Lin Feng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and analyze the situation point by point.

Under the new rules, the survival of low-level territories will become a major issue.

There is no Nightmare Tide, but there are Dungeons and foreign races!

When the Dungeons are unsealed in six months, those small territories without Adventurers or sufficient troops will be overwhelmed by the monsters pouring out of them.

And the foreign races are a real, organized army with strategic intent; they will capture cities and territories, convert cities, and sustain their war efforts through conquest.

Humans can surrender to each other, but not to foreign races; it's either hold the line or perish.

Lin Feng turned around and looked toward the interior of the city.

On the second floor of the Council Hall, the territory core was floating in that room.

He thought of the construction requirements for the Great Wall he had seen last night, the "dragon heart," and the goal he had set for himself.

The Great Wall! Its priority must be raised to the highest level!

"Lord? Lord?" Zhang Ping's voice pulled him back to reality.

Lin Feng came to his senses and found that Zhang Ping had approached him at some point, holding a register, his face glowing with excitement.

"Lord, the preliminary count is in; there are about five thousand one hundred people. Among them are a few carrying tools, looking like craftsmen."

Zhang Ping lowered his voice, "Should we screen them again?"

Lin Feng nodded: "Do as you see fit. Register the craftsmen separately first, and categorize the others by age and physical condition. Prioritize those with skills, and those without skills can do manual labor for now."

Zhang Ping responded and ran back to continue his work.

Lin Feng stood at the city gate, watching the five thousand Refugees being registered, categorized, and settled, while thinking about those new rules.

second promotion books can be bought on the third floor of the Adventurers Association.

Dungeons have a six-month sealing period, during which only Adventurers can enter.

So, within six months, he must clear the Dungeon within his territory's range.

This way, after the seal is lifted, the monsters won't immediately threaten Lucky Town.

There's also the Great Wall, the dragon heart, the Nightmare Corrupt Dragon Beast, and the Eye of Probability, which will refresh in sixteen days.

This is currently his most certain and controllable path.

Lin Feng turned around and strode toward the city. Behind him, the noise of the five thousand Refugees grew more distant.

He passed through the city gate, walked along the main street, pushed open the door of the Council Hall, and went up to the second floor.

The territory core floated in the center of the room, its dark golden light looking exceptionally warm in the morning sun.

He reached out to touch it, and a light screen unfolded before his eyes.

【Great Wall (Unique) — Construction Requirements】

【Stone × 40,000, Wood × 10,000, Iron Ingots × 5,000, Mithril × 1,200, Gray Crystal × 20,000, dragon heart × 1】

Lin Feng's gaze lingered on the line "dragon heart" for a long time. Then he closed the light screen and turned to leave the room.

Sixteen days. Wait sixteen days!

...

Just as Lin Feng stepped out of the Council Hall, he saw Liu Zhaowan standing at the bottom of the steps.

Today, she wasn't wearing that capable deep-blue training uniform; instead, she had changed into a plain white shirt, her hair loose and draped over her shoulders.

Her complexion was terrible, not the paleness of staying up late, but a grayness that seeped from her heart and couldn't be suppressed.

Seeing Lin Feng, she managed to force a smile.

The smile was faint; her mouth curved only for a moment before retracting, like a ripple on the water's surface that flattened before it could spread.

Lin Feng's heart sank.

He walked down the steps and stood before her, skipping the pleasantries and asking directly: "Did many territories in the Great Xia Nightmare World perish?"

Liu Zhaowan nodded. She didn't beat around the bush, her voice raspy, as if recounting something she had already repeated many times: "I won't mention the town-level and village-level ones, but county-level territories... thirty-six perished last night."

Thirty-six!

How many county-level territories did Great Xia have in total?

He remembered there were sixty-seven during the last Lords Assembly.

Thirty-six gone in one night—more than half!

He opened his mouth to say something but swallowed it back.

What could he say? "My condolences"? "Things will get better"? All of it was nonsense.

Liu Zhaowan seemed to read his mind and shook her head, her voice even lower: "The cracks on the National Fortune Cauldron, there are forty-one now."

Lin Feng didn't speak; he remembered when he saw the third crack appear on the National Fortune Cauldron in the classroom, the whole class was terrifyingly quiet, everyone feeling as if the sky was falling.

Now, forty-one!

"Thank you," Lin Feng said.

He didn't know why he wanted to say thank you, but he just did.

Liu Zhaowan was stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "I came to find you for official business."

Lin Feng looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The Lords Assembly, convened unexpectedly," Liu Zhaowan's voice regained some strength, but it was still very raspy.

"8:00 PM Blue Star time tonight, 12:00 PM Nightmare time tomorrow. The General Bureau requires all county-level and above lords to attend."

Lin Feng's brow furrowed slightly: "The contents?"

"Information on the Blood Moon, and..." she paused, as if weighing her words, "information on the foreign races."

Foreign races! Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

The Great Xia authorities already have information on the foreign races? So fast!

"I understand." Lin Feng nodded. "I will attend on time."

Liu Zhaowan didn't say anything more.

She stood there, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something else, but in the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ end, she just nodded and turned to leave.

Her back looked very frail in the morning light, her shoulders slightly hunched, her pace much slower than usual.

Lin Feng stood on the steps, watching her figure disappear around the street corner.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to the messenger standing at the entrance of the Council Hall: "Tell Zhang Ping to bring the newly arrived life-professionals to see me."

The messenger took the order and ran off.

Lin Feng turned and walked back into the Council Hall.

The morning light was fully bright, illuminating the entire city.

On the city walls, the Beacon Guards were changing shifts, and new sentries were climbing the arrow towers.

Forty-one cracks, thirty-six county-level territories, all in one night.

He sat down in the main seat, leaning against the back of the chair; he needed time to think, time to prepare.

For tomorrow's Lords Assembly, he needed to listen and observe, but more importantly, he needed to figure one thing out.

In the coming storm, how Fenghuo County should survive, how it should live well, and how it should live better than everyone else.