"Allen's letter recorded the destruction of a magical world by the Black Tide. The guild is offering fifty Contribution Points plus five Gray energy crystals."

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up slightly. Fifty points wasn't much, but combined with the fifty points from the amber moon-tear, he already had a hundred.

"The intelligence from Gruen's memory fragments is of high value, revealing part of the truth about the Black Tide. The guild is offering nine hundred Contribution Points plus nine white energy crystals."

Lin Feng's breath hitched for a moment. Nine hundred, plus the previous hundred—one thousand Contribution Points was enough to buy one of the best First Rank class books at the Adventurers Guild.

"Deal," Lin Feng said.

Selina took a palm-sized wooden box from under the counter and opened the lid to reveal a silver-white badge inside.

The badge was engraved with a pattern of a shield and crossed swords, with a ring of fine runes around the edge that glowed softly under the light. She pushed the badge toward Lin Feng.

"The Contribution Points have been deposited into your Adventurer account, totaling one thousand points," Selina's voice remained calm and steady.

"Lord, would you like to upgrade your squad? One thousand Contribution Points is enough to upgrade the Beacon Fire Squad from Bronze Rank to Silver Rank."

"Upgrade it," Lin Feng said without hesitation.

Selina took back the bronze medal and took out the silver-white medal from the wooden box, handing it to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng took it, and an attribute panel appeared before his eyes.

【Beacon Fire Squad Silver Medal】

【Rank: Silver】

【Effect: Within a twenty-meter radius of the medal, squad members gain +100 HP】

【Validity: 29 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes】

【Belongs to: Beacon Fire Squad】

An extra hundred health points could save a life at a critical moment.

Lin Feng tucked the silver medal into his coat and turned to walk out of the Adventurers Guild.

Sunlight shone from the east, dyeing the stone-paved road of the Commercial Street a warm yellow.

The shops were all open, and queues had already formed in front of the breakfast stalls.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and strode toward the West Gate.

Over at the Dungeon, Jiang Zhaoyue was still waiting. With her Battlefield Intuition, going back into the Dungeon should be much smoother than last time.

Moreover, he wanted to see what the second floor actually looked like.

Lin Feng quickened his pace, his figure disappearing into the crowd on the Commercial Street.

...

Lin Feng emerged from Lucky Town, his pace much faster than when he had arrived.

The sunlight slanted from the east, casting his shadow long and dragging a moving black line across the grassy waves of the Golden Ear Plain.

The wind on the wilderness was a bit stronger than in the morning, blowing the waves of grass into layers that made a rustling sound.

The black hole of the Dungeon entrance in the distance was particularly prominent in the daylight, like a wound on the earth, its light-curtain edge shimmering with a faint blue light in the sun.

At the edge of the cave entrance, Meng Yi still stood leaning on his halberd, his half-body iron armor glinting coldly in the morning light.

The hundred Beacon Guards had already set up a simple camp, with tents neatly arranged in two rows. Cooking smoke rose from a corner of the camp where several soldiers were boiling porridge.

Bai ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Yi was leading several sentries on patrol in the surrounding area. Seeing Lin Feng return, he gave a military salute from a distance by pressing his right fist to his chest.

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze turning to the eastern side of the cave entrance.

Jiang Zhaoyue and her two companions were all there. Feng Qingyan was squatting on the ground drawing circles with a twig, muttering something under her breath. She drew one circle after another, looking completely bored.

Shi Pojun leaned against his tower shield with his eyes closed to rest, the shield standing in front of him and almost completely obscuring his entire body.

Jiang Zhaoyue stood with her hands behind her back, facing the cave entrance as if observing the semi-transparent light curtain. Her silver and blue war armor glinted with fine light in the sun.

"Lord Jiang," Lin Feng approached and greeted her with cupped fists.

Jiang Zhaoyue turned around with a faint smile on her face and returned the greeting: "Lord Lin, back so soon? Did the mission go smoothly?"

"It did," Lin Feng didn't say much and got straight to the point. "Lord Jiang, let's explore together."

