Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Hwa-eun initially agreed with my suspicion about the O-dok Clan, though it was mostly due to geographical reasons.

If we assumed it was indeed the work of the O-dok Clan, it made sense. Imagine throwing a few bedbugs onto the many boats crossing the Yangtze River at night, and in no time, they could spread across the entire Central Plains.

‘Using boats to deliver bedbugs across the Central Plains... Seems like a plausible method. After all, one of the main ways for pests or diseases to spread is through boats.’

Even from the perspective of my previous life, boats were one of the best tools to spread pests or diseases, making this a reasonable theory.

However, my suspicion about the O-dok Clan came from an entirely different perspective.

As I refined my thoughts in my mind, I heard Seol, who had agreed with Hwa-eun’s statement, suddenly exclaim in surprise.

“Wait, really!? Then shouldn’t we immediately report this to the Tang Clan or the Martial Alliance!?”

“No, no, there must be solid evidence first,” Hwa-eun interrupted her. “But, why do you think it's the O-dok Clan? Explain quickly!”

Seol asked, urging me to explain why I suspected the O-dok Clan. I calmed her down and began my explanation.

“Seol, please calm down. Let me explain why I think that. First, the small pest we know is a bloodsucker that used to parasitize flying squirrels (bats).”

“Flying squirrel? The ones that fly? The ones we saw in the cave?”

“Yes, exactly. However, as people began living in caves or eating flying squirrels, the pests moved on to feed on the blood of larger hosts, like humans.”

The bedbug, classified under the Cimicidae family, refers to bloodsucking insects. Most people, however, refer specifically to Cimex lectularius when they talk about bedbugs.

Their origin, as I explained to Seol, traces back to bats. Scientists believe that, like I mentioned, they moved from bats to humans, thriving as human hosts.

They only feed on blood, and thus humans, being much larger than bats, were far more attractive as a food source.@@novelbin@@