Lin Feng reached out to help the two men up, patting them on the shoulder.

"Get up. We don't do that here in Beacon Fire Town." He paused, his gaze sweeping over them.

"From now on, your only task within the team is to protect Su Yurou."

A Wang and Scarface Liu exchanged a look, then nodded solemnly in unison: "Yes!"

Su Yurou, sitting by the window, was slightly taken aback. Then, a warm smile curved the corners of her mouth.

Tie Dun chimed in from the side: "A Wang, Scarface Liu, you two are really something now!"

"Guardian Warrior! Sounds like a proper tank! Now we've got two more meat shields for the front line!"

Zhao Hu slapped Tie Dun on the back of the head: "Can't ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you speak properly? Meat shields?"

"They are Guardian Warriors! Specialized in protecting the back line!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

A Wang and Scarface Liu also smiled, gripping the Class Change Books in their hands tightly, their eyes filled with excitement and gratitude.

Lin Feng waited for the laughter to subside before continuing.

"Alright, on to the second matter."

He swept his gaze over everyone: "This afternoon, we continue our journey to the Crying Rift Valley to level up. There are higher-level monsters deep in the valley. Our current levels are not enough."

Everyone's expressions turned serious, and they nodded one after another.

"Everyone, go back and prepare. Dry rations, arrows, medicine—replenish what needs to be replenished. We assemble at the north gate at three this afternoon."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison and gradually dispersed.

Zhao Hu left carrying his broadsword, Tie Dun followed behind him hugging his giant shield, while Wang Wu and Arrow Eye discussed the number of arrows as they walked.

A Wang and Scarface Liu tightly clutched their Class Change Books, their steps so light they seemed about to take flight.

Su Yurou walked up to Lin Feng and said softly, "Lord, I'll go prepare too." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Lin Feng nodded: "Get some good rest. We'll be up late again tonight."

Su Yurou gave a slight smile, turned, and left.

As always, Shadow Snake moved without a sound. Only after everyone had left did she emerge from the shadows and disappear outside the door.

The Council Hall quieted down.

Lin Feng did not leave. Instead, he looked towards Zhang Ping, who had been standing to the side all along.

"Zhang Ping, there's something I need you to do."

Zhang Ping quickly bowed: "Please give your orders, Lord."

"I need to conscript five hundred able-bodied men to serve as professional soldiers."

Zhang Ping was taken aback, then quickly did the math in his head: "Lord, our town currently has over sixteen hundred residents. Among them, there are roughly eight hundred young and middle-aged men. Conscripting five hundred..."

"I know." Lin Feng interrupted him, "For the next few days, have the women step in first. Li San and Li Si are handling the farmland. The women can manage the miscellaneous tasks."

"If it really becomes too much, slow down a bit. We'll make up for it when the new Refugees arrive."

Zhang Ping thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, Lord. I will arrange everything properly."

Lin Feng patted him on the shoulder: "I appreciate your hard work. In a few days, a large group of new Refugees will arrive. Then we'll have plenty of manpower."

Zhang Ping's eyes lit up: "New Refugees? Roughly how many?"

"Not a small number." Lin Feng didn't elaborate, "Go and prepare for now."

"Yes!"

Zhang Ping bowed and withdrew.

Lin Feng walked out of the Council Hall alone, crossed the town's streets, and arrived at the southeastern corner of the inner city.

The 【Great Qin Elite Camp】, disguised as an ordinary warehouse, stood quietly. Vines crawled over its stone walls, making it look completely unremarkable.

Lin Feng walked up to the stone door and placed his hand on the cold stone wall.

A slight stir in his mind, and an interface visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

【Great Qin Elite Camp (Unique)】

【Currently Trainable Units: Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Infantry), Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Crossbowmen)】

【Training Requirements: Eligible Refugees or Awakened, Copper, Tin, energy crystals】

【Training Time: 10 days】

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the resource reserves.

Copper Ingots: 1050 units

Tin Ingots: 1050 units

Gray energy crystals: 4810 pieces

White energy crystals: 420 pieces

Green energy crystals: 35 pieces

He took a deep breath and issued the command:

"Train Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Infantry) — four hundred."

"Train Great Qin Garrison Soldiers (Crossbowmen) — one hundred."

"Total five hundred. Begin training."

Gray energy crystals: 4810 → 810

White energy crystals: 420 → 20

Green energy crystals: 35 → 15

Copper Ingots: 1050 → 50

Tin Ingots: 1050 → 50

The moment the command was issued, the stone door of the 【Great Qin Elite Camp】 slid open silently, revealing a deep passageway inside.

On both sides of the passage, faint dark red light flickered, like a slumbering behemoth slowly opening its eyes.

Simultaneously, five hundred eligible young and middle-aged men working in various parts of the town all shuddered.

They set down their tasks, their eyes briefly clouded with confusion before being replaced by a rigid, programmed directive.

Then, with uniform steps, they converged from all directions, walking silently towards the southeastern corner of the inner city and entering the seemingly ordinary stone building.

One.

Ten.

One hundred.

Five hundred.

When the last figure disappeared behind the stone door, it closed silently.

The hidden character for 'Qin' on the lintel seemed to glow faintly for an instant before returning to stillness.

Lin Feng withdrew his hand, took a few steps back, and gazed at this silent structure.

In ten days, five hundred fully armed soldiers would emerge from here.

Five hundred Beacon Guards.

He turned around and looked north.

That was the direction of the Crying Rift Valley.

This afternoon, the team would set out again.

Tonight, the slaughter would continue.

And in ten days, Beacon Fire Town would truly possess an army of its own.

A faint smile slowly curled at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth as he strode away.

Behind him, the 【Great Qin Elite Camp】 stood quietly, awaiting the grand awakening ten days later.

Sakura Country, Baigui County.

The Lord's Council Hall.

This was a typical Japanese-style building with black tiles, white walls, and beams and pillars painted a deep brown.

The hall was floored with tatami mats. In the center stood a low, long table. Seated behind the table was a man.

Umekawa Kojiro.

He appeared to be around forty years old, with a lean face, high cheekbones, and narrow, slightly squinted eyes that held a gaze as sharp as a blade.

He wore dark gray ninja attire. Two short swords were tucked at his waist, their scabbards inlaid with a silver family crest.

It was the emblem of the Umekawa Family: a half-open cherry blossom with serrated edges on its petals.

On both sides of the long table, twenty Class Changers knelt on the tatami mats. All were dressed in black, masked, revealing only their eyes.

From their builds and the look in their eyes, it was clear these were all close relatives of Umekawa Kojiro.

The ninjas of the Umekawa Family had been in the business of assassination and espionage for generations.

Candlelight flickered within the hall, the atmosphere heavy and tense.

"You have all heard the news from Yamamoto Ichiro."

Umekawa Kojiro's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Osaka Castle has issued an order for our Baigui County to provoke a newly established Great Xia territory called Beacon Fire Town."

A middle-aged ninja on the left raised his head, doubt in his eyes: "Family Head, what is the background of this Beacon Fire Town? Is it worth Osaka Castle issuing a direct order?"

"A newly appointed Lord. Established a village less than a month ago, already upgraded to a town."

Umekawa Kojiro's fingers lightly tapped the table surface, "Reportedly, it's a dark horse that emerged from Great Xia, developing at an extremely rapid pace."

"A newly appointed Lord?" A young ninja on the right couldn't help but speak up.

"Then isn't he just a rookie? Sending a few people to harass them should be enough. Why does the Family Head need to personally discuss this?"