Mohan, hearing this, could only sit down reluctantly, while Guang Lei smiled and began, "Since everyone is here, let's start. First, let's go over the intelligence and organized data each of you has gathered."

Upon hearing Guang Huo's words, an official from the Duchy of Cardic in the center of the hall spoke up, "In that case, allow me to present the losses we've calculated and some initial reports. According to preliminary statistics, this disaster has afflicted approximately one hundred thousand civilians with this strange malady. Including those who died previously, the total stands around one hundred and twenty thousand. The military has also suffered, with nearly five thousand soldiers infected and subsequently dying. Currently, there are about one hundred thousand residents left in Imar City, bringing the total population, including the guarding soldiers, to about one hundred and fifty thousand. Fortunately, we have not detected any new outbreaks within the city walls yet, which suggests the epidemic has been largely contained within the magical barrier."

Mohan was startled by these figures. One hundred thousand people—what a concept. Even lining them up to kill would leave one's hands exhausted; yet, they perished so inexplicably.

It seemed this contagion was far more potent than he had imagined.

After the official from the Duchy of Cardic finished, a figure resembling a leader from the Mercenary Guild stood up.

He stated, "The Mercenary Guild has also conducted a preliminary tally. Roughly five A-rank mercenary groups, over a dozen B-rank groups, and dozens of lower-ranked teams entered the mission zone. However, none have managed to return to report the situation. Therefore, the exact casualty count is still impossible to determine. Nevertheless, we estimate that at least a thousand mercenaries have perished during this mission. Moreover, following the suggestion from the Church of Light, we have restricted lower-level mercenary groups from entering Imar City to prevent more innocent lives from being needlessly sacrificed. This measure has begun to show initial success."

Guang Lei, hearing this, quickly nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your efforts, Vice Guild Master Cody. Please, have a seat."

Mohan only then realized this young man was the Vice Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild. He appeared to be in his early thirties at most. There was no discernible fluctuation of magic or battle qi emanating from him. Yet, it was inconceivable that the Vice Guild Master of a Mercenary Guild would possess no martial skills or magic whatsoever.

This left only two possibilities: either his cultivation level surpassed Mohan's, rendering Mohan unable to perceive his depth, or he possessed some treasure capable of masking his magical or battle qi fluctuations. Mohan leaned toward the latter possibility being more likely.

Following Vice Guild Master Cody of the Mercenary Guild, a Bishop from the Church of Light stood up. After respectfully bowing to Guang Lei and Shui Ling'er, he began, "Holy Maiden, Esteemed Elder, we have investigated the characteristics of dark magic and curse magic from the past five hundred years, as you requested. However, we still cannot ascertain the origin of this plague. Thus, we remain uncertain which dark or cursed magic is responsible for this effect. We have now begun reviewing even older records, but completing this review will take at least another month at the fastest pace. We wished to report this to you and request more time."

Hearing the Bishop's response, Guang Lei spoke with displeasure, "The issue is that we no longer have time. If we had time, would I have traveled all this way just to listen to your nonsense? Truly useless."

As Guang Huo's reprimand echoed, the unfortunate Bishop could only stand there, unsure whether to move or remain still, his face etched with awkwardness. While his rank as a Bishop might be high in the eyes of ordinary people, it meant virtually nothing before Guang Lei, the Guardian Elder.

At that moment, Shui Ling'er intervened smoothly, "Enough, you may sit down now. The rest of us can discuss if there are other swift methods to determine the cause of this plague."

Hearing Shui Ling'er's words, the Bishop felt as if a great burden had been lifted and quickly nodded, taking his seat. At this point, Mohan, sitting nearby, couldn't help but ask Lyle, who was not far from him, "Why do you say time is running out? Aren't the infected still contained within the magical barrier?" Lyle immediately nodded and explained, "That is correct, but maintaining such a massive magical barrier consumes an enormous amount of energy. Even with mages sustaining it, it can hold for, at most, another half a month. That is why time is critical."

