The Council Hall fell silent for a moment.

Tie Dun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after seeing Lin Feng's expression, he swallowed his words.

Zhao Hu remained silent for a moment before nodding without asking further; he knew Lin Feng's decisions were never made lightly.

Lin Feng's gaze swept across everyone's faces as he continued, "While I am away at Zhenyue City, there are three things I need to arrange."

He looked toward Zhao Hu. "First, return to Qingmu County and find Liu Ming. Have him arrange personnel to develop the resources of the Dungeon's first three floors, with a focus on the mineral resources of the third floor. Meng Yi and the Beacon Guards will coordinate with you."

Zhao Hu stood up, his right fist against his chest, and said in a steady voice, "Understood."

Lin Feng then looked at Jiang Yelan. "Second, Ye Lan will lead a team to the third and fourth floors, or the outskirts of the fifth floor, to raise everyone's levels. The third floor should still have many Mine Pit Puppets, which are perfect for leveling up."

Jiang Yelan opened her eyes and nodded slightly, her voice cool. "Alright."

Tie Dun was the first to get excited, slapping the table so hard he nearly overturned the teacups. "Leveling up! Great! I've been wanting to settle the score with those Mine Pit Puppets for a long time!"

Su Yurou also looked up with a smile on her face; she needed experience as well.

"Third," Lin Feng continued once everyone had quieted down, "the Beacon Fire Squad needs to grind its contribution points at the Adventurers Guild. Take whatever missions are available on the quest board and complete what you can."

Everyone nodded in succession. Zhao Hu said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Lord, leave these matters to us."

Lin Feng nodded and turned to Su Yurou. "Yu Rou, give me the Dungeon intelligence you organized last night."

Su Yurou quickly stood up and handed over a thick stack of parchment with both hands.

The parchment was covered in dense writing and included many sketches.

The Limestone Cave Maze of the first floor, the Forest of Humus of the second, the Abandoned Mine Shafts of the third, and the Plain of White Bones and the High Platform of the fourth.

The terrain, monster distribution, and dangerous areas of each floor were clearly marked.

The final few pages depicted the plaza and grand hall near the entrance of the fifth floor.

The twelve stone pillars, the two large statues, and the sigil on the stone door were all meticulously sketched in charcoal.

On two of the parchment sheets, the complete history from Mordred's memory fragments and the last words of the cultivator Anselm carved on the stone tablet were recorded in neat handwriting.

Lin Feng took the parchment, flipped through it, and nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you for your hard work."

Su Yurou shook her head and said with a smile, "It was no trouble. This information will be very useful for Fenghuo County in the future; it's always good to have it recorded."

Lin Feng tucked the parchment into his robes and stood up. "Meeting adjourned."

Everyone rose. Tie Dun was the first to rush out of the Council Hall, shouting, "I'm going to prepare my gear first!"

A Wang and Scarface Liu escorted Su Yurou as they left.

Jiang Yelan's figure vanished silently through the doorway.

The hall fell quiet.

Lin Feng stood before the main seat, watching their departing figures. He remained silent for a moment before turning to head upstairs to the second floor.

The room on the second floor wasn't large, containing a bed, a desk, and a chair.

He leaned his Wildfire Spear against the bed and placed the parchment from his robes onto the desk.

Outside the window, the sunlight grew brighter. A new day had just begun.

Lin Feng walked to the window on the second floor, watching the departing figures disappear into the streets and alleys of Lucky Town, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he turned, walked to the bed, and lay down.

Lin Feng's consciousness withdrew from the Nightmare World, and a familiar sense of weightlessness hit him.

Countless images flashed before his eyes: the High Platform of Bones, the soul fire, Mordred's falling figure, and the silent statues in the Hall of Shadows.

He closed his eyes and opened them again to see a familiar ceiling.

Rongcheng, Lords Home Villa No. 7.

The sky outside was grey. From downstairs came the aroma of his mother cooking, along with the sound of his father watching TV in the living room.

Everything was the same as usual, as if the life-and-death struggle in the Dungeon was just a distant dream.

Lin Feng sat up, picked up the dedicated communicator on the nightstand, scrolled to Lin Xiaoyu's name, and pressed the call button. It rang twice before connecting.

"Lord Lin?" Lin Xiaoyu's voice held a hint of surprise. "You've returned to Blue Star?"

"Yes." Lin Feng leaned against the headboard, his tone calm. "Xiaoyu, help me with something.

Through the Nightmare Administration Bureau's internal channels, send a message to the vice city lord of Zhenyue City, Liu Zhenshan. Tell him that I will arrive at the east gate of Zhenyue City around this afternoon, Nightmare time."

The other end of the communicator was silent for a moment, followed by the sound of typing.

Lin Xiaoyu didn't ask questions and responded efficiently, "Alright, I'll take care of it right away.

Deputy City Lord Liu's side was already notified previously, so it should be no problem."

"Thanks for the hard work," Lin Feng said.

"It's no trouble at all, Lord Lin, you're too polite."

Lin Xiaoyu's voice carried a smile. "Is there anything else you need?"

"That's all. Thanks."

After hanging up, Lin Feng sat on the bed for a while and clenched his fist.

Feeling the steady power within his body, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and connected with his Lords Authority.

"Connect to Nightmare." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The weightlessness returned. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the second floor of the Lucky Town Council Hall.

Lin Feng stood up, picked up his Wildfire Spear from beside the bed and slung it across his back, then put the parchment from the desk into his knapsack.

He checked the items in his ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) bundle: one purple-quality bone, one purple crystal, fifteen units of mithril, some energy crystals, and over a dozen Endurance Ration Pills.

There weren't many items, but they were all carefully selected; everything he needed to bring was there.

He pushed open the door and walked downstairs.

The Council Hall was empty. The teacups on the long table hadn't been cleared yet, and tea stains had dried in rings on the inside of the cups.

Lin Feng didn't linger. He crossed the hall and pushed open the front door, where sunlight greeted him.

The main street of Lucky Town was already bustling.

Steam rose from the breakfast stalls. A few residents were squatting by the roadside eating flatbread; they quickly stood up to salute when they saw him.

Lin Feng waved them off and walked toward the commercial district.

The three-story building of the Adventurers Guild was at the far end of the commercial district, its banner fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

The door was wide open, and Lin Feng stepped inside.

In the first-floor lobby, Selina was still sitting behind the counter, her deep blue uniform looking exceptionally neat under the lights.

Seeing Lin Feng enter, she stood up, pressed her right hand to the badge on her left chest, and bowed slightly. "The stars guide the way as we write the epic. Lord, welcome back."