"Listen, this isn't a curse, it's a disease!
Her Majesty has personally gone down to check. She hasn't backed down, and you are not allowed to back down either!"
Irene's tone softened, yet it carried an unquestionable firmness.
"This linen has been boiled in water, and the charcoal powder inside can absorb some of the toxic mist.
For every mask you sew, you can save a soldier guarding the border, or a child like your son.
Rushing to make masks overnight, this is Her Majesty's decree, and also Mason's hope!"
The workers fell silent for a moment.
"Her Majesty... someone as noble as Her Majesty personally went to touch that soldier covered in red spots.
She didn't despise our sick border soldiers, and even had Lord Irene make these masks as shields to protect us.
Since Her Majesty doesn't retreat, what do mud-legs with worthless lives like us have to fear?"
"That's right, Her Majesty is carrying everything on her shoulders, what reason do we have to not even make a mask properly?"
The sound of scissors cutting fabric rang out again, this time denser and more forceful than ever before.
Irene patrolled back and forth between the long workbenches.
She was no longer the happy young girl eating hot pot just now, but a strict quality inspector.
"The ear loops on this one are too loose! Redo it!"
"The charcoal powder isn't spread evenly! Do you want the soldiers to inhale a mouthful of exhaust gas?"
She personally stepped in, using a red-hot fine needle to pierce through the multiple layers of thick linen.
Every time the needle tip penetrated the fabric, it felt like a microscopic struggle against the God of Death.
"Speed must be fast, but absolutely no cutting corners!"
Irene shouted her commands while working.
"Every layer of linen must be pressed firmly, and the copper wire on the bridge of the nose must fit tightly without a single gap.
What we are facing is not a visible enemy, but an invisible demon.
Every stitch you make is sewing armor for Mason's comrades-in-arms!"
Irene's heart was also very panicked. Even in the highly developed modern era before her transmigration, a large-scale epidemic in its initial stages might not necessarily be immediately controlled.
Not to mention in this extremely backward era.
At this time, Victor was standing on the corridor of the West Tower's second floor. Having just helped move two boxes of linen materials, he massaged his old waist and only then had the free time to overlook the bustling scene below.
Did you see that! This is Her Majesty's profound foresight!
She is not only accumulating wealth materially through the Black Rose, but is spiritually forging the subjects into a whole.
In the face of this terrifying plague, other countries would only fall into paralysis and prayers, whereas Mason was able to complete an industrial transformation within a quarter of an hour.
This kind of highly efficient mobilization capability is the true power of civilization!
The power Her Majesty bestowed upon Miss Irene is not just to let her invent little gadgets to make money, but to let her take over production in times of crisis and become the civilization's logistics minister.
How is this a mask workshop? This is clearly Mason's arsenal against death!
After hyping himself up for a moment, Victor felt he could carry ten more boxes.
The snow outside the workshop fell heavier and heavier, but the stove fire inside burned red-hot.
The first batch of several hundred rushed masks was quickly packed into boxes and escorted to the border by the elite cavalry under General Delilah through the snow.
Irene stood by the window, watching the retreating light of the torches, and forcefully tightened the Black Rose mask on her face.
"Your Majesty, I have done all that I can."
She murmured softly, a trace of tears welling up in her eyes due to extreme exhaustion, before she immediately turned back to the group of workers who were still busy.
"Next batch!
Quickly bring over the boiled cotton thread, we need to start making the next batch!"
It wasn't just the border; the Royal City and several nearby villages and towns all needed them.
Moreover, this plague came aggressively, perhaps it was transmitted from other countries.
Inside the Council Hall, the candlelight flickered.
Sophia rested her forehead on one hand, her gaze repeatedly sweeping over the urgent letter sent from the border.
The dense text added a bit more heaviness to her mood, which was already depressed because she hadn't enjoyed the hot pot to the fullest.
Outside the window, the cold wind howled, sounding like the grinding teeth of the God of Death.
"Your Majesty."
Delilah strode into the hall, her black cape still carrying unmelted ice slag, and the long sword at her waist emitting a rhythmic light clatter with her footsteps.
She bowed slightly, her voice crisp and clear:
"The first batch of rushed masks has already been escorted out of the city by the elite cavalry, aiming straight for the border camp.
It is expected that before dawn, the first shield will be fastened onto the soldiers' faces."
Sophia raised her head, a touch of relief flashing across her pale golden eyes in the firelight:
"Irene's efficiency indeed did not disappoint This Queen.
