The sun rose from the east to its zenith, then slid from the zenith toward the west.

The grassy waves of the Golden Ear Plain were a sea of gold in the afternoon sun, stretching from beneath their feet to the horizon like a frozen ocean.

On the road south of Hangu Pass, a massive contingent was slowly marching north.

Zhao Hu walked at the very front of the group, his bone-crushing greatsword hanging at his waist and his iron half-armor glinting with a dull luster in the sunlight.

His steps today were much lighter than usual—not from the urgency of travel, but from a buoyancy bubbling up from deep within his heart that he couldn't suppress.

Meng Yi walked in the middle of the group with a halberd propped on his shoulder; behind him, Bai Yi through Bai Liu marched in a single file, their dagger-axe blades pointing upward as they moved in perfect unison.

Twenty Centurions were scattered along both sides of the contingent, maintaining order for this mixed force of nearly six thousand people.

The Great Qin Elite Soldiers led the way.

Fifteen hundred black-armored soldiers were arranged in three columns; their steps were synchronized, their dagger-axes rose like a forest, and the spacing between each phalanx was precise to the step.

Following them were a thousand County Soldiers; their equipment and morale were inferior to the Elite Soldiers, but their formation was still relatively orderly.

The logistics train brought up the rear and was also the longest section; the group of over three thousand military dependents and artisans stretched into a long line that vanished beyond the horizon.

On the supply wagons pulled by Great-Horned Deer, provisions, armaments, and disassembled ballistae and catapults moved northward, cart by cart.

Tie Dun walked not far behind Zhao Hu with a shield on his back, chewing on half a piece of dry ration, his cheeks bulging.

His eyes darted around, and he occasionally glanced back at the logistics train behind them.

"Brother Hu, I'm still a bit dazed."

Tie Dun swallowed the ration in his mouth, wiped his lips, and lowered his voice.

Zhao Hu glanced at him sideways. "Dazed about what?"

"These past few days have been like a dream," Tie Dun said, counting on his fingers.

"First, the first through fifth floors of the Dungeon were cleared, and Ye Lan changed her class to Shadow Walker and can even fly now. Then the Lord built the Great Wall—an advanced wonder! After that, the General Bureau directly bumped up everyone's benefits by a tier!"

"village-level lord benefits! I never thought in my life I'd get to live in a Lord's Residential Area, and in a villa no less! My mom called yesterday, crying her eyes out, saying her son has finally made it."

The corner of Zhao Hu's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't respond.

Su Yurou walked in the middle of the group, cradling the bone healing staff in her arms; the emerald-green runes on the staff shimmered with a soft luster in the sunlight.

Hearing Tie Dun's loud voice, she couldn't help but chuckle and turned to Arrow Eye beside her. "Brother Tie Dun's voice can be heard from half a li away."

Arrow Eye remained expressionless. "Half a li? You could hear him from three li away."

Tie Dun looked back and glared at Arrow Eye, but just as he was about to retort, Zhao Hu suddenly spoke up: "Tie Dun, talk less and save your strength for walking."

Tie Dun swallowed his words and muttered, "It's not like I can't walk anymore..."

The contingent continued forward.

On the horizon ahead, the silhouette of Hangu Pass was already faintly visible; its blue-gray walls glinted coldly in the sunlight like a giant dragon crouching on the plain.

Wang Wu moved from the middle of the group to Zhao Hu's side, and the two walked together for a while.

After a moment of silence, Wang Wu spoke first, his voice low but clear: "Captain Zhao, how long have you ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ known the Lord?"

Zhao Hu thought for a moment. "Since Black Wind Camp. He wasn't a lord back then."

Wang Wu nodded slightly. "That time... it wasn't easy."

Zhao Hu walked in silence for a few steps as if reminiscing, then said in a low voice, "I almost gave up back then."

Wang Wu glanced at him but said nothing.

Zhao Hu gazed into the distance, his voice carrying the relief of a survivor. "Back at Black Wind Camp, I was stuck at Level 7. I led the team out to hunt every day, handed over seventy percent upon return, and the rest was barely enough to eat." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"At that time, I thought if I didn't see a turning point after another year, I'd just go back to Blue Star and quit."

He paused. "No one wants to be a deserter, but those days... there was no end in sight."

Tie Dun leaned in at some point and chimed in quietly, "Brother Hu, if you had really left, I probably would have run off too."

Zhao Hu didn't look back, but the corner of his mouth curved slightly. "That's why meeting the Lord was our stroke of luck."

Su Yurou caught up from behind and softly joined the conversation. "Actually, my family already has a house in the Lord's Residential Area. I didn't want to take this slot."

"But Director Chen insisted on assigning Villa No. 8 to me, saying it's closer to Lord Lin, making it convenient to visit his home anytime. I... I tried to decline several times, but I couldn't."

Her face reddened slightly, and her voice grew softer.

Arrow Eye didn't look at her, but his mouth twitched—whether in a smile or something else, it was hard to tell.

Zhao Hu looked north once more.

The walls grew taller and closer; a few banners could be seen faintly fluttering in the wind atop them.

The South Gate of Hangu Pass shifted from a blur to clarity in their vision. The blue-gray gates were tightly shut, and the three characters for 'Hangu Pass' on the lintel shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

A figure stood outside the South Gate.

He wore dark purple firm rock leather armor with a dark red Wildfire Spear strapped to his back and a yellow headband tied across his forehead. With his hands behind his back, he faced south, waiting for them.

Tie Dun was the first to spot him. He suddenly quickened his pace, almost running. "Lord! Lord! We're here!"

Zhao Hu also accelerated his pace, with Arrow Eye following behind him. Su Yurou hurried to keep up, while A Wang and Scarface Liu squeezed through from the back of the contingent to the front.

The contingent surged toward the South Gate, dust rising from the road and obscuring the golden grassy waves of the Golden Ear Plain.

Zhao Hu stepped forward, pressed his right fist to his chest, and said steadily, "Lord, the main force of the Beacon Guards has arrived at Hangu Pass as ordered. Present are fifteen hundred Elite Soldiers, one thousand County Soldiers, and thirty-two hundred military dependents and artisans. Supplies and equipment have been escorted with the group; nothing has been lost."

Lin Feng looked at his black iron armor, the dense black formations behind him, and the logistics train that stretched beyond sight, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

He stepped aside from the South Gate and pointed forward with his right hand. "Enter the city."

Zhao Hu turned back and waved his hand.

Meng Yi lowered his halberd shaft, and fifteen hundred Great Qin Elite Soldiers stepped forward in unison, their black armor pouring into the South Gate of Hangu Pass like a tide.

The County Soldiers followed behind the Elite Soldiers, their steps slightly less orderly.

The logistics train entered last. The Great-Horned Deer breathed heavily, and the wagon wheels creaked as they rolled over the threshold.

Lin Feng stood outside the South Gate, watching the contingent file past him without moving.

Only after the last person had entered the gate did he withdraw his gaze and turn to walk inside.

The South Gate slowly closed behind him, and the heavy bar dropped into place with a dull thud.

The setting sun dyed the walls a dark red. Footsteps, shouts, and the sounds of wheels echoed within the pass; the empty pass finally pulsed with the breath of life.

Hangu Pass had come to life.