possible treatments, but I knew that it would be very difficult to produce the needed antibiotics in high enough numbers to treat anywhere near the expected infected.
'Then we have to go for prevention. Rat Genocide. Close the ports. Close the borders. Hand washing. I can create a healing spell that can help the body fight off the plague. Or I might be able to create a spell, but it would probably have to be quite high. Quarantine Procedures can be used. Which means I will need to push that act out now.'
I had created an act meant to reorganize the medical care of Concordia, but I had let it stay on paper for the time being. It would transform the current medical practices to place them on a far more modern level. It would split the medical field into 3 main fields. Nurses, Doctors, and Healers. Healers used magic to heal their patients, but would only be brought in should they be absolutely needed. Nurses took care of the patients and would be trained to administer first aid. Doctors would diagnose patients and determine what medicine is needed and if it needs magic or surgery. They would also administer treatments, including surgeries and less invasive treatments. The act would also make health care free as long as someone pays the annual tax for coverage. It also included my extensive knowledge of human anatomy and biology.
'I know I will likely have to train quite a few Nurses, Doctors, and Healers, but we will need everyone we can get. We will also need to account for possible invasions or wars during the plague's spread, as historically, England still fought wars during that time.'
I was very lucky I had the system, as otherwise I wouldn't have known about such a lethal plague until it was likely too late. I decided to call the council to announce my decisions and to prepare them for what was coming.
Several Hours Later...
"Thank you all for coming. I am afraid I have some very bad news."
"Did the negotiations with Treebeard fall through?" Alessandra asked with a slightly worried face.
"No, they went perfectly, and Treebeard agreed to unite our lands under my rule. The integration is planned to begin in the coming weeks."
"Then, if that went well, what happened?" Kratos asks with a confused face.
"The worst plague humanity will likely ever see is coming. And we need to begin preparations to combat it immediately."
"A plague? Are you sure it is a bad as you say? I have read about many plagues, and while they are bad, they are nothing we can't handle," Xena says with a fairly calm voice.
"This plague will be much different from previous plagues. This one is called the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague. It will cause the deaths of millions, and its virality is far beyond anything Concorida has likely ever seen before. With our current level of medical technology, we can expect a fatality rate of anywhere between 40-95%."
Gasp
My statement causes most of the council to gasp, and I can see fear on their faces.
"Surely, that must be an exaggeration. No plague can be that lethal," Aerin speaks with a shaky voice.
"No, that is very accurate. Which is why we must get ready to face this plague. It is currently making its way through Mongolia and will likely reach us in a year or less. I am not fully sure. It can spread via fleas, and if it progresses to Pneumonic Plague, it becomes airborne. Thus, I am pushing forward the Medical Reformation Act."
"But, my lord. That would cost Concordia massively. We might not be able to afford it. Not to mention the amount of time you will have to spend teaching these new medical practices. Maybe we can prepare for this plague, but wait until it passes to push through that law," Sergios suggests.
"No, we can't delay. I will gladly give up my time if it means we can save the lives of those who might become ill. As for the cost. I plan on selling our navy."
Everyone gets confused by my suggestion to sell the Navy. Likely because we don't have much of a Navy.
"I don't mean to be harsh, my lord, but no one would want to buy our ships; they are incredibly old. Dating back to the time of the Western Roman Empire. While they may be in pristine condition, it doesn't change the fact that they are incredibly out of date," Sergios says with a lecturing voice.
"True, but they are basically relics from that time. And with the Western Roman Empire not existing, it makes the ships relics of immense value. The Eastern Roman Empire is also basically nonexistent. So we can sell the ships as if they were a piece of prestige. Any King or Emperor would jump at the chance to get their hands on something that ties back to the Roman Empire. It gives them a chance to flaunt their wealth, prestige, and power."
"Huh, that might just work. I have never heard of something like this, but there is still one massive issue. If we try to sell them, no one will dare try to buy them from us. We are a non-catholic country that uses magic. Anyone who would dare do business with us would risk excommunication," Sergios warns.
"True, that is why we won't be the ones selling them. First, we will get the word out that there will be an auction selling rare relics of the Roman Empire. Then we will get the ERE to authenticate the items. A trading company will be the one selling the ships. The official story will be that they discovered them in an old ruin. In reality, they will be a fake company that we created solely for the purpose of selling items we no longer need. We can get the company registered in Constantinople. We still have contacts in the ERE, and if we give them a cut of the profits, they will look the other way."
"But we will have to be careful, the Pope has been living in Constantinople since he was forced out of Rome. Hosting the auction so close to the Pope might be too risky," Alessandra warned.
"Indeed, but it is the best place to hold it due to its current neutrality. Constantinople is forcibly made into neutral ground due to the presence of the Pope. And the Pope has bigger issues to worry about with the Crusade he is leading. An Auction that is selling old relics discovered in an unknown ruin would require too many resources to look into. And even if they find out the truth, it won't matter, as by then we will have the gold and they will have the ships. But all of this counts on us making sure this auction starts as soon as we can. It needs to be done and over with before the Plague reaches Europe."
"That's a tight timeframe given the needed travel time for those looking to buy the ships or other relics. And we would have very little time to start the reforms," Xena cautioned.
"We will use the gold we have now to start the reforms. Even if we go a little into debt, it won't matter once we get the gold from the sales. Furthermore, it will all be worth it once the Plague fades and we are one of the only nations relatively fine after it ravages Europe. Of course, we will tell our friends about the coming plague, and what they do with that info is their own business. We will not be helping them much as we will be closing ourselves off from the world to hopefully avoid as much damage as possible. Which means we should sell what stock we have and prepare for up to a decade of waiting for the Plague to pass. I have also written down all the preventative measures we need to take to prevent as many losses as possible. I will try and make a spell that can hopefully cure or at least help those infected deal with the illness. Expect that if anyone can live in the undercity, they will be sent there."
The rest of the meeting involves planning the Auction and the integration of the Lost Woods. It also involves what actions should be taken first for the preparations for the coming plague. By the time we are done, it is already past midnight, but I leave feeling confident in our plans and ideas of what is to come.
'Let's hope that this all goes well.'
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Authors Note:
So the Black Death is happening much earlier. But I assure you, it's not just because I felt like it, but rather, there is a reason it's happening so much sooner. I won't say why, as that will be revealed later. But I will say that it is not natural. Until next time, Ciao.