Lin Feng thought for a moment and waved his hand. "That's all for now. Director Chen, how much of this can you resolve?"

The meeting room fell silent for three seconds.

Chen Weiguo looked at the candid young man before him, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly.

He took a deep breath, rubbed his temples, and then spoke slowly:

"Lord Lin, you really aren't being polite at all..."

Lin Feng smiled and didn't respond.

Chen Weiguo remained silent for a moment longer before addressing the requests point by point:

"Gathering six intermediate talents all at once is too difficult. At most, I can coordinate and send two over to you in a few days.

I'll try my best to get an Intermediate Farmer and one other intermediate professional. As for the remaining four, it will take at least two years."

Lin Feng nodded. Two was fine; it was better than nothing.

"One thousand units of Copper-Tin Mine and grain—that's no problem. But forget about the iron ore exchange; the state doesn't need your pittance of iron ore. You won't have to pay for shipping either; it'll be included in the support package."

Lin Feng was delighted and quickly thanked him.

"Two thousand units of gray crystals can also be arranged."

Chen Weiguo paused before continuing, "A few thousand Awakened laborers is also fine. But there is one condition."

He looked at Lin Feng, his gaze becoming serious:

"I want to dispatch management personnel from the Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau to Beacon Fire Town to help you plan your resource points.

For instance, monster resources should have monthly kill limits to ensure sustainable development.

As for trade, I hope you can allocate some storefronts in the commercial district to serve as permanent state trading posts in the Nightmare World."

Lin Feng's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't answer immediately.

Chen Weiguo continued, "Additionally, I can dispatch military personnel to help you defend the town. Regular army, well-trained and well-equipped."

Lin Feng thought about it and slowly shook his head:

"Director Chen, as for the defense, I'll pass. I want to handle Beacon Fire Town's defense myself."

He looked at Chen Weiguo with a sincere gaze. "It's not that I don't trust our brothers in the military, it's just... there are some things in Beacon Fire Town I'd rather not let too many people know about for now. I hope you can understand."

Chen Weiguo didn't push it. "Fine, we'll do it your way. But management personnel moving in and allocating storefronts—that's not a problem, right?"

"No problem," Lin Feng nodded. "I can allocate five storefronts in the commercial district for the Bureau's use. As for management personnel, no more than ten people."

"Deal."

The two discussed details for another half hour, finally finalizing the specifics of the first support package.

One thousand units of copper, one thousand units of tin, one thousand units of grain, and two thousand units of gray energy crystals would be delivered to Beacon Fire Town within seven Nightmare World days.

Two intermediate talents and two Warrior Class Change Books would be coordinated within seven days.

Two thousand Awakened laborers would arrive in ten days. Their wages would be advanced by the Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau, with Beacon Fire Town providing 30% of the revenue from minerals, grain, and other resources as repayment.

The Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau would station eight management personnel to assist in planning resource points and managing commercial affairs. Five storefronts in the Beacon Fire Town commercial district would be allocated as permanent Bureau trading posts.

The military would not station a garrison, and guilds would not be introduced for the time being.

With the negotiations finished, Chen Weiguo and Lin Feng stood up simultaneously and shook hands.

"Lord Lin, a pleasure doing business with you," Chen Weiguo said with a smile.

"Thank you, Director Chen," Lin Feng smiled back. "Beacon Fire Town won't let you down."

Chen Weiguo patted his shoulder. "Alright, get back to work. Someone will contact you when the resources arrive."

Lin Feng nodded and turned toward the door.

Just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and looked back.

"Director Chen, there's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with."

"Speak."

"Could you send me a copy of the international lord convention? The more detailed, the better."

Chen Weiguo didn't ask questions; he picked up his communicator and sent a message. "Have Lin Xiaoyu give it to you. That girl has the full version."

"Thanks."

Lin Feng pushed the door open and stepped out.

Outside, Lin Xiaoyu was boredly scrolling through her communicator. Seeing Lin Feng emerge, she immediately greeted him. "Lord Lin, all done?"

Lin Feng nodded. "Yes. Director Chen said you have the international lord convention?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly. "I'll send it to you right away! Give me your communicator for a second... Alright, sent! Ask me anytime if there's anything you don't understand!"

Lin Feng glanced at the file that popped up on his communicator and nodded. "Thanks for the trouble. I'll be going now."

"Take care, Lord Lin!"

Lin Xiaoyu watched Lin Feng leave, then turned and ran into the meeting room.

"Director Chen, Director Chen! How did it go? Did Lord Lin agree?"

Chen Weiguo sat in his chair, staring in the direction Lin Feng had left, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"He agreed."

He paused and said softly:

"That kid... has quite an appetite, but he's clear-headed. He knows what to take and what not to take."

"He's someone who can get things done."

...

Lin Feng walked out of the Bureau building, the sunlight feeling warm on his body.

He looked up at the blue sky, then at the file he had just received on his communicator—【international lord convention (Full Version)】.

Lin Feng stood outside the Bureau building, in no hurry to leave. The sun was pleasant, so he found a roadside bench and sat down.

He opened the communicator and began reading the "international lord convention (Full Version)" carefully.

The document was very long, filled with dense clauses arranged in side-by-side Chinese and English. Lin Feng read through them one by one.

Article 1: Territory Exclusive Economic Zone

Village-level Territory: An area with a radius of three li centered on the territory core is the Exclusive Economic Zone.

town-level Territory: An area with a radius of ten li is the Exclusive Economic Zone.

County-level Territory: An area with a radius of fifteen li is the Exclusive Economic Zone.

City-level and Main City-level Territory: An area with a radius of one hundred li is the Exclusive Economic Zone.

No other territory shall encroach upon resource points within the aforementioned ranges for any reason.

For resource points outside the Exclusive Economic Zone, if both territories claim ownership, the dispute shall be resolved through a fair duel between dispatched representatives.

Duel Rules:

(1) Each side shall dispatch one person to engage in one-on-one combat under the supervision of a third party. (Lords of territories of the same level cannot participate). The winner gains ownership of the resource point and all of the loser's equipment.

(2) If a dispute occurs between a high-level territory and a low-level territory, the high-level territory may only dispatch Awakened whose level does not exceed the current level cap of the low-level territory. (For example, in a dispute between a County-level and a town-level territory, the County-level may dispatch at most a LV19 Awakened; the challenged party, being the lower-level territory, may have its Lord participate in the duel).

(3) The same challenger and challenged party may only participate in a resource point duel once per year.

Article 2: Lord Wars

Given that a territory is not only the private property of a Lord but is also closely linked to the interests of the citizens of various Blue Star nations, countries should, in principle, strive to avoid wars between Lords. If conflicts are indeed irreconcilable, the following regulations must be observed:

(1) Level Restriction: No high-level territory may initiate war against a low-level territory under any circumstances.

(2) Same-level War: If territories of the same level wish to initiate war, they must first report to their respective national authorities for state-level coordination. War may only be declared if coordination is ineffective and both nations agree.

(3) A war request is initiated through the territory core in the Nightmare World. If the other party agrees within three minutes, the agreement is established.

A battlefield must be selected where both sides commit their full strength in a direct confrontation, and no outside assistance may be invited.

Victory or defeat is determined by raw strength, with both nations dispatching high-level Awakened to supervise.

The moment the agreement is reached, the Nightmare World rules will restrict both Lords' levels, preventing them from increasing for 15 days and throughout the duration of the war; the number of class-changed individuals in the territory will be locked at the current count.

After the 15-day preparation period, the war begins automatically and continues until one side's territory core is completely destroyed.