Tie Dun leaned over, nudging Zhao Hu's waist with his elbow, whispering in a voice he couldn't quite keep down: "Brother Hu! Brother Hu! Now that we have more people, can you arrange some for me? I want to be a squad leader too, not many, just eight or ten would do..."

Tie Dun rubbed his hands, his eyes shining.

Zhao Hu glanced at him, expressionless: "We're recruiting Awakened this time; come with me and let's see your performance."

Tie Dun froze for a moment, then slapped the armrest of his chair, nearly jumping out of it: "You got it! Don't worry, Brother Hu, I'll definitely perform well! I won't let you down!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

His voice was so loud it echoed through the hall, making the water in the teacups tremble.

Zhao Hu didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Su Yurou lowered her head, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Feng Qingyan laughed so hard she leaned on the table, only stopping when Feng Qingshuang pulled her sleeve.

Lin Feng glanced at the sky outside the window.

Dusk had completely settled in, and the light from the torches outside flooded in, casting a dim yellow glow over the bluestone floor of the Council Hall.

"It's getting late," Lin Feng stood up.

"Everyone go eat first, then get some good rest. Starting tomorrow, there will be a lot to do."

Everyone stood up and filed out of the Council Hall, dispersing.

Zhao Hu pulled Tie Dun toward the kitchen. Tie Dun was shouting about being "starving" until Zhao Hu slapped him on the back of the head, making him behave.

Su Yurou, A Wang, and Scarface Liu followed behind Zhao Hu. The emerald green light of the bone healing staff moved through the twilight like a mobile lamp.

Jiang Yelan silently vanished into the shadows of the city walls, her destination unknown.

Lin Feng didn't go to eat.

He walked along the street and climbed the North Gate Tower.

Jiang Zhaoyue stood at the highest point of the North Gate Tower, her silver-blue armor glinting coldly in the firelight, her ponytail fluttering gently in the night wind.

Su Yuehua stood by her side, her white robes spotless.

Lin Feng walked up the tower and stood beside Jiang Zhaoyue, looking out at the northern wilderness.

"Starting tomorrow," Lin Feng's voice wasn't loud.

"It's going to get more and more lively here."

Jiang Zhaoyue glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curving into a barely perceptible arc: "Lord Lin, how do you plan to use the people from the Moonflower Guild in the future?"

Lin Feng didn't answer immediately. He withdrew his gaze from the northern wilderness and looked at the busy figures on the city walls: "Let them guard the north gate with the Beacon Guards first to get familiar with the defenses. There's no rush for anything else; we'll see after they've adapted."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded: "I was [N O V E L I G H T] thinking the same thing. However, there's something I want to tell you in advance. The people of the Moonflower Guild are fine with fighting, but they aren't used to overly rigid rules."

Lin Feng smiled: "Beacon Fire Territory doesn't have any rigid rules."

He paused, "There's only one requirement: on the battlefield, follow orders."

Jiang Zhaoyue looked at him for two seconds, then nodded solemnly: "That won't be a problem."

The night wind blew from the north, ruffling her ponytail.

She suddenly asked: "Lord Lin, are you afraid?"

Lin Feng didn't ask what he was supposed to be afraid of.

He knew what she was asking about: the foreign races, the Apostle, and the unknowns that would surge out when the Dungeon's seal was broken in a few months.

"Yes," Lin Feng's voice was very calm.

"But fear is useless. What's coming will come. If we can block it, we must; if we can't, we still have to try."

Jiang Zhaoyue didn't speak again.

She turned back to look north, her fingers tightening slightly on the spear shaft—not out of nervousness, but because she already knew the answer.

On both sides of the tower, the torchlight formed an orange-red line, keeping the darkness outside the city walls.

Below the city, the grass waves of the Golden Ear Plain rolled silently in the moonlight like a silent sea.

...

Lin Feng came down from the North Gate Tower and didn't stop, heading straight through the main street of Hangu Pass toward the East Gate.

