Ten days passed quickly, woven together by the threads of ruins and reconstruction.

Black Wolf Den—no, in the center of this riverbend camp now, the old flag embroidered with crossed blades and a savage wolf head had long since been taken down and burned.

In its place was a new flag, slightly rough but drawn with firm strokes: on a deep blue background, a dark red spear pierced the sky, and beneath the spearhead was a cluster of leaping orange flames.

Fenghuo.

This was the name Lin Feng had chosen for this newborn territory. Beacon Fire Village.

On the second floor of the Council Hall, Lin Feng stood by the window. The scene outside was completely different from the devastation of ten days ago.

The moat had been dredged, the murky bloodstains and debris cleared away. Although the water still couldn't be called clear, it had regained its basic defensive function.

Blacksmith Wang and his apprentices had cleared out usable tools and furnaces in the largely intact stone workshop.

The furnace fire never went out, and the clanging of metal was constant. They were not only repairing weapons and armor damaged in battle but also attempting to forge new equipment from the stockpiled materials.

They prioritized repairing and forging a batch of tools, followed by replacing the damaged equipment of the team members.

Although the output of Green-quality items was still unstable, White-quality standard equipment had begun to be issued to the team, and their overall combat power was steadily improving.

Carpenter Zhang and his three apprentices were the busiest. They directed laborers to first repair the gap in the western wall that had been collapsed by the Skeleton Five Hundred Lord.

The new wooden wall was thicker, and key sections were reinforced with stone cleared from the ruins.

The collapsed watchtower was also re-erected. Though simple, its visibility and defensive functions were restored.

Damaged houses were repaired or rebuilt, and the roads within the camp were roughly leveled. An orderly, fledgling village was gradually replacing the chaos and ruin of the past.

Tailor Li's leather armor workshop, Brewer Zhou's small tavern (which also sold stamina-restoring medicinal soups), Carpenter Zhang's woodworking shed, and Pharmacist Chen's herbal room... were all beginning to operate.

To the southeast of the camp, near the gentler banks of the Black Water River, lay what had been the result of the Black Wolf Den's years of hard work.

Nearly a hundred acres of roughly leveled riverbend farmland, with faint paths between the fields.

The Black Wolf Den's ability to dominate this area was largely due to these food-producing lands.

However, at this moment, this land that should have been nurturing life showed a heart-wrenching decay.

The ridges remained, and the shape of the irrigation ditches was still discernible, but the color of the soil was an ominous, ashen gray, as if its nutrients had been sucked dry, leaving it compacted and hardened.

Even more shocking were the residual crops, which should have been cold-resistant gray potatoes and rye ready for harvest.

Now, they were all withered and rotten, appearing charred and slimy, as if they ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) had been scorched by fire and then drenched in ink.

In the air, even from a distance, one could faintly smell the pungent odor drifting from that land—a mixture of rotting plants and a deeper, more profound decay.

These were the traces left behind after being eroded by concentrated death energy.

The passage of the Skeleton Centurion, the Commander of Five Hundred, and their undead army had brought more than just physical slaughter and destruction.

The lingering aura of death was a fatal poison to living beings, to the land, and to the crops.

"I'm afraid we can't count on these lands for the next month or two..." Uncle Wu's voice came from behind Lin Feng.

The old man walked over as well, looking in the direction of Lin Feng's gaze, his face full of relief.

"I took some people to look closely yesterday. Fortunately, the death energy erosion on these fields is shallow. If we plow them deep and let them bake in the sun for a month or two, they might be saved."

Lin Feng nodded silently. This was the cruelty of the Nightmare World; the trauma left by a high-intensity undead invasion was multi-faceted.

The largest tangible asset accumulated by the Black Wolf Den—the land—was almost completely ruined.

The open space in the center of the camp was leveled to serve as a training ground.

Zhao Hu was leading Tie Dun, Scarface Liu, and the others in drills. The shouts and the clashing of weapons were full of vigor.

Shadow Snake was in a separate, designated shadow area, training a few promising recruits with exceptional agility, teaching them basic stealth and assassination techniques.

Jian Yan led his archer squad, taking shifts and practicing at specific positions on the newly built watchtower and walls.

The entire camp was like a machine that had just been repaired with new parts; though its operation was still a bit stiff, it burst with a powerful and orderly vitality.

This change naturally could not be hidden from the two neighbors nearby—Xiaoyao Stronghold and Juyi Manor.

The news that the Chief of Xiaoyao Stronghold, Guo Shan Feng, and three of his elites had perished under Lin Feng's spear spread through the Riverbend Land as if it had wings.

On the third day, Xiaoyao Stronghold sent a new messenger, a pale-faced, clean-shaven middle-aged man who seemed quite shrewd. He claimed to be the Second Chief of the stronghold, and his attitude was respectful to the point of humility.

He brought ten intact beast skins and five bags of coarse salt as "congratulatory gifts," clearly stating that Xiaoyao Stronghold was willing to recognize Beacon Fire Village as their leader. All past trading rules would remain the same, and they were even willing to increase the tribute percentage by another half percent.

As for Juyi Manor, its master, "Cloud-Piercing Eagle," was a relatively cautious and prudent person.

The destruction of the Black Wolf Den and the fall of Guo Shan Feng made him deeply feel that the situation in the Riverbend Land had changed.

