Jim's heart sank. He stared into the darkness, suddenly recalling a word he had seen in the news—'evacuation'.

A man stood on the platform at the front of the drill grounds, clad in dark-green iron half-armor.

A scimitar ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ hung at his waist, and he wore a white turban adorned with a green gemstone.

His back was ramrod straight, hands clasped behind him, as his gaze swept over the five hundred newly arrived Adventurers on the grounds.

There was no smile on his face, nor was there any anger; there was only a calmness, something like a frozen lake in winter.

The Lord of Kanggar Town.

He spoke, his voice high-pitched and resonant, each word carrying weight: "I am the Lord of Kanggar Town. First, congratulations on becoming Adventurers."

"You are the chosen ones of Blue Star. From this day forward, your destinies will be tightly bound to the Nightmare World."

The drill grounds fell silent as everyone looked up at him.

"However—" He paused, his tone devoid of any fluctuation, as if he were reading a weather report.

"Tomorrow, the Orc Army will trample this place. Therefore, tonight, you will evacuate Kanggar Town along with the final batch of supplies and personnel. Head east to Kara Holy City."

Commotion broke out across the grounds; some gasped, while others cursed under their breath.

Some shouted "Why?", while others looked at those around them in a daze.

A young Adventurer raised his hand, his voice trembling: "Lord, didn't we come here to help you fight?"

The Lord glanced at him and shook his head: "You're only Level 5. You can't fight; going out there would just be seeking death. The evacuation is an order, not a request."

The commotion was quickly quelled. Town personnel approached to begin counting heads, distributing supplies, and guiding the groups.

The Adventurers formed several long lines and followed the militia toward the East Gate.

Jim stood in the middle of the line, pushed forward by the flow of people.

He looked back at the drill grounds. The Lord was still standing on the platform, alone, back straight as he watched them leave.

The evacuating crowd filed out of the East Gate.

Jim walked in the middle of the group, surrounded by people. The sounds of footsteps, heavy breathing, and occasional sobbing mingled together, dissipating into the darkness.

He turned his head to look back at Kanggar Town behind him.

The town was already empty. The windows of the houses were dark holes, like eyes without eyeballs.

Discarded clothing and broken clay pots were scattered across the streets, alongside an overturned handcart by the roadside.

The subjects had long since evacuated and the supplies had been moved. The only one remaining was the Lord.

As the last batch of Adventurers walked out of the East Gate, Jim saw the Lord of Kanggar Town step down from the platform and walk alone toward the West Gate.

He stood before the West Gate, facing the wilderness to the west—the direction from which the Orc Army would surge.

His silhouette looked lonely under the moonlight, but his spine remained ramrod straight, like a tree that had been bent by the wind only to snap back.

Jim suddenly remembered something.

He had read online: subjects can flee and Adventurers can evacuate, but a Lord cannot.

A Lord is bound to their territory. If the territory is destroyed, the Lord might not die, but they lose everything.

Levels, equipment, the territory core—all their hard work resets to zero overnight.

The Lord of Kanggar Town had no choice.

His territory was here. His subjects could be evacuated, but the territory core could not be moved.

When the Orc Army tramples through here tomorrow, he will be standing on the city wall, alone.

Perhaps he could kill a few Orcs, or perhaps he wouldn't kill even one, but at the very least, he would hold out until the final moment.

Jim's eyes grew moist. He remembered how he once fantasized about becoming a Lord, dreaming of standing on a city wall commanding thousands, dreaming of holding his city during a Nightmare Tide and being revered by ten thousand people.

But he had never considered that this was the other side of being a Lord. It wasn't glory or reverence; it was a lonely, silent stand, holding on despite knowing it was impossible.

The group continued heading east.

The lights of Kanggar Town gradually vanished into the darkness, leaving only a single, faint, orange light atop the West Gate wall.

That was the Lord standing on the wall, holding a wind lantern in his hand.

Jim wiped his eyes, turned back, and followed the group toward Kara Holy City.

Behind him, that lantern grew further and smaller, eventually blending in with the stars until he couldn't tell which was the lamp and which was a star.

...

Around eight in the morning, sunlight spilled over the peaks of the snow-capped mountains, plating the eastern wall of Kara Holy City in a layer of pale gold.

Lin Feng sat up in bed, the quilt sliding down to his waist.

He rubbed his eyes and reached for the Wildfire Spear by his bedside.

He had slept well last night. He was used to it; from Black Wind Camp to the Yellow Turban Stronghold, from the double Nightmare Tide to the fourth floor of the Dungeon, he could always sleep before a major battle.

He pulled two blue potions from his robe, which vice city lord Hamza had given him yesterday.

One was called 'Instant Vitality'. The bottle was slender, and the blue liquid shimmered faintly in the sunlight; its effect was to restore 200 Health Points within one second.

The other was called 'Rock's Oath'. The bottle was thick, and the deep blue liquid looked like a solidified ocean; its effect was to increase total defense by 30 points for one hour after use.

Lin Feng flipped the two potions in his hand and tucked them back into his robe.

He probably wouldn't need them. With his current health and defense, only high-level combatants could threaten him.

Against a Level 39 Sword Saint, these potions would have limited effect anyway. He'd keep them for now; maybe they'd be useful later.

He pushed open the door, and several maidservants were already waiting outside.

They wore clean robes and white turbans, carrying copper basins and hot towels.

The leader bowed slightly and said softly, "My Lord, you are awake. Would you like breakfast? The kitchen has prepared snow mountain milk tea, naan bread, honey, and fresh figs."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll have some."

The breakfast was simple but hearty. The snow mountain milk tea was steaming hot and rich with a milky aroma and a hint of saltiness.

The naan bread was fresh out of the oven, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with steam rising when broken apart.

The honey was wild snow mountain honey, golden in color and so thick it formed threads when pulled.

The figs were fresh, revealing pink flesh and dense seeds when sliced, incredibly sweet.

Lin Feng ate two pieces of naan, drank two bowls of milk tea, spread honey on several more pieces of naan, and finished all the figs.

After eating, he stood up, strapped the Wildfire Spear to his back, and walked toward the courtyard gate.

The maidservants followed and asked in low voices, "My Lord, will you be back for lunch?"

Lin Feng waved his hand. "Not necessarily. No need to wait."

He pushed open the courtyard gate. The morning in Kara Holy City was even colder than yesterday.

He walked along the main street toward the West Gate. Not far along, he slowed his pace as he passed the Adventurers Guild.

Several hundred people were gathered at the guild entrance, wearing uniform white leather armor and carrying a wide variety of weapons.

Sabers, swords, bows, daggers, and even hammers and spears.

Some were fully geared up, while others hadn't even tied the straps of their leather armor properly, leaving them hanging loosely.

The quest board was crowded with people; some stood on tiptoe to see inside, while others argued with those beside them about which quest had the highest reward. The various conversations blended together like a boiling pot of porridge.