That is the direct gap in the hierarchy of life.
"Is it the change brought by the domain?"
Gauss pondered in his heart.
Although his current strength has surpassed Level 11 Professionals, and many Level 12 Professionals may not even be as strong as him, he is still at Level 8 and has not yet mastered this extraordinary unique power.
But he can probably understand what a domain is.
As he observed others, he also noticed that those special individuals were casting discreet glances at him.
It was unclear whether they had already heard of him before or sensed something special about him today, prompting their scrutiny.
There were distinct groups present.
The first was the largest group of senior Adventurers, who appeared most relaxed and many of whom knew each other.
The other group was military representatives, dressed in uniform attire.
Upon close inspection, he could also see representatives of government officials, priests in pure white robes, merchant representatives, and others. Clearly, this was not just a meeting for Adventurers but a gathering of elite figures from all walks of life.
After orderly entering, Gauss was assigned a relatively front position in the conference hall auditorium.
On the auditorium stage stood a middle-aged man, not very tall but with a robust physique.
What caught Gauss’s attention was his bushy gray beard.
He couldn’t help but suspect that the man might have some Dwarf blood.
Listening to the whispers of the senior Adventurers around him, he quickly learned the identity of the bearded middle-aged man on stage.
He was the president of the Barry Adventurer’s Guild.
An Extraordinary peak Level 15 Paladin, just one step away from the legendary Epic Level Professionals.
It can be said that his strength is quite terrifying.
However, the presence of this president, to Gauss, was notably understated, far less imposing than the other Extraordinary Strong Persons he sensed outside. He naturally didn’t think those individuals were stronger; it was more likely that he was so powerful that Gauss couldn’t detect the aura he had hidden.
It is also possible that those others hadn’t yet mastered the ability to control their domain pressure as freely and subtly.
And this president, perhaps along with other Extraordinary Strong Persons present that Gauss could not detect, might have already surpassed that stage.
It needs to be understood that the gap between each level above Extraordinary is much larger.
Especially in direct combat, each level causes a qualitative change in a Professional’s domain; not only does the affected area expand, but its quality significantly increases, easily creating a crushing suppression effect on the previous level’s domain.
Gauss had personally experienced the domain of wind and snow from a barely Extraordinary Dragon Priestess, which left a profound impression on him.
And that Dragon Priestess and the president before him were at opposite ends of the Extraordinary stage. Even the domain of that Dragon Priestess named Cecilia was of such scale, so how powerful would the president’s domain be if unleashed?
Perhaps he would struggle to escape even if he gave it his all.
Gauss couldn’t help but reflect that appearances can be deceiving.
Such an unremarkable middle-aged man, who might not garner a second glance on the street, but his hidden identity was that of a "human-shaped nuclear bomb."
And his guarding of the Forest Capital Barry must be closely tied to the importance of Barry’s location, serving as a fort against the Jade Forest—without a strong enough figure to hold fort, long-term stability would be hard to maintain.
Thinking of this, he reminded himself once more not to judge by appearances, and the few moments of arrogance that inevitably arose from his invincible experience in the maze were extinguished.
A person’s mentality, like any object, needs regular polishing.
Once everyone in the conference hall was seated, the meeting officially began promptly.
The bearded president paced to the center of the stage, and as he raised his hand, a magical curtain behind him rippled like water and then lit up.
"Thank you all for coming."
His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present as if speaking right beside them.
The sporadic murmurs initially present came to an abrupt halt as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I am Matthias Monroe, president of the Barry Adventurer’s Guild. Your time is precious, so I’ll skip the small talk and get straight to today’s topic."
He waved his right hand, and the lit-up magical curtain behind him began displaying colorful images, with a vast expanse of green unfurling from the center as if an ocean of greenery were expanding, and most of the people present recognized this as a map of the Jade Forest.
On the map, numerous red dots were slowly converging, finally forming a dense scarlet area locally.
"About half a month ago, which also coincided with the reappearance and opening disturbance of the Timbel Maze, our reconnaissance team gathered intelligence indicating an unusually high frequency of Demon activity deep within the Jade Forest."
"Initially, our intelligence personnel preliminarily judged this as a precursor to a seasonal beast tide after the summer, but as our elite squad infiltrated further, we obtained more detailed information. This disturbance by the Demons is far more severe than anticipated."
"Throughout the entire Jade Forest, all the tribes under the Green Dragons’ command have been mobilized, and they are beginning to advance toward the border of the Cold Jade Province."
"The scale of this Demon gathering is unprecedented since the signing of the peace pact!"
"We also attempted to communicate with that Green Dragon through the only existing channel, but unfortunately, we have yet to receive any response."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience.
"Therefore, I have to give everyone here some rather unfortunate news: War might be about to start."
Although many present had suspected that this meeting was likely related to the Green Dragon Queen in the Forest Capital, hearing the news of war directly from Matthias Monroe still changed their expressions.
Even though the people present possessed strong abilities or positions, few could remain calm in the face of war.
Only a handful, who perhaps had already learned insider information through other channels, could sit steadily in their seats without changing their expressions.
If it is indeed confirmed that the Green Dragon Queen is gathering all her forces, plotting a war, it is indeed significant, and its scale would not be as minor as the skirmishes Gauss experienced in Gray Rock Town.
Instead, it would evolve into a war sweeping the entire province.
Moreover, the Green Dragon Queen’s action might merely be the opening shot of a larger-scale campaign!
As one of the seven Lords of the Borderland, the Green Dragon Queen retains considerable independence, but technically, she still pledges allegiance to the Demon King, acknowledging supreme authority and leadership.
The former Demon King was already eliminated by Sword Saint Roland, and the Green Dragon Queen, who had been dormant for a century, now rolling up the clouds of war again, might suggest some unknown changes have already taken place deep within the Demon Kingdom that humans are unaware of?
This is clearly a very reasonable speculation.
Though small to medium-scale conflicts between humans and Demons occasionally erupted around the Borderland, due to the peace treaty, neither side had chosen to tear it and launch a grand-scale war.
Does the Green Dragon Queen not fear facing a joint attack from human forces if she tears up the treaty, provoking such a vast war?
Despite being a powerful able-bodied Giant Dragon, even with the strength of a Green Dragon domain alone, it is still hard to match the might of a nation.
While the Dragons are prideful in nature, they’re not inclined to make such foolish moves, especially considering Green Dragons are known among the Five-Colored Dragons for being particularly cunning and deceitful, rendering such unwise actions even less likely.
The only plausible explanation is that her action is merely the prelude to a continent-wide, full-scale war.
Other Lords of the Borderland and even other Demon Race factions in the Demon Kingdom would join in, launching a collective war against humanity.
Once conjecture leads to this point, an even more horrifying hypothesis inevitably surfaces quietly...
Could a new Demon King have already emerged?
The forces of Demons are not seamlessly unified; without an absolute power sufficient to dominate the various Demon lords, how could a united front be possible among the Demon forces?
And the emergence of a Demon King, for many, is even more terrifying than the war itself!
Every Demon King represents the pinnacle of singular power in their respective eras!