Early the next morning, Lin Feng set out from Fenghuo County and galloped all the way back to Hangu Pass.

He entered Hangu Pass through the East Gate, passed through the warehouse and workshop areas, and headed straight for the Council Hall in the center.

The hall was empty, with only Jiang Yelan sitting in the front row on the left, her shadow moon blade resting across her knees as she closed her eyes to rest.

Hearing footsteps, she opened her eyes and stood up.

“Morning.” Lin Feng sat in the main seat. “Have Zhao Hu and the others set out?”

Jiang Yelan nodded: “They left early this morning. Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, and Arrow Eye went together.

They plan to spend six or seven days visiting all the newly annexed territories to bring back the Awakened and the Linshan County Soldiers. The defense of the North Gate has been temporarily handed over to Meng Yi and Bai Yi.”

Lin Feng nodded.

With Meng Yi’s steadiness and Bai Yi’s execution, there shouldn't be any issues with the defense.

He asked again, “You were waiting for me here so early, is something the matter?”

Jiang Yelan nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. “Lord Jiang has reached the Third Rank. She invited me to go to a Dungeon within the Annan Country to hunt some monsters above level thirty and level up.”

Lin Feng’s brow furrowed slightly. “Annan Country? Aren't there still three divisions of the Undead Army causing trouble there?”

Jiang Yelan nodded, her tone flat. “But this time, three Enshrined Experts from Zhenyue City are coming along. They are quite strong. We’re only going to the Dungeon and won't go deep into the Undead Army's active areas, so there shouldn't be any problems.”

Lin Feng was silent for a moment before nodding. “Be careful. If anything happens, retreat immediately. Don't force it.”

Jiang Yelan nodded slightly, turned, and walked out of the Council Hall.

The sound of her footsteps gradually faded in the corridor, soon scattered by the morning wind.

Lin Feng went up to the second floor alone.

The territory core was suspended in the center of the room, its golden light appearing exceptionally soft in the morning sun.

He walked to the core, reached out to touch it, and brought up the Great Wall's operation interface.

【Effect 1: Dynamic Territory — The Great Wall can be built within the Lord's territory influence. Once built, the Lord can adjust its position and coverage area at any time.】

He had seen this effect before when building the Great Wall in Fenghuo County, but he hadn't used it yet.

Now that all the newly annexed territories had been merged into Beacon Fire Territory, it was time to adjust the Great Wall to its optimal position.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, and with a thought, a massive holographic map unfolded in the center of the room.

The map marked the Great Wall's current coverage: Lucky Town to the west, the Endless Sea to the east, the coastline to the south, and the Tiansji Mountains to the north.

But the newly annexed Jinqiu Town, Shitou Town, Tiemen Town, and Linshan County were located southeast and northeast of Zhenyue City, outside the Great Wall's coverage.

He extended his finger and drew a line on the map, extending outward from the original wall boundaries to encompass all the newly annexed territories.

【Dynamic Territory adjusted. Consumed Stone × 20,000, Wood × 5,000, Iron Ingots × 2,000. Resources deducted.】

Lin Feng closed the map and let out a long sigh.

In this way, the various territories inside the Great Wall only needed to maintain a basic force; surplus manpower could be transferred to Hangu Pass.

With Zhao Hu and the others traveling outside, their safety was now guaranteed. They should have been enclosed by the Great Wall by now, and they could just enter through the East Gate when they returned to Hangu Pass.

He walked to the window, looking at the wall winding through the morning light to the north, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

An advanced wonder is truly heaven-defying!

...

For the next two days, Lin Feng stayed in the Council Hall, working with Li Yuan to formulate territory management policies.

Li Yuan was indeed a veteran of logistics management; his logic was clear and his thinking meticulous.

The two quickly finalized two parallel management schemes.

Original residents were registered in the Yellow Register. They were deeply bound to the territory, would not betray it, and would actively pay taxes; the old system could be continued for them.

Awakened and Adventurers from Blue Star were registered in the Blue Register. Their backgrounds were complex and required the Merit Token for regulation.

The two systems ran in parallel without interfering with each other.

On the third day, Lin Feng personally inspected the usage of the Merit Tokens.

The results were even better than he had expected.

Below the North Gate tower, a squadron leader under Jiang Zhaoyue was arranging patrol duties.

He was a man in his thirties with a dark complexion; his voice wasn't loud, but he spoke briskly.

He led fifty Awakened, each of whom was bound to an Iron ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Token.

The squadron leader pulled a Copper Token from his robe and, with a thought, submitted today's task: patrol the eastern section of the North Gate wall for four hours. Merit Points: 1.

Task prompts popped up simultaneously on the interfaces of the fifty Iron Token holders.

Lin Feng walked up the wall and saw a row of Awakened patrolling between the battlements.

Some had a light pace, while others lagged behind.

A young Archer walked to a corner, leaned against a battlement, took out a water skin to take a few gulps, rested for a few minutes, and then continued walking. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

In the evening, the squadron leader submitted the task.

The Merit Token automatically verified it, and the patrol tracks of the fifty people were clearly presented in the system.

Which section of the wall they walked, how long they stopped, and whether the route was complete—everything was recorded truthfully.

Based on the "four hours of effective patrol" required by the task, the system calculated each person's completion rate and then distributed Merit Points proportionally.

Those who were on duty the entire time except for normal breaks had a 100% completion rate and received 1 point.

Someone who sneaked off to nap in the middle, resulting in less than three hours of effective patrol, had only a 70% completion rate and received 0.7 points.

The Archer who drank water in the middle also slipped away early; he was later judged to have a 60% completion rate and received 0.6 points.

No one raised an objection because every Iron Token holder could check their own track on the token.

When they walked which section, how many minutes they stopped, and where they went was clear at a glance.

Lin Feng stood on the gate tower for a long time, the smile on his face impossible to suppress.

The power of the Merit Token far exceeded expectations.

It wasn't just a recording tool; it was an omnipresent supervisor.

Lazy people had nowhere to hide, and serious people would not be overlooked.

Simple, transparent, and self-supervising—the system he had originally wanted was fully realized by the Merit Token.

Early on the fourth day, Lin Feng was in the Council Hall checking the supplies list with Li Yuan.

A Beacon Guard pushed open the door and entered, kneeling on one knee: “Reporting to the Lord, the transport team from Zhenyue City has arrived at the North Gate.”

Lin Feng put down his pen and exchanged a look with Li Yuan; both stood up at the same time.

Walking out of the Council Hall, the morning light was shining from the east, dyeing the walls of Hangu Pass a shade of gold.

Toward the North Gate, the long line of the convoy was already faintly visible.