Mohan responded, "I see. For a barrier of this magnitude, redeploying it would take at least half a day, wouldn't it? Is that where the problem lies?" Lyle sighed wryly, "Exactly. Establishing such a massive barrier requires a significant amount of time, at least half a day. During that process, no one can guarantee that unexpected incidents won't occur, since we have absolutely no idea what the situation is like inside right now. That is why the Elders are so anxious, hoping to devise countermeasures before the barrier fails, otherwise, things will become truly troublesome."

Meanwhile, the others in the hall began to discuss amongst themselves. The consensus was speculation about what kind of evil sorcery could cause such devastation. They pressed the Church of Light to expedite finding the root cause so countermeasures could be formulated. Some suggested it was ancient magic, others dark magic, and still others insisted it stemmed from necromancy. However, the majority maintained it was dark magic.

As the arguments continued unabated, Mohan spoke quietly, "There's no need to search. Even if you found ancient magic, it would yield no results. If I guess correctly, this was not caused by magic at all."

Mohan's statement startled everyone in the hall. His words were tantamount to slapping the faces of those debating. An official from the Duchy of Cardic rose and demanded, "On what basis do you claim this isn't dark magic? What else, besides dark magic, could create such an effect? Even if not dark magic, it must be some evil sorcery left from ancient times."

Hearing the official from the Duchy of Cardic, the others in the hall nodded in agreement, except for Shui Ling'er and a few ascetic Elders who remained silent. Shui Ling'er had grown immune to Mohan's penchant for shocking statements, so she showed no surprise. However, the few ascetic Elders newly acquainted with Mohan were filled with questions regarding his words. Yet, being individuals of vast experience, they recognized that anything was possible. Furthermore, since Guang Huo held Mohan in such high regard, Mohan must possess extraordinary abilities. Thus, while they might not fully endorse Mohan's claim, they certainly wouldn't oppose it either.

At this juncture, Guang Lei couldn't help but ask, "Young brother, making such a declaration—do you perhaps have some understanding of the epidemic that caused this disaster?" Mohan nodded, "I suppose so. If my speculation is correct, the cause is likely not dark magic or necromancy, but rather a virus. Those infected by this virus are collectively termed Zombies. They will continue to attack others who haven't been infected until they too become infected. Thus, the scale will only grow."

Upon Mohan's explanation, silence descended. Guang Lei frowned and asked, "Virus? What is that? Is that the cause of this disaster?" Mohan elaborated, "A virus is the culprit that makes people sick. Different causes of illness are due to different viruses, and the cure must be tailored to the specific symptoms to achieve a complete remedy."

Hearing Mohan's explanation, another ascetic Elder, Guang Dian, spoke up, "I have never heard of such things. Where did you acquire this knowledge, young brother? Please don't misunderstand; it's just that the matter is grave, so we must consider it carefully."

Mohan nodded, "Naturally. I stumbled upon this knowledge in an ancient book by chance, which is how I know these things. As for the specific ancient book, I have forgotten its name, but what I say is absolutely factual."

Mohan thought to himself: If I just invent a story about an ancient book, even if they wanted to investigate, they couldn't trace it.

Even if Mohan were telling the absolute truth, the people present likely wouldn't believe him, so Mohan had no intention of revealing the true source of his knowledge.

The people in the hall began to murmur after hearing Mohan's words. His claim—stumbling upon an ancient book whose name he couldn't recall—was truly difficult to accept. The Elders also furrowed their brows in thought, clearly hesitant.

Just then, Shui Ling'er spoke calmly, "I believe Mohan. At the very least, Mohan has no reason to deceive us, and it gains him no advantage. Now that we know the cause, why waste time investigating how he knows? Isn't the most crucial task now devising countermeasures? Nothing else matters right now."

Hearing Shui Ling'er defend him, Mohan cast her a look of gratitude, and Shui Ling'er returned a faint smile.