Not all those dispatched by Lin Yan were successful in their evangelism. Many were, but more were not.
They did not confine their preaching within the sphere of influence of the Bright Church. These individuals were sent to different directions, separately.
Some were within the empire, others within the beastmen's empire.
Those within the spheres of influence of the Bright Church and the Dark Church had a slightly easier time, but those who ventured into the territories of other races did not fare as well.
They carried with them a considerable amount of medicinal powder, as well as talismans and scrolls.
Along the way, they also helped many people. The medicinal powder they carried was quite effective, and their attire, while not luxurious, was neat and orderly, which generally earned them a better reception.
They were not short of funds either. After setting out, they all claimed to be mages.
Although not of high rank, this identity made their endeavors considerably easier. Ordinary people were reluctant to provoke them, and as for bandits, they dared not directly confront a mage.
Darian was one such missionary. He had joined an adventurer's guild. As a mage who wielded light magic, no one there looked down on his low rank.
The adventurers treated Darian very well, as their lives were, in essence, in his hands.
Many in the party had been saved by him. Though they didn't understand why a mage of light did not belong to the Bright Church, who cared? As long as Darian stayed with them.
Every time they ventured out on a mission together, they would bring Darian along. When it came to dividing spoils, Darian received a generous share.
However, every time he went out with them, he would collect some herbs. When not on missions, Darian would offer free medical consultations to commoners.
In their eyes, Darian was an excessively kind and good-natured person, hence his companions were very considerate of him, always fearing he might be deceived.
"Darian, you're collecting these leaves again," a swordsman approached, seeing Darian by the roadside gathering leaves, and spoke.
There was no malice in his words, just a touch of curiosity.
Darian was a man of excellent temper, entirely lacking the aloofness sometimes associated with mages. That's why this man dared to tease him.
He never got angry with them, and even if some acted a bit excessively, Darian would simply ignore them. As long as they apologized, Darian would forgive them.
"These plants are very useful. Take this one with purple leaves, for instance. If you get injured on a mission and have no potions, you can chew it and apply it to the wound." Darian explained earnestly to the man.
"And this one..."
"You know these herbs?" He was aware of some alchemists, but their potions were incredibly expensive and difficult to prepare.
Their leader had once tried to train an alchemist, spending a fortune, yet the alchemist in their party could only brew two types of potions.
However, Darian was different from that alchemist. Alchemists required bizarre ingredients like lizard blood and spider hair; the very thought of these made him averse to drinking such potions.
Moreover, those potions had a particularly foul smell. But Darian was different; he always carried a faint, pleasant aroma of grass and wood.
The medicine Darian provided them were all powders. Besides being bitter, they had no peculiar smell, much like Darian himself – the scent of grass and wood.
This was also why they did not consider Darian an alchemist.
"Know more, and you all remember more. You never know when it might be useful!" Although he didn't know why the lord had asked them to spread this knowledge, they trusted the lord implicitly.
Therefore, he didn't treat this knowledge as a secret. Instead, he would share it with them whenever he had the time, depending on whether they could remember it.
"Darian is right. You should all learn more from him when you have the chance." Another person walked over from behind.
He was the leader of this adventurer team, and he had used Darian's medicine before, so he trusted Darian implicitly.
Furthermore, Darian was correct. If the situation truly arose, the herbal knowledge Darian taught them would save their lives.
"Leader, your injury is healed?" The man exclaimed in surprise. Their leader was their strongest fighter. With his injury healed, they could accomplish more.
They had just been attacked by a level six magical beast, and their leader had been injured while protecting them. Darian had already applied medicine and used holy light healing on him.
Seeing him walk over now, his injury seemed to be of no major consequence, at least not enough to impede his actions.
"Yes, Darian's medicine and magic are very effective!" he nodded and said, "Darian, is this the herb you were looking for?"
He walked to Darian's side and helped him collect herbs.
"Yes, this one. I need its leaves and stem. Don't damage the roots, so we can collect them again next time," Darian instructed.
"Don't worry, we'll be careful."
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!" The heart-wrenching coughing worried everyone in the room immensely.
The person coughing was the wife of the manor's owner. She had suffered from a cough for many years.
Every time the seasons changed, she would cough incessantly, sometimes unable to sleep for entire nights.
"Madam, I've heard there's someone outside who claims to be able to cure illnesses. Would you like to have him come in and try to treat you?" The maid had heard that the person's medicine was very effective.
Many ordinary people had been healed by that person, and his reputation had spread far and wide among them. This maid had heard about him from her family.
She was the madam's personal maid, but not the only one. If the person she introduced could indeed cure the madam's illness, even if not completely, just alleviating it would make her the madam's most trusted confidante.
"Cough, cough. Is there such a person?" The madam's voice was hoarse. Her voice had once been melodious and beautiful; in her youth, she was known as the "Nightingale."
But now her throat was damaged by years of coughing, and she could no longer sing songs like a nightingale.
"Yes, Madam. He is very confident about these illnesses and also knows some light magic."
"Light magic? Is he a light mage?" The madam showed some interest.
"Yes, Madam, would you like to see him?" the maid asked cautiously.
