Andrew's report attracted the attention of the Crusader Commander.

He immediately summoned the soldiers to check and verify from tent to tent, and found that almost all the sick soldiers had ulcers on their backs.

After rough statistics.

Currently, the number of sick soldiers has reached more than 20,000.

And the number continued to increase rapidly, and their painful coughing could be heard from everywhere in the camp.

But the good news is that no one has died yet, and the disease seems to only be spreading among ordinary soldiers.

The knights with fighting spirit in the entire Dragon Fire City did not react at all. The warriors with a little bit of cultivation only felt a little uncomfortable and coughed occasionally, and it did not reach the point where red sores appeared on their backs.

Compared to the optimism of the legion commander, the situation in the palace of the Cologne Empire was completely different.

At this time, the Pope had replaced the king and sat on the throne.

Anna stood behind him, wearing a simple sacrificial dress with an expressionless face, looking at the group of people under the palace with stern eyes.

These people are all nobles who have surrendered to the Pope and clergy of the original Holy See. At this time, their expressions are more or less panicked and nervous.

"Your Highness the Pope, this plague is not an ordinary cough. We have found that it has strong penetrability. Currently, only Sky Knight-level power can completely resist it."

"Sky Knight level and below will have symptoms similar to those of ordinary soldiers sooner or later, depending on their strength."

The speaker was the court alchemist of the Cologne Empire.

In the past two days, he and his alchemists have been observing and studying the sick soldiers. With the help of holy water, he has now gained a general understanding of this plague.

"Where's the source?"

The pope's tone was uneven and his expression was cold. His old voice echoed in the luxurious palace and reached everyone's ears clearly.

"The source is the water of the moat. It is possible that dead animals from the Fearon Mountains fell into the water and happened to carry this plague."

The palace alchemist speculated.

This kind of thing happened once or twice in the history of the Cologne Empire.

One of them happened in Monte Territory, because a huge flaming demon lion died near the water source, causing the water source to be polluted. At that time, the entire territory of Monte City had diarrhea for more than a month.

Another time it happened in the Frostwolf Territory, it was because a mage who studied necromancy had a conflict with the local mayor. He deliberately dropped a plague into the water source, killing all the residents of the town.

However, the mage was later caught and executed.

After listening to the speculations of the court alchemist, the Pope pondered for a moment, frowned and asked:

"Is it possible that Calante's group did it?"

"Have we not received any news from spies yet?"

"this……"

The palace alchemist was a little dumbfounded.

You shouldn't ask him if any spies have returned with information, he is just an alchemist.

"We haven't received any reports from the spies. They seem to have encountered some trouble."

Behind the palace alchemist, a Templar knight stood up and helped him answer the Pope's question.

"Hmm..." The Pope was noncommittal, but his face became more and more gloomy, and he once again focused his searching eyes on the palace alchemist.

At this time, the palace alchemist knew that it was his turn to answer the question, so he hurriedly explained:

"I think it is unlikely that it was Kalant and his friends who did it, because the plague is difficult to control. If they release the plague, it will be no different than seeking death."

"Of course, if they have a way to avoid the plague, that would be another matter, but my subordinates don't know the existence of this method."

"Currently, the plague can only be completely eradicated with holy water and water of life, and the corresponding medicines are also difficult to prepare."

"So in general, the plague can only be controlled and prevented. I suggest that adults of the Sky Knight level drive the sick together and keep them under strict supervision."

"The remaining people who are not sick should be careful not to drink raw water, because all water sources in Dragon Fire City have been completely contaminated."

After the palace alchemist finished his report, he carefully glanced at the gloomy-faced pope, and seeing that his eyes were contemplative, he moved back to the team with a guilty conscience.

The next thing has nothing to do with him, as long as he keeps an eye on his nose and his heart, and strives to be a person of air.

The palace was quiet for a moment. The Pope raised his head again, looked at Anna beside him and asked:

"How much holy water do we have left?"

"His Majesty the Pope, we still have more than a hundred liters of holy water. The previous ones were used to study the plague for the alchemists."

"In other words, they used more than two hundred liters of my holy water, but they still couldn't solve the plague problem in the end?"

The pope's voice gradually became louder, causing the alchemist hiding in the crowd to tremble all over.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Anna nodded calmly.

"Very good, more than two hundred liters of holy water, but I don't know how many gold coins you earned?"

The pope laughed angrily, his sharp gaze fixed on the palace alchemist.

Just when he was about to order the alchemist to be executed, there was a thunderous roar and the entire palace began to shake slightly.

"what sound?"

"It seems to be coming from the direction of the city wall!"

Everyone looked anxiously in the direction of the city wall, talking a lot, and looking a little confused.

"boom."

After the second roar sounded, it was like exploding beans.

Continuous roars came one after another, a total of ten times, and the palace was filled with dust shaken by the loud noises.

Not long after, the sound of messy footsteps came, confirming their suspicion.

A messenger soldier rolled and crawled into the palace. He had no time to kneel down and salute, and shouted loudly:

"The city is under attack! Someone is under attack!"

…

Five minutes ago, Kalant had already led the lords on a rapid march to Dragon Fire City, and immediately launched a round of artillery bombardment on Dragon Fire City across the wide moat.

I have to say that the King of the Hill siege cannon made by the dwarves is truly extraordinary.

What was put into the barrel of the gun was an iron block the size of a door panel, and what was fired out was indeed a "thunder hammer" wrapped with electric arcs.

This thing is much more popular than the destruction-level magic cannon.

At least that's what Kal Bloodhoof thought. If it weren't for the fact that it was an ally's cannon, he might have snatched it away.

"Which bitch built the city gate? Build the city wall for me!"

Calante cursed with a dark face, spraying saliva all over the faces of the soldiers operating the fort.

"Not to mention that the city gate of Dragon Fire City is made of strong meteorite iron, and there is a thousand-jin gate behind the city gate. If you beat the city gate all night, it may not be broken. Are there so many cannonballs?"

Calante paused, looked at the cowering soldiers, and ordered again:

"Now everyone changes positions immediately. The other side of the city wall will react immediately and fire the magic cannon. If you don't want to die, please move faster."

After the explanation, Kalant's falcon-like eyes fell on Xiwei and another nearby lord, and ordered in an unquestionable tone:

"Earl Eagle, Viscount Fit, follow me now to launch the first wave of feint attack on Dragon Fire City!"
Chapter completed!