Feng Qingyan threw away the twig and jumped up from the ground, her ponytail swinging in an arc behind her head. She leaned in and said with a grin, "Explore together? Lord Lin is so nice! Lord Lin is at the Third Rank, we're in luck!"

Lin Feng glanced at her, then turned his gaze back to Jiang Zhaoyue, his tone serious: "The first floor is a grotto labyrinth. We wandered around for half the day and didn't even catch a glimpse of the second floor. Your Battlefield Intuition can save us a lot of time."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded without any unnecessary pleasantries: "Alright."

Feng Qingyan gave a cheer, and Shi Pojun opened his eyes, silently lifting his tower shield from the ground.

Lin Feng turned and beckoned to Zhao Hu and the others: "Let's go, down another level."

Zhao Hu responded and began to organize the equipment.

Tie Dun scrambled up from the ground, patted the dust off his rear, and shouldered his troll bone shield.

Wang Wu and Arrow Eye checked their bowstrings and quivers, and Jiang Yelan stepped out from the shadows.

Just as everyone was about to head toward the cave entrance, Jiang Zhaoyue suddenly spoke: "Lord Lin, wait a moment."

Lin Feng stopped and turned around. He saw Jiang Zhaoyue close her eyes, and the silver moon emblem on her forehead emerged again, flickering slightly.

A soft light spread out from her body like ripples on water, spreading silently in all directions.

The moment the light swept over Lin Feng, a prompt appeared before his eyes.

【Valkyrie Aura (Passive) · Jiang Zhaoyue】

【Effect: All allied units within a 100-meter range gain Attack +10 and Defense +10】

Lin Feng was slightly stunned. Plus ten attack and plus ten defense—the values weren't high, but the advantage lay in its wide range, zero consumption, and no need for binding; any ally could benefit from it.

Tie Dun was the first to react, exclaiming: "Good heavens! Lord Jiang actually has a halo skill? Ten attack and ten defense each—isn't that like getting half a piece of equipment for free?"

Feng Qingyan lifted her chin, her face full of pride: "Of course! Sister Jiang's halo isn't something just anyone can have. Everyone within a hundred meters gets the bonus!"

Tie Dun opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he glanced at Lin Feng, then at Jiang Zhaoyue, his lips moved, and he ultimately swallowed his words, only giving a couple of chuckles.

Lin Feng noticed the change in Tie Dun's expression. He knew what Tie Dun wanted to say—the General's Majesty halo. His General's Majesty halo allowed bound soldiers to gain strength and health bonuses regardless of distance, an effect much stronger than the Valkyrie Aura.

However, the General's Majesty halo required soldiers to bind voluntarily and was only effective for soldiers under his command, unlike the Valkyrie Aura which worked for any ally.

Tie Dun was usually careless, but he knew what things could be said and what things couldn't.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze, looked at Jiang Zhaoyue, and cupped his fists: "Thank you, Lord Jiang."

Jiang Zhaoyue shook her head and smiled: "You're welcome. Since we're exploring together, it's only right to help each other."

Lin Feng said no more, turned to face the cave entrance, and took a deep breath.

"Let's go."

He took the lead, stepping into the semi-transparent light curtain.

The light curtain swept over him like ripples of water, feeling cool, and then his vision darkened as his feet hit solid ground.

He was already standing in the grotto of the Dungeon's first floor.

The luminescence of moss flickered slightly on the rock walls, making the surrounding stalactites and stalagmites appear and disappear in the dim light.

Behind him, Jiang Zhaoyue, Feng Qingyan, and Shi Pojun entered one after another.

Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, Su Yurou, A Wang, Scarface Liu, and Jiang Yelan followed closely behind.

The twelve of them stood firm at the entrance of the Dungeon.

The moss's luminescence fell on everyone's faces, casting their expressions in a faint blue light.

Jiang Zhaoyue closed her eyes, the silver moon emblem on her forehead lit up, and five seconds later she opened her eyes, pointing with certainty toward the third tunnel on the left.

"This way."

Lin Feng nodded and strode in that direction.

Behind him, the sound of everyone's footsteps echoed in the tunnel, muffled and steady.