He took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and stood up from his chair.

In the Council Hall, everyone's eyes fell upon him.

He didn't speak; with just a thought, his feet lifted off the ground.

It wasn't a jump, nor a skill effect, but true, free, and effortless Flight.

He slowly rose to a height of one meter, hovering in the air, feeling the power surging from within his body, lifting him up.

Light and natural, like a fish in water or a bird in the sky.

A few seconds later, he landed back on the ground, his soles making a soft sound against the stone floor.

"My thanks to the General Bureau and to City Lord Lu."

Lin Feng cupped his fists; his voice was steady, but the light in his eyes could not be hidden.

Lu Dingchuan stood up from the main seat, walked over to Lin Feng, and placed his hands on the young man's shoulders, looking him up and down.

His gaze held admiration, relief, and a sense of pride that an elder feels for a younger generation.

"Dual-attribute Awakening." Lu Dingchuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight.

"Our Great Xia has gained another pillar of support in the Nightmare World. And being so young, your future is limitless."

Liu Zhenshan nodded vigorously from the side, slapping the armrest of his chair. His voice boomed, "The City Lord is right! Lord Lin is only eighteen this year and has already achieved Dual-attribute Awakening. In a few more years, if he reaches triple-attribute Awakening, wouldn't that be incredible?"

Deputy City Lord Zhao Tieshan set down his teacup, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "When I was Lord Lin's age, I was still worrying about my first First-Turn book. The youth are to be feared; truly formidable."

Jiang Wan nodded slightly. "Lord Lin's talent and temperament are indeed rare. To have reached where he is today in such a short time cannot be explained by luck alone."

Ling Fei remained expressionless but gave a nod, signifying his agreement.

Han Cong grinned broadly and gave a thumbs up. "Lord Lin, you're my idol from now on! Dual-attribute Awakening—badass!"

Lin Feng felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and waved his hand. "Everyone, you overpraise me. I've only come this far thanks to the nation's cultivation."

Lu Dingchuan smiled and shook his head, not responding to the modesty.

He turned back to the main seat, sat down, and raised his hand to signal for silence.

The laughter and praise in the Council Hall gradually died down as everyone's focus returned to the City Lord.

Lu Dingchuan's expression shifted from relief to gravity as his gaze settled on Lin Feng's face.

"Lord Lin, regarding today's meeting, let's discuss the matter of aiding the Tieba Kingdom while we're at it. The situation there is not very optimistic."

Lin Feng's smile faded. He sat up straight, his expression becoming serious. "I would also like to know the latest intelligence on the alien army."

Lu Dingchuan nodded and pointed behind him.

A massive parchment map hung on the main wall of the Council Hall, marking the borders of the Tieba Kingdom, the location of the Kara Holy City, and the marching routes of the Orc Army.

Red arrows pointed from west to east, densely packed like a tide of blood.

"The ones wreaking havoc within the Tieba Kingdom are the Orc Army. Originally numbering about thirty thousand, their high-level combat power is terrifying."

Lu Dingchuan's voice dropped. "One Level 40 Orc War Lord, one Level 39 Orc Prophet, four Level 39 Orc Sword Saints, and four Level 35 Orc Overseers—all of them are Rare Boss templates."

The Council Hall fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Wan's fingers lightly stroked her staff. Ling Fei and Han Cong exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

Lin Feng's gaze fell upon the large parchment map.

A Level 40 War Lord, a Level 39 Prophet, four Level 39 Sword Saints, and four Level 35 Overseers.

Such a configuration of high-level combatants would be devastating in any war.

"What about the Tieba Kingdom's side?" Lin Feng asked.

"The high-level leadership of Kara Holy City has already abandoned all territories west of the city, preparing to intercept the Orc Army at the Holy City itself."

Lu Dingchuan spoke slowly, making every word clear. "After the Orc Army swallows the lands west of the Holy City, their forces will likely swell to around forty thousand."

Lin Feng's frown deepened. Forty thousand Orcs!

"What is the situation regarding Kara Holy City's high-level combatants and troop strength?" Lin Feng pressed.

"Kara Holy City has three Level 39 City Lords and three Level 39 Enshrined Experts.

In terms of troops, they have a combined total of ten thousand low-level special units—Delhi Sultanate Infantry and Delhi Sultanate Elite Infantry—ten thousand County Soldiers, about twenty thousand Awakened at Level 10 or above, and two hundred thousand ordinary Awakened below Level 10."

He paused and summarized, "The Tieba Kingdom has enough troops; the main issue is the lack of high-level combatants. They have requested two Level 39 experts from Zhenyue City. This way, with the support of the city walls and wonder effects, holding off the Orc Army shouldn't be a major problem."

Lin Feng pondered for a moment and asked, "Have the candidates been decided?"

Lu Dingchuan glanced at Liu Zhenshan. "One is set: vice city lord Liu Zhenshan." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Lin Feng turned to look at Liu Zhenshan, who nodded with a calm expression, clearly having known about this arrangement for some time.

He wore a suit of deep purple armor, with a greatsword leaning against his chair. He looked steady and reliable.

"The other person is yet to be determined." Lu Dingchuan's gaze fixed on Lin Feng. "I wonder, Lord Lin, would you be interested?"

The Council Hall fell silent.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Feng.

Liu Zhenshan's eyes held expectation, while Deputy City Lord Zhao Tieshan's hand holding the teacup paused for a second.

Jiang Wan tilted her head slightly; Ling Fei and Han Cong looked at each other and pricked up their ears.

Lin Feng did not answer immediately.

He calculated quickly in his mind. He had just received a gold-grade accessory as support from the nation; it would be hard to refuse.

Moreover, the danger level of this mission wasn't too high. The defenders already held the advantage, with wonder buffs and city walls to rely on.

With a double-digit number of Level 39 experts on both sides combined, they could support each other, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and with healers present, it was generally very difficult to be killed.

More importantly, he could take this opportunity to seek some benefits for Fenghuo County.

His territory had a massive shortage of Copper Ingots and Tin Ingots. If he didn't speak up now, when would he?

After thinking it over, Lin Feng put on a troubled look, his tone cautious. "City Lord Lu, I actually really want to go and see the strength of the Orc Army for myself.

However, Fenghuo County has also reached a critical juncture recently. There are two matters that are quite tricky."

Lu Dingchuan raised an eyebrow slightly and leaned forward. "What difficulties? Just speak your mind."

(On Zhenyue City's side, the three Enshrined Experts have gold-grade accessories provided by the nation; the power here is too weak.)