novellhall Chapter 27: The Church's First Move Was Ruthless
Chapter 27: The Church's First Move Was Ruthless
Evan sized up Ryan.
Ryan at this moment was completely different from how he was before.
Although he was thin before, he had fair skin and his eyes were still quite bright.
At this moment, his face was covered with a sickly sallow complexion, as if it had been coated with a layer of cheap wax.
The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, his eye sockets were sunken, and his lips were dry, cracked, and peeling.
His breathing was rapid and shallow, each breath carrying a strong stench, as if something was rotting inside him.
His cheeks were sunken, his cheekbones were prominent, and his body swayed as if he could be blown over by a gust of wind at any moment.
Ryan's gaze fell on Evan, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"My goodness, you look so healthy!"
His voice was hoarse and weak, and his eyes were filled with envy and confusion.
"Weren't we doing drug trials together? I heard you took anemia medication under Professor Pulis's care."
He lowered his voice and unconsciously leaned towards Evan.
"That tank guy...it's all..."
His lips trembled slightly.
"He's already starved to death. I heard his parents got some money and moved away."
Ivan paused for a second.
tank.
He remembered that name. A taciturn, burly man who had signed the same poverty relief agreement as him and taken the same potion.
"Maybe I have a high tolerance to drugs," Evan said.
He looked at Ryan's sallow face and softened his tone.
"Friend, you don't seem to be doing too well."
Ryan gave a bitter smile, a smile that looked particularly desolate on his withered face.
"Yes, I feel really bad."
He lowered his head, his voice sounding as if he were talking to himself.
"My stomach hurts a lot, and I can't eat anything."
"I feel something hard growing in my stomach, and it hurts when I press it."
"My urine is the same color as tea. The doctor said I have too much bile."
"I tried all sorts of treatments. I even tried Coptis chinensis, which was so bitter I felt like vomiting."
"Eating sulfur caused stomach pain so bad that I rolled on the ground in agony."
"They also drank dandelion root infusion, had enemas, and bled..."
He counted the folk remedies one by one, his voice getting lower and lower, as if he were reading a list of ineffective prescriptions.
As Evan listened, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.
If he didn't have the power of the Nine Dragons, he would probably be in a similar situation to Ryan now.
"I feel like I'm going to die."
Ryan's voice suddenly trembled, and tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes.
"But I don't want to die."
His weak fingers gripped the hem of his clothes, his hands trembling from the lack of strength.
"I'm only nineteen. I also have a girl I like."
"I got into the University of the Wise. My mom sewed buttons in a factory for three years to pay for my tuition; she almost went blind."
Evan didn't know what to say.
Some hardships cannot be comforted by simply saying "it will be alright".
Ryan took a deep breath, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and tried to calm his voice.
"I was told by someone that the Healing Church has medicine for treating liver disease, so I came to give it a try."
Ivan nodded.
"I have similar symptoms, just not as severe. I'm also planning to give it a try."
Upon hearing that Ivan wasn't entirely healthy either, Ryan's expression relaxed slightly.
Sometimes, the feeling of sharing the same pain is more effective than any other form of comfort.
The two stood in line one after the other, chatting casually.
"I've heard about what happened between you and Thomson and the others."
When this topic came up, Ryan's eyes suddenly lit up with a light that was a rare glimmer of life in a patient.
"You are simply our idol and role model!"
"I've long disliked those rich people, but what can I do about it?"
"Which of us poor students who entered university hasn't had our notebooks torn up or our schoolbags thrown around by them?"
"But you're the first person who dared to stand up and resist, and who succeeded in resisting."
Ivan gave a wry smile.
"If the whole school treats me like I don't exist, does that count as a success?"
Ryan sighed after hearing this, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on his sallow face.
"There's nothing we can do, we're just poor."
As they chatted, the line moved forward a few steps, and it was their turn.
"May God protect you, my child."
The middle-aged nun's voice was compassionate and steady, and her gaze gently fell on Evan's face.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ivan made a worried face, pressing his hand to his abdomen.
"My stomach hurts, and my intestines hurt too. The doctor said I have a liver problem, so I thought I'd come here to try it out."
The nun sighed, "Poor child."
She turned around, took a small black medicine bottle from the wooden box, and handed it to Evan.
The bottle wasn't big, a little thicker than a thumb. There were no labels on the bottle, only a symbol he didn't recognize engraved on the bottom.
"This is a week's supply of medication, one pill each morning and evening."
She paused for a moment, her tone becoming slightly more serious.
"To prevent anyone from swindling and reselling the medicine, you should take one pill here now."
"Trust me, you'll feel much lighter after eating it."
Ivan immediately became alert.
What medicine can produce immediate results?
But he did not refuse.
With the panel in hand and his talent at his disposal, he was confident he could give the medicine a try, no matter what tricks it might contain.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and poured out a pill.
The pills are one size smaller than regular pills, and are a dark copper-green color with a smooth surface that gleams with a faint metallic sheen in the morning light.
It feels slightly cool to the touch and is heavier than a normal pill.
He put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it.
[You have taken the test copper pill. Effect lasts: 10 hours.]
[Effects: Powerful analgesia, permanently reduces pain perception; permanently improves blood quality by 0.1%.]
Ivan's heart skipped a beat.
"Copper pills? Pills made of copper?"
Permanently reduce pain perception.
These words exploded in his mind.
At first glance, it seems like a good thing. Who wouldn't want to experience less pain?
But a little thought reveals that this is a trap.
The essence of pain is the body's early warning system.
It instills a sense of awe for danger and vigilance against injuries and illnesses.
If a person gradually loses the ability to feel pain, they will not pay attention to minor injuries or minor illnesses, and by the time they realize it, it will have become an irreversible major injury or illness.
My body is about to collapse, but I'm completely unaware of it.
This is like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.
"It even improves blood quality? Does it contain vampire ingredients?"
"As expected, it's not a good medicine."
Ivan was not surprised.
The most expensive things are free; this principle applies to every world.
There is no such thing as a free lunch for idiots.
Does this reverse the side effects?
"Reversal".
You reversed the side effects of the test copper pill.
Your liver damage has been alleviated, from 41% to 40%.
Your kidney function has improved, and your physical condition has permanently increased by 0.001.
Your bone strength has increased, and your constitution has been permanently increased by 0.002.
"As expected of the church, they started off with a tough move."
Ivan stared at the reversal result on the panel, his heart filled with shock.
The side effect of this medicine is copper poisoning.
Long-term use can damage the liver and kidneys, erode bones, and eventually lead to the failure of all organs.
The positive effects, such as strong analgesia and permanent reduction of pain sensation, are precisely what make it possible for the user not to feel that they are being poisoned.
"If Ryan ate this stuff, he'd probably be dead within a week."
He subconsciously turned his head to glance at Ryan beside him.
The sallow-skinned young man was reverently receiving the medicine bottle from the nun, his face showing the gratitude of a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood.
Ivan's lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.
He doesn't have the ability to change anything right now.
As his thoughts raced, he noticed a new entry had appeared on his status bar.
Copper content: 0.01%
Ivan stared at the words, his pupils dilating in shock.
Copperification.
It's not a temporary state effect, but a permanent change with a progress bar.
It has the same format as "Basic Vampire".
It's an extraordinary characteristic!!!