Ball of Nothing

As agreed, Joseph took Zero and Truen out discreetly to a coma patient's house. The patient's name was Birb Blunder and he was a carpenter who worked at Madeline's Artisan Workshop.

"How long has it been since he had fallen into a coma?" Zero asked and Joseph sighed.

"He's been in a coma for about a year now. It happened one day when he slept with his windows open and a mushroom suddenly grew right outside of his house. We've chopped that mushroom down but that stupid fungi has grown five more since then," the garrison head explained.

Zero asked if he could be carried outside to take a look at the mushrooms that Joseph talked about. The giant obliged and cautioned Zero not to touch it or get too close. He even advised the doctor to wear a mask. Truen remained behind on Zero's request. The wood elf was simply not equipped to handle the spores and Zero had taken precautions using advanced magic that Truen wasn't capable of.

When Zero got to the mushroom, he hopped closer towards it and examined the mushroom's gills. "Sorry, but could you lift me a little higher? I can't reach the gills. I need some samples of the spores to offer it to the wandering gods."

Joseph still looked sceptical about Zero's wandering gods but complied anyway. There was no real harm in allowing Zero to try. What's one more failed attempt? Magnus Hilda didn't have anything much to lose at this point. If none of the conventional methods worked then they might as well give the unconventional methods a try.

Zero successfully retrieved a sizable sample and quickly sent it to the pharmacy inventory for Talias to start running tests. If it is confirmed to be the same kind of mushrooms with sleeping spores they found before, Zero would have to start work immediately. Sleeping spores were poisonous and the doctor didn't know what kind of side effects it would have on the patients who had been in coma for a long time.

"Has any of the coma victims shown any strange signs other than not being able to wake up?" Zero asked once they were back indoors.

Joseph shook his head. "Not at all. They are just unable to move a muscle and appear to always be sleeping although Birb's wife claims that he can hear her sometimes in his sleep state."

"How does she know?" Zero asked. This was a very strange piece of information. If the patient was unable to move, how could anyone tell if they were able to hear conversations?

Joseph laughed. "It's a funny story, I'll tell you that. Birb's a little bit of a coward. He's afraid of his wife and over the year that he's been sleeping his wife did a little digging of her own. She found his stash of good stuff hidden behind a false floorboard and nagged him out for it even when he was in this state. She claimed that he started sweating profusely even though he was unable to move. She also saw how his eyeballs were rolling beneath as if he was really awake. Strange story but I can see Birb actually panicking if he was awake and reacting the same way."

Zero frowned. Sleeping people wouldn't be able to hear conversations much less react to real-time information. Perhaps he was wrong before. These mushrooms may be a little different from the sleeping mushrooms. It could also explain why the patients remain relatively unharmed even after sleeping for so long. However, without further analysis, Zero couldn't make a sure conclusion.

"I understand. I would like some privacy to speak to the wandering god and check on Birb's vitals. I may not be able to come to a conclusion right away because it takes time to receive an answer but can we also take a look at some of the other victims and the mushrooms from various parts of Magnus Hilda?"

Joseph gave his word and gave Zero the privacy he needed. The doctor wasted no time. Birb was a big giant about fourteen metres tall and Zero was a very small creature in his presence. If what Birb's wife claimed was right, Birb should be awake now. Zero wanted to test if Birb could hear him.

"Hello, Birb. I'm Zero, a doctor who carries the voice of gods. For now, I am going to measure your pile and run a regular vital check. I would also like to know if you truly are conscious but unable to wake up or asleep. I know you cannot move your muscles but please roll your eyes if you can hear me."

As expected, the giant was able to roll his eyes and his heart rate accelerated. The discovery made Zero a lot more confused. The patient was clearly awake but unable to move. How did all the previous doctors not realise this? Everyone said that it was a coma but coma patients cannot respond. Then, Zero ran a few other tests. With the help of magic and flight, Zero pried Birb's closed eyelids open.

"I can see you rolling your eyes. Tell me, are you able to see me? Roll your eyes up and down like you are nodding if you can."

Again, Birb responded positively and Zero became excited. He measured Birb's pulse while talking to the giant and also asked for permission to draw some blood to test for poisoning. Birb agreed and Zero was very satisfied by the end of the half an hour he spent in the room.

When Zero was done, Birb's wife offered them some cakes before Joseph brought Zero around Magnus Hilda. The doctor asked many questions and Joseph was very helpful, answering them to the best of his abilities.

"The first area where victims were found is in this very village. Nobody thought much about it until the third victim appeared. The villagers reported it to the king and the king sent doctors over but when some of the doctors became infected and none of the villagers was cured, the king announced that a plague had appeared."

Zero took a look at the village that had been mostly abandoned with the exceptions of a few elderly. The mushrooms have taken over almost everything from the walls and ceiling to the pavements and gardens. Even Truen found the sight shocking.

"Has nobody tried to get rid of the mushrooms?" The archer asked and Joseph sighed heavier this time.

"We tried plucking them but they always come back and even more in numbers. Cutting them down only spread the spores and we learnt that it is better to not touch them. The queen has discovered that wrapping something around the mushrooms can help a little if the area isn't too infected with the infestation but we cannot do much about them. Water makes them grow faster so we are particularly afraid of rainy days."

Zero nodded. Mushrooms like to grow in damp and dark places where it is cool. "Have you tried burning them with fire?" Zero asked and the garrison head raised a brow.

"We did but these mushrooms are fire-resistant. They don't burn no matter what."

