Lin Feng felt a surge of joy, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

His luck today was truly good! The first summoning brought two people, and both were types that the territory urgently needed!

Food is the foundation of survival; with a professional Farmer, there was hope and efficiency for the reclamation of the nearly one hundred mu of riverbend farmland eroded by Death Energy.

And an Accountant was the key to managing territory resources and establishing a preliminary economic system!

"Good! Very good!" Lin Feng stepped forward, looking at the two with a gentle gaze. "Li Si, Zhang Ping, welcome to Beacon Fire Village. I am the Lord here, Lin Feng." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The two hurriedly bowed in salute, addressing him as "Lord," their postures stiff and formal.

"There is no need for such formality. Beacon Fire Village is newly established and has much to be done; we need talents like you."

Lin Feng's tone was sincere. "Li Si, there are a hundred mu of fields at the riverbend. Although they have suffered a disaster, the land remains."

"I leave the matter of reclamation and cultivation to you. Whatever manpower or tools you need, feel free to ask later."

"Zhang Ping, you will take on the responsibility of accounting and auditing the territory's warehouse resources and future income and expenditures. Are you willing?"

The two felt the Lord's emphasis and trust, and seeing that although this place was simple, it was well-ordered and the guards were elite (with Shadow Snake nearby), they felt somewhat at ease and quickly expressed their stance: "We are willing to serve the Lord!"

"Shadow Snake, take them to settle in first. We will arrange the specific matters in detail tomorrow morning," Lin Feng instructed.

Shadow Snake took the order and left with the two, who were overflowing with gratitude.

Lin Feng was in a good mood. Walking to the window, he suddenly remembered the earnest words Uncle Wu had said to him yesterday:

"Lord, life-professionals are treasures in the Nightmare World. The little foundation of Black Wolf Den was slowly accumulated by Qingshi County over more than a decade."

Lin Feng looked down at the newly settled refugee area and the Barracks starting to operate in the darkness further away.

Soldiers were training, the Farmer was in place, the Accountant was found, and the blacksmith, tailor, carpenter, pharmacist, and Brewer were all ready... The most basic production, defense, and management framework of a village-level territory had actually been pieced together by him in just over ten days!

If this speed were to get out, it would probably leave countless people's jaws dropping.

He raised his head, looking out at the boundless nightmare night sky, fire flickering in his eyes.

The first light of dawn brightened the second floor of the Council Hall.

Lin Feng sat on a rough but sturdy wooden chair, his mind completely immersed in the 【Territory Management Template】.

Flecks of light intertwined before him, forming an operation interface that only he could see.

Soon, he found the target option.

【Territory Upgrade Condition Inquiry (Village Level → Town Level)】.

The information expanded:

Upgrade Conditions:

Population Scale: The territory's permanent population (including Awakened and refugees) must be ≥ 500 people.

Basic Functional Buildings and Talents (must be met simultaneously):

(1) At least 100 mu of reclaimed and effectively managed farmland, and possessing at least one junior-level or above Farmer professional.

(2) A fully functional Blacksmith Shop, and possessing at least one junior-level or above blacksmith professional.

(3) A fully functional Tailor Shop, and possessing at least one junior-level or above tailor professional.

(4) A fully functional Medical Clinic, and possessing at least one junior-level or above medical professional.

(5) A fully functional Tavern, and possessing at least one junior-level or above Brewer professional.

(6) A fully functional Carpentry Shed, and possessing at least one junior-level or above carpenter professional.

Defense Trial: Successfully and independently defend against one Nightmare Tide attack with a strength rating of Level 2.

Lin Feng's gaze swept through the items one by one, the surprise in his heart growing.

A population of five hundred? He summoned two hundred yesterday, and adding the original refugees and Awakened, the total population was now about two hundred and fifty.

Less than three hundred short. Xiaoyao Stronghold and Juyi Manor... it shouldn't be hard to get a hundred or so from each.

And the second item, that long list of basic buildings and corresponding life-professional requirements...

"One hundred mu of farmland, junior Farmer—I have Li Si. Although the field is polluted by Death Energy, Li Si just reported that if he handles the reclamation, it can be restored within 15 days."

"Blacksmith Shop, junior blacksmith—Blacksmith Wang is one, and the workshop is already there. Requirement met."

"Tailor Shop, junior tailor—Tailor Li is here. Requirement met."

"Medical Clinic, junior medical professional—Uncle Wu is a junior Doctor, and Pharmacist Chen counts as well. Requirement met."

"Tavern, junior Brewer—Master Zhou is here. Requirement met."

"Carpentry Shed, junior carpenter—Carpenter Zhang and his apprentices are here. Requirement met."

Lin Feng went down the list one by one and was stunned to find that, besides being a bit short on population, those seemingly tedious six basic requirements had already been basically met the moment he took down Black Wolf Den!

"This..." Lin Feng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, a sense of absurdity and exhilaration welling up in his heart.

"So, it turns out that what I worked so hard to seize wasn't just territory and resources, but even the 'keys' for upgrading were packaged together?"

"As expected, in this Nightmare World, how could honest farming and development compare to the speed of 'robbing the rich to help the poor'?"

Black Wolf Den is truly my blessed land."

He joked in his heart, but his eyes became increasingly sharp.

This further proved the correctness of his previous strategy in the early stages when resources were scarce and time was tight.

Plundering a mature ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) power is the optimal solution for quickly completing primitive accumulation and crossing development thresholds.

So now, standing between "Village Level" and "Town Level," only two thresholds remained—seemingly clear, yet both requiring some effort.

Threshold One: Population.

Target: Xiaoyao Stronghold, Juyi Manor.

These two powers, after losing the suppression of Black Wolf Den and witnessing his thunderous methods (killing Guo Shan Feng), had already softened their attitudes.

Incorporating them would replenish the population while eliminating potential unstable factors in the vicinity—killing two birds with one stone.

This matter can be started immediately after returning from Blue Star.

Threshold Two: Trial.

Independently defend against a Level 2 Nightmare Tide.

Lin Feng's gaze lingered on this item the longest.

"Independently defend against a Level 2 Nightmare Tide..."

He murmured.

According to the laws of the Nightmare World, the strength of the trial faced during a territory upgrade is not completely fixed, but is closely related to the territory's current strength, development speed, and even... the Lord's own "potential."

Lin Feng's thoughts whirled as he quickly assessed his side's strength. The more he assessed, the clearer and more certain his premonition became.

"Too strong... For a tiny village-level territory, the power I currently wield is far too overpowered."

When this thought emerged, far from being worried, he felt an almost absurd sense of exhilaration, even unable to help a low chuckle.

Then, it could be almost certain that the next Nightmare Tide, calculated by its fixed cycle, would occur in about seventeen days.

Its strength would surely leap from the conventional Level 1 to Level 2, matching the current performance potential of "Beacon Fire Village"!

"Fine." The sharp light in Lin Feng's eyes retracted, turning into a calm, water-like certainty.

"The goal is clear, the timing is certain—seventeen days from now, repel it, and then, promote!"

The path is beneath my feet. Challenges are but steps.