Everyone was stunned.

Tie Dun's mouth hung wide open, unable to close for a long time.

Zhao Hu's eyes bulged as he muttered, "One hundred and sixty li... one hundred and thirty li... just how big is that?"

Wang Wu smiled, "A quick calculation puts it at over twenty thousand square li."

"Over twenty thousand?" Tie Dun's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Then isn't that... a small kingdom?"

"Yes," Wang Wu nodded. "There are forests, lakes, mines, salt pans, farmland, and fisheries. It has everything one could want."

Everyone looked at one another, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Then, someone started laughing, and the laughter quickly spread until it became a chorus of unrestrained guffaws.

"Our territory, over twenty thousand square li!"

"Forests! Lakes! Mines!"

"Salt! Fish! Timber!"

"This isn't a town anymore; this is a country!"

Lin Feng looked at his subordinates, who were dancing with excitement, and a trace of a smile appeared on his lips.

Over twenty thousand square li.

With mountains, water, and forests.

With mines, salt, and fisheries.

Indeed, it could be considered a small kingdom.

But he knew this was only the beginning.

The Nightmare World was vast and boundless; twenty thousand square li was but a small {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} corner.

He raised his head and looked toward the west.

That was the direction of Baigui County, the heart of this new territory.

"Let's go." He withdrew his gaze and strode forward. "Let's go see our county seat."

The laughter gradually died down as everyone followed.

Five hundred Beacon Guards escorted the prisoners, marching westward in a grand procession.

...

The group continued west along the edge of the Qingmu Forest. After passing through a stretch of low hills, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The silhouette of a city came clearly into view.

The city walls were towering, built entirely of bluish-gray stone bricks that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. The flags atop the towers had been replaced with white ones, the symbol of surrender.

"Twenty meters high." Zhao Hu narrowed his eyes, sizing up the wall. "Just as high as our Beacon Fire Town's."

Tie Dun scratched his head. "The county seats in Sakura Country have walls this high too?"

Wang Wu nodded. "Baigui County is an established county-level territory in Sakura Country, so the walls are naturally decent. But now..."

He grinned. "It's ours."

Smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

The group quickened their pace and soon arrived outside the East Gate.

The city gates were wide open, and a group of people stood outside. Leading them was a middle-aged man in his fifties.

He wore a gray kimono, had graying hair, a thin face, and a respectful demeanor.

Seeing Lin Feng and his party approach, he hurried forward, bowed deeply, and said:

"I am Liu Ming, the former Assistant Internal Affairs Officer of Baigui County. I welcome Lord Lin of Beacon Fire Town to the city!"

The dozens of people behind him also bowed in greeting.

Lin Feng nodded slightly. "There is no need for such formality, Mr. Liu. Lead the way."

Liu Ming straightened up and stepped aside to lead. "This way, Lord. This way, everyone!"

The group followed the road directly to the East Gate.

The gateway was deep and wide, enough for two large wagons to pass side-by-side. Lin Feng looked up at the structure above the gate.

The heavy ironwood gates were clad in copper plating, with precise mechanisms at the hinges.

With a thought, an attribute panel that only he could see appeared before him:

【Baigui County East Gate (Blue)】

Type: City Gate

Defense: 300

Durability: 2000/2000

Lin Feng nodded slightly. Just like the gate of Beacon Fire Town, it was of Blue quality.

On either side of the gate stood a towering arrow tower. The arrow towers were also made of stone, with arrow slits on every level and an observation deck on the top floor.

【Intermediate Arrow Tower (Blue)】

Description: An Intermediate Arrow Tower that can be built in county-level territories.

Effect: After an Archer mounts the tower, their range increases by 30% and damage increases by 10%.

"These two arrow towers were built twenty years ago," Liu Ming introduced from the side. "At that time, to defend against bandits from the east, the Head of the Umekawa Clan... no, Umekawa Kojiro ordered their construction."

"Each tower can hold fifteen Archers and cover a range of two hundred meters outside the gate."

He paused and added cautiously, "Of course, they all belong to the Lord now."

Lin Feng nodded, saying nothing more.

The group passed through the gateway and officially entered the city.

The streets were wide and straight, lined with shops on both sides. People were coming and going, making it quite lively.

Seeing Lin Feng and his group, the pedestrians stopped in their tracks, their eyes filled with curiosity, awe, and a hint of unease.

Liu Ming introduced the sights as they walked:

"Please look, Lord. This is the East Main Street, leading directly to the Lords Mansion in the center of the city. Most of the shops on either side sell timber and salted fish."

He pointed to a shop on the left. "This is the largest lumber merchant in Qingmu Forest. They specialize in buying logs felled from the logging camps, processing them into planks, and selling them to the city's carpentry shops or exporting them to other territories."

He then pointed to a shop on the right. "This is the Fish Guild, which specializes in buying the catch from Qinglin Lake. The salted fish can be preserved for a long time and is one of the main export commodities here."

Tie Dun's eyes lit up. "Salted fish? Is it tasty?"

Liu Ming was stunned for a moment but quickly replied, "It's delicious! The fish from Qinglin Lake have tender meat, and after being salted, they are savory and perfect with rice."

"If the Lord is interested, I will have someone deliver a few jars to the Lords Mansion later."

Tie Dun grinned foolishly, only to be smacked on the back of the head by Zhao Hu.

The group continued forward.

Liu Ming pointed to a cross street ahead. "To the north of this street is the Craftsman District. Blacksmith shops, carpentry shops, and tanneries are all located there."

"The blacksmiths here are quite skilled, especially in forging farm tools and weapons; they are famous in the nearby territories."

He then pointed to another cross street. "To the south is the Residential District, where over two thousand households of original residents live."

"Further south is the Warehouse District, where grain, timber, and salted fish are stored."

Lin Feng listened and made mental notes.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a three-story stone building appeared ahead.

The stone building was constructed entirely of bluish-gray stone, with a simple yet grand design. It had a tall porch on the ground floor, windows on the second, and a slightly smaller third floor topped with black tiles.

In front of the building was a small plaza, with a stone-built pool in the center.

"Lord, this was the former Baigui County Lords Mansion," Liu Ming stopped and said respectfully. "Now, it naturally belongs to you."

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding buildings before looking toward the lush Qingmu Forest in the distance. He said slowly:

"The name Baigui County belonged to the Umekawa family. Now that the Umekawa family is gone, the name should be changed as well."

He paused and said each word clearly, "From today on, this place shall be called—Qingmu County."

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhao Hu was the first to react, slapping his thigh. "Qingmu County! Sounds good! It's right next to the Qingmu Forest, so this name is perfect!"

Tie Dun nodded repeatedly. "Right, right! Baigui County sounds so gloomy; Qingmu County is much more pleasing to the ear!"

Wang Wu laughed. "Qingmu County, Qinglin Lake, and Qingmu Forest—it makes for a perfect set."

Listening from the side, a smile of relief appeared on Liu Ming's face. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Changing the name meant that this young Lord truly intended to treat this place as his own territory, rather than just plundering it and leaving.

He quickly bowed. "The Lord is wise! The name Qingmu County is both fitting and grand!"