"Let him come in and take a look." The madam no longer held much hope, as even high-ranking officials from the Church could not completely cure her ailment.
Each time she spent a large sum on treatment, it only provided temporary relief.
Even if such a person asked for more, it probably wouldn't exceed what the Church charged. So, she might as well try. Something had also happened with the Church; they had scheduled a bishop to treat her a week ago, but he had not yet arrived.
"Then I will send someone to find that person immediately." The maid was ready to leave, having learned of the person's whereabouts from her family. She needed to confirm if he was still in town.
"However, that person is likely not from the Church. I will instruct him to wear his best clothes, so you won't be uncomfortable seeing him."
The last scroll was torn open and thrown out. The pursuers behind were no longer visible. The magical scrolls provided by the lord were very useful.
He applied another talisman to himself, quickening his pace in another direction.
He didn't know how his companions were faring, but he was truly unlucky.
He had barely arrived in this town and hadn't even started selling medicine before he was targeted. Perhaps he had inadvertently shown off his wealth at some point, leading people to believe he was a noble's son out for fun.
He had been on the run, and his talismans and scrolls were almost depleted, but those people clung to him like leeches, unwilling to let go.
Especially after he used magical scrolls and talismans, they clung even tighter.
This was terrible luck. He hadn't developed a single follower yet, and now his supplies were almost gone.
But he was unwilling to return just to restock. It was too humiliating! He had to reclaim his honor.
When the effect of the swiftness talisman wore off, he found himself in a town not marked on his map. His clothes were now tattered.
He didn't choose to take out clean clothes from his luggage. Instead, he entered the small town in his ragged attire, preparing to settle down there.
The larger cities were not suitable for him. He would develop his followers in a town like this, believing it would be more conducive.
His luck had been so poor, he decided to lie low. It was better not to attract anyone else's attention. He was, after all, a frail and delicate mage, and fighting others was a great hardship for him.
Using his last bit of money, he rented a single room and settled into the town.
He observed that the town had its own church, but the people seemed disinclined to go. He registered as an adventurer and began to showcase his healing skills.
Initially, few people sought his services, but after a few free consultations, more and more people came to him.
He then realized that people didn't stop getting sick; it was just that the church's fees were exorbitant. Knowing that he could also treat illnesses and at a lower cost, many commoners came seeking treatment.
To help more people, he also took on several talented apprentices, teaching them some of his prescriptions and diagnostic magic. Minor illnesses were then delegated to them.
He himself focused on treating more severe ailments, as well as going out to gather medicinal herbs and prepare more medicine.
His small clinic was welcomed by commoners and adventurers alike, and he earned a considerable amount of money. Besides gathering herbs and treating patients, he used the money earned from healing people to hire some adventurers to deliver messages back.
He dared not dress too well anymore. When he first came out, he wore his best clothes and jewelry. Now, he was extremely low-key. The money he earned from treatments was hidden away.
He dared not spend it on himself. Having been thoroughly frightened, he was afraid of displaying wealth and attracting others' covetousness.
However, he couldn't earn a substantial amount of money in this small town. Now, he eagerly awaited the lord to send someone to deliver supplies to him, preferably more magical scrolls and talismans, which would make him feel secure.
Lin Yan was tending to the health of these half-dragon kin, needing to bring their bodies to peak condition before proceeding with the next stage of treatment.
These dragons had been residing here, and their daily hunting expeditions caused immense anxiety among the surrounding lords.
In the past, these lords enjoyed riding their horses and leading their knights out for hunts during this season. But with these dragons flying around their territories, they were too afraid to venture out, lest they offend them.
The scent of dragons caused the prey to hide, making it impossible for them to find anything to hunt.
Consequently, they were confined to their manors, watching the dragons soar above. Their villagers also dared not venture out, severely impacting their production and daily lives.
They had been trying to ascertain why so many dragons were circling their territories, but they had not gathered any concrete information.
The only tidbit they managed to obtain was a connection to the neighboring Rose Viscountcy, as the dragons' flight paths invariably led in that direction. However, they couldn't comprehend what drew these dragons to that viscountcy.
While treating the half-dragon kin, Lin Yan was also cultivating more healers.
She had also researched the various potent elixirs of this world, but these elixirs were designed for mages and high-level knights, possessing considerable efficacy, rendering them inapplicable to ordinary people.
However, they could be utilized for mages and these half-dragon kin.
She had also attempted to dilute these elixirs, or rather, alter their formulations. Even so, the cost of these elixirs remained beyond the reach of ordinary individuals.
Currently, she lacked sufficient materials to train more people. Given more time and the ability to cultivate more apothecaries, she could accomplish much more with their assistance.
"My Lord." Knight Will strode into Lin Yan's study.
Lin Yan set down her pen. "Is there something, Lord Will?"
"Due to the presence of the dragon lords, several surrounding lords have dispatched individuals to gather information. We have apprehended several batches in recent days.
How should we deal with these spies? Some have already infiltrated the nearby towns."
"Is that so? Since they are so curious about us, why not take this opportunity to let them understand that we are not to be trifled with?" Lin Yan smiled, preparing to take some action against these lords to inform them that certain things should not be done.