Zero frowned and used appraisal on the mushrooms. As expected, these weren't the regular sleep mushrooms even if they looked the same on the outside. The Talias worked fast and were already back with the lab reports. These were evolved blue-spotted mushrooms. Their spores didn't contain sleeping effects but paralysis effects instead. On the bright side, these mushrooms are unable to convert their infected hosts into seedbeds yet although they might be able to kill those with weaker respiratory systems or weakened immune systems.

Zero only had to confirm if all the mushrooms in Magnus Hilda were the same kind. If they were, his job would be a lot easier. Still, he gave the Melissas a task to try and grow a few of these spores in an isolated new garden. Cleo was to monitor them and Zero asked Lovina to help him implement his premade spell arrays for such testing sites. He wanted to know of an effective way to kill the mushrooms and the first thing on his mind was cinnamon powder. Zero had a healthy supply of cinnamon in contrast to vinegar. If these mushrooms were allergic to cinnamon, like regular mushrooms, then Zero's plan would work.

He had to buy more time for now and delay the treatment until everything was ready. Birb's blood test came back healthy so the giant wasn't ill. However, the spores had invaded his system and the effects of paralysis could not be treated with medicine. The Talia golems tried their best but there was no remedy.

The case was beyond the capabilities of his golems so Zero had to take a few days to create the cure himself. The trip back to Camie's house was a gloomy one with Zero deep in his thoughts and Joseph curious about the healer's thoughts. Zero came with optimism but after looking all over Magnus Hilda and asking a lot of questions, he was starting to resemble a deflated balloon. The giant tried not to let the disheartened look appear on his face. Instead, he only offered Zero kind words of encouragement.

"It's alright not to push yourself. Sometimes there are things beyond our control. Many great doctors have come and tried but nobody has succeeded. You are still young with many years ahead of you, there is no need to blame yourself if the plague cannot be cured. We are more than thankful that there is still someone out there willing to visit Magnus Hilda and try to save us. Ever since the King had fallen into a coma two years ago, the doctors have stopped coming."

Zero shook his head. "Don't say that. I am a healer, it is my duty to pass on the words of gods whatever they may be. The wandering god hasn't responded to me, we cannot lose hope yet. Still, it is quite curious. The patients who have fallen into coma still look very lively. It's as if they've only fallen asleep yesterday. There are no signs of them losing muscle mass or growing weaker, they're simply lying there unable to move."

Joseph shrugged. "Sorry lady, I'm no doctor. However, we are very thankful that while many of us have fallen victims, there has been no death. The plague victims are being taken care off by their family but for those who didn't have kin, it was rumoured that they still appeared healthy even after not eating for a month. My men found some of these victims in the more rural villages. This is a great mystery."

Zero blinked. "Can giants go without food for months?"

Joseph laughed at the serious question. "Of course not! Just like elves, humans and dwarves, we need to eat daily. We might have a different diet and eat up to eight times in a day but still, food is required for any living creature to survive."

Zero spent the rest of the day with Camie and her family chatting and learning more about Magnus Hilda. The giants are a rather carefree bunch and they were rather self-sufficient simply because many of the things they used were simply not suitable for the other races. The one thing that the giants exported were grapes to the dwarves who loved it. Zero suspected that they loved the grapes grown in Magnus Hilda simply because it was bigger and better than regular grapes. The dwarves loved wine in more quantity than quality so it was a good trade with the giants who required the expertise of dwarves for creating tools and finely detailed ornaments that most giants cannot make. The royal family was the dwarves' biggest customer when it came to the more luxurious goods.

Magnus Hilda only had one royal family and a few ministers running the territory. Not much is needed and the citizens were very law-abiding. They lived simple lives and there wasn't a lot of back-stabbing politics. The king and queen were chosen by the people based on free voting every ten years and the current royal family has been in power for over thirty years because the people were very satisfied with them.

Queen Rosalind was a giantess who was known to be a great warrior as well when she was an adventurer. She married King Richard who was a very successful diplomat and trader before he became a king. King Richard was the first giant to open up the borders of Magnus Hilda to trade and built ties with other territories with their best partner the dwarves on Rocket Mountain. The stories said that King Richard met Queen Rosalind when they were at a tavern in Rocket mountain on the way back to Magnus Hilda and their romance started there.

From the stories, Zero could tell that they were a very loving couple and good people at heart. Queen Rosalind must be worried sick about her husband ever since he had fallen ill to the plague that nobody could cure. Zero then thought about how he should convince the royal family to change their faith and figure of worship. He didn't doubt that the citizens of Magnus Hilda will reward him and be grateful for his contributions if he could cure the plague but Zero knew curing the plague is only the first level of the problem. Without gaining Freya's protection, Magnus Hilda's territory will continue to deteriorate and eventually, the giants will become extinct like the dragons and gods from the stories.

Truen said nothing as he went to sleep. Zero had a lot on his mind but the wood elf was unable to help him. The archer also pretended not to know when Zero secretly placed a pillow under his blankets before transforming into a pheasant and flying out of the window. Once Zero left, Truen pulled out his communicator to text the ones waiting for news in the group chat. Of all the gods, it seemed like Zero's teachers were the most concerned over their pupil's progress.

When Hua Tuo read Truen's report, he smiled and texted back.

[The kid will be fine. He's getting close to the answer. I taught him better than that, now don't worry too much and go to sleep. Keep us updated about what Zero intends to do next.]

Unable to refute, Truen did as he was told and slept.