"My lord, please have a seat."

In the Great Wilderness Duchy team, a Tier Seven Lord nodded and bowed, leading Lin You to the main seat beside the Teleportation Gate.

The other Tier Seven Lords saw this and quickly approached to report.

"My lord, because this recruitment is a joint effort, the criteria set from above have been adjusted, and they’re a bit more demanding than usual."

"However, the King has already ordered that this recruitment be entirely at your discretion, without needing to consider any criteria."

"Moreover, for Lords above C-level, we must try our best to recruit them."

"For those who reach B-level or above, we can be more lenient with the conditions."

As they reported, the Lords kept a close eye on Lin You’s expressions, feeling extremely tense inside.

Although they were veterans in recruiting new Lords, it was the first time they saw such power delegated by the King.

Anyone with common sense could see the value the King placed on this figure; he was certain to become a pillar of the duchy in the future.

Such a perfect opportunity to curry favor would not be missed by them.

Thus, each one was striving hard to impress.

"Hmm, you’ve worked hard."

After listening to their report, Lin You nodded silently.

"You’re more familiar with this type of task, so I’ll leave it to you while I supervise from the side."

"There’s one more thing: never judge only by ratings. You must also assess their potential, understand?"

After speaking, his calm gaze swept around the area.

Meeting his eyes, the ten people in charge immediately felt a shock in their hearts and responded repeatedly: "Understood! We will choose carefully, ensuring nothing is overlooked!"

Any informed person knew.

This man, present, had once been marginalized by various duchies due to low ratings, and evidently couldn’t tolerate such things happening.

So even without instructions, they knew what to do.

"Alright, go ahead. Come to me if there are any issues."

Lin You didn’t say much more, waved his hand at them, and then looked in the direction of other duchies, quietly observing.

Similar to their side.

After a brief assembly, representatives from each duchy immediately dispersed, becoming busy around the testing stations in front of the Teleportation Gate.

The Tier Eight Lords serving as primary judges left their seats and began moving among the various duchies.

Socializing, or building connections.

"May I ask, are you the Lord of Yellow Sand City, Lin You?"

At this moment, a voice inquired from behind Lin You.

He withdrew his gaze and turned his head, discovering all nine primary judges from the Holy Radiance Empire’s subordinate duchies were here, curiously observing him.

"Yes, that’s me. Is there something you need?"

Lin You slowly stood up from his seat.

Although he had little feeling for other duchies within the Holy Radiance Empire, he did not show too much coldness, as they were all under the same imperial jurisdiction.

Upon hearing his response, the nine people opposite him showed delighted expressions.

"Actually, there’s no major matter. We are all from nearby duchies and have heard of your distinguished name. We just wanted to come by and make acquaintance."

One man, appearing in his forties, was the first to speak.

The other eight silently nodded at his words.

"So we are all neighbors; a pleasure to meet you." Lin You smiled slightly.

Despite their senior age, he showed no sign of nervousness, appearing composed and assured.

After all, he was different now than in the past.

Tier Eight Lords were no longer as dauntingly unreachable as before.

"Speaking of which, we may have some connections."

At this point, another Lord interjected.

"My territory is near the border of the Flame River Kingdom, less than two thousand kilometers from Yellow Sand City."

"Are you from the Flame River Kingdom?" Lin You asked in surprise as he looked at the man.

"Indeed, I heard your Yellow Sand City is expanding its flying routes. If you’re interested, you can extend the route to my Taihua City, and I will warmly welcome you."

With a bright smile on his face, a hint of pride flashed in the man’s eyes.

What a shrewd person!

The other Lords silently cursed.

Unexpectedly, he took the lead.

Immediately, a few located closer to the Great Wilderness Duchy began to volunteer themselves.

They expressed that their territories could open lines with Lin You’s Yellow Sand City and even offered very favorable terms.

For them, opening routes was secondary.

As long as they could establish connections with Lin You through these routes, they had profited. Even if it meant using more resources, it was worth it.

Lin You naturally wouldn’t refuse these benefits brought to him.

Besides, he recently planned to extend flying routes to other duchies nearby, and having familiar people on the other side would be more than welcomed.

With common topics, the group gradually engaged in conversation, starting to discuss cooperation in detail.

Meanwhile, outside, the testing finally began.

One by one, new Lords nervously stood on the testing stations under the guidance of duchy representatives, taking turns to test their ratings.

"Mechanical Type, comprehensive assessment: E-level..."

"Plant Type, comprehensive assessment: D-level..."

"Humanoid Type, comprehensive assessment: E-level..."

"Demon Type, comprehensive assessment: E-level..."

The voices of duchy representatives rose and fell.

Some were in charge of guiding, some of recording; everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

As for the new Lords who passed the tests, some were happy while others were worried.

