Wizard: I devour the stars with swarms of insects.

"I remember my mentor saying in his letter that you had only been in the Natural Symbiosis Wizard Tower for less than half a year... I didn't expect you to have already advanced to the second-level wizard apprentice."

"As expected, this is the difference between talents..."

Holman shook his head with a wry smile, his tone filled with emotion.

"Our mentor has finally found a talented disciple. I believe he can finally hold his head high, unlike Glenn and me, who only bring shame to him..."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Holman quickly sniffed and put away his many thoughts.

"Come in, Junior Brother Wayne."

Holman rode his horse alongside Wayne's carriage.

The group headed towards the city gate and went inside.

What is the current situation regarding the outbreak of the plague in the city?

Wayne asked.

Although Morse had already explained the general situation to him.

But after all, it was the contents of the letters Holman mailed that were relayed to him.

Only Holman himself knows the exact situation of the plague outbreak in the territory and how far their investigation has progressed.

"Just like before, the drought disease continues to spread, with people getting infected every day and many people dying."

"I suspect the plague was caused by rats, because there were rat bite marks on the infected people. We even formed a rat extermination team in the city and killed a lot of rats, but... the plague still hasn't been contained."

Holman sighed softly and said with a somber look in his eyes.

"Even now, people are getting infected and dying every day in the castle, and my father... has aged a lot..."

Now, once inside the city, a light white mist also permeates the air.

However, the white fog in the city, heavy and oppressive on the rooftops and streets, took on a sickly grayish-yellow hue.

Most of the shops on both sides of the main road have been boarded up, with large "X" marks drawn on the boards with tar or bloodstains.

Occasionally, a dull, bloodshot eye would flash through the cracks in some doors and windows.

He stared blankly out the window.

In the middle of the street, there were some people wearing black leather robes, leather gloves, black wide-brimmed top hats, silver bird-beak gas masks, and transparent glass covers over their eyes.

They are moving a body on the street.

They used long hooks to drag a curled-up, desiccated corpse onto a cart, making a scraping sound as it rubbed against the ground.

These corpses, which died from the drought, resembled a bundle of dried-out straw when dragged along.

These men, resembling "beaked doctors," dragged the corpse to a guillotine nearby and chopped off its head.

Then, the body and head were separated and put into different bags, loaded onto a truck and driven away, leaving thick bloodstains on the surrounding ground.

Crows cawed and circled above the surrounding buildings, like a death knell playing.

"Initially, I suspected that the plague was transmitted through the air, and I even made some bird-beak masks like these."

"The bird's beak is filled with materials such as vinegar-soaked sponge, camphor, cotton, and mint, which can purify and isolate some of the air."

As the procession passed the groups carrying corpses, Holman noticed Wayne looking at the bird-beak masks they wore.

"But... I later found out that wasn't the case, because even when I went to the place where the plague was most severe to investigate, there was a crazed patient in the room who knocked off a guard's mask. He inhaled some air from the ward, but he didn't show any symptoms of infection afterward."

"Then I tried it on some death row inmates and found that they did not show any signs of infection after inhaling the air from the patients' rooms."

"However, just to be on the safe side, I'll still have these teams carrying the bodies wear these masks; they should offer some protection..."

Holman said.

Now, as the procession moves forward, human figures can be seen everywhere—in corners, on steps, and even next to fountains—lying down and curled up on the ground.

The faces of the living people on the street were covered with a layer of ashen, deathly aura.

Sunken eyes and dry, chapped, and purplish lips.

The children had vanished, leaving only a few emaciated toddlers, tied to adults' waists with strips of cloth, their eyes vacant, neither crying nor making a sound.

Behind the windows of some houses on the second floor, one could vaguely see figures dressed in worn clothes, staring blankly at the street.

"You're saying you suspect the plague was spread by rats?"

Wayne glanced at the desolate scenes on the surrounding streets and asked.

"Yes."

Holman replied, leading Wayne to a pile of corpses nearby, the stench of decay filling the air.

Originally, the bodies in the city were supposed to be promptly transported outside and incinerated.

However, due to the sheer number of corpses, with people dying every day, there simply wasn't enough time to cremate them.

As a result, many of them could only be piled up in the corners of the streets.

Holman stepped forward and drew a longsword from one of the guards beside him.

Then, he stepped forward and turned the body over.

On the lower legs and ankles of these corpses, there were some purplish-blue rat bite marks, as well as some scratch marks.

"There were scratch marks and bite marks on these corpses, so I suspect that the plague was caused by rats in the city."

"Furthermore, rat extermination teams were formed in the city to clean up some hidden underground caves and sewers using poison and rodenticides."

"However, the rats in the city reproduce so quickly that even though we spent a lot of effort to get rid of them, their numbers are still very high."

"Fortunately, thanks to our control, at least the number of rats hasn't increased. Otherwise, if they spread throughout the city, Gray Eagle Fortress would probably be finished..."

Holman said with lingering fear.

Wayne then stepped forward and saw that many of the corpses did indeed have rat bite marks on their surfaces.

After thinking for a moment, Wayne flipped his wrist.

He pulled a dagger from his pocket, stepped forward, and cut a notch in the wound of one of the corpses to examine the injuries inside.

Then, Wayne frowned slightly.

There were no signs of bruising, swelling, sores, or even any lesions around the wound.

Strange, if the transmission was caused by rat bites, there should be lesions at the site of the wound.

It shouldn't be like this... clean.

It looks like it just had a small bite taken out of it, or rather...

These guys were already dead when the rats were tearing them apart...

Thinking of this, Wayne paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Holman, could you take me to the area most severely affected by the plague outbreak?"

"Should we go there now? It's filthy and chaotic in there, with piles of corpses. I've already had it sealed off..."

Holman said, somewhat surprised.

“Let’s go take a look. Only by going to the places where the plague is most severe can we find more clues, right?” Wayne said.

"Alright then." Holman nodded.

So he led Wayne toward the region most severely affected by the plague.