In her eyes, as long as it's something This Queen asks for, even if it requires her to pluck the stars from the sky to make streetlamps, she would probably build a ladder overnight."
Delilah opened her mouth but didn't say anything.
Now was not the time to be jealous.
Sophia massaged her aching brow.
Masks could only block transmission, but against the virus already permeating the air, she needed more powerful methods.
Sophia picked up a quill, its tip flying rapidly across the specially made blotting paper.
Her handwriting was no longer its usual laziness, but revealed a decisive sharpness.
Withered Willow Town.
Have Mayor Hope take everyone and bring out all the hoarded dried mugwort and mugwort leaves from the warehouses.
Ignite a pile every ten paces on the streets, by the river, and in the stables. This Queen wants the smoke to envelop the entire town.
Kree Village must also not leave out a single farmhouse, especially those drafty dirt houses; the fumigation smoke must enter the homes.
The mountain people of Eagle's Nest Mountain are strong, but they must not be careless either; hunting grounds and dwellings must be purified simultaneously.
"Go, use the fastest horses and deliver these letters."
Sophia sealed the letters and handed them to the messenger beside her, her tone unquestionable.
"Tell those three mayors, if the smoke and fire extinguish anywhere, the Black Rose flag there won't need to be hung anymore."
After finishing the layout for the border, Sophia stood up and walked to the high windows of the hall.
"Victor, notify the municipal officials."
Sophia looked at the Royal City where the lights were gradually going out, her clear and cold voice spreading throughout the hall.
"Not just those towns.
From this moment on, all streets and taverns inside the Royal City are mandatorily required to burn mugwort leaves.
Tell the subjects, this is an unquestionable order."
Victor stood to the side, looking at the Queen's near-divine silhouette under the moonlight, his old eyes tearing up again.
What a grand conception!
Her Majesty is using this ordinary plant called mugwort to light torches across the entire nation.
When the subjects see the entire city, and even the entire territory burning the same flame and smelling the same scent, that kind of cohesion of the whole nation living and dying together will erupt instantly!
This dual pincer attack of spiritual epidemic prevention and material epidemic prevention is the ultimate logic of civilization defeating curses.
Your Majesty, you are no longer governing a country; you are painting upon the earth with smoke!
Delilah looked at Sophia's thin back, and remembering Irene's earlier instruction not to let Her Majesty take off her mask recklessly, couldn't help but step forward and pull the cape tighter around Sophia again.
"Your Majesty, the smoke and fire in the Royal City have been ignited.
This subject will send people to lead teams to patrol, absolutely not letting any blind spot escape Your Majesty's purification."
Sophia didn't turn her head, only looking at the first wisp of pale cyan smoke gradually rising outside the window.
The mugwort leaf disinfection method—although she didn't know how effective it would be in this magically altered world, it was still much more reliable than the human sacrifices spoken of by those old stubborn fools.
And as for those old fogeys, if there were outstanding young people later on, she would definitely force those old things who opened their mouths only to speak of evil spirits and sacrifices to step down.
The sound of hooves shattered the silence of the deep night, echoing on the flat yet cold Cement road, as muffled as a death-urging drumbeat.
"All subjects of the city, heed the order!
By the Royal Decree of Your Majesty the Queen, ignite mugwort leaves immediately and keep doors closed to smoke out the disease evil!"
"No one is allowed to leave their homes without permission!
The fires must not be extinguished!
Violators will be dealt with under the crime of treason!"
The cavalrymen galloped past the pitch-black streets, holding specially made long-handled torches high.
That blinding firelight illuminated the terrified faces behind the window papers.
In this era, large-scale cavalry mobilization late at night and this kind of mandatory order usually only meant two things: war, or death.
"Disease evil?
Could it be that kind of... curse where your whole family dies if you catch it?"
A miller tremblingly pushed open a crack in the window, and the cold wind instantly poured in. He looked at the Black Rose flags galloping on the street, his face as pale as if painted with white ash.
The peace within the Royal City was completely torn apart at this moment.
"Plague? Illness? Or something even more terrifying..."
The subjects huddled under their covers, listening to the urgent knocking and shouting outside. Fear was like a breached flood. They didn't know what had happened, but in this era of scarce information, the unknown was the ultimate terror.
"But where would our family get mugwort?"
A poor washerwoman held her child, looking despairingly at the empty stove.
Currently, there was only a bag of wheat rice distributed by Her Majesty a few days ago and a few pieces of rock-hard Black Bread in the kitchen; let alone mugwort, there wasn't a single blade of grass.
