Lin Feng took the ledger, flipped through it casually, and then set it aside.

He looked at Zhang Ping, his eyes filled with unconcealed appreciation.

"Zhang Ping, you've done a good job."

Zhang Ping quickly bowed. "The Lord overpraises me; it was all within my duty."

"To be able to do your duty like this is already very good."

Lin Feng stood up, walked over to him, and patted his shoulder. "Keep it up. If you need anything, tell me directly."

Zhang Ping looked up, his eyes slightly rimmed with red, and nodded vigorously. "Yes, Lord!"

Lin Feng turned around and looked at everyone in the hall.

Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, Su Yurou, and Shadow Snake; everyone's face showed fatigue, but their eyes held the peace of mind that comes with returning home.

"Everyone has worked hard these past few days." Lin Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a soothing power.

"Zhang Ping has handled the town's affairs very well. All of you go back and rest; there's nothing else to do this afternoon."

Tie Dun was the first to grin. "I can finally get a good night's sleep!"

Zhao Hu let out a long breath. "Old Zhao here is going to take a bath first. After four days in the Rift Valley, my body stinks."

Wang Wu nodded. "I'm going back to rest as well. I'll have a good meal tonight."

Arrow Eye silently stowed away his wind-chasing hunting bow, cupped his hands toward Lin Feng, and turned to leave.

Su Yurou stood up and said softly to Lin Feng, "Lord, then I shall head back first."

Lin Feng nodded. "Get some good rest."

As usual, Shadow Snake didn't say a word. She merely glanced at Lin Feng, and with a flicker of her body, she vanished into the shadows outside the door.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Lin Feng walked out of the Council Hall alone and took a slow stroll around the town.

In the new residential area in the southwest corner, rows of wooden houses were neatly arranged, with cooking smoke curling upward.

Children were chasing and playing in the open space in front of the houses, their laughter crisp. An old woman sat on a doorstep mending clothes; occasionally she would look up and give him a simple, honest smile.

Outside the town, the newly reclaimed fields stretched as far as the eye could see, with tender green seedlings just breaking through the soil, swaying gently in the wind.

Li Si was with a few Farmers on the ridge, checking if there was enough moisture in the fields. Seeing Lin Feng from a distance, they hurriedly bowed in greeting.

In the warehouse area, Scarface Liu was leading people to move ore, with baskets of copper and tin ore stacked neatly.

Seeing Lin Feng, he grinned and said, "Lord, this ore of ours will last us quite a while!"

Lin Feng nodded with a smile and didn't stay long.

Returning to the Council Hall, he had someone boil hot water, took a comfortable bath, and changed into a clean set of cloth clothes.

Then, he went up to the second floor and pushed open his bedroom door.

The room wasn't large and the furnishings were simple, but it was clean and tidy. Sunlight from outside spilled through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the floor.

Lin Feng walked to the bedside and lay down.

The soft bedding supported his exhausted body, and his nerves, which had been tense for days, finally relaxed.

He stared at the ceiling, and the battles of the past four days, Zhang Ping's reports, and everyone's smiling faces flashed through his mind.

A thousand acres of land, the Copper-Tin Mine, new Refugees...

Everything was better than expected.

He closed his eyes, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

Then, he fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the window, the setting sun slanted down, plating the entire Beacon Fire Town in a layer of warm orange-red.

Cooking smoke curled, and the sounds of people gradually faded.

That night, everyone slept very soundly.

When Lin Feng opened his eyes, sunlight had already filled half the room through the window lattice.

He rolled out of bed and sat up, stretching his muscles. This sleep had been deep; when he woke up, his whole body felt light, and the fatigue accumulated from days of fighting had been swept away.

A faint clamor came from outside the window, originating from the direction of the West Gate.

"So lively?" Lin Feng's brow twitched slightly as he pushed the door open and went downstairs.

Just as he stepped out of the Council Hall, a ghostly shadow appeared silently by his side.

"Lord." Shadow Snake's voice was as cold as ever. "Outside the West Gate, the transport team from Zhenyue City has arrived."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up. "They're here? How large is the scale?"

"Very large." Shadow Snake uncharacteristically added another sentence, "Much larger than last time."

Lin Feng asked no more and strode toward the West Gate. Shadow Snake's figure flickered and vanished into the shadows once again.

The West Gate was already wide open.

Zhang Ping stood outside the gate, standing on tiptoe to peer into the distance. Seeing Lin Feng arrive, he hurriedly went to meet him. "Lord! The transport team from Zhenyue City is here! It's such a large group!"

Lin Feng walked quickly outside the gate and looked far into the distance.

Far away, a massive team was slowly approaching.

Leading the way were ten large carts pulled by sturdy pack beasts. The wheels were wide, and the axles were wrapped in thick iron hoops, clearly carrying heavy loads.

The carts were covered with heavy tarpaulins, making it impossible to see what was inside, but judging from the depth the wheels sank into the ground, they were very heavy.

On both sides and at the rear of the convoy were armed personnel marching in formation.

They were all dressed in uniform leather armor, with long sabers at their waists and heavy crossbows on their backs, their steps perfectly synchronized.

Lin Feng took a rough scan; there were at least a hundred and fifty people.

At the very front of the team, a familiar figure rode a pack beast; it was precisely the captain of Zhenyue City's Third Transport Team—Zhou Meng.

"What a grand display." Zhang Ping sucked in a breath of cold air.

A smile curled on Lin Feng's lips as he strode forward to meet them.

Seeing Lin Feng from a distance, Zhou Meng immediately dismounted and walked a few steps forward, cupping his hands in greeting. "Lord Lin! We meet again!"

Lin Feng returned the gesture. "Captain Zhou, you've had a hard journey! This display is much larger than last time."

Zhou Meng laughed loudly. "Naturally! Lord Lin is now a lord we are focusing our support on; the treatment is of course different!"

He turned and pointed to the convoy behind him. "Ten large carts, let's tally them—three carts of grain, totaling one thousand units. Three carts of Copper Ingot, totaling one thousand units. Three carts of Tin Ingot, totaling one thousand units. And one cart..."

He patted the last large cart. "Two thousand Gray energy crystals, not a single one missing."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up.

One thousand units of grain was enough for the whole town to eat for two months. With one thousand units each of copper and Tin Ingot, and two thousand Gray energy crystals, the five-hundred-man complement of the Great Qin Garrison Soldiers could finally be fully recruited!

"Captain Zhou, I will remember this generous gift," Lin Feng said solemnly.

Zhou Meng waved his hand. "Lord Lin, don't thank me; I'm just an errand boy. If you want to give thanks, thank Director Chen, thank the country."

He beckoned, and a deputy came forward holding a wooden box.

Zhou Meng opened the box, inside which lay two bronze-colored booklets.

"Director Chen specifically asked me to bring these." Zhou Meng took out the first one. "【Class Change Book: Guardian Warrior】, two copies in total."

Lin Feng took it, his gaze scanning the text on ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the cover, then flipped it open to look at the attribute descriptions.

【Class Change Book: Guardian Warrior】

【Base Bonuses After Class Change】

Constitution +50%

Strength +10%

【Core Skill: Oath of Protection (Active)】

Cooldown: 30 seconds

Effect: Designate a friendly target within 30 meters to apply the 'Protected' state, lasting 30 seconds (cannot stack).

While in the 'Protected' state, 60% of all damage received by the target will be transferred to the caster.