On the first morning after the Nightmare Tide ended, the blood moon finally shed its thick layer of red and returned to its normal silvery white.

Morning light spilled over the eastern ridge, plating the twenty-meter-high megalithic walls with a layer of pale gold.

The west gate was wide open, and Lin Feng stood at the entrance.

Behind him were three hundred subjects, pushing handcarts, carrying ropes, and holding pens and paper for registration, waiting to settle the new batch of Refugees.

Zhang Ping stood by his side, clutching a stack of blank registers, his fingers ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) turning slightly white.

"Lord, how many people will come this time?" Zhang Ping asked.

Lin Feng shook his head without speaking. In the past, after every Nightmare Tide, Refugees would be teleported over to replenish the territory's lost population, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand.

But this was the first Nightmare Tide after the blood moon, a global double-intensity event, and there was no telling how many territories had failed to survive.

The number of Refugees would likely be significant.

Suddenly, ripples like water appeared in the sky above the distant plain.

The ripples started from a tiny point, like a pebble thrown into a calm surface of water, spreading outward in circles, becoming denser and more intense.

Finally, that patch of space burst open in the void like an invisible gateway.

On the other side of the gate was a void of gray chaos; on this side was the Golden Ear Plain under the morning light.

Then, figures emerged from the gateway one after another, manifesting from illusion to reality, from blurriness to clarity.

One, ten, a hundred, a thousand... every face bore a look of bewilderment and fear.

Some looked back at the closing gateway, some looked down at their hands, some held those beside them tightly, and some were weeping.

Five thousand people. They stood in dense crowds, filling the open space outside the city gate.

Elders, women, children, and even more young people.

Some were coughing, some were sobbing softly, and some stared blankly at their surroundings, as if they hadn't yet recovered from the dizziness of the teleportation.

Zhang Ping's mouth hung open, and he couldn't close it for a long while.

The register in his hand almost fell to the ground; he scrambled to steady it, his voice changing pitch:

"L-Lord... five thousand people? Our Fenghuo County only has a little over three thousand people right now, and now five thousand have come all at once..."

Lin Feng didn't answer, merely watching the figures as they emerged.

Five thousand people!

"Zhang Ping," he spoke, his voice steady. "Take people to conduct a census. Names, ages, what skills they have—register everything.

Arrange for them to go to the temporary camp first and issue three days' worth of rations. We'll assign housing once the census is complete."

Zhang Ping took a deep breath, hugged the register tight, and turned to wave at the three hundred subjects behind him:

"Everyone, follow me! Work in pairs—one to ask, one to record. Line up, and don't cause a mess!"

The three hundred subjects pushed their handcarts and carried their ropes toward the five thousand Refugees.

Some maintained order, some distributed dry rations and water, and others began the registration with their registers.

The Refugees gradually quieted down, forming long queues and reporting their names and origins one by one.

Lin Feng stood at the city gate, watching the long line with mixed emotions.

Five thousand people—the population of Fenghuo County had suddenly expanded by nearly two times.

More people meant more labor and more soldiers, but the management difficulty, food consumption, and public security pressure would also double.

As he was calculating how to settle them, a stream of information suddenly exploded in his mind.

It wasn't a voice or text, but a direct, irresistible sensation, as if someone were forcing a book into his brain.

【Nightmare World Rule Update】

【Reason for Update: The Blood Moon has descended, the Nightmare Tide has mutated, and human territory losses have exceeded the threshold.】

【New rules are taking effect...】

Lin Feng's body stiffened, his hands clenched tight, his knuckles turning white.

In his mind, the new rules were etched into his memory like branding irons.

Rule 1: The monthly Nightmare Tide for territories has disappeared.

Lin Feng frowned. No more Nightmare Tides? Was last night's double-intensity event the last one?

Rule 2: The lord's annual resurrection opportunity has disappeared.

Lin Feng's heart sank abruptly.

This meant that from now on, if a lord died, they were dead; there would be no second chance.

Rule 3: After a territory's subordinate lord dies in battle, no new subordinate lord can be appointed.

The position of subordinate lord had become a non-renewable resource; once one died, there would be one less.

Rule 4: Human territories can surrender to each other. After surrendering, if the territory is not occupied by an alien race, its corresponding Blue Star nation will not disappear.

Rule 5: After an alien county-level (or city-level) territory is captured for the first time, a large number of the victor's own race's population can be obtained.

Encouraging human counterattacks.

Rule 6: After different races capture a county (or city) territory, the city automatically converts into a city of their own race and cannot be destroyed.

Every city is a strategic resource; whoever occupies it owns it.

Rule 7: Added territory Prosperity. High Prosperity can attract freemen and paupers. paupers can be converted into subjects, while freemen can be converted into subjects only if they are willing.

Rule 8: town-level and higher territories will automatically generate an Adventurers Association. The second floor allows the purchase of first-promotion Class Change Books with Contribution Pointss, and the third floor allows the purchase of second promotion Class Change Books with Contribution Pointss.

Lin Feng's pupils dilated. Class Change Books could be bought with Contribution Pointss?

Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, A Wang, and Scarface Liu were all stuck at level 19, just one second promotion book away!

Rule 9: Every month, Blue Star will randomly select Adventurers for each country based on their territories in the Nightmare World.

One hundred for town-level, five hundred for county-level, and two thousand for city-level. The selected individuals will receive the initial class of Adventurer at level 5, along with a full set of white equipment, and can choose a focused attribute (agility, Strength, or constitution) to receive a 20% bonus.

After reaching level 10, an Adventurer can change to another class, at which point the Adventurer bonuses disappear.

Existing class-holders in the Nightmare World automatically gain Adventurer status and can enter the Adventurers Guild.

Rule 10: Dungeons are sealed for six months. Within these six months, monsters on each floor of a Dungeon cannot enter the floor above, and only those with Adventurer status can enter (floors already captured are not subject to this restriction). After six months, the seal will be lifted, and monsters can expand toward the surface.

The unexplored Dungeon within his territory's range was currently in a sealed state.

Within six months, only Adventurers could go in to fight, and the monsters couldn't come out.

Once the seal was lifted after six months, the monsters would swarm toward the surface.

The information stream ended.

Lin Feng stood where he was, motionless.

Those ten new rules were still echoing in his mind, like ten nails being driven into his brain one by one.

The rules of the Nightmare World had completely changed.

There would be no more fixed monthly Nightmare Tides, but the Dungeons would be unsealed in six months.

Lords no longer had resurrection opportunities, and the positions of subordinate lords had become a scarce resource.

Human nations could surrender to each other to preserve their countries, but cities captured by alien races would automatically convert.

The Adventurers Association allowed for the purchase of Class Change Books, but Contribution Pointss were required.