They stepped off the testing station onto the platform inside the duchy’s Teleportation Gate, starting to choose duchies.

"Which one should I choose?"

"Over a hundred duchies; how long will this take to choose?"

"If only we knew which duchy was the strongest."

"Ridiculous, if you knew, would it still be your turn to choose?"

"How about choosing a name that’s a bit more impressive?"

The new lords lingered between the teleportation gates of various duchies, hesitating, unsure of which duchy would be best to choose.

After all, this concerns their future survival and development.

They must be cautious.

Luckily, the platform is vast and can accommodate many people at once.

So no one is rushing them to make a choice.

Meanwhile, other lords waiting in line are both nervous and eager, their eyes darting across various teleportation gates.

Some of the shrewder ones are secretly examining the representatives and chief judges of each duchy, trying to discern which is more formidable.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question, senior?"

At the front of the Great Wilderness Kingdom’s line, a Tier Six youth cautiously asked the person in charge ahead.

"Speak."

The person in charge didn’t look up, continuing to record various data.

"I want to ask, what is the strength of the chief judge over there?"

The youth spoke, glancing at Lin You, who was chatting and laughing with other duchy lords, with curiosity.

Those waiting in line nearby also turned to listen, interested.

After all, of all the chief judges, Lin You is the youngest.

And judging by the expressions of the other chief judges earlier, he seems to be quite capable.

It’s hard not to pay attention to him.

"Why are you asking this?"

Hearing someone inquire about Lin You, the person in charge finally looked up.

"I tell you, even if you know the strength of the chief judges, joining the duchy he belongs to requires sufficient qualifications; otherwise, there’s no discussion."

The new lords have the freedom to choose a duchy.

So usually, those in charge won’t reveal too much information to avoid attracting any trouble.

Though those with poor qualifications can be sent to remote territories to fend for themselves, it’s better to save resources when possible.

Only when encountering those with exceptional talent will they recruit with great efforts.

For example.

On another testing platform.

"Undead Type, Comprehensive Rating C-level!"

A shout, several pitches higher than before, echoed in everyone’s ears.

In just a few minutes, a new lord with a C-level rating appeared.

And it’s an Undead species, strong late-game.

"So soon a C-level appeared?"

Both Lin You and the nine lords were drawn over, looking at the young lord standing on the testing platform.

The young man showed a proud expression, slowly stepping down from the testing platform.

Not giving other duchies a chance, the person in charge of the testing platform had already approached the youth and whispered a few words.

Then they watched the youth nod and take a Territory Transfer Certificate from the person’s hand.

"This guy, moves really fast."

The other duchy representatives cursed secretly, their words filled with jealousy.

The Tier Seven person in charge has the authority to recruit lords below C-level, so they can act without the chief judge’s consent.

Seeing their subordinate being so efficient, the chief judge of that duchy immediately laughed proudly.

"Haha, everyone, we’ve recruited the first C-level lord."

The words were full of boastfulness.

Which made the other duchy representatives disgruntled.

Indeed.

Though it seems like simple lord recruitment.

However, there’s covert competition between the duchies.

No one wants the lords they recruit to be weaker than those of other duchies.

This concerns honor, as well as national prosperity.

To them, a C-level lord is undoubtedly excellent.

"That fellow seems to belong to the Netherworld Duchy, a subordinate of the Seven Star Kingdom."

The Flame River Kingdom’s chief judge beside Lin You spoke softly, bringing everyone’s attention back.

"Before the Saint Radiance Emperor became emperor, the Seven Star Kingdom was already unfriendly with our Holy Radiance Kingdom. Didn’t expect to encounter them here again, truly unlucky."

"Can’t be helped, the king of the Netherworld Duchy happens to be Undead Type; that youngster probably agreed quickly because of this."

"I have to go back and keep watch, lest it happens again."

"I should head back too, the targets given to me aren’t low."

"Let’s chat more if there’s a chance later."

"Farewell."

After the nine lords bid farewell to each other, they hurried back to their respective areas of responsibility.

Only Lin You had no concerns, not worrying about targets.

With nothing to do.

He went to stand beside the testing platform responsible for the Great Wilderness Kingdom, arms crossed, touching his chin, observing the testing process.

"Lord, do you have any directives?"

The Tier Seven lord maintaining the testing platform respectfully cupped his hands toward Lin You.

"Nothing, continue your work."

Lin You gestured with his fingers, indicating that he need not mind him.

The new lords, seeing him appear, suddenly became nervous one by one.

Especially the one being tested on the platform, who was so nervous that sweat appeared on his forehead, not daring to move.

After watching for a while.

Lin You had an idea and suddenly spoke loudly to the new lords waiting in line ahead:

"If any of you have a remarkable talent that you believe is stronger than everyone else, you can directly come over and report to me. If you pass, I can arrange the best territory for you."

"Remember, stronger than everyone else!"