Chapter 1008 - 486: The Iron Curtain Rises

While Gauss was checking on other unconscious "patients," President Monroe, who had disappeared for a while, walked up to him with heavy footsteps.

"Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario has happened."

Gauss glanced at the medical staff working nearby. He naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind the bearded president’s words and guessed that he didn’t want to pass this heavy burden onto the already busy Priests.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"News has already been sent back."

The two of them fell silent.

"Let’s go outside first."

"Alright."

They stepped out of the tent.

The Demons were sounding their attack horns far sooner than either of them had anticipated. This further proved that the invisible "plague" spreading through the crowds was deliberately created by the enemy, aimed at coordinating with this full-frontal assault.

Outside the tent, several people who looked like Scouts were already waiting.

"President Monroe, we must head out immediately to dispatch and command the troops," one of them reminded.

"I understand."

Although there was still some time before the battle officially broke out, as the nominal "boss" of the Adventurers here, Monroe couldn’t stay here to study the cause of the fainting. He had to go out and show his face, even if it was only to calm people’s nerves.

"See you later."

Gauss knew Monroe would be extremely busy in the coming hours, so he didn’t stick around either. He also needed to inform the rest of the Red Dragon Team about the situation.

The only thing that brought him peace of mind was that the vast majority of the Red Dragon Team members were Professionals, making them less likely to be affected by the unknown strange illness.

After a brief farewell, Gauss returned to the Red Dragon Team’s camp.

Aaliyah and the others came over to greet him. Seeing that Serdur wasn’t with him and noticing the rather serious expression on his face, they couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Did something major happen?"

"Yes," Gauss nodded. He then briefly recounted what had just transpired.

Upon hearing this, their expressions immediately grew solemn. They were not fledgeling, rookie Adventurers, and they instantly realized that this war would be far more brutal than previous ones. If anything went wrong, many people on the front lines would die.

"Don’t stray too far from me during the battle later," Gauss instructed. "Also, I will store a few 5th-tier Bigby’s Hand Spells in this Magic Storage Ring. Ying, it will be up to you to assess the situation and decide when to use them."

Plans could never keep up with changes. Gauss originally intended to have Aaliyah and Ying test it out to see who wielded it more effectively, but now was clearly not the right time. So, he simply made the decision himself.

Ying also understood that this wasn’t the time to pass the buck, so she nodded and accepted the heavy responsibility.

"I understand."

There was a reason he chose to engrave Bigby’s Hand instead of *Dawn* or *Energy Drain*, which were also 5th-tier Spells.

Compared to the one-time Casting of *Dawn*, Bigby’s Hand was considerably weaker in terms of point-to-point destructive power. However, it excelled in endurance. Once formed, it could be continuously controlled until the Magic Power sustaining it ran dry; it wasn’t a one-and-done deal.

While *Energy Drain* could achieve a similar effect, its standard duration was inferior to the Evocation-school Bigby’s Hand. Its advantage lay in being able to absorb Life Force from enemies to replenish the caster. But as for his teammates, their physical defenses were not particularly outstanding. Rather than health replenishment, they needed proactive damage evasion and defense much more.

"Notify the others," Gauss said concisely. "Until the war officially begins, do not disturb me."

Then, he ducked into his tent alone.

Time was short, but he had a lot to do. First, he needed to store Spells into the Magic Storage Ring.

With a thought, the Magic Storage Ring, which had been resting in [Echoes of Yesterday], materialized in the palm of Gauss’s right hand.

Gauss pinched it between his fingertips and let his Spiritual Power seep into it. Although he had never used it before, he quickly understood how to store Spells. Most artificial wondrous items possessed similar functions. To save the owner the trouble of learning, creators would imbue them with instructional guides that could be unlocked simply by connecting with Spiritual Power.

Once he grasped the method, Gauss tossed the ring into the air.

Immediately after, the Magic Power for Bigby’s Hand, which had already been prepared within his body, rapidly circulated. Upon completing its cycle, it surged from the tip of his Magic Staff.

However, unlike every previous time he Cast Bigby’s Hand, this time the Magic Power did not condense into a physical arm in the air. As soon as the Magic Power emerged, it was absorbed by the metal ring floating in midair. The ring acted like an invisible black hole, swallowing up the entirety of Bigby’s Hand along with its corresponding Magic Power aura.

Before long, a phantom image of a silver palm took shape above the ring. This indicated that Gauss’s Spell engraving was successful.

Gauss beckoned the ring back and held it in his hand, using his Perception to sense it for a moment. To confirm that there was absolutely no problem with the Spell inside the ring, he even triggered it, condensing a Bigby’s Hand near the roof of the tent.

Once everything was done, he repeated the previous steps, continuously engraving Bigby’s Hand Spells into it.

After storing three Spells, he finally reached the Magic Storage Ring’s limit. The person wearing it would be able to Cast Bigby’s Hand three times.