Chapter 1006 - 485: Strange Illness and Late-Night Crisis

After a hasty dinner, Gauss hurried over to President Monroe’s quarters.

Upon arriving, he was informed that Monroe wasn’t currently at his temporary residence. However, someone pointed out where the bearded president had gone, and Gauss quickly set off in that direction.

"Hey! This is a restricted military zone! No unauthorized personnel allowed!"

Perhaps because night had fallen and visibility was poor, a soldier had shouted from afar when he saw a figure rushing toward the area. But before Gauss could respond, a few other soldiers nearby recognized him by the light of their torches. Their hearts skipped a beat.

"Lord Gauss, we apologize. He didn’t recognize you." The oldest soldier quickly stepped forward. Gauss held a very high priority at the frontline and had the authority to freely enter the vast majority of areas.

"It’s fine. Taking your job seriously is a good thing," Gauss said reassuringly, simultaneously releasing a wave of calming Spiritual Power.

He didn’t release this mental influence with any intention of controlling them; it was simply a gesture of goodwill to save them from unnecessary anxiety and overthinking. While he knew he didn’t harbor any ill intent, he couldn’t guarantee they would realize that. Under his influence, the soldiers’ tense nerves subconsciously relaxed.

"What happened here?" Gauss asked, looking toward the interior of the camp.

It appeared to be a cordoned-off zone. More soldiers were stationed not far away, only guarding the perimeter. Inside, there seemed to be a powerful magic barrier, effectively isolating the area from the outside world like an inescapable prison. Otherwise, he would have been able to use his Spiritual Perception to detect what was happening inside from a distance.

Such a situation shouldn’t be common at the frontline camp. At the very least, he hadn’t heard of such a "restricted zone" existing before, which naturally piqued his curiosity.

"We aren’t sure either. The commander and a few other lords just ordered us to strictly guard this place and keep all unauthorized personnel out."

Seeing that they genuinely didn’t know, Gauss grew even more certain that something had happened inside that couldn’t be disclosed to the public.

"Of course, you are definitely allowed to enter! But please wait a moment. We don’t have access rights to the barrier, so we still need to contact those lords."

"Alright," Gauss nodded.

The true seal on this area was clearly that wondrous magic barrier in the distance, not these symbolic guards. Their presence was merely to prevent the oblivious from wandering in by mistake. The soldier turned to relay the message to his superiors, and Gauss waited in place for a moment.

Before long, he could feel an invisible fluctuation in the nearby barrier.

SWISH.

The person who emerged was President Monroe, whom he hadn’t seen all day.

The moment he appeared, Gauss caught a glimpse of uncontrollable exhaustion on his face. In theory, for a level 15 Professional—especially one with a relatively balanced Paladin Profession—a state of fatigue was very unlikely to appear on Matthias Monroe. This was especially true considering that no large-scale battles had broken out today.

"Gauss, my friend. Did the supply exchange go smoothly today?" Although Monroe hadn’t been around, he knew today was the day the commissioners arrived at the frontline.

"Of course, everything was great." Gauss’s gaze drifted toward the area behind him. "President Monroe, has something happened inside the barrier? I heard you gathered a lot of Priests and medical Professionals."

Hearing Gauss’s straightforward question, a brief look of conflict crossed Monroe’s face. He seemed to hesitate over whether he should tell him. After all, the situation inside strictly had nothing to do with Gauss. However, realizing that this matter likely wouldn’t stay hidden for more than a few days anyway, he sighed and made his decision.

"Something troublesome has indeed happened. Follow me, Gauss."

Monroe released a surge of Magic Power from his hand, granting Gauss permission to pass through the barrier. He then beckoned to Gauss and turned toward the barrier, signaling for him to follow.

Gauss watched as Monroe passed through the invisible barrier and vanished from sight. He quickly followed suit. Upon reaching the same spot, he immediately felt an immense pressure—like the very weight of the world—scanning his entire body. After sensing his permission, the powerful force swiftly receded like a fading tide.

Gauss’s vision blurred for a moment before the scene inside the barrier came into clear focus. Monroe stood waiting for him up ahead, while everywhere else was a flurry of chaotic activity.

Tents and hurrying medical staff were everywhere. Patients with pale, bruised faces lay motionless on stretchers and hospital beds. A heavy stench of medicine permeated the camp. Cauldrons of all sizes continuously boiled potions, sending spirals of cyan and purple smoke into the air to hover over the encampment.

Among the medical personnel, Gauss even spotted Serdur and several Priests from his own team. But since they were deeply engrossed in their work, he had no intention of going over to disturb them.

"As you can see, an extremely sudden illness has broken out in this military camp at an incredibly rapid pace. By the time we received notice, over a thousand people had already collapsed, and that number is still climbing fast. That’s why we had no choice but to temporarily lock this place down and centralize all the patients for treatment."

Gauss retracted his gaze. He had happened to spend most of today wholly absorbed in learning new Spells inside his tent, so he hadn’t paid much attention to what was happening outside.