She lowered her head, looking at the child in her arms who had just recently learned to speak, unable to squeeze out even a single tear.
Just when she thought the God of Death was about to descend, the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground suddenly came from outside the window.
She emboldened herself to push open the door, and found that several knights hadn't stopped, but instead had quickly dropped a bundle of dried mugwort leaves tied with straw ropes at the steps of every subject's home.
"Light the fire! Quickly light the fire!"
A young guard shouted loudly, his face actually carrying a fanatical and serious expression of regarding death as returning home.
"These are supplies personally allocated by Her Majesty!
Breathe along with the smoke, Your Majesty the Queen is protecting Mason!"
The washerwoman was stunned.
In her understanding, nobles and the Royal House would only seal the Palace when disasters struck, leaving the commoners to fend for themselves.
Or, when there was an epidemic, they would tie all the sick people together and burn them to death.
But now, that high and mighty Queen had actually thrown supplies to her doorstep the very moment she issued the order.
The figures of the adult and child finally burst into tears in front of the door.
The bitter and heavy smell of mugwort quickly permeated the sky above the city.
This originally cheap plant, under the enforcement of Sophia's iron-fisted order, was actually endowed with a certain sense of sacred mission.
"Did you hear? At the border, a demon spewed toxic mist and knocked down hundreds of soldiers at once!
But Her Majesty didn't even blink, directly using this divine grass to smoke the demon into a faint!
Smell this scent, how is this smoke? This is Her Majesty's breath washing our lungs!"
"As expected of Your Majesty Sophia, this seemingly bizarre mugwort leaf disinfection is actually the most brilliant psychological comfort.
She used a physical olfactory sensation covering the whole city to forcibly unify everyone's anxiety.
As long as we smell this scent, everyone knows they are still alive within Her Majesty's line of sight.
Her Majesty is using this city full of light smoke to tell us that she is the only True God of this land!"
"Mugwort leaves, although this herb can repel insects, it should have little effect in the face of a large-scale plague.
Unless Her Majesty added some kind of alchemy product into these grasses?
Or perhaps, Her Majesty actually wants to use this large-scale fumigation to interfere with some kind of tiny demon called a virus that relies on air transmission?
Good heavens, has Her Majesty's wisdom already touched the essence of all things?"
Despite the swirling smoke, fear still lurked at the bottom of their hearts.
It wasn't until the second half of the night that a new piece of news spread along with the smoke and fire.
"Inventor Lord Irene is rushing to make a divine artifact called a mask in the West Tower, which can block virus invasions, and it will soon be distributed to everyone's hands!"
Hearing the two words 'Irene' and 'invention', the subjects' originally taut nerves miraculously relaxed a bit.
After all, that pink twin-tailed young lady had once brought them soap that could wash away dirt and powder that could brush teeth bright; now, she was going to create a mask that could block the God of Death.
"Since it was ordered by Her Majesty, and the Inventor miss is making it, then we definitely won't die."
The subjects guarded the fires in their homes, and within the bitter mugwort smoke, they actually developed an unprecedented sense of security.
This sense of security was extremely bizarre; clearly under the threat of a fatal plague, they felt that they were closer to civilization than at any other moment before.
Sophia stood by the window, looking at the Royal City shrouded in green smoke below her feet.
The smell of mugwort was very pungent, even somewhat stinging to the eyes.
But seeing the subjects burning the mugwort leaves so obediently, her heart couldn't remain calm either.
"Delilah."
"This subject is here."
Delilah responded immediately.
"Let's go, let's go check on Daphne's situation."
As Sophia's words fell, she immediately walked towards the direction of the door.
Delilah immediately held her sword and followed, a touch of worry flashing in her eyes.
Her Majesty had always been capable, handling things with ease, and coldly indifferent; when had she ever been as anxious as today?
Ignoring the cold wind outside, Sophia and Delilah quickly rushed to the West Tower.
While going upstairs, through the long corridor, they could see Irene leading the workers to rush the production of masks.
The pink-haired young girl's eye sockets were dark bruised, right as she met the Girl Tyrant's gaze.
Without time to say much, Sophia nodded and immediately stepped onto the stairs to find Daphne on the top floor.
Compared to the bustling heat of the floors below, the top floor appeared much cleaner.
Because Daphne didn't look for other helpers, only Daphne and Willow were on the entire top floor.
When the sound of Sophia's footsteps approached, the people inside the room immediately noticed the noise.
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