This newcomer, Lin Feng, was clearly not someone to be trifled with. His ability to quickly stabilize the situation and begin reconstruction further demonstrated his capability.

After observing for several days, Cloud-Piercing Eagle made a decision.

On the morning of the fifth day, the Third Master of Juyi Manor, "Iron Abacus"—a kind-faced middle-aged man with shrewd eyes—arrived with four attendants.

Escorting several carts of grain, leather, and other basic supplies, they arrived before the newly repaired wooden gate of Beacon Fire Village and formally presented their visiting card and gifts.

"Leader Lin Feng, our Master of Juyi Manor, Cloud-Piercing Eagle, has specially sent me to offer congratulations on the establishment of Beacon Fire Village and your prowess which shakes the Riverbend."

Iron Abacus kept his posture very low, his smile sincere.

"A few small gifts, nothing much, just to show our desire for good neighborly relations. Our Juyi Manor is willing to forge an eternal friendship with Beacon Fire Village, exchanging what we have for what we need. We are willing to keep the trading rules set by the Black Wolf Den exactly as they were, without any objection."

One does not strike a smiling face, especially when the other party brings much-needed supplies.

Lin Feng received Iron Abacus in the Council Hall, accepted the gifts, and expressed his goodwill.

The two sides briefly settled on a preliminary trade intent and a tacit understanding of non-aggression.

Lin Feng was not surprised by this, nor did he care to delve into whether these two were truly submitting or just biding their time.

He had more important things to attend to right now.

The preliminary stability of Beacon Fire Village and the temporary removal of surrounding threats allowed him to finally focus almost all his mind on the silent countdown flowing in his head.

The Eye of Probability would refresh in two days.

The next morning, before the newly repaired wooden gate of Beacon Fire Village.

The morning light filtered through the sparse clouds, casting dark red light onto the camp's newly erected "Fenghuo" flag.

On the flag, the dark red spear piercing the sky and the orange flames beneath the spearhead flapped loudly in the wind.

Lin Feng stood on the open ground in front of the gate, wearing his Green-quality leather armor, with the vitality vine belt around his waist and hardbone legguards hugging the curves of his legs.

The Wildfire Spear was wrapped in thick beast skin and slung across his back.

His expression was calm, but deep in his eyes was an irrepressible heat.

Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Jian Yan, and other core members were gathered.

"Big Brother Zhao," Lin Feng looked at Zhao Hu, who had already switched to the guardian round shield and whose aura was becoming increasingly steady and heavy, "I'm leaving Beacon Fire Village in your hands while I'm gone."

He paused and lowered his voice: "The walls need to be reinforced, the men need to be drilled. Keep an eye on Blacksmith Wang and the others; satisfy their needs as much as possible.

Although the grain reserves are enough for half a month, the death energy in the fields won't dissipate overnight. Hunting trips must not stop."

Zhao Hu nodded heavily, his eyes full of solemnity: "Don't worry, as long as I, Old Zhao, am here, the village stands. But you..."

He looked at Lin Feng and then glanced at Shadow Snake, who stood quietly to the side.

"You're going to Qingshi County with only Shadow Snake? That place is... dangerous."

"Too many people will only alert the enemy."

Lin Feng explained, "The Qingshi County ruins are the remains of a county-level territory. It's large in scale. The supplies left behind, possible remaining monster dens, and even some special building ruins are crucial for our future development."

His gaze swept over everyone as he delivered his long-prepared explanation:

"What do we lack most right now? Stable resource points and potentially surviving, deeper knowledge about the Nightmare World."

"The Qingshi County ruins are the closest and most likely place to find these things.

Instead of waiting until we're forced to explore it later, it's better to take advantage of the temporary peace around us to scout the situation, draw maps, and identify the distribution of dangers."

The reasoning was sound and logical. Tie Dun and the others nodded one after another, feeling that their leader was farsighted.

Only Zhao Hu faintly felt that Lin Feng's purpose for this trip went beyond this, but he didn't ask further, only saying deeply: "Be careful in everything. If something can't be done, retreat immediately."

Lin Feng patted Zhao Hu's shoulder and looked at Tie Dun, Jian Yan, and the others: "The village's defense depends on you all.

Tie Dun, your greatshield is the key to our defense; practice diligently.

Jian Yan, the outer perimeter guard cannot be relaxed, especially in the directions of Xiaoyao Stronghold and Juyi Manor. Although they are showing goodwill for now, one must never lack a heart of caution against others."

"Yes! Leader!" everyone responded in unison.

Lin Feng finally looked at Shadow Snake. Today she had changed into that new set of boots of celerity and shadow strike leather armor.

Her whole being seemed to blend into the morning light and shadows, her aura even more elusive.

The pair of dark green claw blades were tucked into special leather sheaths at her waist, quiet and deadly.

"Ready?" Lin Feng asked.

Shadow Snake nodded slightly without speaking.

"Let's go."

The two didn't delay any further, turning to leave the camp and setting off on the road to the west.

Along the way, Lin Feng's steps were steady, but his gaze sharply scanned everything along the route.

In his mind, the countdown of the Eye of Probability was as clear as a heartbeat—twelve hours left.

The Qingshi County ruins... the Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment was once stationed there and might have even left behind periodic patrol paths or outposts.

As long as he could find a lone soldier, even if it was just the lowest-level grunt, he could use the Eye of Probability to obtain a Village Establishment Order with a one hundred percent success rate!