Chapter 60: Chapter 56: The Undead Curse
"It seems to be the pigeon craftsman’s yard."
Lawrence reminded him from the side.
"Let’s go take a look."
Luo De carried Milly and walked over, then saw a young boy being shoved to the ground.
The boy looked about the same age as Luo De, but his complexion was pale, his skin an unhealthy grayish-white, as if he had been drained by a vampire.
No wonder he was called the curse of the Undead.
The woman who had been cursing the boy earlier immediately changed her sharp expression to a smile upon seeing Luo De,
"Welcome, esteemed sir, are you here to buy carrier pigeons?"
Even though he had been in the Northern Wasteland for over three months, Luo De still had fair skin and a handsome face, coupled with the dozen guards following behind him, indicating his noble status at a glance.
Luo De did not answer, but instead asked, "What’s going on with him?"
"Don’t even mention it, my husband was blind enough to take in this cursed waste a few years ago."
The woman cursed with her hands on her hips, "Ugh, what bad luck, he turned into this after just a few days of learning, can’t do anything and still lingers here!"
Luo De was slightly annoyed by the woman’s sharp noise, frowning and waving to Lawrence, "You go inside with her to buy the pigeons."
"No problem, sir."
Lawrence noticed Luo De’s mood and quickly jogged up to stop the woman, taking her inside to buy the pigeons.
Luo De put Milly down and squatted beside the boy,
"Are you the apprentice here? What’s your name?" Luo De asked.
"My name is Sean Wood Basin. I used to be an apprentice here, but not anymore."
Sean said painfully, panting heavily, "I can’t work anymore, I’m always sick."
Sean looked utterly dejected, tears streaming down his face, "I don’t know what’s wrong, I wasn’t like this before."
Sean felt that fate was playing tricks on him.
He had started learning how to train pigeons at the age of nine, getting up early every day to feed the pigeons, clean the coop, and diligently acquaint himself with the pigeons’ habits.
Then he learned how to train the pigeons, manage the coop, and spent five years studying various things.
But just as he was about to complete his apprenticeship, his previously healthy body deteriorated as if truly cursed.
Every day, his face became paler, his lips whitened, his spirit flagged, and he was constantly dizzy and weak, unable to do anything.
He would pass out even while cleaning the coop, completely becoming useless!
Why!
He hadn’t done anything wrong!
Sean cried covering his face, all the grievances of those days pouring out all at once.
"Calm down."
Luo De sternly interrupted his crying, asking, "Do your parents have the same condition?"
"How did you know? My mother and I were the same. She has already passed away."
Sean looked up at Luo De in surprise, painfully saying, "So they say I was cursed by my mother’s spirit, waah—"
"Stop crying!"
Luo De harshly cut off Sean’s crying, asking, "What can you do? Can you manage the pigeons?"
"I can, I’ve learned it all!"
Sean responded emotionally, "I’ve learned management, breeding, training, and breeding!"
This was the greatest cause of Sean’s pain.
After learning everything, he discovered his health had deteriorated severely.
"That’s good."
Luo De stood up, leaning against the sun, said, "Follow me, maybe I have a way to help you."
"Are you serious?"
Sean’s voice choked with tears as he looked up at Luo De.
Under the sunlight, Luo De seemed to be glowing, smiling as he extended a hand to Sean,
"Yes, really."
...
...
The task of purchasing carrier pigeons was left to Lawrence.
Luo De took Sean back to the inn and booked a room.
"Sir, how are you going to help me..."
In the room, Sean looked helplessly at Luo De.
At this moment, he felt he shouldn’t trust this nobleman so easily.
Because there were rumors that some noblemen have different preferences than common people.
"Put away those stupid, filthy thoughts from your mind."
Luo De coldly glared at Sean, then placed a plate of chicken in front of him.
"Would you be willing to become my subject?"
"I am willing."
Sean nodded in response.
On the way to the inn, Sean had already learned Luo De’s identity.
And for him, it didn’t matter where he went as long as his health could return to normal.
"Alright, now eat all the meat on your plate."
Luo De commanded, "It contains a special potion, leave nothing behind."
"Okay, alright, sir."
Following the instructions, Sean grabbed the chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth.
