"Therefore, we need to 'mobilize all forces for protection'."

Inoue Ken looked at Yamamoto Ichiro. "Yamamoto-kun, if the second plan is truly initiated, we need to invest all of our country's power into the new territory to ensure its safety."

"Even if Great Xia wants to retaliate, they can only do so through formal channels—diplomatic protests, resource blockades, lord duels, and so on. We have countermeasures for all of these."

Inoue Ken took a deep breath. "There are risks, of course. In the worst-case scenario, if Great Xia obtains conclusive evidence and retaliates recklessly, our newly built territory in Qingshi County might not be saved, and it could even trigger a local conflict."

But his tone shifted, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes. "However, Great Xia's strength in this region is inferior to ours. The temptation of the Mithril Mine makes this risk worth taking."

"Yamamoto-kun, how many years has Sakura Country been held by the throat by Great Xia? Not only is the price of Mithril exorbitant, but we also have to endure their whims."

Yamamoto Ichiro remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

Inoue Ken's final words had struck a chord with him.

The biggest grievance for Sakura Country's right-wing over the years has been their dependence on Great Xia for strategic resources.

All Mithril is imported from Great Xia. Not only is it expensive, but Great Xia often limits exports under the pretext of 'insufficient production capacity'.

If they could secure this Mithril Mine...

Yamamoto Ichiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, only ruthlessness remained.

"Execute the first plan first. Have Umekawa Kojiro go to the Rotting Dragon Beast for a'suicide'. Once he drops to Level 20, have him go to Beacon Fire Town to provoke them."

"If he fails..."

He paused, his voice cold and grim:

"Then execute the second plan."

"The Mithril Mine must belong to Osaka Castle."

As one of the three oligarchic triumvirs of Osaka Castle, Yamamoto Ichiro had the authority to greenlight an operation of this magnitude.

...

Outside the gates of the Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau.

Lin Feng sat on a bench, the morning sunlight spilling over him, feeling warm and cozy. He looked down at the document he had just received on his communicator, his brow relaxing slightly.

【international lord convention (Full Version)】

He spent a few minutes quickly browsing through it, gaining a general understanding of this set of rules.

Exclusive economic zones, resource point disputes, lord war restrictions... these clauses would all be useful in the future.

But what he cared about more at this moment was something else.

Golden accessories.

The list clearly stated that Great Xia had a total of only 26 golden accessories, 21 of which were national strategic reserves, and only 5 were held by individuals.

Equipment of this level was something one could only hope for but rarely find.

However, his Eye of Probability, with its chance for a designated drop once every thirty days, was specifically meant to deal with such 'rarely found' items.

And the Crying Rift Valley... there was a high probability of female humanoid monsters ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) there.

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up slightly. He directly dialed Lin Xiaoyu's communicator.

"Lord Lin? Do you have any other instructions?" Lin Xiaoyu's voice was as crisp as ever.

"Xiaoyu, help me look up information on the Crying Rift Valley. The more detailed, the better."

"Crying Rift Valley? Please wait a moment... I'll check right away!"

The sound of rapid typing came from the other end of the communicator, interspersed with Lin Xiaoyu's occasional mumbling. About two minutes later, she gave an excited shout:

"Found it! Lord Lin, I've sent the information to your communicator! Take your time reading it, and feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand!"

"Thanks for the trouble." Lin Feng hung up the communication and turned to walk toward his hovercar.

...

Lords Home, Villa No. 7.

Lin Feng pushed the door open to find the living room empty. A note was pinned to the coffee table, left by his mother Wang Xiulan: "Xiao Feng, your dad and I went to the senior university for a lecture. Handle dinner yourself. There are groceries in the fridge."

He smiled, placed the note back where it was, and went straight upstairs to his room.

Closing the door, he sat down at his desk and opened the document he had just received on his communicator.

【Crying Rift Valley · Intelligence File】

Lin Feng focused his mind and read through it line by line.

【Geographic Information】

The Crying Rift Valley is located in the northern part of the Canglang Plain, about a hundred li directly north of the original Black Wind Camp.

The rift is the only path connecting the Canglang Plain to the Brown Earth Plain at the northern foot of Tianji Mountain.

The rift is approximately thirty li long, with its width varying between five hundred and two thousand meters.

Towering cliffs rise on both sides, with the deepest point exceeding three hundred meters. The valley floor has undulating terrain, with streams, scattered rocks, thickets, and other complex terrains.

【Special Phenomena】

During the day, everything in the Crying Rift Valley is normal. There are no signs of biological activity within the canyon, not even ordinary wild beasts.

But every night, the rift undergoes a bizarre transformation. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Gray mist surges from the valley floor, its coverage and actual territory expanding hundreds of times. The entire rift seems to transform into another world.

Under the cover of the gray mist, a large number of Western fantasy creatures appear in the rift: Orcs, Goblin Warriors, Trolls, Harpies, Gargoyles, and more.

Levels range from 15 to 30. The deeper one goes into the heart of the rift, the higher the monster levels and the greater their density.

According to multiple observations, these monsters only move at night and disappear along with the gray mist before dawn, as if they never existed.

【Resource Value】

The Crying Rift Valley is one of the primary sources for magic-class Class Change Books and magic equipment.

Killing the fantasy creatures within has a low probability of dropping various magic Class Change Books, as well as equipment with magical attributes (staves, robes, etc.).

Melee class Class Change Books and equipment also drop, with the probability being basically the same as in the outside world.

【Surrounding Forces】

The northern exit of the rift is located at the northern foot of Tianji Mountain, within the range of the Brown Earth Plain.

On the Brown Earth Plain, there is a Sakura Country county-level territory—Chidori County.

Since discovering the value of the Crying Rift Valley thirty years ago, Chidori County has consistently claimed it as their 'exclusive resource point,' organizing teams to enter the rift for hunting year-round.

In their external propaganda, they claim that 'the Crying Rift Valley has been a trial ground for Sakura Country's Awakened since ancient times.'

However, according to the international lord convention, the southern end of the Crying Rift Valley (the side of the Canglang Plain) means Chidori County's claim has no basis in international law.

【Academic Notes】

Some scholars speculate that the Crying Rift Valley may be a natural cage used by the Nightmare World to 'imprison' Western fantasy creatures.

The monsters that appear at night might be cast here from some alternate dimension for 'imprisonment' or 'trials' and are taken back before dawn.

There are dozens of similar special areas in the Nightmare World, distributed in various locations, such as the 'Black Forest' in Europa and the 'Mist Swamp' in the USA.

After reading the information, Lin Feng's eyes sparkled with light.

Level 15 to 30 monsters, magic Class Change Books, magic equipment, appearing at night and disappearing by day...

This is simply a natural leveling ground!

His current level was 14, while Zhao Hu, Shadow Snake, and Wang Wu were Level 12, and Arrow Eye and Su Yurou were Level 11.

They could start grinding from Level 15 monsters at the periphery of the rift and gradually go deeper.

Killing higher-level monsters also meant a higher drop rate.

Moreover, if they were lucky and got good magic equipment, Su Yurou's healing ability would be significantly improved.

As for Chidori County...

A cold smile curled on Lin Feng's lips.

According to the convention, the southern side of the rift is not their exclusive economic zone, so it's every man for himself.

He wouldn't mind 'exchanging pointers' with people from Sakura Country.