Borne went straight to the Lehman Trading Company's headquarters on Central Avenue.
Curfew was already in effect, and most people had gone to bed. Only two employees were on duty in the work area. When they saw Borne arrive, they hurried over to greet him.
They tried to keep up their spirits, but it was still clear that they weren't feeling well.
Borne asked them a few quick questions, then sent them back to their posts and headed straight for the rest area in the back courtyard.
Many employees were still awake, chatting in small groups. When they saw Borne, they immediately got to their feet to greet him.
Borne raised a hand to tell them to sit down, then made a round of the room. The situation seemed far worse than he'd expected.
Coughs rang out one after another. Some people had low fevers, and under the [Arcane Eye], Borne could clearly see that they were all infected with a gray aura.
This wasn't an ordinary cold or flu!
Lehman soon hurried over. He'd been run off his feet too; as soon as he got back from the academy, he'd realized something was wrong.
It wasn't just the trading company's employees who were infected. Many people in the district were sick, and several had already gone missing.
"How bad is it?" Borne asked.
Lehman said, "Boss, a lot of our people are infected. This afternoon, I took some medicinal herbs for treatment out of the warehouse and had everyone take them, but there hasn't been the slightest improvement."
"This isn't an ordinary flu!"
Lehman froze when he heard that, then berated himself. "I should've realized sooner!"
He called over several people. Borne watched as Lehman took out a scroll. Looking more closely, he realized it was a [Divine Scroll].