The pigeon craftsman’s family was quite affluent, and they had good meals every day. Sean often saw his teacher eating meat.
Sean envied this, which is why he really wanted to become a pigeon craftsman so he could eat meat every day.
Unfortunately, his health issues crushed this dream.
Now, with a plate of oily chicken placed before him by Luo De, he naturally began to enjoy it without hesitation.
And Luo De watched quietly from the side, waiting for Sean to finish eating.
He suspected that Sean might have a congenital hereditary anemia.
Congenital defects are often present at birth, with early symptoms possibly not obvious, but they worsen with age due to slowed metabolism and poor diet.
This condition cannot be cured, but Luo De’s entry "Flesh Harvester" can enhance physical strength, significantly relieving Sean’s symptoms.
Luo De planned to improve Sean’s quality of life and provide targeted blood-boosting treatment to allow him to live as normally as possible.
Luo De wasn’t doing this out of kindness; it was because the carrier pigeons needed someone specialized to manage them once they bought them back.
The essence of conveying messages with carrier pigeons is homing, and the prerequisite for that is providing them a suitable, reliable coop, so they’re willing to return.
The daily life of carrier pigeons needs care, and their health needs maintenance.
These tasks are most suitable for a pigeon craftsman.
Luo De was eager to cure Sean.
Of course, Luo De wasn’t entirely certain of Sean’s condition, hence he kept watching him closely.
It wasn’t until Sean had stuffed all the chicken into his stomach that Luo De saw his lips regain some color.
Sean naturally felt the change in his body too, shocked,
"Am I cured?!?"
Sean hadn’t imagined that the curse plaguing him for three years could be healed with just a plate of chicken!
Thud—
Sean kneeled directly before Luo De, tears streaming down his face with emotion, "Thank you for saving my life! Thank you for lifting the curse of the Undead from me!"
"..."
Luo De hadn’t expected Sean himself to believe it was a curse.
But Luo De understood; with scarce medical knowledge, Sean couldn’t explain his symptoms and could only blame the mysterious Undead.
So Luo De didn’t correct Sean’s understanding.
"Your curse isn’t so simple, it requires continuous treatment."
Luo De patiently explained to Sean, "You’ll need to eat half a pound of meat every day from now on."
"But, but I can’t afford so much meat!" Sean put on a pained expression again.
"As long as you work well for me, raising the carrier pigeons, I’ll handle the rest."
Luo De said leisurely, "If you do a good job, I’ll also prepare extra herbs to help you recover better."
Sean was very excited and once again knelt down in gratitude towards Luo De,
"I will definitely take good care of the pigeons for you!"
"Good, I believe in you!"
Luo De was also in a great mood.
He had spent just half a pound of meat to get a pigeon craftsman.
Although not a seasoned craftsman, it saved at least two gold coins.
Unlike buying Milly, the little Witch, for whom Luo De didn’t even know what abilities she had.
The pigeon craftsman would immediately bring benefits back in the territory; the patrol team’s messages could swiftly reach Luo De’s hands.
The more Luo De thought about it, the happier he became, feeling suddenly lucky.
After speaking, Sean suddenly sat on the ground, once again starting to cry.
Somewhat speechless about his good mood being interrupted, Luo De asked, "What’s wrong now?"
"I just thought," Sean said, tears falling again, "if I had met you earlier, my mother might not have died so soon!"
Roder was suddenly silent, quietly listening to Sean’s cries.
Once Sean calmed down, Roder handed him a linen cloth from the table, "Wipe your tears away."
"... I’m sorry," Sean mumbled, drying his eyes. "I just... thank you, sir. I won’t let you down."
Roder gave him a reassuring look, feeling a newfound optimism.
Spending on a pound of meat had earned him a pigeon craftsman.
Although he wasn’t sure of Sean’s condition, he was hopeful that with his efforts, things would improve.
He understood that a good pigeon handler could immediately provide the return of earned messages to his territory, allowing for quick communication with the patrol teams.
Roder’s spirits lifted even more as he considered the potential benefits.
Yet as Sean continued to weep, a tinge of guilt slipped through Roder’s resolve.
He wished to have met Sean sooner.
But things were as they were, he thought to himself as he stood in the room, Mr. Sean, opportunity awaits us both.
"""