The night wind poured in from the north, making the torches on the city walls crackle.

His pace quickened. After exiting the East Gate, he kicked off the ground, his body soaring as he sped toward Fenghuo County.

With the submission of Xinyue County and Linshan County, the recruitment quota for the Great Qin Elite Camp had increased by another thousand.

Three thousand Level 15 Elite Soldiers would be a formidable force anywhere in the South Pole Region.

In less than twenty minutes, the city walls of Fenghuo County appeared in his sight.

He flew over the East Gate and landed in the southeast corner of the Inner City.

The stone gate of the Great Qin Elite Camp glinted with a cold, dark-green light in the moonlight. The ancient character for "Qin" on the lintel seemed to carry the murderous aura of ten thousand armies.

The two Beacon Guards at the gate immediately straightened up when they saw him.

Lin Feng walked to the stone gate and pressed his hand against the cold stone wall.

The operation interface expanded before his eyes.

【Great Qin Elite Camp (Unique)】

【Currently trainable units:】

【Unit 1: Weakened Great Qin Garrison Soldier (Infantry) — Current recruitable amount: 89/100】

【Unit 2: Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Infantry) — Current recruitable amount: 356/1000】

【Unit 3: Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Crossbowmen) — Current recruitable amount: 100/300】

【Unit 4: Weakened Great Qin Elite — Current recruitable amount: 2000/3000】

【Training Requirements: Eligible Refugees or Awakened, Copper, Tin, energy crystals. Training time: 10 days.】

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the numbers, his mind quickly calculating. The soldiers under his command were not enough, far from enough.

He filled all the available quotas in one go.

"Weakened Great Qin Garrison Soldier, fill."

"Great Qin Garrison Soldiers Infantry, fill."

"Great Qin Garrison Soldiers Crossbowmen, fill."

"Weakened Great Qin Elite, fill."

The resource reserves jumped, the numbers shrinking significantly, but still within acceptable limits.

He stared at the rapidly decreasing numbers, calculating another account in his head: these soldiers would all leave the camp in ten days.

At that time, four thousand four hundred Great Qin soldiers would be arrayed at Hangu Pass.

Combined with the Awakened from the Moonflower Guild, the County Soldiers from the various affiliated territories, and the free Awakened allocated by the General Bureau, the Hangu Pass garrison would exceed ten thousand within half a month.

He turned and left the Rui Shi Camp, crossing the Inner City toward the Council Hall.

The light in the Lords Kitchen was still on.

Li Gui was cleaning up in front of the stove. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Lin Feng, quickly putting down his rag and rubbing his hands on his apron.

"Lord, you're back? Are you hungry? Shall I make you a bowl of noodles?"

"Sure." Lin Feng sat down at a low table in the corner of the kitchen.

Li Gui was quick; he put the noodles in the pot, chopped a handful of green vegetables, and added a poached egg.

In less than ten minutes, a steaming bowl of noodle soup was placed before him. The broth was clear, the noodles were chewy, the greens were bright, and the edges of the poached egg were fried crisp.

Lin Feng picked up his chopsticks and slurped the noodles down, finishing them in a few bites and even drinking the soup clean.

Li Gui stood nearby, rubbing his hands and asking, "Lord, would you like another bowl?"

Lin Feng shook his head and pushed the bowl forward. "That's enough. Thank you for your hard work."

Li Gui chuckled and took the bowl to wash it.

Lin Feng stood up, left the kitchen, and went up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

The territory core was suspended in the center of the room, its golden light appearing exceptionally soft in the moonlight.

He walked over and touched it, pulling up the master interface of the Merit Token to take a look. It was running normally, with no abnormal records.

He closed the interface, walked to the bed, leaned the Wildfire Spear against the headboard, and lay down.

The bed was a bit hard, and the quilt smelled like sun-dried cotton.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, and the walls of the Great Wall glinted with a cold, blue-gray light.

He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming steady.