An hour and [N O V E L I G H T] a half later, at the north gate of Beacon Fire Town.

Two figures swept in like the wind, coming to a halt at the city gate.

Lin Feng stood outside the gate, glancing back toward the north, a faint smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

The two walked side-by-side into the city gate, disappearing deep into the streets.

Behind them, the northern sky remained a murky gray.

But in that Yellow Turban Army stronghold, a certain Level 20 elite monster had already been locked onto by Lin Feng's gaze.

Thirteen days from now, it would contribute its own value.

The north gate of Beacon Fire Town.

Two figures swept in like the wind and stopped at the street corner.

“You go back first,” Lin Feng said, looking at Shadow Snake beside him. “Thanks for your hard work today.”

Shadow Snake shook her head slightly without speaking. With a flicker of her body, she vanished into the shadows of the street corner.

She was now at Level 19 with full experience, needing only a second-advancement book to break through.

The purple shadow moon blade at her waist glinted with a cold, eerie light. Her entire being merged into the shadows, and even her presence vanished completely.

Lin Feng smiled and walked alone along the main street toward the Council Hall.

People were still coming and going in the shops, and bursts of laughter and chatter drifted from the taverns. Several working Awakened were squatting by the roadside eating grilled fish; they hurriedly stood up to salute when they saw him.

Lin Feng waved them off, his pace never slowing.

The doors to the Council Hall were wide open, and someone was standing at the entrance.

Liu Zhaowan.

She was still wearing her capable, deep blue training uniform, her ponytail tied meticulously. She stood with her hands behind her back, eyeing the lintel of the Council Hall.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, a smile appearing on her face.

“Lord Lin, I’ve finally managed to wait for you.”

Lin Feng’s brow twitched slightly. “Does Director Liu have business with me?”

Liu Zhaowan nodded and followed him into the hall.

The two took their seats, and Liu Zhaowan got straight to the point. “Lord Lin, tonight at 8:00 PM Blue Star time is the monthly Lords Assembly.”

Lin Feng was taken aback.

“Lords Assembly?”

“Yes,” Liu Zhaowan said. “Only county-level lords and above are eligible to participate. You have been officially recognized as a county-level lord by Great Xia, so...”

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of emotion. “You are now qualified to attend this meeting.”

Lin Feng was silent for a moment.

A county-level lord...

From his awakening until now, exactly one month had passed in Blue Star time.

“What is this meeting for?” he asked.

Liu Zhaowan explained, “To make decisions on important issues for Great Xia in the Nightmare World. For example, resource allocation, Nightmare Tide defense coordination, the settlement of new Awakened, foreign relations, and so on.” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“All attending members have voting rights, and the voting weight is linked to the seat level.”

She looked at Lin Feng with complex emotions in her eyes—surprise, admiration, and a touch of disbelief.

Half a month ago, this young man was still on her contact list as a rookie lord who needed'special attention.'

A month later, he was already sitting at the edge of that round table.

Lin Feng didn't notice her gaze; he just nodded. “Alright, I will attend the meeting tonight.”

Liu Zhaowan smiled, gave a few more instructions regarding meeting etiquette, and then rose to take her leave.

Lin Feng saw her out and then turned to go back to his room on the second floor.

Lying on the bed, he stared at the ceiling as his consciousness slowly drifted away.

...

Blue Star, Rongcheng.

Lords Home Villa No. 7.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, and the familiar ceiling came into view. The aroma of his mother’s cooking wafted up from downstairs, and he could faintly hear the sound of his father watching TV in the living room.

He sat up and glanced at the electronic calendar on the nightstand.

April 1, 3230, 6:37 PM.

Ninety-two days had passed in the Nightmare World, while nearly thirty days had passed on Blue Star.

He reached out and picked up the specialized communicator.

The screen lit up, and a pinned red message jumped into view:

【Great Xia Nightmare Affairs Bureau · Notice】

Respected Lord Lin Feng:

Congratulations on officially possessing a county-level territory and becoming the 67th existing county-level lord of Great Xia.

According to Article 17 of the 'Great Xia Lord Management Regulations,' you have obtained the qualification to participate in the 'Great Xia Monthly Lords Meeting.'

This month's meeting will be held promptly at 20:00 Blue Star time on April 1. Please access the encrypted channel through this device to attend via holographic projection.

Attachment: Meeting_Guide.pdf

Great Xia Nightmare Affairs Bureau

April 1, 3230

Lin Feng clicked on the attachment and scanned it quickly.

【Meeting Guide · Important Notices】

This meeting will be in holographic projection format. Please ensure your environment has a stable network connection and sufficient lighting.

First-time attendees should log in 15 minutes early for identity verification and seat positioning.

Real-time voting is available during the meeting. Voting weight is linked to seat level: Copper Seat 1 vote, Silver Seat 2 votes, Gold Seat 5 votes.

The meeting agenda includes: introduction of new members, review of daily affairs, voting on major proposals, intelligence sharing, etc.

Please strictly abide by meeting discipline; disclosure of meeting content is prohibited.

Copper Seat, Silver Seat, Gold Seat.

He was now a county-level lord, so according to the rules, he should be at the lowest level—the Copper Seat.

But he remembered Liu Zhenshan, the Vice City Lord of Zhenyue City. He had served as the supervisor at the site of the territorial war that day; he should be a Silver Seat.

City-level lord, Silver Seat.

What about the Gold Seats?

He thought for a moment and recalled the information he had looked up before: After an Awakened reaches Level 40, they can no longer increase their level through experience points.

Therefore, the highest level in the world was basically Level 40.

The City Lord of Zhenyue City was Level 39. A city-level territory could accommodate two subsidiary Village Establishment Orders, which meant Zhenyue City had three Level 39 lords.

Then what about the main cities of Great Xia?

There should be three Level 40 lords.

Those people were the Gold Seats.

Lin Feng put down the communicator and leaned back in his chair.

A month ago, he was still worrying about how to survive.

A month later, he was about to sit together with these people and participate in Great Xia's decision-making in the Nightmare World.

He smiled, stood up, and went downstairs to eat.

His mother had made four dishes and a soup: braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, tomato and scrambled eggs, and a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup. They were all his favorites.

“Eat more,” his mother kept piling food onto his plate. “You must not be eating well over there, right?”

Lin Feng’s mouth was stuffed full as he said indistinctly, “It’s alright, there’s a specialized chef.”

His father sat opposite him, silently drinking wine. Only when Lin Feng was almost finished eating did he speak: “That meeting... is it important?”

Lin Feng nodded. “It’s important.”

His father thought for a moment and said, “Speak less, listen more. You just got in; don’t be in a hurry to stand out.”

“I know.”

His father took another sip of wine and stopped talking.