Gerald's desperate plea shocked everyone in the room.
Carl, however, did not seem to have heard Gerald, and went around the merchant to take a look at the people lying on the floor. Their faces were pale, they were unconscious and seemed to be running a fever, as though they had all been infected with a contagious disease. He carefully pulled up the shirt of one of them to see if their bodies had any bruises or wounds.
When Gerald saw what Carl was doing, he quickly piped up, "None of them have any injuries, and that's why the priest suspects that they might have eaten something poisonous or breathed in toxic air, which would have knocked them out like this."
Carl paused to think for a while, then got Milton to pierce one of the victims' fingers. A drop of bright red blood instantly ooz
