He withdrew his gaze and remounted the deer.

"Let's go, to the Mining Site."

...

Passing through the town # Nоvеlight # and walking another two li north, they reached the Mining Site.

This place was even more spectacular than the Logging Camp.

A massive mine entrance opened at the foot of the mountain; the opening was five or six meters wide and three or four meters high. The inside was pitch black, with miners pushing carts in and out from time to time.

The mine carts were filled with iron ore, glinting with a dark red luster under the sunlight.

Outside the mine entrance was an open space piled high with freshly mined ore.

Dozens of miners were busy; some were using hammers to break up large chunks of ore, some were using sieves to filter ore powder, and others were loading processed ore onto carts, preparing to transport it to the nearby Smelting Workshop.

At the Smelting Workshop, the furnace fires roared, and the rhythmic clanging of blacksmithing was incessant.

Several blast furnaces emitted black smoke, and molten iron flowed, cooling into iron ingots.

As Lin Feng watched, Liu Ming approached quickly with two men.

Walking in front was a man in his fifties, with dark skin, a face full of wrinkles, and hands as rough as tree bark.

His clothes were covered in ore powder, but his eyes were bright and his steps steady.

Following behind was a man of similar age, with a stockier build and bulging muscles on his arms.

One could tell at a glance that they were built from years of blacksmithing. He wore a leather apron around his waist, and his hands were still stained with black furnace ash.

"Lord!" Liu Ming stepped forward quickly. "These two are the High-Level Talents I mentioned to you, Master Tian Jian and Master Tian Zheng."

"Master Tian Jian is a Senior Miner, and Master Tian Zheng is a Senior Blacksmith."

The two walked up to Lin Feng and bowed deeply: "Greetings, Lord."

Lin Feng dismounted from the deer and reached out to steady them: "There is no need for such formalities. I have heard much of your names; we finally meet today."

Tian Jian looked up and smiled somewhat cautiously: "The Lord is too kind. I'm just a miner, no big name to speak of."

Tian Zheng also said: "I'm just a blacksmith. Whatever orders the Lord has, just say the word."

Lin Feng smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them, asking about the mine's output, the quality of the ore, and the smelting process.

The two answered one by one. Though they were a bit cautious, when it came to professional matters, their eyes lit up and they spoke more.

After chatting for a while, Lin Feng said: "You two go back to your work; I'll just look around."

The two bowed and withdrew, returning to their tasks.

Lin Feng turned and said to Liu Ming: "Mr. Liu, make the arrangements for later."

Liu Ming hurriedly said: "Please give your orders, Lord."

"Among the Mid-Level Talents, except for the Pharmacists and Farmers, arrange for all the others," Lin Feng said slowly.

"Also, these two High-Level Talents, Tian Zheng and Tian Jian, along with their families, are to be sent to Fenhuo Town together."

Liu Ming was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, Lord. Then, as for the mine here..."

"As for the mine, I will arrange for the Junior Miner Zhao Liu to take charge," Lin Feng said. "He has fought several battles with me and is trustworthy. Let him keep an eye on things here from now on."

Liu Ming nodded: "Understood. I will arrange it as soon as I return."

Lin Feng turned to look at Tian Jian and Tian Zheng, who were still busy at the mine entrance.

They didn't know yet that they would soon be leaving this place where they had lived for decades to go to a completely unfamiliar town.

But Lin Feng knew that Fenhuo Town needed them.

Senior Miners and Senior Blacksmiths were treasures in any territory.

Although they could still be useful staying in Heiyan Town, they would provide even greater value if they moved to Fenhuo Town to work with Blacksmith Wang and the others.

Moreover, their families could be better settled in Fenhuo Town.

"Let's go." Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and remounted the Great-Horned Deer. "Back to Qingmu County."

...

At dusk, the group returned to Qingmu County.

Tian Jian and Tian Zheng brought their respective families and followed behind the main group.

The two families totaled over a dozen people, including the elderly and the young, crowded into several carts pulled by Great-Horned Deer, their faces a mix of unease and anticipation.

Liu Ming had already arranged accommodations in advance, clearing out several rooms in the eastern part of Qingmu County to temporarily house them.

Lin Feng dismounted in front of the Lords Mansion and said to everyone: "Rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, we return to Fenhuo Town."

Zhao Hu nodded: "Don't worry, Lord. We will assemble on time tomorrow."

Tie Dun grinned and said: "Finally going back! I miss my bed in Fenhuo Town!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Lin Feng also smiled and turned to enter the Lords Mansion.

Going up to the second floor, he pushed open the window and looked at the sky as it gradually darkened.

Tomorrow, five hundred Beacon Guards would return to Fenhuo Town with him.

Along with Tian Jian, Tian Zheng, and their families.

As for Qingmu County, it would be left to Liu Ming to manage for the time being.

Regarding defense, there were no threats around Qingmu County, so the County Soldiers would remain responsible for it for now.

He took a deep breath, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

This trip had been very productive.

Next, he just needed to properly digest these gains, wait for the next Nightmare Tide, and then upgrade to county-level.

...

Crescent Moon Territory.

Second floor of the Lords Mansion.

Jiang Zhaoyue sat by the window, holding an account book, her brow slightly furrowed.

The afternoon sun spilled through the window frame onto her, casting a faint glow on her silver-white casual attire.

She wasn't wearing her signature silver-blue battle armor today, but a simple plain white dress. Her long hair was loosely pinned up, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears.

But even so, that cold and stunning temperament still made it impossible to look away.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn waters, her skin like jade, and her lips red without the need for rouge.

Softness and valor blended perfectly within her.

But at this moment, her brow was slightly knit.

The numbers in the account book didn't look good.

The grain reserves of the Crescent Moon Territory were only enough to last another twenty days. Salt was also running low, with at most half a month's supply left.

Although she had sent people to Heiyan Town to purchase supplies a few days ago, the round trip took time, and recently, monster activity in the Tianji Mountain had been frequent, making the security of the merchant caravans a concern.

What gave her an even bigger headache was that money wasn't the issue; the issue was there was nowhere to buy.

The surrounding territories were all short on grain, some even worse off than Crescent Moon Territory. She heard that some had started limited rationing last month, with only Baigui County having plenty of grain.

She sighed, closed the account book, and rubbed her brow.

A soft knock came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a woman in her twenties walked in quickly. She wore a capable green short outfit, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and she held a stack of documents. She was Su Qian, Jiang Zhaoyue's secretary.

"President." Su Qian walked to the desk, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement. "The matter you asked me to follow has a result."

Jiang Zhaoyue's brow arched: "The Territory War between Fenhuo Town and Baigui County?"

"Yes!" Su Qian nodded vigorously. "The news just came in; the result is out."

She paused, took a deep breath, and said word by word:

"Fenhuo Town won. A head-on defeat, a one-sided crushing victory."

Jiang Zhaoyue's pupils contracted slightly.