On the New Moon Legion's side, Feng Qingyan shrank back and hurriedly waved her hands, "No, no, no, I don't want to be a battalion commander! I already find being a squadron leader exhausting. Taking roll call, giving lectures, and writing reports every day—my fingers have grown thick from it."

Feng Qingshuang said in a low voice from behind, "When did you ever write a report? Wasn't it all written by Zhou Tie?"

Su Yuehua smiled and said nothing. Shi Pojun remained expressionless, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he were holding back a laugh.

Lin Feng raised his hand to signal for silence. The clamor in the hall was instantly cut off, falling dead silent.

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice calm and clear: "Now, the official appointments."

He looked at Zhao Hu: "Zhao Hu."

Zhao Hu stood up from his seat, strode to the center of the hall, knelt on one knee, pressed his right fist to his chest, and said in a booming voice, "This subordinate is here!"

Lin Feng picked up the bronze-colored Advanced Class Change Book and the dark purple one-handed axe from the table, walked over to Zhao Hu, and handed them over with both hands.

"I appoint you as the Garrison Commander of the First Town of the Night Whisper Legion. This is prepared for you: the Advanced Class Change Book: Vengeful Oath Guardian, and the purple weapon, Spiteful Bite."

Zhao Hu knelt and accepted the Class Change Book and the axe with both hands, casting his gaze downward.

The bronze booklet was embossed with silver-white characters, the edge of the one-handed axe gleamed with a cold light, and the dark red gem on the hilt looked like a half-closed eye.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes reddened slightly, and his voice was a bit deeper than usual, but every word carried weight: "Zhao Hu accepts the command! This subordinate will never fail the Lord's trust!"

He stood up, returned to his seat, carefully placed the Class Change Book and the axe on the table, his spine perfectly straight.

Tie Dun craned his neck from the side, trying to get a look at the axe, but Zhao Hu glared him back with a single look.

Lin Feng walked back to the main seat and continued, "I appoint Su Yuehua as the Garrison Commander of the First Town of the New Moon Legion."

Su Yuehua stood up, her white robe fluttering slightly. She walked to the center of the hall, folded her hands in front of her, bowed slightly, and said in a voice as warm and gentle as jade, "This subordinate accepts the command. I will certainly not fail the Lord's trust."

"Wang Wu, Shi Pojun, I appoint you two as the Deputy Garrison Commanders of the First Town of the Night Whisper Legion and the First Town of the New Moon Legion respectively."

Wang Wu and Shi Pojun stood up at the same time, walked to the center of the hall, knelt on one knee, and accepted the command in unison.

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Submit the list of ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) battalion commanders for the eleven battalions below. Within three days, I want to see a complete organizational chart."

The four accepted the command in unison, and the atmosphere in the Council Hall eased up a bit.

Tie Dun muttered quietly from the side, "Brother Hu got promoted, Wang Wu got promoted too, what about me? Can I also get promoted to a company commander?"

Zhao Hu didn't look at him, but said in a low voice, "Finish eating your flatbread first."

Tie Dun looked down at the deformed flatbread in his hand and stuffed it sheepishly into his mouth.

Lin Feng picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, and his tone shifted from relaxed to solemn: "The second matter."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "According to the latest intelligence from the General Bureau, one-third of the Central Plains Region has already fallen. The main direction of the orcs' attack is there. In half a month at most, the Central Plains Region will completely fall. When that time comes, the orcs are highly likely to choose the South Pole Region as their next target of attack."

The Council Hall fell silent for a moment.

Tie Dun stopped smiling, and Wang Wu's brow furrowed.

Jiang Zhaoyue set down her teacup, her brow furrowing slightly.

Jiang Yelan did not speak, but her gaze fell on Lin Feng's face, as if waiting for his next words.

Lin Feng raised his hand to signal for silence, his tone steady: "So, I need you to make the Night Whisper Legion and the New Moon Legion combat-ready as quickly as possible. I don't expect us to win in open field battles, but we must at least not hold things back when defending the city."

Jiang Zhaoyue stood up from the first seat on the right, cupped her hands, and said in a clear voice, "Rest assured, Lord Lin. On the New Moon Legion's side, within half a month, the First Town will be fully staffed and trained, ready to mount the city walls at any moment."

Jiang Yelan also stood up from the first seat on the left, pressed her right fist to her chest, her voice cold but firm: "The Night Whisper Legion, likewise, will not drop the ball in defending the city."

Lin Feng nodded, gesturing for them to sit down.

His gaze fell on the back row on the left side: "Scarface Liu, A Wang."

The two sprang from their seats at the same time, walked to the center of the Council Hall, knelt on one knee, pressed their right fists to their chests, and said in unison, "This subordinate is here!"

Lin Feng pulled out the two bronze-colored Intermediate Class Change Books from his robe, walked up to them, and handed them over: "Intermediate Class Change Book: Iron Wall Guard. These are for you."

Scarface Liu froze for a moment, then reached out to take the Class Change Book, gripping it in his hand. His spine suddenly straightened, and his voice was slightly tight but solemn: "Rest assured, Lord, this subordinate will never fail the Lord's trust!"

A Wang took the Class Change Book, looked down at it a couple of times, took a deep breath, and pressed his right fist to his chest: "This subordinate as well!"

Lin Feng patted Scarface Liu on the shoulder, then patted A Wang's shoulder, his tone casual: "Work hard under Zhao Hu, and strive to be able to hold your own in the future."

Scarface Liu nodded vigorously, while A Wang's eyes reddened slightly. The two stepped back together and returned to their seats.

Lin Feng turned and walked back to the main seat, sat down, swept his gaze over everyone, and said, "This meeting is adjourned. You may all go about your business."

Everyone accepted the command and stood up one after another.

Tie Dun leaned in close to Zhao Hu and lowered his voice: "Brother Hu, lend me that purple axe to take a look, will you?"

Zhao Hu ignored him, clutching the Class Change Book and the axe even tighter. Tie Dun chased after him, muttering, "Just a look."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded to Lin Feng, turned, and strode out of the Council Hall.

Su Yuehua followed behind her, and Jiang Yelan stood up silently, disappearing through the doorway.

Su Yurou, holding the bone healing staff, nodded slightly to Lin Feng, then turned and followed them out.

The hall fell silent. Lin Feng picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea had already gone cold, its bitterness spreading across his tongue.

He leaned back against the chair, stared at the empty long table, and closed his eyes.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

In the early morning, before the sky was fully bright, on the second floor of the Hangu Pass Council Hall.

Lin Feng sat up from his bed. The Wildfire Spear rested against the headboard, the ancient seal script runes on its shaft gleaming with a dark golden light in the morning sun.

He rubbed the space between his brows, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and then opened them, looking out the window at the sky illuminated by the morning light.

In his mind, the events of the past five days surfaced one by one.

After the meeting that day, Zhao Hu changed his class to a Vengeful Oath Guardian on the very same day. Although his level was still 29, his constitution had successfully broken through sixty.

During the class change, Tie Dun insisted on watching, saying he wanted to "see Brother Hu transform," only for a layer of dark gray resentment to billow out of Zhao Hu's body.

This startled Tie Dun so much that he jumped back three steps, shouting, "Brother Hu, why are you smoking?!"

Zhao Hu ignored him, looked down at his own hands, clenched his fists, and then carried his new axe to the training grounds to test it out.